When I started doing commentaries for NPR, I felt that they would work better on the website if I did animations for them. So I suggested that to my producer, who said "Yeah, that would be great!" Only problem: I had never done an animation before. But there was an "animation assist" slider on Procreate, so I flop-sweated my way through my first ever animation, with no clue how to do it. Sometimes it's fun to set the goal before you have the skills to reach it. And fwiw, here's the first one I did. It took two days! But got better after that. https://www.kunc.org/arts-life/2023-07-28/colorado-watches-proudly-as-our-stars-shine-at-the-womens-world-cup
As I'm writing this it's past midnight, so my new art experience was now yesterday (I fell asleep early and woke up...). So, yesterday I tried out my new mini art travel kit I made where you use an old tin as a paint palette to clip to your paper and use water brushes to paint on location. (The key is using big magnetic clips to attach the tin to whatever pad/book/board on which you're painting). I'll post result on my own Substack this weekend but I'll give this tip now: it does take awhile to figure out how to manipulate the water brushes so the paint isn't too watery. So have some paper towels and/or cloths with you and wear something with pockets so you can easily reach while holding your art and supplies all at the same time. I only had the one day to go out and thought about my apron but couldn't find it so I grabbed a sweater with pockets. It got too hot in the sun so I tied it around my waist and stuffed the paper towels there at my waist...it might've looked odd but it worked!
Thanks, Ritagail for that tip! I've never quite gotten the hang of waterbrushes and tend to prefer regular brushes. But you're so right that just having enough rags/paper towels would help. Keep creating!
I love the color scheme! And it's always such a treat to see your animals / nature drawings—that image of the hawk paired with the concept of death is so good.
In terms of something new I recently tried: I went to a class on sashiko last Monday, which is a method of Japanese stitching to mend and repair fabric. It looks very intricate and geometric (half the class was there to use it decoratively rather than functionally) but it was easier than I anticipated. I forgot how empowering it is to learn how to make—and fix—things you're used to having to buy; I repaired an old dish towel yesterday and I love how it came out. I also appreciated how the teacher told us that it's also beautiful when it's uneven and looks hand-made, which turned out to be true.
No way! I first learned about sashiko in a beautiful book called "The Art of Repair"; if you haven't read it I highly recommend! Also happy to share what I learned :)
When I started doing commentaries for NPR, I felt that they would work better on the website if I did animations for them. So I suggested that to my producer, who said "Yeah, that would be great!" Only problem: I had never done an animation before. But there was an "animation assist" slider on Procreate, so I flop-sweated my way through my first ever animation, with no clue how to do it. Sometimes it's fun to set the goal before you have the skills to reach it. And fwiw, here's the first one I did. It took two days! But got better after that. https://www.kunc.org/arts-life/2023-07-28/colorado-watches-proudly-as-our-stars-shine-at-the-womens-world-cup
So cool! Yeah, sometimes we just need a goal in order to force ourselves to actually learn the skills. Very cool you got to work with NPR!
I pitched them based on my Colorado Sun columns, which were an outgrowth of my work on Substack. The system works!
Very cool!
Thanks for sharing. It's beautiful.
I've written haiku but never put images to them.
Will have to think about that.
As I'm writing this it's past midnight, so my new art experience was now yesterday (I fell asleep early and woke up...). So, yesterday I tried out my new mini art travel kit I made where you use an old tin as a paint palette to clip to your paper and use water brushes to paint on location. (The key is using big magnetic clips to attach the tin to whatever pad/book/board on which you're painting). I'll post result on my own Substack this weekend but I'll give this tip now: it does take awhile to figure out how to manipulate the water brushes so the paint isn't too watery. So have some paper towels and/or cloths with you and wear something with pockets so you can easily reach while holding your art and supplies all at the same time. I only had the one day to go out and thought about my apron but couldn't find it so I grabbed a sweater with pockets. It got too hot in the sun so I tied it around my waist and stuffed the paper towels there at my waist...it might've looked odd but it worked!
Keep Creating Everyone!
Thanks, Ritagail for that tip! I've never quite gotten the hang of waterbrushes and tend to prefer regular brushes. But you're so right that just having enough rags/paper towels would help. Keep creating!
This is so beautiful, K! Just gorgeous.
Thanks, Jane!
Stunning haiku comic! I love it!
Thank you so much, Jason! I loved your’s too in @Incidental Comics today!
Thanks for the shout-out for Poetry Comics, K.! Great work.
Thanks, Grant!
The haiku comic is beautifully done and has such wonderful visual flow.
Thank you so much, Amy!
Recently I started cutting out words and phrases from magazines to create poems
That sounds really fun, Trippy! I haven't done that, but I think that might be in my future.
Yes! Give it a try!
Very nice!
Thanks Margreet!
I love the color scheme! And it's always such a treat to see your animals / nature drawings—that image of the hawk paired with the concept of death is so good.
In terms of something new I recently tried: I went to a class on sashiko last Monday, which is a method of Japanese stitching to mend and repair fabric. It looks very intricate and geometric (half the class was there to use it decoratively rather than functionally) but it was easier than I anticipated. I forgot how empowering it is to learn how to make—and fix—things you're used to having to buy; I repaired an old dish towel yesterday and I love how it came out. I also appreciated how the teacher told us that it's also beautiful when it's uneven and looks hand-made, which turned out to be true.
Thank you so much! Also, I’ve been thinking about how I want to learn mending so how cool you are learning sashiko!
No way! I first learned about sashiko in a beautiful book called "The Art of Repair"; if you haven't read it I highly recommend! Also happy to share what I learned :)
This is a stunner!
Thank you, Kelcey!
This is absolutely beautiful!! Honestly I would buy a whole book of this.
Aww, thanks so much, Sarah
Your haiku is very well done, makes me hope to try it, yes...
Thank you, Anne! I hope you give it a try!
Lovely work. And I hope to see more three panel haiku comics!
Thanks John!
Love the haiku and the palette you went with. That hawk is gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Joshua! I’m excited to make more haiku comics!
Quiet beauty. Wonderful
Two of my favorite illustrators in one post. Amazing!