I recently invested in a Wacom Bamboo Graphics Tablet because a) I've always wanted one, b) I wanted to take my drawings to a new level and c) I thought that with becoming more involved in my blog and scrapbooking etc, it would be nice to design my own things like scrapbook papers, embellishments and lists and stuff.
When I first got it, it was quite overwhelming because I had no idea what to do. I've always been interested in digital art and seeing what loads of other people could do. The amount of talent they have, I felt inferior as I sat there with my tablet, staring at the screen, the pen feeling foreign in my grasp. The first few times I just scribbled with it, trying to feel comfortable with it, but it didn't really work. I thought "What have I done?! I can't do this! Nothing looks right!" There was a whole load of self doubt going on.
I spent quite a lot of time after those initial moments of self doubt, watching other peoples processes and looking at tutorials of how to achieve things. And I looked at loads and loads of art. In some ways it made me feel like there was no way on Earth I could ever accomplish what I wanted to, but it also gave me hope. I realised that everyone starts somewhere and the only way I was going to get it was if I tried and practised. A couple of friends kept telling me so too. So I set aside some more time just to play around with stuff and drew from all the different tutorials I read. This was the result...
While it is far far from perfect, it's progress and a step up from scribbles. I'm still learning and I'll continue to try to make further progress. I am pleased with the way this turned out. I think I also need to do drawing on paper more. That will make it easier to develop a comfortable style.
