comics and insecurities: The 100 Day Project
Starting tomorrow I'll be participating in the 100 day project. You can follow along as I draw comics via my Instagram at @feral_pony_illustration
The project was started by Elle Luna and the idea is to do a small creative something everyday for 100 days and share as you go along.
I decided to use the 100 day project to work in a more focused way on my comics starring insectivores like bats and shrews. I've been working on these on the edges of time and sketchbooks for awhile and have bunches of sketches and ideas. I plan to spend my 100 days really developing the characters and story, drawing panels that include all the interiors and backgrounds that I prefer to ignore, and hopefully completing and inking a story as you watch.
I've toyed around with making comics since junior high. In high school my best friend and I created a collaborative comic about a punk rock zombie girl who attacked jocks while they were drinking in the woods. Hmm, maybe we should bring that one back now that zombies are so popular ;) But I've always shied away from dedicating myself to bringing any of my comic ideas to completion. I am actually not sure I can do it. It's funny after 15 years or so working as an artist to admit you are actually kinda insecure and a bit afraid to try something. I mean I've tackled bunches of critiques, museum shows, various mediums, various styles, teaching, a career change from gallery artist to illustrator, a realistic portrait of a heron... why does this give me pause?
Well, it involves a lot of the things I think I stink at. My weaknesses include commitment, getting easily bored with drawing backgrounds, and a nagging fear about my ability to convincingly draw the same character over and over. (no you should totally still hire me!)
So we shall see how this all plays out! I'm making the public commitment to focus on this specific project which is near and dear to me but often gets swept under the rug as other opportunities arise.
It should be lots of fun to follow along with the 100 day projects of other artists and makers too! The official hashtag is #the100dayproject and the hashtag for my 100 days is #100daysof mammalcomics but I warn you in advance there will be some insects in there too. Who can commit to a hashtag that also sounds clever and concise for 100 days after all?
Are you participating in #the100dayproject too? Let me know in the comments so I can follow you!