Basil

Here is the original piece.

This piece was drawn in 2021 or maybe early 2022. It was for some scholarship on a world we imagined, or what we saw when we hoped for the future.

At the time, I hoped to become a storyboard artist and work for LAIKA or Dreamworks. I was inexperienced but desperately wanted to learn and prove myself. At the time, this was one of the most complex pieces I had ever done. I pushed myself and worked so hard to make something mystical, a world beyond.

I did not get that scholarship, of course. Or any others. But I got an associate's degree on a local scholarship and have continued to learn since. That picture has been my desktop background since whenever it was made, I've just never thought to change it. It served as a reminder of where I was and how far I had come.

Recently, I wanted to do it again. To push myself as hard as I could and practice some new techniques on it. This is what I got. If you read this, hope it wasn't a waste of your time. Enjoy the new piece!

FUN FACT

In the 1954 film "The Long Long Trailer" within the first 10 minutes Lucy mentions their expenses included $1700 rent.

Accounting for inflation, their monthly rent was the equivalent of $19,945.

The average rent was in the hundreds.

Where were they living.