A ‘Primitive Wiggle’ Art Style Retrospective
In 2020, I intentionally developed a simplified art style to avoid burnout and explore new techniques: The Primitive Wiggles! Let's have a Wiggles Retrospective!
This was the first painting attempting a simpler style, “Coyote Joy”. From its success, I developed the style further to be a utility that fit my personal art-making habits and desires.
And here is the first sketchbook page of experiments! Initially, the Wiggles had much smaller ears, a more blunt muzzle, outlined shoulders. They had eyebrows, too! You can see on these pages I’m attempting to get muzzle, paw, and eye shapes down.
A few more attempts and we are getting somewhere with the consistency. I was just drawing them over and over thinking about 1) ease of execution and 2) versatility of shapes/poses.
And finally we have more of a solidified paw shape: muppet hands. (It was the right choice.)
At the time, I drew this and went "YES, THIS is what I'm going for" and I still like her even now! Some small things are different, like the Wiggles almost never get 2 sets of whiskers anymore, but she still holds up. Note how bushy their tails started out-- nowadays they’re way longer, skinnier, like a coyote and not a fox.
Some other things that changed: notice how not every one of them has eyelashes. The eyelashes became something I'm weirdly insistent on-- they're just cuter that way!! (Pieces from 2020)
The style used to be defined by one particular technique. But now, I let the Wiggles exist in many forms! Being flexible is part of their point-- make art no matter what, no matter when, with any materials available. (Pieces from 2022)
Just look at the difference in snoot length alone. (Top: 2020, bottom: 2022) I consciously made their snoots longer and their ears bigger because I want them to lean more COYOTE.
I would say some inspirations for the Wiggles would have to be Keith Haring (simplicity, fun, bold lines) and Rick Bartow (how he handles texture/negative space and the blurring of lines between abstracted and representational). The style was also sort of inspired by cave art, for philosophical reasons.
Basically, I was burnt out with my work. I wanted to make art, but every time I tried, I hated it. Adding another style to my repertoire was liberating. The constraints and considerations that held me back with my main style were no longer there. And now that I have the Wiggles, my other styles don’t bum me out as much, I just get to make art however it suits me best at the time. (I have mental health struggles that put me at highs and lows quite rapidly, so this was sort of a necessity if I was to make art my full-time gig, which I did in summer 2020. The Wiggles were born in December 2020.)
I made the Wiggles by myself and FOR myself. (I am quite attached to them. ♥) They gave me permission to have fun, made me overthink less, and break out of self-imposed restrictions that hindered my creativity. They've come a hell of a long way since 2020, and I have, too!
I hope you enjoyed this Wiggles Retrospective. May they inspire you to play, experiment, and step out of comfort zones! Take a leap of faith-- be WILD! Be NONSENSICAL! AND MAKE SOME WEIRD ART!!
