#unfired

I got the nicest comment on this piece, from a very talented local artist (@_amberbryans on instagram). it was 'I imagine a whole story here...' and that's honestly one of the things I really strive for with my work. Sometimes it's just an animal on the move, sometimes it's creatures interacting, sometimes it's something fantastical, but I want it to feel like seeing into a moment where something is happening. It's gratifying when people can see that.

When I was younger and trying to develop my art, I really disliked how static my art was. I created a lot of neat characters, but I struggled to draw them in situations and it made me feel like my art was flat and lifeless. I began to draw comics to force myself to adapt my style. drawing from life or with good references really helped me change that too.

Even now I think about motion a lot when I sketch my designs, the way the fox is turning back to look up at the bird, or the way the bird (it was originally a blue jay, it sort of morphed into a vague corvid shape) is flapping hard to slow itself down in flight.

here's the piece next to the sketch: