A long-time friend of mine surprised me out of the blue the other day – She’d been pottering around the house, sorting through some old papers and fished out some ancient drawings I'd done almost 14 years ago!
I couldn’t have been any more than 13 years old at the time.
Back then my influences were a cocktail of politically incorrect kid’s shows like Rocko’s Modern Life and Ren & Stimpy… AND an anime I was totally obsessed with - Dragon Ball Z…
I managed to break out some fairly quirky cartoons back then. Duper Squirrel (heavily based on Conkers Bad Fur Day) starred in some of the first Comics I ever created! His arch nemesis was the mutant Ginger Bread Man – Sadly there are no remaining remnants of him though.
I recall being completely shattered when I knocked an entire cup of water over the freshly inked Duper Squirrel Comic I’d drawn up in my scrap book. The Mutant Ginger Bread Man was about to jump through a portal and take over Earth. Duper Squirrel was humanity’s only hope! – and it was all washed away in the blink of an eye.
One of those artistic traumas that really make you value the ‘Undo’ button.
I wanted to share these with you today to PROVE to you that no matter what level of skill you’re at – if you keep on drawing, you’re going to get good at it!
It’s one of those things you can look back on over the years and see a linear evolution as you harness your abilities.
You just need to love your craft enough to stick with it. Feed yourself with all the inspiration it takes and remain hungry enough to master it.
But don’t ever think you’re there yet. The moment you think you’re good enough, is the moment you stop being great. That’s the incredible thing about your art. It lives with you, and it’ll continue to refine itself for as long as you’re putting pencil to paper.
I look back on my work from the years that have gone by, and it’s almost unrecognizable. But what’s even more profound is that this remains the same for every passing week and day. Just when you’ve reached the top, you discover new levels that you didn’t even realize you could get to.
So – Push yourself to learn and practice your craft – but let the love for what you do be the fuel that drives you forward.
Keep on creating ;)
-Clayton