Time passes so quickly that it hardly seems to pass at all until, every once in a while, you see or hear or do something that brings you up short and makes you take stock, realizing with something of a shock that you are not, in fact, the same person you were ten years, or five years, or even three months ago. These tire strips on the road of life can be good, horrible, or anywhere in between, but they all have the same stopping power to break the chain of continuity from moment to moment to moment that ties us in our current mental state as if it were the only one that ever could, or ever has, existed.
All of which is a long and flowery way around of saying "Holy crap, I was drawing some real shit two years ago, and I'm much better now. Has it been that freaking long?!"
Specific case in point, these two "Boots", one from the Expansion Pack and the other one I just finished for the Warrior Mini:
Jiminy Christmas, that one on the left looks like it got partially melted in a laser firefight. I mean, come on, let's be honest -- it's crap. And yet at the time I thought it was good. Which makes me wonder, is the one on the right actually crap and I am kidding myself into thinking it's good?
Luckily deadlines exist so we creative types can't keep plunging knives into our own hearts, never actually completing anything. I hate to think how often I have sent out work that was just "good enough, it needs to be finished". On the one hand, I hate that I sent out something I knew wasn't as good as it could have been. On the other hand, it got done.
I have to say, though, I've learned a lot over the last two or so years of doing character illustrations for the Caption Contest and, I think, finally getting a good handle on how to draw with the digital pen. My work's getting much, much tighter and more solid looking, which I am so happy about.
Anyway, back to work, I am still cranking to get the Mini ready for beta tomorrow. And this time, when it comes to actually launching it, it will be the best I can possibly make it. Which will make me happy until the next time my life is brought to a screeching halt by looking at the boot on the right and thinking "That sucks!"
