Reworking an Illustration: B is for... and some thoughts on failure

A few years ago I created an illustration that was visual failure. It haunted me. There were so many problems with it. I loved the concept and the idea, but the execution was pathetic. A lot of the mistakes were due to lack of planning and lack of a proper amount of time to really do it justice.

Luckily, it was for a personal project, It hung in a gallery exhibit and was posted as one of my failures on-line. It still haunted me. 

Over the past year or so I have gained a greater appreciation for failing. Although I still fear certain aspects of it, the fear of failure does not plague me like it has in the past. I have started approaching it with a more positive perspective and an understanding that failure is inevitable. I will fail. I will fail often, I have failed and will continue to do so. How I approach each failure is more important that failing. My failures are now strengthening me and helping me to get better. This one thought has freed me in so many ways. It is liberating. I am ok with messing up now.

The last few months, I made time in-between projects to rework it. Slowly, I tweaked the composition, redrew each aspect, and lightened it up. In the end it is much stronger. 

This is from my personal project “A is For Alliteration” and is for the latter B. The title is “B is for a bevy of beatnik blue footed boobies boogieing to the bodacious blues beat of The Baby Blues Brothers, a blue whale bleating on the bassoon, a blue lobster banging on the bongos, a blaring bagpipe, a blue agama on the base, a boar on a banjo, and a blue jay belting the ballad, is the bee's knees.”

New Illustration for “North”

For the Northern Vermont University Visual Arts 2018 Faculty Art Exhibit “North” I exhibited a number of illustrations that I created over the past few years. I also spent time creating a new illustration for my “A is for Alliteration” book that related to the the theme of North.

This one is titled “N is for a nearsighted Napoleonic navy nabob navigating nervous narwals not so nicely through narrows near numbats nibbling nachos, nine nefarious newt ninjas, and naïve nerdy naked mole-rats wedding neither necklaces nor neckties 'neath the nebulous northern night.”

I like long titles.

B is for…

Over the past few years I have been slowly working on an alphabet series. You can see D, Q, S, P and W at the link provided. This is part of a series call “A is for Alliteration” and is currently on display at the Quimby Gallery as part of the 2015 faculty exhibit, “Blue.”

The title is “A bevy of beatnik blue footed boobies boogieing to the bodacious blues beat of The Baby Blues Brothers, a blue whale bleating on the bassoon, a blue lobster banging on the bongos, a blaring bagpipe, a blue agama on the base, a boar on a banjo, and a blue jay belting the ballad, is the bee's knees.” 

I had a blast working on this one. I am still trying to figure out how to give it the jazz club feel without making my colors so saturated, so if you have any tips let me know.

The Letter P

Over the past few years I have been slowly working on an alphabet series. You can see D, Q, S, and W at the link provided. This is part of a series call “A is for Alliteration.”

The title for this is “A peculiar pair precariously placed within a pumpkin patch in a predicament of a plethora of pouring pineapples and pomegranates perilously pelting pretty, puny, purple and pink polka-dotted parasols.” I think the title says it all.

I will be working on the letter “B” for the next one. That should be completed before December as it will be exhibited in the faculty exhibit at Lyndon State College. The Subject of the exhibit is Blue.

This is also this weeks submission to Illustration Friday for the word of the week, “Danger.”