Mistakes are great

Mistakes are great. They often lead to more freedom. That is, if you can accept those mistakes and why they were made, do your best to improve upon them, and keep your cool along the way.

We were hanging out on a Live. I was working on a commission and selling some books, doing some remarks, having a GREAT time.

I did a dope drawing. I was excited about coloring it, and when I did the color wash, the ink I had never used before decided to bleed with the wash. (I know better and should’ve tested first 🤦 🤷) So what should’ve been a bright pale blue/turquoise background instead became a very muddy dark grey with hints of blue.

This was NOT the plan. The vibe was vibing. The energy of the show was killer. We were joking, laughing, and everything was going right and now my original plan is not accessible anymore and I may have ruined a piece completely.

However, once I accepted I had a new reality ahead, I shifted focus from what I didn’t have to what I now have. And what I had now was freedom to play around and test some things out.

Worst case scenario I could draw and ink that again. I’d be out an hour or two max. Not the end of the world by any stretch.

And tbf, during that playtime, I did almost toss it and start over. For some reason it wasn’t painting especially well.

Until I cracked out the acrylic markers @ohuhuart sent me.

Side note: I wanted to be unimpressed by these markers. But tbh, they’re great. They went on smooth and consistently. They’re not have just enough translucence that they can somewhat blend with other colors. They have a ton of colors to choose from. And they saved this piece for SURE.

So props to @ohuhuart for making a great product.

Anyway, I could’ve stayed angry and thrown it away, start again and be pissed off all through the next try. But instead I took responsibility for the moment I was in, and trusted my experience to help me recover.

I love the end result of this Deku and I’m glad I stuck with it.

That front hand is intoxicating. Right?