Tuesday night I did a piece of concept art in watercolor, a medium I have been considering using for the book. Either that or watered-down acrylics. I've been hesitant about either one because, while I know how to paint, I don't consider myself very good at it on a traditional level.

The idea that I'm not good at something I know HOW to do well is just the tip of the self-confidence iceberg. Here's a video by Ira Glass that a facebook friend posted a few weeks ago that basically reinforces a point that I have always understood about creation, but never realize applies to myself: That one has to be persistent when they create and understand that there's going to be a lot of awful stuff before one lays their golden egg.



I decided to use the concept art as a "Thank You" card for my baby shower. (Cards you can buy here.)



After looking at the painting a few days removed, I actually like the style.

My next step is to render some backgrounds, which has been a life-time challenge for me, on all artistic fronts. I've always trained myself to be a character designer or animator. My focus in life for a long time was to solely be in charge of the moving elements in animation, the characters in a book. I never had any concern for where they came from, how they came to be, or the visible background they would be laid upon during production.

Looks like I made a huge mistake.