Good enough vs. Great enough

Is there such a term as “great enough”? Or maybe I should have used “better”, I dunno. :P

Artistically, this year has been different for me. I usually refer back to my “wake up” call last year which made arting suck for me big time. I’ve changed my outlook on on my drawings, accepted things that I fought against and learned to let go. And my art has improved greatly (though I still have a long way to go!). But one thing that I’ve been working on lately, was trying to make my drawings surpass from just being “good enough.”

I’m all for instant gratification. So I can draw something and finish it quickly, becoming satisfied that I finished something. However, along the way, I get a nagging feeling that the drawing could have been better, had I went the extra mile. If I pushed a little more, that satisfaction would turn into pride. And that’s what I want. I want to be proud of my drawings.

So I’ve strive to go the extra mile, to draw things that I usually avoid (backgrounds, bare feet, etc) to make my pictures so much better. And so far, it’s made me happier with not only my art, but just creating in general. I ran from referencing before, but it’s helped me so much now. Google and me? We’re best friends for life now.

I’m applying this to my comics as well. Comics is hard! Especially if you’re boxed into deadlines. Some details have to be lost in order to provide it on time. To you pro comickers, I bow to you. But…since I’m only doing this as a hobby and I have a bit of time on my hands, I want to make my pages the best they can be, even if it takes a bit more time. I’ll have pride in my work and hopefully my readers can sense that pride and enjoy my comics all the more.

I came to this conclusion while I was looking over my thumbnails. I noticed the trees in there, looked the same. And if trees and plants are the highlight of my comic, I should make them more distinct and make each one special. So I hit up google and was inspired by my search results. Now the story I’m telling will mean so much more since I put the extra work into it. I’m so excited to share it.

Just needed to make a note of this. I like chronicling my discovers and personal journeys in art and life. I shouldn’t just make my art “good enough”. I should make it “the best I can make it”. Now its back to drawing for me.