Time traveling 20-plus years from the last post. I discovered that when you work and have a family, having time to put into a personal interest is quite different from being unmarried with no kids.
For as much as we all have the same 24 hours in a day, it’s the pace of time that seems to change dramatically after you become a husband and a dad (same for moms, of course, who seem to be much better time managers).
At present day, the kids are grown and there’s a little more creative time available. Music is on the back burner (another story for another day), and the dormant longing to draw and create continues to lure me in.
In 2022 I wanted to put more focus on improving my drawing, so I made a goal of drawing at least 30 minutes a day. I created a calendar and would mark off each day. This was a non-negotiable goal, as I wanted to build the habit of making time to create every day. As you can probably imagine, this was easier said than done. The result is this Rocket and Groot drawing, (after the amazing and fantastic Arthur Adams). And I apologize ahead of time for the lousy photos.
The original comic book artwork is the cover of Uncanny X-Men #023. I loved the style so much that I had to try my hand at it. I went with graphite pencil on 17” x 14” Bristol. Partway through this piece I discovered a 9xxB pencil, and I really like the results in the darkest areas. I think I ended up burning through two of the 9xxB, and three 6B pencils in total. Special shout out of gratitude to my daughter Marissa, who I would go to for advice during this piece, she’s a master at this stuff.
To this day, when I look at a piece of finished work, three thoughts race through my mind, in this order; The first is “I can’t show this to anybody”. I fight with this fear every time and on every one of these posts. Second, I see the flaws and the areas I can improve and sometimes wonder if I should do it over again. Third, I see the work as a blessing and a miracle that I’m even able to create it.
As I ponder this mental process, and why it even exists in my head, I realize (or perhaps this is wishful thinking) that the third thought above helps me overcome the first thought, and the second thought pushes me to get better and more confident. I know that probably doesn’t make much sense – or maybe for you, it does. In any case, whatever it is you do in life that you love, just keep doing it.
Tony De La Rosa 