Why yes, you should redraw that old piece

It’s insane how much of a difference a couple of years takes. Especially once you begin to follow tutorials and experiment with different techniques. Am I anywhere near the level I want to be at? No. Am I getting there? Yes.

I have stopped cringing at my old self in the last couple of years or so. Instead, I’m fascinated. Even at 12 years old in 2005, I always made it a point to draw backgrounds. It was drilled into me. It sounds silly considering that I had issues in other departments (anatomy, proportions, coloring ect). In a weird way, the coloring with pastels brings the whole thing together. Eraser marks are visible as well. I once blamed the scanner for making it “look worse”, but if anything, it was a good scanner for picking up those small details. It feels very, “outsider art” if you will.

And you know what? No one felt the need to tear me down back then. Not sure if it’s because it being drawn by a child is obvious, or if it’s just due to being in smaller online circles. Either way, I was given constructive criticism and encouraged to improve. Little by little, I did improve.

What I find kind of impressive is that the aesthetic of how I draw faces hasn’t changed much. Some things really don’t change.

I’ll spend the rest of my life improving, this is a fact that I’ve come to terms with. I’ve also been getting showered with tons of love on DeviantArt over this, which keeps me going.

Ps: To the bitter alcoholic who said I should just “switch over to AI to maximize profits”, I see that you’ve gone on to bash people for trying to improve their own art. I feel sorry for you, if anything, because you gave up on trying to improve. I know you get a kick out of tearing people down, and it’s all because you’re deeply insecure. ✨ I’m glad I didn’t take your advice.

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Deirdre’s Musings

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