I’ve been working on a project involving my grandpa’s artwork, and it inspired me to try traditional Chinese watercolors again (my grandfather on my mom’s side was a famous Chinese-Taiwanese artist).
I ordered this book from bookshop.org, an online book store that donates profits to local, independent bookstores. I’ve been trying to make a point of not purchasing books through Amazon, and instead buying used from ebay or from stores like this.
Anyway, I honestly can’t remember the last time I followed a step-by-step drawing guide. I think at some point after high school, I might have started thinking of drawing guides as cheating, or for younger people? But that’s silly, because learning a skill from someone else is just.. completely natural. And if I can’t learn a skill from somebody in=person, a guide written by an expert is the next best thing.
I’ve also found lately that following guides is a great way to get past this scared-of-art feeling I’ve built up for so long, and a way to just get me to do something even if I still feel a bit afraid to be creative, or afraid of failure..
