April is here

I can't believe April is already here. How does that happen? But the month is already off to a great start, I sold Raven and have a great start on a new doll that I am already falling in love with. I think she is the beginning of something new for me.

I am really striving to find my own style. So with this doll, I am not trying so hard to get that hyper realistic look. I'm doing what comes naturally to me, and sort of stylized, almost anime, cartoon like style. Large eyes, smaller lips. This has been something I've been struggling with for years now. I feel like I don't have my own style: I see something I like, and I imitate it for a while, until I see something else...etc etc. Also, I vasilate between getting perfect realism in my art, or doing things more stylized. Examples:

Realism:



Stylized:



These last three pictures are more recent than the top three. I think that is when it started to sink in that THIS is what comes natural to me. I have to work really hard to get things perfect. So, I think I've decided to blend the two. Stylize, but do things realistically. Hehe, if that makes sense. Its the whole, "Learn the rules of anatomy, so that you can break them when you feel like it."

It is strange, how much more at peace I feel about my work, I feel like I'm not fighting so much in the creation process. Haha, its kinda like when I realized I have curly hair dang it, and there is nothing I can do to change that. So stop fighting it, and celebrate the curls!