On sharing progress and repetition

If you follow me on various social media, you’ll know I take a while to finish art (now anyway — I used to finish art in a day or two before my Very Long Break). You also know I will share pieces in various stages of progress.

Sometimes I feel a little bad that I show a drawing of various stages so many times — I always imagine people are sick of the drawing before I’ve even finished it (of course, maybe it’s just that I’m tired of seeing it over and over heheh!).

That hasn’t actually been the case (and perhaps those who are more interested in just seeing the finished piece simply follow my dA or do as I do and quickly skim social media/blogs and stop when they have time or something grabs their attention).

I’ve asked or mentioned it a few times over the years, and people respond that they like to see the progress. It helps show how I work.

I also love to see the progress and various stages of things being created. In a way, it helps me to study how to do things. And really, it’s no different than many of the costuming blogs/social media I follow, and I adore seeing those in-progress things. They will also sometimes share updates of the garments and items they are making, mentioning any problems or solutions they run into. And perhaps they are documenting some of the steps for a future, all-encompassing entry about the item, or even as a test to see if they want to continue or make changes using certain tools or techniques. I admit I’ve been finding myself scrutinizing how I work, and seeing what I want to change or build even more.

I’ve also been asked a few times to create tutorials for those who are interested in even more detail about what I do or use. Just updating this blog/website can sometimes feel like more of a chore, so taking photos and figuring out how to describe or explain what I do really takes a bit of time (and in some instances, I also have alternate ways of doing things that should be shown). I guess sharing all of the progress helps me at least get a little bit of a hint of explaining, until I can get around to doing a better job. I’m so overwhelmed with all of the art I want to finish and start (and I’ve been feeling the pull to get back to sewing in addition to continuing fan art of Thorin & Co.), there are also many “tutorials” that have been waiting a long time as well.

Plus, although I am a very introverted individual, sharing even a glimpse of what’s on my drawing table on social media has become my way of staying… social.

Regardless of whether or not you document and explain (or even share what you make online), keep having fun with whatever you’re doing. Best Wishes! 🙂