Creative Confidence by Diana Ting Delosh

Work Space
The amount of space is not important just that you have a spot you can claim your own. I claim a small spare bedroom as my studio space. I definitely need more shelving and flat files. It is chaotic but it is mine. I do most of my thinking and artsy mark making here.

My Drawing Board:

Working on sketch revisions for my picture book dummy. On the desk:  

Finished sketches on tracing paper clipped to the desk so I can flip through as needed. Various storyboard printouts so I can check the flow. ThumbNailer for doodling sketch revision ideas for page 26. Sketch page 27 that I thought was done but now I think it needs to be changed. Orange triangle. bits of blue tape. 

I also have a bag packed with my notebook, scribbling implements, small sketch book and ThumbNailer for those times I need to be on a train. While I can't do finished art, I do find the train rides great for thinking, scribbling concepts and solutions or just sketching. All I need is a seat and some elbow room. Is it just my imagination or has the Long Island Rail Road gotten bumpier?

My Travel Bag: note book, ThumbNailer, small sketch book,
Pencil case with pens & pencils, LIRR train ticket.

Mental Space
Sometimes I need to get away from all the noise of social media, TV, etc. Good or bad sometimes it's is just too much. Probably why I like just doodling in a sketch pad or writing longhand in my notebook with only the natural sounds of my environment. The physical act of writing or drawing connects directly to my day dreaming brain. Sometimes I listen to podcasts. I usually start my day with a cup of tea and some journaling in my notebook. Helps me set the tone of the day.

Tea Steeping and Vitamins © Diana Ting Delosh
Biro Sketch from INKTOBER 2016 series.

Creative Confidence
This last one's a must. Without it creating is almost impossible. It is also a very fragile commodity. Unfortunately, it's too easily effected by outside influences. The nice comment on your WIP can buoy you up and make the process fast and smooth. It can also puff you up so much that it's hard to get your butt back in your seat. While the off remark can make you question every mark and send you down a creative black hole or spur you on in defiance.

So how does one build Creative-self-confidence? My thoughts are to practice, practice, practice. Fake it, put pencil to paper or however you begin and work it. Build your creative skills. Develop your own aesthetic. Seek out reviews from trusted peers and industry professionals. Sure, this opens you up to the possibility of an ego bruising review but it is the only way to improve and develop a thicker hide. Take in the advice. Decide if there's some merit to the critique then go back to the drawing board. At times you may feel like an imposter but keep at it.  Sometimes you just have to take the leap and believe in yourself.

Fox and Butterflies © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush Pen, Watercolor, Digital.

A small quick Illo created for the weekly illustration challenge on Twitter #colour_collective for the week, Sweet Potato.  Realized  that I had been working on mainly sketches and I needed to do a finished colored piece of art just to keep my hand in the game. Practice, practice, practice. Also, sometimes you just need a break from what you're focused on to recharge.

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The BIG ThumbNailer
ThumbNailer

Thumbnails - By Deborah Cuneo

As an illustrator,  when you hear the word  thumbnail, you probably  think of  a rough, miniature doodle.  It's  always been a tried and true way to flesh out an individual piece or an entire storyboard.  And... while I do start each new illustration with a small, rough sketch, over the years, the idea of "thumbnail" has become so much more  a part of my entire, creative process.

I generally start every illustration with a rough thumbnail.  If I'm working on a group of spots for my portfolio, or a book project, I eventually end up with a series of these rough little drawings in the form of a  storyboard. I've also been using thumbnails to write out the text with illustration notes for myself. But, for me, their usefulness doesn't end there.

I like to work on the entire series or book project  all at once to keep everything consistent, but tracking all the details  while working that way, can be a bit overwhelming, especially now that I 'm working more with digital tools and layers. I tried many different ways to keep track of what I did, but being a very visual person, I kept coming back to those simple little rectangles with the line down the middle.

 So...now I use the thumbnail format for everything from tracking how many of the main elements have to be rendered in separate  layers, any revisions that need to be done, to mini color studies to give myself a full color overview and pretty much everything in-between.

Color Tracking - Little Dragon Sky Pony Press-2017

Color tracking thumbnail, close-up - Little Dragon Sky Pony Press- 2017

I find that the "at a glance" of the entire book, at different critical points in my process, really help me to keep tabs on all aspects of the project. And, I always have the thumbnails close by, so I can look them over with fresh eyes from time to time. Kind of like occasionally stepping back from a painting, only in this case, it's the whole project. When I do that, I can see things about the project that I couldn't, by just looking at one piece at a time, for hours on end. If something jumps out, I jot it down on the thumbnail sheet and mark it off when I address it. It all becomes part of the documentation for my project and they're nice and small, so easily put in the file.

Overview thumbnails - Little Dragon Sky Pony Press-2017

I had always just printed out my own thumbnail sheets, but we all know what happens to loose sheets of paper, despite our best efforts to keep everything together. So,  I'm happy  to announce that one of my blog buddies, Diana Delosh, came up with a small portable book, with lots of pages of my favorite little rectangles with the line down the center.

ThumbNailer / interior-   created by Diana Ting Delosh

 It's lightweight, portable, feels great (I'm also a very tactile person), has 51 pages with 8 thumbnail boxes per page and best part...it's totally affordable ! It's called ThumbNailer and you can get your book through Amazon.  I have Prime, so I got mine in 2 days and no shipping!

ThumbNailer /cover -  created by Diana Ting Delosh

https://www.amazon.com/ThumbNailer-Diana-Ting-Delosh/dp/1537479679/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473527011&sr=1-1&keywords=diana+ting+delosh

I think this is going to work out really well, not only for the beginning sketching part, but also for keeping all aspects of my book projects together in one place.  For the price of a big, fancy cup of coffee, I can get one book for each project, as well as have one in my purse at all times in case inspiration strikes.

I'm just about done with the art for Little Dragon, but I always have another couple of book projects in the works that the ThumbNailer will be perfect for!

Website: www.deborahcuneoillustration.com
Blog: Creating Out Loud  deborahcuneo.blogspot.com
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Twitter: @debcuneoart 

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