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.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Art Blog: dtdelosh.blogspot.com

Product Blog: arthareswares.blogspot.com

Twitter: dtdelosh

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Lost in (work)Space by Jason Kirschner

My workspace. I know I'm a mess. But it's MY workspace.

Workspace, and more importantly, workflow is something I've been mulling over a bunch lately.  According to definitions I just made up, workspace is the physical space where you work and how it's setup and workflow is the way you do your work and the tools you use to do that work.  I want to be turning out new and exciting work and I want to be working in the most efficient manner. Time is, after all, money. (I'm pretty sure I made that up too.)

For those reasons,  I get antsy every once in a while and want to change everything about the way I work. I want my desk on that wall instead of this one. I want to use watercolor instead of digital color. I want shade with markers before I scan my sketches. I want to draw on an iPad Pro instead of my Wacom tablet.  As I think these things, I’m quite certain that these changes will help me work faster and/or make my work more vital. And they might? Or they might not, I guess.

There's also something to be said for comfort level and familiarity.  Knowing how to work the scanner with my elbow does help me speed things along. I’m very comfortable with my grayscale Copic markers and I know just how hard to press when shading so I don’t screw up my drawing.  I’ve also memorized the Photoshop shortcut keys to the point that my brain couldn’t tell you which key to press but my fingers know all on their own. 

Changes are good though.  I tend to make them incrementally instead of all at once — mostly because I’m cowardly and lazy but also because I like where I’m at artistically.  Some people bounce all over the place and I must admit that both fascinates and terrifies me at the same time. 

When it comes to workspace and workflow, I also feel that we, as a community, should share more. When I flip through other people’s work online  (yes — I keep tabs on all of you. ) I am always SO curious as to how they achieved this look or that effect.  I also think people are too timid to ask one another how we did things or why we did them that way.  We should share more. 

In that spirit —not that anyone asked— here’s my workflow.  I always draw using a Prismacolor PC943 pencil (Burnt Ochre) because I think its a great middle tone. I more sculpt than draw with the pencil because I draw so many damn lines to get to the right one.  I then draw over my mess with a Prismacolor PC935 and find the right lines to punctuate.  The brown falls back to a sort of shading.  I then scan into Photoshop and color digitally.  I do adjust levels but I try to leave some of the mess underneath so it still looks “homemade.”



(Here’s the interactive part)
If you have the chance to share how you make your work, do so. (Hint: There’s a comments section here.)  Also, tell us about any changes you've made recently to your workspace or your workflow and how it worked out.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s amazed at how you do what you do.


By day, Jason is a set designer for television, with credits that include Harry, The Meredith Vieira Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman. By night, Jason is an author and illustrator of children's books. You can find his debut picture book, Mr. Particular: The World's Choosiest Champion on shelves in bookstores everywhere. See Jason's work, both illustrations and set designs, at www.jasonkirschner.com . Follow him on twitter @jason_kirschner.