I really cannot wait for the day that I truly master this danged tablet. It is really a pretty one, small but silver and snazzy (wacom!) but the tool is only as powerful as the user. I did try again, creating this 'apple' with imaginary light sources to the left and right, one with a lighter and warmer source, the other a little darker. Trust me, I tried to add leaves but that proved a task too complicated.

Practice makes painful perfect, I suppose.



This is the ridiculous apple that drove me crazy since I cannot seem to replicate my techniques once I finish a piece. Oh goodness, critiques, criticisms, mad diatribes or smiley faces are welcome. I need help, badly....

I feel that as an "artist" (I'm not sure if I could consider myself that... I'm only an amateur with no formal training), I will achieve more satisfaction when I can draw precisely what I imagine. In other words, when I'm in control of what I draw, rather than drawings directing me because I can draw perhaps a particular angle well - and that's it. Of late, it has been frustrating since I feel my drawings don't have depth. I don't understand the principles of lighting on objects. It's hard enough that my subjects are non-existent, but I suppose I could do studies on real objects to gain a hand on it. Though... time is always a problem. *murr*

On a lighter and more random note, I have to say I loved Diana Wynne Jones' book Howl's Moving Castle (and her Chrestomanci novels too) and seeing Miyazaki's rendition of this novel is simply delightful. Sophie's kind heart is endearing and her character serves an example of keeping a positive light despite adversity. She gets a lot of awful things pushed her way, but she truly is beautiful within and that's what counts.

-Lila