FEATURES OF RIZAL: @artguildph Contest #1 Entry

From picking up and sharpening pencils again to flipping my sketchbook open in hopes of finding a clean sheet; everything felt alien and strangely familiar at the same time.

_{Officialentry to @artguildph's contest.}


A few days ago, @deveerei mentioned in @steemph's discord channel that he will be hosting a contest in @artguildph's account. As one of the (inactive) moderators, I felt compelled to support. After all, @artguildph is one of the initiatives I am willing to pour my heart into.

Here's a little story.

Prior to my hiatus, I have been experiencing the ever inevitable artist block and it was devastating. But despite that, I have been curating for @artguildph's weekly feature of artists in Philippines. It was quite something: helping the minnows, showcasing exceptional talents of Filipino artists, and encouraging those who are in their hiatus including myself.

Unfortunately, my life went into a complete hiatus in 8th of January in a country I can never call home. No pencil, no blank paper, no cellphone, no computer, no internet connection. Everything was taken from me which led to depression yet again.

Good thing @artguildph started their contest which left me with no option other than to participate!



This is my safe place where I feel strongly connected to my inner self. It is where all my creative juices flow freely, and it is where I feel most comfortable (more than my bed). I don't know about you, but I love when my space looks unkempt yet organized in a way that only I understand. My table usually looks really organized until I start drawing/painting and eating simultaneously.

It was raining so hard yesterday yet I still went out to get myself a CLF bulb which cost me $3. I still need to buy a lamp to hold it prettily and a few plants to liven my place of refuge. Any recommendation about which indoor plant to buy? Succulents are always in my options by the way, but which one to get: I have no idea.

_{OLD WORKS (2013 - 2015)}

I'd like to believe I only did the facial features in fear of disappointing myself. Unluckily, I am very hard about my works and once I cannot meet the supposed quality I already achieved (in drawing), I start losing interest again. But then I realized I have been doing it for as long as I can remember and actually liked it.

From left to right sketches: Girl With The Pearl Earring of Vermeer, Inky Callora, and Mona Lisa of da Vinci



When I am not drawing from life, this is my usual set-up. My laptop screen's divided into two: one for the drawing reference and the other one for my favorite Korean drama series ― Reply (TV Series). Honestly, this gives me the total concentration despite being distracted by the show.

But if I am working from life, either I listen to Korean songs or classical music in violin. Here's one of my favorites if you fancy the same thing.

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WORK IN PROGRESS

After doing the initial stages, I thought, "Okay. I am back to square one." I felt lost connecting the lines and balancing the features. I know I neglected a lot of rules which I learned last year, and it only came to mind after having mistakes here and there. Nonetheless, I am okay of how it turned out. Definitely not close to the quality of drawings I did last year, but it definitely felt something to me and I'm content with that.



The final drawing may not look like the reference photo, and when that happens, I always remind myself that it is the journey and not the destination. My friend once told me, "Done is better than perfect." And I couldn't agree more. He knows I can get so hard on myself to the point of not doing anything, but I have learned how to combat my not-so-good drawings and that is to move on to another drawing.

If you are interested in joining, kindly click this link: ArtGuildPH Contest #1: An Art for Jose Rizal! Join now! Use the tags #artguildph to be featured by the group and add #philippines tag for @bayanihan to see your awesome works!

Cheers & Namaste!