I’ve heard of Inktober for quite some years, but I’ve never tried once. This year I decided to attend the challenge. It’s a great way to improve drawing skills.
Blog
Inktober Character Design
I designed this Inktober character for the September SVS contest. Can you tell I’m quite into Victorian era apparels? It’s fun to draw.
Albert’s First Day of School
Our fun-loving Albert needs to go school now. It is his first day of school, and he is not sure what will happen there. He plans to bring all his toys with him. “After all we’re going there to play, aren’t we?” thinks Albert.
I submitted this for an SVS children’s book illustration contest. It reached the finals.
A Home for Albert
What kind of home is suitable for Albert the groundhog who loves flying? A house with airplane wings of course! I added a swimming pool as a emergency exit for fun.
Character Design
I illustrated a character design of a cute groundhog who dreams of flying.
I submitted this for a contest in June. It reached quarter finals.
The Door I Never Open At Noble Bunny Manor
In the depths of Noble Bunny Manor…
… lies a little brown door.
Made of wood, the door handle has long become rusty. It is apparent that this door has not been in use for a long time.
It’s a door that I never open.
Nor does my hubby open it.
But you may be wondering:
"What’s inside?"
And the answer to that may shock you.
Within that tiny little room, behind that tiny little door, lies hundreds and hundreds of ugly little spiders who have made the room their abode.
But that’s not all that’s in the room.
Originally, the room was meant as a substitute attic (since we don’t have an attic), and was used to store antique furniture that we never used.
That furniture is still in that room today.
Since the furniture is antique, could they be possibly worth a lot?
No one knows.
Because… over the years… because of disuse… too many spiders started taking over the room.
And since we’re scared of most bugs, eventually there was no one brave enough to open the door and take the furniture out for appraisal.
So within that room…
… perhaps lies a fortune.
Or maybe not?
No one knows.
Because no one is brave enough to open the door and check.
But one thing’s for sure:
If you ever visit my store, and you notice me selling furniture there…
… know that…
… someone was brave enough to walk into that tiny little room at last…
Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Arachnophobic Artist"
P.S. It won’t be me! That’s for sure.
The Overnight Bestseller
Have you ever slaved away for hours, and days, and weeks, and months over a single project…
… and you put it out to the world, maybe in your store…
… and all you hear is crickets?
While on the other hand:
Sometimes you just sloppily release something quick for fun, and put it out there.
And…
*BOOM*
It explodes.
Everyone loves it.
And it becomes an almost instant bestseller.
Ever had that happen to you?
Yeah, it happens to me a lot.
But this always reminds me that it’s not about how much effort you put into a piece. Sometimes, for some reason, things just click.
And sometimes they don’t.
Who knows why?
It reminds me of a talk by world famous music entrepreneur, Derek Sivers.
In the talk, he mentions how when he first got started in his career as a musician, he released albums of his songs, and did everything he could to get his music famous. He performed live events, knocked on doors, made connections, did all the marketing he could.
For years.
Crickets.
No bite.
No response.
Until one day, he decided to just throw in the towel.
And switch to a new project.
Within days of that new beginning?
*BOOM*
It was like an overnight bestseller.
People kept throwing money at him. Non-stop. For years. And his new musical project, a website called CD Baby, became known throughout the world.
The moral of the story:
We are often told that we should persist, keep on going, and never give up. But it’s not about persistently and stubbornly doing the same things over and over again. In the words of Einstein, that would be insanity.
Rather, it’s about persistently experimenting and improving until you get the results you want.
So if you’re putting your work out there…
… and you’re not getting the attention you want…
… and all you hear is crickets…
… maybe it’s time to make some adjustments.
Perhaps it’s time for a new experiment.
Perhaps a change of pace, or a change of direction.
Maybe even a new project.
Just remember.
In the words of well-known Disney and National Geographic artist Lee White:
"Don’t try to polish a turd."
Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"Chameleon-Bunny Hybrid"
P.S. This masterpiece has been one of my most recent overnight bestsellers. I really enjoyed making it. But never expected the response I’ve been getting. Wow!