Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Simple Joy of Art

It's always nice to remember how fun it can be creating something. Of course it has to be something worthwhile, right? I still have vivid memories of working on an art project in high school and feeling the dread and doubt of a failed attempt at a drawing or painting. I was reminded of this feeling for the Willy Wonka cover I just completed.

Initially, there's an uneasy path that I follow to get started. I can usually count on my confidence wavering early on in a project. This is quite familiar even though I don't do as much creative illustration as I'd like. If I persevere, I can usually get through it and my confidence will rise eventually!

I was unsure about the likeness of Willy (Gene Wilder) from the classic movie, but became fascinated with the face. He has an interesting expression in the original photo and I didn't want to make him look too creepy. The crazy hair and large eyes are symbolic but the overall effect should be recognizable.

In the end, I was happy enough to get a jolt of inspiration to do more portraits. It's something I need to fit in my schedule somehow!

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