Let’s switch it up and break away from the planning and writing stuff this week.

One of my favorite art challenges is the yearly redraw. It’s a great way to see what you’ve learned over the course of a year, and how your style and skills have developed. I’ve never attempted this before (at least, not that I remember) so I decided to take a stab at it.

I dug through my digital art files from last January, and landed on a piece that I never quite finished. What better subject for a yearly redraw, right?

I intended this as a self-portrait with a spring theme, done in Clip Studio Paint. It’s, I admit, a lazy attempt. It was more to get the idea out than anything, so the result isn’t much more than a rough concept.

Now for this year’s version:

I revisited the spring theme, but I traded out the random flowers for birch branches. The letter B equivalent in Ogham, beith, means birch. Beith is close enough in spelling to my own name that I like to claim a connection with it. I’m sure Beth and beith don’t share a pronunciation, but shh. The birch is a symbol of spring, renewal, and beginnings. That appeals to me. Plus the eye-like marks in their bark lend them a kinda spooky vibe that’s hashtag aesthetic.

I wanted to practice digital painting in CSP, as well as playing around with color. I didn’t push it as much as I could have, but I like the overall vibe of it and look forward to giving it another go next year!

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Phew, that’s one month out of 2021 down! Next month’s posts will revolve around Strange Company while I begin revisions on it. Stay tuned!