Okay, I think FA is done being DDoSed so I can finally get around to updating a little more frequently. At least, I hope so. Since I've been trying to avoid getting caught up doing portraits for the entire 30 days, I've been trying to dabble with learning anatomy. I'm not sure what the deal is, but it's so much harder than strictly faces. I just can't get the proportions correct to save my life. After this weekend is over, I should be back to making higher quality works. I don't have a ton of time to be drawing because of work, but I'm sure I can get back to an orderly schedule with better drawings. I'm not at all too happy with my most recent drawing for day 8, but hopefully day 9's will make up for it. I'm also trying to steer away from what I call "sticker" art. In other words, making a portrait drawing with very symmetrical features. Don't get me wrong -- I like my Freya drawing, but I feel like drawing in that way will form bad habits in the long run. I won't learn prospective and dynamic art if I keep doing that. You can expect to see day 9's drawing tonight or tomorrow morning.

And we're back. I couldn't update yesterday due to FA being down because of a DDoS attack, so here I am with a double journal update! I think I can see some visible improvement. Over the past two days, I've been trying to figure out how to shade correctly, and I think I'm seeing some decent results. One of my main problems that I need to fix before I move on to half/full body sketches is perspective. I still feel like my proportions are wrong when I have anywhere between a slight angle and 3/4 perspective. I know it'll be corrected in due time, but I can't help but feel rushed to fix that issue. At the rate that I'm improving, I'd like to be able to do a respectable half or full body sketch with correct-ish proportions. That is my goal.

Late journal update time! I forgot that I haven't updated my journal before I started drawing for the night. I haven't done too much research or watching tutorials today, and I decided to just go straight to the point and draw something. Drawing takes a little bit less time for me now. Coloring is a breeze, but that's because I haven't had the guts to figure out how to shade properly. I'm not entirely sure how to blend with my software of choice. Maybe I'm blind -- who knows. I feel like I'm developing a line art style already, and I'm not excited about it. My hope was to not fall into any bad habits while I take on this challenge, and I'm worried that my choice of style could be one. Although, if I develop this style a lot more and refine it, I could see it having potential.

There's not a whole lot to talk about today. I've watches several more tutorials and seen tons of potential reference images for my next project. Something I'm not sure about is if I should be drawing my own original characters or someone else's. I feel like it would be a lot easier for me to focus on getting better at drawing the basics if I do my own versions of someone else's character. Since I don't know the do's and don'ts of drawing etiquette, I'm not sure what is necessarily considered "stealing" or not. Of course, I'm not just going to steal someone else's work and not draw anything myself, but is it fine for a beginner to re-draw someone's artwork in their own style? These are questions that I have in the back of my mind whenever I find good artwork that I'd like to emulate. I'm avoiding looking at explicit websites or artists for references because I don't think I'm that kind of furry, but I've stumbled across some artists that do both safe for work and explicit. Fluff Kevlar's work has been probably the biggest inspiration for me. I just really like their style.

What else is there to do on a late Sunday night other than try to draw. I've gotta say, I'm not sure if the improvement is noticeable yet. With The Simpsons on in the background, I got to work. I feel like my line art is getting cleaner, but my coloring is still sub par. I'm also aware that I'm still sticking to portraits, but I'm sure that will change when I finally get comfortable with proportions and coloring/shading. I honestly don't know where and what to shade. I'm really excited for when that happens. I'd like to see where my imagination can take me. Another thing I'm struggling with is expression. I feel like my drawing's facial features are extremely stiff -- though I'm sure that won't be a problem if I keep practicing like I already am.

Today, I already feel a slight bit of improvement. After watching and re-watching a few hours of tutorials while drawing along with them, I feel like I've grasped a bit of face structure knowledge. One thing I didn't expect to be as difficult as it is is how the muzzle connects with the face, and how perspective angle can drastically change the way you draw. Now, in the time that it took me to draw my first picture, I can make three or four rough sketches. I think I have a good sketch lined up for today's piece. It'll show what I've learned, but more importantly, what I have to work on. One thing I'm not looking forward to is painting and shading correctly. I've never been one to color my drawings -- even on paper. I developed a nasty habit of cross-hatching my art as an easy shading tool. Hopefully, with this 30-day regimen, I'll begin to learn the ins and outs of coloring correctly.

This is it. I've finally decided to use my drawing tablet for its actual purpose -- drawing. I've only ever tried drawing either in art classes when I was in school, or by myself whenever I want to convert a cool idea in my head into a work of art using pencil and paper. Usually, that ends up poorly, and the dream dies fast. I wonder how long it'll take me to become a "decent" artist. Most people say "10,000 hours is what it takes to become a professional in your desired field", but I'll see for myself what 30 days does to my ability (or lack thereof) to draw. For the next month, my account will become a time capsule for tracking my progress.