Hola Family, Friends & DSP’s ( you know who you are, Farley 😀 )
Why does Ian keep drawing these silly spider cartoons?
Good question, one that I’ve thought about often.
#1 My family enjoys them
#2 I enjoy and have grown fond of them
#3 I can complete one in a short amount of time without a lot of stress
#4 Over time I’ve witnessed my skill level increasing which makes them more fun to draw
#5 I get to work on writing and honing the dialog for maximum punch-line effect — ultra important when wanting to stand out as a cartoonist
#6 I want to keep myself on task to complete one cartoon a day — this is something I’ve dreamt about as a kid. I can comfortably do that with the spiders
#7 I heard an interview once where it was highly suggested to focus on getting good at drawing one thing, and not run around trying to get good at drawing everything. I am a super creative person with lots of interests. I would spend years jumping from one creative project to another, never really building my skill level as far as I wanted it to go. Even though the spiders are simple constructions, they offer me a way to keep learning, building, evolving and growing as a cartoonist
#8 I am continuing to prove to myself that I can sustain creating one cartoon a day — no matter how I feel about myself or my art
#9 I am doing this because my goal is to one day become a syndicated cartoonist, which means my cartoons would be seen in newspapers around the country, and maybe the world. At 52 years old and with only a good 5 years of consistent drawing under my belt — this is the long-shot of long-shots !!!
And #10, I enjoy and have grown fond of them
It’s good for artists to periodically check in with themselves. Ask themselves what the reasons are for working on certain projects. And it’s important to be realistic as we often get lost up in the clouds — especially in trying to build a career as an artist. Which means I should probably start looking for a paying job.
Hope everyone’s having a good Tuesday.
And keep practicing those facial expressions — I know I am.
Until mañana . . .
Bring on the spiders!
Ian S
Florida ( Where it even rains frogs — just ask my dad )
P.S.
“No rulers were harmed during the making of this cartoon.”
“Let’s still be careful out there.”