~ Getting Over Artist’s Block ~

I am working on a new children’s series, which will be seven books in total. I have been writing this middle-fiction fantasy series since 2021. You may notice I never mention the title or concept. It might be six or seven years before publishing the first volume, so it’s best to keep things under wraps for now. However, there are aspects of book creation that can be shared without giving too much away.
Alongside editing the second volume in the series, I am illustrating the first book. I have a whole history with writing and illustrating which I won’t go into in this post. Suffice it to say I had determined to focus on the writing, perhaps working my way back to the sweet spot of writing and illustrating someday in the future.
Then a friend who is an English teacher and had edited the first book in the series suggested illustrations would be ideal for these stories. Long story short, I decided to illustrate the chapters myself. But it’s funny how once you make a challenging decision, it seems as if life conspires to prevent you from doing it. While I wanted to haul the pencils and pens out and get started, life intervened more than once or twice. Things kept coming up. Legitimate things. But at some point, I started inventing excuses. After a couple more weeks of ignoring the artwork, I realized I might be procrastinating. I was having the artist’s equivalent of writer’s block – artist’s block.

The following weekend, I did the same thing I do whenever I have writer’s block. I made myself sit down with tools of the trade in hand and start anyway. As soon as I struck a free day on a weekend I picked up my tray, stepped outside to the picnic table, and finally broke the ice by picking up a pencil. The first step was taken. Whew!
Ever hopeful, I had prepared for that moment. A few weeks ago, I read through book one in the new children’s series and took a note every few pages of moments or characters that would lend to illustration. So, to kick the boat off from the shore, I consulted my notebook. For the first sketch, the quote was, ‘A group of boys slunk out of the shadows, blocking the path, hunched over in hooded sweatshirts.’

Once I started, I had to employ trust to keep going. However, the reward of putting pencil to paper is the excitement of seeing that first image emerge. I felt like, oh yeah, that’s cool, it does add to the story, and then I began to feel even more deeply connected to the story, more moved to want to create more. That’s the essence of what writing/illustrating is for me – it’s an ever-regenerating cycle of inspiration. And so I found the strength to keep going. I kept going with the sketch until I more or less had the grouping of the gang the way I wanted it.

Once I had the outlines in pencil, I picked up a medium-sized tip black ink pen and followed those same pencil lines in pen.

Then, I added lines for shading, contours, and extra details. I always enjoy seeing the image come to life when the light and shade become emphasized and deepened.

I used black watercolor paint and a fine paintbrush to fill in larger areas of shadow. Then I also took a white gouache (watercolour but more potent saturation of colour) to add white highlights in places.
The result was I finished the first illustration for the interior pages of book one. Woohoo! We are out of the gate. What a relief to be underway. One done…many more to go!
Have you done anything creative lately?

Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself and your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. (There is) no satisfaction whatever at any time. Only a queer divine dissatisfaction. ~ Martha
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