When I was younger, I showed a natural talent for drawing. I used to sit at my mother's work and draw action figures for hours instead of actually playing with them. Once I got into high-school, I found that the restrictions of mediums and subjects detracted a lot from the fun of the process. I did well, but never produced work that excited me. As a result, I left the graphite and paper behind while I attended University. Fast forward 12 years, I found myself with 2 degrees, a diploma, stress, and a large creative hole in my life.
To cope with the stressors of my life, I turned to TV. In particular, watching The Office before work became a daily ritual. I don't know if it was a need to pay tribute or if I felt as though I found something worthy of drawing, but after finishing my 6th rewatch of the iconic show I became motivated to draw again. I dusted off the pencils and drew Steve Carell ("Michael Scott - Prison Mike"). After completing the piece in about 6 hours, I was surprised to see how much my skills had developed since I last drew. I then figured it out...it wasn't that my technique was magically better, it was because I was drawing what I loved. The show that helped get me through so many tough points in my life was now the motivator for my art. The drawing then became therapeutic. Drawing was now fun, relaxing, challenging, and rewarding.
Despite my success in drawing, I have always been and always will be very self-conscious of my art. Knowing this, my family pushed me to share my art since they knew there were others out there that would also enjoy it. I reluctantly decided to share my art on social media channels. To my surprise, people wanted to support me.
Since selling my first original, I have drawn many portraits. I enjoy drawing these types of pieces as I feel there is an additional opportunity to demonstrate a level of mastery and difficulty not available in other compositions. Portraits allow the artist to convey emotion by capturing and rendering the subtleties of the face.
With each piece I draw I become more patient, more daring, and more experienced. As a result, I am always excited for my next piece which I believe will be my best.
Thanks for reading my story.
Danny