Snowflake Challenge 2019 - Day 11

[gothikmaus]

Day 11

In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

My creative process could be summed up in one word: slow. It usually takes me way too long to finish anything, unless it's a drabble or a short ficlet. I often start with just a scene or even a sentence in mind and build the story around it, so I don't have a clear idea of what's going to happen and sometimes the final story is quite different from the original idea. If I get stuck, I let the story rest (sometimes a few days are enough, sometimes it takes months!) and then go back to working on it. A few times I had to remove entire scenes in order to finish the story. It's not easy, especially if it's a scene I really like, but I've learned that sometimes such a "sacrifice" is necessary.

As for fanart, usually the first thing I do is looking up pose references, because I suck at drawing from memory and anatomy is not my forte. Sometimes I sketch something on paper and ink it on paper, sometimes I scan the sketch and ink/colour it in Photoshop, sometimes I draw the preliminary sketch directly in Photoshop.

As for how I feel when I'm done, it's a mix of satisfaction for finishing and anxiousness that the final product is not "good enough". Even when I'm happy with what I've written/drawn, there's always a lingering feeling of "What if there are typos, what if I forgot to draw a finger, what if..." every time I publish something.

Comments

Daria

[oldtoadwoman]

Your icon reminded me that I need to add Daria to my list of favorite shows. (I typed up a list as part of an "about me" page during last year's Snowflake and nearly every day of this round of Snowflake, I've caught myself going, "Omigosh, I forgot... !")

Re: Daria

[gothikmaus]

Oh yes, Daria was such a great show, wasn't it? It's still one of my all-time favourites.

Re: Daria

[oldtoadwoman]

It was very clever. I don't even remember who recommended it now, but I'm very grateful because I don't think I would have stumbled across it on my own.