My project for course: Visual Storytelling for Compelling Illustrations

[TITLE] The Subdued Price of Nice Things.

[THOUGHTS] I’ve always wanted to create art. The kind that uses your emotion to drive the piece. I’ve never known how. Or I’ve been too scared to try. Afraid that I may not be able to give justice to the churning, fluctuating feelings that plague me. That’s why I stick to instructions, rules, a strict brand book of how to do things. In life and in work.

I love being comfortable. That’s why I am where I am now. Amidst nice things. I like knowing what works. But would I be truthful if I said it was all worth the sacrifice? That these nice things came at the expense of my ability to welcome what is unfamiliar, unsure, and unknown. Had I made a silent deal with a god that sealed my fate to subdued emotions? Tame a simmering anger. Bare a tight-lip smile. To forgive a little too fast and forget a little too long.

Perhaps, it isn’t worth the sacrifice. Do I want to know? Would it matter? I’ve already paid the subdued price of nice things.

[TECHNICALITIES] I use Procreate to sketch the draft and then Adobe Illustrator to finalize.

I’m doing this project course along with another called "Editorial Illustration: Sharpen Your Conceptual Skills”. A course by Nicholas Blechman, here on Domestika. I found learning both at the same time to be effective and efficient in trying to visually communicate the stories I want to tell.

More on instagram @reallydarren.