First new steps

Once every while you have these talks that just get your head unstuck, rebooted and back in the game. Yesterday I had one of those conversations with fellow pencil-lover Sabine ten Lohuis, who has lately been very busy – and successful – in getting her blog up and running. We talked about the advantages of the internet and what it can mean to one's exposure – God knows us creative freelancers need some of that.

However, in order to get noticed, gain followers and – more importantly – keep them coming back to your blog, you'd better have some interesting stuff to show. And that's where I get a bit hesitant.

Though I have piles and piles of doodles, sketches and unfinished drawings lying around (you should know I take my sketchbook in bed with me), I have a hard time deciding which ones to share on the web. In my opinion, most are just to fugly to show anyone without hurting my public image. And since I don't go out much, that image is pretty much all that stands between me and a lonely corner of the dance floor.

Then again, as Sabine reminded me, sketches are works in progress. Snapshots of a search for the right shapes, compositions, materials. So it's okay for them to look lousy, uncontrolled, failed. Personally I love scouting the web for concept art from films and sketches from artists – especially the ones that look so different from the end result. Those give the final pieces so much more context and history.

So... Practice what you preach, I guess?

I hereby pledge to update my blog on a regular basis and include in these posts not just the finished works, but also a myriad of doodles, sketches, ideas, unfinished drawings and failed experiments. There, I said it.

Oh, and by the way – as you may have noticed – I'm going to be posting in English from this point forward. I know there's a handful of non-Dutchies out there who are interested in my ramblings. You know who you are!