I’ve been working my way back to starting a big project. I’ve not done a hands-on big project in a while and that means getting back into the swing of things again has been a slow process. To help me not stay stuck I started with a small custom stationery project. And slowly, I’ve worked my way back to a bigger project.
This project is still not as big as my usual size (it’ll probably end up being a 24″ square). But I find that starting small is a sure way to get back to big. So I’m not trying to rush it. In fact, I’m allowing myself to play a lot with this piece (you’ll soon see what I mean a little later). I’m doing this because I believe playfulness helps you get creative.
So let’s see what I’ve started work on. Not much so far, but still some progress.
I changed things up a little this time. Usually, I start with a sketch in my sketchbook and then later project an enlarged image of the drawing on fabric. But this time I decided to draw directly onto fabric. This was challenging because the fabric slips a lot when you’re drawing on it.
To help minimize that, I tapped my fabric to a board to make it steady.
When I see this drawing it makes me really happy. Because a few years ago, my process used to involve tracing photos. I didn’t dare draw myself. I’ll be honest with you, I’m still learning to draw. I haven’t arrived yet. Sometimes, I get so frustrated with myself and question why I don’t make it easy on myself and just go ahead and trace. But the prospect of the joy, I’ll get if I can successfully draw my subject keeps me trying harder.
Below, you’ll see how I struggled with getting the jaw and ear just the way I wanted them to be.
Next, I decided on my color scheme. I usually have a dominant color, primary (accent) color and some neutrals. Here’s what I decided to use.
Here you can see the proportions in which I intend to use my colors.
So, what’s the next step for me? Where do I plan to take this sketch? I’m playing a lot as you can see. One of my plans is to use the circles as a feature in the background of my sketch.
Then I’ll draw the sketch with my sewing machine using thread. That’s all I know for now. I’ll figure out the rest as I go.
As a creative, it’s important to have your own creative process so you can get up and running as fast as you can with things that are familiar/predictable to you. Yet your process should be flexible enough to allow for serendipity, getting off-track, trying new things and making some happy accidents. In short, make room for creativity.
Question:
Do you have a process for creating your projects? How do you get started? Share your thoughts below.
Warmest Regards,
