Here are some things I learned this summer:
1. I can paint all day long but only in about 4 hour increments with a break in the middle. That's about 8 hours total when not working and 4 hours a day when I am working (after work). Weekends are spotty it depends on what is happening but usually I will spend all day on Sat and then take a break on Sunday.
2. After finishing work I need to recharge and work on thumbnails for my next idea/piece and be around people and enjoy life for a bit.
3. Chris Oatley's Painting Drama is the best investment I have ever made. It has taught me to really focus on the basics and research and to slow down.
4. I have to lead up to starting a painting by doing thumbnails first and then reference study and then color palette selection which take about 2 to 3 days to a week (actual painting takes about 3 or 4 days depending on the piece).
5. As before mentioned I am only going to be doing original work/ideas for shows and conventions. I will of course always love the Marvel and the DC stuff.I think though that a true test of how far I have progressed will be if I can start to sell original work created from scratch. I still have left over work from previous cons so I will try and maybe sell those at ComicConn but for Baltimore I hope to have original work only* to sell. We'll see how it goes.
6. There will be more learning as time goes on but what I have learned has been awesome so far! Time to keep pushing!
