The other day, when I left the place where I was staying, I saw a wild green pheasant there. I was able to observe the pheasant not more than 10 meters from it. I was impressed by the beauty of its reddish-brown feathers in the sun. I just had my camera with me so I was able to take pictures. Since I always go out to take pictures of wild birds, I was lucky to see a big one without much effort.
The photos I took at this time are a good source of illustrations. However, I'm not sure if I am good enough at photography itself. I would like to improve my photography.
I wish I could have finished it more nicely, but I was too lazy to finish it and ended up with a rough sketch. I had a hard time because my usual way of drawing animation did not work. However, I think I was able to install some of the green pheasant in my hand while drawing this. So I hope to be able to draw it properly next time.
Looking Back
I look back at the review notes I keep for each illustration I do. I look back at them to remind myself of how I felt at the time, and also to look back at them now to see what I think will be useful.
I did not spend much time on this illustration. Therefore, this is a somewhat unsatisfactory result.
I wondered what to do with the facial expression. I should have made her look more like she was being massaged than this. If I were to do it now, I would draw her with both eyes closed and her mouth open more, as if she were saying “ahhh”. But I think it's a waste if both eyes are not open. I can only draw one expression in an illustration. So, I drew her with one eye open. I did a half-assed job.
I said I didn't spend a lot of time when I painted this, and that's why I didn't paint it well. So I made one change later. Where I could change the image in the submission, I replaced it with this version. I read somewhere that it still looks better to finish the line drawing stage than to paint it halfway, so I gave it a try. It is certainly easier to see than painting badly.
It was an illustration that a tightly drawn line drawing with minimal coloring is easier to see and convey than a poorly colored illustration. It is true that even now, I sometimes think that if I draw more than I want to convey in an illustration, the picture becomes cluttered. It is a challenge for me these days to determine where I want to show and how I can draw more effectively.
