Vector drawing of a dolphin carrying a burro and a blue jay

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I used Clip Studio Paint Ex to create this vector sketch. One thing I haven’t figured out is how to simplify the lines. That is to say, I want to remove some of the nodes to create smoother lines. I read on the Internet that there’s a way to do this, but this technique seems to be a well-hidden secret.

Next up, I’ll flat this image and put in some shadows.

Dec 31 Is The Publication Deadline for “The Jaybird That Jumped Down A Chimney”

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It will be a miracle if I publish my book tomorrow. I have a lot to do in one day: I have to proof read the book, correct any obviously screwed up images, run the cover image PDF and body text PDF through Ingramspark’s validator (and that may take 24 to 48 hours to get a result), and who know what else I’ll have to deal with. If it doesn’t go down they way I’ve planned, I have a Plan B, which is to publish the book on New Year’s Day.

I did watch a helpful video about publishing using Ingramspark. It was a good video — it relieved my anxiety about going through the labyrinthine publication process. I send my thanks to Alexa Bigwarfe of WritePublishSell. Alexa, you rock!

I started the day by drawing a burro from imagination. I drew on the iPad using Procreate’s Pandini brush (it’s in the Inking collection). After I drew this character study, I regretted that I had done it digitally — I should have drawn it using pen and paper in a real sketchbook. I feel that digital drawing is insubstantial and ephemeral, while ink and paper anchor me to a place in time and space. Digital is gone when the iPad’s battery is drained, or the electricity goes off, or the web site is hacked, or the ISP goes out of business. I love technology and gadgets, and I use my iPad every day, but for art, Technology doesn’t complete me. In the future I’ll be doing my art work in traditional media as much as possible.

I don’t know this guy’s name yet, but I know that he’s small but strong, and he’s kind and gentle.

burro_from_imagination_blog.png burro, children's picture book, character study