One of my hobbies is drawing, and that includes making digital illustrations. Before I got super hooked with crocheting, I was crazy about digital art. I would draw every single day, and even received a bunch of commissioned projects!
I honestly didn't think before that I would be into digital art because I used to shy away from it. Not because I completely didn't like it, but because I was scared that traditional art would get jealous. Hahahahha Yuuup. Something as illogical as that. You see, I looooovee watercolor and colored pencils, so part of me was worried I would soon forget how to us them. Hehe.
But when the pandemic started and we experienced our first lockdown way back 2020, I soon ran out of things to do aside from binge-watching Kdramas. Haha. Then one time, while scrolling through the internet, I saw my friend's post about her digital art attempts. That made me think, "why not try?" So I did.
The first app that I downloaded on my phone was Adobe Draw. I watched video tutorials on how to navigate through the app and some techniques of drawing using it. And since I am into portrait drawings, that was where I also focused. These were some of my first few pieces...
As I explored the world of Digital Art, I also learned that selling it or accepting commissions is actually a thing. I looked into it some more because I, too, wanted to monetize my art. I talked to my mentor-friend about this because my confidence was stopping me from pushing through it. Since I was still a beginner, part of me felt like I couldn't do it just yet. But he believed in me and even presented to be my first paying client for my digital art! That was when m.creates started.
(Note: m.creates is my art page. You may check it out through Facebook or Instagram.)
I continued to practice this craft and worked on improving my skills. I drew a lot of free art to friends or my students!
Then around July 2020, my Papa was rushed to the hospital and needed an urgent kidney operation. Given the crisis, our financial stability was out of the picture. That pushed me to be more confident in myself and really made extra effort in promoting my Digital Art services. I had a lot of sweet friends who also helped in promoting! I received commissioned projects one after the other, that my slots extended even until the month after! I also worked on a high-paying project for a brand, which one of my colleagues then was working on. The whole thing really helped our family a lot. One of my biggest project was a 16-pc project for a big family! It was an awesome experience.
These are some of the commission work I have done:
Months after, I received less and less clients, but that also gave me the time to explore. I tried other drawing apps and other techniques as well. I joined a few fundraising projects and tried making illustrations for the children's stories I've written. I will talk more about this one next time.
When I finally got a tablet, thanks to my Mama, I decided to use a different drawing app called, Infinite Paint. However, there is a one-time payment for us to use it after the 1-week free trial. I jokingly asked my Papa to pay for it, and he actually did! Hahahah I was sooo happy. You see, I don't really ask my parents anything for my personal use. So these events were really special for me. hihihi.
Anyway... Infinite Paint has a lot more tools so I got to experiment more. It even seems to me that every time I open the app, my style changes. Hahahahaha. There is no consistency there. lol. It's fine with me though because I don't really draw professionally, so there is no pressure of having a signature style.
Recently, I rarely draw anymore. I mostly do only when I make art for posting in our church community's page. My most recent portrait drawing was of my favorite professor. She was my Literature 1 prof in College, who I adore and love so much.
Thank you for reading this until the end!
Stay sane and safe!
Let's spread happiness.
herkeepsake
❤