Graphic Design Debut

I have been drawing since I could hold a crayon, but the thought of digital art has always scared me. I don't know what it is about it, I love the way it looks, I know a few graphic designers and I greatly admire their work, but for me to take it on, simply scares me.

That being said, I recently faced my fears. For a very dear friend, who lost her mom a couple years ago. She wanted me to create something with lyrics from a song that remind her of her mom. I drafted a plan for how I wanted the words to look, but then I sat on the idea for a couple months. I knew what I wanted, but I also knew I couldn't get that look with pencils or paint. I knew that digitally, one could make the print look perfect, but I didn't think that person was me. So I simmered, and simmered.

Fast forward to my vacation. I have all this time to devote to crafting, why not try my hand at creating these prints digitally. I have no external stressors at the moment, and no real deadline to finish by. Now seems like the perfect opportunity to make some mistakes and maybe end up with prints that look like what I had in my head.

It didn't take me long to figure out that when drawing by hand, if you get something how you want it...don't ever erase it! At least for me, it never quite looked that good again. This rule goes right out the window when you work digitally. Images can be saved, moved, duplicated, and temporarily hidden to try for something better. This is hard for me. It took me a long time to work up the courage to erase the part of the print I was working on to try something different. I am glad I took the plunge though, the change I made fixed the whole piece.

So here is it, my first attempt at digital design. For my friend and the memory of her dear, sweet mother.