Inspiration

I was searching through my bag of paintings and other flat artwork forms and happened across a painting I forgot I made. Or at least started.

I haven't made a two dimensional painting in a while. I used to work at a tattoo shop, for three years following my apprenticeship, it was a great job and made my illustrative talents twice what they were. The problem was I began to draw on autopilot. This happens to you when you're drawing something you've drawn too many times before. Something that you're not interested in. I started to run out of inspiration and was more often having to "force it" to get that drawing done. As a result of course I wasn't drawing or painting much in my free time. I wasn't making any art for myself. The only time I'd produce something that wasn't a tattoo was when I was being paid to do so. That was ok with me, it's not that I didn't enjoy painting, I wasn't motivated.

Towards the end of the shop's seven year existence I had won my first golden demon, a bronze in the 40k squad category, and through my friend Adam (http://atomsmashing.wordpress.com/) had taken on a few commissions from his friend Eric. In my downtime at the shop I would work on commissions. Thanks to that red toolbox you see on my desk all the time I had all my materials ready to go. The shop closed down and I decided to push the miniature painting further. I made it my job for better or worse.

These days I've moved my painting desk upstairs because winter has set in. I'm painting miniatures all the time  and drawing like I used to. Over a year in and I'm still inspired every day. There just isn't enough time to paint as much as I want to, plus my hands couldn't take it, and I'm loving it.

As always, there's more to come :)