OrnitholoSEE (FMP) - as it stands...

Matt suggested taking these last two weeks to experiment a bit with how these bird images are going to look. Which i have done to a point (prepping and painting a mural has taken centre stage) - but it hasn't ventured too far away from where i originally going to take it. 

>>>>scamps/sketches/tests<<<<

As much as i like the idea of using 'real life', expressive paint strokes and splats is just isn't me, and it would feel weird to all of a sudden start making all this loose imagery with no carefully crafted linework or visual cleanliness; ie totally analogue. Although I've considered different, simpler ways to digitally render the bird so they appear a bit less digital, i keep getting the feeling that i'd only being lowering my production standards purely for the sake of making something totally different from what i usually make? 

II'mim going to draw and colour it in by hand so it looks digital, i might aswell save myself the time and DO IT DIGITALLY?!(i must've told myself that so many times by now)

As I've been pretty worried that there isn't enough concept or originality or scope to generate my own material (without referencing lots of already existing things) i've tried incorporating some of my own thoughts about each particular bird, where it was spotted along with some facts - nothing too long but just something that could accompany each image, possibly on the adjacent page?

I've still got a whole heap of reference imagery to collate before i can properly get this going, but the development work/testing i've done so far has been on a Spotted Towhee and has resulted in my first finished image, complete with bird blurb. 

>>>towhee pics<<<<

True to my recent working process, it looks & IS balls-to-wall digital. There's no denying that. I've also managed to keep the palette farily restricted - as much as i can with colourful birds. Limited myselfl to 5 colours on this one, using large scale halftones here & there, all contributing to my 'signature' style.

Looking at the result i'm happy - this lasts untill i scan through Instagram and see new work by Erik jones, Ken Garduno or Will Barras and I'm immediately back to hating what I've just done and wishing my work looked completely different and not quite so unspectacular!

Ben said it might be a good shout to do a mixture of styles - it would make it more possibly interesting and varied to look at, but less coherent and may just look like i'm trying too hard to be someting that i'm not?


Either way, I've got to stop overthinking and GET ON WITH IT?!