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Bex Hall > Art Projects > Is it okay to do different?

Is it okay to do different?

June 2, 2021

Draco the Snapdragon

No one liked it when Draco got hold of a wet towel in the locker room. He wasn’t called the Snapdragon for nothing.

Pencil—>ink—>watercolor pencils, 2/61

P R O C E S S N O T E S

I first thought of the flower with this ‘snapdragon’ prompt, then the image above flashed so I went with it. I don’t usually draw dragons and these look more like dinosaur hybrids, really, but I kept going.

I googled dragons and learned about the Mesozoic era and how Jurassic is one of the periods when dragons may, or may not, have existed. And I liked the word Jurassic over Mesozoic for the name of the gym. The alliterative ‘J’ sound gets my juices jiving.

The original name for the guy on the left was Barney, but I remembered he was a dinosaur, so back to google and turns out, Draco is one of the most popular dragon names, so I felt better about people understanding this is a dragon. But I kept his color purple, being true to my original concept of him being a ‘Barney’.

I haven’t used watercolor pencils in a long while, so this was good practice. I wanted color on this piece, but not realistic, since it’s meant to be cartoonish. Plus, index cards do not hold up to full water very well, although there are times I do full watercolor and then press the card under a heavy stack of books after it’s dried.

That said, I have found these heavier-than-store-bought index cards online (which you can buy here) that hold up much better. I prefer the 4×6, but they come in 3×5 as well.

When it was time to take a photo, it seemed appropriate to stage the card on a towel in the bathroom with tile in the background to lend a locker room ambience to the theme.

I published the card on Instagram and Facebook with some hesitation. Would anyone “get it”? Then I asked myself, “Does it matter?” And the answer is, “No, it does not.”

The goal of ICAD is to promote a daily creative habit. Check. My personal goal is to show up and create something and share it. Check. No where on this list is the line item “Share and get as many likes and comments as possible.” Thankfully.

So don’t worry about what others think of your work. It’s okay to do different.

Be your authentic self.

Filed Under: Art Projects Tagged With: ICAD, process notes

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About Bex

 

Bex Hall

Her writing has appeared in various online and print publications, most recently in Kerning, a literary magazine, and in the Stories of Hope Collection in Transplant Living. Her artwork has appeared and sold through the Grayson Gallery. She blogs here about creative life and creates in Studio BE overlooking the Ohio River. Her work in progress is a memoir about the secret life of objects.

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  • Creative practice goals:

    Show up every day behind the pen, the brush, or the lens and share my work.

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