For me, my creativity is a strange and unpredictable thing. I am always slightly fearful that completed artwork (that I’m pleased with) was a bit of a fluke. I’m not one of those designers who can visualise the end design from the outset. I’m much more organic, starting with hand drawn motifs, and playing with colour and motif placement once I’ve scanned the images into my computer. It’s easy for me to become discouraged when things aren’t coming together as I would have hoped. I have many unfinished and abandoned designs that attest to that! I find that design challenges, with specific prompts and timescales, are really valuable as they help me focus and actually finish something.
Therefore it is no surprise that I was really looking forward to the latest 3×3 Sketch Design Repeat challenge which started in March 2024. It is 3 weeks, with 3 design prompts using evergreen themes, meaning they have longevity within any portfolio. The first 3×3 of 2024 is “Out on Safari”. I’m much more comfortable drawing flowers than animals but it was a good exercise for me to push myself and develop my drawing skills.
I love giraffes, elephants and zebras, and I have a healthy respect for the mighty rhino. Although not all these safari animals are endangered, they are vulnerable and at risk in the wild. Such beautiful, majestic and wonderfully weird creatures are worthy of their popularity in art and design.
I’m pleased to have completed the first of these challenges and look forward to starting the next one, so watch this space…