When I draw something magical, I almost feel that magic. Later on I learned that when an illustration conveys this kind of magic in a way that awakens some sort of curiosity, you can describe it as whimsical.
Storytelling, playful magic, a quaint character… that’s whimsy. I remember looking at old illustrated books when I was around six years old and feeling that magic.
Later on, at around 13 or 14, I loved fairies. I almost drew them exclusively for a few years. Those magical little creatures.
Then it was elves…
One day, randomly this scene came to mind and while I was drawing it I felt that childhood magic. Like if when I was drawing it, I was copying it from real life– is this what inspiration actually means?
Process
Whimsical friendship – pencil sketch Artwork by Cynthia LaraWhimsical friendship – background base Artwork by Cynthia LaraWhimsical friendship – color process Artwork by Cynthia LaraWhimsical friendship – color process and details Artwork by Cynthia LaraWhimsical friendship – final Artwork by Cynthia Lara
Whimsical creatures seem to be my “muse”. What about yours?
I am posting this late on my website, as I was (wrongly) prioritizing social media. But now that I’m realigned and back on track posting here, it’s a great piece to share at my personal space.
This one was originally created for a social media competition ran by Comex (a Mexican paints brand). I wasn’t picked as a winner but I loved it so much that I decided sharing it as a free phone wallpaper. You can download it here.
I’m a sucker for planning my artwork so I first did a couple of concept sketches. One was pretty standard: a skeleton party. The second one was whimsy and fun: cempazuchitl fairies. The rest is history.
Then, after the right concept was picked, I played a little painting a few cempazuchitl flowers (duplicated them and modified them a little after to create more) and planned the positioning of the fairies a little better. My dad gave me the idea of changing the design of the fairies from La Catrina to Frida Kahlo. I think it was a wonderful idea!
I am very happy with the result and I’m using the wallpaper on my phone. After all, it is November!
We all aspire to greatness. Some more than others–and it often leads to dissatisfaction, frustration, and burnout. Less pressure works better than pushing to your limits at all times.
I’ve always been a tryharder and often, I felt proud of it. My approach to everything was just to try harder. I made a mistake? Try harder. My client wasn’t as happy? Try harder. My drawing wasn’t perfect? Yes, you guessed it: Try harder.
We love to think that life is simple like that, that we can have a formula for success and follow it to get the results we want every time, but growing up means realizing that isn’t true. Life sometimes gets nasty, and even when we “do everything right”, results can lead to failure. It is ok to try hard but not for everything, at all moments.
I published a video about how the flow has been my friend lately:
Maybe the answer is to not push ourselves all the time. I know that there are moments in life where there’s no way around it, but unlearning the “tryhardiness” has been one of the most difficult tasks of my 30’s.
Final Thoughts
Be nice to yourself and allow yourself to be OK. Not perfect. Sometimes we can’t control the outcome even if we push ourselves to the limit, so let go of that expectation to be better all the time. You’re a human being that is human just for being. To be or not to be….amiright?
Are you an aspiring artist (writer, painter, illustrator, filmmaker, musician, etc) feeling hesitant about starting your creative journey?
Perhaps you’re struggling with self-doubt, perfectionism, and impostor syndrome. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve come to realize those are going to be constant companions if you’re an artist, and we’re particularly susceptible because putting ourselves out there means having to open up a little bit and let strangers (and maybe even people we think high of) tell us what they think. We’re in one way or another, looking for constant validation from the outside world, but in reality, the worst possible judge is deep inside.
Finding Inspiration in the Cosmos of Ideas
Moving away from social media for a little bit helped too. I replaced doom scrolling with drawing or writing down ideas, even if those never come to realize as anything specific. I created a Notion account and kept different notebooks to “organize” my somewhat chaotic thinking. I used Facebook groups to bounce ideas with niche professionals and artists, and if I wanted to find inspiration to draw I went to Pinterest and found references and cool things that are more tailored to what I want to draw or paint that specific day. It has been refreshing, to be somewhat back in time and find useful things instead of trends that are pushed into my face because of algorithms.
Navigating Self-Doubt and Perfectionism As an Artist
For the last few months, I have been trying to just create art without thinking highly of the results or expecting too much. In reality, I’m not sure if this is the key to navigating the crawling emotions that paralyze me or the feeling of “nothing matters” — a result of a little mid-life crisis that came after moving to a new country and realizing that it was a mistake, coming back home licking my wounds. But the fact is that at least in this area of my life which I like to call my creative journey, I feel free, under less pressure, and if something goes wrong I either go with it and see if it turns better, or I move on to the next.
In the “Space Suit Girl” watercolor artwork I’m sharing here I felt very inspired and happy while sketching (the phase I feel most comfortable at), but once I started adding color, I felt anxious. Self-doubt and perfectionism threatened to derail my process. Questions like “Am I good enough?” and “Will anyone appreciate my work?” echoed back into my mind. However, I kept going and kept repeating myself that if I didn’t like this at the end, It wasn’t the end of the world. I could paint something else later, and no one had to see it if I didn’t want to share! I discovered that embracing imperfections and enjoying the process were key to not only unlocking my artistic potential but would be the foundation for building my self-confidence again.
Embracing the Journey, Not the Destination
Painting the space girl taught me an invaluable lesson: art is not just about the finished product; it’s about the journey. This sounds a little cheesy, but hey, I’m allowed to say this because: a) I refuse to take myself seriously b) I am an aspiring artistso I am allowed to fail and retry forever until the end of time. I have no deadlines and no lords to bow to
Rejecting Society (not really, but let’s pretend)
Society often measures success by arbitrary timelines and unrealistic media portrayals. It is easy to succumb to feelings of inadequacy or failure but over the past months (who knows how many, this has been far too long of a lesson), I have noticed that everyone’s journey is unique. There is not a “right” path or timeline for success. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, let’s celebrate our individuality and embrace our own personal evolution. Your evolution might take the form of creative growth, emotional openness, empathy, growing your family, leaving a toxic environment, or many others. Only you know what it is to be in your shoes, and evolution can be accepting a hard reality, and preparing to take the next small step.
Final Thoughts
This watercolor painting was more than just an artistic adventure. It was another step in a transformative journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Through overcoming negative emotions of self-doubt, embracing imperfection, and rejecting society (pressures), I was again reminded of very valuable lessons that continue to shape my artistic practice and adulthood. So, to all aspiring artists and struggling humans out there, remember that your journey is yours alone. Embrace it and let it guide you through the end of the day. Today might just be a foundation for a brighter tomorrow.
Oh yes, I also made a short YouTube video on this topic with the speed-up process of the painting in case you want to see it, subscribe and say hi there!
Yesterday I seized the strong art wave that presented itself and created three whimsical forest watercolor paintings. But wait a minute… It really didn’t present on it’s own. I told my kid “Hey, let’s set up and paint”, “Let’s listen to Riverside. It is the best music I’ve found for focus”.
Looking for Inspiration
What they say about art inspiration is true: it doesn’t really present itself on it’s own and you have to summon it. I was decided to get in the mindset of art, and I think music really helped too. I started looking at my Pinterest home feed and there are some great aritsts out there! I discovered a few great artists and got super inspired. One that really stood out to me was Matt Rockefeller. He really is inspiring!
From Inspiration to Action
Once I was filled with art ideas I had just so much going on in my head and I didn’t want to lose any time. I didn’t yet knew what to draw so I quickly just drew three frames for the illustrations. Once in the flow, I guess it didn’t really took a lot of effort, just let the pencil flow from one panel to the next until I had all three sketches. I’ve been following the carefree attitude I described in my most recent post to let go of my perfectionism and I must say that all things came so much better because I didn’t have a plan for the artwork in mind, all I knew at this point was that I wanted to create three forest watercolor paintings.
Behind the Scenes / WIP
Without any more words (I struggle). Here are a few photos of the doing!
Fable, first layersFable, backgrounds almost doneFable, finished
Adding the shinny hearts to all animals came as a surprise (more of the enjoy the process, let go): While painting the bodies, I added the shadows first and more blending colors until the center of the animal, where the heart would be, was lighter. It just instantly reminded me of Vasil Woodland’s art. One common topic in their art is the presence of a heart in animals and magic that happens around it. In my version it represents the spirit of their habitats 🙂
Tools Are Super Important, But Not Everything
I bought a few cheap brushes at Michaels a few weeks ago and I thought they were ok, until I took my 30 year old brush (that belonged to my dad) and painting became so much better. About 90% of them were made using cheap crap brushes I wanted to test tho LOL.. anyway back to the magic brush…No wonder why it was my favorite when I was in college. I wish I new what brand it is. It is old, it’s not fancy, it is only the best brush ever.
Final Thoughts
Allowing yourself to make mistakes, to think about having fun, enjoy the process and just pass time doing something you love, it may result in creating something super good. So far, I feel my art is so much better lately, because I don’t care!
By the way, I created a Riverside playlist for all artsy folks. For those who don’t know the band it is prog metal but no growls or shouts or anything like that. The guitar player kind of sounds like he “stole” (inspired from) Al Di Meola and it really puts me in the mood for ultra focus-
What a good day! This is just a short story about pushing myself to be more creative and engaging with my loved ones as a path to overcoming burnout. I don’t have any answers, but I want to be happy.
I last painted or drew something at the start of this year. I had a few days off in December 2022 and when this year began I had all this motivation and energy to restart my art in 2023. I found this 1 Year Calendar for Art on Youtube, printed the schedules, and was ready to commit to getting better at my craft and being more creative. I didn’t want to share anything as they were mostly just ugly doodles, but I was getting things done.
Err– you might notice that this blog has been abandoned for over a year and that my social media is also being dead for some time. Well… yeah… I won’t go into details but let’s just summarize that my plans went down the toilet, I drew for like a week, and I’ve been feeling a little bit burned out on life.
Overcoming Burnout and Pushing Myself to Be Creative Again
Anyway. Today I went online with a friend on Zoom and we had coffee, chatted, and painted for a few hours. It was so much fun and refreshing! That was the start of my day and honestly, it really energized me more than I imagined it would. After my painting session, my husband and me went out to buy some stuff, and got myself a cheap table to have a dedicated place for creativity. As an introvert, sometimes going out and doing things on the weekend is dreadful– I’m so tired and drained from my work week that I just want to be in a cave and nap. This time it was so different, even with the rain and the chore-shopping! Art really energized me and I hope that doing just a small thing every day will change my life going forward. I think I need to push myself a little to do one creative thing per day. Even if it is writing a line, drawing a quick 5-minute doodle, or singing a song.
Before going out shopping, I told my husband about a video from Boby Chiu I watched a few years ago (sorry, I couldn’t find it but there are many helpful short videos of his in this playlist and maybe this is in that list somewhere). I don’t remember the details very well but it was mostly about doing better at art and that he changed his setup to make his art accessible. We go and do things that are easy and handy, so that’s almost always watching TV or playing video games, but art (almost always) has an extra step to prepare your area, set up, get all your supplies, and then start doing your thing. So we procrastinate. Hubby told me we had to get me a table to get all my artsy shit there accessible in our room. So we did and now I have a small space in our bedroom that is my art corner. Nothing fancy, and I have to improve it, but no more painting on the kitchen counter, YAY!
I’m just restarting this art journey (again) but I guess that’s life, right? Trying and not giving up on what we love.
Sometimes I just burn some time on Instagram, looking mostly at illustration, paintings and sketches. I’m starting to browse on Twitter too, following amazing artists and people that create children illustration or fantasy art. I’m really into whimsical art.
Suddenly I ran into a #fantasy hashtag or something and found @lizabetroberts. I’m totally blown away immediately: strong, warrior women in her photos, awesome mix between beauty, grace and strength. If you haven’t visit that link by now, I’m disappointed.
Anyway, I’m totally in love with her photos and I found one that was just so bold and I knew I had to draw it! I asked her for permission and she also directed me to @queen_astraea, her model for permission. Astraea is super fun too! If you follow her you’ll find the perfect blend between fantasy, glamour, and charisma!
They both were super kind and grant me permission to draw it. It has been a while since I reached out, but I’ve been super busy with work. Ok, I have a sketch now at least. I’m still thinking if I should digital paint it, use water color, coloring pencils, just plain inks… I might make some copies to try different things.
I’ve been posting (and will continue to) older pieces and older insights, as some of them will get lost in time if I don’t document them somewhere. And my own blog made the most sense. Some of them existed in a Patreon page I had a year or two ago but I changed to buy me a coffee instead, and to be honest, I’m thinking of closing that one too…probably just having everything point here makes more sense. I don’t have a lot of supporters these days anyway.
I’ve been having nerve pain (elbow and shoulder) but they are getting better. I’m now allowed to play some games at the computer and drawing has been normal for some time now, so I’m glad. I am working on a few sketches but sharing this one because I’m really proud, even if it is still not done.
Going back to just drawing for fun rather than having a specific purpose or goal is good for my soul. I used to be that way before college but then I feel I got contaminated and unless your work means something or has a purpose, it’s never good enough. Trying to reconnect myself to child-like drawing: just have fun!
Ps. Some day I’ll spend more time planning my photos so they look pretty 🙂
