My Gitche Gumee Inked project is just about complete, I am 3/4 finished with the sixth and final drawing. I grossly underestimated the time it would take me to complete it, I foolishly estimated the time as if I were still a single carefree artist with no children, big difference! The final drawings in this series have really turned out the way I had hoped, and I am really excited to reveal them to the public and all my gracious Kick-starter backers.
Fatherhood has proven to be a tricky little hurdle in trying to get some good drawing time accomplished. I stay home with Vivian three to four days a week in the winter, which used to be my prime drawing time adding new pieces to my collection, but though I've tried to draw while Vivi plays, it's not possible to meticulously place thousands of ink dots in the correct locations while a two year old is eating out of the dogs food dish or taking off her poopy diaper and trying to create some of her own interpretive art! I am able to get in maybe an hour and a half to two hours if I'm lucky during nap time. I thought that when mommy gets home and dinner is done and Vivi goes night night, daddy would be able to do some nice quiet drawing, but, by that time of night, "Daddy" is so exhausted from trying to keep his two year old safe and happy all day, all he wants to do is have a few beers and stare blankly into the television (to the dismay of mommy)!
Silk screening is my new side project that is taking up some more of my time. Debbie, had a little side business when we met dealing with t shirt design and baby clothes, and it really caught my interest, so I came up with a few designs and placed them on Etsy and I've sold a few shirts here and there, then this December, Jason DeRusha of WCCO t.v. featured some of my shirts on his favorite things for the holidays, and bingo, I was flooded with orders! I am going to try to work a few summer art shows with my silk screening items, stay tuned for details.
So basically, I still have a problem focussing on one career path, when all is said and done, my true love is still and always will be pen & ink drawing! I am looking forward to getting back to my stipple roots and creating several dog portraits as soon as I complete my last Gitche Gumee Inked drawing, I'm grateful for all the talent GOD has given me but, kind of wish he would have blessed me with the ability to be a CPA instead...just saying!
Thanks to anyone who may have actually read this, until next time,
Rob
