Trusting The Process

Each month I have to come up with a drawing to be used as my monthly postcard release. I can use any genre, medium or style of art I want. I do however have to create it by my own hand. Each time I plot out what I want to do, I go through a period of uncertainty…and ask myself these questions…

1 - Do I really want to do “that” picture?

2 - Is “this” medium something I want to try?

3 - Should I really try and re-create “that” art style?

A lot of time and paper goes into what I will present to the postcard world and April’s postcard was no exception.

The Idea Is Born.  

My daughter has a fascination with Rockstar Games’ gaming franchise, Red Dead Redemption. It’s an action-adventure game set in the late 1890’s during the decline of the American frontier. Players control Arthur Morgan, an outlaw loyal to the Van der Linde gang, who must navigate government forces, rival gangs, and internal divisions while facing the end of their era.  I’ve watched her play the game a few times and have been really impressed with the artwork in the game. The backgrounds, animals and character artwork look so real and exceptionally vivid to maximize player immersion, guide gameplay, and evoke emotional responses. It was at one of these moments watching her play that I realized,…this would be my next art project.

In planning this art illustration half the battle is deciding what you will draw and the other battle is what your subject will be doing? I flipped around google and Pinterest and found myself submerged in cowboy movie posters. This is when I decided a movie poster was going to be the perfect choice.

Laying Out The Movie Poster

Movie posters serve as a vital marketing tool and visual ambassador for films. They are designed to capture audience attention, convey the movie’s genre and mood and persuade viewers to watch the film. Prior to the 1980’s illustrations instead of photos were far more common on posters. As I set out to create my own cowboy inspired movie poster I set a couple parameters. I would have a hand drawn element to the piece, but the remaining background and lettering would be created in photoshop.

With the reference picture picked I got to work doing the illustration. It was a challenging piece but also a fun piece to do. The reference photo had multiple colors in Arthur’s face. The process began layering color on color. It would take multiple layers to achieve the look I was after. Although it was tedious work it was enjoyable work and once it was 80% done I began to get nervous. I was feeling pretty confident  that what I was presenting to the world was good but I still had Arthur’s beard scruff to create and facial hair is not something I deal with on a regular basis. I hoped I would not have to start the drawing over based on botched whiskery’s. As artists, we sometimes don’t know when to stop meddling with a composition. Many a picture has been ruined because we just didn’t know when to put down the pencil or brush, call it done and walk away.

My goal was to make the illustration the focal point. The remaining composition would include lettering and other design elements. What began as a moment of uncertainty turned into a reminder of why I keep creating in the first place. Every question, every rough sketch, and every second-guessing thought is part of the process that shapes the final piece. This postcard, like the ones before it, pushed me to try something unfamiliar, trust my instincts, and know when to finally step away. The finished artwork isn’t just about the image itself—it carries the journey of getting there. And as I send it out into the world, I know the next idea is already waiting, quietly forming, ready to begin the process all over again.