Between experimenting and optimising
I hit a wall with my last painting. Which is usually a good sign.
For a while I could not figure out why things were not working. The values was off. The colours felt wrong. The result did not look the way I imagined it.
Then I realised what was happening. I was trying to copy my digital style with gouache. Pixel by pixel, just with a brush. I did not want to hear that, least of all from myself.
I switched to analogue because I wanted something physical. Something with mistakes and accidents that cannot happen in a digital file. I switched to gouache because I wanted the freedom of watercolour without being forced to always go from light to dark, and because gouache gives me opaque, matte colours that sit on the paper instead of hiding in it. And I switched to brush and paper because I wanted to keep growing.
I had forgotten all of that. Now I remember. So I am letting myself experiment again, test things, and follow the uncertainty wherever it goes. Maybe I develop a completely new style. Maybe I lose the dark ink lines entirely. If that is where it leads, that is where it leads.
It would be a shame to just do the same old thing with new tools. That is not why I switched.
SHOP / ART DROP
A few originals are still in the shop. Link below.
https://www.danieldahinden.com/shop
Original already gone? Prints on Inprnt.
https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/dandah/
WHAT I’M WORKING ON
Sneak peek at my newest painting. Really looking forward to ink and color that one.
Kitchen Kingdom
Mauro just submitted the prototype for the Canadian Board Game Award. A first map is almost finished and the packaging has its first version too.
Make sure you follow us on Instagram & join the Waitlist
Coloring pages
I am thinking about drawing some. Let me know if that is something you would want.
& STUFF
Fred is a friend and a genuinely great comic artist. He posts shorts on YouTube (and IG + TikTok) where he talks through his thoughts and creative process. Very inspiring. Worth a look.
Stay kind to yourselves and the world. 🌱