18 Comments
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Aaron Zonka's avatar

thank you so much Rik, Its so hard to see your own work without seeing its failings, cant turn off that brain filter but it gets quieter with time...maybe? Just gotta keep going even if you don't always like what you see.

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

d.w is the man thanks for looking, another post is brewing for next week

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Rik Arron's avatar

I have absolute sketchbook envy, in the nicest possible way. It’s funny how you look at your own stuff and don’t like it and yet I would be overjoyed to do something even a tenth as good as anything on any of your pages.

Keep sharing Aaron, your work is incredible.

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

Hey Rik, I could have sworn I responded to this already but maybe I just thought about it.

Thanks for the kind words. I don’t think you actually can see your own work clearly. your just to tied up in it to see it with honest eyes. Although think I can tell when things are extra bad, and I can usually tell when things are extra good. But the middle is for others to work out.

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Alexander Ipfelkofer's avatar

very cool. thanks to d.w. I found this.

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

I'll try not to disappoint...to much

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d.w.'s avatar

Great work! Excited to see how you make use of this space!

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

Thanks man me too

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Christopher Rywalt's avatar

How are your sketches better than most of my finished drawings? Jeez!

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

I've probably just banged my head against my drawing pad more then you have :)

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Christopher Rywalt's avatar

This is certainly true. I have a problem of not using sketchbooks. I have a number of them around with, like, five pages used, maybe. I started getting these nice Canson 5.5x8.5 spiral bound sketchbooks, and my most recent one is dated "2020 - ". Still not full.

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

I had to stop using the spiral bound notebooks when I was younger because I would pull out all the pages I didn’t like. When the cover of a sketchbook is smaller then the inner pages it doesn’t feel like you accomplished anything.

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Christopher Rywalt's avatar

You just brought up a very strong sense memory of the composition notebooks I used to draw in when I was, like, ten years old, where, when you started tearing pages out, the whole thing would fall apart.

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

Glad I could remind you of a vague trauma.

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Nathan Slake's avatar

Amazing drawings, amazing skill 👌

(Oh how I wish I could draw)

Out of curiousity, did you learn to draw or was it something you were naturally drawn to? I've often wondered whether drawing is a "you can either draw or you can't" scenario. You can improve through training of course, but if you can't naturally draw then there's no chance of ever being able to get anywhere close to good; but that's perhaps just my unaetistic pessimistic self coming through 😅

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Aaron Zonka's avatar

Hey Nathan, thanks for the kind words. I have always loved to draw. I’m not sure I believe in talent. Some people seem to understand certain concepts faster than others. But, more then anything I think it’s how much you bend your mind to focus and practice in ways that are uncomfortable and hard. A lot of the drawings I do are comfortably in my skill range. I don’t have to push myself that hard to make them just apply skills I’ve developed. But when I want to get better I have to move in directions that challenge me. If there is such thing as talent I think it’s the willingness to be uncomfortable in confronting areas that challenge you.

At the beginning you just have to do it and keep on doing it. It’s just the act you have to get comfortable with.

Thanks for looking!

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Alexander Ipfelkofer's avatar

Words of wisdom. Very well said. Now, my car designer and friend who designed the S-zer0 asked me for an initial sketch and never again since, tell me in words he begs 😅

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Nathan Slake's avatar

This is such a great response, Aaron, thanks. That's a very motivating way of thinking about it.

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