Watch my speed art of some of my illustrated pieces

A lot of people don’t understand how much goes into creating a digital piece. I get undercharged figured I would record some of them and show you:

Watch me illustrate and color from sketches to digital art... I speeded up the time.

Here is how I turn faces into cartoon characters:

Here is how I make vectors either for icon, logos or favicon use:

I also like creating background images for web or wallpaper use. The them of the one below was florals:

I also do simple general illustrations for books or any required digital art:

Having faith and patience in the process.

I have been contemplating a lot about rules and concepts of designs by trying to be a rebel in order to get things done. Why this way and why not that? Wondering, why must I do it the way everyone else does? A lot of it is common and redundant, which is not how I like things to be. I mean, who likes ordinary right? So then, I try and make it work in my own way, set by my own standards, and to my liking but most of the times I realize that my own liking is not necessarily accepted by the majority. I come to realize that the masses of the norms are directed by the numbers, which then explain why rules are set; to govern our thoughts.

In as much as I like to do things my own way, my growth in designs has taught me that my work is not so much mine but for the person I do it for. Eventually I am dictated to do things to the likes of others or to the acceptability of the majority. I learn to have faith in the system of rules with the understanding that the reason it is the way it is, is because of the likability of the masses and its qualification to cater for most.

The sad part is a lot of creatives begin unruly but eventually they are molded to fit into a box. They are shown how to do things in ways that are acceptable by many, even though they may not necessarily agree with it. Can I say we are denied the chance to show our own creativity and ideas? A lot of the times we represent those who have already made it before us by making references to their work on ours, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I value giving people credit and displaying the works of those who came before us but is it to say we are useless and lack originality? As if we are to blame. As if we chose the time of our existence. The thing with doing things now is majority of the work is already discovered or done for us. Every idea I have or anything cool I think I have made, somehow someone somewhere has already thought of or done it. Originality is shunned upon, unknowingly when we question our differences and pin point the great minds that thought like we do. We rely so much on replication that we find ourselves spending more time researching on other people’s work and spending less time on discovering our own. I find myself accepting that there is a root to every course, and an origin to everything I think of and that nothing I think of is truly entirely completely my own.

I therefore choose to have faith in the system, there has to be a reason why it is the way it is. Same way that everyone that comes to me, comes already knowing what they want. I trust they have thought it out, and my work is just to implement their ideas and bring it to reality. As for my own work, I need to have patience in it and make time for it. People are not quick to take on ideas and try new things. They lack comfort in the idea of expecting a designer to create something from the blue, which is why they come to you with their expectations. I don’t blame them, we all want to make sure that when something is created, it is within the scope of our imagination; something we are already familiar with. We don’t want to trust entirely on creations someone else does on our behalf, lest they go overboard. You want to make sure they are in line with what you think. Yet when you think about it, all we do is limit ourselves.

Good thing is while doing my own work, I am able to create everything as it is, straight from the mind. I am able to sprout out new ideas from nothing and make it known to the world, whether accepted or not. I find comfort knowing that it is my beauty that I’ve created, whether the world accepts it or not; I brought it to existence. Then again, there’s that notion of, a lot of replications exist… which limit originality. In result, we create a lot of duplicates. Duplicates reduces the value of our work, which further makes people justify their exploitation of us. Despite all odds, I have chosen to be patient and have faith in the process. I believe that my work will one day speak for itself. As I am the one who dictates my worth and I know that creativity in itself is valuable. 

Taking Chances

The funny thing about us man is we like to complain. We complain so much we don't even realize we're complaining. We never take the time to realize that what we have now is enough for that moment and that life is a journey. Nothing comes wholly packed and completed in a package. Everything comes in stages and as they do, we should learn to embrace it. We should learn to take it as it is here and now.

I notice that we rely so much on our expectations that we forget about our reality. We should live by the actualization of experiencing the now and not so much focus on the ‘what ifs’. We forget that our focus on the present sets the path for later. That's it's our current ‘being’ that is important and is what should always matter. It is the portrayal of our expectations that fill up the mind and bring forth worry. The same way it’s the focuses of others that fill our mind with envy instead of us fully embracing ourselves to be better beings.

Sometimes we don’t even know when chances knocks on our door because we are so busy concentrating on other things that we forget to live in the present. Sometimes we’re uncomfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable, even though the only way to get comfortable is by being uncomfortable. Remember that chance doesn’t wait on anyone and chance doesn’t favor anyone. It’s up to you to take it when it’s there, if not create the chances for yourself, you are the one who calls the shots.

Sometimes we miss our chances because we're so busy overlooking them and surpassing opportunity, with the hopes that another will come our way. We don’t realize that it could possibly be the only shot we get. Just like life is a one shot streak, we don’t get another shot at living.

Therefore, don’t waste chances when they come. Opportunity knocks ones at every man’s door, it’s up to you to let it in when it does and make the most of it. If you blow it, that’s it you’re done! Done? No, no one really likes to think of the word done or anything worth completion, even when it comes to life and it coming to an end. What do you do when you blow your chance? Do you spend the rest of your life looking back and regretting it? No you shouldn’t, because then you consume your time with worry, pity and regret.  Move on and focus on the now. Maybe chance won’t come again, maybe it will. The truth is no one knows, only God does. If anything, you need to depend on Him more than anyone. Let it be that if you ever get another chance, you will be ready, you will be smatter, and you will take the chance but as of now, never let it slip away.

Also read my other blog on Dare to be different!

Happy International Women's Day!

Be strong! Be independent! Be you!

Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and what you can’t do.

Don’t let the successes of other people’s path determine yours. Know that you are different and you set your own path.  

Instead of being threatened by other women’s success, cheer them on and let us be successful together.

We are women, we are beautiful and we are us!

Happy international women’s day!

What do you do when you reach a dry spell?

I don’t know about you but I’ve realized it’s not that easy to keep your creative juices flowing. There comes a time when our minds are tired. Tired from all the thinking because there’s so much we want to do but we don’t know how to do it all that we end up not doing it. Or it could be that you really just don’t have anything to do all, as I imagine writers do have a mind block. The dry spell is when your mind just refuses to work and you’re completely blank. The worst is when you’re on an assignment and you know you have to bit deadlines.

So what do you do when this happens?

1.  Relax and let everything around you will bring you back.

A lot of the times it’s because you’ve been doing too much.  What you need to do is sit back and just let it be. This is the time for you to take in your surroundings and see the world has to offer. I usually get a lot of inspiration from conversations, nature, reading a book, watching TV, and listen to music, basically everything that happens around me. The moment I leave my desk and give my work a break, I allow myself to think constructively. That’s the time I’m able to put the bits and pieces together that will get me back to where I need to be.

2.  Always list down a ‘to do’ list.

Do you have a ‘to do’ list of the things you wish to get accomplished? As a creative my thoughts overflow when I least expect it. Especially when you’re enjoying a nice shower. I don’t know what it is about that shower space that gets your mind going. I mean, it’s not like I can get off the shower and grab a pen and start writing or scribbling. It also happens when I’m in bed and I can’t sleep which has to be the laziest time to try and get up to note things down. Somehow we can all relate. The point is, doesn’t matter what you’re doing, writing it down will help you at the time when you will need it the most. Being able to go back and refer to something you were meant to do can help keep you busy and always keep your creative mind at bay.

3.  Go back to your unfinished projects.

If you are like me, you probably have a lot of unfinished and pending projects waiting for you on your desk. All you need to do is back track on what you were doing and tackle them one by one as you go. You will find that the reason you stopped doing it is because you found something more exiting to do at the time. Usually most creatives suffer from wanting to do so many things at once. What usually happens is that when something new comes along abandon the old stuff and then we end up forget about it.

4.  Understand that you can only do one thing at a time.

You will find that having so many things to do leaves you with nothing to do. There’s no way you will be able to do everything at once. When this happens, it’s important to learn how to prioritize your projects. Just because something more exciting comes along, doesn’t mean you stop what you were doing. Note it down, finish what you are doing, and then move on to the next one. Don’t be the person that’s busy doing nothing. Besides, if you do it all it will take you a longer time to finish than if you were doing one thing at a time. Remember it’s better to constantly put out something than wait for a long time to finish everything at a go, then put multiple things out. A lot of the times, they’ll go unnoticed because people don’t like being overwhelmed. Less is more.

5. Research

Research is so important for the mind. Thank God for the internet, I know I say this a lot but gratitude goes a long way as there’s so much information given to you for free out there. All you have to do is seek that inspiration. It won’t always come to you when you relax and sit around looking for the birds and the trees, waiting for the whisper in your ear. You actually have to go the extra mile and seek out what you’re looking for. Besides, there’s so much that someone else knows that will benefit you than you will ever be able to figure it out on your own.

You can now buy my ebook, 'The Inevitable' 

Buy Now

The inevitable is a screenplay for a science fiction film. Caroline Spenser, a sixteen year old has settled in Kenya after moving a long way from Canada. She becomes accustomed to the place; she loves the school and her new friends Lena and Harold. One morning when she is going to school she feels watched. As she enters the bus and sits by Lena, she hears a car approaching them quickly. An accident almost occurs but she manages to stop it and protect everyone else in the bus by creating a force field. It is then when she discovers that she has powers. However, no one believes her. After somehow convincing her friends to help her gain more information, she faces new challenges.  There is someone out to get her; who endangers her life including her friends’. Read more to discover the mystery behind her powers.

The Season of Love!

The reason I associate this month with love is because of all the themes of love displayed around to prep for Valentine’s Day. Speaking of Valentine’s Day, do you have a valentine and what does it mean to you?  

Valentine should be a day set aside to show love and appreciation for those you love. The person you love doesn’t necessarily have to be a person of the opposite sex, that way we can all feel included. I say this because those who don’t have dates usually loath the day. There’s nothing to long for or expect from anyone but reminders everywhere that they are alone.

I’m not here to talk about love, or what category I fall under this year… I’m just here for some valentine themed art. Seeing that I joined the band wagon and chose to do a love theme for pretty much everything this month. I thought I should share some work of art with you. Maybe we should just make this valentine’s about our love and appreciation for art or the things we do.

For me, hearts are the best of shapes, if they count as a shape in the first place. I get excited designing around this time of the year because they are so easy to incorporate everywhere. I know, there’s not so much thought into it but the endeavors of love and relationships are what get me excited. I realize love triggers emotions whether it’s positively or negatively which is always worth a mention.

I’ve not really got myself to thinking how I am tackling the designs for this month in detail. So far I have been doing backgrounds and sharing them on dreamstime.  

Below are free background Valentine themes you can use for your devices:

Bleeding hearts, for those that love has treated them so unfairly and painfully.

Download without the logo 

Dark hearts, for those who are in the dark about love, they know nothing about love.

Download without the logo

Metallic hearts, for those rejected and have one sided love, where love is so cold.

Download without the logo

Have a happy February, and remember… it’s not just about love for a person but it’s about love in general.

Fighting procrastination!

One of the key things I’m looking forward to resolving in the course of the year is procrastination. I hate it when I procrastinate. It’s so bad that I even feel guilty taking a nap during the day. Does anyone else feel like this? I keep thinking about how time is passing by whenever I sleep. Here is how I intend to break the habit of procrastination in order to make my time more valuable:

Finding my focus.

I’m finding that it’s not so much about procrastination but more about organization. It’s so much easier to focus on something when you have something to focus on. When you set goals for yourself, you are able to know whether you’re achieving them or not. As much as I hate planning I’m learning that it’s so important to plan. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking planning is a task in itself. I get that but I think once you’re able to get yourself to start planning, you’ll get used to it and you’ll find yourself a lot more organized. Most importantly, please get yourself a diary. I can’t say that I utilized the one I had for the previous year properly, since I’m so bad at jolting things down ahead of time; Though, I find that whenever I wrote things down I actually got to do them. The thing is I’m more likely to do weekly/monthly updates on my diary depending on what it is I’m doing at the time rather than having to think of sitting down to plan a whole year. Therefore, working in stages should help me a lot. Additionally, setting up themes help direct my thoughts in terms of creativity. It gives me something to focus on when I’m working and it gives my work more purpose. That way, I feel more accomplished as I am able to give meaning to my work, while at the same time keeping track of the progress.

Getting it done.

A lot of the times I feel like I’m procrastinating a lot because I have nothing to show for the work I do. The fact that I can’t see it, makes me feel like I’m not getting anything done or maybe it’s true, maybe I’m actually not doing any work. Say you have a full time job or you have projects to do for clients (Assuming you’re a freelancer) and that’s all you do. At the end of the day, it is so important that you find something to do for yourself. As a creative, I realize when I’m in the process of working for someone else, it doesn’t feel as fulfilling as when I create something for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll give it my all, I’ll do my best but at the end of the day, I realize that the work is done according to their standards. The work doesn’t really belong to me, it belongs to them. If I’m lucky I’ll get credit but unfortunately, most of the time I don’t.

Remember, you want to create a strong portfolio for yourself showing everything that you do. When you work for other people, it’s harder to claim or show that you’re the one who did it when you don’t get credited. The assignments you create don’t have to be anything big. It could be a logo, template, background, card, wallpaper, photo, journal, book etc. Anything that can make you feel a lot more worthy in this life. In that case, after you assign yourself work and you’ve been able to complete it, have somewhere to display it. I keep saying we are so lucky because we get an unlimited amount of digital space, for free! When you put your work out there, it helps you take yourself more seriously. Plus it creates a chance for critiques to critique, which will help shape up your talent.

Keeping and beating deadlines.

I tend to find that because it’s ‘your own work’, you might be tempted to skip out on a day, or two or even forget about it completely. When you have an audience, they unknowingly help you keep track of your work. Your audience usually checks up on you and asks about the progress of your work. That usually helps me have that mindset of constantly creating and putting out work. The platforms that I can suggest for putting out your work are in the lines of a blog, vlog, basically posts on social media or any places that have a following, which will eventually help build your brand. I wish you all the best in fighting procrastination!

Also read: Taking pride in your work