It is slightly weird to revisit this blog after a long time, especially because I had to recover a few logins. If you got a chance to read my previous posts, you might be aware of Inktober. Take a look at my Inktober journey in the year of 2018. [Inktober 2018 beginning Inktober 2018 - cruising through Inktober 2018 final journey ]
One of the habits I have been trying to develop is to sketch every day. There have been hits and misses, but I am consistently improving in forming the habit. I try to use Inktober as a catalyst to make the habit more regular. However, I kept finding the prompts given by Jake Parker uninspiring. At first, I thought they are not great prompts, but then I saw other artists' instagram posts with the same prompts. And I must say, they were amazing! It was just me then, huh. So, after my last Inktober series, I decided I would decide my own prompts or, may be do spontaneous sketches during Inktober next year.
Soon it was end of September in 2019. I was super busy at work. Although the project was interesting and had the right amount of challenges, it did keep me busy and left me thinking about it 24x7. So, I hesitated quite a few times. After doing a back and forth for quite a few times I finally decided to give it a shot. I want to use it to sketch regularly any way... I thought to myself.
I threw the idea of spontaneously sketching something out of the window. I knew it would be less of a struggle if I had a set of prompts to pick up the idea from. What prompts should I select then, hmm? Kdrama actors don't sound like a bad idea! Then I took a few sticky notes and jotted down a few memorable characters I could instantly recollect. So, I had a list of prompts for 31 days ready. I think I can do it... yeah... I think so.
Well, Kdrama, how come? I am sure I am not the only one who finds shelter in binging on movies and series and youtube and netflix. Yeah, I know it is a problem. But while randomly exploring different movies and series, I ended up finding some asian dramas on netflix. I don't remember which one was my first one though. They have their flaws, but I found them interesting in many ways. And that's how my Kdrama journey began. I did watch a few Japanese, Thai and Chinese dramas. I think, however, that Korean dramas manage to outshine them. They span many genres although like Indian movies romance is a predominant theme in many of them. They almost always have great cinematography, and a good story-line that explores different topics. They also do some cool stuff in terms of mixing genres elegantly. Characters are three-dimensional and even the most evil character has a perspective. Food is almost always an important character, with utmost importance given to their presentation, cooking, and eating. Often I regained my appetite after watching an episode, because they were eating and relishing food so well! They do vary in degree of realistic portrayal and you have to pick and choose based on your taste.
Well, that's my intro of Kdramas to you just in case you did not know about them yet. Now let's get back to the inktober series. Well, I made a list of prompts. But did I follow them accurately? No. Knowing me, I knew I will soon be bored. So I picked a character that came to my mind as I sat down to sketch. Then, why was the prompt list for? It was supposed to be my backup, for days when I could not think of any character, or was too tired to do much decision making. Seemed like a good idea, so far...
So, let's get, set and go!
My first two sketches were of the lead actors in the series Goblin. Checkout the trailer below. I think I had recently watched it, so it was fresh in my mind and decided to sketch the lead actors.
Gong Yoo
Kim Go-Eun (I loved the sketch by the way...)
It is considered one of the most loved Kdramas, known for fantasy, love story, music an bromance. But what was my biggest take away? I need to invest in good coats :D If you have seen the drama, you know what I mean.
Alright, this is good. It is a good start. I will share more about my journey in the next blog post!
