“Wow mom, those stories are REALLY great… Hey! I know, you should write a book!” … and SO it began.
The new year is usually a good time to step back and take stock of where things stand. Being that it was a little over two years ago that Mom and I truly embarked on the artistic voyage that is Los Pirineos, its time to stop, get off the boat, and see where we have ended up.
At this time Los Pirineos is in the midst of a few stages: There is the Full Color Final Art stage:
the Pen and Ink stage:
the Storyboards Stage:
- of course the Text only Manuscript, which mom has been working so diligently on editing and re editing.
I am pleased to say that at this point the entireity of book one is a completed Text only Manuscript; The vast majority of book one is Storyboarded; 5 non consecutive Chapters are at the Pen and Ink Stage; AND THE FIRST THREE CONSECUTIVE FULL COLOR, FULLY COMPLETE CHAPTERS ARE ALMOST DONE! Woo hoo!!!
BUT then again lets explore that word ALMOST…
ALMOST is one of my least favorite words. ALMOST, close to but not quite…Almost , nearly, within a small degree of… DONE! Jeez Sara, why aren’t you done? Why is part way there something to celebrate?
BECAUSE any project really worth doing is going to kick your ass. Its going to force you to learn new things and reinvent yourself, and will effect every other thing you do. That is the effect Los Pirineos has had on my life, and I am very, very grateful. Throughout this project, I have learned more than I ever could have imagined when it was undertaken.
Because of creating this book I have (in no particular order) : More fully developed my drawing skills; Not only learned to use digital media as a tool in my work, but now have it so deeply ingrained in my practice, that in fact I feel completely open and expressive in Photoshop… and slightly naked working without it! … Though I’m sure that will eventually pass. It has made me cultivate a deeper relationship with my mom, my family and my background than I could ever have hoped to experience; and develop a sense of history and culture, that for me was very absent growing up. I have learned to dance the ever changing dance of being a full time Artist and full time not profit Program Director. (Its harder than it sounds, but also more gratifying.) I am in the process of learning (this is a rough one) to stoping making art not showing anyone, and instead to share it as often as I can, through the magic of the interweb, with all of you.
AND last but definitely not least, I have learned in a multitude of ways, (most of them quite painful) the differences between creating individual images and creating sequential art. I have been forced to changed my viewpoint from the individual drawing as the art piece, to the page, to the double page spread, and finally to seeing the book as a whole, because that is it’s actual final identity. That is how some day, it will have to stand on its own.
- All great reasons to be very very excited about that word ALMOST. I am making alot of progress.
I am ALMOST … ALMOST THERE.
