Caution: Creative at Work

Hi there! I am so glad you're here.

Wow, has it been a long time since I've blogged. So very long... and I am so sorry.

Being transparent, I've just come out of a tough season. I've been questioning so much about life and especially where I want to take my career. If you follow me on social media, what you may have noticed about my Instagram or other social feeds is that there's been quite a lot of "hodge podge" in terms of style and medium. If anything, this is by far the greatest evidence for where I've been as of late; a little unsure, fairly inspired, and definitely experimenting.

That being said, I'm an artist at work. I am in an intense phase of growing and learning, developing skills and styles. I've just wanted to try so much!!! And why not? Don't we discover by doing?

I realize it's cost me lots of followers, and that's okay. I'm sad to see them go, but I'm excited for where I'm headed and what my risk-taking will do for my career. But, for those of you who are still here, or those of you who are just arriving, thank you. Your support is so very appreciated.

Would you like to share in my most recent journey a bit? Come on and keep reading with me as I give a little "behind-the-scenes" tour of what I've been doing! Let's rewind...

1) September Sketchbooks & October InkTober 2017

Okay, firstly, I hadn't been drawing nearly enough until I bought a dedicated sketchbook in September and just challenged myself to do new things. And then there was the whole month of October where I committed to InkTober. And you know what... I amazed myself and finished all 31 days. Finishing what I start is so huge to me and it was a big confidence boost to participate! Also, it was a great opportunity for me to experiment with art styles. I suppose late September is when my "try new things" phase really began to kick in. You can see it in my drawings that I began to develop more comfort with rounded shapes and "simpler", but more carefully detailed pieces. Take a look!

2) November 2017: NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writers Month!)

Wow! Can I say that this was a struggle? Firstly, switching gears from a visual, very hands-on medium to the written (or in my case, typed) word was challenging. But, after doing InkTober I was sure I needed a new, hardcore, dedicated project for all of November. Since I did NaNoWriMo the year before, I figured I would take the opportunity to continue and hopefully, finish my novel! However... I had taken wayyy too long of a break between writing sections of my book and it felt like starting from scratch in so many ways. 50,000 words became even more of a challenging goal.

I also had a hard time focusing during November and felt like my brain just couldn't process things normally... it was the longest and heaviest brain fog I've ever experienced. And my usual, grammatically correct, spelling-savvy self fell to the wayside (See image below for proof!). It was not the time for it to happen, either, as I was attempting to connect complex ideas, themes, character personalities, and intricate details and work heavily on continuity with both halves of the novel. Then came the last week. It was so hard. I took a huge break from writing after getting sick and one day turned into two, then into three, and so on. I was almost certain I wouldn't finish after getting to at least 40,000 words. And I was so close!

But, I pushed on and by the grace of God, finished by the skin of my teeth (Cringe-worthy image, I know.). I'm so glad I did! My novel is not yet complete, even after the additional 50,000 words, but I'm okay with that. It's my baby and honestly, I want to spend more time with it and perfect it, but I'm looking forward to when I can share it with everyone! Maybe I'll post a chapter? Thoughts?

3) November & December 2017: Digital Painting & Swedish Themes

Aaand... back to a visual medium! Creative whiplash much? At the end of November, I was blessed to have an artistic mentor take me under their wing. It was so well-timed and much needed as I was feeling like I was in an all-over slump.

If you don't have someone mentoring you, directly, or even indirectly, FIND SOMEONE. My mentor has been amazing and to tell you it's encouraging to have someone invest time in you and show you the inner workings of their day-to-day... What I can say is that I am so grateful. And I feel more confident knowing what someone else with more experience in my field is doing and understanding how I can replicate their good habits.

The end of November and early December was also when I got more comfortable experimenting in different styles and media. Firstly, digital painting became huge. I started with Christmas motifs and somehow ended December with several finished portraits. What happened was that I wanted to see my novel characters "in the flesh" and that I was getting bored with other things I had been doing, so I took two of my favorite characters and attempted to bring them to life. I was so amazed at how natural digital painting felt for me. And, if I hadn't tried, I would have never known what I was capable of. My goal is to perfect the art for myself!

I've also been inspired by my Scandinavian heritage and the motifs of Swedish and Norwegian folk art. My hand-painted pieces, digital ones, and even my patterns have blossomed from studying these styles. When studying, I thought to myself, "Surely this can't be too hard?" After all, it looked simple. It's not. Rosemaling, kurbits, and the dala horse are all examples of fine-tuned crafts that I have yet to master. But, they're really fun to experiment with. I hope to see more Scandinavian themes in my work!

Art of Chelle Elle's Swedish Art and Digital Portraits

4) January 2018: Digital Illustration & Pattern / Textile Design

Here we are. "Present day". January has seen me experimenting in digital illustration and patterns! I've been taking Skillshare classes (highly recommend) that were recommended to me by my mentor and I am really enjoying learning from them and improving my Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills. I've also made it a point to read artistic literature; more to come on that!

Art of Chelle Elle's Digital Illustrations Jan 2018

I'll leave the classes and books for another day's blog post, but I hope you'll be patient with me as I take on new ideas and implement them in my work as well as re-establish my blogging habit. And for sure, keep on giving me feedback and encouragement! In the meantime, I hope you receive joy from the things I'm creating and sharing and that you'll keep up with what I'm working on!

Yours truly,

Chelle Elle

“Chelle Elle” has been drawing since she was really small. No restaurant napkin was ever safe when crayons were involved! Now, she writes and illustrates characters and other fun ideas to help her dreams and the dreams of others come to life! And yes, she takes commissions and would love to hear from you.

Email her today to learn more about how she can bring your ideas to life at:

ArtofChelleElle@gmail.com!

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