When I was in my early teens, the series Trigger Happy TV was on in the UK. My parents watched it and we had a copy of the soundtrack in our house. The cover gave you an idea of the kind of music to expect; a collage of peoples’ faces in purple, to give the overall impression of an unhappy punk-rock clown. Even though the show was a comedy, a lot of the music was a bit sad, and I loved it.
I listened to the soundtrack a lot, and discovered several new artists from it. One of the songs I liked most was Glad It’s All Over by Captain Sensible.
When I was trying to think what to draw for 30/30 Days of Illustration, the lyrics popped into my head. Glad it’s all over, we’re glad it’s all over… I hadn’t listened to the song in years, but that’s what I kept coming back to. I think the song was essentially anti-war, about the Falkland’s War, so I was concerned that applying something so meaningful to my illustration might be seen to trivialise it. But no matter what else I tried to think of, I kept coming back to the lyrics.
I think the reason for this was that, while I was so happy to do the challenge, that it was actually a challenge for me; I found it difficult to think of something new to draw every day. If I’m honest, I was glad that it was all over, but also happy that I’d done it.
So this is what happened. His hands are too small, but it was a fun sketch to create, and I’m just happy I managed to do something different.
I’m happy, too, that I did this 30 Days of Illustration challenge. The reason I started it was because I wanted to reevaluate my style; to grow. I was tired of the perfectionism and fear of failure which was stopping me from trying anything new. I think I took a couple of steps in the right direction, and thanks to this project I have discovered a couple of new paths I’d like to explore in my work.
All the best with your projects too! Don’t let perfectionism get in the way of progress, or try to find a good balance between the two. I’m excited to see where I can take my illustration from here.
