Every wonder what goes into bringing my art to life? As I have been working through a major art block, I have been going back and looking at what I have created so far. I went back to the first detailed piece of art that I created in my art journey and looking at it brought me back so much joy. I remembered the excitement I felt when I created this, the whole piece took me about 11 and a half hours! Putting all the colours in, seeing all the pieces come together and creating my first large super detailed piece was such a huge accomplishment for me. Since then I have created and progressed in my style and creativity, it’s really cool to look back and see where I started.
I started with the idea of creating a giant shelf filled with super cool trinkets. I wanted it to reflect both my interests and my wife’s, making it feel personal and full of little details/hidden Easter eggs that the viewer could zoom in and see. One of my favourite ideas was a sock hanging out of a drawer because honestly, that just made me laugh.
The sketching phase was pretty laid back, I started with a rough outline and kept adding the details as they popped into my head. It was all about having fun and adding in things as I imagined them. I took inspiration from my own shelf of collectibles and other things at home, but also added a lot of random things I thought would look nice or silly.
This is where everything really started to come to life! The lines became more refined, and the vision in my head started translating onto the digital canvas. I knew I wanted a cool banner hanging across the TV and a big lava lamp as a focal point. The rug was another fun element as I had big plans to make it look soft and fluffy once I added the colour! I wanted the outline to not look perfectly straight; instead, more on the sketchy side. This has become a big part of my style going forward.
Now for one of my favourite parts, the colour! I wanted the brush texture to really stand out, almost like you could reach out and feel the different textures in the image.
For the colours, I kept the base of the shelf neutral so that all the little trinkets and details would pop. My goal was to make the whole scene feel warm, happy, and like a cozy home. I especially had fun experimenting with the lava lamp, trying to make it look like the wax inside was actually moving.
The final step was about tying everything together. I added an extra layer of colour behind everything to make it more cohesive and polished. Looking back, what started as a fun challenge ended up helping me discover my art style and the kinds of things I truly enjoy drawing. At first, this project felt huge and a little overwhelming, but finishing it gave me so much confidence.
I am very proud of this piece, and now I am wondering if I need to work on another trinket shelf. But instead of a single book shelf, maybe a whole wall of tiny trinkets?
Looking back at this piece, I can really see how much I’ve grown as an artist. It pushed my creativity in ways I didn’t expect, and even though I’ve made so many pieces since then, this one will always have a special place in my heart.
Seeing my progress, especially how I experiment with textures and details makes me even more excited for future projects. Who knows what I’ll create next?
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