Winter Magic

Okay. This is a piece for all you beginning digital artists out there.

This was my first really intensive digital piece (aka not done in Paint). I did it back in December of 2001. I *think* it started out as a pencil sketch originally, but regardless, the line-art was done in Microsoft Paint and the shading and effects were done in Adobe PhotoDeluxe. That is a zillion steps below Photoshop or even Photoshop Elements. (Do they even make PhotoDeluxe anymore?) I believe I did possess my tablet at the time, having received it that August.

Regardless, I spent quite a few hours on it and prided it as one of my best works at the time. Now I realize that there are technical flaws all over the place, but it's still mine, and I still like it.

I'm posting it to show that everyone starts somewhere. Not everyone is an expert straight out of the womb - heck, I'm still amateur. But through practice you do improve. So don't give up - stick with it, okay?

Sailor Moon and Rini/Chibi-usa (c) Naoko Takeuchi