Take The Leap

I decided that it was time for more wildlife portraits. It's been a while since I have drawn a wild animal and was missing the task of rendering warm, fuzzy critters. I fed this urge by drawing a cold-blooded critter (a snake). Now, I have progressed to drawing a creature that doesn't send me into the fetal position in fear - the penguin.

The reference for this piece was taken at the zoo on a sunny afternoon. I was almost trampled by a mob of children, eager to see the penguins splashing around in their simulated environment. This particular penguin seemed unsure of whether he wanted to jump into the water. Kind of a metaphor for where I am at in life. I am scared of taking the leap and sending my work to art directors.

I think that my biggest fear is that they will look at me as a fine artist. Not a bad thing, but I am wondering whether my work is marketable to big companies and publishers. I want to take the leap and get my work out there. In the meantime, I am researching publishers and am building promotional materials. If the penguin can jump in the cold zoo water, then I can be brave and jump into the world of publishing.