WIP - GashaPinup (KWOP!)

Happy Tuesday, my lil' trinkets, trinkettes, and trinkexes!

If you know me on any level, you know that I love toys and gashapon machines, and I've had the basic idea for this piece in my head for a really long time, but haven't actually done a proper sketch for it. Something fun and cute that tells a simple little story, a chance to get super pop-y and silly. I'm excited to continue on with it.

I've been struggling with an art block these past couple of weeks, and I think a big reason why is that I don't stop and remind myself what I really like and how I can incorporate those things into my pinups work. I know it sounds simple, but it's so easy to forget that and default to "draw a hunky bearded guy with a fun hair color against a flat color background." That can certainly be fun, but I want to do more with my art! My favorite pieces of mine are generally the ones that tell a story, set up a scene, and feel more involved and clever. I'm really enjoying this sketch so far because it feels like something that's coming from my perspective, something that brings in the things I love and has a sense of lightness to it. I had a little me-day outing in Little Tokyo here in LA today to get out of the apartment and shake off the art block, and I think it helped. Remember to go get some fresh air and a cute little trinket to treat yourself when you're feeling stuck!

Note: yes I know "KWOP!" will make some of you think of the game "QWOP" but that's totally the sound that happens when you pop open a capsule so I think I'm gonna stick with it, with all due respect to Bennett Foddy.

Bonus: I've included the initial "ugly" thumbnail scribble for you to marvel at.

It's late when I'm writing this (1:30AM on Monday) and a really good song just finished playing on my spotify, so that feels like a perfect time to call it a night. I hope you like this one so far!

Drew