Motivated to be motivated

Yes it is true I have decided to be motivated because not all motivation is a deep burning desire. To quote “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle

So if he really was that wise which would make this true then to achieve a certain level of skill in anything is not done solely by talent but honing that talent. Thus my motivation is simple I am a descent cartoonist and an ok carver, but I don’t want to be descent or ok. I want to know how good I can be. Not to sell anything or to get my illustration in print but simply to know, how good can I be. I also want to put myself out there to find out how motivated I am.

So here is the simple process that I currently use. I have some practice sticks in two sizes, 1’ blocks roughly and 1 ½ blocks roughly, bass blocks. I am going to go through all my blocks and practice carving, doing different characters and each time trying to either improve or try a new style or technique. Hopefully by the end of the day I will begin to see the carver that I can be and begin the process of craving my own style, from my own cartoons. For now I will continue freehand carving, no pattern except a rough idea in my head. Here is a sample of a carving based on a style where you start with a block and cut away pieces instead of doing a rough cut, hope you enjoy.

p.s. I don't have a wide array of paints because typically I work in water color for my illustrations, so I will be working on the painting process as well. With the limited colors it will force a little creativeness on my part.