My love for ye olde pencil and paper has not died yet

One of the nigh-forgotten facts about me, even by myself, is that when I was young - circa primary school and early secondary school, I aspired to be a mangaka (Japanese for comic artist). It was all I wanted to do, the sole career choice that made sense to me at that time. I would be a mangaka and nothing else. Which is why during those years I do alot of sketching, often to my parent's chagrin as they feel that my time spent on this "hobby" was better spent elsewhere.

Eventually I found another outlet for my creative urges in the form of digital animation and outgrew my passion for mangas. I also sketch a lot less since then, although I would often keep a sketch pad handy for whenever I need a quick fix to draw something because computers don't work as fast as my hand.

My latest 3-minute random sketch:

Being able to draw with pencil on paper is a significant advantage when working with visual media. I can quickly draw out character poses and lay out scenes on paper so I can visually evaluate them before committing them into the software. It helps make me a more efficient artist, instead of bashing buttons on the computer and see what sticks.

Admittedly, my sketching skills has kind of regressed compared to my years spent pursuing the mangaka dream, but I try to practice more by finding time to sit down and do some serious sketching. If I can't, then a quick sketch like above is usually enough to scratch that itch.

Below is another ad-hoc sketch on my son's Magna-doodle which I did to see if my 2.5 yr old son can tell which one is mommy, daddy and himself lol.