Eldest Cover Sketch

The very oldest art piece I've posted  on this blog (and probably will ever post) is this one. I drew the cover of the book, "Eldest" as an exercise for working in detail. I believe it is the one drawing that really inspired me to take up art as a future profession.

For several years before I had drawn and painted for fun, but never before did I consider becoming an artist. I thought I was just some run-of-the-mill kid. All I could draw were unrealistic cartoons, and that was as much as I would ever be able to do. Or, that's what I thought.

I was 15 years old at the time and I was amazed by my abilities to recreate a work done by  a real artist. It gave me the courage to take the plunge and dive into the world of art. I thought, just maybe, I could be good enough.

Looking back, I can see that my drawing was not a perfect copy. The spine spikes are funky looking, the eyes aren't even, and his face is kind of crooked. But even so, it was more than I expected from myself, and more than I saw from others my own age. That was all I needed.