[isketch] Freedom in Imperfection

I have a few words in the English dictionary I dislike: “bored”, “wish”, and “perfect” are just a few.

"Bored" got removed from my vocabulary in my early twenties, once I stopped saying that I've never been bored since.

"Wish" on it's own is alright, but I dislike using it with "I". "I wish", "I wish", "I wish"...I don't want to wish anymore, I just want to "do".

And “perfect", I think perfect is a dangerous word that gets thrown around to describe things/people/situations we idolize and put a rose film over. I've been in several situations where couples around me get called "perfect". I don't disregard when two people are extremely compatible with each other, but to be where they are takes dedicated love, work, sacrifices, compromises...it's not perfect and that's what makes their relationship so beautiful.

I'm collecting my thoughts because I've been wanting to write about something else for awhile. I have ideas behind it and have attempted posing but I'm not quite as expressive as bestie @vermillionfox. So I opted to find a photo to try and draw. I wanted to feel sexy, see my reference photo here. But somehow I drew her feeling looking more relaxed...free.

So...my other thoughts will have to come out on another day!

I even have to collect my thoughts about "perfection". I started writing the above about a few of my words I dislike because of a post I saw on instagram #howitreallyis combined with my want to write about mental health and my own battles with it. It's difficult though, I tread carefully on the topic because I'm not sure how to share it quite yet.

Just know, that when I embrace all my imperfections I feel free. I can acknowledge my human traits, my vulnerabilities, my faults and that I don't have to be perfect. There's a freedom in imperfection.

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I did my sketch in iPad Pro on an app called Procreate.

I started with my favorite sketching brush right now, sketching > HB Pencil. I've been playing with being able to use different colors and decided to go with red, because I was thinking about passion. I tried free-styling it at first but it was turning out awkward (top middle photo). That was about 30 minutes in before I decided I should go about it more traditionally and map out her features...yeah I work better that way.

I used mainly the HB Pencil brush but found the Painting > Old Brush to be very effective in coloring in her hair, it added a natural shine that I didn't have to worry about. Score! Then add some shading and some background noise and vola! Image complete.

Do you dislike any words? And why?