How an unfortunate injury sparked an unexpected journey into mixed media art.
During the 2021 Christmas and summer holidays, I continued my tradition of stepping away from the computer and web design. My break usually involves spending time outdoors or working in the garage.
The previous year, I focused on designing, making, and testing the first Handy Bodysurfing models. It was a fun way to unplug from the digital realm, and it also sparked a new passion for shaping foam and fiberglassing. A year later, I’m still involved with that, and each generation of bodysurfing handplanes is improving.
For the 2021/22 New Year’s break, the plan was pretty straightforward: work on the next-gen handplanes and surf as much as possible.
But that wasn’t to be.
Grounded for Six Weeks
Two weeks before Christmas – right in the middle of the busiest time of year, naturally – I tripped over my son’s shoe at home and fractured my foot. Just like that, I was grounded for six weeks.
I find it very difficult to sit still, unless I’m working on my computer.
At first, I tried to keep moving, pushing through the pain to wrap up work before Christmas. But instead of improving, my foot felt worse. I knew I had to stop and allow it to rest properly.
To do that without becoming too restless, I needed something to keep me occupied – something not work-related but still creatively engaging.
Moon boot_
A New Artistic Direction
On the first morning of my ‘forced rest,’ which happened to be Christmas Eve, an ad appeared in my Instagram feed:
“Vector portrait with manual textures” – an illustration course by Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo.
Without much hesitation, I clicked the ad and bought the course. It felt like the right decision.
Only after starting did I realise the full scope of what I had signed up for—mixed media art. This was something I’d wanted to try for a long time, so I was quite keen.
The course itself presented a challenge. It was in Spanish with English subtitles, which meant I had to watch each lesson, then go back to read the subtitles, and then rewatch to understand everything. It required some effort, but it was definitely worth it.
Finding Inspiration
Beyond the technical skills, the most significant takeaway from the course was inspiration. Alvaro’s work is incredible, but his lesson on building the foundation of your art by seeking out inspiration particularly stood out.
One phrase he used resonated with me:
“The basic elements of creativity are: Copy, Transform, and Merge.”
Part of the mixed media art debut process_
My First Pieces
For the final module, I was required to submit a completed piece. But before starting the final artwork, I began to experiment.
The first piece I created was of my wife. The second was of myself (after turning her pink, I thought it was only fair to do the same to me). That explains the title of this post.
The third will likely be my final submission; I’m hopeful it will turn out well.
This is just the beginning. I anticipate there will be many more of these projects, and I look forward to exploring the endless ways to blend different mediums into a single piece.
Device: iMac 2015
Apps: Illustrator & Photoshop
Annotations: Vector Portrait with Manual Textures Course on Domestika
