Okay, so I spent a good chunk of my afternoon trying to mess around with that Paige Duncan approach I saw somewhere. Looked interesting, figured I’d give it a shot myself.
Getting Started
First thing, I had to actually find some decent examples of her work again. Just scrolled through stuff I’d saved ages ago. Didn’t want to overthink it, just get a general vibe. Then I opened up my usual program, grabbed my stylus. Cleared the canvas. Stared at the blank screen for a bit, you know how it is.
The Actual Trying Part
Alright, so I started trying to lay down some lines. Her stuff looks kinda loose, effortless almost. Man, that’s deceptive. My first few attempts were stiff as a board. I kept trying to loosen my grip, make faster strokes. It felt unnatural. Felt like I was fighting my own hand.
Then came the colors. She puts together some combinations I wouldn’t normally think of. So, I tried mixing things up on my palette. Made some real ugly mud tones first. Had to scrap those. Then I tried to get that textured feel she sometimes has. Played with different brushes. Some worked okay, others just made a mess. Honestly, I think I spent more time fiddling with settings and undoing than actually making progress.
Looking Closer (and Failing)
I remember seeing something, maybe a speedpaint or a gif, of how she works. Seemed like she just puts stuff down and it works. Like, bam, there’s the shape, bam, there’s the shadow. No hesitation. That’s the real skill, isn’t it? Just comes from doing it a million times. You can’t just copy-paste experience.
What I ended up with looked… well, it looked like a cheap imitation. You could tell someone was trying to copy a style, but didn’t really get it. The lines were hesitant, the colors felt off. It lacked that confidence, that flow. It’s like trying to build a complex machine just by looking at a picture of the outside. You miss all the important bits inside.
Just a Thought
It kinda reminds me of way back when I first tried cooking following only a picture recipe. Looked simple enough. A bit of this, a dash of that. But the timing, the heat, how things actually combine – the picture doesn’t tell you that. Ended up with something barely edible. Some skills, you just gotta build them block by block. No shortcuts really work, not for the long haul anyway.
Wrapping Up
So, yeah. That was my session trying to channel Paige Duncan. Learned a few things, mostly about how hard it is to replicate someone else’s ingrained style. It’s good practice, I guess, pushes you out of your comfort zone. But I think I’ll stick to my own way for now. Maybe try blending in just tiny elements later, once I’ve actually practiced them properly. It was an afternoon, anyway.
