✨ Snowy Owl ✨

I recently watched Fantastic Beasts and loved it! To be honest though, I am a HUGE fan of the Wizarding World as a whole. J.K. Rowling can do no wrong in my opinion. The only thing I'm upset about is the fact that I have STILL not received an invitation to attend Hogwarts. What the heck homie! I need an owl like Harry's to swoop by the pad, ASAP. Haha. If I DID have the option of choosing a trusty companion like Hedwig, I would want a Snowy Owl like the one I've illustrated for this post. A magical owl that draws it's powers from the stars above. ✨ Yeah, that would be Fantastic.

One of the biggest challenges regarding this concept was drawing the feet. Feet and hands ALWAYS kick my butt. They're just.. weird. And I think other creatives might be able to relate. For example, while conducting preliminary research I began to notice a tendency among designers to hide the claws of an owl. Generally under a large lump of feathers. I could have done the same but how would that help improve my overall ability? It would NOT. So I embraced the challenge, studied, sketched and simplified to a satisfactory degree.

Overall I am pretty happy with the result. It's not an anatomically exact but that not's the goal. I wanted to capture a style all my own without dodging any difficulties that would help improve the final product. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself! Here's the overall lesson: Recognize your weaknesses. Accept them by embracing challenges as a way to push and improve your ability. You can ONLY level up my dude!

Can you relate? Tell me. What are your biggest creative challenges? I'd love to know!

Jarod Octon
California based illustrator, designer and art director.

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