Artists seldom get it right the first time. That was one of the big revelations I had when I was in art school years ago. Most of our teachers were quick to regale us with tales of frustration and regret when it came to their own art. They did this to cheer us up when our pieces failed yes, but more importantly, they told us these stories to encourage us to not give up, but instead work at our pieces until we got them right. It is a lesson that I took to heart, and continue to pass on to my students.

There is one sequence of images in particular I like to show them—I call it my “Litany of Failure,” a set of five (so far) failed attempts to get a particular piece right.

The origin of the concept also goes back to art school; we were given a simple assignment: illustrate a song. After some thought I chose “Verdi Cries,” performed by 10,000 Maniacs, and written by Natalie Merchant. The song is a nostalgic look back at a vacation spent at a sea-side resort when she was a young girl. The song begins:

The man in one-nineteen takes his tea all alone.
Mornings we all rise to wireless Verdi cries.
I’m hearing opera through the door.
The souls of men and women, impassioned all
Their voices climb and fall, battle trumpets call
I fill the bath and climb inside, singing:
“La la la la la la
“La la la la la la”

I did several sketches before settling on a concept that showed the young girl sitting in her bath tub, singing to herself. Continue reading →