Saturday, June 29, 2013
Don't get discouraged....Keep trying
I do sometimes, in fact every artist does from time to time. IT's easy to do, and also to think that even though you are working very hard, constantly improving, etc that you are coming up short in some way compared to others. You are not! The single biggest challenge these days is getting our work seen by others. There are so many artists online it's easy to get lost in the fray. It's also tougher than ever to break in. These days people who view art are largely viewing the artwork of people who's names they have heard or already know. That's normal. For someone trying to sell art, or get a job in the arts, it's a bit of an uphill climb. I have yet to find anyone with any kind of reasonable advice on how to get noticed. I think that's because it is different for everyone, everywhere. It's so subjective in terms of where you display your work, what type of work you do, your skill level, etc. There is certainly no magic button, even though there are services that claim to be one. I put no stock in it. One thing I do know is that in order to succeed you must do one thing above all else...Stay in the game! Don't get fed up, don't quit, don't go off and do something else. Keep at it, keep pushing, keep hawking, keep painting, keep drawing, and keep improving. Eventually you'll get somewhere. It might not be where you want to go today, but someone will see your work and it will resonate with them, and they will tell others, who will in turn tell others, etc. Don't go off on tangents either. I see a lot of artists out there giving stuff away like tutorials, and brushes, etc in an attempt to get people to see their work. This is fine and their is nothing wrong with it, but in a professional sense you gain very little by giving stuff away and you are attracting artists to your work that are on a skill level most likely below your own. If you have a need to give back, or what not, then by all means throw out a bone when you have the time, but your focus should be doing the best quality artwork in your chosen area, that you can. Don't do any type of work for free, people by and large just suck it up without even a thank you, which will just frustrate you further. When I was an animator years ago I was told by a much older and experienced animator that one of the keys to success is to never work for free. He had a variety or reasons he imparted to me as to why, and his advice always stuck with me. If you know you are good and just aren't getting the hits don't force it. Keep improving and focus on the craft of painting, drawing, modeling, sculpting, etc because that is what will eventually get you noticed by the right people. Apply for jobs in your chosen field. Even apply for jobs you have no chance of getting. It gets your name out there and into the perspective employee pools and yes people do remember if they see your name enough. Do your best work all the time and study in order to get better. The answer is almost always more work. Nobody ever said art was easy, and yes I realize that years ago it was indeed a little easier to break in when the jobs that are standard today weren't really clearly defined in the industry, but today and tomorrow is the world we live in. Yesterday is old news and no use lamenting over that. You have something truly great to offer because you're you, and you are a unique individual with unique influences and experiences to draw from. You have amazing things to show people and can really contribute to the area that you want to work in as a professional artist. If your artwork hasn't been seen by enough people in your chosen industry then they just don't know it yet. Ask for critiques from artists you respect and art directors you'd like to work with, don't be shy. Even if they don't have the time they will still respect you for taking the initiative. Remember fans are great but having your work viewed by a million people is just as useless as having it viewed by one if they are all the wrong people, it's just ego validation. Don't search our validation, search out criticism, it's much more useful and will make you a better artist. Sure it's cool to have 3 of 4K views on a piece of artwork, but having someone who is a true industry pro tell you how they think you can improve, even in short, is so much more valuable! So it boils down to don't stop trying, don't be shy about asking, embrace the critiques from respected sources, and keep trying, don't take or pay for shortcuts, don't ever quit. You will get somewhere if you truly believe that you have the talent to do so. Smile, you're well on your way to being the next big thing! All the best!
D
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
One tip to paint or draw better and get your work noticed...
Embrace yourself and the truly unique sphere of experiences and influences you have amassed over your lifetime. Draw your inspiration from everything that resonates within yourself and your work will be like nobody else'. Don't follow trends, make unique and new ones from within and then you are setting them instead of existing behind the curve. Your vision is, simply put, valid, as valid as any other artist out there. You just have to be confident in yourself and what you have to show the world. Don't ever try to paint or draw like anyone else, it's a waste of time. You can truly only draw and paint like yourself, and thank goodness, or painting would simply be a waste of time. You can learn theories, tips and tricks from others, but the core of your work must come from within you in order for it to be truly genuine. Find out what really moves you and use that to make moving artwork.....All the Best!
D
What kind of artist are you?
Personally it varies daily for me, but I realize that there are folks that specialize in one or a few types of art, and that is what they focus on. For me that has never worked. I tried it years ago when I followed some poor advice, and it really burned me out fast. I love doing concept art and design but I never wanted to just do that. I've always stated that I'm a painter and I hold to it. Some days I just want to get my Bob Ross afro out and hit a canvas hard, other days I want to design a cool sci-fi environment or a mecha, other days still I'm doodling with a pencil. I have tons of respect for a very well known illustrator, etc from MI named Matt Busch. He always stated as advice he'd give to anyone who is coming up or trying to get into this business that you shouldn't limit yourself. Why do one thing? Do everything. Life's too short not to try. I have so many things I'm passionate about that I find myself doing a number of projects in different mediums at any given time. Laser focus might work for some artists, but it never has for me. I also think that when you step away from one project and work on another for awhile, especially in a different medium, that when you come back you have fresh eyes and a reinvigorated approach. I find that since I started doing this that my work on all fronts has really improved and become much more dynamic, rather than forced. Admittedly I have produced a number of forced paintings and illustrations in the past. I'm sure I crank out one or two here and there even now. Working in the way I describe though has really helped me, and I think that anyone who might be in a rut, or feels like they are running into walls while working really hard might want to give it a try. Best Wishes and Luck in your creation!
D
Friday, June 21, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
What R U Reading?
I don't know about you but I read a lot, apart from being enjoyable to me, I find that reading really exercises my imagination and my visualization skills. As an artist this is extremely helpful. I'm always curious about great books in the sci fi or fantasy realms. My tip for anyone that hasn't yet, is to grab any book by Peter Hamilton and dive in. I've read about half a dozen of his books as of late and just can't get enough. Really deep well developed stories that are long and suck you in deep. I started with Pandora's Star and recommend it as a great starting point to that arc of his writing. I think that book cal sell anyone on his prolific talents, but others like Fallen Dragon, or the Great North road are standalone works by Mr. Hamilton that are also really engaging! If you've had any fortune in already having read Peter Hamilton and have any recommendations that I haven't mentioned a good ones to start with, then please comment so both I and the blog readers will know. Best Wishes! Happy reading, imagining and visualizing!
IIId
Hey Dad's....Happy fathers day.....
Didn't know if anybody told you guys.....Hope it's a good one for all.
IIId
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
An observation about downloading artwork.
I've never had any kind of issue with people downloading my work, except in the extremely rare instance that said individual uses it for their own profit or gain without permission, or passes it off as their own. Both have certainly happened to me, and I'm certain to many others artists out there as well. It's simply the way of the digital world we live in, sometimes, and in that respect you take the good with the bad. Enough said. I did have a curious thought about downloading artwork by artists who's work you admire. I feel that if you are going to download a piece of artwork and use it in any fashion, you should at least comment on the work and tell the artist why you are downloading it, or what you at least love or hate about it. I get quite a few downloads on my work with no comment at all, and it always strikes me as odd. Good enough to download, but not to comment on? I for one love hearing feedback as I'm sure most artists do, so hey if you are going to download somebody's work then please drop them a line with your thoughts on what they do. Simple.
IIId
Monday, June 10, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Better composition in concept art....
Many artists will tell you, and rightly so, that you should study and break down good paintings by artists you love, to understand the structure of their paintings, and give you a better insight for various solutions artists employ within their work. This is very useful in helping you gain a repertoire of solutions in your own vocabulary as an artist or student. I do it and find it very helpful.
In addition to this method though I've found out that when I look at really good photography, I actually find it even more helpful. As concept artists we are largely focused on cinematic imagery anyway so studying how various photographs are composed is really to the point. The camera angle of the photgraph helps you visualize yours when starting an image and I believe thinking about the camera angle up front really gets you in the right mindset to start a strong image. I don't perceive paintings the same way that I do photographs, often times the painting can be a distraction in this fashion, sometimes simply because we marvel at how awesome the other artists'work may be, I personally marvel the technique and details in paintings I love, and that can be a big distraction when you are trying to decipher a good composition. Photographs are a bit more mechanical and somewhat more logical to me so I think I interpret them better 'structurally' I think that you should study both ans see what is more helpful to you. I know for a long time I really didn't get what I was looking for in paintings and had a hard time breaking them down, and that when I by chance tried it with photographs I learned then about image structure and then it was miraculously easy to see what I was looking for in paintings by artists I liked. I also primarily work in film resolution image formats. In the end I guess it's whatever works for you, but I've always found this helpful and wanted to share in case anyone's out there struggling with it. All the Best!
IIId
Just an example photo I like, easy to decipher composition and mood lighting

Tuesday, June 4, 2013
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