Never Too Late for Resolutions

Even if it is the end of March!
I made a list on Friday of where I want to be and how to get there by improving specific artistic skills.  Even though I know I have a long way to go until I could be considered for employment I sometimes lose that drive that makes me try new things and better myself.  I go along my merry way doodling and sketching without a thought in my head....
Then last night I did this:

Week 1 - Lighting

I had had the colours and tones in my mind for the past couple of days, so I told myself, 'just do it!'.  So I opened a small sized file and set myself about an hour (or else I'd get carried away).  It's nowhere near perfect - I hate the hair and want to add bits of varied colour - but I surprised myself.  Not only with how much I'd managed to do in a short amount of time, but that I actually applied lighting and perspective.  It has become common for me to draw things straight on, looking very flat and without any dynamic.  It's my simple cartoon brain at work!

I looked at the image when I'd done, and it all clicked - my action plan and what I accomplished in an hour.  I can focus on each personal objective for short bursts at a time.
My plan is to make one image once a week, which is unrelated to designated work, that concentrates on one to all of the following; perspective, anatomy (human, animal), lighting, colour, realism, stylization, character/personality.

You're probably thinking this is what I should have been doing all this time anyway, and to a degree I do, but it varies from automatically considering each aspect to really considering.  This resolution is about really considering, and will not only help my skills but also my time keeping.

Onwards to employability!

J. x

Influences...

One of the many, many, many...many...blogs I follow is Eric Kozlowsky's.  In his latest post he shows his influences in a pictorial format which has been created by Fox Orian.

It looked like fun and a good way to think about what has moulded me and my work over the years.  Some influences have been with me throughout my life and others as I've grown up and I've found a place for them...:

If you want to give it a go yourself the original PSD file is available to download.  Click here!

I'd love to see what people come up with, so let me know if you do it!

J. x

Pop Ya Colour*

I recently saw a great piece of work by Potato Farm Girl of Josie and the Pussycats.  The colours really popped, so I went off to play with my pencils and markers to see what happened.

I came out with this:

Character Design for Animation: 'Andi' (Prismacolour pencils, Promarker pens)

I often use orange and blue coloured pencil to draft out for cartoon images, but using green contrasted against the warm browns and yellows making my images glow.  What do you think?

Not only is it refreshing to do something different but it mentally refreshes - it's like seeing your work through new eyes.

J. x


*Yeeeah, that's a shameless Usher song title pun...

Post-Holiday Blues Meets Pre-Holiday Bliss

Happy new year, I hope you had a good holiday season.

I've not posted for a while due to the aforementioned 'holiday' where I didn't do much that can be considered post-worthy.
Plus, I was ill - again!  From Boxing Day for a week.  With flu!!
I hope this isn't a new fortnightly sickly habit I'm developing...
I have to admit, being so ill really shook my confidence.  It's taken me a while to feel capable of doing anything and my work has piled up.
I've been in the all too familiar place of feeling not worthy to even consider myself amongst 'the art crowd', but it's a matter of telling myself I will continue to improve and learn for the rest of my life.
It also helps when one of your heroes gives you a few words of advice....

On the 6th of January, Iain McCaig - the genius that is - had a web chat on his blog around 6pm Pacific time. It was midnight for me and I held on until 4am.  It was totally worth it!
People that were online asked him questions which McCaig answered with the wisdom of experience and such humility I was taken by surprise and love him all the more for it.
Someone asked for his opinion on how we are able to draw exactly what we picture in our mind's eye, and why we are so UN-able to do it.  This was his response:

"You're probably finding it hard because you also want it to be good"

A light bulb went off in my mind.  I felt pressure lifting from my shoulders.
Stop trying so hard, Jess...

But this was by far the best thing he wrote to we budding unemployed trying to make it:

"We are the industry.  The industry is formed by what we do, our visions.
It is the job of an artist to express to the world who they are and how they see and feel about things - in other words, their TRUTH.  My truth is no more valid than yours.  So you and I are equals.
There will never ever be a better you.  So if you learn to show that to the world, your art will be every inch as good as mine, just different."

Wow.  I was speechless.
Not that I was asking him anything anyway, I had only been staring at the screen in awe.
After four hours of his time, Iain signed off with:

"May the Muse be with you.  Always."

So yeah, I guess I was finally inspired to get down to my work for the semester.  I have a lot of it!
Currently I'm modelling a humanoid witch doctor/Zulu type character in 3Ds Max, which is fun but completely new for me.  If it looks any good I'll post a couple of renders.
Outside of class I'm honoured to be illustrating a comic script written by a fellow student to be printed in 'Bagatelle', a small comic and literary anthology.
I'll tell you more about it when it's completed and on sale!

My Pied Piper project lasts until April/May, but I have to give a presentation on what my final piece will be for the end of year exhibition.  Eep!
  
I'm very grateful that I have a lecturer who understood how much being sick took out of me, and I've been fortunately granted a couple of extensions.

Worried about being behind, I decided to forego the class trip to Paris in March.
I refused to continue feeling sorry for myself....
So, in July, I'll be going to MOROCCO!
I couldn't be more excited!  I expect to have so many photos I break my computer.
It will be my personal pay off for finishing this year, hopefully with work to be proud of.

Sorry if the length of this post put you off so you jumped straight to this last bit!
My next one will have pictures - even if they're not mine - promise.
Thanks for reading guys.
J. x

Shadowline

I recently purchased 'Shadowline: The Art of Iain McCaig', and I can tell you now, it is beautiful.  Stunning.  GORGEOUS!

Every page is filled with his art.  Work from Star Wars to Harry Potter, storyboards to illustrations.
Not only that, it has mini-drawing classes inserted in booklet form inside.
It is a book that is both fiction and a presentation of-- baaaah!
Let him show and tell you himself!

Iain McCaig on Shadowline


I'm not a particularly big Star Wars fan nor am I much of a fan of the Harry Potter films, but you don't need to be to admire these works of art.

Buy it!  You will not be disappointed!

J. x