Art Archive The *OFFICIAL* Fan-To-Pro Thread

Personally I think it's a Ridiculous distinction, Art is Art.

agreed.



yay! Someone new's joined in!

Sounds like you've got a pretty positive story there LGM, even if SVA was a little pricey - it's a shame you were forced to leave just coz you couldn't afford it, but that's the way of the world i suppose.

Portfolios as stated earlier are Huge if you are to be a Successful artist/student

It's funny, I don't really know coz i've never talked to anyone about it - but I always imagined that at art schools, the people who look at these portfolios had loads to go through - and so would prefer slimer versions, with carefully selected examples of only the best work... Well, that's what i would want if i had to do it!


This is all falling on deaf ears, ain't it?

No it's not Bar - I know what you mean about that 'quiet charm' thing... At least I think i do. I remember, when i was a kid, evrything i liked shared one quality which was the same. I'm not sure there's a word for it - but charm's pretty close, plus a bit of 'neat' too. And 'balanced'. I'm probably not making any sense. Kids like deffinites, and a world of strong boundries... maybe that has something to do with what I'm talking about...

Anyway, it's also quite possible that I'm talking out my a***, so I'll shut up now!

Can anyone tell me what's supposed to be in their little backpacks?

Well you've quite obviously never had to travel among the stars, defeating evil as and when... A packed lunch of course!!

 

Jeez, I can't respond!!

Something about this page is killing my connection! ******!

Testing one, two!


What! Okay, I CAN respond!

What's Jim Lee been up to?

Well, he and many other "hot artists" from Marvel left and started Image comics, there Jim had his own studio (the studio name evolved into Wildstorm). He did WildC.A.T.S. and Deathblow... after relaunching those books a few times and working on some other stuff, He left Image, sold Wildstorm to D.C. (I think he retains the character rights or something), now he works on Batman.
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LGM, I'm familiar with you from the Collecting boards, I didn't know you were into art.
At one time, I was trying to go to SVA, but I couldn't afford it so I didn't even try to apply. I don't think I'll ever go there, unless I'm older and could afford to go study (not graduate) for fun.

The workload sounded tough, the ironic thing is, I did work in the art field and I didn't have to do that much!

Could I get some links to the pictures you were talking about. I want to check them out.

Sam Kieth used to do Marvel Comics Presents, he drew Wolverine, Ghost Rider, & Spidey in MCP.
He also went to Image and there he did The Maxx, outside of that SW Tales, I never knew what happened to him.
His art style is definately not "mainstream".
Oddly enough, I did a Maxx picture one time... that character looked weird even in my "mainstream amateur" style.

_____________________________________________

B.B.
Why haven't you tried doing the team-up thing?
I'd figure that would pay better since you can draw more (work on other projects) and not have to worry about writing.

Caldecott? Isn't that a award for children's books or is that Newberry? It's been a long time... I know I've heard that word somewhere...

I don't think I could draw a kid's book, maybe color one, but not draw cute stuff.
That should be expected since I'm a Punisher fan.

Slides? I couldn't help there, all my stuff is on DVD RAM. Plus, I got my first job with photocopies... It helps being in hicktowns sometimes.

Well, we now diverge, I can't stand some of the more "artsy" styles in comics. Mainly, I enjoy the "fusion" of art and story.. if the art is too "stylized", I think it tends to get in the way...
For example, I don't a Modern Art approach to Spider-Man would work well. Also, I think to go too far with the art is like going to far with a story, a X-rated Spider-Man wouldn't be my kinda thing.

The best way to approach a 7-12 age group would be to either self publish (books more than comics), work on Archie comics or do as a syndicated strip.
I say this because, in my area, the comic shops are frequented by males more than females, mind you they range in age groups and race, but rarely do children go there, if they do, it's because Daddy's picking up his books.

Obviously, the early history of comics was dominated by younger fare, but after the birth of superheroes and then EC comics(horror) became popular, which prompted the book Seduction of Innocence, that led to the Gov't hearings which eventually created the Comics Code (essntially the MPAA for comics).
I think the younger fare essential got phased out because the comic industry didn't want to get blackballed and the kids just didn't buy the younger stuff.
Essentially, the kids comics that survived were things like Archie.

Today, more comics and companies are trying to get rid of the comics code. For that reason, I think it would be hard to have a successful children's comic, I don't think it would be impossible, but you would need the financial backing to stick it out and you would DEFINATELY need to be sold on the newsstand.

(OKAY, time to take off my professor robes)

I used to have the old Gold Key Uncle Scrooge comics, Donald Duck, Goofy, The Beagle Boys... too bad they all got trashed.

I can't see the page, I can't tell.
You might like Al Williamson, he used to work on Flash Gordon (Buck too , I th

 

Thanks for the Jim Lee info Pun, I knew he left marvel not long after i stopped reading, but i wasn't sure what he'd done next...

Han & Chewie are drawn, next I have to do Threepio & Artoo. 15 more pictures to go!

are we gonna have to wait 'til all 15 more are done before we get to see 'em then? Or can we see 'em as you go along... [face_hopeful]

 

**beware long post ahead**

Oh gosh, the horror stories we tell of our roadblocks of life. I?ll be surprised if anyone wants to go pro after reading all this!

I can?t say the comic book industry has been something I?ve wanted to dive into, but I?ve wanted to take a plunge into the ocean of fantasy for a long time. Just like any division of art, fantasy has it?s problems getting into and I find myself getting more frustrated when I look at those artists around me who snag their foot in the door, yet here I still sit struggling to make myself known. I think the biggest frustration is pinning on my attitude about my own work. They say the artist is his or her own worst critique, and I still feel like my work is ?just not good enough?.

Anyway, at this point freelancing full time is out of the question. I?ve been working as a full time technical illustrator (insert massive wailing here) for the last 3 1/2 years now, and dabbling with my paints and pencils on the side. Some of my friends call me crazy for doing this, but I know if I stop, my mechanical skills will degrade over time. Just like it did when I stopped drawing after college.

Sad thought, huh?

I used to draw all the time in high school. This is partially the reason why I barely scraped by with a C in most of my classes. I found that drawing on my text books was more productive than taking notes or listening to the teachers lectures. Still, the sad part about my high school, and I don?t know how many of you experienced this same issue, was that a majority of the school funds went to sports. If there was a budget cut, art programs were the first to go. In my freshman year, there was only four art classes that you could take: Art Drawing 1- 4. That was it. No pottery (that had to go to make room for track), no photography (god forbid we cut back on football!), no 3D art (omg but those Ping-Pong players couldn?t be cheated!). Talk about getting shafted as far as exploring different mediums. We were reduced to working on poster board with Crayola watercolors or tempra paints with 20 year old brushes. Not only were we subjected to using horrible materials, we had a teacher who could neither draw nor teach us the fundamentals of art. Our projects consisted of "I want you to paint, with watercolors (it was always watercolors *shiver*) a lighthouse on a hilltop." Now I can think of a lot of creative ways to paint something like this, but the sorry fact was, unless you painted that lighthouse a certain way, a certain color, with certain angles, on certain paper, you didn?t get a decent grade. I really loathe teachers that do this to artists. I suppose one could argue that, yes, in the real world, we do conform to what our clients want, but hey, I wasn?t getting paid for that project and a school is supposed to teach you how to paint, not tell you how the end result is supposed to look for a passing grade. [/end rant]

Anyway, this went on for another year before myself and some other students complained to the school (this was the beginning of a long glorious trend for me) that we were sick and tired of the poor art classes they offered. Of course our proposals (one of which to hire an art teacher who knew what the heck they were doing) was dismissed and were sent back, ticked off, to our classes. We certainly didn?t stop our howling about the matter however, it was only several months later our wailing was finally paying off. We were informed the current art instructor was leaving and a new teacher was being hired.

That was the beginning of a beautiful change. Now after the first two years, most of the art students were so burned from doing the same repetitious work, when the new teacher came in she told us "do a 3D project! Anything you want! Now go! Be creative!" Of course all of us just exchanged glances like ?what? 3D duh what?s that?". It took us a while to realize this gem that just slipped into our lives.

I could go on about the positives that came about from our new teacher (she got us a photography class

 

They say the artist is his or her own worst critique, and I still feel like my work is ?just not good enough?.

Well, if it means anything, I think your Vong portraits are the best I?ve seen anywhere, official or otherwise.


a majority of the school funds went to sports.

school funds? what are they? Everything was under-funded at my school, so at least there was no favouritism! The only paints we had were exactly the same as the ones as at nursery school - a block of what at one point may have been six individual colours ? all fused into a murky brown? and the brushed weren?t even good enough for flicking water at other people! I never did learn to paint?

Well? that?s noothin?! When I were a lad, we lived in hole in road!

I wasn?t getting paid for that project and a school is supposed to teach you how to paint, not tell you how the end result is supposed to look for a passing grade.

Exactly. School is NOT work ? when you?re working it?s sort of assumed that you already know what you?re doing. School should be for learning, not painting by numbers.

I remember once the teacher showed us pictures from a book of some batiks (spelling?) and told us to reproduce them. The class turned out a whole bunch of identical looking pieces, apart from a friend of mine, who did something completely new and original using the same technique. This earned him a barely tolerant frown, when instead he should have been praised for his innovative thinking.

I dunno about America, but in England the education system seems only concerned with the destination, and never the journey.

Mr. Ego trip literally told me to my face (this being after I presented my final works for critique and grading), "I don?t know how to grade this, so I?ll give you a passing grade so you can graduate."

I just can?t understand the attitude of people like that?

It?s funny, it seems like a lot of the people here have had similar experiences with over the top criticism? I can see where this comes from ? something about preparing students for the harsh realities of the real world ? but surely this should act alongside teaching and guidance, and not as a replacement? Seems like there?s a lot of people in teaching who really should be doing something else.


Moral of the story: No matter how hard other people are on your work, don?t get discouraged. Do art for yourself, not other?s. You?re happiness is also important.

good moral. Looks like you?ve had a tough time on occasion Tam ? but you?ve come out the other side still drawing!

 

First, I'd like to thank Otis for posting this thread and to everyone for relaying their experiences...good or bad...and for the plain facts. The advice has been terrific!

Some here have had extensive training and others a little less, still others have been self taught with classes to help them along the way (my situation).

I've been a freelance illustrator for 7 years now and until 2 years ago I held a "regular" (non-art related) job...mostly out of fear. I consider myself lucky in most respects because I chose a path which interested me and in which potential clients also had a "need/want" for. It's not for everyone but I have a blast getting to know the clients and presenting the finished product to them.

My area: Pet Illustration

Frankly I've been lucky that the two cities I've lived in have a large pet-owning populace that have money to spend on 'luxury' items (yes, the IRS considers art to be a luxury item...which means that some years can be a little skimpy because of the economy). I've always been able to supplement my income by diversification, branching out beyond pets.

While some people wish to have a steadier paycheck by working commercially and others prefer the 'starving artist' (non-commercial) path. I have a little niche somewhere between.

The biggest humps to get over are by far the marketing (as mentioned previously) and money. Marketing and money management has to be done especially when freelancing.
It's recommended to take basic courses in business and marketing, artist or not, and learning to save for the future/lean years/retirement/insurance/taxes etc.

If you go freelance you have to remember that your taxes are due quarterly or yearly and you are responsible for saving for the deductions etc, even with an accountant. Basically it's self discipline. Not everyone has that ability and are just better off working for a company, for someone else, where those matters are taken care of by others trained to do so.


I hope I've added something useful!

PL

PS> Otis, the horse in your Princess Aalia work has a priceless expression!

 

Well, if it means anything, I think your Vong portraits are the best I?ve seen anywhere, official or otherwise.

Thanks Duke! I?ve been trying really hard to get my skills back up but I still don?t feel like they are where they should be. Heh. Actually I think that type of thinking is probably healthy for an artist really. One shouldn?t ever be satisfied with where they currently are otherwise their skills never grow. Challenges are always fun.

school funds? what are they? Everything was under-funded at my school, so at least there was no favouritism! The only paints we had were exactly the same as the ones as at nursery school - a block of what at one point may have been six individual colours ? all fused into a murky brown? and the brushed weren?t even good enough for flicking water at other people! I never did learn to paint?

LOL You know our watercolor paints fit that murky block description to a tee! It was a shame really. Because that art teacher sold candy, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, etc in a private store he had, always promising to use that money to get us new supplies, but we never did see that happen. The jerk probably pocketed all the cash, grinning all the way.

Exactly. School is NOT work ? when you?re working it?s sort of assumed that you already know what you?re doing. School should be for learning, not painting by numbers.

I remember once the teacher showed us pictures from a book of some batiks (spelling?) and told us to reproduce them. The class turned out a whole bunch of identical looking pieces, apart from a friend of mine, who did something completely new and original using the same technique. This earned him a barely tolerant frown, when instead he should have been praised for his innovative thinking.

I dunno about America, but in England the education system seems only concerned with the destination, and never the journey.

You know, I had a friend who, also living in England, told me of this exact same problem he had in university. I think it just depends on the teacher really (or even the school!). At RMCAD, a vast majority of the teachers were working professionals and they always stressed creativity, inventiveness, being different, and pushing yourself. Just like you said, as long as you presented a final piece of art that fit the criteria of the project, how you got to that point was irrelevant. Often than not we learned new techniques from our fellow students too!

I just can?t understand the attitude of people like that?

It?s funny, it seems like a lot of the people here have had similar experiences with over the top criticism? I can see where this comes from ? something about preparing students for the harsh realities of the real world ? but surely this should act alongside teaching and guidance, and not as a replacement? Seems like there?s a lot of people in teaching who really should be doing something else.

I can see how a teacher might give a slap of reality to a student who was slacking off or just not taking their work seriously (college especially), but to treat students in that manner on a constant basis was not something the instructor was hired to do. We got lots of input, real life stories of triumph and failure, and support from our other teachers, but Mr. Ego didn?t seem to think that was a good motivator.

Then again, when I was in college I was also very stressed, wore out from all the driving and lack of sleep, and depressed. So that really didn?t help much.

good moral. Looks like you?ve had a tough time on occasion Tam ? but you?ve come out the other side still drawing!

Not to sound stupid or sappy or weird, but art is my life and my reason. If I ever lose the ability to create a drawing or painting, I?d have no other point of existence - it?s literally my life source. It?s a scary confession of mine, but that has always been a clear reality to me.

Support was something I only found in my friends and fellow schoolmates as most of my subject matter was f

 

Darn! So much to respond to & I have to go to work in 10 minutes!
Punisher, Yes I spend most of my time over on the Collecting board, How's it going
BTW Sam Keith had a series out called Women, But I missed it, I don't even know who published it, It was fairly recent

If you meant links to my SW drawings & paintings at the FanArt Museum, I only have a couple, Here goes (This is a Link to the Collector's Tapcafe, MJF posted my 2 pics in there, Having trouble with FanArt Museum)
1st one is a small oil painting 3"x5"
2nd is pencil
my stuff

Hope you like them guys & gals I have more SW stuff, But haven't sent it in yet
Got to go, I'll be back later

 

Great, it's nice to see the ball rolling in here...

I find the paths we have all taken to be rather interesting. Perhaps, I SHOULDN'T go to art school, since I did get paid to draw, do graphic design, be a art "slave" for 5 years. I think a teacher that has a "ego" would find me rather difficult.
I'm not saying because I was paid to draw that makes me better, but I definately wouldn't want to put up with garbage from someone that's going to treat me like I'm "ignorant" of art in the real world.

Definately freelancing is different than being a fine-artist or working on staff somewhere. I don't deal with the public well, so I think I'd be better in a staff job... at least until I was older, patient enough and good enough to go out on my own.

Honestly, the most trouble I ever had at my previous job came from the artists, the clients/companies that OWNED the work were more than willing to "butcher" the art to get a product made or a order fulfilled.
Usually, it was the artist that didn't realize the limitations involved (size, color reproduction, printing variables.) and it used to annoy me.
That's when I realized, that outside of the artist, no one cares about your work (unless you are dead... then it doesn't matter really) or you work in something with a "feedback" system.. comics, fantasy art, etc.

It's funny, but because of my old job & SW, I got into 3D, photography and other kinds of art (even though I don't paint or do cubism or stuff like that).
I think that was beneficial because I bought my own equipment and software, I won't have to worry so much about providing that if I seek higher education.

I like fantasy too, Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Frazetta, Hildebrandts... I guess those would be the "old school" fantasy... I don't get as much new fantasy (Brom, Olivia, etc.) because I don't see much around and when I do, I can't afford the books.

Well, I guess WATERCOLOR is the last resort of poor art teachers everywhere!
We did quite a few of those, with the little cakes of color... I haven't touched them since...
When I did try watercolors again, I used Dr. Martin's Dyes for my comic pin-ups, then I moved to Tria markers, now it's all Photoshop, all the time!

Since I worked in art without the necessary knowledge, I can say it's a *****! You question yourself all the time and you know that things should be better, it's not a confidence booster... that's mainly why I stopped.
I realize I'm not as good as someone that studied art all their life or has a personality/ extreme drive for it.

I look at my art experience like Luke being a Jedi, it's all intuitive. I study, I practice, I know some tricks, but in the end, it's just me and what I think looks right or feels right.
I'm not going to say that it's doesn't anger me if someone ignores my stuff, it does... even though I'm not as "flashy" as some people, I worked hard to get what I got.
It's not my place to do a Struzan poster or make a Photoshop collage as cool as a some movie poster artist, I can only do what I like & what I'm capable of.
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Jedi Tam

Imagine your parents are all the residents in a small town... now you know what I've dealt with.
I feel that if someone accurately depicted some Biblical scenes, those would be more disturbing than the fantasy work.
Then again, Jesus had long golden, brown hair, a trimmed beard, blue eyes, and nice Roman features.... NOT!
(I haven't met anyone purely Jewish that fit that description, not all of that anyway. )
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LGM

Thanks, I'll check those out.

Yeah, I lost track of many of the Image guys, I learned on lesson from them...don't count your chickens before they hatch.
True, the company still exists, but it definately didn't do what was promised... they couldn't even WORK together for 10 years!
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Duke

I wish I could show something, just to prove to myself I'm workin

 

Hey Punisher
Just wanted to say I Love Watercolor paints
It's probably my Best medium, But I was Lucky. I started with Watercolors in my Senior year of High school, And my 1 teacher wasn't great, But she was encouraging
Anyway I basically learned to use watercolors on my own Even if you turn out to be Very Good at it, It takes a While to get used to it. Keep trying, I've done a couple of Wicked Boba Fett Watercolors (And Ink pen) that turned out Really Cool! It's a Great medium for "Comic" type artwork
Wish I had a copy of them to show you guys!

 

Cool, LGM, very nice.

I've always been into the imagery of the Cloud City duel... great homage to a great scene.
The Yoda is nice, in fact, I think it would be a great basis for a pen & ink piece.

I never got into watercolor very much... I think because we did them so much in school and because I couldn't afford the brushes, paper, etc. and I couldn't get the supplies readily if I ran out.
Now that there is a decent Hobby Lobby close by (well, 25 min away) I guess I could try it again, but I'd have to buy some books... I've forgotten much of the preparation techniques.

If you are interested in seeing some of my pictures, check out my earlier post here... I couldn't get the Fan Art Museum link to work, but there are instructions on how to find it.
I also have a couple of links in Duke-Dogwalker's thread, while you are there, give his site a head's up as well.

 

Thanks Punisher
Watercolors goes Very Nice with Pen & Ink I've found. Gives it a Nice effect
BTW, I would suggest you don't buy Too many watercolor books and don't worry about "Special" watercolor brushes, Doesn't really matter And watercolor paint is pretty cheap.
Just remember one thing with watercolors, It's ALL about layers And if I were you I would just play around with them first, Before reading any techniques, But that's just my opinion

I Like Your idea for my Yoda pencil drawing It was a gift to a friend. I hadn't done just a plain old pencil drawing in a while, You know. Usually Everything I draw are Sketches or unfinished rough drawings for studies of Paintings I do. So I felt like doing a finished drawing

I'll definitely check out you guys work soon I promise
BTW Your Spiderman is Very Cool

 

Tam said:

Because that art teacher sold candy, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, etc in a private store he had, always promising to use that money to get us new supplies, but we never did see that happen. The jerk probably pocketed all the cash, grinning all the way.

lol! crafty so-and-so... he probably went on one of those business courses PL was talking about! (you should move to england Leah, btw. I'm sure the dogfood market along is bigger than the entire economies of some third world countries... apparently us english love animals more than human beings - pets here are BIG business!)

Not to sound stupid or sappy or weird, but art is my life and my reason.

It doesn't sound any of that - it's a great reason for being - in the last year or so i've come to feel the same way... being creative is a very personal thing, and extremely satisfying if you give it your best.

I recall an hour long lecture I had when my mother discovered some dragon drawings when she ?cleaned? my room, then handed them to my father.

good thing they never found a Yuuzhan Vong!

It's sad that the human memory will hold onto that one bad experience for months or years on end, while all the good accomplishments we've done get pushed in the background.

maybe that's just a matter of the way memory works... perhaps it can be changed? For some reason, whether it be by design or by default, i only seem to remember the good stuff in my life! As you might imagine, I've ended up with a pretty patchy memory!





Great painting LGM...

*hoooo-paah, hoooo-paah* Impressive... most impressive! *hoooo-paah, hoooo-paah*

(btw, 'hoooo-paah' is my version of vader-breath - just in case anyone's wondering! )

3" by 5"? I only just took note of that... That's tiny! Amazing detail - i thought it was bigger... I really don't know anything about painting, but it looks like it's on some sort of textured surface - did you take a digital photo of it or something?

Although I can't get the links to work anymore - i looked at them last night when i didn't have time to post - but now it ain't working... is that just me?

BTW Your Spiderman is Very Cool

you mean my spiderman from earlier in this thread? Thanks! Or is there another one... *looks around, excitedly* for some reason, I duuno why, I love spidey pix!


Punisher said:

I'm not saying because I was paid to draw that makes me better, but I definately wouldn't want to put up with garbage from someone that's going to treat me like I'm "ignorant" of art in the real world.

Hey Pun, perhaps it would give you more ability to take any silly stuff with a pinch of salt... You've been out in the real world, so you probably have the judgement to take what you need, and ignore what you don't...

And as for your pics, well I hope you have more luck with your next scanner than the last one! It'll be pretty cool to see all your stuff at the same time anyway, so the wait's not so bad...

I also have a couple of links in Duke-Dogwalker's thread, while you are there, give his site a head's up as well.

Thanks for the plug! And I'm glad to have your links on my thread.

 

He He He Duke, It IS your Spiderman! Please forgive me, Your Spiderman is Cool Very Cool
If you're having trouble with my link or the FanArt Museum & you want to see my pics again, You could go to The Collector's Tapcafe on the Collecting Board, page 86 My 2 pics are posted by Mara_Jade_Fan half way down

Copy this address: http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=9698103&page=86

BTW, The Bespin painting is in fact on a 3"x5"canvas And I scanned it
You see every year I Attempt (And Succeed) at giving All my family & friends small paintings/drawings for Christmas The Bespin painting was a gift to my 12 year old nephew He Loved it, I really enjoyed painting it, Although it was harder cause it was So small!
Then again, There's not That much detail, Vader & Luke are All black so, I don't know about it being detailed, But Thanks A Lot for the Kind words

 

Holy Kitty Cats ? this thread got huge. That?s great! But where to start?.

Duke

Nothing specific. Just that your replies always make me laugh. Lived in a hole in the road indeed?

Punisher

<<Caldecott? Isn't that a award for children's books or is that Newberry? It's been a long time... I know I've heard that word somewhere...>>

Yup. The Caldecott is the Oscar of Children?s Picture Books. Only one is given a year, plus a few Caldecott Honor Awards. The Newbery Award is for Children?s Literature.

<<Why haven't you tried doing the team-up thing?
I'd figure that would pay better since you can draw more (work on other projects) and not have to worry about writing.>>

The simple answer to that question is I want to write. It?s a lot of fun (to me) to try to figure out a story, invent characters, places, and basically be in control of the whole world. (Control freak alert!) However, I?ve never not wanted to work on a team. It?s just as fun to take a premise by someone else and see how you can bring it to life. The issue really is breaking into the Children?s Book market. I?ve made a few dummies and sketches of my own ideas, mostly for portfolio purposes. I never really expected them to go anywhere, only to get attention. Right now I?m working on a children?s book that I didn?t write. It?s for a small publisher, but it?s a start. Once you have a printed book, it?s a lot easier to get a second?

Also ? the Children?s Book world is pretty different than comics in this regard. I?ve noticed that a lot of comics publishers want writers to find their own artists, or vice versa. This is taboo in the Children?s Book world. There are exceptions, of course, but Editors see it as their god-given right to pair up authors and illlustrators, and do not like it tampered with. More often than not the illustrator never even talks to the author.

As far as the comics thing ? I have this idea for a comic book, well, series, really. I?m doing this mostly for myself. I don?t have any interest in being a staff comics artist somewhere, or working on just comic books. Ultimately, I want to tell stories, create characters, and make something that will make someone happy when they see it, whether the format is children?s books, comics, or animation.

Regarding pay ? writer/illustrators make twice as much as if you were just the illustrator ? twice the royalties. Plus, you own 100% of your creation, which means you don?t have to share profits from any ancillary merchandise, licensed product, etc. oh ? and you have complete creative control!

What else did I want to say ? oh yeah, about the state of all-ages comics (kid friendly comics). I?ve noticed that this particular niche is all but dead, but I think there is a need for it ? beyond the Cartoon Network and Archie comics still out there. It seems that in an effort to make itself taken more seriously, the comics world turned to very dark, adult, and gruesome themes. A lot of these are wonderful pieces of art, but what?s wrong with a little more variety? Even within the industry there seems to be a prejudice against fun kid comics because it could compromise the respect they so desperately want. But this is all coming from some silly girl who knows next to nothing about the Comic Book industry.

<<I find the paths we have all taken to be rather interesting. Perhaps, I SHOULDN'T go to art school, since I did get paid to draw, do graphic design, be a art "slave" for 5 years. I think a teacher that has a "ego" would find me rather difficult.>>

Some of the best artists I know never when to art school, or any school at all for that matter. No art director is ever going to ask you for your degree, or where you studied. It?s all in the portfolio. The only case I can think they might care is for an inhouse job, but if you have the experience and work to back yourself up, I wouldn?t think it?s a necessity.

Dark Jedi Tam

<<I could go on about the positives that came about from our new teacher (she got us a photograph

 

LGM: Vader & Luke are All black so, I don't know about it being detailed, But Thanks A Lot for the Kind words

ho ho, perhaps detail wasn't the right word. it's very, fine... distinct, which led me to believe the painting was bigger... but then what do i know about watercolour?


Baroness: But this is all coming from some silly girl who knows next to nothing about the Comic Book industry.

Yes, we know that you're just a girl Bar, but i sorta see you as an honorary tiger by now... (and as you know, tigers ARE the greatest. )

Some of the best artists I know never when to art school, or any school at all for that matter. No art director is ever going to ask you for your degree, or where you studied.

Good point... but still, the very best artists i know did go to art schools - but european art schools, not english ones! One of those I'm thinking of, runs life-drawing classes for professionals (illustrators, animators, designers etc...) And she was telling me not long ago how surprised she was with not the lack of talent, but rather the lack of training and technique.

I think proper schooling (not speaking from experience!!) provides the sort of discipline, focus and direction that it's hard to get on your own.

I think the trick to a good critique is knowing what the person is ready to hear. I am perfectly capable of giving a harsh real-world critique, but what good does that do for the person who is not ready to hear it? It will only discourage and create animosity. I think some professors don?t realize that. But overall, a good critique is a good thing. It also says a lot about a person how they respond to one.

You know, that's really well put... I wish I'd said it!

mostly because I never like the end result! It always falls short of the mental image I had in my head when I started the project.

I sorta know what you mean - things never turn out quite how you expect... but i think that sometimes the mental image is a bit of a trick, an optical illusion if you like. It's incomplete, and always leaves out the bad bits - kinda like great holiday (vacation) memories! Or kinda like the memory of that girl (or boy!) you met last week... come the first date, she (he) is never quite as gorgeous as you remember! (well, most of the time at least!)

The mind (mine anyway!) is like a marketing machine - it hypes things up way beyond the reality. I doubt that anyone could ever produce a piece of work that lived up to the imagination.

Hmmmm, at least not until some new medium comes along... think of perhaps, an 'imagination recorder'... it could recrord the ideas of the most imaginative people, and bottle them for the entertainment of the masses... okay, i'm getting into some silly sci-fi idea now - i think I'll stop!

 

He He, Thanks Duke
One small bit of info for you, The Bespin Duel painting is Oil paint not watercolor
If I did the Duel in watercolor I'd still be working on it!
Thanks again for your Compliments Duke, Baroness too
Still haven't found all you guys & gals Artwork, But I'm looking for them

 

LGM: I also like to work in small sizes...always have. Nearly all my fan works, shown at Webshots...last link in my signature, are 3"x5" or smaller. A few are larger...but not many.
For real work my illustrations are usually 11x14" or larger. I find that I can be much more creative and feel a little bit more free when the pieces are larger.
All colored pencil.
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DD:
I think proper schooling (not speaking from experience!!) provides the sort of discipline, focus and direction that it's hard to get on your own.

Yes, agreed. I've always found that brushing up on those basic skills that schooling provides is essential and taking a few classes every couple of years perks up one's skills. Even after art school.

I've known artists who have become successful with art school and those that haven't had art schooling. They walk different paths but each is as successful as the other.
I've seen terrible artists become successful because they seem to have amazing marketing talents, but it's still hard to believe that they make any kind of living...but it CAN be done.
If one can swing art school then good for them, for those that can't there's always a way, assuming one has some drawing ability and a good dose of marketing skills.


Again, great topic!
PL

 

Princess Leah!!!!
I just checked out your Artwork!!
Wow, Really Beautiful portraits, You are Very talented at capturing a character's essence and likeness. I am very impressed and they are all Very colorful too, I Like that You have a Colorful style.
Gosh, they're All really wonderful, I particularly like the Yoda, Obi Wan(Both) and the Masked Fetts Beautiful work Leah

BTW I like to work small from time to time, But I really enjoy working on Bigger paintings like 2'x3' oil paintings & 10"x14" watercolors
Big is Definitely much more freeing creatively, Gives you breathing room. At the same time I like the feeling of a small picture too, Feels more personal somehow I guess it depends on my mood

The reason those 2 works from me are so small is cause they were Christmas gifts, I make between 15-20 small Artworks every year for friends & family. If I made them any bigger than 3"x5" I'd never finish all of them for Christmas!!

I have a 24'x30' Canvas Screaming to be painted! I have already sketched in what I'm going to Paint, But haven't gotten around to starting it It's Yoda Lightsaber dueling Darth Tyranus I have to start it soon!

 

Ok, I realized I posted in this thread a while ago and never got back to this!

Since I've gone through a semester of school up at the University of Wyoming I would have to say that I really enjoy the teachers and stuff (I even know the head of the art department, and that's saying something for a freshman). However I'm finding the lack of variety in the classes dissapointing and the other art students a bit... well... I don't really like them. Sure it's a tiny department, and I'm at the top 5% of my class right now. But I've been thinking that I need a bigger city atmosphere with more students. So I can get some variety. At the end of the semester I was bored to tears and you can tell my work suffered for it.

I've been thinking about going to RMCAD, which I had looked at before, but I don't know why I didn't go. They even offered me a scholarship. I have to be crazy.

Dark Jedi Tam: Could you tell me a bit about RMCAD? Like how are the classes run, extracurriculars, the students, the teachers... what rating would you give that school as an art school? Do companies recruit from that school?

I know a good deal about Denver already So I know what I'm getting into here I have people dying to get me to move there. LOL...

 

One small bit of info for you, The Bespin Duel painting is Oil paint not watercolor

those small bits of info huh? Well, i did tell you i didn't know anything about painting!!!



Oh PL! Your drawings are fantastic! Like LGM said - amazing colour, and a great sense of design too! I dunno which one i like best - so hard to choose! Perhaps the RotJ Leia one...

Now you said coloured pencil... right? so i haven't made myself look like an idiot again by saying 'drawing' as opposed to 'painting'...?


However I'm finding the lack of variety in the classes dissapointing and the other art students a bit... well... I don't really like them.

so JGoC, what's wrong with your classmates? Why dontchya like 'em?

 

LGM and DD: Thank you for the compliments. I really enjoy doing what I do and the fan stuff is just all for fun...heck it's all fun for me
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For what it's worth I really have enjoyed everyone's work here in the FanArt Forum I find it inspiring.

I hope that this thread helps...all of us have different experiences from which to draw on (no pun intended).

PL

DD: Yes, colored pencils...heheh

 

Jedi Girl of Corellia
Could you tell me a bit about RMCAD? Like how are the classes run, extracurricular, the students, the teachers... what rating would you give that school as an art school? Do companies recruit from that school?

Well, depends on how much has changed since they switched accreditation programs too. But when I was there, they operated on a Trimester basis (6-8 weeks I think). You could shoot for either your Illustration, Fine Arts, or Graphic Design major. I really don't know what happened to the Animation or 3D programs they were thinking of incorporating. That would be something you'd have to check up on.

The teachers, with the exception of Satan's right hand man, were all easy to get along with. All of which are knowledgeable, and almost all are working professionals. Most of which have been freelancing for 10+ years and they have very diverse experiences as far as different media goes. The nice thing too was classes are small so you get a lot of individual attention. When I was attending, usually no more than 25 students per class. Sometimes, not even that many. On a side note, I notice that Mitch Caster and Hugh Alexander are still teaching there (I?m lookin through the portfolios of the Illustration Facility now). Those two men are extremely talented artists and I highly recommend them as far as teachers go! There are a lot of new people too.

The students, well, I dunno, are students. They ranged from the Goths to Medieval dressing to plain people like me. All of which were nice and took their work seriously. There really wasn?t a lot of animosity between people, just between departments which was just silly. Teachers battling about if Fine art was better than Graphic design etc. But as far as students go, we were all pretty good folk.

The buildings are still in the same place, just off of Evans Avenue (just south of Colorado Blvd), and are in two buildings; The main building (north side of the street) houses the Graphic and Illustration department, the second building (on the south side) is the Fine Art building. There were no parking fees or anything when I was there, but parking itself was VERY limited. You had to get there early otherwise you would have to park in the street. Hopefully they have expanded this (you?ll have to forgive me but it?s been like 3 years since I graduated and the school was really getting populated by the time I graduated). I'd also like to note, RMCAD didn't have dorms.

Extracurricular activities? I can?t remember all of them honestly, but the ones I remember are airbrush, wood working, metal shop, back country sketch, animal drawing, and comic book class. Sorry I can?t recall more, most of them didn?t really interest me that much. Again, those classes could very well be omitted for room for others.

Classes ran anywhere from 8:00am to 10:00pm. Most were two and a half hours in length, some extending as long as 5 hours. You still have to take the basic courses, English, Oral Presentation, Math, Science, etc, but those usually could be covered in your first two trimesters. Again, that is if they changed it. I would recommend taking a look at their site to see the details.

http://www.rmcad.edu/

 

Well most of my classmates are art education students. I don't see anything wrong with that. But I was kinda hoping to have classmates that I would later be working with on a more professional level. Networking and stuff. Instead I now know about fourty soon to be kindergarten art teachers, and maybe about ten that want to do highschool art classes.

 

I guess it depends on the field you go into. Most of the students at RMCAD I dropped out of contact with since my field didn't require the same network their's did.

OH! I forgot to mention work. I know that during my time in RMCAD, a lot of people did freelancing from companies that advertised, but I don't know what the rate is for hires after graduation. Sorry.