On Art Funks

So as it turns out my last post (from July) was me talking out of my ass, as I'm still in an art funk.

I haven't been drawing very much lately. There's a number of reasons behind this, but it's mostly due to some existential art crisis and not knowing where I'm going in the future creatively.

The stuff that I have done recently has been... very draining.

One more Sailor Scout (Uranus) until I've done the set, and I'm going to complete it, and then I don't think I'll be undertaking something like that again. I'm willing to admit that I started it for all the wrong reasons; love, love, loved the series as a kid, one of the things that inspired me to draw, but in the end I'm disappointed with my own execution of it.

I think, "I'll draw some guilty pleasure stuff for fun" but then that's not pushing my boundaries at all and I'm not proud of that. In the end it seems more like an exercise in line mileage and how fast I can churn out a piece.

I've stopped experimenting, pretty much completely, and I feel like I haven't grown as an artist in... months. Nine months, at least.

I've got a comic page that I'm in the middle of colouring that's taking me forever, due to lack of enthusiasm. Again, I'm frustrated with my execution; my skill level doesn't meet the expectation I have for my own product. I'm really excited for some of the stuff that will happen in the future of the story, but I'm coming to the realisation that since I haven't got any of those concepts out of my head and down on paper visually, I don't know how to draw any of it to the caliber I want.

Then stack this on top of whether I want to be a 2D visual artist at all. For post-secondary, I was torn between Commercial Animation and Fashion Design, among others. It was pretty much a coin toss, the deciding factor being how much student loan debt I wanted to be in at the end of it. Since then I've discovered a fondness for sculpting, which I am still very bad at, but - like fashion - can be an expensive hobby. A while back I wanted to be a bass player. Then it was theatre. Then it was dancing. And so on.

Along the way, I eliminated a few due to convincing myself of the impracticality of them as careers. Now that I'm trying (and failing) to get into animation, it seems all the same.

I guess we'll see where this goes.

[EDIT]

I did some thinking. More precisely, I did some remembering. There's some advice I got at a writing seminar, and I've never forgotten it, because it was just... really sound advice.

The advice pertained around having a cornerstone book. Now, from the way that he described it, it was clear that he either actually meant having a keystone book, or my memory is faulty and I just mixed up the two words but I digress.

Architecturally, the keystone is the stone at the top of an arch - pinched between the two sides. Dictionary.com supplies 'the wedge-shaped piece at the summit of an arch, regarded as holding the other pieces in place.' As an idea, a keystone is synonymous with a basis, a principle, foundation, anchor - and that's exactly what he meant when he said always to have a keystone book.

Whenever you're in a funk, whenever you've got a creative block (since this was a writing seminar, he said for writing), you should always have a keystone book. This will be your favourite book; your number one influence. You pick it up, and you flip through it a little, and you read it some, and it anchors you back into everything you draw meaning from, everything you enjoy, and the general voice of everything you want to create. 

Having something like that in any creative profession is essential. There's a really good meme for this on deviantart, called the Influence Map.

Oh, and here's mine, circa 2010.

You know what exercise that I already did on this blog that's pretty similar to this? Yeah, it was 5 Inspring Images back at the beginning of 2011.

When you're in a funk, find what inspires you, and rebuild the arch from there.

On Branding

I try not to make a habit of writing journals unless I have something to say that isn't so open-ended and all over the place like this, but here goes;

Fresh out of art school, I'm starting to pick up on the kind of brand I've made for myself, and it's one of... poor quality, unrepresentative of what I actually want to be doing with my training. All the kinds of things that I want to do, that I want to be paid to draw, I've realised, I haven't built my portfolio around. I built my portfolio around (mostly?) all-ages, cartoony, really 'stock' sort of characters and designs. I'm actually really saddened by my lack of going near anything I really, really enjoy in other mediums and styles.

I've been caught in this vortex of "what will sell at (anime) conventions" lately, because bills need paying, but that's a really short-term game plan - it sents up entirely the wrong image. Jack of all trades is master of none, they say, and there are plenty of people out there that do what I'm producing right now, and better. There's a niche that is distinctly me, and I haven't been showing it off, so to be frustrated that no-one is picking up on it is stupid of me. There's still a great divide between what I am now and how I present myself, and what I want to be and what I want to be paid to draw.

How do other artists get over the inhibition of drawing something that isn't beyond PG-13? I really adore the philosophy of be the perfect bait, but I find it difficult to work towards that, keeping in mind that the kind of projects I want to get from clients might deter the patronage of others. That's partially why my website is a pun (tarawristart = "terrorist art") because it's the sense of humor I'm drawn to and want to draw people to, but I haven't done it any justice. This is a really hard concept that I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around, let alone having the answer to quite yet, even though I'm sure it's the 'just be yourself' after school special blather that it usually is.

Having that much pride in your work, and knowledge of yourself, to create something personal and put it out there as representational of yourself is difficult. Especially since the more you identify with your work, the harder it becomes to deal with the critics trying to tear you down; often the critique becomes personal, declaring whole genres as invalid drivel, when it is a subjective matter of taste. I must state, however, so I'm not misunderstood, that the objective critique of work is never cause for alarm; only gratitude.

I've gotten into debates over the validity of terrible things, and I champion them, because I enjoy them. I can see why some of them might be considered objectively bad, but that's no reason why they can't still be enjoyed, and to have been created for simply the purpose of enjoyment. I'm not talking about problematic things; that's another rant entirely that others have covered, how if you're a fan of problematic things then to at least recognize why they're problematic as you love them anyway. But I digress. I'm talking about really cheesy shit, things created just to be fun, and not make any sort of point.

I've found that recognizing that something is terrible, but finding it fun and wanting to be a part of it anyways, rustles some people's jimmies. I must say, the world would be a more boring place in the name of Good Taste if every critic had their way.

tl;dr whine whine I haven't been drawing what I want to draw even though I can totally just... do that, at any time , no-one is stopping me whine whine moan bitch whine so I'm going to do that now

This is essentially a resolution to draw more blood, gore, raunchier crap, fanart, etc; because I like it, combined with a disclaimer that it will probably be subjectively terrible, but intentionally so, this time.

Enjoy!

Something Wicked This Way Comes – The Un-licensed Artwork Debacle

It’s been a while since I’ve written a piece on this blog, mostly because I try to keep the blather down and the usefulness up – and there’s a recent debacle that I’d like to throw my two cents at.

That is to say, Gary Friedrich vs. Marvel vs. convention sales.

Now, the court case has been settled wherein Gary had relinquished all rights to the Ghost Rider character to Marvel, but then Marvel filed a counter-suit – sueing Gary for using the Ghost Rider character in artwork sold at conventions, citing its unlicensed use as infringement needing of compensation.

Now, the thing is, Marvel is not legally in the wrong for doing this. That’s where the trouble begins, as these large corporations turning a blind eye to this sort of thing has just... been the way of things, up until now.

The entire game has changed. Marvel Comics is owned by Marvel Entertainment, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. And I think we all know how the Walt Disney company treats infringement cases, going as far as to sue a childrens’ nursery for painting Mickey Mouse on their walls without licensing it first.

To me, it’s very obvious which companies own which characters. DC and Marvel own a joint copyright on the term “superhero”. Comic conventions revolve largely around this, celebrating this genre above all others. The need to protect this property seems like an asinine endeavor; no-one will mistake me for the creator of Spiderman, or Wonder Woman.

I know I’m still technically in the wrong, but I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the legal grey area. Hear me out for a second;

Comics shops are niche, places where male privalege is so engrained in the culture of the mainstream product that many women who enjoy comics, and any other potential comics-loving women, tend to steer clear of them altogether.

Women like comics. Manga’s popularity in North America is due to diversity in story, content, style, and character, with many females in the lead/titular role. This is in direct opposition to the Big Two’s business model, and where DC’s oldboys club is shooting itself in the foot – re: the new 62 and their reputation for misogyny – but I digress. Feminism and comics is something discussed more eloquently, and at length, by others.

Back to Marvel.

Marvel is shooting itself in the foot here by enforcing legal restrictions. This seems counter-intuitive, but turning a blind eye has been benefiting the Big Two for a long time without them even realising it;

Adobe’s business model goes something like this; ignore art students who use pirated Adobe software, and sell the Adobe software product to companies. The companies purchase the software because – lo and behold – since every artist out there has pirated and used the software, they know how to use it! Photoshop is the industry standard graphics program, with their entire Production Suite in hot persuit! Turning a blind eye to the piracy is beneficial, because since those students are too poor to have paid for the fucking thing in the first place, it’s not like they’re losing sales! If they had cracked down on this? That paves the way for competition to become the new standard. If you hire employees that already know the programs, you save in time training them, which is just sound business.

Now; if artists at conventions aren’t allowed to sell prints of licensed characters, what are you going to see at Artist Alleys? Original content. The Big Two no longer become the industry standard, as the industry artists are now in direct competition with them.

With these recent blunders of the Big Two, it is becoming more and more obvious that these companies are in their final death throes. They are killing themselves because they are unable to adapt to meet a more diverse, multimedia, instant world. If they don’t, others will come along and fill that need.

As the Big Two scramble to keep themselves on top, the more they drop in popularity by alienating their clientele. I look forward to the industry when it realises that it does not have to cater to corporate interests to make a living, allowing creative, original content to become the new industry standard when you think of the word “comics”.

Things will never go back to the way they were.

Advice - Bad Clients

Stemming from the previous post:

I have the privilege of getting some pretty fantastic professional advice on a regular basis. This saves me from stumbling along, into and only barely around the pitfalls of the industry; I'm grateful to these friends I have (that often double as teachers), and I feel the need to pass advice on to anyone who might read these posts.

I recently had someone pitch a large project to me at 1/3rd of a reasonable price. Now, when I pointed out exactly how much work would be involved in the project (an undertaking that would span the better part of a year), I was given tales of other artists who were content to work for very little, if anything at all. I know that they intended those stories to cast a pitiable light on them and their financial situation, but it only made me angry. As an artist, those stories told me that since other artists were fine with the exploitation, I should be okay with it too.

Not budging, I was then offered exposure as a form of payment. However, a promise of exposure and a client's appreciation does not pay the bills. I spent far too long with dollar signs in my eyes, trying to see if the deal was salvagable, when I should have just walked away.

You can always decline offers, even if they are big offers. Hell, if you're getting big offers, be confident that more will come in time. If you don't like how the client treats you, if you don't like the offer, and even if you're not feeling the creative pitch, you can decline and that's okay.

You can also fire bad clients. I was surprised to learn that it's not a one-way street! It is perfectly okay for you to develop the self-respect to not take shit from people before you make a big name for yourself. This will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run. Respect needs to go both ways in relationships, and business relationships are no exception.

Most importantly, pay attention to your gut feeling. This is the greatest piece of advice that is being (lovingly) hammered into me right now. I am fortunate enough to have savvy industry art friends that see the potential in me to get fucked over - by both others and my naivety to be distracted by dollar signs, because I'm just starting out and want to make this my living.

In the realm of freelance commission/contract work, you are your own boss. Bad clients come and go in any business - I used to work in retail, and the difficult customers still stand out in my mind. The only difference is, back then I had to take their bullshit.

Advice - "Exposure"

I have some advice that was given to me, which I must now pass onward, which has to do with the subject of art as a profession - and this is to all the artists like me just starting out in their field;

"Exposure" is bullshit.

If someone offers you "exposure" as payment, walk away immediately. I've been having a lot of trouble with this concept, but in the end, my gut tells me not to do these projects. This is a GOOD thing.

Yes, people go "but it'll get your name out there!" but I want you all to know that they're buttering you up to ensnare you in either working for free or working for slave wages. You will be surprised at how many people out there want to get your work, for free, and will say almost anything to get it without having to shell out for it.

Never work for these people. They are exploiting you. 

They see young artists with no confidence in their work, and they prey on that. Exposure becomes a nice carrot on the end of a stick, but just like a carrot on the end of a stick, working hard and doing your best to chase it won't get you any closer to it with projects like that.

I have had large companies try to hose me out of hundreds of dollars worth of hard work. You might not believe it with the quality of my work, but if they hear - even from word of mouth - that there's an artist out there with even some skill, they'll take free from an amateur over having to pay a professional almost every single time.

Set your prices. Don't budge. Before you ever, EVER open yourself up to paid work, figure out what your work is worth - not only to other people, but to yourself. Have confidence that, when people pay for your skill in the profession, that you are, indeed, skilled. Every artist works hard to get where they're at; people mistake it for natural talent, which is why they don't want to pay for something you make look so easy. 

Let me tell you: ballerinas make dancing and looking graceful look so easy, but they spend half their day every day training to have that skill and keep that skill up.

If the buyer walks away from the offer, good riddance. There will be other job offers.

You work honestly for your art, there's absolutely no reason a patron can't pay honestly for it.

I refer you now to Fuck You, Pay Me.

The Importance of Reference

If there's one thing I have to emphasise, and emphasise again, it's the importance of using visual reference when you're designing.

Lose the ego, you're not as creative as you think you are, you're not going to be able to pull an entire world out of your head (or ass). Sure, you have a blurry general idea of what your world looks like and what its aesthetic is, but that's all it is; a suggestion of a design.

You've got to nail this shit to the floor, bro.

Exhibit A: The dog.

It's not a bad design of a dog, per se; it's just... unremarkable. It's the idea of a dog, jotted down on paper. You think dog, you think of that particular shape. There is nothing about it that really defines it as one particular breed or another. It's good for laying out the kind of design you want sort-of, but not much else.

And here it is, improved. Using reference of the Xolotl dog, the lines are more confident, and it's been given more of a defined shape; it's a far more solid design, because it has anchors in reality. What I was going for in the previous design is now realised; a mangy, malnourished, thick-necked fighting dog. This is my final design for the dog.

Exhibit B: The camel.

Again, the general outline of what I want is here; a bachrian camel. All of what will make the final camel design stand out is here; hair over the eyes, big curvy neck, puffy front shoulders, high hips...

With referece, the whole thing still works, except now it is exponentially better looking!

If you are going to design without reference, let that never be your final design for that character/item/layout/whathaveyou. Caricaturing from a general idea is good for figuring out what will make that character/item/layout/whathaveyou special and stand out, but it must never be the definitive.

Grande Finale - part 2 - Master Layout Process

Hello my darlings, today I present to you the work in progress of my Master Layout. And with it, the method I'm going about it. Depending on your Method Of Choice, this could be a help to you or not your thing. No biggie.

The first step, as always, is the draft - and here's where this diverges from my usual way of going about layouts. Almost always, I draw them with pencil and paper, pen, whathaveyou - blocking everything out that way. But, that's because I know pretty much where everything goes (and it's obvious when I don't!).

So, it begins with the incomprehensible sketch.

...Which is then fleshed out. At this stage everything is a representation of an object that can be moved around and placed wherever, with absolutely minimal detail.

And after that, so begins the actual detailing.

Method

The really big advantage of doing a master layout digitally is mainly in layers; each object you can rough out, place on its own layer, and be able to adjust and move everything around with ease. It's an aid in tweaking the composition in the early stages, and for something you're still just throwing together, that's pretty rad.

For ease of detailing, step one: select the object you want to flesh out.

Step two: pull that object into its own file, and colour it.

Aaand after collapsing the layers, drag and drop it back onto your main image.

This is only a basic rendering of the objects - lighting sources have yet to be added to the image, and that's a step that's further down the production line for me.