@xin-li That's likely! It was "visual arts" after all, not illustration or animation. A lot of that program was about expression, freedom and experimentation. Which is nice I guess, and maybe even perfectly valid for fine arts/contemporary art, but it was really not what I was looking for haha... One time someone sculpted a face in ground meat. I was dumbfounded the whole time I was there LOL

I also really like brushes from Georg Von Westphalen. His inkers are my favorites. Try the Watterson etc brushes named after comic artists. My other favorites are brushes downloaded from Retrosupply Co. I have also bought a set from Vivibrushes, but wasnt as much in love with those for the way I draw. They were recommended by a professional, who uses them excellently, but they just werent the best for me.

@Kasey-Snow awesome!! Thank you

I have a few New Years' Resolutions this year related to art.

Continue a regular drawing practice to hone my skills, but make it with more frequency. I'd like consistent daily time this year instead of weekly. Learn how to draw the human figure. I'm already starting with Andrew Loomis' heads and hands.

There's more, like learning to watercolor better, but I've learned that if I set them all as goals none of them get achieved, so I'm best with just 2.

@LauraA Thanks for the reply. Oh that's a bummer. Was really looking forward to taking a live class. Although, having critiques from one of the SVS instructors sounds great; if priced well.

@Whitney-Simms Thanks for the ideas...they’re talking about using them on social media which wouldn’t be terrible, but not as fun as a whole menu design.

Does anybody have any experience posting book dummies on SCBWI?
I’m not sure you can even do that, but thought I would ask

@Judy-Elizabeth-Wilson thank you so much for your help

@Coreyartus very true! That's a great way of putting it 🙂

@Tom-Shannon happy new year to you too!

@demotlj i think the reason behind this is (also just an opinion)
Skills like rendering and painting can fall under technical skills, which means with enough time people can learn it
Skills like mixing the right colors together, spacing subjects and framing and storytelling, along with light and shadows fall under something that would create a stronger emotional connection with the viewers. Which is what you are trying to do with art. And if you can create that strong emotional connection with the audience, people don’t really notice your level of technical skills or lack there of. Often times people would assume your lack of details or rendering was intentional if you nail your composition and create that emotional connection.

And of course people can learn this too it takes a much deeper dive into ones emotions and understanding of humanity to really understand it. Which many people lack the tools or skillset to do so.

While parked here in Tucson with our friends, I got a little job to make our fellow full-time RVers a logo for their BLOG site: ItchyFeetRv.com. (Actually, not sure if it's a true logo-but it represents their BLOG anyway 🙂 Just thought I'd share here. Happy New Year Everyone!

ItchyFeetandanRVlogofinal.jpg

@Coley Thank you!

For a cintiq, you just need to calibrate the pen for how you work. Might take a couple of tries to get it to feel the way you want. I don't pay attention to my pen tip, I just "feel" where the cursor is. It is pretty accurate though.

The screens are slick, but wacom has felt nibs that have a nice rough feel and grab like a pencil would on paper.

I worked on a 12wx cintiq for years until my pen broke. I bought it used (several years old already) and 7 years later it still works, I kept it in case I find a deal on a compatible pen.

When the pen broke, I had a big job I needed to get done, and couldn't find a pen, so I bought a new old stock cintiq companion 1, pretty much the same size as the 12wx. The calibration was better, no jittering towards the edge of the screen like the 12wx. I've been using this one for about 2 years now. The screen has heat damage now but still works, and I've seen others that complained their screen stopped working with excessive heat. So I don't recommend a companion 1 or 2 unless you do fairly light work.

I'd say Cintiq 21ux 2nd gen and up are the best.

I would trust used wacom, but not used other brands.

The x-pens have fairly good reviews and a friend of mine has a 21" that she loves. Great prices, and if there is an issue they seem to have pretty good customer service.

Have a happy holiday and a great new year!

Merry Christmas to you too and everyone at SVS, I hope Santa brought you art supplies haha ☃ ❄

I figured it out. It was so easy. I just needed to click on something that said open as images (instead of layers). Yay!!! I'm learning!

@Lee-White alt text

@NessIllustration thanks so much for your expertise Ness.