Hey guys! Thank you so much for your past help in my work. I hope you don't mind me showing you a new version of my picture. What do you guys think? I need constructive criticism. Please and thank you!.Jerk wads.jpg

Hey friends!

I'm preparing to have an art booth at an art festival in December. I wanted to include some of my artwork on greeting cards to sell. Does anyone have printing services that they recommend? Any different services for art prints or business cards?

One friend told me she liked Vista Print. Back when I was in college, I used FedEx for printing posters for my graphic design courses.

Thanks!

I think to really judge your own art, you have to know what you want from it, or what it's supposed to be. If your trying to draw a children's book spread you'll want it to look like a children's book. Then, you just have to figure out what a children's book spread should look. You can find out by looking at other people's children's books and taking inspiration. With realistic art it's the same way or any kind of art really.

@Alzamon @willicreate @davidhohn @Melissa-Bailey-0 Thank you very much for the advice ! This is really helpful. Regardless of the outcome, I feel confident now that I gave a fair price, but I'll still continue to look into the subject for future opportunities. @Melissa-Bailey-0 Yeah the AOI is a really great resource, I visited their HQ on a trip when I was a student. I completely forgot about the pricing calculator, I'll be sure to check it out, thanks !

@Kevin-Treaccar you're so welcome! Keep us updated on your progress!

Such amazing and valuable advice, thank you all so much for taking the time to get back to me!

It's not a story I've fallen in love with, I think it needs quite a bit of work and there are some big holes in it, so for me, I was only considering it on the value of having experience and actually creating a book, but I think you're right when you say I'd be better spending the time making my own project to use in a portfolio etc. The ultimate goal for me would be an agency as I really have a hard time negotiating and justifying my worth, I'd be better off putting my time into getting representation and working on my skills.

I think I will certainly lay out what needs doing in a quote as a reply to the time involved. I know before I really started learning about the industry that children's books seemed like a very simple job - how wrong I was! I find simplifying harder than realism, it's been a huge learning curve but I absolutely love it and without a doubt want this to be what I do for the rest of my life.

Again thank you all for taking the time to respond. I'm making my way through SVS courses bit by bit, not even attempted to think about the money side yet so I really had no idea of the going rate, but I know roughly how much work it will take and that's why red flags were waving over the budget. If it would take me a week to do, start to finish then fine, but I don't think that's going to be possible.

So glad I've found such a lovely, welcoming and helpful forum! I have yet to make any arty friends so it's wonderful to find like minded people here!

@Jeremy-Ross Thanks, I will check out those set of brushes. I found the video "Drawing Robots and Machinery" where Jake mentions in the demo where he's drawing Rocket Raccoon's weapon and he said they were storyboard brushes that someone had posted. I like the ink lines and I was curious where they were from.

@Laura-Hunt One small note on the image posted: In two point perspective all of the vertical lines for real rectangular objects need to run straight up and down(90 deg relative to the horizon line) ( the image appears to have verticals at an angle, as in three point perspective, unless in real life those verticals were meant to be at angles )

Also to my eye, some of those horizontal lines appear parallel, suggesting they are not converging to a common vanishing point. It might be helpful to adjust the image to show your intended horizon line and left and right vanishing points, for feedback purposes on the forum.

I voted "yes" but I think it depends on what you want out of your art career. If you want to work for an employer, like in a game or animation studio I don't think it matters at all. I got gigs in that field without a social media presence and I don't look for that when I screen for potential illustration hires at my current job. For kidlit, it could help, but honestly doesn't matter a ton, it's good to post, it might help you get found, but I don't think it'll make or break your career unless your following is really large.

However, if you want to be a contract or independent artist and make a living selling prints, or your own products or commissions, even a small following with just friends and family will get you sales, and is vital! I have gotten a lot of gigs from referrals from friends to legit great jobs, as well as other contacts, even when my social media was tiny, or was just posting to friends on facebook.

So I got the email but I am still not ready for it. And I know it's the last day to sign up. My question is whether it will be offered next year, because I am still working through the curriculum and I don't really want to spend money on something I'm not planning to use for another year.

Thanks everyone as always, 🙂

@CukiArtist yes approach it as greyscale and them go to duotones

@davido interesting—the brush I mentioned I’d created in illustrator was one I used with my old Wacom Intuos, so you might be onto something regarding the sensitivity issue.

I’m not familiar with Jimmy Reyes, will check him out.

After discovering the iPad, and not able to spring for a Cintiq, there was no going back to the Intuos. When I try to use it now it feels so terrible, haha—probably has something to do with my iMac being from 2010 (still a great machine for most things).

After a frustrating few weeks scribbling on my iPad, even with the Rusty Nib collection (hats off, great brushes), I’m back to my Kuretake and good old paper. Not sure if I have the #8 or the #13–I’ve got three of them—but nothing comes close to the beautiful line work I get.

Bought an ultra-cheapo fountain pen off Amazon yesterday for seven bucks, 😄 will report back with my review/disappointment.

I use Arches 140lbs hot press, and the heritage line by Canson, also hot pressed, without any problem. You may want to flatten the paper with water, some paper towel, and a damp sponge once you finished painting (painted side down).

There are tutorials on youtube, f
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK9dw5WjnBY

I just signed up to use quickbooks this year. Time to take things seriously! I like having the app on my phone to easily track mileage.

@brettb_draws just read, you took the Tonko House class.. so you already know, everything i wrote. I also think, it is good to break the light and color down, than it becomes a little bit easier. And thanks, but i also struggle a lot with that.

@NessIllustration oooh okay that makes so much sense. Thank you for clarifying!

Hi Julie-- yeah that is a common problem I think. I am about to be done with school and I have found that I tend to prioritize my schoolwork (or anything that I am making for anyone else) over stuff I want to make for myself. After thinking about it for a while (because it is something I need to change also) I think that fear can keep us always in the idea phase because we are worried subconsciously that we will never make the idea as good as it was in our head. another thing is not knowing where to go or what steps to take after we get to the end of the idea phase. Another factor they talked about in the Draftsmen podcast in their S2E16 "the war of art" episode Is that when you have a new idea you are so excited that you set unrealistic goals and then burn out quickly because there is no way that you can reach your goals and you get discouraged (14:50).

Right now I am working on a portfolio to get work illustrating magazines, and what my plan is to make it seem to myself that it is as real as possible.

I made this little proposal form for myself to outline the journey for myself as much as i can before i get to work, to I have a mostly complete plan and I don't get lost in the middle too much. here's a link to the template if you're interested.(https://docs.google.com/document/d/14N3yr_drfgKUVBm4uT8t2lDvXQyhoZXahGAQI5Ynrhs/edit?usp=sharing )

I set up my files for the first project in their own little folder even though I don't have everything for all of them (make this simple- I have one folder for thumbnails, another for developing the thumbnails I decide on, and one that I will duplicate later for the execution of the actual pieces, take 30 min max)

finally I have a dedicated time during the day to work on the projects and a little set of project rules (the most important one being don't skip steps in the process and don't work on more than 2 projects at a time) and how I want my 'work day' schedule to be (most importantly have a to do list or goal for the day so you know what you are doing)

I'm only a week in, but I already feel like I have more control over my personal projects and because I am picturing them start to finish there isn't that pit of dread in the middle between the idea and the finished masterpiece.

best of luck!