What's your one weakness you want to strengthen?

Heather Boyd

@jsnzart thanks. I like homework but I struggle implementing homework into my own work.

jsnzart

@Heather-Boyd I hope you keep on enjoying it.

deborah Haagenson

For me it's character design. Recently I've found some classes here that are very good and have provided me with specific things that I can do to play around with designing characters. Right now I am splitting my time and focus between preparing for Inktober and character design. I am really enjoying the process and I feel that at some point it's all going to come together.

jsnzart

@deborah-Haagenson Sounds good! Me too, getting into creating the characters I want to feature in my portfolios.
Great to know the classes are helping you achieve what you want.
I am sure it's going to come together. Looking forward to it.

Coreyartus

My weakness is developing a style. I don't feel like I have one, and my entire education in theatre has been diametrically opposed to developing one's own style and instead deferring to a collaboratively-evolved mode that fits the telling of the specific story. So, I feel like I'm floundering, and each project seems to be completed using its own unique process. One is never like another. It's... frustrating. I'm still working on it, and the only thing that seems to help is just to keep doing more and more pieces. I've heard style evolves, but I sure wish it would hurry up and evolve already... grrrr...

One thing I feel like I have learned, though, from engaging in so much content here in the classes, the forums, the podcast, the guest artist "Jump Into the Studio" sessions, & the critique arenas is a sense of "context" for the work. I've learned more about the world of children's illustration (and to a lesser degree the world of illustration in general) in the last couple years than I ever thought there was to learn, and now I realize I'm just beginning to wrap my head around it. Between this and SCBWI, I'm understanding how much more there is to understand, and it's... daunting. But I'm much further along than I had been, so the only thing to do is keep going. And the best way to do that is to stay engaged on the forums, value the advice of your peers, do the homework, and participate in the monthly prompts. I've learned it's as much about time and diligence and being open as it is about exposure and networking and luck.

jsnzart

@Coreyartus Definitely relate to that. And I agree with style hurrying up,...evolve already!!!
Great to hear/read, you've learned a lot here.

I feel, jumping into the assignments, doing the work, and posting it here at SVS is really good for me. Even after just a few. So, I'm looking forward to doing more.

A little off topic.
Are there specific threads that we should be posting our homework in?
Or making our own is fine? Will the teachers comment on them?
Thanks.

LauraA

@jsnzart To answer your immediate questions, if you start a new thread, there is a category for SVS classwork. Some classes seem to have a multiple-contributor thread (@TessaW started one for the gesture class, for example, while other people just post their own (I've seen more than one for prop design). I don't think there's a set way, but maybe do a search for the class that interests you. Most of the time the teachers don't comment, but I've seen some who do, for example Anna Daviscourt for character design. I've also seen @davidhohn comment on individual perspective assignments. And I may be missing others.

As for my own weaknesses, there are two specific ones I am working on right now:

pushing the story/concept elements.
integrating characters with a consistently stylized background, whether it be a landscape or interior. I took the backgrounds course, which uses perspective grids, but for me the problem is broader and likely has to do with how to contain space within the frame. I think my problem is more about selecting the POV and using the right spatial frame for the story. When I use a perspective grid, it tends to take control of the whole piece.

Both of these problems have something to do with thumb nailing. Basically, the thumbnails are a lot more abstract than a finished drawing with consistent perspective and anatomy, and something gets lost in the translation. Sometimes I like the thumbnails much better, but perhaps there's nothing for it except to keep creating!

Nyrryl Cadiz

@jsnzart my drawing skills has a lot of room for improvement

Amanda Bancroft

Yes I have overcome many weaknesses at SVS since 2016! It's awesome. I was right in the middle of my first picture book job with a self-publishing author friend when I realized I knew next to nothing about this field of art and that's when I found SVS.

There are lots more skills I must learn to apply, but the biggest one that makes my art the hardest currently - I struggle with backgrounds and scenes, choosing objects to go in the backgrounds, knowing what arrangement of objects is best, how to mute colors of background objects without changing the read of the objects (light background, dark foreground concept). For example, my last piece is for Christmas. How does one make red & white candy canes in the background look less bold / saturated without making them PINK? So much to learn! Ha!

jsnzart

@LauraA Thank you. Yes, I researched a lot yesterday, and found lots of interesting threads. It was good.
It really makes it sooo much better when the teachers comment.
However, I also understand they're busy.
I'm truly grateful for any comments, by anyone.

I can relate to those two.
I started watching Lee's YouTube video, "How to do great illustrations every time.". And it looks interesting. Good points! Goes deeper into it, offering more than thumb-nailing.
I'll continue watching it today, and use Lee's advice and techniques.

jsnzart

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Mine too.
For me, I want to create works for my portfolio, that show a consistent style, and loads of skill(ability to create sequential art, and more).
More and more drawing.

jsnzart

@Amanda-Bancroft That's awesome!
Did you complete that picture book job?

Yes, me too. Lots of learning to do. And it's fun.
A lot of people are struggling with backgrounds. What about the courses here?
Lee's video might help.

I think every piece is different. And they have different problems to solve.
Draw more backgrounds. Look at and study other peoples backgrounds. Ask yourself questions. Why did they make those choices? And more.

I think there are many ways to help create depth.
Did you try making the candy canes smaller?
Use overlapping?
Make your line work thinner in the bg, and thicker, bolder in the foreground.

That's interesting.
If you find something that works, please let us know.

Nyrryl Cadiz

@jsnzart same. I’ve decide to shift styles lately. My portfolio needs new pieces.

chrisaakins

My story telling is weak because I like to draw everything in poses.

JoshuaDages

I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with finding a style. I am a self-taught artist (SVS is the most formal education I've had for illustration and I'm loving it!), but I've never really been able to pin-point "my style."

Not only do I love trying new styles - just look at my Instagram, haha - but I get trapped in the idea that each new project deserves it's own look. I love drawing everything from monsters/creatures, to kid's scenes, to more minimalist, graphic style art, so one style can't really fit all of them.

That said, I absolutely realize that art directors want to know what they're getting when they hire you, so I have been working on building up my illustration portfolio with only two of my styles, knowing in the back of my head that they will change eventually and once I have enough illustrations in another style, I can swap it out.

Francisco Varela

One of my current challenges is construction with shape. Currently, I paint and draw much like a sculptor. I lay down lines and play with values until the silhouette and the shapes within it look "right". Although this approach has yielded some nice results, it's essentially working without a solid foundation.

I'm currently taking the How to Draw Everything course on SVS and so far it's helping me better understand shape. I'll need a lot of practice before I can apply it naturally, but I'm looking forward to the work ahead!

Thank you for asking this question! It gives a nice chance for self-reflection.

Amanda Bancroft

@jsnzart Yes I did finish the job, in 2016. Nothing to be proud of, but finished!
I think I just need to study harder about backgrounds, including some SVS courses I took (reviewing those). That's a good idea, I should study other people's backgrounds. I've only been able to find a few greeting card artists that do backgrounds relevant to my current line of work but this is a useful tip, thanks! Yes I did use overlapping, so my gingerbread house is behind the foreground subjects which are also bigger/closer to viewer.

Amanda Bancroft

@JoshuaDages cool, it's nice to know others here consider SVS the most formal education they've had - me too! No art school. Style is really difficult for me, too. We're in good company!

jsnzart

@chrisaakins I want to work on my story telling too. And I think we're in the right place to learn how to do that.

@JoshuaDages Me too, I am around 70 something percent self taught,...giving credit to hundreds of YouTube videos by awesome generous artists, and many many books.
Yes, we can learn a lot here. And it's enjoyable too.

@Francisco-Varela You're welcome. I like that course, and completed it. However, every now and then, I will go back to it to brush things up.

@Amanda-Bancroft Finished is good.
Sounds good.
And did you try using thinner lines for bg elements, and thicker for the foreground elements?

If anyone has useful tips/advice like, which course/s to take, please go for it.

arielg

lol. just about everything is my weakness.
all the foundations.
anatomy. perspective. shadowing. color. composition. storyboarding. the only thing i think i am strong is my ideas. technique and sitting and making the time instead of indulging myself in my rare spare time, is not a habit yet. but its about 30-40% there.