Hi! I’m new here & looking for groups/classmates to join?

[Jade Yaert]

Hi!
I’m Jade & I’m really excited to join the SVS community.
I’ve been browsing the forum to see what is discussed and how things work around here. Is there a definitive faq or something? So that I don’t break any forum etiquette when responding in the different threads?

Besides the educational value, a big reason for joining svs is that I’m really looking for a community of like minded people to connect with and share our artwork and passion for illustration! As I’m studying by myself I really miss this network of other artists that you find in art school.

Are there any groups here of people following along with the same classes? Or something that constitutes as a group where you work on the same thing, f.ex perspective/values. Or focussed critique groups? Or is the forum more general?

Sorry if these are silly questions or if they are all answered in a predefined guide. I’ve looked but cant seem to find one immediately.

About me & illustration:
I’m Jade, from Belgium. I love hot drinks, cozy things, small happiness and drawing. (And loads of other things, but choices have to be made, this is already a wordy message)

I’m trying to emulate an art school education without actually having to attend art school (don’t get me wrong, i would love too, but it is too expensive and not feasible at this time). So the last couple of years I have been trying the home school method, to see how far that will bring me.

I am currently slow traveling around the world (doing housesits to live rent free and still have the beauty of pets around me) , as a way to really be able to focus on studying and hopefully one day get into illustration professionally. (As living expenses in Belgium are really high, this type of slow travel enables me to only work part time and be able to study illustration about 54 hours a week. But that is a whole different topic)

I would love to meet you all, so feel free to introduce yourselves! If you have an instagram or something where you share your artwork, feel free to share! Seeing people create beautiful and/or powerful images is my bliss.

[Shelley James 0]

@Jade-Yaert I Jade my name is Shelley. I just joined a few days ago and have not seen an FAQ or forums tips and tricks or anything either. I am looking for art friends too, because nobody directly around me really gets it. They like my work but don't create themselves.

I went to art school and have a degree in fine art but it didn't really give a plan of how to make a living as an artist. I am on team make money making art anyway I know how right now. So my instagram is kind of scattered.

I am in the USA and would love to move to Europe.

[Jade Yaert]

Hi Shelley!
I get what you are saying, i love my friends to bits, and they are creative in their own way, but you can’t talk about illustration all the time (esp the specifics and techniques you’re working on or new art philosophy books you’re reading) without the conversation being one sided.

I’m a true European at heart. I love travelling but I can’t see me permanently living anywhere but somewhere in Europe. Where would you like to move to?

[Heather Boyd]

@Jade-Yaert Hello Jade and welcome. I am Heather and I live in Ontario Canada. I can't afford to live on my own so I live with my parents and a cat. I went to art school for art and art history but now since I have shifted to illustration I take classes here. I have a IG account (below this post you can find it). There are a few people who are slowly working on foundation 1 (curriculum) if you would like to start working on the basics with them -be able to find them in the forum.
Let me know if you want to chat further and anything else.

You've done some Landscape illustrations -how is it for you? I love landscapes but I have not done any illustrations; I have a painted a few.

[Jade Yaert]

@Heather-Boyd

Hi Heather! So nice to meet you i love your illustrations! They’re really nice. Ill definitively be following along the foundation classes looking forward to it!

i really like doing the landscape illustrations, they’re really meditative in a way!

[txels]

@Jade-Yaert welcome! I also joined recently (last summer) and will be looking for fellow classmates to follow along the foundations program level 2 after Xmas (I will likely have finished level 1 then, just working on light & shadow).

54 hours a week to study illustration, that is great. I also went down to work part-time a year back to free up time for arts and other personal activities, but I will be working at a much slower pace than you - I can maybe allocate 10-15h?

Anyway hope to see you around and share our progress!