Where do you sit between the Imaginative and the Scientific?
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@PenAndrew I came from observational painting, urban sketching, plein air and journaling background so I tend towards the realistic/grounded side of the scale. I am experimenting with the imaginative side of things after taking SVS classes and watching a few critique arenas and honestly it is taking triple the mental energy to do it I don't know if I can sustain it. However I am pretty early in my journey so I'll see how things unfold!
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I write weekly on mondayblues.substack.com -
@Melissa-Candrasaputra That's exactly how I feel about life studies! So exhausting, in fact even creating imaginative work for me is mentally tiring.
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@demotlj Actually I remember your squirrel idea, it was a fun concept. Squirrels are true hoarders!
@demotlj @Melissa-Candrasaputra I have been considering that one end of the spectrum is Imagination and inner vision and the opposite end is 'Seeing' learning to see and the development of outer vision. Both as troubling and as hard as the other!
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Hi, I am new here, but wanted to respond to this specific topic. I really like the questions.
Originally, I was a wildlife illustrator and dabbled with portraits. However, what I missed most was that I was not able to express a story behind the art. It's been about 20 years since I have actively drawn, and now - I'm trying to start working on art more stylized but still having that touch of realism - but blended with fantasy also. And above all > able tell a story.
I know I will always base my fantasy characters upon realistic ones (proportions, possibility of existing, etc..).
One thing I want most, is to get better at simplifying and using brilliant colors. It's not what I am used to and I think it will take me time to figure out what feels right to me. My strength has always been details... so this is going to be a challenge for me .
I am a creative. It is part of everything I do & everything that I am.
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@demotlj Your answer hurts my heart! This is so true.
Look at Good Dog Carl, though. I can't say for sure if books like these still appeal to publishers now, but I do use it as a reminder that what you think people would like is not the same as what people will actually like. It's not about the style, but the heart behind what you create.Also, the fact that a real squirrel can fill up a garage with nuts is hilarious. I'll have to disagree with Will's advice on that one!
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@Debbie-Lyn-Jones Hi Debbie and welcome. So, it sounds like you are moving away from probably a tighter illustration style with a strong base in drawing and representation to a looser style towards the Imaginative end.
To be honest Even though I sit at that end and I can create some forms of story I also struggle to tell the story of my characters and feel like they are patiently waiting for me to bring them to life!
I think one way you can simplify is to work some images smaller and also without any reference materials, that forces you to come up with stylized shapes. -
@demotlj I also disagreed with will on that critique. Illustrations in my opinion bring life to the implausible and overly imaginative. If it didn't we sure wouldnt have illustrations of robot dog walkers, or a blind mole walking a seeing eye ball. If everything had to be predictable and plausible, illustrations would be boring IMO. don't take it to heart, while some will LOVE your artwork, others will hate it. All that really matters is that you saw improvement between this piece and the one before it, and that you enjoyed making it.
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@AngelinaKizz Thanks. I didn’t take it to heart. I just thought it was a strange critique. I did feel like I progressed in making it which is, as you say, the main reason for the contests so I was happy with that.
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@PenAndrew I used to only draw from imagination, but lately I’ve been doing a lot more real life sketches to get better. So I think I’m a little bit of both. However, my passion still lies within the worlds in my head
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I also started with plein air landscapes and still lifes. When I started working on illustrations, I tried doing it from imagination, but I got feedback that it wasn't believable and I needed to use more references. Their advice was to make several sketches from the references first, then put the references away and draw my own. That way, my images are informed by the references without duplicating them realistically. I don't always do that, but I think I should do it more often because it seems to help.
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Insta/Twitter: @chengdesautels -
@jenn Yes a good idea, I know I should do that more but I find it difficult to pursue! I think it all depends on where we want to go with our art. You can have believable fantasy or imaginative illustrations that look exactly like life or you can have very stylised work, that's the point. We don't have to follow everyone's advice as they may sit in a different position on the spectrum and be advising us to move in the wrong direction.
