Episode 01 - My Art is Great, Why Won't Anyone Hire Me?
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I'm interested in opinions on what artists doing children's books should make the list of "top of the industry" I find it a hard industry judge because styles vary so much in comparison to other areas of the art world like card art where there is more constancy in styles
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Just finished listening to the podcast! Lots of great info and insights.
being someone who has never been to art school or had the benefit of being taught how to analyse art, I would be interested to see what a thorough analysis of an art piece looks like. I think @Lee-White mentioned, he wrote 5 pages on one piece - I can’t even begin to imagine what would be included in that and the level of detail that one should go into. If anyone is willing to share their text, I think it would be helpful.
I do try to copy others’ pieces for practice but am less clear on how to go about intentionally applying it to my own stuff.
Looking forward to the next podcast! (By the way, love the despondent bunny artwork!) -
YAY! Love this format!!! Lots of helpful tips and perfect for listening while making art. Can't wait for the next one.
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@lady-chamomile @demotlj @Sarah-LuAnn I always thought that was just ME! For some reason, it is like nails on a chalkboard, getting the critique on on a partial piece. I have never been clear on why that bothers me so much! But @demotlj , your description was spot on. And yes, it bothers me just as much with writing.
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Thanks a lot for this episode! Just in time for me. Really. I don't know who is the author of that mentioned letter, but it sounded like it could be me. I'm struggling with this problem of high-rendering a lot. Sometimes it's like an obsession - I want to draw something more figurative, but ending up with something realistic-looking. Because a figurative art looks like I can't draw. It's just not enough for me!) And I fixing and redrawing it until it looks real. Urrrr... So I will definitely try your advices! And looking forward your next episodes!)))
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Loved the podcast it was very inspiring with some awesome tips.I will have to do the nine picture comparison thing but I suspect it is going to be depressing.
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Well done first episode. I actually got a good story idea while listening to the podcast!
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I think if this illustration thing doesn't pan out for Jake Parker, he'd make a fabulous life coach. But seriously, I love what he says about living your life to refill the well and not becoming a production machine. I'd been taking classes and gearing up for a conference these past few months, which were great but left me wiped out and wrung out creatively. I got some great feedback from a professional in the biz at the conference, so now I'm digesting it and taking some down time before starting up again. Don't forget to refuel, people. Thanks Jake/Will/Lee! Or Willeejake?
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I agree @Laurel-Aylesworth having a life is a really important part of developing as an artist. I feel like I'm in an interesting place right now, because I'm at least REALLY CLOSE to hitting all four of Lee's "is my work really good enough?" points, but I am also the primary caregiver of two kids under two years old. I just don't have the time and attention to focus on my art right now, or on promoting it for that matter. But my kids are definitely filling that creative bank account--ESPECIALLY since I want to do children books! In a year or two when things settle down I will be able to do what Jake mentioned at the end--all the networking and getting my work out there etc. I'm trying to think of this phase as a break, where I get to do work that I like, develop my craft, and find inspiration every day. I'm making my list of 8 greats, I'm planning to do the exercise as outlined. I'm excited to see what to work on next. And a bit nervous, but you know...
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Enjoyed this very much. Looking forward to more:)
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I really liked the podcast! I do think being at an artistic cross road is a never-ending event. I'm working on my 9 panel exercise
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The podcast is great! Hope you make bunches of these! Also really liked the "awkward questions" pre-podcast video on YouTube!
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@margarita-levina Have you tried doing time-limited gesture drawings? (i.e. 2 min limit, 5 min limit, etc) They are great practice, and force you to focus on the overall drawing rather than the details.
Here's a website I like to use: https://line-of-action.com/
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@eli @demotlj @Sarah-LuAnn Thanks you guys, I feel better knowing it's not just me. But I do think putting aside my ego and absorbing good critique is hard lol, I'll be working on that
Wishing you all the best!
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@lady-chamomile actually I did!) but my problem is not in sketching, but in rendering. I want to try limit rendering time though.
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I love the podcast format! I am looking forward to more!
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@margarita-levina I looked through your gallery and it looks so good! It doesn't give me the impression that you are hyper-rendering. But maybe if you want a change in style, try the "copying to perfection" (i.e. Master Study of an artist you like) that the instructors are suggesting? Anyways, I'm sure you've already thought of doing that
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Really enjoyed listening to this podcast. I am always on the lookout for material to keep my motivation up and my creative juices flowing! It's also helping me to boost getting my work out there.
I have always had an issue with seeking out professional work as I look at some of the work that is out there and question whether I would be able to produce something of a similar quality on a regular basis. However been part of this forum group has really helped push my work and the advice from Will, Jake and Lee (as well as other forum members) has been invaluable. I've been trying to produce a lot of work recently that would fill the gaps in my portfolio, but I have been trying to focus on making them as part of a project, rather than just as a portfolio piece, such as, I am currently making a group of imaginary monsters of different material types to go along with Will's texture course.
I am preparing to push out my first postcard run soon and am taking my work a lot more seriously in my attempt to become a professional, especially as I have now become a part time worker (giving me that oh so lovely financial pressure push). I have also been thinking whether people would be interested in me documenting my process on my website through a blog? I would be focusing on what methods are working or not working in an attempt to find illustration work, kind of like a diary of attempting to achieve success firsthand.
The main takeaway from listening to this podcast was the idea of self-auditing and looking closely at what I need to do to improve, what gaps to fill or what I need to do to be valuable to publishing companies.
At this time I don't have a lot of advice to put out there, but I would say that you feel like you are creating your art in a bubble for yourself then try and burst it and share whether you feel you are good enough or not. Maybe your style is something that would be perfect for a certain company and by hiding yourself no-one is ever going to see what you are making.
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Just finished listening to the first podcast! Like everyone else, I think it's a great new addition. The main reason: Everyone else mostly seems to just interview famous artists (mostly in vis dev or animation) and say, "You're so cool! Did you draw when you were young? How did you start working for Disney/Pixar/insert famous company here? And what is your next big project?" A few podcasts might do something similar for children's books, and sure, that's interesting, but the emphasis is more on stardom, not the thick of the struggle in which you wonder if you'll ever be able to support yourself. I really like that you guys are more specific and have practical information that applies to everyone.
Re this first episode, I particularly liked two things: One was Jake's story about how he upped his character creativity level from generic to more interesting by intensive study.
The other was the mention of the need for tough critique. I went through a fine arts program many years ago, and my professors were flippant, merciless and sarcastic. They also pointed out that I hadn't lived yet, so how could my work be interesting? Now, maybe a critique doesn't have to be as mean spirited as some of the ones I received (not to mention that some of them would now be outed for harassment), but we beginners NEED tough critiques so we won't waste our time. Sure, we've all had those critiques where someone pointed out what we already sensed, and of course style and opinion vary, but we want to get better, and that's why we're here! This is one reason I'm trying to take more live courses now. Critique helps, and sometimes I think it could be tougher.
Really looking forward to episode 2, which I hope to listen to sometime today. Keep up the good work!
