Recently I’ve been going through a quarter life crisis and I’ve been really looking at my life and where its headed with this art thing. I decided to write down everything I want for myself realistically in the next year, and what I want is pretty simple:
A studio apartment
Basic utilities - Water, Electric, Internet, No cable
Food, Uber, phone
Simple right? So I started looking up prices of these things so i’d know exactly what I have to achieve.
Studio apartments in this area are around $500 - $900 a month for rent. For first month’s rent it’s double so let’s say roughly $2k the first month RENT ONLY. Next ideally you would want to be making around 4x your rent to live comfortably.. If rent is $900, you’d have to be making at least $3,600 a month steadily
So then I asked myself is this possible as a freelancer?
So looking at the most professional jobs as an illustrator, It is no secret that the highest paying jobs don’t even cross the 1K mark per illustration if you’re just starting. The information below is from a 4chan post from 2 years ago but i think the prices are roughly accurate compared to what I’ve heard myself..
Magic the Gathering: $800 - $1,800 USD
Applibot: $800 - $1k?
Paizo: $150 - $350
Alderac Entertainment group: $175 - $250
Fantasy Flight: $100 - $250
I used to think these were decent prices back when I started my illustration journey, but when you factor in the sheer amount of time it takes to create applibot quality illustrations not to mention revisions and waiting on clients, you’re looking at (at least for me) 3 weeks to a month on one illustration.. For just $8hundred bucks.. if you’re lucky maybe you can get $2k. But only if you’re super pro level and well known and also have a great relationship with the company which takes years to cultivate.. Of course you could take on multiple jobs in one month, but when you’re putting 12 - 21 hours into just one illustration, where is your time to actually be a human being? I know that’s the life some people choose as an illustrator, but if all you do is sit at a desk all day and work for shit pay just to say that you’re a pro illustrator, it sort of defeats the purpose of this shit. I would rather be miserable with a cubicle job and doing what I love on the side, instead of being miserable trying to make a living at what I love and never having time to create what I want or even live for that matter (I want a social life god damnit).
So now that I’ve taken the time to lift my head up from my wacom to actually look at what I’m killing myself for, It honestly doesn’t seem worth it. So the only options I have is to start looking for that sweet in-house position where I get to interact with other humans - maybe eat lunch with them, or go the content creator route and find a way to make content I enjoy that is also hentai so i can make the patreon monies..joke..
I don't know what i meant to do by writing this huge rant but I hope it helps someone out there in some sort of way. It’s definitely helped me realize I have to do something other than sit in my corner and quick if I don't want to end up a hobo.
>caring this much about pay
Artist are people who generally don't give a fuck about these things, anon. For good reason. They seem much more worth in doing art and enjoy it. Pay is almost nothing to them. It's like, "Oh I get paid as well to do this? Well, why not?" They could very well work free, but that would not fly in this day and age so of course they get paid. Besides, as long as you're good, the money will come rolling in, it doesn't matter what you do, just be good and they will raise the price just for you because you're a valuable asset. So, by reading your posts, it's clear this career just isn't for you, anon. You can go do those other options, it makes sense for your situation. Art is hard work, but professionals know how to deal with it. It's work, it's not play time. They love it much more than just doing it on the side, they love it to the point that they would enjoy working on it. If you don't, then don't go for it. Not for everyone. Artists still have social lives, as long as they know how to manage their time and schedule. Many people don't know how to do that these days, but there are some that do and it's a pretty good skill to learn.
Caring this much about pay? You know you need to make money to live right? For you to try and justify how fucked the industry is when it comes to decent pay by saying you should love so much you dont care what you get paid is complete bullshit dude. I love art but I also love not fucking starving and having a roof and mattress, maybe a pillow. The things I listed are not outlandish wants and you're basically saying I'm asking for too much.. What?
How do I into Yoh Yoshinari dynamicism? Studies of his work? Focus on improving my gestures? Become a god at anatomy? What?
>>2543574
Yes.
Also, realize he's been drawing for a long ass time, working professionally since 1992 and who knows how long before that as an amateur and student
>>2543586
this
always keep in mind that most of the big industry artists you look up to have likely been doing this for longer than the average poster on this board has been alive
>>2543574
You have to think like an animator. So you need to be able to think of form and shape at the same time, and understand movement and action really well, then distort the forms to support the action. There's no magic trick, it's just a lot of experience and knowledge. Books on animation or school for it will help you think in the right way (and teach basic principles like anticipation or squash and stretch) and approach it correctly, but you can teach yourself it too.
Watching videos of sports or other actions in slow motion, or looking at photography of motion like Muybridge will help, but at the end of the day you need to know where to emphasize certain parts and downplay others, which is something only experience will teach.
Doing studies of his work might help, but realize you will be learning his shorthands and his solutions to problems and his shape and form language. If you want to be great you need to develop your own ways of doing things.
>Previous Thread >>2536667 →
>Post your current drawing here and give constructive critique to others!
>Please make sure your posted image is clear, downsized to around 1000 pixels wide, rotated to the correct orientation, and that any unused space is cropped.
>If you want critique on a drawing from the previous thread, you can delete it there and repost in this one.
>>dA /ic/ group :
>http://4chan-ic.deviantart.com
>>/ic/ Resources/Reference/Downloads/Links:
>>General resources :
>http://sites.google.com/site/4chanic/
>http://sites.google.com/site/artandwhatnot/
>http://characterdesigns.com/
>http://crimsondaggers.com/forum/thread-3.html
>http://finaltrinity.tumblr.com/post/13163064364/art-references-tumblr-accounts
>>fellowBro's books :
>http://mediafire.com/?i44dwzkf9j9n8
>>Figure Drawing Tool:
>http://pixelovely.com/gesture/figuredrawing.php
>http://posemaniacs.com/
>>Photoshop Brushes
>http://cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/tower_of_evilzz
This one >>2542661
Hoping to get the color and values done in a day. With a mess like this it's make or break.
>>2543236
that requires a lot of work, but you could still make it. Just focus on bringing those main points out with contrast, took me quite long to find humans out of that.
Another painting, seems like one painting per day is the limit. Easy to see that this is second, attention couldn't last longer than hour or so. These are practices, kinda "proof of concept", so not too stressed about it.
plz
>>2547323
I r8 as 0/8 b8
>>2547323
your sailor moon picture looks so much better
>>2547323
filters and bloom/10
disguising incomplete art with that. What would have loomis said if he was alive
I have almost zero experience with animation (fucking around with stick pivot years ago) but I know it's a career I want to pursue. Most likely due to nostalgia, I am highly attracted to 2D/traditional, but I'm wondering if it would be a failing field to follow. With today's world riding 3DDick I don't know if I could ever be involved in any big films or something besides anime. I know I would love it, but I don't want to starve to death.
>Also animation inspiration thread
Some good shorts:
https://youtu.be/GpkLkIZeccY
https://youtu.be/MkA3sLyEWdU
Take the risk, anon.
Your life ends at some point, along with every single question about which career choices are sound according to other people.
>>2544111
No. Even if 2D animated movies were still popular, I doubt you would ever made it, and even if you did, animators were still treated like crap. Your only hope is tv, or like the picture of your opening post, with a kickestarter or something similar.
>I have almost zero experience with animation (fucking around with stick pivot years ago)
Are you fucking serious
Because we should not have to make new threads or post in draw threads with our fundamental exercises.
Feel free to post even the smallest exercise you have done to show you are still trying, do not give up, make your mom proud.
AVOID asking unrelated questions, there is a question thread for that.
Visit the usual "Artbook Thread" to find your desired books. (Or look in the new sticky)
Do not forget to PLEASE RESIZE and crop your images before uploading them. 1kpx is fine.
→ →
There's a new sticky in town! You can see it at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VfDTpLLVl5bWUGWguswKpPFml533luI8-NBd1EGYHnA/edit
>Thread study: Try to draw/paint the opening or any other following images.
Feel free to post your original works as well if you're trash.
TRY TO BE MORE ACTIVE AND GIVE PEOPLE SOME FEEDBACK - many studies are left unreplied, which is a bit sad and can be quite demotivating for the people that try their best to improve, but are left directionless.
Old thread: >>2540540
ITT: Drawing/art advice you would give your past self.
Use more line weight in your drawings. Thick and thin, not just one or the other.
I don't draw that much differently from years ago, but my drawings look 90% better because of line weight.
DRAW
>>2538666
actually read anatomy books and learn insertions/origins/use rather than just copy images
How do I draw complex mechanical objects?
Cybernetics, Mechs, Space ships. Just Sci-Fi stuff.
What do I have to learn? I'm learning how to draw people and anatomy right now but I want to draw cool mechs and cyber shit. It's my dream.
that's such a vague fucking question that demands such an open ended-answer
it's all just study. study real life mechanics and understand how they work so you can translate that into your own art. look at popular sci-fi related media; don't copy but observe how it goes together to make it believable
(((why did u ask something so obvoius that i had to spoonfeed it to u))))
also protip for you in the future (if you odn't drop out of art in three months like every fucking beginner on here): study how mechanic joints work as they're a huge make-or-break factor in mechs and stuff
>>2538169
I kinda figured I had to study real life mechanisms just how I'm studying real life humans so I can draw them.
I guess I was kind of thinking maybe there is some good videos/books out there?
Well, this just means I'm going to have to go for that full on "renaissance man" life and get my hands a little dirty with engineering.
Your input is helpful though! My question was probably really vague because I'm just lacking direction right now.
>>2538169
Oh, I guess one more specific question I have is how will studying real life mechanisms help me make something believable but non-existent like Cyborgs and Mechs? I'm guessing they share some basic resemblance to real life machines and I add in extra things for flair? Or maybe I'll figure that out on my own as I study them?
New to /ic/, sorry if this is considered a shitpost. Thanks in advance.
This is the reference:
>>2547856
Fix the shape of the right eyebrow, take a look at the bottom lip shape particularly on the left, and the cheekbone seems over-defined in comparison to the shading on the rest of the piece. Also the space between her eyes seems to wide possibly.
There are general threads for these kinds of things so the board's not flooded.
>>2543183
there you are
Another typical instagram photorealist artist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUcBnT6LsxANZjUWqpjR8Jpw&v=T6R75dMYgF0
What I'm wandering is, did he copy those drawings from a photo? Or did he draw them from imagination? I looked at his website and it looks like nothing but photorealistic photo copys
actually, I think nvm, I he just copies photos
http://www.marcellobarenghi.com/2015/02/a-velociraptor-drawing.html
This is a rather common picture of JP's velociraptors from JP3
>>2546770
He's good at what he does. Props to him for using masks and a airbrush, that's not something you often see from your "typical instragram artist"
So long as he's not secretly tracing the figures then he's talented enough.
For class i have to create a body of work revolving around fortune cookies, but i cant think of many ideas. If any of you guys have any ideas or things you would like me to draw ill do it. There arent many rules for the project outside of having a fortune cookie somewhere on the piece.
The pic is a reference of what i can draw and has some cookies.
>>2547807
1) That's a retarded assignment.
2) Next time resize your image and rotate it.
3) Does it need to actually have the cookie in the piece? I would take a different approach, and do pieces based on what fortune cookies mean/represent. You can make a list of all the words or ideas you associate with fortune cookies and then base pieces on those themes. For example, here are some things I think of:
-Americanization of culture
-hopes and desires
-opening things
-discovery
-...."in bed"
-modernization of religion/spiritual things
-seeing the future
-chance
-self-fulfilling prophecy
4) if you literally need to have fortune cooking in there, then I would try to take some abstract shapes out of the cookies. They have rather strange forms and depending how you light them I bet you could get some really interesting shadow shapes. Or crumble them and see how that changes things.
Hands opening fortune cookies, gold and jewels fall out.
Geometric reduction of basic fortune cookie shape, add lustrous surface and funky aesthetic values.
Fortune cookies with dark prophetic predictions. Spooky dark and gritty.
>>2547807
photorealistic drawing of a fortunecookie is a go
ok but what's the ms5 equivalent of ctrl h i'm tired of trying to squint over selections
>program has hundreds of tools and functions, all carefully mapped out to shortcuts
>doesn't so much as even catalog them
Why has this been the case for every art program I've ever used?
You can use "K" to "ree move" your selection.
What's wrong with this drawing?
Your fucking mother
>>2547450
Main problems are butchered inconsistent perspective, proportions that aren't kept together, very boring background and attempts at lighting without identifying sources of it.
>>2547450
Nothing, all art is good.
Is mainstream cartooning quality dead? I mean, Disney is pretty much done with it.
Define mainstream cartooning
Yes, I love anime.
>>2547437
Okay example, look at western cartoons from 70's, 80's and 90's then look at something like Adventure Time or any current Cartoon Network show.
>>2547441
Not the same anon, but what the fuck are you talking about? Explain yourself.
how is the nyc art community?
specifically for animation, illustration and comic?
This is unrelated, but I find it entertaining that your opening picture is from a designer from where I'm from...and it's not New York.
>>2547536
It's a big city with a lot of art stuff there. Print illustration is massive in New York. Not sure about comics or animation, but I bet you it is still better than most cities.
>>2547536
New York City has a pretty great art community, especially for illustration and comics.
If you have the time, I'd check out the Society of Illustrators and see what they have to offer. It's a museum/community focused on both illustration and comic art that offers some pretty great stuff like exhibitions and figure drawing.
Unfortunately, the animation scene over there isn't too great and everything is moving west. There's only a handful of good studios like Titmouse and Augenblick, but other than that I can't really say much about the animation community there.
![MANGA+STUDIO+HOTKEYS[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/QQ1cTA5.jpg "MANGA+STUDIO+HOTKEYS[1]")
