Hello, my name is Christian and I'm a Shoddy Artist.

[trancerobot]

I was afraid to join this site for the longest time, and rightfully so - as I was your typical immature 'Internet Artist' and would have been torn a new one. Thankfully over time I learned to love criticism, and eventually to seek them out and savor even the most brutal crits (if your crit is 'mean' then you must really care, and I should really pay attention). And now that I've matured, I want to make a real effort and go beyond my current limits and become a great artist.

My number one problem might be that I'm heavily dependent on lines, so I desperately want to fix that. I also lack anatomy knowledge. I want to develop the ability to draw people and creatures with incredible anatomic detail without a reference. I seek to memorize every anatomic detail, so that it becomes natural and not have to open a book for every little thing.

I spent a few years, starting in high school, mucking around with 3D programs. I had a couple friends who loved Photoshop, but I wasn't really into that yet. That was between 2000 and 2004, when decent computers finally came to the classroom but no one cared yet if you installed stuff on them =P.

I loved to draw creatures, and that was all I drew. And... I hate to say this - but I even entered the furry fandom and became complacent thanks to people who absolutely loved to see anything they could wank off to. I regret that more than anything.

I've since left that behind, and the longer I stay away, the more I realize what I've been missing. I can't even look at that stuff anymore, not because it's weird (as an artist, I reserve the right to be strange and like weird things :geekg:) but because the vast majority of it is bad - from both a technical and creative standpoint.

So I never drew people, and I suffered for it and continue to suffer to this day.

I played around with 3D graphics before I was really ready, and I have all the technical know-how of a good modeler but not much art skill to back it up. Blender's great. Silo's great. 3DSMax is great. It's all great. But if you're a Shoddy Artist you're not going to produce great work with them.

I mean, don't get me wrong, 'I can draw' ... in the sense that your cousin or old friend from high school can draw. I can make a really clean mesh too. I've also been a member of various online 3D communities for a while, and they're nice - but they don't cater to the 2D aspect as much as I'd like them to. I think if I want to improve, it's here I should be.

Because in my opinion all visual art skill is dependant on one's ability to draw on a flat sheet of paper. It's the foundation for everything else, and I learned it the hard way.


Anyway, here's some crap so you can get an idea of what I'm starting with. These are the most recent work I've done since starting my journey to become a decent artist.

http://trancerobot.com/gallery/hobbitgirl.jpg
http://trancerobot.com/gallery/fmason-concept.jpg

That last one took forever, and the only reason I did it was because I had had enough of just getting by and producing wanker material. I want to get better and I am willing to struggle to do it.

My website is visible here: http://trancerobot.com/
The CSS code is incomplete so it won't look right in IE

Help meh Concept Art, you're my only hope. :yayca:

[Maledict]

Greetings :).

Don't worry about being lost in the woods, a significant number of artists experience that in their early lives, me included. Except I also had a soul crushing depression, ugh!.

Also, I would suggest you stick with one program/method for a while, until you get good, then move on. I had this "talk" with a professional in Bangkok back in late 2007. You can't be a Master of all Trades in the industry, it's almost impossible. Professionals spend their lives honing their craft in just one field, whether it'd be concept design, texture mapping, 3d modeling, 3d sculpting (Mudbox/Zbrush), production painting, etc. It's very rare when you see someone who can do a few of those on a professional level, let alone all of them.

In anycase, about the figure/creature/anatomy stuff: Buy this (http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-Invention-Michael-Hampton/dp/0615272819) book - I wish I had it when I started out. I eventually developed a similar method to what was described in the book. Except it took me like 2 years to do so.
Then go to life drawing classes, they're invaluable. After a bit of drawing from live models, and from from imagination, you can do simple figures. Then get an anatomy book and proceed from there. You'll eventually be able to develop and form your own visual "Vocabulary", so that you'll be able to draw them from imagination.
I wouldn't suggest investing in a tablet and photoshop (Or whichever program you want to use) until you get the basics down. Get versed in traditional, then go digital.

About your reliance on linework - you're not the only one! :D. I have trouble painting just in value as well, I need lines to anchor my work. But one method I'm experimenting with is to use a lighter value than black when drawing. And then when you get into putting in value, colour, and form, they'll be easier to paint over and cover.

If you want some inspiration, look at MindCandyMan's (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870) journey. He started from total Noob, to total pro in several years. Yes, years. It won't happen overnight, but keep chipping away at art like it was a marble statue. The more you practice, the more refined the marble statue will look. It probably won't be like Bernini (Then again, who can top Bernini?), but it'll have a semblance of form eventually.

Start a sketchbook thread as well, if you need a critique, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

Cheers.

[trancerobot]

Also, I would suggest you stick with one program/method for a while, until you get good, then move on. I had this "talk" with a professional in Bangkok back in late 2007. You can't be a Master of all Trades in the industry, it's almost impossible. Professionals spend their lives honing their craft in just one field, whether it'd be concept design, texture mapping, 3d modeling, 3d sculpting (Mudbox/Zbrush), production painting, etc. It's very rare when you see someone who can do a few of those on a professional level, let alone all of them.

I see what you're saying. For practical reasons, since I chose to be a character modeler I'd need to fit the usual requirements for that job first I guess. I may not become as good as MindCandyMan, but I know I need to be better than this in order to produce better character models.


In anycase, about the figure/creature/anatomy stuff: Buy this book - I wish I had it when I started out. I eventually developed a similar method to what was described in the book. Except it took me like 2 years to do so.
Then go to life drawing classes, they're invaluable. After a bit of drawing from live models, and from from imagination, you can do simple figures. Then get an anatomy book and proceed from there. You'll eventually be able to develop and form your own visual "Vocabulary", so that you'll be able to draw them from imagination.
I wouldn't suggest investing in a tablet and photoshop (Or whichever program you want to use) until you get the basics down. Get versed in traditional, then go digital.

I have two books, but I'll get that one too. I have Dynamic Anatomy, and a PDF of Figure Drawing for all it's Worth.

I'm actually taking a figure drawing course now, it's part of the curriculum for Graphic Design at my university. I don't know if I should stay till graduation or not, since I've already wasted a lot of money figuring out what to study. I think it's something I have to decide on from a practical standpoint - the big question being - am I disciplined enough to learn this stuff on my own. The only way to find out is to try. If I put the same effort in this that I put into the technical aspects of 3D modeling then the answer is yes and I can save money.


If you want some inspiration, look at MindCandyMan's journey. He started from total Noob, to total pro in several years. Yes, years. It won't happen overnight, but keep chipping away at art like it was a marble statue. The more you practice, the more refined the marble statue will look. It probably won't be like Bernini (Then again, who can top Bernini?), but it'll have a semblance of form eventually.

Start a sketchbook thread as well, if you need a critique, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand.

I've heard about him... yeah his work is a real inspiration too. I'm ready to put in the same amount of effort.

Thanks for welcoming me to ConceptArt RabbiSatan, I'll have a sketchbook thread started within a few hours.