Where to begin?

[labrys]

So your a raw talent but never had an art class outside of high school, you spent the next ten years working manual labor and for a homeless shelter while painting murals, cars, and motorcycles on the side. You finished a bachelors degree in philosophy but there is no market and your broke. You think to yourself "why did I not pursue my talent all those years ago". And you make the decision to do just that. You know anatomy, you can sketch out anything you see, you can airbrush, and you just picked up some brush painting and photoshop though your no expert.

So this is you.... where do you begin the path to this career?

[Flake]

You probably post some work.

Pictures, not words.

[JeffX99]

So I would start a sketchbook and see what kind of feedback I got. Find out if I really know anatomy as well as I think, if Ireally can draw (not sketch - anyone can sketch) anything I see. I would also narrow or specify what kind of career I was inquiring about.

[MisterBoo]

I'm always suspicious of any artist that says they have "talent." What does that even mean? Every great artist that I have ever met has worked their ass off to get where they are. People that say they are really "talented" are usually... not.

[labrys]

Well I assume most all the people on this forum or in this field are "talented". I'm a little shocked by the focus on that statement and the lack of helpful advice. I basically just mean I draw, sketch, paint, or sculpt what I see with real good accuracy. Which I assume is just the prerequisite to even enter the field. But again I'm not real aware of what it takes, I've just started my exploration of the illustration field.

I will try to figure out how to post some photos into a post here in a minute. I don't have anything substantial but I will post what I have.

To be honest I would love to work on concept art, but illustration in any of its guises would be ok by me. I really just want to pursue the one natural talent I have for something real. Art calms and focuses me and so far I have only used it to make money on the side. I'm just ready for a change in direction. Thanks for the replies so far (except for the pessimistic guy obsessing over the word talent, what a jerk. lol), I could really use some help.

[labrys]

http://www.alphaomegadigital.com/Jos...ng%20James.jpg

[labrys]

K i have it figured out. lol

[labrys]

I know this isn't concept art but its really all I have. This is the stuff I have been doing for years on the side. Just as they come. I'm really just looking for advice on how a career like this gets started. What skills do I need to show in my portfolio, what programs do I need to learn, etc..? Thanks for any help you can provide.













This is my first real brush painting.

2nd brush painting

More motorcycle art







This is a portrait of the lead in a play placed on a ticket I had to design in photoshop. Had to be black and white and kinda simple.

I draw these mythological characters in a comic book style for my son then we photocopy and color them like a coloring book. He loves it.

[dpaint]

If you want to work as an artist you need to get some better anatomy and life drawing skills; right now the one picture you've posted looks like you are copying photo ref but don't understand anatomy and form.

By the way I spent seventeen years (18 to 35)doing construction and other jobs before I became a fulltime artist working in the games industry.

[labrys]

i posted a bunch of them but i got a message saying it had to be viewed by a moderator. so now we play the waiting game. lol. I went and found some of my old still life drawings from high school. I'm going to post a few of those while I wait on the bigger post to be checked.

[labrys]

I just dug these high school art class still life pictures up and took some crappy photos so forgive me for the quality.
Still life of one of those biology class skeletons.


A ninja turtle toy a drew.

[vineris]

If you want to move forward professionally you're going to have to do some market research in the field you're hoping to work in. Look at the best work that's being produced in the field right now. If your work is comparable you make a portfolio and start sending it out to people you think might want to hire you (looking up their preferred submission process first). If your work is not comparable you figure out where your weaknesses lie and you work on them until you can compete in the field.

[Farvus]

Your question a bit is too vague to give good answer.

Are you having problems with choosing theme/direction for your entertainment industry artwork or you have some vision but you don't have the skills to realise it?

[Black Spot]

Have a look in the Finally Finished section. There are great examples of all sort of different types of art and see if any of them is where you want to go. Then post your best piece in the Critique section asking for ideas for improvement.

[Alice Herring]

So your a raw talent but never had an art class outside of high school, you spent the next ten years working manual labor and for a homeless shelter while painting murals, cars, and motorcycles on the side. You finished a bachelors degree in philosophy but there is no market and your broke. You think to yourself "why did I not pursue my talent all those years ago". And you make the decision to do just that. You know anatomy, you can sketch out anything you see, you can airbrush, and you just picked up some brush painting and photoshop though your no expert.

So this is you.... where do you begin the path to this career?

Where you are coming from at what age is really irrelevant. It only matters what's in your portfolio, the ability to communicate clearly, and to not be a jerk. (I'm not accusing YOU of being a jerk, just that personality does matter.)

You begin at the basics. Study anatomy, learn construction, composition (of both value, color, and object-placement) Learn how those choices can affect mood, and clarity.

As Dpaint said, more life-drawing. Plein Air drawing and painting. Go to museums and look backwards as well as forwards - if you react emotionally to specific artwork, why?

The journey to be an artist begins with a lot of hard work.

[DemonicBlackCat]

I think you should start by freelancing online. When I was 17, I was barely out of school and I made cash by offering caricatures. People generally like caricatures, and I managed to get by by freelancing. When you're not on the company, they don't care less about character design etc. At least, that's how it is in my country.

[labrys]

I have done some research and I have found some weaknesses in my skill set. Some of which I'm setting out to correct but I have some gaps in my knowledge that research hasn't filled. A major weakness of mine is digital art. I'm familiar with photoshop and I have used illustrator but I'm not close to mastering either. So my first question I guess would be how important is the digital side of 2D? What programs are important to know?

Also the distinction between many of the jobs I have seen has been vague. I was thinking something in the direction of concept art related to game design. But what are the jobs in this area? Is schooling important or is the portfolio the main factor in employment potential?

I have been doing freelance stuff on and off for years but only to make some extra bucks. I agree with you that I should pursue this more seriously for practice, portfolio, and networking. I think this will be my next step.

Thanks everyone for your input, its really appreciated.

[labrys]

I draw these mythology characters in a comic book style then my little boy and I photocopy them and color them. He loves it.

[labrys]

http://jdmcgowen.webs.com/photos/Bla...-2D/Typhon.jpg

[labrys]

[labrys]

tried to make them smaller.
charcoal.

[labrys]

acrylic

[labrys]

[JeffX99]

I draw these mythology characters in a comic book style then my little boy and I photocopy them and color them. He loves it.

Very cool - so yeah, start a sketchbook in the sketcbook forum - that's the place to post a lot of different work.

I highly recommend the book "Imaginitve Realism" for you - it is great for all kinds of reasons and covers the field of illustration from a hard working insider perspective. I'd also recommend "Sketching" or "Sketching: The Basics".

[labrys]

Very cool - so yeah, start a sketchbook in the sketcbook forum - that's the place to post a lot of different work.

I highly recommend the book "Imaginitve Realism" for you - it is great for all kinds of reasons and covers the field of illustration from a hard working insider perspective. I'd also recommend "Sketching" or "Sketching: The Basics".

Thanks a lot. I'm looking into it on amazon.com right now. Appreciate the help.

[My57]

I demand for a sketchbook to be made!

That is all :3

Anatomy study is great. And life drawing. Keep drawing from life no matter what. Drawing from photo is fine but be sure you understand whats going on in the picture and not to simply just copy.

[labrys]

I demand for a sketchbook to be made!

That is all :3

Anatomy study is great. And life drawing. Keep drawing from life no matter what. Drawing from photo is fine but be sure you understand whats going on in the picture and not to simply just copy.

I keep trying to post but nothing i post seems to make it through the moderators! I'm so confused. lol. I posted a sketchbook and a lot of artwork on this thread and they just never seem to make it. Perhaps they don't like my style. lol

[Tim Murphy]

I keep trying to post but nothing i post seems to make it through the moderators! I'm so confused. lol. I posted a sketchbook and a lot of artwork on this thread and they just never seem to make it. Perhaps they don't like my style. lol

I -think- prior to a certain number of posts your posts have to be approved in certain sub-forums before they show up. Attempt to cut down on spammers and all that.

[Conniekat8]

Yea, what Tim said... just give it a bit of time, few days or a week. After that things should go smooth

Beautiful work so far! Keep it up