01-20-2017, 01:11 PM
Diary entry 1: I have been WAY off the bandwagon of doing my art. It is abhorrent. I am really poor at keeping ritual habits, I think because in my mind I keep big goals with vague notions like: "Draw every day." Draw WHAT? Improve WHAT. Chores, Hunger and Life then distract me. What is the big end result project(s) I even want to accumulate out of all of this? Does EVERY sketch have to even have a purpose? Overthinking and getting bogged down with selfdoubt or distractions has been my chief weakness. So here is for my own reminder's sake what I am gonna try to do in the year 2017 to improve my art, as I found being very specific with myself and making a list always helps-
WHAT: 2 whole human figure drawing runthrus every day from the anatomy pose resource site www.quickposes.com (Feel free to use their service if you are reading this, it's no charge!) whenever I have room to do so every day in the year 2017. I will also execute one original personal idea sketch per day, be it character, animal, environment concept, etc. At least one page of drawings are to be uploaded on either the day they are made or by the Saturday of each week's end.
WHEN: I intend to try doing these ideally as frequently as possible, will try to rise and do 1 session at 8:00am whenever able....but due to my awareness of my work schedule hours, habits of sleeping irregularly at times/having work at 9am-6pm most weekdays, the official drawing time when I MUST expect myself to sit down and stop everything to draw nonstop is 8:00PM EST. for at least 2 hours. At this time I will make sure I implement the website blocker app "COLD TURKEY" to ensure my compulsive distractions do not take me away from this for the rest of the evening. Will also try to set an alarm for a reminder. On worknights I must stay til 8pm, I will be ensured that this drawing exercise happens at 9pm instead. Uploading of pictures here will take place at 10:00PM every night, or at least by the Saturday (my usual day off) at end of the week.
WHY: My chief intentions are to 1. IMPROVE PERSPECTIVE. 2. IMPROVE ANATOMY. 3. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTS 4.DEVELOP CHARACTERS 5. TARGET SPECIFIC WEAKNESSES SUCH AS VEHICLES, EYES, HORSES, AND FABRIC. Some of the personal projects I plan to see get achieved are: COMIC PAGES WITH PERSONAL AVATARS, MAIN CAST CONCEPT ART TURNAROUNDS, MONSTER PORTRAITS, PSYCHEDELIC PAINTINGS WITH BETTER RENDERED LAVISH DETAIL AND SHADING and ILLUSTRATIVE PATTERNS/CHARACTERS FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES.
HOW: Target mediums desired to improve in are: ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR, PEN AND INK, COLORED PENCIL, ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR, MIXED MEDIA. Will for loose sketches keep to traditional art media that is 'fast' such as pencils, marker and pen and ink, as the lack of focus I have can be strongly attributed to using the laptop and getting bogged down in having a lack of speedy results, while more bigger heavier personal projects I will try to achieve in more often either via digital media and acrylics.
WHO: Must find an art mentor and/or art partner to collab with by end of February to get critiques and motivation/companionship from. Will attempt to regularly push for more increased personal outings with friends in real life in order to prompt better drawing opportunities and social skills. Will utilize CD, N4D, DA, Meetup, and other such forums. Will make attempt to reconnect to the FIT alumni association and former professor Ray Lago. See if he is interested in the chance to mentor me/guide me back down the basics.
LONG TERM GOALS: Book cover illustration, underground comics/graphic novels, greeting cards, video game art, posters, licensing art (stationary, puzzles, tableware, textiles), storyboards/possibly animatics if ambitous, gain a rise in art commissions and the artistic confidence to approach galleries and publishers with a wider more up to date portfolio. Current portfolio is recycling old artwork chiefly from the start of college, and must have at least a set of 20 new pieces that demonstrate strong abilities and a cohesive style. Must figure out ways to blend my pop-surrealism tastes with more contemporary techniques and be able to pin down what kind of a themed series of art pieces I'd like to start working on/developing a 'brand'. Ideally would like to see a personal creation along the lines of Roman Dirge's 'Lenore' Sam Keith's The Maxx' or Jhonen Vasquez' 'Squee'. SEEK TO RETURN TO ROOTS OF WHAT I ENJOYED ABOUT DRAWING, without relying too much on style preferences as a crutch. Pin down characters and ways to express a whole world and narratives around them. Make good on offered promises to many friends about tribute work I would do for them of their characters.
*** This lengthy post was more or less just an introductory list for me, to keep track of what I aim to have done.
If anyone has read this and happens to have feedback or advice on how to keep these habits developed/build upon them steadily, let me know.
WHAT: 2 whole human figure drawing runthrus every day from the anatomy pose resource site www.quickposes.com (Feel free to use their service if you are reading this, it's no charge!) whenever I have room to do so every day in the year 2017. I will also execute one original personal idea sketch per day, be it character, animal, environment concept, etc. At least one page of drawings are to be uploaded on either the day they are made or by the Saturday of each week's end.
WHEN: I intend to try doing these ideally as frequently as possible, will try to rise and do 1 session at 8:00am whenever able....but due to my awareness of my work schedule hours, habits of sleeping irregularly at times/having work at 9am-6pm most weekdays, the official drawing time when I MUST expect myself to sit down and stop everything to draw nonstop is 8:00PM EST. for at least 2 hours. At this time I will make sure I implement the website blocker app "COLD TURKEY" to ensure my compulsive distractions do not take me away from this for the rest of the evening. Will also try to set an alarm for a reminder. On worknights I must stay til 8pm, I will be ensured that this drawing exercise happens at 9pm instead. Uploading of pictures here will take place at 10:00PM every night, or at least by the Saturday (my usual day off) at end of the week.
WHY: My chief intentions are to 1. IMPROVE PERSPECTIVE. 2. IMPROVE ANATOMY. 3. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTS 4.DEVELOP CHARACTERS 5. TARGET SPECIFIC WEAKNESSES SUCH AS VEHICLES, EYES, HORSES, AND FABRIC. Some of the personal projects I plan to see get achieved are: COMIC PAGES WITH PERSONAL AVATARS, MAIN CAST CONCEPT ART TURNAROUNDS, MONSTER PORTRAITS, PSYCHEDELIC PAINTINGS WITH BETTER RENDERED LAVISH DETAIL AND SHADING and ILLUSTRATIVE PATTERNS/CHARACTERS FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES.
HOW: Target mediums desired to improve in are: ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR, PEN AND INK, COLORED PENCIL, ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR, MIXED MEDIA. Will for loose sketches keep to traditional art media that is 'fast' such as pencils, marker and pen and ink, as the lack of focus I have can be strongly attributed to using the laptop and getting bogged down in having a lack of speedy results, while more bigger heavier personal projects I will try to achieve in more often either via digital media and acrylics.
WHO: Must find an art mentor and/or art partner to collab with by end of February to get critiques and motivation/companionship from. Will attempt to regularly push for more increased personal outings with friends in real life in order to prompt better drawing opportunities and social skills. Will utilize CD, N4D, DA, Meetup, and other such forums. Will make attempt to reconnect to the FIT alumni association and former professor Ray Lago. See if he is interested in the chance to mentor me/guide me back down the basics.
LONG TERM GOALS: Book cover illustration, underground comics/graphic novels, greeting cards, video game art, posters, licensing art (stationary, puzzles, tableware, textiles), storyboards/possibly animatics if ambitous, gain a rise in art commissions and the artistic confidence to approach galleries and publishers with a wider more up to date portfolio. Current portfolio is recycling old artwork chiefly from the start of college, and must have at least a set of 20 new pieces that demonstrate strong abilities and a cohesive style. Must figure out ways to blend my pop-surrealism tastes with more contemporary techniques and be able to pin down what kind of a themed series of art pieces I'd like to start working on/developing a 'brand'. Ideally would like to see a personal creation along the lines of Roman Dirge's 'Lenore' Sam Keith's The Maxx' or Jhonen Vasquez' 'Squee'. SEEK TO RETURN TO ROOTS OF WHAT I ENJOYED ABOUT DRAWING, without relying too much on style preferences as a crutch. Pin down characters and ways to express a whole world and narratives around them. Make good on offered promises to many friends about tribute work I would do for them of their characters.
*** This lengthy post was more or less just an introductory list for me, to keep track of what I aim to have done.
If anyone has read this and happens to have feedback or advice on how to keep these habits developed/build upon them steadily, let me know.