06-26-2015, 04:49 AM
I know for me, it was sort of a disappointment to find that CA and CD weren't very active after I joined. Many of the artists I followed had so many great things to say about these sites and to find that things had gotten so quiet, was like I had missed out on something.
I think that Amit is somewhere on the right track when he talked about peoples selfish motivations. Even for me, I joined for my own benefit as well. Who can really say if I'll still be here when I reach "professional" level? Of course it's true that once you begin to get work, you'll have less time to roam on these kind of forums, but it still remains true that once these sites no longer provide any sort of gain, people have no reason to stay.
It could also be that people's interest in concept art/illustration is on the decline. With so many sites like ArtStation out there now, maybe there's just an oversaturation. I mean I know even a few years ago it seemed like every artist I knew wanted to be a concept artist. Now though, it seems like a lot of those people have been weeded out leaving only those who are truly serious about it.
I'm only 21, and so I guess I'm part the social media era, but I'm just not convinced that people are choosing social media sites like Facebook over forums. I'm sure that it's part of issue, but I don't think it's the major factor. Maybe it is more accessible, but I can't see somebody posting their sketchbooks on Facebook and receiving the same kind of critiques that you get here.
I think that Amit is somewhere on the right track when he talked about peoples selfish motivations. Even for me, I joined for my own benefit as well. Who can really say if I'll still be here when I reach "professional" level? Of course it's true that once you begin to get work, you'll have less time to roam on these kind of forums, but it still remains true that once these sites no longer provide any sort of gain, people have no reason to stay.
It could also be that people's interest in concept art/illustration is on the decline. With so many sites like ArtStation out there now, maybe there's just an oversaturation. I mean I know even a few years ago it seemed like every artist I knew wanted to be a concept artist. Now though, it seems like a lot of those people have been weeded out leaving only those who are truly serious about it.
I'm only 21, and so I guess I'm part the social media era, but I'm just not convinced that people are choosing social media sites like Facebook over forums. I'm sure that it's part of issue, but I don't think it's the major factor. Maybe it is more accessible, but I can't see somebody posting their sketchbooks on Facebook and receiving the same kind of critiques that you get here.