11-26-2012, 04:02 AM
Hey Moe Balinger here,
I graduated in May 2012 with a BFA in traditional drawing and painting from a small art school outside of Atlanta, GA. Unfortunately it wasn't until about half way through that I realized what I wanted to do with my skills. I never really thought about how awesome illustration is until I got to looking at some of my brothers magic cards. Then through some research I found a whole bunch of reasons that illustration is exactly what I want to do for a living.
The problem was that I was going to a school for Fine Art and my professors honestly scoffed when I tried to make my work more illustrative than the typical "nude figure on a simple background" bullshit we were all pumping out for them. So I feel like I lost some opportunities when it comes to character conceptions, poses, environments, and a lot of those other staples of illustration. Since graduating I have been trying to teach myself to digitally paint because I think that it is a fascinating medium and can look so amazing when done right. (Which I have no idea how to do).
My Goals:
1. Paint digitally every day in order to improve my comfort with the medium and thereby my skills in general.
2. Cut the procrastination and develop a Portfolio worthy of an Illustrator so I can find work in my desired field.
3. Become capable of being a self-sufficient artist through commissions and freelance work.
Here are some examples of my traditional work compared to my digital:
I graduated in May 2012 with a BFA in traditional drawing and painting from a small art school outside of Atlanta, GA. Unfortunately it wasn't until about half way through that I realized what I wanted to do with my skills. I never really thought about how awesome illustration is until I got to looking at some of my brothers magic cards. Then through some research I found a whole bunch of reasons that illustration is exactly what I want to do for a living.
The problem was that I was going to a school for Fine Art and my professors honestly scoffed when I tried to make my work more illustrative than the typical "nude figure on a simple background" bullshit we were all pumping out for them. So I feel like I lost some opportunities when it comes to character conceptions, poses, environments, and a lot of those other staples of illustration. Since graduating I have been trying to teach myself to digitally paint because I think that it is a fascinating medium and can look so amazing when done right. (Which I have no idea how to do).
My Goals:
1. Paint digitally every day in order to improve my comfort with the medium and thereby my skills in general.
2. Cut the procrastination and develop a Portfolio worthy of an Illustrator so I can find work in my desired field.
3. Become capable of being a self-sufficient artist through commissions and freelance work.
Here are some examples of my traditional work compared to my digital: