What I've been doing isn't working

[Jeanneillustrates]

I have wanted to be disciplined and productive for so long now and I haven't accomplished it. I don't want to go into weenie mode and bore you with the why's and why nots, but I think I have a better idea of how to make it work this time and I am hoping that being here will help me be more accountable.

So here is my new schedule, beginning tomorrow morning.

6am- up and to the gym til 8am (unless I am called into work. I work p/t in the mornings and evenings on call)
8am-10am household chores and Gus time (Gus is my english bulldog)
M-F 10-3pm WORK ON PROJECTS. I am working on publishing a story so I have to either work on writing or on any of the illustration projects that I have lined up for myself.
If I don't have to go to work at my other job:

1HR GESTURE DRAWING
1HR "BEAN" STUDIES

dinner break and gus time

1HR STRUCTURE/ PERSPECTIVE STUDIES
1HR "ROBO BEAN" STUDIES
1HR ANATOMY STUDY
then 1 hr relaxation/ meditation/ reading, etc before bedtime.

Sat/Sunday will be for chores and for free time.

Now, these studies will correspond to what I'm going to learn from Proko.com. My goal is to learn how to construct the form and so I will be supplementing what I learn from other sources such as Andrew Loomis books, svslearn.com, etc.

I also want to learn other things such as better paint control, and composition, etc, but I have learned that I need to focus on one thing at a time so for the first half of the year I shall be focusing on building the figure (human and animal) since all of the work I do is always character based. THE GOAL IS TO NOT NEED REFERENCE or at least, not need as much reference because right now it is a crutch and it is murdering me.

I have an additional goal of creating an illustration portfolio (with an emphasis on children's book, fantasy, and editorial illustration) by my 27th birthday and launching it online which will be August 21st.


Any suggestions?

[Adam Lina]

Dont feel so bad about using reference. I'm not a professional illustrator but from listening to One Fantastic Week, I've heard them repeat time and again that almost all professional illustrators(at least representational artists) use reference. Now theres nothing wrong with wanting to improve your drawing so that you arnt completely reliant on it but not using it at all isnt a realistic goal. I recommend checking One Fantastic Week if you havnt already. They've got a facebook group and a youtube channel with all the old episodes.

Again I dont claim to be an expert on this but children's books, fantasy and editorial illustration are 3 very different markets which would call for 3 different portfolios. The kind of work that is marketable for children's books isn't the same as for fantasy illustration like Magic the Gathering type of stuff. If you have a portfolio with 3 different styles catering to each market it sends mixed signals to clients. Its better to figure out what kind of jobs you want to be getting the most and stream line your folio to that specific market. You can build a completely separate folio for other markets that you only show to those types of clients. It is better to have multiple market place options but you spread yourself too thin trying to get into all of them at once. At least this is something I've heard from a couple different blogs and podcasts of pro illustrators.

[Jeanneillustrates]

Good point. I think that is part of what has been holding me back, about the portfolios, because I honestly don't know what sort of jobs I am wanting. I mean, I am interested in picture books, and I know I love illustrating mythology and folklore, but in truth I look at the things I make and I feel like it doesn't fit in very well with the things I have seen in any field and I am always so confused and lost of which direction I should go in. Part of that is that I was taught fine art in school and its taken me a couple of years to even understand what illustration is. I guess I have to do more soul searching.

As for the reference, yep, I've watched those guys. That's a great podcast and I know what you mean. reference is not bad, but one time I googled an egg. I mean, an egg. That is how bad I have been, using reference as a crutch and not really trusting in my abilities. I need to get to a healthier place with it, where I truly use it to see, oh, what kind of clothes did pirates wear in the 17th century or something like that, not, I want to draw a person, in this exact pose, lemme just spend 3 days finding the perfect pictures to stick together. It's pathetic.

So what I'm hoping is that this practice will make me stronger in a habit sense and in a figure sense. That I'll be able to understand the core better instead of just the surface.

That portfolio thing is gonna be tricky though...