Sometimes I fondly remember a quote by Robert Henri, "being an artist is not just about learning to draw/paint". Nowadays social media drives me crazy. It's much tougher than you think. But it can't be helped. As Ronnie Coleman once said, "Ain't nothing to do but to do it". Thank you for those advices, Chris! 🙏🙏
I'm the director of an online art school called The Magic Box Academy. We offer both free and paid courses to help artists break in as professionals in animation, games, vfx, comics, kidlit and illustration. This video is an excerpt from a series called "You're A Better Artist Than You Think" that is available for free at HowToBecomeAProfessionalArtist.com
well it depends, using a reference is not cheating in of itself, but tracing a reference can be seen as cheating as you're just cheating yourself out of the ability to learn how to draw from reference. using someone elses image to trace over or in other words plagiarize is cheating someone else. so it's just a subject that's just a bit confusing so people take it to mean that all forms of using a reference is cheating when it's not. it depends how it is done in what purpose.
Absolutely. Check out the full video. I have a whole section on the importance of clarifying definitions. I do think artists can learn from tracing. But that’s not the same thing as drawing or painting from reference. Again, I do in-depth in the full 32 minute video on my channel. But you’re absolutely right that reference and plagiarism are completely different things.
@@ChrisOatley it's good that you do and i think a lot of artists and art teachers in the youtube space is preaching just this sentiment that reference is good to use and also the distinction from a bad to a good reference etc. but i do have a question, how do you prepare a drawing? do you have like have a fully formed idea that you just execute? or do you have just a sense of an idea but add things as you go? or maybe a mix of both? i've been playing around with that concept myself of just starting with something and just adding and shifting things around as i go simply because i feel it's easier that way than trying to figure out everything from the start crippling me with too many ideas and too much to think about all at once.
@@bobxbaker That's a great question. We go in depth about this in our courses and in my mentorships, I help my students develop personalized workflows that fit their strengths and weaknesses specifically, but in an attempt to provide some sort of answer here, I'd say that even the most "fully formed idea" is still abstract and unformed. I talked about this in my most recent RU-vid video. There's the concept of the "Platonic Ideal" and then there's the reality of craft. There's no movement without friction. Know what I mean?
@@ChrisOatley sort of, you have an idea but it might not pan out the way you thought it would so you do changes as you see fit. i'll have a look at that video of yours. personally i come to the conclusion that maybe just having one idea is good enough, for example draw what it is you wanna draw like a character and then when it's done you draw the background after and other things as you come up with them, like things aren't done just because you "finished" it sort of deal, you just keep adding to it or change it til you feel like it's in a good spot. just asking to have a finished idea all done before you sit down to draw is crippling to the point you just procrastinate and nothing gets drawn.
@@bobxbaker Oh, I see what you mean.. Yeah, that's what comps are for. Thumbnails, then value comps and finally color comps. Hopefully by then you have a gestalt composition where all elements work together to communicate a clear and effective combination of story and mood.
Not cheating but theft but only theft if no credit is given to original artist and not theft if not full copy but always give credit to Og artist outta admiration kindness and respect the art world is a weird place must always know where you get your references or you get demolished
Exactly. I actually had a whole section after this about how there’s no prize for being the best memorizer but it felt like the rant just went on too long haha.
Awesome info! Big help hearing from the mentors on these kinds of details too, especially seeing how they think when viewing our material! Thanks for making these team!
I've always thought that the best way to know if a career is for me is to figure out if I can find joy from the mundane process of getting better at it. It's easy to focus on the goal of having a career that we neglect the path to get to the position and what comes after getting the career. Glad to hear my thought being validated.
Hi Chris. It's been probably over 5 years since I last viewed any of your content. For some inexplicable reason, your latest email linking to this video piqued my interest. I was one of your early, online students back in 2012 (I also visited your booth at CTNX in Burbank in 2013), but I did not pursue a career path in illustration. Now, at 62, I have gone through so many "shiny object/squirrel" phases that I've never made the time to focus on what it is within the field of illustration that really lights a flame under my you-know-what, and have instead meandered along in my professional life as a freelance graphic designer. This video resonated with me, and I very much appreciate your well-chosen words of advice. I intend to go back to view parts 1 and 2 to re-evaluate my current situation… not out of obligation, but because you've opened some doors and activated my imagination. Thank you.
Hey @Steve Menard! It's great to hear from you! I'm so glad to hear the video resonated with you. The squirrel-power is STRONG and often very difficult to resist. Of course, as artists, we (most if not all of us) need time to explore and experiment and, of course, play! So that's normal and necessary. I'm glad to hear that you're entering a time of re-evaluation. I think we can all benefit from more regular self-check-ins. Looking forward to hearing what you think about parts one and two and about how the re-evaluation season goes for you. Thank you!
Thank you for this video, it was really inspiring and thought provoking. I've changed my professional art direction at least 3 times now and worked a plethora of "side" jobs along side it. I finally feel like I am heading on the correct course that is true to myself, and this video has helped me confirm a lot of my thoughts on this. The biggest thing that has helped me recently is to question "What art work am I happy to be a job, and include everything that a job entails, rather than just a passion?" The two criteria are quite different, but it doesn't mean choosing one over the other forever. Both should be things I love, but they might be loved in different ways. I have realised that illustration is something that I am passionate about for myself, but not something I am happy doing as a career and for other people. On the other hand, I adore creating concept work both for fun and as a career among a team or for clients. The creative process involved with making concepts for a project enhances the experience for me and makes me want to push my skills even further. The things I struggle with when creating an illustration for a client are the exact things I find enjoyment in with concept design. So now that I am mentally separating the two it has really helped me to understand how to balance paid work and just "for me" work.
@AGamerDraws - This! I'm so glad you're finding a direction that works for you. As was mentioned in the excerpt from 'Grit' - it's rarely (if ever) clear at the beginning. ...and I totally agree with you about creating clear divisions between professional and personal work! That separation has become very clear to me over the years. Have you read "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport? It's great.
Great video from a wonderful channel. Art books have provided me a much-needed escape from real life. When life was difficult I'd set up my easy chair with coffee, a desk lamp and a stack of art books beside me. They kept me going during the hardest times. My art books are the best investments I ever made. My 4 favorite books are: - Wonderworks by Michael Whelan - Imaginative Realism by James Gurney - Infinite Worlds by Vincent DiFate - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
Hello! Thanks for your interest. Magic Box is currently closed but we are working on a completely new version of the course. You can subscribe to our email list if you’re interested in receiving updates as we get closer to launch: ChrisOatley.com/subscribe
Great and funny breakdown. I would object only on the "potty mouth" Char though : if i feel something didn´t work - which happens once in a while...c´mon...-or i feel blocked etc . i honestly write about that. In my experience the community- on Insta that is- in this case is very helpful and supportive . And i can totally relate to that, i´m not interested myself in geniuses who never fail or artists, who always stay positive. If you are such an artist: great. If you are not: don´t be afraid to show it. Stay true to yourself and your audience and allow yourself to share this sometimes. ( Emphasis on Sometimes)
I've been going through everything you guys talked about, and I was loosing my mind. Knowing that this is common among creatives and there are ways to deal with it helps a lot. Cheers. Now I just have to get my s#!t together 😑
I post everyday on various art platforms. So far it's actually pretty good! I give one day to rest and then I tackle the rest of the week again to prevent burnout. I was able to get thru over half of the month of april since I've started and I don't have any signs of stopping anytime soon! I will be careful tho. I've burnt out many times before each time I tried that challenge. This time is different and I feel great about it!
I always get trapped by #3, which turns me into #7 and then #9. I get super salty when I make a random funny comment on a art piece that gets 30+ likes on twitter, but I post something on my own channel I worked hard on and it gets....nothing lol. It makes me feel i'm not good enough so I do the pottymouth at times
Thank you so much! I just got the idea to make my profile a little bit more simple. I will be more direct about what I like to do. I'm not even aiming to be a professional artist but it will be nice to get more attention and to raise other artists up as well. :)
