FAQ

Here are some basic questions that were asked of me. I'm still learning as I go, hope this helps.

What are some things you do to develop ideas for work and how do you organize these ideas?

Whatever something comes to mind just sketch away those ideas in quick thumbnails. I use to worry that every idea had to be brilliant. But it takes a lot of bad ideas to sort through the good ones. You'll find quickly which idea carries the best mood or composition. Carrying a sketchbook where ever is great way to capture ideas because it's easy to forget. If I tell myself later, I might get lazy.

Working with people, how is that like?

While freelancing, majority of the time are you will be working with someone who might not be an artist themselves or mid-man such as an art agent. I do my best to include them in the process and have them feel confident in their decision, I learn a lot from them too. If I make their job easier they will be sure to come back for more. I become a reliable resource for their income, while creating art.

I’m basically profiling something into existence that an audience can relate to. I always try to give the concept some rational and believability. Not everything I develop will fit with the current project but go well with others. It can be lifesaver to go back to an old concept as personal reference.

How much control over a job do you have? Do clients come to you with specific jobs or are they more general ideas that you can have some freedom with?

It really depends on the project. Some people will let you go wild while other times they have strict guidelines while using licensed characters. There can be last minute projects to tons of revisions...only to go back to the original idea you first presented. *cough cough*

As someone once said. "An artist is not paid not so much for their labor, but vision."

Are art contest or "free" work a great way to get exposure?

For the most part contest are a mix bag and a hit or miss.

"What makes a job a good experience and worth taking a smaller paycheck to get your foot in the door? When you know exactly what that door is and where it leads. If someone who works for Marvel said "Hey, I'm doing a charity project in my spare time, would you like to donate your time?" THAT would be a good project to get involved in, because you know this guy has actual contacts. Working for free for someone who has no better chance of getting noticed than you do on your own is a waste of time. You are better off spending your time working on your own samples (UNLESS you've seen the writing and are truelly interested in the project or writer).

DO NOT get involved with anyone who implies that they have great opportunities but no money, because if they had opportunities they wouldn't be begging for cheap artists. Don't fall for talk like "my company" unless they can tell you what their company is, and what it's already done (ignore anything that's still "in the works" unless they can tell you it's sold and tell you exactly where). "

-J Wilson

Here's a great article on "No" to spec work.
http://www.paintercreativity.com/articles/top-10-lies.html

What are the tools and techniques you work with most often?

Tools I use:

Paper, pencil, Scanner, Wacom, Camera, Adobe photoshop, Adobe indesign, Adobe Illustrator, Painter, and both Mac and PC platforms. Google.com is your friend to finding jobs and quick reference.

For the most part I like to work general to specific, loose concepts so I can work quickly in thumbnails to get all the bad ideas out of the way.

How did you go about developing styling?

Everybody has a favorite artist and I'm sure a lot of their influences show up in their work out of respect and interest. I think it also comes down to practice and building up one’s visual vocabulary through experience. Naturally we all absorb what interest us and cut out what seems unnecessary, observing from life helps. Having a strong work ethic and skill set helps us interrupt and execute those ideals

What qualities or experiences helped you become successful in the art world?

At first it was an awkward transition from creating art for myself to creating art for others. Everyday I try to find news ways to be more professional. I would like my art to communicate well to the audience and have the client walk away happy.

What are some recommendations you have for someone trying to become a professional artist?

As for attending an art school no matter how famous it may be, you only get what you put in. It is best to join a school where the student’s art impresses you, because this is the quality of learning for years to come. Getting a degree is just a receipt, being able to get the job done is more important.

There are great art how-to-art books by Andrew Loomis are all over the net. Free critiques from professional artist from such sites such as: conceptart.org, cgsociety.org, eatpooh.com, and polykarbon.com are wonderful if you can’t attend an art school.

To get your feet wet join art competitions, fight for those scholarships. Genuine internships can help give you an opportunity into the industry. If you are in a classroom setting look around you. If you were an art director with an expensive project who would you pick? If you don’t see anybody, then strive to become that artist that shines above the rest to see that project through.

When you graduate give yourself a year to find your voice in what you really want to do with your life.

Thanks for reading!