1st-2nd: live ref / photo ref
3rd: mind
4th: mind, comparing before and after studying
5th: self portrait from reference (line drawing), on wich i painted over from mind.
ahah, ok so i tried to continue on last weeks idea to study a specific topic along with working on concepts.
This week i started the design of a thief from a novel. (the master thief by brothers grimm) Despite the incapacity to generate ideas, - wich brough me now, after a week, to have nothing more than when i started - i found that my faces really lacked realism. So i decided to make it the weeks topic, or at least to do three sketches of faces (ref, mind, both) to see if i would make a progress and how.
I must say that working this way was quite successfull, as i knew what i wanted to get better at and could focus my attention to it. I noticed a much better understanding of what creates realism in a face. I didn´t focus much on values, but more on proportions and features. What makes eyes and noses real, how are they connected, which are the important wrinkles and so on.
The more i study and the more i realize that my skills uniquely depend on my immagination and my ability to see things in my mind. If i have a clear image in my mind, then i´ll draw it with no problem. The times when i draw badly is because i neglect immagination or thought, and just scribble aimlessly on the paper. (which happens actually most of the times).
But not only this: when i have a clear image i my mind, i am sure of what i´m gonna draw, and i say to my self (i really do), that it´s an easy thing to do. What happens is that i do it with no problems. Other times i would start drawing, with no particular idea on my mind, and continue having no ideas, and of course i won´t get nowhere.
The lesson here i think is that, first comes thought, and then comes action. This doesn´t mean that one should never start drawing without nowing what he´s gonna draw, but then you must accept the fact that you´re just exploring an infinite amount of possibilities, and that every stroke you make is a question, you can answer or not answer. Not answering any of these questions will get you a formless scribble. Answering the questions about: what can this mark represent, what can i see in this drawing, getting inspired by the same lines you make, will soon give you and idea of what you want to achieve.
this i think atleas, i´ll try it tomorrow =) eheh
but really, the approach is used by a lots of artists out there, probably by all of them. =) If someone if familiar with andrew jones way of developing his images, might recognize something similar. He basicly throws shapes on the canvas and tries to see things through these shapes. At a certain point he starts seeing something he wants to pursue and commits to it, renders it and so on. But evry time he makes a mark he stops and asks to it-self: is this a good mark, where am i going from here? that´s when he answers: "hell yes", or "fuck no" (everything that is not a "hell yes") =) basicly the idea is to get as many "hell yes" as possible, to get an overall hell yes "image" =)
ahhh it´s getting late, anyway i made another plan of action, simpler than the previous, and i´ll start following it by today. yes!
cheers=)
p.s. here´s the plan heh
1. I am a concept artist at blizzard by 2010
2. I apply at blizzard entertainment
3. I ship a AAA with a game company
4. I apply at a company producing AAA games by april 26th
5. I have a portfolio as a concept artist. By april 25th
5.5. I have 1character 3dmodel, 1 environment 3dmodel by april 19th
6. I have 2 professional looking Industrial design conceptsI by april 5th
7. I have 2 professional looking creature concepts by march 22th
8. I have 3 professional looking envronment concepts by march 8th
9. I have 3 professional looking character concepts by feb 15th
Become an expert in the concept art field:
View other concept artists art, find what can they do better than me, and learn it: atleast 1 every morning
Talk with other people, give critics, and ask for critics: give at least 3 critics a day
Create a sketchbook to showcase my work: update at least 1 a day
Do studies everyday: 2 hours study every day
Do 1 concept sketch a day
4 comments:
Interesting plan. Wish ya luck!
thanks!!
I'm gonna try this in english as an exercise for myself... hm...
Well, my workingprocess is slightly different. If I have a clear image in my head how I want it to look like I most likely going to fail. The result is never gonna meet up to my high expectations. So you are realy lucky being able to ashive that!
In my process I always have to change my mind and go for something else all the time and often that is a lot better than holding on to my first idéa witch probebly isn't that good anyway.
Good luck with your work!
yeah, i understand what you mean, and i agree. I mean the first image you see is just a start, the more you change your mind and develop the idea, the better it will get.
Most of the times when i see an image, i go in autopilot and start thinking to other things. This produces bad stuff most of the times =)
Some time ago, a friend asked to a japanese film director, how did he choose an idea for his movies, how did he decide wich idea was good and wich was bad. His answer was that what he tries to do, is not to limit his creations just to his ideas, but to let them grow and become better than he could hae immagined them.
This doesn´t mean that he takes random decisions and the film becomes good or bad randomly eheh.
I guess it´s more like, seeing lots of roads along the way, and every time choosing one that he likes, even if he didn´t plan it.
I guess the concept is that of being surprised by your work =)
in this sense i´ve always admired your ability to come up with good stuff, in any situation. now i know your secret. mhuahuah =p
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