The Importance of taking breaks

This past week I worked a ton. I put in at least two, but possibly three 30 hour days. Honestly I lost track of the days and had to ask my wife what day it was Friday morning even though I have a calendar over my laptop. The life of a freelancer can get fairly complex and congested if you let it. But this past week was a combination of work that just had to get done and a massive creative spurt mixed with the realization that I had previously bitten off more than I could chew and needed to buckle down in order to make a decent dent in all this work. That would be a great problem to have if even half of what I were doing was paid freelance work, but as it happens I have been fairly ambitious this past year and this is the fallout of me trying to launch a few personal projects. The good news is that they are all gaining traction so far, so hopefully the hard work will pay off. In the meantime, even a creative person can't work non-stop all the time. Sleep is essential to a sharp mind. And a sharp, attentive mind is key to making wise decisions as you work. You can't realistically expect yourself to be able to constantly consider light, value, tone, composition, contrast, narrative, anatomy issues, brush, pen, or pencil strokes, line weight, color selection, and anything else I may have missed when you've been up for 24-30 hours straight and worked most of that save a sandwich and bathroom breaks. So what do you do when you're under the gun and time is of the essence? Most artists and illustrators will tell you it starts way before that moment, but if you are there, then the only thing you can do is rush to the finish line and hit your deadline. But as I can tell you, you end up like the drunk who wakes up on the bathroom floor with a splitting headache and you swear you will never do it again...until you do. So the solution is simple. Get a schedule and keep it. I know, I know, it's like a budget. It looks good on paper, but how's it play in practice? Well, obviously (see above), not so well for some of us. Still, on my road to correcting this issue, I have learned at least one thing. I need to take regular breaks, and here's why. 1. I don't eat right if I don't schedule it in. You don't want to eat at your desk. If you do, you never get a mental or emotional break from your work space, and then you grow to resent going there at all after time. Taking a break, leaving your work space for a while, and getting some nourishment is a good thing all around. 2. I don't sleep right either. Yeah, schedules are hard to keep as a creative type. I typically only sleep when I'm exhausted. This is a social issue and really cramps my wife's style, but it is also a health issue. People who sleep at the same time of day for solid periods of time (usually between six and eight hours) are typically more balanced all around. Proper sleep equals more energy and a clearer mind. 3. Your work needs to breath. Well, not exactly, but it's true that you need to step away from your work to get a better, all-inclusive view of it. Why do many traditional painters step back several feet to view their work regularly as they paint? Because you need to keep the overall composition and balance of the work in mind. Yes, you can zoom out, but your body (lower portions especially) will also thank you for the brief bit of exercise and returned blood flow. 4. This point could be placed with #2, but it's more than just an as you sleep type thing. Often times our subconscious mind is problem solving as we 'switch off' the conscious portion of our brain in regard to a certain task. I often refer to this as putting something on the back burner. Your brain will continue to work out the issue and often times if you sleep on it, go play a video game, watch a show or film, or go for a refreshing walk, when you return to your work it will flow much smoother than before hand. I'm sure there are more, but those are four big ones for now! Now I'll show some of the work I wrapped up last week. These are pieces I did for Misfit Studios up-coming Misfit Pathfinder project. You can see more at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Harsh/107530249314935?ref=hl

Just keep it simple

As I mentioned in my last post, which *gasp* was only a week ago! (That's fairly amazing in itself!), I have really been delving into 'art think' mode lately. I am calling myself an illustrator or freelance illustrator, or artist, or even art director when people ask what it is I do all day and never really leave my apartment, so shouldn't I start acting the part? I joke. I do work hard at creating my artwork, but the vast majority of people have no idea I even exist let alone my artwork or even this little blog here. So how to remedy that? I guess make a splash. How to do that? Well, be excellent at what I do is a good start.Obviously I'm not there and even if I thought I was there is always room for improvement. I recall reading about some of the great artists from days past and how they almost always had a low self-esteem regarding their work. Sure, some had a brave face, a bit of bravado, etc., but most when pushed would say they weren't all that good and needed to just quit or get better. As a whole I think artists are a bit like adolescents in that regard. They never really seem to have a firm grasp on self-image nor do they seem to be able to fully appreciate what they create because as soon as it's labeled finished it's crap in their eyes. They can always and always want to do better. Ok, so where is all this coming from? Well, I never really got into the whole 'art scene' at university. I was never really willing to be quite that pretentious as to make use of mysterious terms that only a select few understood. I was never really into the whole smoking jacket approach to critiques or criticisms of other artist's works. I always preferred to just look over a piece and try to learn from it. Give advice or feedback if asked, and be polite about it, and then move on. I never really got the need to juice up my ego at the expense of others, but I have certainly felt the effects of it. So when I hear terms tossed around as if they are some sort of private club speak, it baffles me. Something like "Rule of Thirds", for instance. It just means to create a solid composition that portrays a compelling, and visually appealing image. Yes, you can make use of the separation lines to adjust the image for maximum impact, but you also run the risk of a canned image that looks very much like many others out there. You can 'term' yourself into a cookie cutter mess if you're not careful. Now, I'm not saying that an art vocabulary is useless, I'm just saying keep it simple. Why not talk about how the image reads, how the subject is framed by the borders of the image, how the light, tones, values, etc. all interact to tell a story? (Yeah, I know those are more art terms.) Maybe I'm not 'getting' it, but for my money, keep it simple. Say what it is, and leave the decoding ring at home.

Collecting experience with knowledge

It's Monday again and I've managed to come up for some air a bit yesterday and today. Since August 12th until September 15th I pretty consistently put in 10 to 12 or more hours of relatively solid work every day without a break. Why? Well, for starters, as a freelancer I need to earn a living so I put in the necessary time to do what I could to meet that goal for my budget. Then, on top of that, GenCon '12 happened between Aug. 12th and 20th (including travel time). My business partners with Harsh Realities and a few volunteers ran 46 games in four days. It was a blast, people seemed to genuinely love our games and dice mechanic, gave praise and valuable feedback, and we learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work. It was also exhausting. Still, I took a few moments to look around the exhibit hall, see some other artists, and of course, a few art directors as well. I came home excited to get to work, and still had a week's worth of work to catch up on, so I put my head down and got to it. Oh, and on top of that there is the web comic to pump out every week. :)
So, that's why. I've been freelancing, working on artwork for Harsh Realities, Art Directing for Harsh Realities, doing the web comic for Worldview Warriors, and ramping up submissions for future projects and bigger clients as well. It's been crazy! This is the part where the rubber hits the road, as they say. I had a portfolio review with Wizards of the Coast that left me feeling in between worlds. I was told I was essentially wasting my talent by jobbing it out, but at the same time those practical needs of daily, weekly, and monthly life don't just go away because an artist suddenly decides he/she is just simply better than the pay they are currently getting. So here's what I have come to. If I want to reach my potential, I have to really hone those art and illustration skills. It takes hard work, dedication, and self-motivated drive. I also feel like I need to really locate my 'voice' as an artist, as much as I really dislike that sort of language. Still, I've had people tell me they can identify my work by it's look. I have a hard time doing that. So perhaps a better way to state this is that I need to learn to focus my already existent style in a more conscious manner.
Either way, I need to level up again. And the only way to level up is to gain experience. In the game world that's achieved by adventuring, slaying monsters, toppling challenges, and achieving goals. In the real world, as an illustrator, it's much the same, but I would say carefully observing, executing your observations, consistently and repeatedly knocking down the habits or short-comings of your work flow, and replacing your old portfolio with a newly acquired series of images to show off. After all, when you level up, people notice. You get new skills, or a new weapon or other gear, or a special ability that sets you apart from all the other adventurers out there. So. Knowledge and experience lead to leveling up. Putting in the hard work, extra hours, and dedication it takes to see yourself through to the next tier.
Oh, and one more thing that has helped put all this in perspective. Since starting the art direction process for Harsh Realities' first book, my artistic eye has changed. I have to give credit to Ninja Mountain podcast as well. I've been listening to their archived podcasts as I work and a lot of the insights offered there have helped remind me or inform me of things I need to know as an illustrator and an artist. I don't have that community of artists so much, but I now feel like I'm starting to create one around myself at least across the internet. A big part of this new network is from the artists I have been able to work with on the artwork for HR, and as I said, it's changed how I look at art. Especially my own. I think from here on out I will be thinking more like an art director when I create artwork, and I think that has already changed how I approach things from the ground up.

The 11th Hour...er...Month

I suppose it's a matter of being distracted and spread out a bit that keeps me from posting regular updates here or elsewhere, but here I am again. It's been almost 11 months and a lot has changed. I took a job last August as a designer for a newspaper. New experience gave way to new opportunities to learn and expand my range of skills. It was a good learning pool too. Several talented people to learn from and in the end it made me a stronger artist and designer. Now, however, I've returned to the freelance world only to find myself looking at even greater opportunities. I've started a web comic in the Marvel tradition and taken on the writing, pencils, inks, and colors duties for now. I have several children's literature books to illustrate, some game art, already done some game art and working on a pretty large order now, and my own games to illustrate as well! I'm super busy!
So what brought all this on? Well, prayer first and foremost, but also dedication, hard work, and diligence. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Now. Follow through and updating the marketing aspect of all this and everything will be right as rain.

Next up: Lots of artwork!

For now though, have a gander at these: http://wvwcomic.blogspot.com/

Babydoll Study Update

This was a very rewarding process. I have learned a huge amount about color and light in this painting and I'm very pleased with my final outcome. Maybe not exactly like the photo, but pretty durn close.

Challenge Accepted

Get over here! (que Mortal Kombat music)
It may be that today is my 37th birthday or that I just lost site of the goal, but I believe I mentioned below that as I lumbered through this past decade something didn't click. I began to coast as an artist and, even though these past couple years I have been reading practically every Art Blog, Forum, and eMagazine I could get my grubby fingers on, for some reason I refused to put all that knowledge into action. The whole thing reminds me of several opportunities I chose to pass up as a young man in order to go back to college and hang out with my friends. I wasn't so much concerned with actually going to class back then, though reality eventually set in for me and I did well in the end, but instead I focused on what immediate returns I could get for my time and energy spent. Reading that you might think to yourself, "Hmm...that sounds oddly like what's happening to you now, Scott.", and well, you would be mostly correct about that. The only difference this time is that I only dropped the ball in one arena and in life all around. Still, I dropped the ball.
I can be hard on myself at times, and this is one of those times, but I'm not about beating myself up and working myself into a stupor to wallow in self pity and low self-esteem. Instead I'm looking hard at where I am professionally and where I want to be instead. Then, I'm considering what do I need to do to get there. Fortunately, the answer if fairly easy this time. I want to be over there, painting book covers, movie posters, and commercial art. I want to create awe-inspiring fantasy and science-fiction paintings that make people ask me how I did it or where the idea came from. I want this spark in my belly to ignite into a flame so bright that others want to know what drives me to do what I do. And you know what? I think I just stepped up to the challenge of all that and more. As I've told my wife, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. It's time to do something and stop saying 'one day', or 'I wish'. No one will hand you a free ride with no evidence you are worth the risk, but many people will invest in you if you can show what you can do.

This is a Work In Progress I started 8.3.11 that I plan to finish on 8.4.11. It's a study to see if I could bite off photo realism, and I think I'm moving in the right direction.

Working to find 'The Edge'

Many of you know, especially if you are an artist, that being competitive in today's market is not just competing against the local guys (or gals), but rather within the world market. It's just as easy to hire out an artist, illustrator, graphic designer in Texas (my new home as of a month ago) than it is to hire one from somewhere in Canada, China, Russia, etc. All the artist and employer need is a means to communicate via the web and it's a done deal. So what does it take to hang tough and get off the porch? (Yeah, I like mixed metaphors, deal.)

Well, for me so far, it's just a matter of finally admitting to myself that I'm just not as good as I would like to be. I've managed to get a lot of small press jobs. I've done many interiors and several book covers now, but every time I turn around there's ten more, younger, edgier artists out there licking up the jobs that I want. So what do I do? Take a hard look in the mirror. Take a hard look at my work. And take a hard look at the artwork of the artist who are getting hired more frequently for the big boys. What did I find? Well, to be honest, I couldn't help but recall words from long ago ringing in my ears. Words from instructors and artistic friends who had tried to help me onto a path of being a better artist well over a decade ago, but quite frankly I was too lazy and arrogant to listen.
That stings more than a bit. But you know what? It's the kind of sting like the soreness the day after a hard workout. It's the kind of sting that says, yeah, better late than never, and ok, this is possible. So here I am continuing this hard look at all these things and realizing it's just a matter of putting in the time, doing the work, and being bold. Here are some steps I've taken recently. The move to Texas slowed me down a bit, but at the moment I'm working on some pieces to further my progress and I'm moving away from the comic book looking stuff (not that I'm turning down work like that though!) into more of a painterly style, which I utterly love, btw. As always, critiques and comments are welcome. Thanks!