Analytical drawing + Intuitive drawing = Iterative drawing
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I recently watched this Video on the subject of this topic, and came to the conclusion that is why I am struggling here on SVS. I was trained to be very analytical, almost overly in my thinking when it comes to art.
But I find a lot of the imagery of Children's Books to be more Intuitive. Certainly the artist did put a lot of forethought into their work, I am not saying it came from nowhere. Also as this site proves there is a ton of information to be considered when doing this well.
What I'm trying to get at is, how do you bridge from one side of the brain to the other, and just sort of " doodle freely " for lack of a better term. I am not trying to insult or dumb down the process... I want to learn it to be be able to incorporate it into my thinking and work. I just don't how to get there.
Another artist friend who is much better at this type of stuff (and his job as a toy designer is an example of that) told me, find a style you like, practice it till it morphs into your style, don't try to copy it exactly, because you don't want their style to be your own. You want your style to shine through from trying theirs... it's the same thinking as copying great masterworks, you learn by doing.
I have yet to try it voraciously, though I know it is how I began drawing as a kid, copying the 3 comic book artists I love, and as such my work has elements of theirs, but is not a direct copy. I just had never thought to try this with artists who don't draw as realistically as I'm used to...
Anyway I know one other person here has 2 styles they fluctuate between, and the whole reason I am here is to add a second style of work to the work I have been doing. I love this kind of artwork, it has all the humanism and charm that I liked a a kid, and is essentially the same sort of story telling that I love found in comic books.
Anyway, I hope this video helps anyone else in the same boat. Cheers!
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@Bobby-Aquitania I find I can have a difficult time coming up with the "whimsy" element that the great illustrators have. It only comes to me every so often in a hit of inspiration, but most artist will tell you that working inspirationally doesn't work and dries up your creative well. Draw with Jazza has a good video on this type of subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu3ulVhO3z4&index=4&list=PLNaAcA0yN3KZ3JAnd4tC3XhKGSkkT5yKI
You're friend is right though. I'm following a different artist every month that has a style I like and a "looser" approach. It's just a different kind of structure, but I'm finding it's opening my brain up to my own new ideas. They aren't styles I would personally draw, but maybe trying ones you wouldn't do would open up that imagination.
I'd say open up 5% of your working day to do sketches and see if things start coming to you. Good luck!
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Thank you Bharris, I will look at everything you mentioned... I've had the same advice from my painting teacher in college. Who told me to stop drawing beautiful people. She said anyone can do symmetry. Symmetry doesn't make you a better artist. So she told me to start drawing ugly people, faces with character, faces that were imperfect, less than ideal, normal people, and everyday people, not models...
By doing these kinds of work, I would learn to see imperfections for the details that required to shape them, and not just the symmetry that I could fake. She also said to step away from my work from time to time, and fill my head full of data. Any kind of data, unrelated art data. She said go watch a kung fu movie, go out to dinner, read a book... then when you come back to your work, your brain will be re-energized by not thinking about your art problem, but by still having had it stimulated in the interim.
Here is Sycra's follow up Video to this topic... thanks again for your input.
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That is good advice, I'd like to try non-symmetrical things too, it's just another brain exercise. I notice that stepping away is totally necessary. As artists we are trained observers and getting different sights really help with problem solving and of course inspiration. Going to a park is one of my favorite ways to break the art desk mode, just quick sketches of kiddos (since I'm going for children's books) really frees me.
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Thanks Bobby I really like the video. I was a stubborn person. Every time my community college teachers told me to look at another artist I refused to because I was afraid that I would copy their style, and that would not be me (I was wrong). I thought to myself I had to try everything I could from drawing, sculpting, painting, all kind of medium etc. My art fellows told me that "Naroth, you're doing all type of things and different, but we can sense your same personality in each of them" I feel like maybe style has something to do with your personality. Then I asked myself what medium and style I liked the most after so many experience? I picked watercolor but digital and chose to draw a bit like a kid but with understanding of foundation art ( I knew it was going to be a challenge because it's hard to mimic watercolor using digital tools, but I was determined) so I went to study watercolor characteristic by observing everything that makes watercolor shines. All in all, I think personality was my key to the lock. This picture shows the process of me finding my way of doing art 2011-2015. I don't know it this has answered anything but I wanted to share the struggle I was facing.
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Thank you Naroth... I appreciate the personal story.
I too have extensive training, 4 years of a specialized art high school, 4 years of an art college, and 2 years as an art teacher, 1 year getting my certificate to teach K-12 and 1 year in the field teaching at a Korean camp.
However this was all before the digital age, by the time that came around I was fiending to translate my skills into a computer I knew nothing about... I self taught myself everything I could find at my local library about buying a comparable machine, and proud to say in 2000 I had a Micron 933mhz puppy (woooohoooo).
In the years to come I got my hands on a copy of Photoshop 6, and a Wacom 2 tablet, and I haven't looked back since. Like you watercolors were my preferred medium, but digitally I wanted to learn everything about doing comic book coloring and inking. When I found concept art, I was in heaven.
For the past 5 years that has been my self imposed and joyful outlet, until I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon/liver cancer 2 years ago. I am currently in stable condition and after finding SVS, my joy of art has returned once again, because this style has always been a favorite of mine.
My first love is still concept art, but I have decided to learn as much as I can from my sub, and everyone's work is so inspiring. Thank you again for your input, I love your work.
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Bobby - I found this video so fascinating and speaking to me directly on so many levels. I am very much an analytical thinker and often find myself confused by how others come up with such amazing ideas, where as I feel like it takes me a while to get there. And I have always thought of myself as very creative but in the past few years as I work on this every single day I really have felt the struggle to be more free and intuitive in my work as well.
Just watching this video helped me open my eyes to how to experience things going forward.
I also find it interesting that I had been struggling with the recent contest winners for things like the Tomie award as I was seeing the technical issues in a given piece. It was Lee White who said the market is not looking at the technical correctness they are responding to the emotion that a piece gives them. And this strong analytical side of me struggles with the balance between those two.
So that plus this video are really presenting themselves to me at a time where I think I am ready to learn from them.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
Rich -
Thank you Rich, that means a lot coming from you, and it's so nice to know I am not the only one struggling between the technical side and the intuitive one... I guess we need to do the iterative work and free our minds. I'm glad Lee White said it so well, the exact opposite is true of almost every other art field, where technical skill trumps intuition, well not overwhelmingly, in a world flooded by talent, sometimes all that is left is intuition.
Hang in there, we're gonna figure this out, I just know it...
