Society of Visual Storytelling

    SVSLearn Forums

    • Register
    • Login
    • Search
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Groups
    • Search

    SVS class idea! (How to study others work)

    Questions & Comments
    12
    22
    3357
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • ?
      A Former User last edited by

      I want to study other artists illustration because I want to get better and can’t think of a better way than start there due to Will and Lee recently talking about artists who copy as they learned. I just ran into the issue of not knowing what to look for or think of while study others work. Could you make a class or YouTube video on what you usually look for?

      BichonBistro 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
      • BichonBistro
        BichonBistro @Guest last edited by

        @ben-migliore said in SVS class idea! (How to study others work):

        I want to study other artists illustration because I want to get better and can’t think of a better way than start there due to Will and Lee recently talking about artists who copy as they learned. I just ran into the issue of not knowing what to look for or think of while study others work. Could you make a class or YouTube video on what you usually look for?

        @Ben-Migliore I have the same problem of "I know what I like when I see it" but don't have a logical system of evaluating exactly what it is that makes the illustration appealing/effective.
        I thought it was just me 😉I too would appreciate a more formal structure for analyzing an illustration. Thanks for articulating what I couldn't put into words!

        https://www.instagram.com/bichonbistro
        http://www.heartfeltimpressions.com
        https://www.facebook.com/patty.burke.9655
        https://twitter.com/BichonBistro

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Eli
          Eli last edited by

          Count me in on this--same problem! I'd love more guidance on how to analyse what I love about a piece or an artist and incorporate the elements into my own work. I have watched the Lee White video on Finding Your Style and have been working on the Dream Portfolio, but could definitely use more direction on that!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • MissMushy
            MissMushy SVS OG last edited by

            Ditto! This type of info would be very useful

            www.instagram.com/artbymmartinez
            www.instagram.com/the.mindful.otter

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Christine Garner
              Christine Garner last edited by

              Just some ideas for evaluating others work, I'm sure there are lots more but I'm not in essay writing mode, just brainstorming:

              Subject matter / themes they use or you are drawn to
              Graphic design stuff: composition and focal points (how are they directing the eye), linework style, colour scheme, texture, contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity...
              mood of the illustration and how this is achieved through use of design elements
              what medium are they using (watercolour, acrylic, printmaking, digital etc.)
              how effective is it at conveying the overall message of the piece

              Here's an example of someone evaluating there favorite artists work: https://medium.com/@roblevintennis/illustration-teardowns-italian-illustrators-cd843d2d5153

              website: https://thimblefolio.com

              smceccarelli ? 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • smceccarelli
                smceccarelli Pro SVS OG @Christine Garner last edited by

                @christine-garner Nice article! I have worked with Davide Bonazzi and no - he does not do lo-fi sketches. For every brief he delivers 4-6 ideas in near-final comps. Apparently ideas just come to him in a rich and steady flow ;-))

                Christine Garner 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • ?
                  A Former User @Christine Garner last edited by

                  @christine-garner This is a great resource! Thank you!!

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Christine Garner
                    Christine Garner @smceccarelli last edited by

                    @smceccarelli I don't know how anyone could assume such a thing about how another artist forms sketches from looking at the final work either 🙂

                    website: https://thimblefolio.com

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Sarah LuAnn
                      Sarah LuAnn SVS OG last edited by

                      I don't think its bad to look at an artists final work and try to guess how their sketches looked... and be wrong. I think what we really should be thinking (and what is really helpful about the exercise) is "If I were to create work that were like this in thus-and-such a way, what would it look like earlier in the process?" The point being trying to figure out how YOU work...if its true of the artist thats secondary. 🙂

                      Of course its valuable to actually see someone's process, but sometimes that isn't readily avaliable :-).

                      sarahluann.com

                      ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • ?
                        A Former User @Sarah LuAnn last edited by

                        @sarah-luann Thank you, I think what I am getting at though is trying to study others work by asking what makes their illustrations'good. I am just currently unaware of what I should keep in mind while looking for those qualities

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Lee White
                          Lee White SVS Team SVS Instructor Pro SVS OG last edited by

                          Hi guys,

                          I have some suggestions for you.

                          The first thing I'd do is just do some master copies of the work you are looking at. Try to make it as exact as you can. Really try to be observant when you are doing it and look at what they did.

                          The next step is breaking it down in a very detailed way. How did they use composition, color, shape, lighting, etc. Do they do that same thing every time? Are they working in a similar way to other artists you like? Are they similar in how they are approaching these things?

                          The next step is to try a new illustration in their style. Literally try to approach it as if you were them. This is tough, but it gives you the freedom to not worry about ripping people off. The important thing is to see if you can pull it off in their style.

                          The last step is to figure out what you want to use from all the things you learned. Is it the color? Or shape design? or composition? etc.? Try this with a few artists and see where you end up.

                          Don't worry about not being "yourself". You can't escape your own tendencies if you wanted to. Have fun with it and try to learn along the way. Add your own exercises to the ones I'm listing here. It's just a starting point and you can take it in many directions.

                          SVS Faculty Instructor
                          www.leewhiteillustration.com

                          ? Will Terry Eli BichonBistro 4 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 8
                          • ?
                            A Former User @Lee White last edited by

                            @lee-white thanks so much for your insight !!

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Will Terry
                              Will Terry @Lee White last edited by

                              @lee-white This might make for an interesting Third Thursday topic - where each of us take a piece we wish we had created and break it down for what we're looking at when we copy it LIVE!

                              SVS Instructor
                              http://willterry.com/

                              Eli ? 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 7
                              • Eli
                                Eli @Lee White last edited by

                                @lee-white THANK YOU so much, this really helps!!

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • Eli
                                  Eli @Will Terry last edited by

                                  @will-terry YESSS!!! please!

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • ?
                                    A Former User @Will Terry last edited by A Former User

                                    @will-terry 😃 that would be so cool. If it does could you mention me somewhere for asking for the topic. sorry if it’s too much, just would be fun to point out to my friends.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • BichonBistro
                                      BichonBistro @Lee White last edited by

                                      @lee-white thanks Lee

                                      https://www.instagram.com/bichonbistro
                                      http://www.heartfeltimpressions.com
                                      https://www.facebook.com/patty.burke.9655
                                      https://twitter.com/BichonBistro

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • Lee White
                                        Lee White SVS Team SVS Instructor Pro SVS OG last edited by

                                        @Will-Terry I like the idea of doing that. Not live though. That would be like a 6 hour video! Maybe we speed up our creation of it and then talk over it live so we can highlight the important stuff?

                                        SVS Faculty Instructor
                                        www.leewhiteillustration.com

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                        • ?
                                          A Former User last edited by

                                          @Will-Terry I was just watching your videos and I stumbled across you saying "We should teach our art students to copy the masters before us" https://youtu.be/O-ByPngvlug?t=4m47s
                                          Just thought it was interesting.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • Jules
                                            Jules last edited by

                                            I would love to see this as a class too. I’ve been struggling with the same thing.

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post