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?

BichonBistro

@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!

Eli

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!

MissMushy

Ditto! This type of info would be very useful

Christine Garner

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

smceccarelli

@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 This is a great resource! Thank you!!

Christine Garner

@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

Sarah LuAnn

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 :-).

@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

Lee White

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.

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

Will Terry

@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!

Eli

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

Eli

@will-terry YESSS!!! please!

@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.

BichonBistro

@lee-white thanks Lee

Lee White

@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?

@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.

Jules

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