@Heather-Boyd If you work with it more you end up getting better. I have more problems with environments rather than characters. I want to draw the characters but the environments I could do without sometimes.

I don't know that there isn't a market for environmental art. In animation the person who does background art is separate from the person who animates characters. It's the same for video game design. Also I'm sure there are non-fiction books that are centered more on the backgrounds than the people themselves. Text books will often have inanimate objects to draw rather than people. If we are talking about fine art, landscape artists seem likely to be able to make and sell a landscape. Portrait artists usually need a model release form (though this isn't always the case) and you need to find a person who wants to buy another person's likeness! Look into it and see if it's what you want to do! Sometimes it's more finding the right options rather than there not being options related to what you love!

@BraveScribbler These are all good things to put into practice/remember! Stuff that parents don't always accept as ok to do. Also the rush thing! I think that everyone starts out in a rush and think they have to be published right away and their work is perfect. It's worse with kids because you feel like you are extra behind.

@Nathan @Susan-Marks I don't know if there is a one-size-fits-all answer for your questions. I've been in art for more years than I care to admit to.

I don't see how having a goal is going to stop you from learning the basics. If you have a clear life goal in mind then you will work harder to achieve that goal. You can make up all kinds of other goals, but make sure that any goal you make gets you to that ultimate goal.

Right now it's not so much a concern about finishing your work than learning how to create it. If you feel like you are ready to create a portfolio's worth of images or create a book dummy, then do that. You can still learn the fundamentals while creating. If you get bored with the basics then it's more likely to make you stop, so make sure you are doing things you enjoy. The fundamentals are really important. If you skip them now you may have trouble drawing the things you want to draw. Keep working and have fun learning!

I like the first one best. I'm just wondering what it would look like if you flipped it horizontally? That might make a better lead in to the book.

@AnnaDaviscourt Great work! So many good ideas there. Are you going to finish any more of them?

Hey just listened to the podcast. It's just so good. I've had so many roadblocks on my path to being an illustrator! My most recent roadblock is my little kids. Right now I've got 2 kids and this is why I wanted to comment. I have 2 boys 3 and 8 years old. It can really be hard to find the time to get work done. I love them to death, but there are days I can't work because of them. Also days I take off just to spend time with them.

I personally get to a saturation point with learning. I took Mira Reisberg's Children's Book Academy class in August - September last year. It was very intense and I learned a lot. I want to take the CBA's writing course, Make Your Mark's and Splashes class and OF COURSE SVS classes. Right now I feel like I need to get what I'm working on now out of my system before I can move on and learn more. It's not happening as fast as I'd like it to, but taking another class or going to a conference is just going to mess things up for me! I'm not sure that was directly talked about in the podcast. I have to put into practice the things I learn before I can keep learning big things. I'm always learning from my critique partners, but it's not hard core learning.

My husband and I are making the time now so I can spend more time on my work. I've got a full time job taking care of the kids/household/other stuff. I've got a direction for my art (which I haven't had for a while) and I'm getting better at getting things done. I wont be able to get a new portfolio done every 6 months, but i will get a new portfolio done this year (if not in the next couple of months). If I've got a few hundred dollars to spend on something it might be best spend on day care for my toddler so I can get my work finished rather than on a class or conference.

I think it will be a few months before I spend money on a class/conference. I think it's almost a waste of time taking classes and going to conferences if you don't put to practice what you've learned!