First Principles

The other I was struck by an idea.

It's one of those ideas that a lot of you will probably read and think, "Uh, yeah. That's obvious."

But maybe, just maybe, this particular thought will revolutionize your artistic process.

In every activity there are some very basic, fundamental principles -- First Principles, as I will refer to them.

I was struck by the revelation that I don't consciously follow the First Principles of art.

What I mean is that I create art on a sort of auto-pilot. I can look at an image and know that something irks me, but I usually don't verbalize the specific problem.

And that's a big problem itself.

I realized that unless I name the problem specifically I can't solve it efficiently. Often, to name a problem is to know how to solve it.

My current goal is to make every artistic decision justifiable. That means if you asked me why I made any particular artistic decision I would be able to explain it to you and my argument wouldn't fall apart once it was verbalized. ( I don't know about you, but I sometimes find that the opinions I half-consciously hold to sound much less compelling when I speak them to someone else.)

The takeaway is this: Name your issues. What bothers you about your piece? Is it too busy? Does it lack contrast? Are the strokes messy?

Also, if you're having trouble determining what to do next on a piece, perhaps you should go back to the basic questions. Is this piece balanced? Is there enough contrast (contrast of tone, size, texture,etc.) to make it interesting? Does it lack variety or rhythm? Is the composition weak?

It all comes down to sound thinking and decision making -- i.e. good judgment.

Stumped

What do you do when you're stumped?

Maybe you've been in a situation like one of these:

• You're working on an image for someone but you can't get it right. You've redrawn the same image 3, 5, 10, or even 20 times and it's just not working.
• You're working on something and you reach a point where you don't know what to do next. You know the piece isn't ready, but you don't know how to proceed.
• You're trying to solve some artistic problem, but you can't seem to find a good solution

I've been in all 3 of these situations and more.

What do you do when you're stumped?

When you're stumped, you're butting up against the limit of your knowledge, creativity,
and skill. It's like a bodybuilder trying lift as much weight as possible. It's hard because he's
doing all he can do. A bodybuilder can't lift more by trying harder, he has the muscles
or he doesn't.

The reason is that being stumped is primarily a thought problem. You can't overcome
your current limits until you change the way you think.


So the best thing you can do when you're stumped is to figure out how to adjust
your thinking to get a better result.

Making art is fundamentally about decision making and problem solving. Every line you
place on the paper is a decision. When something doesn't look as good as you'd like,
that means you have room to make more effective artistic decisions.

So how do you fix it?

Try this: Find someone out there who is doing the kind of work you want to do
and read anything they've written or said.

The goal here is to figure out how they approach their art. You want to get inside their
head. Follow their reasoning - discover why they choose one thing over another - figure out
how to adapt their thinking into your own work.

The problem in making art is never simply a lack of skill. It's a lack of proper thinking.

Don't grind away at the same problem over and over hoping to get lucky. Figure out
the weak points in your process and patch them. Get some perspective on your own
artistic problems by seeing how other artists tackle theirs.

Why Your Drawings Don't Work

If you're like me, you've probably made a lot of drawings that just don't work.

You look at them - study them. The anatomy seems accurate. You've used interesting lines. You've tried to inject some style.

But, it's just not working.

Then you bang your head on a table or a wall and wonder, "What am I doing wrong??"

Well, I think I may have an answer for you.

I've been more of an illustrator than anything for years. But, last year, I took a job as a Graphic Designer. Working as a designer for the past year has taught me a crucial lesson that I was missing as an illustrator.

Your drawings must have an overall sense of pleasantness. We all know that somewhere, but follow me.

The individual lines are important only inasmuch as they contribute to the attractiveness of the entire image. I now approach drawings in the same way as I approach graphic design.

What that means is that I try to create a natural flow.

All lines are roads.

A road takes you to a place. All of the lines in your drawing are guiding you somewhere. Knowing this, you can make all the lines in your piece work together to guide the viewer.

So, if you're drawings just aren't working, remember 2 things:

1) The entire composition should be pleasant as a whole.
2) The entire composition should have a natural flow - a path your eyes follow.

Try that and see if you don't improve instantly.

Art is Diffusion

I love that word, "Diffusion."

Diffusion means "to spread."

We live in a world of increasing connectivity. Ideas are everywhere and they are easier than ever to spread.

Distance means nothing.

To be an artist now is to have a global audience. I live in Georgia, but I've worked for people in Germany and Denmark. I didn't have to jump on a plane or even make a phone call.

Seth Godin tells us that an idea that spreads wins.

We artists are in the diffusion business. Our art speaks. Our art is our idea and our job is to spread it.

If your art spreads, you win.

New Bill Watterson Art

Checkitout:

http://illustrationfriday.com/blog/2011/04/22/bill-watterson-covers-cul-de-sac/

New artwork from Bill Watterson! (the Calvin and Hobbes guy)

If your drawings look flat, check your foundation. This drawing has depth and it couldn't be simpler.

Great shading can't fix a a flat drawing.

Do You Know Why Working is Insufferable?

It's because you (and I) aren't leaning into our work.

The people who make a difference are really in to what they're doing. If they don't feel energized about a task or a job they quickly say "no" or find another job.

Will I Suck Forever?

Many of us have asked ourselves this question over and over again.

There are a few ways I can answer, but let me first point out the underlying attitude.

Asking yourself how long you're going to suck reveals your true goal as an artist. You're not focusing on the joy of the creative process. You're not approaching your art with curiosity. You're caught up in the results of making art instead of the process of making art.

I would therefore advise you to view all failures as experiments instead of evidence of your incompetence. When an experiment goes wrong you don't blame yourself. You take what you've learned and formulate another experiment. Art as science. Art as fun.

Self-reproach and fulfillment don't hold hands.

To ask yourself how long you will suck is to compare yourself. I can't tell you that comparing yourself to others is a waste of time. You can learn a lot by comparing your work to the work of others. I can tell you that comparing yourself to others as an indicator of your value is useless. As a matter of fact, I could tell you that all day. You're probably not going to really understand. You may never understand. But maybe - just maybe - one day that little nugget of wisdom will sink down into your gray matter and you'll truly believe that questioning your value because of your competence is a total waste of time - and you'll stop doing it. It's not helpful or useful. Drop it.

If you practice a lot you will get better. I don't know how long it's going to take you or how good you'll get, but if you want to get better, and you're willing to invest a little time and brainpower into the process, you will get better. I'm talking about years. Keep practicing for years.

Is that a bummer? Someone once told me that the time is going to pass no matter what you do. You might as well get good at something along the way. Sounds right to me.

Don't try to be the best in the world. That's almost certainly not going to happen. There are too many other talented and smart people out there. But, like Seth Godin tells us, try to add value to your world, whatever that may be. Be an asset to your team, club, friend group...whatever.

My goal - and I think it's a worthy one - is to get really good at adding value to the world. My goal is to approach my art with curiosity and energy. I want to enjoy the journey while making a dent in the universe.

When you make art with a mindset like that, the question "how long will I suck" becomes meaningless because it distracts from my goals. Who cares how long I take to improve? I'm using what I have to add value to the world and I'm enjoying the journey. Worrying about my competence doesn't make me better or happier. It doesn't help at all. Worries usually don't.

Sketch O' The Week

Wicked Koala.

Sketch O' The Week

I think Anteaters are a little horrifying, so I drew one.

Enjoy!

Distractions

How many breaks do you take while you're working?

Do you focus in and work for hours at a time, or do you stop every 5 minutes to grab a soda, check Facebook, read the news, look at email, etc., etc.

Distractions you don't choose (a phone call, a knock at the door) can be obnoxious and keep you from getting work done. But distractions you do choose -- the fun distractions -- can be an easy way to keep yourself from focusing in on the work.

If you gave 100% of your attention to the work how would it change?

Dollars and Sense

Steve Pavlina just started a series of posts about passive income. The idea is to create multiple streams of revenue that will allow you to get paid when you're not working - you know, like royalty checks, ebook sales, etc. Sounds like a good thing to me.

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2012/04/passive-income-series/

A Great Article for Frustrated Creatives

I highly suggest you check out Raptitude.com some time.

Shoot, why not now?

Here's an excellent article about creativity and frustration:

http://www.raptitude.com/2012/03/why-your-work-disappoints-you/

Coffee 1 Diabetes 0

For all my coffee lovers out there:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-01-16/health/os-coffee-prevent-diabetes-20120116_1_diabetes-coffee-drinkers-islet

Drink Coffee. Stomp out Diabetes.

A Quick Illustrator Tip

If you're aligning objects in Illustrator tap "Control + U" first. This shortcut turns on the smart guides. The Smart Guides will show you intersection lines and cause objects to snap to anchor points, paths, etc.

Leaving them on all the time, however, makes my head want to explode.

Just A Little Tidbit About Contrast

Contrast is more than light and dark.

It's big and small.

It's fuzzy and sharp.

It's detailed and sparse.

And it's all good.

Welcome to 2012!

It's been a while!

Here's what I'm currently working on. This is a run test for a video game character.

Theoretically, that guy should be moving. If not, trying clicking on him.