Becoming an artist

[Hydveghy]

Hi!

I've got a question to you all and I couldn't think of any better place than this site to ask this. Long story short atm I'm a 20 year old law student but I hate it like shit and am very intrested in becoming either an animator or a concept designer for games. Here is my question:
Would it be possible?

I've learned drawing before, but that was like 3 years ago in high school so you can guess what it was like. Since then I didn't really had the time to sit down and draw, cause my life turned some other way, and as such atm i only do doodles and well they are inproportionate, imbalanced, and most of the time i can't finish one, cause Ive never really studied how to draw humans...Anyways I felt that I would have the potential, I will try to upload some of my works from that time so you could see where I was. Currently I found a school in my country which helps peeps to improve and put together a portfolio for the desired University/Course and they said it would take at least a year to bring up my skills to a point where an acceptable portfolio could be put together.

I know nothing comes easy and especially this kind of job requires loads of practice I am well aware of that. But If my set my mind to it is it possible to become a member of the above-mentioned professions?

[MephistoLV]

Hi!

If my set my mind to it is it possible to become a member of the above-mentioned professions?


There's only one way to find out...

[Farvus]

Yes. It is possible.

[Chris Bennett]

I did three years at University studying to become a Mechanical engineer before I quit with a year to go before graduating in oder to become an artist. I spent 2 years stacking shelves and working in a bookshop to save up enough money to pay my fees (which had been used up with engineering studies) and go to art school. The next 10 years I did the 'La Boheme' thing, skint all the time. 5 years after that things started to get a little better and the last 5 years have been really good for me.

That's what you are in for - and I was blessed with a lot of natural talent, but am also stupid so things kind of balanced out.

Doing it HAS to be its own reward. If you do it for any other reason the odds are extremely high that you will face a life of frustration and misery. That's the truth, it really is.

[Grief]

i like how youve been a member since 2005 and this is your first post.

well its not like youre too old. and the fact that you can afford law school is something which may potentially aide in your pursuit of a good art education (although throwing money at a good school is by no means a sure-fire way to getting into your desired career). you seem to have a level enough head to understand that it won't be a passive hobby for a job.

here's some generalized advice which may seem common and elementary, but its invaluable if used properly:

~keep a sketchbook with you at all times, and use it actively whenever you have the chance. keep one by your bed, in your car, in your backpack, at your desk, in the bathroom, etc.

~draw from life. you need to learn to see, this is the first step to doing so.

~study anatomy, linear perspective, and color. tackle the big problems first. don't worry about "i need my own style to get ahead", that isn't how it works, do not become subject to such shortsightedness.

~take advantage of others. that sound malicious, but i mean it in a intellectual pursuit. this site espescially offers you the opportunity to pick the brains of a vast number of artists. be sure to take the time to hear out what they say, as they have reason for saying it. the education subforum has some real gold in it, be sure to take as much as you can carry.

posting more wouldnt hurt so that we dont have to wait until 2013 if you keep up this pace for a response.

best of luck

[Hydveghy]

Thank you for your replies I feel more confident about it now. I know I'm not a great forum poster, i tend to be just mesmerized by this site, and look at it whenever I got the time. I just started drawing for the art school /not yet university, just a school for prepare me for uni./ The school said i should take some of my drawings to them so they can decide as to what needs to be improved/taught, however i have no clue a to what to draw, i drew a portait already,and some sketches from my mind, i didnt had time for more atm cause i had an exam period and gonna start working on it now cause i failed it in the end so now i got the time. I just got a book from the library which have some good photos in them /nude poses, some about sports, and photos from the press./ and im gonna draw some of those but do you think there should be anything special i should draw for this evaluation process? Like some scenery, or basic drawing like draw some shapes and shade them?

Again your responses will be appriciated.

[Hydveghy]

Ok since i do not have a scanner neither there is one in a 5 mile radius i took pictures of my drawings, which i know is not very smart cause its blurry, the lights are terrible but is the best i can do atm, just so you guys have a general idea where i stand atm.
The above-mentioned portrait /shows Joyce McKinney/
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/722/joycepc1.jpg
Some current sketches:
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/952/sketchnl9.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2274/sketches1sy8.jpg
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9550/sketches3rm4.jpg
Some older stuff i found:
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7523/jkrwn7.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/5450/lening2kj3.jpg
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7415/vileninlv8.jpg
Here i used two marker pens cause one ran out and i guess they werent made by the same branch thats why there is two different colours.
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3161/selfsw5.jpg

I'm still looking for some there should be some anatomy stuff as well that i did, issue is whatever time i spent on the university i was stupid enough not to have a sketchbook with me but rather draw on whatever notebook i had and i cant find most of them. I know that im moron in that, having a sketchbook if i would like to become an artist of sort is just so obvious. But oh well pls be gentle on any critics.

Ps.
Im not a communist.

[Birkeley]

You're in a better position than I was at your age - I was studying languages and didn't make the decision to follow my heart and be an artist until I was 23. :)

You said you were interested in becoming an animator - are you considering computer animation? I was interested in going into the games industry and took a course which combined drawing, 3D modelling and computer animation (I also planned to be a concept artist or animator at first, and may still pursue concept art in the future when my drawing is at a higher level, but found that I've settled happily as a character modeller for the time being). Ability to draw is important to being a 3D artist or animator, but it's not the primary component, and there's more demand in the games industry for those skills, which is understandable when you consider that a single concept artist can keep a large team of modellers and animators extremely busy. :)

Just wanted to offer some support and encouragement. Changing my career path was the best decision I made, and I think it's important for people to do what they love. Also, your work is definitely good for someone who hasn't seriously drawn for years - I'm certain you can get into an art college. Just keep studying the great resources on this site and working at it until you do it.

Good luck. :)

[Hydveghy]

Berkeley- Thanks mate. Funny thing I'm also intrested in languages though mainly in Japanese and English only. Anyways I haven't quite decided yet whether its gonna be games or cartoons/animated movies. The uni I looked at /Birmingham Institute of Art and Design/ offers an Animation course which after the 3rd semester breaks into to animation for games, and animation for cartoons. I do not have yet one decided, want to see more, experience more, see which side would suit me better. I love both of them, im a freakin geek grown up on computer games, and animes, cartoons /which i still love to watch and I'm proud of it/ So that decision will have to wait for itself. Atm i only know i want to become an animator in one of these fields.

Still looking for some older stuff, but cant find em...so working on some now:)

[Grief]

you have a pretty diverse approach. that's a good thing, it means youre trying out tools and getting used to different mediums which may otherwise be out of your comfort zone.

if you havent already started doing this then now is a good time to start: make a folder on your computer and start saving images you find successful. having a visual library of reference and inspiration will always come in handy. as you progress with your studies, return to the images in that folder and try to take apart the images and figure out what is working exactly and how you can extract those elements into your own work. if need be take detours from traditional studies to do a master copy or emulation of another's style. often times the act of recreating a process will get you into the mind of the artist that created the original image (one note about this though is to not include any copied work into your portfolio).

do not worry about developing style. style is a biproduct of selected aesthetics, it limits your scope in which you can work. i say this because if you begin to dive into the stylization of anime you'll potentially dig yourself into a hole that will be hard to get out of.

lastly, and more importantly, get into the habit of drawing on a daily basis. its hard to commit to as a routine, but once you get it established it becomes an extension of your daily life, if youre at all serious about this being your career you have o not fear letting art consume your life. it will be a chore at times, and it really takes a twisted sort of mentality to force yourself to plow through those beginning stages when things are coming along slowly and aren't up to the standards you have set in your mind.

keep at it.

[hitnrun]

I smell potential! If you submit those to an art school, or just a university with a good art program, I can see them suggesting an anatomy class and a class that teaches about achieving form through values (a.k.a. Life Drawing Class). Grief is correct too - good/great art takes time. Not just to learn how to do it, but when you actually have the knowledge of what to do, it takes time to create the piece too. 40 hrs of work is not farfetched.