Post a Workshop Testimonial!

[Jason Manley]

Hey All,

Would anyone care to share an experience at the workshop in austin or amsterdam or berlin or bucharest which will give those interested some info about what it means to you as an artist to attend the workshop?

Here is mine:

I come from a traditional art background. I did six years in school and the foundation ways of creating art are familiar to me. In Amsterdam I we were going over the workshop stuff with the instructors and at one point I asked Marko to give me a demonstration of his drawing technique. Now marko grabs coros sketchpad and begins to draw. He starts with a thumb, moves across and up the hand, gets the hand gesture just right, and begins to draw up the arm. I watch him amazed that he started with a thumbnail on the thumb and is now drawing costume as he has moved up the arm. He bled his marks across the forms that only he could see as they were being created. Lines became chest, arm, leg, and head. Finally the last details were put in. Marko had just finished doing everything I was told not to do in my art school career. In the end, he had started with the pose of a hand that became the pose of the arm that became the pose of the torso until he had a complete gesture with anatomy and all the wonderful details he puts in his art. Coro and I stood there with our eyes popping out of our heads. Marko you see, is self taught. He learned on his own without knowing the traditional conventions. Seeing him successfully work this way was a breakthrough for both coro and I. I did not even think it was possible. All of it took no more than fifteen minutes for him to work out so much. We on the other hand, would take twice that much just to get the pose and structure right.

There were dozens and dozens of experiences like this for me. I learned more at the workshops as an instructor than I did in the past three or four years working in a games studio. Seeing all the different ways the pros work was just mind boggling to me.

I hope we can continue doing these for a long time.


Jason Manley

[Marko Djurdjevic]

Hehe, thanks J!

The greatest expierence during all Workshops was seeing Android devolop his drawings from abstraction. He will sit down without focusing the blank sheet of paper, and move his pencil over the sheet making marks and shapes you wouldn't even be able to understand or create, if you forced yourself to do them under concentration. Afterwards he would just pick another colored pencil and force his will into the abstraction of his lobotomized scribbling. Shaping it. Searching out connections, that were completly random in the beginning and now started making sense. Putting layer upon layer of imagination on top of completely coincidental structure of his lines. I had a blast back then and still have one every time I see it. Never in my life would I have approached an illustration this way. I have always thought one would have to have a clear concept on his mind before starting out. I always thought one should follow a certain idea first. Seeing that it worked in such a beautiful fashion and realizing that this was the neverending pool of Android's creativity, really opened my eyes. I start taking and introducing part of his work ethic into my own approach on art more and more. It was a fantastic lesson to be learned.

M

[t.m0]

Hey all,

I attended the workshop in Berlin and if I had known what it would be like, I certainly wouldn't have missed out the one in Amsterdam. In the beginning I just "went along" to this workshop with Soja, who had already signed up for it, to learn a little and have some fun in Berlin. I didn't know, that it would turn out completely different from what I had expected and really moved something in my life. For me it was not all about learning anatomy or lighting or composition, which you really can't all that much in two days, but seeing the approach of people (like Android and Marko) who know how to do it, and hear them talk about their experience.

What I took from that workshop, was inspiration and a huge load of motivation, which I can't remember to ever have experienced in that quantity in my life so far. This all might sound a litte exaggerated.. but it isn't! Since that weekend, drawing has (again) become a way more important part of my life... now there's almost no place I'm not taking my sketchbook with me to. If it wasn't for the money, I'd definitely attend the next one in SF!

AND I haven't even mentioned yet the cool people I've met, drawn, drunken and danced with :teeth:

thanks again marko and android!

cheers.t

[fukifino]

To relate everything awesome that happened at the workshop would require a small book...it was 4 solid days of incredible inspiration and learning. So I'll just share a couple little tidbits.

I came in the second morning and went upstairs and J.P. Targete was already back at his space, workin'. He had the rough form of one of his classic beasties sprawled out in vine charcoal on a big 18x24 piece of posterboard and I watched as he just sort of flowed the charcoal over the form, letting it find its own shapes and all this detail just kept appearing out of nowhere as he worked on it. It was awesome. Then he took some black ink and later some white watercolor and ended up with a really great finished drawing...starting with vine charcoal. But the way he just sort of found the shape of the creature in the beginning really stuck with me. Watching him do it, man...that's not something you can read about in a book.

Which leads me into another thing...sketches. You see all these great drawings posted on here, but you miss a lot until you see them in person and see how detailed they are, or small they are...Targete had a little portfolio of pencil drawings and at first I wondered if they were reduced from larger drawings..they were so small and detailed and precise..then he said "no, those are the originals." :x And everywhere you look people had sketchbooks and portfolios just filled with kickass art.

My personal highlight was making it into one of the sketchnights back at the hotel. We had probably around 15 people all crammed in a little hotel room, all hunched over their sketchbooks, passing artwork around, doing collaborative and challenge pieces. The vibe was just incredible and inspiring. I wish I could do that every night, and it's one of the things I'm really looking forward to doing again in SF.

I think the biggest testement to how powerful the Austin workshop was is that dispite the crazy heat and humidity :^^;: , everyone plowed ahead and in the end, it's memories like those above, and not the heat, that shine through and live on. If I had to do another workshop in those same conditions, I'd do it in a heartbeat because it was that effing cool. I can't wait for San Fran! :pump:

[Fozzybar]

someone tells you about lions, you think you know what they could be like...you see a group of lions in a book and you like it, you think you know what they look like...you watch a documentary with lions moving around, making noises and hunting prey, you think you know how they live and what they are...you go to a zoo, you hear lions roar, the sound isn't just scary, it actually vibrates your whole body and you feel his roar in your stomach...they smell like wild animals...as they pass by you step back because they are so huge and powerful...and it's 10 times greater than everything you thought you knew about lions...you LIVED them...

now...someone tells you about great artists doing cool artwork...............

:wip:

[Marko Djurdjevic]

Oh Fozzy,

that was a nice one!

But I forgot another lesson I learned. I learned the most powerful lesson of friendship during all those Workshops. Be it Android, or Coro, or Wes, or Bomba, or Nox, or HPX, or Petey, or Erik, or bRyan, or Melissa, or Kody, or Davi, or whoever. You know your names. You have enriched my life to an impossible degree. I have learned more lessons on humanity and friendship and loyality then ever before in my life. These Workshops gave me the oppurtunity to meet some of the most amazing people on the face of the planet. Befriend with them. And take part in their lives as much as they take part in mine now. If there is one thing that excites me the most about the next Workshop, than it is the reunity of these exquisite personalities who cheer me up and make me smile whenever I think of them. The Workshops created an oppurtunity for real bonds, putting names to faces, enhacing my very own perception of what the world could be like, if all the cool people lived in one spot together.

Just another 2 cents

M

[donkeyslayer]

hurray! i just collected 4 cents from marko ;).
there were many great things that came out of attending the workshop. at day 0, i went with a bunch of people to the location. we all sat around and helped out setting up... and there was marko... in person. i was like whoa O.O! then some person tried to say something to him... and studdered while saying something fanboy-ish... and marko's reply was.. 'i didn't understand a fucking word you just said' .. that was solid gold :P.
and another thing... coro was mad swamped with people watching him sketch and talk about things in general.. and answering the same question 15 times in 10 minutes ;]. but i approached him when he was taking a break, and he started talking to me like he knew me for forever. i got him to crit my sketches, and he just went off from there. before the one-sided conversation was done, there was a crowd around us listening to what he had to say. it was beautiful T_T.
my 2 cents

[el coro]

heh, that was pretty crazy huh donk? the past 6 months have been a life changing experience for me. through these workshops i have found people who inspire me and push me to be a better artist, but also like minded friends i will prolly have for life as well. i am convinced these workshops are going to literally push the field of what we do further, due to the interaction of so many people involved in this industry. i think completely differently lately, and have become acutely aware of alot of my bad habits, while also being able to give to others my insights, through which i have been able to help them break some of their bad habits as well. we are pushing the bar higher every time we throw these, and after each one there has been this tidal wave of new groundbreaking work following as a result. i cant show alot of what i am doing these days, but i can say without a doubt these workshops have made me a much better concept artist. in addition to all the valuable info to be learnt at these things, the added bonus is the networking factor, which as a working professional i can tell you without a doubt is necessary to make it. the comeradery between everyone is amazing. its magic when you get so many like minded people under one roof. theres this energy, and every one is jacked in feeding off it, contributing to it....i have never felt anything like it. before the first workshop, jason, andrew and i arrived in paris, where we got to hang out with noxizmad, hpxxx, aleksi, bengal, living rope, and many other fantastic french artists. the last 2 nights in paris we spent sitting in lesouppe, a studio there, all night, with nox and hpxxx, drawing, sketching , taking turns on the computer(french keyboards are all fucked up by the way) and learning off eachother. by sunrise each of the two days, we would just kind of all look at eachother, stunned by what had happened. i had never had such a great time in my entire life. when we arrived in amsterdam, and met up with marko, the same thing happened only with the entire workshop going on, it was magnified.in austin, it was the exact same thing, the bonding, the profound sharing of info, the workshop bonding experience...only on an even larger scale. sf promises to be the best one yet. i cannot wait to see assael and hussar paint. i cant wait to see foster and sweet put it down like only they can. i cant wait to see ron end vanessa lemen, jay pee, our french family, my dearest marko, and the rest of the gang everyone else who has helped make these things so amazing. these workshops have been created to help to educate and share information relating to what we do, the same reason the site was started. its not for a selfish reason. we are not big business. we are artists who have tapped into something truly special, and want to make it something accessible to anybody who wants to learn. i cannot stress to you all enough what an amazing, life changing experience these have been. putting a face to the names, and being to speak on a personal level, and learn from one another are things that i cant even explain to you how valuable they are. so i cant wait til january. see y'all real soon!-c36

[insane visions]

to think I gave up my quest on becoming an artist, the workshop changed my life and seeing an old friend and making new ones is the best.

[Form]

My story...

October 2003

I had just finished my end of school exams, and had gotten a decent mark for art. This surprised me - I had never completed a piece of art before...and i got nearly the top mark in the state (49/50). I realise now that this was fluke/marking on a different scale, but thats unimportant because that was what jogged the idea to have a go at art. Id always wanted to be a writer.

November 2003

A friend pointed me to conceptart. I absolutely fell in love with the place... i went on every day, hoping for some new art from these incredible art-gods like feng zhu and el coro. It quickly became a part of my life... the community accepted me in, i felt a sudden surge of being part of something bigger. Because I hadnt been drawing all my life like the majority of people here, I was not in the habit of drawing daily. Id do maybe 1 or 2 sketches a week... I spent many months over the break between school and starting university just being a member of the community - eventually working my way up to becoming a moderator. I helped people out, i ran the middle class for a while... all was good.

April 2004

A month or so into my university degree course (which i had slaved my ass off to get into mind you) the Amsterdam Workshop was announced. I was *so* envious. I couldnt believe what i was hearing. Stuff like this actually happened?? In one place at one time? SO i booked it. I just did it. I shut off the part of my brain that said "its too expensive, your too young, your not good enough, you wont get anything out of it". And i just went.

The workshop....altered me. I became a different person. Instantly. Its like the minute i walked through the door someone had branded me with a flaming hot poker that said "Artist for Life". My entire body filled with energy...

Those 4 days were the best days of my life. Period. I felt like my mind had opened up and all the wonder of life and the world and people, art, cultures, was rushing in. The workshop picked my life up and shook it awake like it had never been before...

AT the amsterdam workshop I was lucky enough to hang out with coro, marko, jason and kevin. On the last day of the workshop, i mentioned to kevin i was staying in amsterdam a few days extra... on the off chance hed want to hook up and sketch (yeh, rite). And then the night after the workshop finished i was walking round amsterdam with these guys i met at the youth hostel, and its like 4am....the city is deserted.... and i see this mohawk bobbing up n down in the distance. And im like.... no.... fucking.... way. Kevin. The most random thing possible...ever. And i call out to him. And hes like still on for tomorrow man?

And the next day we went to this awesome medical museum to sketch cadavers and stuff...and it rocked the house.

May 2004.

Under the guidance of jason manley, I quit my uni degree that i worked so hard for. I had seen that i had learned more over those 4 days in am'dam than was even in the curriculum for a 4 year course...

July 2004

Austin. The thing that made this awesome was that i was reuniting with these guys. Jason, coro, marko....peeps that had helped me since amsterdam...people who i had formed tentative friendships with. What really hit home to me about austin was the way these people were *real* people. It was jason and andrews home turf. Their city. Chilling at their houses. These were guys who had lived, learned and accomplished just like me - just like what i want to do in the future.... austin was a human experience for me. It grew me up... it taught me about independance, friendship, risk, and so on. It was mindblowing. It was hot as hell and i loved it. I made about 20 lasting friendships, and strengthened the ones i had already made in amsterdam and over the forums.

Talking with jason and the pros....on a human level....instead of elevating them to god-like untouchability.... allowed me to really connect with what they were all about - WHY they did what they did, why they choose to live the way they do.

After the Austin workshop these friendships strengthened and im now on my way to the US - to move, indefinately, and work with the people i admire so much and one year ago i thought they would most likely be dead by the time i ever met them in person!

These workshops are a big melting pot of opportunities. You are invited in, and you leave taking out as much as you can. Im not saying everyone will walk away with the same experience - but everything you need is right there. Its beyond a professional experience...its beyond an entertainment experience...its an experience in 'life' that for some (like myself) and particularly the younger guys who dont yet really know their place in the world....its something almost spiritual.

I hope you guys understand that the guys who run it arent in it for money. They dont even make money....its a hell hard battle to put a workshop like this on. But you need to take comfort in that, because if people that are that busy, that professional, fly from all round the world and tirelessly work to make the event happen.... it means its an incredible thing thats worth working for.

Have a think about where you want to be in a year... and ask yourself if maybe a workshop like this...is a doorway to your dreams and ambitions.

Open the door...

[Form]

anyone who actually read all that gets a free cookie off me in sf!

[Rkhon]

I read every word of everyones post...truly inspiring. I hope to to make some good friends and become inspired. I am so glad I found this site. Oddly enough while randomly browsing the internet at college class. I've learned more on my own and right here than I did 2 years at school.

I guess i should be quiet cause I haven't been to one, but want to show my gratitude nonetheless.

What kind of cookie?

[Form]

http://www.collectorsconnection.org/images7/19a823.jpg

[saraesc]

Damn it Form.

that testimonial might just make me get a credit card and do this thing.

[Sok N. Wett]

Everyone's testominy really moved me, ever since I found this site, I get those joyful shivering feeling where you can't stop smiling or laughing when reading a certain thread, or just knowing your having so much fun in your local group meetings. Form your testimonial was so convincing it should be posted in the "read what this past attendee had to say about the workshop" section, in the workshop website. Don't forget my cookie, and me and Intern have decided on our little competition to be voted by you already. I can't thank conceptart.org enough, where else can you get so much inspiration, Tony Robins wouldn't get you this hype up to draw. I can't wait to meet everyone of you guys, and hopefully I'll get a chance to have a sketch night with Marko, Coro, Jason, and Andrew, or anyone of em at any given time.

[bRyaN]

The workshops are the best thing for anyone in love with art, and hanging out with some of the most badass human beings on this planet...

Not being in school for 2 years and not holding any conversations about art was seriously dryin me up....workin in a job where, my imagination is forcibly stunted and the work completely mundane...i needed to go to Texas...

Sold my car for just enough to cover the Tuition, Flight, And Conviences(hotel, food etc..)
And i never looked back...So much information, to to to many cool peeps, and good times...(after Roller Derby i was torn up, Jason knows lol)

Lookin forward to chillin wit all my homies in SF...

bRyaN

[Rkhon]

That's another thing. I too don't get to hang out with artists that have the same passion as I do. No one can stand talking to me about art and games, etc. No one likes to chill places to draw and talk long.

I really want this creative and motivation atmosphere. I need it.

[cotron]

If a lot of the people who talk about the last workshop in Austin sound like they've had a religious experience, they're not blowing it out of proportion. It was one of the best life experiences I've had, and even though it was only 4 days, I'll probably look back on them fondly for years to come. It's really insane how much fun and inspiration was to be had last time. The vibe was just so cool, everyone there felt like someone you've known for years, even though you only talked to them for a few minutes...just hundreds of like minded people. Hate to sound gushy, but it's the only way I can sound when I'm talking about the Austin workshop. Can't recommend it enough. If you have any inclination to do art of any kind, the workshops are completely worth the money and time.

[gaboartpage]

Yes really cool testimonials

Going to Austin was the best decision
met the members of CA and shared many
things ... learned a lot from drawing
but more from life . . . made new friends
and i still continue in communication with them
in an almost daily basis
i hope to see all of you soon

i was shocked to see everyone drawing ALL DAY !!!!
i couldn t beleive what i saw !!! saw Markos
DEGENESIS book page by page meanwhile hearing
Markos own comments, asked to see Wes9000 sketchbook also !!!
saw Tyboogie Sketchbook, Sammys portfolio, Marc Taro
amazing prints and watercolour travel sketchbook,
Metalwinds amazing tips and sketchbook, drool with
Insane visions sketchbook and even get an original from him !!!!
finally met Ron Lemen !!!!! hear a lecture from Scott Robertson !!!
amazing !!!.... be in a room getting feedback on EVERYPAGE
from SPARTH !!! meanwhile watching HPX, Barontieri and Vyle
doing speedpainting, meet JP and see him work a canvas
sitting at his side !!!!! finally met Jason Manley, and work
with Andrew Jones on the map for the workshop and having
such a good time doing that, go to the Rollerdurby,
.. hang out with everyone at the hotel for sketchbook drawing
. . did i say meet wonderful people !!!
get to paste faces on all those avatars !!!

for the ones thinking of going to SF

You gotta go cause you will:
LEARN
MAKE CONNECTIONS
LEARN
GET UNIQUE EDGE
GET INSPIRED
MAKE FRIENDS
MEET THE PROS
TRAVEL
DRAW DRAW DRAW DRAW

the inspiration from Austin is still alive in me
since i returned i felt so motivated i just
keep pushing to get better everyday
and im grateful everyone is doing that
and sharing with all of us . . . . the workshop is great !!!!

and even if you dont know no one
everyone is so friendly, bring your sketchbooks please

even some people made some incredible things
to get the tuition for Austin cause it wont
happen again so dont give up . . .
im doing my best effort now to get the tuition
like i did on Austin as soon as possible cause i will go !!!!!!!

i miss you guys :nohope:

Gabriel

[|NTeRN]

one of my best memories was the talk given to donk form Coro. i had gone there to show coro my rinky dinky sketch book but came away with something so much better then a crit. i owe all my hard work to that speech. until that day i never drew on a regular basis. since then i draw at least a few hours a day.

also the 15 peeps crammed into jetpacks/ MCM/ blackhawks and ater dns's room was awesome.

[Form]

intern you truly are made of pants cheese. Damn you and your secret cult meetings with donk and coro!!

fine...keep your advantage-creating secrets to yourself ;)

[Fozzybar]

Please stop talking everybody...

i know i don't have the money...please stop talking...

[Jens]

Ok here's mine,

During the Amsterdam workshop I got some crits from android after doing the life drawing, he showed me that I had to put more emotion in my lines, that I had to feel the forms when drawing, not just draw but feel. He told me while he was drawing over my sketches with swooshing red lines, my eyes just popped.

Then after when kevin was critting my stuff, he looked at my cast drawing from the other day and showed it to android, certainly a push ha! But then he looked at my sketchbook and said "well basically you just have to do more life drawing".. i was a bit put off by that but he was right of course, cause the stuff from that book is so bad when i look at it again.

And also the fact that for the first time I had people around me who were constantly drawing, and at home I'm the only one who really does that.

[Oblio]

Maybe i should say few words aboutthe Bucharest one.
My CA story is here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29858)
The workshop was just amazing - even if it was realy short.
Bucharest was mostly targeted to professionals but in the end we've opened the doors to everyone - and the testimonials i've got to hear after were enough to make every effort worthy. Lots of people just got a new focus in life. I'm so happy to be part of this.
It was a meeting on my grounds with my brother Andrew and the great friend Jason. We had some great days even if they were right after the Amsterdam. We had the drawing nights, and parties and i'm so happy to grow as an artist along CA.
CA made me to draw - the workshops were just the dream coming true.

AUSTIN - the real example of how you can win a great friend in minutes, or meeting people you have talked and draw portraits daily and just swimming in the sea of art.
Maybe i'm a bit touched in the head - but i came to consider George Hull or William sort ofbuddies - and i can't wait for another chance to hang out again. And those guys are just poeple i met in one o those days in Austin. I can't put out enough words for the rest of the gang - Travis, Phill Holland, Marko, JP, Ron, Mellisa, Coro, Petey, Ed, HPX, Nox, Barontieri, Vyle, Sparth, Wes, Alex, Mark Taro, Dan, Cody, INSANE... hell.. lots of peeps, Nate, Form, and.. all the people i got to see there.

It's funny - i came to the workshop with a list of names i knew but no face to link them to - now i have a ton of faces in my head - but screw me if i know all the names to those!
I'll see you all in SF. :hatsoff:

Best ever: Bucharest & Austin!
Worst ever - Missing Berlin - for one week after, i was simply out of my mind!

[Jaku]

I happened to discover mr. Manley´s art many years ago and instantly fell in love with it. Found Conceptart.org when it was a single page with an only a "coming soon" text in it and bookmarked it joining in on a daily basis since then.

When the oficcial workshop in Amsterdam was anounced I simply knew that i was going.

Everything that everyone had said it´s totally true. You can feel that special energy surrounding you.
It was the most amazing experience ever. From seeing Kevin painting from life to talking with Andrew about his portraits of people while having breakfast.

The worst. Myself being so shy and not talking more to more people because of my poor english. A thing that won´t be happening in San Francisco.

[roger]

I don't want to repeat what people has said already, but let me just tell you that after Amsterdam I decided to quit my job as a programmer and pursue a career in art. The workshop wasn't the only reason for this but it definitely was the kickstart I needed and made me rethink all my ideas about art.

Berlin was fantastic also, the fact that there were less people than in A'dam helped the interaction between the assistants I think.

Now I'm feeling exactly like Fozzybar about San Fran... :dur:

[Fozzybar]

ah yeah, roger...you feel my pain...both of us know, that a workshop in prague or somewhere else in europe would get our asses instantly to that location, isnt it? Anyway...people in us shouldn't think twice about that, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WANT TO GET IN THIS BUSINESS AND YOU ARE YOUNG AND HAVE NO BIG DUES....oopss...was this in capslock? totally accident...totally... >:D

[Jeff Jaws]

When Amsterdam was announced I was like, whoa gotta go there - but money was a big barrier for me, cause I was still in school at that time.. but I knew I didnt want to miss this one, esp. when I heard that some crazy bastard from australia would come.. I borrowed all the money for trip from my parents, and that was the only reason I didnt make it to Austin: no money.
I went to Amsterdam even though I should have been learning for my A-levels.

We drove from germany to holland, staying the night before workshop-day1 at Fipse's home. Everybody was so excited what was gonna happen, how the workshop would be.. I was so crazy excited I couldnt sleep well.

When we arrived at the workshop (a bit late) Kevin was showing his works and I was fucking blown away. I was sitting there mouth wide open. And my mouth wouldnt close for the whole 4 days. I was so excited and stunned. It was such a great experience, meeting people and realizing they were artist from all over the world BUT everyone felt like longtime friends. everybody was so friendly and relaxxed. Like Jaku I feel ashamed that I didnt talk to more ppl because of my bad english.. still I met supercool guys. I was amazed that even talking to pros like coro or everybody else was like talking to your friends. It was a real community feeling and getting to know the faces behind the nicks is just so cool. Everytime I open this site (and I do that really often, mind you) I get this feeling of belonging to a great community.
I started a sketchbook in Amsterdam, my first one, and I learned way more in those 4 days than in my last 2 years of art class in school. Since then I'm drawing everyday. And I'm counting the days till SanFrancisco - I'm soo looking forward to this experience, drawing ALL THE TIME, hanging out with you guys, meeting new friends (hopefully). I spend ALL my money on this trip, and I mean ALL. But I dont care, I'd even go into debts again for it. It's worth every hour of work I do to be able to afford it, it's worth every cent.

And Form bring me one of those koalas again, I read all of your comment and I totally agree on what you said. hope to meet all of you guys!!!

Jj.

[Red_Rook]

Appart from the like trules amazing over all experience wich everyone else mentioned and i second with all my hear, there are a couple of other cool little things that really made it for me. Like everyone crammed into the figure drawing studio on the first day in amsterdam, and no one had any idea what was going on, there was kind of a wierd windy staircase, and i was looking down it, when suddenly two head apear from under me, one sporting a very elaborate mohawk, the other was like black spikey hair (kevin and andrew respectivly :P ) and there was a split second of semi-regcognition, before they even turned around, i realised "Holly shit, that them"
Or also in amsterdam, taking a picture with form and coro posing like retards in it, it was just plain awesome. Travelling into austin on a ricketty ghetto bus with beatnik and blackhawk, and the damn thing broke down, beatnik turns around "well atleast we still have a/c" the thing turnd of a couple of seconds later :P later that day we found a wi-fi connection in some wierd bar and spent an hour surfing ca, in a bar/resturaunt deep in austin texas. Was awesome.
Like fukifino said, about 20 people all crammed in one room, doing collabs, I think we even watched that hilarious animation (i have to find that again) when in walks lono, wes and a couple of other people, beer in hand. Lono stands there for a while. Then suddenly "Ima go for a swim" takes of his shirt, and points at his chest, at the hairy patch you can see in his avatar. And goes "WTF IS THAT A MUSTACHE" apparently he jumped into the pool from the first floor balcony after that, and got chaised out by that fat security guard lady.
Maybe even oblio, complaining about the taco's we ate. hehe. The massive amounts of red bull that deprived us of any sleep for 4 days, and we kept going in the heat. People say alot about the heat in austin. but "FUCKING HOT" doesnt even begin to cover it. Other people were talking about coro before, i remember walking up to that little room, the thing was so damn small, i dont even think it had a window. YOu literally couldnt breath in there, i see form semi conscious lying on a couch thats in there, but coro as animated as ever explaining his technique with amazing joy and patience fot eh billionth time, thats dedication, everyone, and i mean everyone kept going. Was insane, anywhere else everyone would have packed up and left by then, but the vibe and the artwork and the people were so great you could ignore it so e asily.
Also marko starting a character with his finger was just obscene to watch, it was the craziest thing in the world, i left to watch somthing else i come back ten minutes later hes almost finished the damn character, and i bet he didnt even take his pencil of the paper once.
heehe, last one for now. Hpx sits down at the computer, puts on his headphones, opens photoshop. Types: Man -> woman -> cyborg -> robot (or somthing like that) He then sits down, and with a few simple strokes hes got a great illu of amn slightly from above facing left, a couple of seconds later hes c arved away 3 pieces with the eraser tool, and added a couple others, there is a woman facing the completely other dircetion then before from a completely new angle. The same happens for the other to in literally no more then 5 minutes. Woah.
definetly a life changing experience for me, probably one of the best things ive ever done is go to the workshops, seriously thank you everyone, this community is a wonderful place, seriously.


... form you owe me a cookie.

[nova]

my austin experience, ta da

the austin workshop was to me a life changing experience.

leaving home for the airport for the trip was suprisingly easy. i felt i was going somewhere special and there was something real in store for me. the first hint at something crazygood was meeting mr. jetpack42 at the airport. i couldn't believe we'd never met before and both had this workshop thing filling our braincells. when i met up with molly in austin, it suddenly felt like home [except for the weather, that definitely didn't feel like home, whew]

the single most incredible thing at the workshop was the first time we all walked through the doors, down the hall and into one of the main rooms, CROWDED, and finally sat down to hear a welcome and introductions. in front of me were, in the flesh, andrew jones, jason manley, marko, ron lemen and so many others. IN THE FLESH. the fact they were real people made me dizzy. later davi introduced himself with a GIANT hug. that was great :)

i'll never forget the second-to-last night. the day didn't end.. after the workshop it was a blur.. roller derby, then stumbling around 6th ave with pandorablood after going to emo's, then 80's night somewhere else.. party at andrew's place, then back to the awarehouse where we realized the custodian had left all 400-person's worth of garbage in the cans and CLEANING it all up still in our party outfits.. molly and i deciding we wanted to see the sun rise so we sat on the stairs at la quinta and watched it go up..

only thing i regret is letting my fears get in the way of talking to more people and being genuine. but at the same time i remember how paralised i was during the whole thing, wonder if it could have happened any other way.

after the workshop, the seattle group came together. the rest has been history.

~ laura

[Form]

yeh yeh cookies for all!! ill have to buy bulk before i get there.

And jeff jaws: ill get you your koala man!! or would u prefer a kangaroo this time?? Haha ill prolly wear a koala as my mascot the whole time ;)

Its crazy you guys r coming... rook... nova.... jeff.... all of you guys.... CRAZY. We gonna have so much fun :}

[WORKSHOP_ADMIN]

Still wondering if you should go? - read this too http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32518

[Oblio]

:android: METROID CONCEPTS - enjoy!
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=334625#post334625

[Oblio]

Check this out - some of the instructors are already in a fight
It's Milligan vs Djurdjevik (that's Marko) :bashful:

http://homepage.mac.com/danmilligan/.Pictures/concept04/herculoids02.jpg

now, whipe the drool and follow this link to smash your boots with your jaw!

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32872

some others might be in the battle! :}

See you guys in SF!!!

[Fozzybar]

Actually it's not a battle (marko is a judge at td8)...it's a festival...Dan just climbed higher in my list of "artists i want to see in action in rl"...

I really want to go to SF, but.....i can't..... :[

[Egets]

wow wow wow and wow these images are wow :D

I confess I didnt read all the texts but wanted to share some ideas that it did bring to my mind, first I thought to myself eh whats the use what could one possibly learn from such happening, how could it be worth the money and effort, looks like some rich peoples son's are lacking things to do and just wants to go and boos their empty egoes by participating this kind of pretendous workshop in order to have the chance to say "I've been so and so workshop and met so and so famous people" but its much more than that !!!

I have gone to the only artstudies I have possibility to participate as a single mother living in Vaasa, out of all the other classes the only one that was useful to me was one foreign teacher teaching us life nude drawing, not because we have actual model to draw from or because he actually gives us something to do he puts us to work every single minute of the time he spends there but because he really knew how to teach he really gave so much that the time spend there was useful time !!!!Very inspiring but for the other lessons, they really sucked, just some people there for the money not really caring for the people to strive for higher hights, such experiences has a lot of impact on ones spiritual mood and attitudes and worthy about looking at yourself as an artist, maybe some people are very self driven and dont need heroes or examples to look up to and learn from, not me, I need people I need to connect the worthiness of art to people, I want my art to have positive impact on people I want them to fall in love what they see and I dont want to feel like there is pity or tapping in the back when they decide to purchase my art

I feel like that the evolution of art goes like this, first there is pity, okay she or he is trying to do art and selling it, let me give him or her the support so that she or he dont think I dont like him as person or something, next there is jealousy, he or she is doing pretty good, looks like he or she is serious about this and then wont participate, third is when you are beginning to be so good that people knows without a doubt that you are serious but maybe your art is not that good that you are not sure weather you really like the art or not or should just buy it because he tries so hard (some kind of respect pity combination) and then fourth and last you are so good that people has nothing to say anymore its the stage where you have become a full competitor and commercial person, either people now like your art or not you have established yourself and have a certain routine in your artwork where it does not matter weather somebody likes or not, you are now above peoples opinions

Anyhow the meaning of workshop, why should one really participate ? I see this kind of workshop as a diamond of gatherings ever why ? Because there are all kinds of Jehova's wittnesses, churches, schools, political parties etc where people go to strenghten their existance so that in order they can say that they are now belonging to that group, a true artist does not and SHOULD NOT belong to any group at all, he or she should not represent any ideology, he or she should be pure expression of him or herself, yet since art is interaction with other people because if you are complitely isolated it shows in your work too, we are all social animals so we need the interaction already BEFORE the first big exhibition so I see this workshop as totally perfect way of establishing your existance

Think of it as been totally single artist and all your life you just scribble at home and then just held the exhibitions, then compare it to a person who has participated the workshop and has all these experiences and has seen how others work, feels the heat of the competition and see there are people that has gone so much more far in development of making arts, in fact see what is in general possible at all when through yourself into making arts to the fulles


Now after giving this honest sincere acknowledgment to CA workshop existances Im trying to swallow the bitter feeling of not been able to participate them grrrr

[PhilHolland]

My workshop experience was insane.

-First off. Getting to meet and hang out with all of the pros. That was awesome. Just watching some of these guys work really taught me a lot.

-Travis and I buying all of the water at a gas station. That was just too hilarious. The store clerk just didn't know what to do.

-Watching Marko nearly lose it at a mexican restaurant when he found out they didn't serve vodka.

-Being able to go "back stage" for the G4 interviews was really cool. I enjoyed hearing what everybody had to say about the workshop and the state of the industry.

-Not sleeping for more then 2 hours a night and trying to visit and hang with everybody. I don't expect this to change this year.

-Fire Dancer and that whole night of partying.

-The last night at the restaurant. With the big group photo. Everybody drew on the butcher paper that they used for a table cloth. I still have the butcher paper with everybody's artwork.

-Meeting and hanging out with DonkeySlayer, Artkitty, Nova, Oblio, Molly, Buffaloe, DNS2k, Davi, Velo, Form (:heart:'s Andrew), Fukifino, Bryan, Bomba, Wes, and Intern. All of these guys and gals are awesome.

-Sketching at the Omni and at the La Quinta.

-Velo abusing Donkey.

-Davi's artgasm!

-Working my ass off for a few days and sweating out Red Bull was the best!

Instructor and people stuff:
-Whitaker was surprisingly awesome and very informative.
-Meeting Ron Lemen and his wife Vanessa was a treat. Both so talented.
-HardcorePixxx. After looking at a guys work for so long and being involved in some older speedpainting thread and a tdome it was nice to meet him.
-Sparth! Taught me a lot about spontaneous painting.
-Dan Milligan - This guy is a riot. His storyboarding and painting demos were just crazy good.
-Noxisman, Jason was right about this guy's talent. He actually scares me.
-Ed Hull. One of the best working production artists out there. If you want to see a good portfolio, check his out.
-Jason Manley's talks about composition and color theory and him letting me help out.
-Andrew Jones's crazy talent. His character creation abilities are insane.
-Marko's off the cuff drawing and humor. Walking into a room of people just watching him draw. Was it A3? sized paper?
-Coro. Seeing Coro's books was really awesome. That Shrek sketch still gives me the willys.
-Alex Alverez. Thanks for supplying the DVD's and being a good conversationalist on the flight back.
-Petey! It was nice to meet him especially after what I heard about him.
-Vyle's cool vehicle painting demo.
-Baronteiri's demo's were really good too.
-JP Targete, Andrew, and Ron all painting upstairs at the same time. Just crazy to watch.
-Wes9000's sketch book.
-Chuk W and Sean McNally surprised the hell out of me by being there. I still need to get a better Harley sketch from Chuk. Also, two great portfolios.

Conclusion.
The Austin Workshop was easily one of the most amazing experiences in my life. If you noticed after the workshop everybody who attended bumped up their creative production. It was more inspiring then I can even describe and a great way to meet and get to know many of the conceptart.org's forum members. Everybody was really cool. I looked at around 100 portfolios of so many different types of artists. Bryan sold his car to come and I think he was right to do it.

Basically good times and good friends.

Come to San Fran and make some memories.

[Red_Rook]

haha, phill were you there when that cat had hsi "blue" period... funny as shit at 6 am after a night of NO sleep and plenty of partying. If it happend in any other situation it would hve been the dumbest thing ever. But i fuckin laughed my ass off :) and ofcourse we have mini cultures that build up such as form :heart: andrew :P i cant even remember how we came up with that.

[PhilHolland]

Red_Rook - Yeah that was me that made a Picasso joke that only other artists should be able to laugh at. Looking back at it now makes it not so funny, but then, then it was brilliant!

[Red_Rook]

Red_Rook - Yeah that was me that made a Picasso joke that only other artists should be able to laugh at. Looking back at it now makes it not so funny, but then, then it was brilliant!

haha, it was so great at the time. Any other situation and it wouldnt have worked... hahaha Its the silly things :P

[metaphysiks]

The Best Experience EVER!!
the people i met and the things i saw. i could not believe all the energy floating around in Austin. it really changed my life and renewed my passion. everyone is real and everyone is there to help and learn and grow with on another. it amazes me that people even have to question whether or not they are going. everyone should want to even if they cant. i love this community and i love everyone in it. thanks for making my life great.
meta

[nova]

if any of you have ANY doubts, give me your number and i'll personally call you and convince you to come to the workshop. :teeth:

~ n

[Sok N. Wett]

Oh she'll do it too........

[Oblio]

damn - i think i'm starting to have lots of doubts about comming all the way to SF. :D

Uh.. i guess i'd prefere to see that pretty face again - so... i'll be there Nova. :bashful:

now - here comes some of JP's stuff - for the ones who didn't get it.
http://targeteart.com/JPshit/elvesFINAL.JPG
go here for more :teeth:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33079

[Red_Rook]

stop playing with peoples hearts oblio!

[OLSEN]

I just read all your posts and thought i would write my own testimonial.

I went to the Berlin workshop. The people at the workshop inspired me and motivated me beyond belief. The people i sketched with, talked with and more importantly, drank myself into oblivion with, will always have a special place in my heart. I miss all of you very, very much.

My career as an artist is actually looking kinda bright right now, i have enough freelance work now to last me a couple of months. Much of this is because i grew as an artist after the workshop, and that i learned so much, not ony how to be a better artist, but also at what level my competition is. It forced me to get myself into working mode, if i don't work on my shit now, i'll be flipping burgers when i'm 30.

By watching Andrew and Marko work, i realized i have to become as good as or better then them to be able to compete. I'm not there yet, i'm not even close, but i'm working daily on it. Learning from the pros isn't just about learning anatomy and composition and things like that, it's also about learning to work as a pro. You can do that at a CA workshop.

If you have the money, go to the SF workshop.

[Oblio]

Jon Foster's lastest...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/bristle/magicdemonpaint01.jpg

See you all soon!

[jetpack42]

everyone i know who went, and drew for a month afterward, all got twice as good. most people had made significant jumps by the 4th day in thier sketches.

<3 SF <3