lost.. help help

[lolliscops]

hi.. new person here. i'm looking to put together a concept portfolio and i was wondering if anyone could give me some direction.

i graduated from an art college a few years back, presently i'm animating, modelling. i miss drawing and have decided that this is where i want to be. soooo... i've been trying to put together a portfolio and i'm having trouble, i keep dabbling instead of getting it done. i'm wasting time.. and i should have something idealy in two months. yikes.

anyone have any ideas about how i can get the most out of this community? weekly challenges i can use to my advantage? I am new to this sort of thing. forums etc. this is actually my first post ever. go me. any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. thanks!!

:yayca:

[stoph]

welcome to :yayca: my friend. i think the biggest no no youre guilty of at the moment (from what youve told us) is that youre trying to force your creativity. ever try to force a child to eat their vegetables, offering a sweet, sugar coated desert as a reward? this is similar in principle. youre willing yourself to complete all these amazing pieces, seeing it as a chore more than a joyful journey.

youre focussed on the end product and, whilst it is good to be realistic and plan ahead, often this is not viable with art. in my experience, if you are devoid of artistic inspiration, then you arent going to turn out anything of actual worth.

if you want to challenge yourself and improve your skills, i suggest you look into either the Daily Sketch Group (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39) thread, which has many public activities with a preset topic, or the Challenge Thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=69) in the Thunderdome area. i havent personally joined either and dont know much about the Challenge thread, but i know the DSG has a god array of talent and topics (also a little more frequent i believe).

lastly, start up your own sketchbook in the Sketchbook (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=41) section (what a name!) this is where people display their daily scribbles, doodles and general thoughts (as opposed to posting them individually in threads peppered throughout the Sketches and Works in Progress section). its sorta like a blog but more art-oriented. its something you can call your own. people give you crits on every aspect of your art, and often offer great suggestions if you hit a brick wall :frustrated:

hope this helped, really its self evident if you browse the different sections for yourself. once again welcome, i hope you enjoy your stay :}

[0kelvin]

Don't forget the Creature of the Week and the Industrial Design of the Month activities in the Community Activities (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=74) forum. Lots of fun and inspiration to be had there.

As for advice, remember to above all just enjoy the process.



0kelvin

[dogfood]

There's also the Sketch Trade (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45036&page=1&pp=60) and Illustration Activity (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41781&page=1&pp=60) .

[stoph]

oh yeh good catch, people. a little note for thee: youll notice a lot of threads have at least one post from the same person. this is because here at :yayca: we try to provide the best constructive criticism's money can buy (well, not buy as such but yeah..) so as to have people creating at the best possible output. if you crit someones work, common courtesy generally states that that person then will give you some advice or something thereabouts. not everyone follows it but even so, just a little heads up there :}

[lolliscops]

first and formost... good point! drawing shouldn't be forced.. and i'm probably doing something wrong if it is. i guess as of late i've been getting frustrated because i'm not drawing to the level i feel i'm capable of. or was capable of in school. it's frustrating and maybe sometimes it's easier to procrastinate then feel frustrated and down on yourself. >:{

so i should relax a little.. thanks for pointing that out.

i'll definately look into those threads that were suggested and create a sketchbook. i know i could have figured some of this out for myself, i just wanted to make sure i didn't miss anything.

i really appreciate the help.. and the time. i'll make sure to put back in what i get out. (and then some) /m\

thanks!!