Suggestions on how to improve???

[Ben Shore]

I wanted to just start a general thred about what you guys think are the best ways to improve your skills. The obvious one being "practice practice practice", but besides that what's the most useful exercise for getting your work up to snuf?
I'm thinking about things like doing master studies, life drawing, drawing from photos, sketching/doodling, good books you've read (especially a good book on color theory if anyone can make a recommendation), all that good stuff.

So there it is, what helped you really masterful guys most to get where you are?

[mtw]

Something that helped me recently is to draw slower and double check lines.

[mcotie]

I got some priceless advice and I think it's helping wonders. Study the masters. I mean really study them. Study what made em tick. Try to incorporate their ticks into what and who you are, if you want to be a good artist that is. Granted I'm not a great artist by any stretch. but I strive to be. Daily. I think that those dudes did nothing less with their passion.



Mitch

[Ben Shore]

Thanks for posting! Anyone else have comments to throw around?


mcotie - Good advice :) I've studied the masters some getting my BFA (will have in May) and definately agree they make for great models in terms of studying. Out of curiosity have you found any books/websites you really liked related to this?

Also just real quick I'd like to outline some of what I've been thinking recently which is that I'm just missing something in my technique... Here's a couple thumbnails from mcotie's webpage to illustrate my point (let me emphasize these are HIS peaces and not mine in any way. mcotie if you'd like me to take these off the post for some reason just ask).

http://www.rsad.edu/~bshore/tempImages/thumb1.jpg
OK in this image I can identify the light sources, cool blue light in front, heavy orange backlighting, it seems basically straight forward.

http://www.rsad.edu/~bshore/tempImages/thumb2.jpg
This one on the other hand makes me think I don't get something. The orange definatly works for the peace but I'd never think to use color variation like that. Is there some principal here I'm missing? Is this the sort of thing you just learned intuitively through looking at other work?

This kind've outlines another phrasing of my original question which is just, where'd everyone learn the teqniques they're useing?

[mcotie]

Well oddly enough. When I did these pieces, I didn't have the slightest clue as to what the heck I was doing. ( what the?)

Seriously. Only till recently, I actually try to pay attention to those things. Try this tutorial By Jason Manley. Paint tutorial (http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials/7714) on GFX. It might spell some of these things out for you. I think it's very inforamative.

Plus you could do a piece with all kinds of tripped out colors but as long as they are tonally correct (look just as good in b/w) they will work.

mitch