What you learned at Insomnia

[look]

Thought we'd all share. :)

I learned:
- It's good to have sketch and progress-shots to show how you get the idea if you are going for concept art jobs. (Never knew that before)

- Shouldn't always use darker color for shading color. Less saturated color would work better in some case. (Knew the theory but never knew how to apply it before)

- Should try to draw characters from different race and different ages.

- Caucasians have narrower cheekbone compare to Asians (Been wondering why my characters always look asian...)

- Stock photos are great, shouldn't be afraid of using them for textures.

- Life drawing is so different from drawing from photos!!!!!! (It is really easier to understand the structure when you see it in real life)

- Red bull only works when you try to sleep...

There are a lot more I've learned, but so hard for me to put them into simple words. Someone add on please. :)

[Frank Wade]

- Life drawing is so different from drawing from photos!!!!!! (It is really easier to understand the structure when you see it in real life)

So true.

I learned how to cuss in Chinese.
:)

[invinciblewombat]

not to be so super obsessed over process and tools and to just do your work

how to effectively add color to greyscale images in ps

that i need more practice

[sweetoblivion314]

patience is the key. Everone i watched and talked to seemed like there process involved so much patience.

[arechiga_tony]

i learned to keep experimenting, and try new things all the time!!!

[max xiantu]

To not be afraid of the page/canvas. Everything has a crap stage. Everyone approaches the page differently. It's still all about simplicity. The medium doesn't matter. Art should be fun. Always.

[sweetoblivion314]

the raw power of the dominating animals and THE BASICS.

[Mr. Visions]

how to effectively add color to greyscale images in ps


Please ellaborate!
You guys should really start a notes section like us that went to Montreal - Kudos*

- Visions

[timpaatkins]

Make sure cheap crap camera has flash before you buy 4 of them.

[Justin.]

Are we gonna get anything in the Exclusive section like we did for Montreal??? :D

[schlichte]

mistakes are good
you wont learn everything in a week
draw draw and draw somemore and repeat
life drawing is the key
long flowing lines
no short scratches
and i forgot everything else hopefully it will come back when i need it

[invinciblewombat]

@ Mr. Visions: coro's demo covered it pretty well i thought, i don't know if he's going to put his psd up on the site but he used a combination of the color layers and the overlay layers in ps to get the basic colors into the image once he had all the values worked out in greyscale, theres still a lot of brushwork he did afterwards to get it looking good but it's a heck of a lot easier than trying to paint over the greyscale without any base colors.

[Mr. Visions]

Thanks man, I'll keep an eye out for his file -

- V

[look]

- Life drawing is so different from drawing from photos!!!!!! (It is really easier to understand the structure when you see it in real life)

So true.

I learned how to cuss in Chinese.
:)
and I learned how to say "I'll KICK your bawls" in British. :P

[Frank Wade]

and I learned how to say "I'll KICK your bawls" in British. :P

Ha! That was really funny.

-I learned that it's easier to get a wide range of values when using Bristol board.
-And from Kevin, puddinhead, he talked a lot about how to deeply consider FUNCTION before adding different details to your concepts.

I really learned a LOT. I will post my notes sometime.

[Interceptor]

I learned to treat my lineart line a guide, not a paint by numbers picture.

[Mr Man]

Make sure cheap crap camera has flash before you buy 4 of them.

Haha Dude If I was drinking then my monitor would be wrecked! That was so funny, you were looking for the flash for days :P

Heres a few things I learned from the trip.

* Having a foundation for characters is essential. Study anatomy until your ass bleeds and you begin to hate it.

* With figure drawing Dont just practice small thumbnails, Produce some fully rendered finally finished pieces.
Also when drawing the figure the form is more important than the anatomy. Once you have a decent form you can add muscles etc later.

* When drawing from life look for angles, e.g. what time is the shoulder pointing to in conjunction with the chin.

* Dont forget that the background and the figure are linked together, keep in mind both aspects in one form to keep a well balanced composition.

* Dont ask bums for directions

* For a conceptart job show them everything. Environments, characters, creatures, props etc. Make thumbnails and show progress to your designs. They they like to see concepts quite small too so theres more on a page.

[escape2mars]

I learned that I have to draw more. Every single instructor I talked to told me I had to draw and draw and draw. Whitaker said "100 more paintings!" Kevin told me to find every excuse to draw. Btw, my bum gave me excellent directions...I gave him $2. Hehe.

....ermm....I'm like actually posting now, so nobody can call me a lurker anymore. Right, wafflehouseninja?

[Darktwin]

What a lot of you have already stated.

Push yourself to be more confident with line.

Draw a lot more.

experiment with color and different brushes in photoshop.

Having a solid drawing background is 70% of a solid painting.

Keep drawing

and sleep is overrated.

and much much more.

[BumsUnite]

I learned that there is more to art than the individual artist and his/her work. Art is about the collective community of artists, and their intentions.
There is something amazing that happens when 400 people get together with the intention of creating, and learning, and communicating with each other. The energy that is produced by the community of artists is incredibly overpowering.
This past weekend we were able to tap directly into the source of spiritual energy with these intentions, and that carries over into our everyday lives.
I have learned that there is no time to waste, every moment is important and special, and that the people you share your life with are your greatest source of energy.

I have never been so inspired in my life.

[BumsUnite]

oh yeah, and...
I NEED TO DRAW MORE!

[Mr Man]

Just curious, did any of the instructors say how much they draw? Not that It really matters because I know its alot :P

[bloopatone]

I learned that the conceptart.org community is filled with extremely cool, talented, cool people (ok, I'm sucking up but its true).

More importantly I learened that even the great ones think they suck every once in a while and that feeling down about your skills is good motivation to keep practicing.

I got some good advice on materials - smooth plate bristol, mechanical pencils (F), some tips on how to start oil painting as well.

I learned that the secret to having a great band is loose the guitar player ;).

I learned much more I'm still processing.

My pictures are on my site at www.bloopatone.com

[ShamusAmos]

I learned some nifty new shortcuts and techniques that'll make my painting process go a little faster. I learned the importance of recognizing when you are limiting yourself. To branch out beyond the norm of your particular style.

Most of all though I learned a lot just from the philosophies various peeps were mentioning.

Marko--Bringing up the only ones that are witholding our abilities is ourselves. To not be afraid when you create.

Cool quote "You pick up things you like from an artist and leave behind the things you don't. Eventually you become an amalgam of all the artists you are inspired by"--David Finch

It's hard to pin point all the things I learned when so much of it was just based on watching others work.

I also learned that it is important to market yourself well. I work in the games industry as a 3d environment artist. However, I don't have the marketability as a Marko or Andrew Jones per se...not yet at least. One could argue that they dress odd and stuff but bottom line they get your attention. Pretty much all of Massive Black got my attention with their various hip/street style of dress. This is important because it made me take notice. Who are these people? What makes them so great? Then when you look at their art...you see what makes them so great. Then you have a face, name and overall image of that person and the work they create.

At places like GDC/E3 everyone pretty much looks the same meaning just guys with buzzed heads, gotees, t-shirts, jeans, etc.. However, I know at the next GDC I'll be able to pinpoint the Massive Black peeps from the crowd just from their crazy get up. I think it is brilliant. Obviously, their art stands for itself. The art they create is the reason we came to the workshop. However, I learned that we can't ignore ourselves as well when it comes to making people take notice.

Please understand I'm talking about marketability. Anyone can be "cool" or dress "hip". In this case, it works in enhancing their art and marketability in my opinion.

Not sure if I'm making sense to you...but to me it makes perfect sense. :bashful:

[|[ k ]|]

BASICS!! FOUNDATION!! The importance of picking up traditional painting and observing pple and environment.

[Zord]

I learned that conceptart.org is a living, breathing, entity and it's members form a community that exntends beyond the forums. We wait for each other before travelling, cover the extra charge if anyone doesn't have enough [bus fees anyone?], give constructive crits and give a helping hand whenever needed, among other things. I made friends that will be with me whenever I need them, not only on the forums but in this thing called life. They are all over the world, and would offer a room as I would for them. You recieve what you make of the situation, and the situation was amazing.

This is getting too sappy but I think it gets the point across. And as a sidenote: animals, raw power, and domination. Was anyone else there for Coro's/Marko's crit? Pure hilarity.

Cheers, all.

-Z

[sweetoblivion314]

dude that was great! the raw power of animal domination! they guy who put that in his sketch book needs to own up to it now!

[hp]

I learned that conceptart.org is a living, breathing, entity and it's members form a community that exntends beyond the forums. We wait for each other before travelling, cover the extra charge if anyone doesn't have enough [bus fees anyone?], give constructive crits and give a helping hand whenever needed, among other things. I made friends that will be with me whenever I need them, not only on the forums but in this thing called life. They are all over the world, and would offer a room as I would for them. You recieve what you make of the situation, and the situation was amazing.

This is getting too sappy but I think it gets the point across. And as a sidenote: animals, raw power, and domination. Was anyone else there for Coro's/Marko's crit? Pure hilarity.

Cheers, all.

-Z

hey hey hey, i paid ya'll all back :) (i think)

i learned to paint a really basic guideline instead of painting the whole outline of the face etc. to REALLY organize my colors. to get good brushes. to not draw from the face down necessarily.

and how to drive to oklahoma :)

i don't know if there's another thread for "testimonials", but here mine is for this one:

Being my second workshop, it definitely had that feeling of meeting old friends once again, even with people you'd never seen before or talked to online. Demos aside...Like zord said, only here will you find people who:

- are willing to wait all day for you at the airport
-are gonna celebrate your bday during the workshop just cuz someone else mentioned it
-are happy to walk uphill 4 billion blocks to find some goddamn seals
-are not gonna take pics cuz they know someone else will take 5000!
-are going to make EVERYTHING into a thunderdome topic, anywhere, all the time
-teach you to listen to bands with silly names like dragon force :) and show you how fun guitar hero actually is (although you may never admit to either)
-call you up to make sure you didn't die on the way home
-mention having a bday party at their house in a diff state after the workshop...and you actually go on a whim...and use the excuse to your parents that "yes meeting people on the internet twice in real life = best friends"
-are more likely to call you by your forum name than your real one cuz they can't damn well remember your real one
-are going to inspire you to draw, draw, draw
-teach you that downing a bottle of jim bean by yourself will make you draw, draw, draw
-realize that NO ONE has taken off their mb tshirts and ca workshop bracelets for DAYS and will STILL be wearing them when you see them next :D

[Zord]

hey hey hey, i paid ya'll all back :) (i think)

i learned to paint a really basic guideline instead of painting the whole outline of the face etc. to REALLY organize my colors. to get good brushes. to not draw from the face down necessarily.

and how to drive to oklahoma :)

i don't know if there's another thread for "testimonials", but here mine is for this one:

Being my second workshop, it definitely had that feeling of meeting old friends once again, even with people you'd never seen before or talked to online. Demos aside...Like zord said, only here will you find people who:

- are willing to wait all day for you at the airport
-are gonna celebrate your bday during the workshop just cuz someone else mentioned it
-are happy to walk uphill 4 billion blocks to find some goddamn seals
-are not gonna take pics cuz they know someone else will take 5000!
-are going to make EVERYTHING into a thunderdome topic, anywhere, all the time
-teach you to listen to bands with silly names like dragon force :) and show you how fun guitar hero actually is (although you may never admit to either)
-call you up to make sure you didn't die on the way home
-mention having a bday party at their house in a diff state after the workshop...and you actually go on a whim...and use the excuse to your parents that "yes meeting people on the internet twice in real life = best friends"
-are more likely to call you by your forum name than your real one cuz they can't damn well remember your real one
-are going to inspire you to draw, draw, draw
-teach you that downing a bottle of jim bean by yourself will make you draw, draw, draw
-realize that NO ONE has taken off their mb tshirts and ca workshop bracelets for DAYS and will STILL be wearing them when you see them next :D

All I have to do is :D . The memories are going to last FOR-EV-ER.

[sweetoblivion314]

what Emily and Johnny said is so true. I usualy have trouble introducing myself to new people. but not there. Everyone is so open and you make connections with people so fast. This place is really a family and its amazing.

quick question though... is it okay to shower with this bracelet on? cause i havent taken it off yet :P

TO THE NEXT NORTH AMERICAN WORKSHOP!!!!! (cause i cant aford to go to italy :P )

[Main Loop]

-realize that NO ONE has taken off their mb tshirts and ca workshop bracelets for DAYS and will STILL be wearing them when you see them next

haha i think i didnt even realize i was wearing it till i got home and took a shower the next day

[dorian]

quick question though... is it okay to shower with this bracelet on? cause i havent taken it off yet :P
What worries me more than the fact that you're still wearing it is that apparently you didn't take a shower up to this point...
heh, j/k ;)

sad I couldn't make it and get to know some of you guys and see others again. looking at those pics still makes me smile though, seems like you all had a really great time!


it would be really helpful if you could post your notes here, and go more into detail. So instead of "I learned new shortcuts in PS that'll make things faster/easier for me!" it would be awesome to actually have a list of those shortcuts, etc.!
thanks to everybody who posted!


.

[look]

it would be really helpful if you could post your notes here, and go more into detail. So instead of "I learned new shortcuts in PS that'll make things faster/easier for me!" it would be awesome to actually have a list of those shortcuts, etc.!
thanks to everybody who posted!
.
I agree. But some of the things is hard to put down in words. But we can try.

[hp]

well mostly everything i learned was written down in the notes thread from last workshop...it just got retold and stuck in my mind this time :)

for instance, setting up your palette with a warm and cool of each color. using a brush for each color so you don't muddy up your palette. if you look at how many brushes each famous artist brought, it's INSANE. such simple concepts...yet many ppl don't do it...

[Dile_]

"well mostly everything i learned was written down in the notes thread from last workshop...it just got retold and stuck in my mind this time "

Hey emily, are you talking about the panda-notes ? or is it any other thread ? =) these notes are pretty cool reading , so it would be cool to see from the old workshops =)

~Dile

[hp]

um, i'm talking about the panda notes + i think i made a big notes thread....somewhere...just from montreal, so i guess just search from half a yr back :)

[Craig D]

Anyone take notes on J Muellers talk? I was upstairs for most of it and it would be great to see some notes on what he said.

[romance]

Anyone take notes on J Muellers talk? I was upstairs for most of it and it would be great to see some notes on what he said.

Touche.

What I learned:

Communication is a wonderful thing.

While at my first workshop, (Montreal), I stayed quiet, watched the demos, didn't asked many questions. I found this beneficial for where I thought I was as an artist

San Fran was 180 from Montreal. I watched very few demos, mingled, met people, asked questions, and made valuable connections and friends. Something I felt was needed at this point in my quest for improvement.

I think the workshops hold everything a developing artist needs to increase the skills they want to improve upon. Sometimes you have to dig deep, and put some effort forth to find it, but it is there, just waiting to be discovered.

[Main Loop]

Anyone take notes on J Muellers talk? I was upstairs for most of it and it would be great to see some notes on what he said.

i recorded the whole thing, its really bad quality, but i can put it up on zshare or something if anyone wants me to

[Steph Laberis]

I learned that I have been showing my artwork to the wrong studios. Repeatedly.

Time to hunt down some studios that are a better fit for me.

[Ryn]

-realize that NO ONE has taken off their mb tshirts and ca workshop bracelets for DAYS and will STILL be wearing them when you see them next :D

I wasn't at SF, and maybe I'm a geek.. but I wear my Montreal bracelet every day. :bashful: