Some Advice Would be Nice...

[face]

Hello there, my name is Dan, I'm 23 and I live in the uk. I graduated at the end of last year from the National Film and Television School in the uk, where I studied Production Design. I wanted to be a concept designer when I was at Art School studying illustration, and when I graduated I was head hunted to go to filmschool, with the promise I would be taught how to be a concept artist for film. I was lied to. I got little to no chance to learn anything, and I couldn't figure out why they would want me to be there, when as an artist I was so unsuitable on this technical drafting course. I wasted two years of my life convincing myself that I was doing the right thing, I know it pleased my parents for me to be there. During the last week of the course I discovered the reason why they wanted me there above other people who had technical backgrounds... they wanted me to print off all of my artwork that I had done during the course so that they could take it around the country and to Europe to 'show people what they could achieve if they joined the course'. I was the only person who could paint on the course as I have spent much of my life teaching myself. I even had to endure bullying from 30 year olds on the course because they resented the fact that I could paint and they couldn't! I wasted two years of my life so that they could further the lie that they could teach people to paint like me if they were a student at the school, when I could paint because I already knew how to. I conveniently forgot to print it off before I left. It drives me mad thinking about it sometimes. This killed my ambition in its tracks. I met the concept designers on Harry Potter, visited James Bond and saw the whole lot whilst I was at the school, but this didn't help.

I guess I should get to the point here...

I have always had the ambition to be an artist at some point in my life. It's the first thing I wanted to be as a child, and it's still the only thing I want to be. I thought I'd go for it in my thirties, but seeing as the MA I earned at the film school has rendered me unemployable in every job I apply to (even as an office worker!) I thought that I should go for it now, whilst I still have no responsibilities. I have had to take up cash-in-hand farm work to keep myself going and the only viable trade I have to my name is the ability to paint.

The reason why I am writing to you all is because I haven't been able to paint properly over the last five months, I think I have artists block. It doesn't surprise me as I haven't had much practice over the last two years. I want to specialise in acrylics and oils, but the only thing I have even started is a forgery of an early italian renaissance portrait (just the face). It looks just like the original, but it's not a style of painting I think I should use as a pastiche, my own style is much looser and free-er (and much more fun). I think that alot of the time I lack motivation.

Any advice?

Lastly, I am giving myself the goal of getting together a collection of paintings to exhibit in London by the end of next year. I can never decide on what to paint as a subject. I like to draw people, and faces, so I thought that that woule be something to stick to. I am thinking of basing the show on the definition of 'Mother', I want to explore what that can mean to different people, to myself, how it can be absracted to resemble something else, and visa versa (think of symbolism here).

What do you guys think? Sound good?

I could really do with some good advice here, I feel dented.

Much appreciated, Dan Gill x

[drummingpariah]

Well, you're past the first part.

Admitting that you have a problem. :)

I know what works for me is to have a mental art "zone" that I'm regulating myself to. Every day, I wake up and "art" a piece of paper. If it comes out great, well, great. If it comes out horribly, I try to find out why, exactly. Instead of just hitting a page, I set up a list of focus points (such as perspective, line strength, color, mood, etc) and basically throw them into a hat. Each day I pick one out and do whatever I can come up with for that. Sometimes I'll visit a local cafe or park and sketch whatever looks interesting. Seedling gave me the idea. I'm not really into paints (I'm colorblind, so it takes a lot of the fun out of 'em for me) so I sketch, but she's been doin a-painting-a-day here:http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74879

:yayca:

[Seedling]

she's been doin a-painting-a-day . . .

It’s a bit startling to visit a thread for the first time only to find that I’m already here. ;-)

Face, after reading what you have written, I’m not clear on what you want to do for your career – fine arts (gallery sales of originals) or concept art (typically digital, done quickly)? What jobs are you applying for that you believe you are unqualified for, and what sort of portfolio are you presenting to them? Are you also exploring any sort of freelance work?

[drummingpariah]

see? isn't she great?

[otis]

Seedling,

I don't know how you have the patience to keep answering the same questions over, over, and over again? You really should go into teaching.

[Bowlin]

I'd also like to recomend the book Art & Fear (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-David-Bayles/dp/0961454733). Elwell has suggested it a couple of times and I have finally gotten around to reading it (owned it for like two years!). Fine art students in colleges here in the U.S. often find themselves in the same situation your in, myself included. This book talks about this and helps put a lot of things in better perspective.

[face]

i'm not lookling for a proper 'job' as such. I'm not going to be a concept artist now, I want to be an artist and sell work in galleries, do comissions etc. I've done comissions before to earn some money before so i guess i'm quite influenced by that. i nearly got a job as a visualiser for archited firms, but i dont' think i'm going to persue that career.

[Seedling]

I had to go think for a while in order to come up with useful stuff to tell you, face. :-)

First of all, art splits into to general categories – that which sells through galleries or directly to individuals, and that which is published or used as concept art. The first category is generally done in analog mediums in which there is one final product, or a limited number. The second category is often done digitally, for speed and convenience. Concept artists don’t often have shows the way that fine artists do, largely because galleries don’t yet know what to do with digital images. I think it is wise to pick just one of those directions to actively pursue at once (even though being successful in one category can make it great deal lot easier to then cross over into the other, and just because you pick one route now doesn’t mean you’ll be tied to it forever.)

Sounds like you have picked the gallery route, which is spiffy. However, if your ultimate goal is to get into concept art, you will want to make sure that what you are doing with your gallery work allows you to build skills that you will need as a concept artist. Specifically, speed, technical versatility, and the ability to make images that explain themselves. That last part is important because in the gallery/fine-arts side, there is an emphasis placed on explaining art. About the show you want to have, and getting back to your future goal of making concept art. . . that’s a great objective! But pick a theme for the show that allows you to develop skills that are applicable to concept art. Don’t get sidetracked from that with vague fine-artsy ideals. Then create art. Then, even if the show doesn’t happen, you will have learned what you needed, and you will have a body of work that can be your portfolio, with which you can line up gallery connections, freelance illustration jobs, or even concept art jobs.

To change subjects slightly, what did you learn at the film school? Even though you didn’t learn what you wanted there, you may have learned things that can help you get some sort of job. I’m still not understanding why you have reached the conclusion that your education makes you unemployable, “even as an office worker”. (Though, I do understand a little. After I graduated an art-supply store told me I was too qualified to work there. In retrospect, what I needed to do was to show them my knowledge of art materials, rather then slinking home feeling wretched.)

As an artist you have to be a lot more creative about how you find work, unlike such fields as medicine, in which every step towards a career is mapped out. If one type of work or one job-finding tactic fails, try another, and another. Do not let failure depress you, because there will be failures and you’ve got to just keep picking yourself back up and trying again. And go ahead and take whatever art-related job you can get for the time being. You can upgrade later, work on your paintings in your off-hours, and every job has something to teach that you can apply to the next job.

About artist’s block. . . as far as I can tell, that comes from too much thinking (and worrying), and not enough doing. Try what I have been doing in my sketchbook here. Every day, whether or not I want to, I paint for one hour. (Well, now that I have established my routine, it’s not quite every day any more). I see it more as practicing a musical instrument than creating a piece of visual art. It has let me sharpen my skills in the absence of the time or desire to get into some big project – and when the time and the desire do come along, I’m now prepared to seize the opportunity.

Anyway, I hope this helps a bit.

Seedling,. . . You really should go into teaching.

Eventually. :-)

[Grief]

seedling made a lot of good points.

just be weary about choosing any art related job which comes your way. i see it all too often that artists get caught up in dreadful client work. business tends to trump pleasure, and if you're not careful you'll slip from your artistic aspirations into a world of dissatisfying routine.

i'm basically in the beginning stages of the situation that you're in (in a dismal higher education system which is draining my passion)

my advice is to really push yourself into art, even if you lack the drive and motivation and feel the work isnt profound (or good) it does no ill to be prolific. it's cheesey and cliche, but just keep at it. art serves as a mirror and will reflect our state of being. if timid and daunted by the blank canvas, your work will reflect your fraility, it's honest and genuine. it may not be the stylistic endeavor you want to create, but it serves a purpose to exhibit who you are at this stage in your life.

evaluate why you create art, and the concept which unifies your work will follow.

holy crap, i'm rambling, i guess it's time for me to hit the sack.