Art by Analise Black
Lots of new things are on the horizon for the SVSLearn community! Join Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry for a sneak peek at what’s coming, plus digital brush tips, commercialism, and the best way to approach a critique.
ASK A QUESTION
JOIN US ON PATREON
Note: We’ve done our best to provide relevant links to products mentioned in this podcast. Qualifying purchases support SVSLearn and the 3 Point Perspective podcast. Thank you for your patronage!
SHOW LINKS
Book a Portfolio Power Critique
Children’s Book Pro
Lee White Photoshop brushes
Adobe Creative Cloud
Kyle T. Webster Photoshop brushes
ARTICLE: The AI Feedback Loop
CLASS: Creating Custom Brushes in Photoshop with Lee White
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The best critiques evaluate whether or not an illustrator is reaching their goals, rather than sharing general opinions of the work.
If you hear the same feedback from multiple sources, you should probably pay attention to it.
No matter what style you want to develop, a thorough understanding of basics like light, shadow, composition, and value will serve you well throughout your entire career.
QUESTIONS
Joanne asks, “What level of finish should a book dummy submission have?”
We discuss this in-depth in Children’s Book Pro, which reopens this fall! The short answer? Your composition and layout should be legible, but not detailed (we should be able to recognize a truck, but not that it’s a Ford F1-50). Include a few fully-rendered pieces so your art director can see where your sketches are headed.
Elizabeth asks, “I have Photoshop CS5. What brushes or presets do you recommend to achieve a charcoal or pastel look?”
It’s time for an update. With Adobe Creative Cloud, you can enjoy Kyle Webster’s fabulous brushes for free. If you’re not ready to upgrade, you must build your own brushes. Check out Lee White’s class, Creating Custom Brushes in Photoshop to learn how!
“If my goal is to learn stylized animal landscape illustration, should I still learn realistic human drawing? I’m a complete beginner.”
Having a basic grasp of the human form and skeleton is useful and can improve your animal drawing, but you don’t need to study it extensively. 90% of your focus should be on advancing your goal. Light and shadow, value, composition, etc. are the most critical skills to learn, as they’ll help you in any style you pursue.
Kim says, “I had a couple of SCBWI illustration critiques from art directors, and their opinions differed on a few pieces. When that happens, what do you recommend in changing the artwork?”
Between two differing opinions, one is usually wrong, but discerning between them can be challenging. Ask for additional opinions. If you hear the same feedback from multiple sources, pay attention. A good critique focuses not on opinion, but on whether or not the illustration in question matches the illustrator’s desired effect.
Sean asks, “When selling physical products, do you worry about product liability insurance?”
Generally, it’s not a priority, except when required for events.
“You mentioned on a previous episode that commercial style is a bad thing. Can you explain what that is and how to avoid it?”
“Commercial” refers to the generic, soft, airbrushed look like what you’d see on a cereal box. It’s not necessarily bad, but a more textured, multi-media look lends itself to projects with more heart, storytelling, and creative freedom.
Chris asks, “How has collaborating with niche market influencers worked for you?”
The key to working with influencers is the quality (not the quantity) of their audience, and their ability to promote your product sincerely. Influencer collaborations with SVSLearn are in the works!
Pamela asks, “Do you guys pursue awards? Are they submitted by publishers? Are you excluded if you self-publish? How does a book get noticed by the ALA?”
Typically your publishers handle awards for you; it’s harder to enter when you’re self-published. Awards can elevate your profile, which makes landing your next gig easier, but increased book sales aren’t guaranteed.
“Why did you choose to join Patreon? I’ve heard it takes quite a cut and that the community interaction is lacking.”
We’re actually considering a platform transition to better support our community. Patreon is an excellent place for artists to join the conversation without actively taking SVSLearn classes, but juggling both subscribers and patrons takes up a lot of bandwidth for our team. We’re open to suggestions for our next move, so send in your community-building ideas!
LINKS
Jake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
Lily Camille Howell: lilycamille.com
If you like this episode, please share it, subscribe, and let us know your thoughts or if you learned something new!
If you want to be a part of the discussion and have your voice heard, join us at forum.svslearn.com.