Art by Jake Parker
How Do I Turn My Sketches into Finished Work? Jake Parker, Lee White, and Will Terry share their perspectives on this question, plus the efficacy of cons, and more in this episode.
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SHOW LINKS
How to Fix Your Art livestreams
Creative Composition class by Will Terry
Grumpy Monkey book
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Every piece has an ugly middle phase. Don’t quit too early!
Just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you can do everything. Pick your one or two stand-out fields and become the best in those arenas.
If you react to certain art negatively, investigate it and learn why you dislike it. It’s just as valuable as studying work you love!
QUESTIONS
Tom asks, “As you have shown in your How to Fix Your Art series, there are multiple ways to illustrate a specific scene. While art is very subjective, what are some thoughts you have or techniques you use to zero in on a sketch to take to final art?”
First off, thumbnails are magical. They allow you to work through composition issues quickly in a small-scale format. After that, we evaluate the silhouette, volume, proportions, and movement of the figures (if there are any). If those look good, it’s time to finalize your piece.
Seth asks, “I've been an illustrator on and off for about twelve years, but I've never been able to make it work as a full-time profession. I've jumped around graphic design, game design, and animation, but I'm trying to make the transition into illustrating for children's books. How can I improve my portfolio to land some illustration work and turn this into a full-time profession?”
When you’re very skilled across multiple disciplines, as Seth is, you need to remember that just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you should. If you want to land jobs, you need to stand out in one or two fields, rather than all of them. When an art director lands on your website, don’t overwhelm them with possibilities; make what to hire you for obvious.
If you want to enter children’s books, nail down your contemporary style, assemble a few book proposals, and get an agent. With a little niching down, you’re sure to get the work you’re after.
Shaun asks, “I’m into the idea of drawing comic book covers and would love to be commissioned by the big companies to do variants. How do I get the attention of those companies?”
A variant is a comic book with a limited-edition unique cover. If you want to be hired to create these, begin by refining your current work (make sure your values and contrast within each piece are solid!). Look up the best Comic-Con artists from last year and see how your work holds up. Make killer fan art. Get connected with local comic shops and ask them what it would take to do a variant; shops often have connections to publishers who can grant permission for your variant. If your local sales go well, it will prove to the publisher that your art moves comics and you may receive the chance to create more on a larger scale.
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
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