Newbie Artist Questions

[frothymug]

*I deliberated on what section to post this topic, and I felt that the Fan Works forum would get the best exposure to the right people. If any of the mods feel it necessary, move it to the appropriate forum.

This is a call out to you artists that frequently peruse this forum. I'm trying to get my younger brother to move to a more modern medium in his art and I need your help. He's been drawing since he was very little and I fear that he's beginning to show a waning interest in creating new works. He's spent pretty much 99% of his time working with paper and pencil; and some colored pencil work as well. I'd like for him to try working with computers to see what he can do and I was browsing the Wacom website to see how much they cost and what they are best used for. However, I'm not well-versed in the know-how of the industry, so here I am asking for some opinions.

We're on a moderate budget, so the Bamboo looked like it was a good start for him to see if he really likes working with a digital tablet. There were several Bamboo models and my brain went "ka-thunk" when reading the descriptions to find out which would be best for him. Also, it says that it comes with some bundled software. At the price of the Bamboo models, I am guessing that they're not terribly robust, but are good for starters. If and when he graduates from that software, what programs would you guys say are best for sketch artists?

I'd also like to get him a good scanner so he can digitize his current works, instead of losing them in the mess that is his bedroom. What are your suggestions there?

You have my thanks in advance!

[sketchley]

Why are you trying to force him to use a new medium? If anything, that'll kill any remaining interest he has in art.

If you truly want to be helpful to him, support him in the works that he's creating in the medium that he's comfortable in.

As time goes by, suggest he try new mediums - and I'd strongly suggest completely ignoring medium's that require a lot of investment (ie: scanners, tablets). Buy him a set of watercolours. A set of oil paints. Etc.. Some art books that tell how to use those materials. You'll be surprised how relevant those things are when and if the switch to the digital medium comes.

So, yeah, asking this question here is a good first step. Just talk with him about it. You know, supportive stuff, non-critical, telling him what works and what you like. Put some of it on the fridge, or even frame it on the wall.

Good luck.

[frothymug]

I wouldn't say I'm trying to force him into a new medium. I'm trying to broaden his interest in other mediums. I think he's just getting bored with pencil and paper. Perhaps he is getting discouraged by the limitations of that medium. I asked him what is stopping him from drawing more and his answer was what I had expected it to be: "I just don't know WHAT to draw". I suggested that he come up with a project to work on over the summer, such as creating his own comic book. He didn't really have any ideas after a few days, so I suggested that he read a fanfic I've been working on and storyboarding it to see what he can come up with. He's been moderately interested in doing it, but it appears that I'll have to be the one to light a fire under his ass when it comes to this stuff.

If anything, his art is the one thing I've been very supportive of for him. I just want to encourage him to keep up the work by trying out his talent in other areas, such as digital media, canvas, and maybe a little clay sculpturing.

Definitely good advice, though, Sketchley.

[chillyche]

Well, you know, basically, the more money you want to burn, the more professional the gear you can own. I had a Wacom Graphire 2 that I liberated from my office. And it was fine. I worked in Photoshop with it. But, I know a guy who does a webcomic and he uses the Cintiq, so he's obviously got more invested than I do. The Bamboo is probably on par with the first or second generation Wacoms that I used back in the 2000s for my job, so they're not terrible. They just don't have the bells and whistles that have evolved. As far as making the transition, it's important to have a big enough work surface, so I feel like the smallest size is kind of a wash.

The truth is, paper and pencil will never die. They're not necessarily as convenient in a production pipeline, but as far as generating art and keeping practiced, nothing beats 'em. A real challenge for illustrators can be when drawing for the sake of drawing is no longer fulfilling. Then the need to produce something takes over, and one is aiming for a finished product instead of the experience of creation. Having awesome gear will allow your finished product to be leveraged, but it's not gonna change that fundamental motivational thing.

All that said, if your bro wants something to illustrate, Macross Aria is in dire need of character designers. Have him sketch a character, two, three, seven. It'll be awesome. Perhaps a production pipeline is the type of fire he needs lit under him?

[EXO]

You're better off inspiring him by exposing him to art that he might be interested in. Comic books, animation, sculptures, cars, specialty book or magazines (like Cinefex for movie special effects.) Honestly I don't go past the pencil either when it comes to drawing. But the first time someone lent me clay and I was surprised to find out that sculpting came naturally. It's almost like music. You can't really make someone sit down and force them to play the piano, but if you expose them to different music, they'll gravitate towards what comes naturally for them.

[Vepariga]

Id say just ask him about it,if he shows interest or willingness to give it a go then by all means.

But to me,I dont really like working with Digital mediums Ive used them before but found it wasnt my thing,I always work with traditional mediums like pencil,pen,pastel or charcoal.

I might put some of my stuff on here oneday.

[Temjin]

Some links your brother might be interested. One is concept design, other one is 3D CG.

http://www.conceptart.org/

http://forums.cgsociety.org/

[EXO]

Id say just ask him about it,if he shows interest or willingness to give it a go then by all means.

But to me,I dont really like working with Digital mediums Ive used them before but found it wasnt my thing,I always work with traditional mediums like pencil,pen,pastel or charcoal.

I might put some of my stuff on here oneday.

Did you make your avatar? that looks really cool.

[Vepariga]

Did you make your avatar? that looks really cool.

Thanks man,Its actually from the new pachinko machine,I just cropped it,cleaned it up,made the colours stand out more.

[frothymug]

I'll run the character design thing by him and see what he says.

I was thinking of getting him the Bamboo, since it's so cheap and it comes with some basic software. I think it's worth the seventy-dollar investment to see if it takes off for him. If he really likes it, we can work on getting him and Intuos with a much bigger screen.

As far as archiving his work, is it worth investing in a good scanner so he can digitize his work and possibly work on coloring them in a digital format?

[sketchley]

There's a key piece of information that's been overlooked: how old is your younger brother? The answer to that is key to the applicability of the guidance asked for.

Reason being is the type of things you can expose him to. For example, in my pre-teens, the art-teaching book that I remember the most is one that used simple shapes (mostly triangles, squares and circles) to draw complex pirate boats - only in black and purple, too! In my teens, I vividly remember pouring over a book on drawing perspective. In my 20's, it was "Burne Hogarth Dynamic Figure Drawing" (alas, it's the only title that I can remember). After that, it was the "漫画を描こう" series.

Edited July 4, 2010 by sketchley

[frothymug]

He's 16 years old and has been drawing since he could pretty much properly hold a pencil in his hand. He's taken numerous art classes and attends the art magnet in the school district he attends. From what I've seen him draw, it's just something that comes to mind. He will sketch out a decently-detailed creature of his imagination within 15-20 minutes and it looks like polished concept art for some fantasy game that hasn't even been created yet.

[Gui]

It looks like your little brother is now beyond the stage of learning: then it's now time for him to build what he has in mind; it's a matter of culture, and not tools

I mean by this that it's not a question of digital tablet and/or scanner, but a simple point of subject: he needs to find what turns him on and makes him want to draw

The will is the main – if not the only – talent: if you lose will... Well you don't lose talent, but it becomes sort of useless (a way of speaking...)

I don't know the laws of your country but maybe it is simply time for him to work, to get a job and let his mastering becomes useful

Because of this, I'd suggest to buy a simple scanner, digitilize his works, put them online and send them to professionnals. And by professionnals, I mean do not hesitate to solicit big guys: a lot of people began at ILM or Walt Disney because they didn't know what to do... I'm very serious here

Oh, and don't hesitate to show us some of his stuff: it looks like we'll see interesting things

[sketchley]

I echo what Gui says. A scanner is the best investment (+ an art program, but as there are free one's like GIMP, one only has to worry about hard disc space).

A scanner is a good investment, not just for the digitization and mass-distribution that they allow, but because he can take his pencil/pen on paper art to the next level (adding tones and/or colour, cropping the art, flipping elements of it, etc., etc..) If you really want to see him learning the IT graphic skills, encourage him to manipulate and/or improve his art after scanning it.

So, yeah, what Gui said about getting more experience and exposure to things old and new.

[frothymug]

I'm inclined to agree with you guys there. I'll talk to him about the scanner so we can work on archiving his work and possibly enhancing it with a good graphics program. Perhaps he can work on some concept art to see if Chillyche likes anything he produces.

I appreciate the advice... and I'm sure he will too!

[chillyche]

I concur with the scanner thing. When I was in high school I begged and pleaded for a year and finally my brother-in-law dropped the 400 bucks it took to buy a Marstek/Mustek hand-scanner which could only do 5" wide strips. To scan full page illustrations, I'd have to do it in two passes, at an equal speed, or else it wouldn't match up. Yikes. I really thought that was the tool I needed to go from doodling all day to making professional videogames. Then the first 10-million dollar game came out. Heh.

Anyway, the point being, a scanner/printer/copier that will suffice (although I find they're not as good as dedicated scanners) will cost you under 200 bucks, and maybe even under 100. That will certainly get the job done. If you don't have access to photoshop, then people swear by GiMP and if it can read and save .PSDs then, great, because that's the industry standard for that stuff.

The scanner will let him archive his stuff as well as create a nice online portfolio on his own blog or on deviant art or wherever, and to send stuff to whomever he so chooses. At the same time, yeah, it will open the door to digital enhancements, to which I still recommend a Wacom of some sort, since to a guy comfortable with a pencil, coloring and retouching with a mouse is like a bullet in the face.

I think the others are right -- the most important thing is for him to keep having fun, and maybe to find an outlet that makes drawing remain fun. For some people that means collaborating on a project, and seeing it become something greater than the sum of its parts, for others that means the exact opposite.

[shiroikaze]

For a graphics program, you may want to consider Paint Tool Sai too. It's a lightweight and versatile program and it's certainly cheaper than Photoshop (and probably more robust than GIMP but I don't know that myself). There is a 30-day trial available on the site too, so check that out.

It's great to see you trying to nurture your brother's talents. I'm trying to do the same for my brother too.

You can't really make someone sit down and force them to play the piano, but if you expose them to different music, they'll gravitate towards what comes naturally for them.

Something that most older Asian parents probably will never understand...

[sketchley]

Something that most older Asian parents probably will never understand...

That's not limited to older, nor Asian parents. It's ALL parents who don't recognize their children's inherent strengths.

Of course, the opposite are the parents who do recognize their children's strengths, but completely neglect training them with practical skills for their future.

But this is all a discussion for another place and time.