Here's some of my work from the tail end of Digital Painting class.
In-class exercise - costumed model
In-class exercise - still life with different colored lights
Homework still life.
I call this piece "I'm never painting a football helmet again"
I had my FINAL class session this week! So sad. I owe a big thanks to all of my teachers, Jason Scheier, Toby Shelton, and Louie del Carmen for giving me such great feedback and guidance, and also to all of my classmates for helping me to learn and grow as well.
From start to finish, I think I have had 12 weeks total off of work to concentrate on art. (I go back to reality TV editing work full-time next Wednesday, although right now it's only for a month-long gig.) I started this 'semester' very unsure about what I was doing, worried that I was wasting time and money, still very insecure about my own skills, but the way I feel finishing out these classes is almost completely the opposite. I feel like I've broken through some huge artistic and personal barriers. I know I'm not making great art yet, but I feel... on the verge. Like I've just got to keep pushing and grinding and learning and it'll happen. I don't beat myself up for my shortcomings anymore. I just push on. I've come so far that there's really nothing else to do but move forward and make more art.
When I originally started the semester, I was thinking I'd attempt to break into storyboarding, but after having had two storyboard-centric classes and one more design-centric class, I've discovered my real passion lies in concept design for characters, props and environments. I don't know why I wasn't aiming for this from the start - I guess I just figured it'd be too hard or I wasn't good enough - but it truly is what I love. I love thinking about the different types of plant in a particular environment. I love swapping out noses on a face. And I plan to do a lot more of it from here on out.
In my final review for Digital Painting class, Jason said that I clearly understand the mechanics of drawing and painting, but what I need to work on is my design - and he's right. Way back when I first started taking classes, I SO BADLY just wanted to skip ahead and take the character design class first - but I knew I wasn't ready yet. So I took Viscom, and Perspective, and Figure Drawing, etc. etc. I have gotten to a point where I feel like my foundational drawing and painting is on somewhat solid footing. So now! On to educating myself about design.
I'm in the process of putting together a portfolio (which you can see the beginning makings of on the new tab above, My Work), but will need to create a lot more concept-design-centric art in order to do it (as opposed to filling it with still lifes and Viscom sketches). I'll continue to post stuff here as I do! For anyone reading who is also putting together a concept art portfolio, I've gotten a TON of great advice from the various internet outpourings of Chris Oatley -
- Paper Wings Podcast - Ten Steps to a Winning Portfolio Part 1 and Part 2
- 5 Common Pitfalls of Concept Art and Illustration Portfolios
- Is Your Concept Art Portfolio Versatile or Just Confusing?
- Just to name a few! Good luck to us all...
© Gina Florio 2014
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