Illustration

Are You Good Enough? Tough Truths For True Artists: With Will Terry :: ArtCast #66

By Chris Oatley

I’m going to ask you a question and I need you to be honest with me…

Don’t hold back.

Whatever the answer is, I can take it…

Am I good enough?

Do I have what it takes to succeed as a professional artist?

Artists ask me this all the time.

…and not just young, aspiring artists but seasoned pros as well.

My response is always “No.”

“No, you’re not good enough, nor am I.

…and we never will be.”

And that, my friends is an encouraging revelation.

Children’s illustrator, app author and art guru Will Terry joins me for what I think is one of the best episodes of the ArtCast ever recorded.

So if you want to rid yourself of the insecurity that comes from constantly worrying that you’ll never be good enough, click through and listen…

The Rising Stars Of Animation: Betsy Bauer, Elsa Chang, Jessie Greenberg, Natalie Hall, Sarah Marino & Isaac Orloff: ArtCast #59

By Chris Oatley

I always say that the two secrets to success in animation are “Do great work and be great to work with.”

Sometimes, artists just get mad when I say that.

But more often, they ask thoughtful follow-up questions. …questions like “How, if I’m not already working in the industry, do I prove that I’m great to work with?”

Although I have a few responses to that question which I will talk about in an upcoming episode, I thought it would be clearer to just show you how it’s done.

So I brought together six of my favorite “Rising Stars” of the animation industry and interviewed them…

The Gustav Klimt Drawings: Inside The Mind Of A Master Draftsman

By Chris Oatley

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was up to no good.

Her expression – eternal, enticing and vile – has, for centuries, lured many men to awful consequences.

Fortunately, a grumpy docent intervened and saved me from a similar fate…

Closing time.

He kicked me out and locked the beautiful, deadly spirit-girl inside.

I wonder if I’ll ever see her again…

Yesterday, I visited The Getty Center Museum (one of my favorite places in Los Angeles) for the special exhibit: Gustav Klimt: The Magic Of Line.

It was a collection of one hundred Klimt drawings, sketches, studies, thumbnails and the most elaborate color comps I’ve ever seen.

I almost had to leave half-way through.

…and not because I was trying to escape the tempting gaze of that ancient femme fatale The Getty curators call ‘Lasciviousness.’ I hadn’t even met her yet.

The awesomeness was just completely overwhelming.

In this post, we’ll go inside the mind of Gustav Klimt, The Master Draftsman and gather four lessons that will supercharge your sketchbook…

The Hudson River Painters Vs. The Texture Monster :: Digital Painting Tutorial

By Chris Oatley

'Among The Sierra Nevada Mountains' by Albert Bierstadt — The painters of The Hudson River School used tons of texture but they kept it under control. [ Painting: ‘Among The Sierra Nevada Mountains’ by Albert Bierstadt ]

The Texture Monster is on the hunt.

We all must remain watchful for no painting is completely safe.

When The Texture Monster attacks, it will SMASH your subtle values, PUMMEL your perspective, SKEW your sense of scale and CONFUSE your compositions.

…unless you trap it and tame it.

So how can you protect your paintings?

You will need three ancient weapons to trap and tame The Texture Monster.

In this post I’ll teach you how to use these ancient weapons with a horror story, a history lesson, a video tutorial and a Downloadable PDF that you can share, print, load onto your mobile device etc…

So read on.

…if you dare.

5 Common Pitfalls Of Concept Art & Illustration Portfolios

By Chris Oatley

I’ve said it before: The only way to truly succeed in a creative career is to do great work and be great to work with.

If you craft a strong concept art/ illustration portfolio it will demonstrate both of these values at the same time. And that strong portfolio will dazzle any recruiter or art director you encounter.

But a strong portfolio consists of much more than just the art inside.

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