Lois van Baarle aka “Loish” has designed a successful illustration career almost entirely on her own terms.
Now she gets paid to draw and paint the images and ideas she loves most.
In this interview, recorded live at a coffee shop in Amsterdam, we discuss how she got started, discovered her unique personal style and why you don’t need to be good at everything…
Listen To The Interview With Loish:
More From Loish:
Links Mentioned:
More From “Team OA,” My Guest Co-Hosts:
Ania Marcos (Oatley Academy Production Manager)
Jeff Morris (Oatley Academy Support)
Derrick Utz (Oatley Academy Support)
Our Epic Plans Have Been Revealed!
The Oatley Academy Team finally announced our new, top-secret project! Click here to find out more…
Share Your Thoughts:
Loish talked about how you don’t need to be good at everything…
What do you think is true versatility?
Another great one Chris, with tons of information to ask you (or Loish) follow up questions about, but the main one going through my head right now is “where does this guy get his music from?” Listening to your podcasts I couldn’t help but notice the great intro and outro riffs you use. Mostly acoustic-guitarish (me like). Any particular artist you get these from? or is it just from some random audio library and am I giving you way too much credit for this ;).
Anyway, keep up the shows, inspirational doesn’t begin to cover it!
Hi, Haes!
These days, all of the music credits run right at the end of each show before the bloopers. We feature different musical guests at different times but the recurring segments are by either Storybook Steve and Kangaralien. Hear more at storybooksteve.com
Whoops, sorry Chris, a bit impatient I guess. Kangaralien is amazing! So thanks for pointing that out (again)! Also, can’t believe this was in Amsterdam hehe (I’m from the Netherlands), had a bit of a weird Droste effect on me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droste_effect). Keep art-casting!
Just got back from Amsterdam and this makes me want to go back. Listening now, Loish is my favourite digital artist since childhood! Plus, you may have been conned by a batman with a broken fridge on the warm ale front. As a Brit, mulled wine(hot wine) is a Christmas thing, but everyone hates warm beer here as much as anywhere else.
Ps. Thank you for the correct Loish pronunciation.
“You may have been conned by a batman with a broken fridge” — Maybe so but TOTALLY worth it if it means I get to use that phrase even once again in my lifetime.
Thanks, Holly. Yes. Amsterdam is amazing.
Yup, warm ale isn’t a thing here, though much respect to you for drinking it anyway! Ale is served warmer than lager though…. but neither are ‘warm’.
Gosh, I’ve got a thirst on now…
Great, now I need some MEAD!!
Derrick, I always figured you for a keg-o-grog kinda guy…
YES!!! Must have the RUM WATER! But…I’l have ah pint o’ mead when I am feeling sweet, lol!!
It was more like room temperature… Maybe a *little* colder. Definitely warm compared to ANYTHING we have in the states.
It sounds un-‘beer’-able. sorry, bad pun.
I’ve followed Loish’s work on deviantART for years now. I was pretty hyped to see that you have her as a guest on your ArtCast because it feels a little closer to “home” for me. It is always humbling for me to see that the artists I admire go through the similar problems I do, and it widens my horizons about the possibilities the industry can provide me. I’m really happy that you interviewed her! I appreciate what you do for us artists, especially to those like me who are just starting out. Please keep up the good work!
Ahoy Lace! We are always fans of artists in their early stages! Keep it up!
Also, check in the podcast list and you will find a TON of great resources for you as you learn and grow! (Why do I feel like I just stepped out of “Sound of Music”, Thanks Mom, lol!)
Have a great one!
HAHA! *pictures Derrick twirling on a mountaintop in his cheerleader kilt*
THA HILLS ARE ALIVE!!!! ……and now empty because I scared them away!
Oh that’s amazing to hear, Lace. Thank you for sharing. When I started The ArtCast back in 2007 I set out to create the show I wished I’d had when I was in art school. Affirmations like these are sUUUper-encouraging.
Okay, it goes without saying, but Lois van Baarle – you rock! 😀 Great Art Cast as always, Chris. Art is cool, art is awesome – no doubt about it…but I love to hear/read about the people behind the work. I always find it so fascinating and inspiring to hear about their life journeys, the decisions they had to make and how they face challenges.
Makes everything and everyone feel connected.
Oh, I’m super excited about this:
“The Oatley Academy Team has been working hard on a new, top-secret project and a big announcement is coming soon.” 🙂
Thanks to everyone involved with the Art Casts – they give my ‘slow and stressful’ days at the office a ‘kick’!
Chris & I have been working on the secret project so long that it is getting very hard to keep the secret. Announcement can’t come soon enough!
*reaches for duct tape*
*Should I warn Lora that Chris is reaching for the duct tape? But Chris is a friend, but so is Lora…uhhh too much to deal with!*
I protect you Lora! Unless Chris has the Duct tape with the animal prints..my powers are useless against that!!!!
*Takes deep breath* Can’t wait, got a big smile on my face 😀
I almost forgot – Ania ‘Angel Ninja’ Marcos – woohoo, you go friend! 🙂
Hahahaha! WOOOP WOOOP!
Thanks Heino 😀
Yeah, the whole team is UHMAZING!
Great artcast, will definitely listen it again soon. So much recognizable obstacles and great to hear how so deals with it.
Really funny that I knew Loish her art from facebook/deviantart but never knew she’s also dutch!
“What do you think is true versatility?”
Wow, this interview made me rethink my whole viewpoint on this. I’m always overwelmed by al the art I see from all the artist online and because of that I want to learn it all… I think that’s for me a big pitfall. Maybe being true versatile means that you are verstatile within your own “style”. Beeing able to create lotst of concepts in your own unique style.
Thank you for this artcast.
Hey Mitch!!
Yeah, great point you bring… “true” versatility is a touchy thing, eigther one can be versatile within their own style, or be able to work with different ones.
Of course your visual voice will always be there, no matter what style you’re working in.
On the overwhelming and “do it all” notes.. baby steps. WE SHALL CONQUER THE WORLD WITH ART!!! In time. But we will. As long as we have fun along the way 😀
Haha, never forget the fun 😀
Boom. Right on, Ania.
Aw man this artcast was so much fun and informative at the same time. So glad you interviewed her, Chris! Even with all the bike racks obstacles!
*does a little dance of joy and leaves the room*
The bike story sounds amazing, hahaha. And yeah, Chris…Switzerland, it was surreal when I was there a few years ago. Waterfalls, with sheep in the green pastures just next to it. It was insane.
Yes. Switzerland is gorgeous beyond description. …and Italy is probably my favorite place on the planet.
I’ve heard so many good things about Italy from a bunch of people – I would still love to see it one day.
Ania, You are so Awesome! I shall dance my way through the day too! Thank you!
Let’s ALL dance!!!! RUUMBAAAA!!!
This is a great one Chris!
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I say with my art and struggling with if I’m saying anything at all for a while and have only recently decided that what I feel like drawing says what, I guess, I want to say. Even if it’s just what I like myself.
PS: I know the art school in Belgium that Loish talked about and I had the same experience when I went in for a test to go there, and it made me decide to go to another school ha
Ahoy Denzel!
As you learn to speak with your art you will learn that not all conversation it makes will be of epic length. Sometimes your art just stops on the page to say “hi.”
Try to create things you ENJOY and let them turn into longer conversations with more backstory (background,environment) and more flavor (characteristics) and as you become more comfortable with what that one subject is saying on the page, that subject may start helping you tell more of the story!
I have lost count of the times that I started something simple and as I fleshed it in, the art started to actually inform the blank parts of the page to where we were working hand in hand. But all of that starts with a simple few lines so don’t stress the rest of the story on that page, just start the conversation and let it take you somewhere!
My best to you!!
Thank you, Denzel.
And…
…what Derrick said.
That’s an amazing way of putting it Derrick!
And yeah I’ve started to notice that 🙂
Keep up the good work Chris!
Great Stuff Denzel! I am so glad these words could be of use! I saw your work on Twitter and wow! Great stuff!
Stay awesome!
This was great. I had so many “ME TOO!” moments listening to this. I also get stuck about the huge mountain I feel I want to climb when I check out Behance or Deviantart or Tumblr, so I can only take small doses. But I have also learned that the style comes from really tuning in to who you are and listening to what jumps at you when you look at art (what loish said) and at the world around you, then not dismissing the way you see things, but push them into your work. Cause that is where uniqueness comes from. It truly comes from our lifes, personalities and backgrounds. I really love the books by Michael D. Mattesi on Force, especially Character Design from Life Drawing. He talks a lot about this.
Loish is awesome and it was great to identify with her since I have had her on my influence list for years and years. However, it would be cool to take advantage of the fact that she is from Europe and maybe discuss things like, how do you get about contracting work here? Like SERIOUSLY, where do you start? All the resources out there are US oriented. It is such a bummer.
About versatility, I actually think it is good to promote a certain style to catch the eye, but maybe versatility comes from knowing the fundamentals really well and being able to just switch it up as a project might require you. Otherwise, if you have a “recipe”, there is a high risk your style will become outdated and suddenly you are out of work.
And finally, a thousand times yes to not giving a damn about your teachers. I have experience with teachers who got jealous of talented students and feared competition so they just put them down horribly. Also, many times they are out of touch with the industry (at least here in Norway) and the fast paced entertainment world.
Wonderful insights on style, Delia.
And thank you for the feedback re: questions about the European scene. I have been wondering that myself. We’ll just have to get Loish back on the show soon!!!
And you’re right that some art teachers can be total buttheads… It’s amazing to me. It’s why I’m so grateful to teach at a school where every single teacher gives it 110% every time out. Our students are absolutely vital and precious to us.
I keep coming back – sorry for spamming! Something that really hit home for me is where Lois talks about how because she is self-taught she sometimes felt that she needs to be able to draw everything and how she looks at other artists’ work and decide what she needs to take from their work and what she needs to leave.
I constantly feel like that. Like I need to be able to draw everything NOW. It can get overwhelming to take in everything out there – I need to learn how to limit my information intake.
Don’t apologize, Heino! You know we LOVE hearing your feedback. It can feel so lonely and one-sided when we are making the show.
Thank you for sharing so generously!
Anytime, Chris!
I was actually thinking of it on my way to work this morning. Something that’s kind of been eating at me over the years. So many artists when you ask them how long they’ve been drawing say either, all their lives or from a very early age like 4 or 5. I could say the same, I mean I started drawing when I was 5…but I think if I have to admit – technically – I have only been drawing seriously for maybe 2 years.
I mean I knew how to doodle and hold a pencil and I had some art training at school and in college, but it all feels…’loose’. So I wish that one day when I get to tell me story to others (Hopefully on this podcast, hehe), I could say I’ve been drawing all my life or since I was very little – but the truth is I only recently started to take it very serious.
I suppose each one’s story is different and it is what you do with the time you’re given right now and not your past…though it all contributes to the bigger picture I am sure.
Another great podcast, guys!
I was extremely pleased to see this pop up in my inbox this morning! I’ve been one of Loish’s fans for a long time. Her use of color is utterly stunning and everything about her work has some mysteriously soothing affect on me, and I always love getting to hear the stories behind all the diverse sets of people I look up to artistically. I appreciate you bringing this content to us, Chris!
Over and over again I’m struck by this pervasive sentiment nearly all your guests seem to share, of being somewhat insecure about their art as compared to others. It’s encouraging any time you hear that people as successful and talented as your guests struggle with some of the same doubts and hurdles, or that sense that your art has to ‘mean something’, because I think it gives you a sense of not being alone in your fight. It helps me personally keep my chin up and keep hoping that hard work and stick-to-itiveness will pay off in the long run.
Also, Domo arigato for the help a while back, Sensei Jeff! (He was a karate master at the time of our correspondence).
Thank you, Garrett!
Jeff is amazing. Our whole team is amazing. I keep waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up from the dream-come-true that is this incredible team.
And yes, on the topic of insecurity, as our good friend Brian McDonald wrote in The Golden Theme: We are all the same.
Haha!
Hey, Garrett! Loish is seriously just amazing. It was awesome to hear that she went through the same struggles as most of us, realizing she is an actual human being! What a world.
You are very welcome my friend! Thanks for the shout out and stay in touch!
Hi Garrett,
The struggle is real! it means your pushing the boundaries of your knowledge.
I loved this episode! As I love Loish for years. I mean her work…. khm…
I am just happy, Chris, you asked her about her self portraits. Those are my favorite pieces of her works and I have truly almost fall in love with her… Or her art… I don’t even know… 🙂 Okay, finished with this topic….
I enjoy the way she can express her thoughts and feelings. It is so valuable for her and for eweryone who has the chance to listen to it. It was wery encouraging.
Thank you very much for the experience!
Thanks for the encouragement, Laci. Loish is an old soul. …and the sophistication of her work and process is proof of that. We think the world of her here at OA.
What I really mean -all joking aside- is that her style has a kind of loveliness and gracefulness in every stroke and I’m sure that it is from her personality. It is charming and wonderful to see artwork like hers. It must be one of the reasons of her popularity. She says that she has been working hard on her skills doing strokes the way that they will be so expressive, and it is a must, but there also must be a kind of persona doing that. Although I don’t know her, this conversation approved my thoughts too.
Wow another great podcast! I love listening to these while working.
I’ve been familiar with Loish work a while now absolutely love it.
I’m glad to hear that clients actually want her for the work she loves creating. I’ve been fulltime freelancing for 7 months now, I love doing my cartoony silly characters, this seems to have most appeal with people that follow me.
But the direction I want to go in the children books and maybe this is more Europe (or NL) but they want a more artistic style. While the small job approaches I got so far were from my stuff I did for sketch dailies etc the more cartoony style. So I’m unsure and keeping searching for different things..
Also I can relate to getting overwhelmed by all the things I should have practiced more in art school. So I’ve been going back to some basics of structure. And trying not to create too generic characters..
Thank you for sharing these podcasts, good to know I’m not alone with my struggles 🙂
Hey, Elizabet.
Thank you for the encouraging words. It sounds to me like you are on the right track.
The one thing I would definitely recommend is what Jeff talked about on the show – a hardcore focus on fundamentals. I think that will begin to give you eyes to see your own work more objectively and will also begin to unlock new ideas and approaches. And yes, for characters specifically.
So glad you like the podcast. We work INSANELY hard on our shows so it means the world when we hear that it is making a difference in the lives of our fellow artists.
Great podcast guys! Thank you!
I’ve been a fan of Loish for about a decade, and have listened to other interviews with her, but I think this has to be the most honest and insightful.
It’s so encouraging to hear how honest she is about her journey in art, and the struggles she faced, and has pretty much come full circle with regard to the work she is doing. Painting what she loves and is passionate about has proved SO worthwhile!
Create from the heart, people!
Indeed, Laura. Indeed.
Dear Chris and co.
Another great interview which has kept me entertained in my studio.
Proper beer, as opposed to lager, should be served just below room temperature. It tastes much better. Anything that has an aromatic hop in it should will taste fantastic at around 4-11 degrees C. If it is colder than that it will taste like stale water. Proper lager should be served just above freezing, like in any proper Australian bar (where the glasses will come out of the freezer next to the bar).
Thank you for posting such a cool interview!!
Hi Iain!!
Aww now I feel like doing a beer tasting or something of the sort… Thanks a bunch for clarifying that for us!
Iain, I think the ale I mentioned was, in fact, just below room temperature. Seemed warm to me. The ales in America are definitely served colder than the one I had in Paris.
Whoo, amazing interview Loish, Chris and OA team! 🙂
True versatility… Um. At the moment I am still working on my fundamentals, haha. Maybe you need to have a broad knowledge of core skills so that you are ABLE to do a broad range of things, and truly rock / shine with those things that make your eyes sparkle? 🙂 My mind is ajumble, I’ll ponder this some more.
Also, I was reminded of my teachers at art academy (in the Netherlands! :)) – they told me that my work was too cutesy too. 🙂
PS. Pics of the Taz nightgown? B)
Hey there Jenny!!
Whaaaaaaaaaat too cutesy? I absolutely ADORE cute stuff, everyone should try different things, but there is nothing wrong with having a cute visual style!!!
And yeah.. fundamentals all the way. Always.
PS: Cute gizmo and adorable profile painting on your FB page 😀
Hey Ania! 😀
And yes, that particular school turned out not to be the place for me, I am now doing online courses! 🙂
And thanks a lot, so nice of you to check it out! ^^ Where can I see your work? 🙂
Oh whoops, I am ten kinds of blind, it is RIGHT. THERE. 😀
Cute Valentine’s fox and Classy Goat located, ma’am! ^^ Awesome stuff!
D’aaww thanks so much!
And YEAH!! All hail good online courses!!!
HAHAHA! Fortunately, I left my Taz nightgown in Amsterdam…
It sounds like you’re thinking correctly re: versatility.
This is wonderful. I am totally in awe of how Loish pressed forward with what she loved and even though her teachers weren’t a fan, she was able to press forward anyway. I struggled with that for so so long. I love what she said about knowing what aspect of your work is going to attract a client.
I feel like that is very important. I *never* felt that my writing would attract others. I never did. Art was always the thing that attracted people. Everybody wants to see pretty pictures. But looking back now, with the help of a *ahem* wonderful teacher, I realize that writing is actually one of my strongest abilities.
I like what Derrick said about “There’s only one that speaks your voice”. I’ve been thinking about that alot lately and found that I do, in fact, have a voice and I can use it without people hating me. Which might be my ultimate fear. People hating me.
This podcast is great! I love the OA team! And I really want to see Derrick in a kilt with pom poms. It needs to happen. I don’t even know what Derrick looks like, but a guy in a kilt and pom poms just sounds entertaining enough. Ania, you’re in charge of that.
Thanks guys.
Oh, I forgot about the ‘true versatility’ part…
Probably because I don’t have a good answer. I’d rather roam around here and see what everyone else is saying about it. ^_^
Ahoy Britny!!!
Than you for enjoying the show and for sharing the story of your writing struggle! Wow, don’t be afraid of what you think others may hate! You are a creative person and we need as much of that in the world as possible! I am always in awe of writers because I am an illustrator so the crafting of words is like literary magic to me! High fives from me to you and many cheers because I want to see the amazing things you produce!
As for the Kilted OA Cheerleader…Ania, this may have to be arranged! I will be attending the wedding in April and my beard will hopefully be long enough to braid a little too so this may be one epic photo…Now I just need to get with the groom to see if his weapon stash has a Claymore…EPIC-NESS WILL BE HAD!!!
Also Britny, I am very glad our words could help you! That is why we are here! Thank you for meeting us in the middle!
BRITNYYYYY!!!
*HUGS*
I shall obtain pictures of Dutz in kilt and freely spread them worldwide!
*evil laugh*
….Things are about to get Epically geeky in here! The Dutz Kilt shall begin!!!….I may have to see if I can keep it and wear it one day at CTNx…jus’ say’n, Pirates can sport the skirts too!
AVAST!! AWESOMENESS!!!!!
Aw, Derrick and Ania, you guys are so awesome!
Thanks for the kind words, Derrick. High five to you too! This year is going to be great. Stay tuned, I’m going to release something big…
*HUGS* Ania!!!!
Yes, PLEASE share the Epicness of Kilted OA Cheerleader.
Hello everyone!
The thoughts as to what is true versatility, to put this quickly: Maybe it is the ability to tell many different stories, of different characters, and to be able to design different things. Although it might all appear in a similar style, the personal style, it is about being versatile regarding the ideas, which I think someone above already mentioned. I kinda think the personal style is made of what we love, subconsciously, so one should be open for experiments, and therefore one learns to be versatile…
But, I could be wrong, I guess that big journey of art has much more to offer for me, and maybe I will have another point of view in the future. Looking forward to hang around and trying to be more active here.
And as for Lois: Super good work, it is a pleasure to look at your art. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts in the interview.
All the best to the whole team as well.
– David
Hey, David!
I think you are absolutely right, beautiful put as well.
Yeah, the art journey never ends, and if it does, we are most likely doing something wrong.
Take care and talk soon, David!
-Jekrimo
Hi Jeff,
After all the past recent years I have figured out that it is indeed this journey that I enjoy, even though it almost caused me to burnout due to bad time management. After Chris told me to think back to when I was very young, to explore what I have felt back then, and why it made me drawing/painting and creating stories, I started to realize what makes me going forward.
I think it is exactly that journey into the unknown, and kids are always eager (if one lets them) to explore the unknown, are open to their own imagination. I am sure it is exactly that, and I think in life kids are forced into one single, narrow path. To be versatile and open to everything seems to be what we start with, and it seems to be what we tend to forget as society is forcing that narrow path upon us. Even in art it seems things become more and more narrow the more it gets towards “the industry”.
I try to be noticed somehow, from what has been mentioned in the interview, I guess it was in the aftermath of the episode, I have realized that I am maybe hiding too much. Therefore there can’t be “fans”, I am by all means not looking for “fans”, but for likeminded people.
If there’d be a forum for the whole community here, with talks and discussions beyond the comment section, it might be one of the best things ever – if it doesn’t exist already but is solely for those being a part of the academy. Which I am trying to become (doing the courses and stuff) sooner or later.
In any case I am glad to have found a very interesting community right here. (I have added you on Deviantart by the way)
Have a great day.
– David
Huzzah!
David, you are so right, I think we are trying to make that community now. With the death of CGhub I have thought about this a lot. It would be amazing to have us all in one place on a platform like that…. If only I had the internet skillz.
Thanks, dude! Feel free to get at me on the facebook, I’m way more active there, /jekrimo.
Hi,
I am following you on Facebook now. I have sent you a short message there. I am not fairly active on Facebook, but if you want to be in my contact list (friends list) just say the word and I will send a contact request. 🙂
Maybe we could start a forum using a template or so, I am thinking about a place where we all can talk and exchange ideas/feedback/stories and more, and build a place we can all use to stay in touch.
I guess the webdesign would follow some time in the future, when the community evolves and grows. What do you (and others that might read this) think?
Hope you have a good day, all the best.
– David
At around the thirty minute mark, Chris, you talked about the kind of stunted artistic growth in your time at Disney, where you were like, “Oh, I know all the techniques and there’s nothing new to learn really,” and how…almost soul-sucking that is.
It reminded me of when I worked in the summer drawing caricatures at Cedar Point. Like, yeah, you get to draw everyday, but…it’s not the work you want to do. And when you realize that you’ve learned everything that could be learned in that craft, and you STILL have the creative energy within you yearning to come out in some way, and your job just doesn’t satisfy that itch…
That’s what I felt three years ago.
I’m happy to say I quit that job, and now I’m making comics, even if it is on a freelance, part-time basis. I’m still WAY happier making comics than I ever was getting a paycheck from drawing caricatures everyday.
oh, wow Kelci!
Thank you so much for sharing that story! It’s amazing!!
And congrats on taking that big step!! Hope to hear from you soon 😀
Oh wow. I had encountered Loish’s work before through Pinterest, but I hadn’t given it an in-depth look. It is SO GOOD. I added so many of her paintings to my inspiration folder.
I had a big struggle with imposter syndrome the past few days … because of the many possibilities my career may go to – and I have to decide where to push it while I wait to hear back from several of these possibilities. Hearing her story is wonderful!
I wonder if the reason her instance of “following her heart” worked is because as she searched out other directions in her career, she experimented and implemented the “world’s” feedback and all the while, she learned to listen to the correct parts of her heart. This is what I’ve been finding recently. My heart doesn’t always tell me the right things, but as I listen to the conversations between my heart and the outside world, that’s where I discover the fullfilling paths in my art journey.
Beautiful interview. It was SO good…maybe one of my most favorite ever.
Oh, wait. I didn’t answer the true versatility question. Here’s my stab at it:
True Versatility: A willingness to jump into new artistic adventures, building on your current skillset and willing to grow in unexpected directions. A truly versatile artist revisits the basics often and tries to understand them on a deeper level and willingly practice over and over in an effort to climb mastery mountain.
How did I do?
Hi Scott!
I like that definition of true versatility. It’s like what I had in my brain. But on the computer. Written by you.
🙂
Glad you liked it. As someone who’s been sometimes labeled as versatille, I’ve searched long to figure out what that means exactly and how to be better at it. 😉
I feel like an impostor everyday at work. I just turn up my headphones & try to block out the voices. When your looking for new jobs its even more important & you have to fake it really hard. 🙂 Your work is really strong, I’m sure you’ll have some really great options when the time comes.
Thanks so much, Pat! We are definitely not impostors and I hope we can come to terms with that conundrum soon!
I’m not really a podcast person, but Loish tweeted this out and I had to listen. Now I’m probably going to go and binge listen to all of the ArtCasts, haha. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since my (our?) oekaki days and it’s awesome to see how far she’s come with her work. Thank you for this podcast, now I’m totally inspired to make some new art!
Hey, Rachel!
I know that feeling! I NEVER listened to podcasts, then I heard Chris’ and I binged, hard. What a great feeling.
Stay in touch!
So true, I used to be too impatient for podcasts, but I just listen to the OA podcasts while drawing, perfect combination! 😀
Dear Chris and the FANTABULOUS Oatley Art Community,
I listen these podcasts religiously! I need some advice– I am interested in learning more about concept art classes online, but I want to start from the ground up. Any ideas as to where I can begin. My husband is enrolled in the Magic Box class–but I am no where near that level of expertise. I want to LEARN the fundamentals. I am currently a speech therapist who longs to unleash her creative spirit. These podcasts have really connected me back to that dorky 7 year old who dreamed of one day being an animator. Any advice from you guys would be amazing!
P.S. I took one course at Academy of Art University online in the field of Visual Development, but found it, as you say, to be great way to get into debt…which I do not need right now.
P.S.S. Did I mention I have twin girls (Robin and Sparrow)?? So I definitely want a learning community where I can get feedback–but definitely need some flexibility in between running around and chasing after 15 month olds 😉
An Aspiring Artist–
GABI
Hey, Gabi!
I know how you feel, on many levels. Although my daughter is 6 now and I only have one, haha.
The magic box is really for any level, even if you literally just started you are going to get amazing realizations that will grow your skills. And with that you get the community in which you can get some support from the other students.
I could rant about art schools… But you know… don’t do that, haha.
A HUGE part of fundamentals is just drawing/painting from life. Everything, people, figures, portraits, still lifes, landscapes, etc, etc. And to just never stop. And trying to draw every single day. If you do that you will blow your own mind come this time next year.
And it’s the same with animation, you study acting, movement, etc.
Hope that helps a little.
Thanks for stopping by and stay in touch!
Great work guys! Some really good advice from all of the commentators. Loish creates beautiful work and doing what you love while getting paid is the ‘ultimate goal’. So you shouldn’t care about what the art critics say.
However, I do think you need to specify which art teachers are saying your work is ‘terrible’. Were they fine art teachers? In the fine art world the work isn’t good, and can easily be torn apart by any MFA teacher. But again why would you care?
I have trouble with how ‘fine art’ and ‘commercial art’ are grouped together sometimes during these podcasts. They are two VERY different things and require a different frame of discourse. Having success in one doesn’t dictate respect in the other. If so, Thomas Kinkade would be in the history books.
Fine art isn’t created to please a client or be contextualized, actually it’s the quite the opposite. You’re constantly trying re-contextualize to create culturally relevant work that bridges the gap between what your saying and how your saying it. Your technical narrative or how you paint is dependent upon your content.
Commercial art has different motives, different mediums and a different audience. To say that Loish’s personal style is unique is kind of naive. And her content is what you would expect out of a teenager’s sketchbook. Both of these critiques are positives that you’ve turned into a successful career. It’s what makes your work so great! Everyone loves the Disney style because its highly visceral and the sentimentality reminds us of the magic of our childhood.
Your audience doesn’t want overly conceptualized work that challenges the modern artistic conventions. Also, Mary Boone isn’t looking for the next great artist on deviant art. MFA programs and elitist art critics would have ruined your career. Enjoy what you have because in my opinion its a better life than teaching art at the highest level.
I am not trying to offend and I hope i didn’t, but we should separate our discussion a little.
Thanks for your time and advice and keep up the terribly beautiful work. Your palette choice is what I find most intriguing, really well done!
Best,
Tim
OMG!! This podcast has resonated so much with me. I made the mistake to let school tell me what and how to draw and that made me so unhappy and destroyed my confidence. Thankfully, I’ve gotten jobs that have helped me find my way again.
I do understand that in order to learn you need to trust your mentors or instructors, but at the same time you can’t lose sight of who you are and why you got into art.
Thanks Chris and the rest of the team.
Hey, Ely!
That’s awesome!
Art school did the same to me, took a lot of work to get away and forget a lot of what they said.
Thank YOU!
Good mornin’ folks!
Thanks for the fantastic content. A couple things really resonated with me.
#1. Being reassured that the doubt is normal (again, lol)- and also the childhood inspiration can taper off but it doesn’t mean you’ve lost your love or passion.. you just have to be more structured and start working to bring the feeling back and get in the flow and build momentum.
#2. Education being cheaper in other countries makes me wonder if I should move there for the education. But she also said you get better education in the States. I wonder what others think of this? Because I’ve heard of great art education here, but mostly grossly overpriced not so good education. I couldn’t afford it here when I graduated high school, and for awhile turned my back on it, but now I just need more structure and help.
#3. I moved to LA to chase the dream but we spend so much time working and stressing to pay for higher costs of living. I really want to work at an animation or game studio and I feel like I have higher chances of doing that here. Also because of this, we’ve lived here nearly a year and I still haven’t gotten plugged into an art circle. I crave the in-person creative circle I had as a child, and the taste I had of it in community college art classes. I know I can find it at art school or working in a studio, and I often feel like LA is the only place I can get that from, so I keep telling myself I have to stay in LA, even though I’m really not crazy about the area. How do freelancers satisfy this? Where are other art hubs that arent so expensive?
Any thoughts? Answers? Haha.. Thank you all again for your hard work and for putting this stuff out there.
Hi, Lacee!
Just to jump in here, addressing question 2:
A recurring theme I hear through most of these artcasts has been that, while many of the professional artists interviewed appreciate the art education they received, most of them say that there are comparable resources available through channels other than the traditional art schools, for much *much* cheaper. As you mentioned money being a huge concern for you at this point in your life (does it ever really go away?), that may be a major factor in your decision making. Not to sound too shameless a suck-up, but the courses offered here at Oatley Academy are both incredibly instructive AND affordable, especially when compared to art colleges. The Centrifuge is extremely engaged and helpful as well.
There’s also Matt Khor’s Ctrl+Paint site for semi-structured digital painting tutorials, both for free and premium content.
(Thus concludes this unpaid endorsement)
But in all seriousness, I hope that helps a bit. BTW, your stuff on dA looks great 🙂
Hey Garrett,
Thanks for your feedback. 🙂 I actually did the Magic Box for awhile. I loved it- but I really wasn’t able to commit the time to do everything I should have (it was around when we moved- crazy hectic times!). I’ve also looked at some of the places you can take individual courses at here in the LA area, like Gnomon, The Animation Guild, Concept Design Academy, Silver Drawing Academy, LAAFA, and 3Kicks. They are all MUCH cheaper than art school, but still a chunk none the less. My original plan was to take individual classes that helped build my weak spots, but I think I’ve become blind to my own work… I’m not sure where to start on weak spots, and I often just throw my hands up, figure I’m weak in everything, and want to fork out over $100k for a complete official art education. :/
Maybe I should get feedback from people to better evaluate where I need to focus.
Thank you for your time and tips. 🙂 I do greatly appreciate it!
Hi Lacee,
I think I can give you a little insight into #2. I’m an American who moved to the UK for university. At the time it was cheaper (not cheap though) to go to the UK than to go to art school in the US, but I moved here 10 years ago (yikes! time flies!) and fees for international students have changed. My opinion of UK schools is that you can have the same problem as I have heard described by many American artists – that you just don’t get great instruction for the money. I avoided any London schools because the cost of living was insane then (its even worse now) and they seemed geared towards fine art and let their school’s name carry their graduates rather than actual teaching – for example I was told that at one very “prestigious” school the students were left on their own with easels all day, getting a minimal amount of feedback from professors.
Some European countries are much cheaper (I nearly went to Brussels for a Masters after I graduated and the tuition was going to be €500 for a year) but obviously not all courses are taught in English so that can be a limitation. And with austerity measures across Europe, higher fees for international students may have been implemented. If you’re looking at going to Europe you’ll also have to read carefully about what rules each country has regarding students. In the UK, I was only allowed to work up to 20 hrs a week as a full time student. Some countries don’t allow people on student visas to work at all.
When I started university there weren’t as many amazing online resources as there are now. If I had the choice I think I would opt for these types of courses over a degree, as long as you feel you are getting good feedback and interaction you won’t be missing anything a brick and mortar school can offer. The key is to get a good idea of what you want from your art education and find ways to get there through technique, practice, and learned skills.
All that being said, there is a whole other world over here. Europe might not be the best for animation studios which are mostly based in the US or the far East, but there are tons of small (and a few very large) game studios and a lot of smaller digital agencies that have staff for commercial animation.
I was so relieved to hear Loish point out that she can become over-inspired (or overstimulated) and that shuts her down. I know that feeling of ‘these people are sooooo good’ and if I’m not careful it goes from “I can’t wait to sit down and work” to “Why bother, I’ll never be that good.”
For about a year I was reading everything I could get my hands on in my field. And now I’m sitting back and letting it stew to see which bits are things I love and can admire in other people’s work, and what parts ring true for my personal voice, that I want to integrate into my own work. I don’t have all of the answers yet but I feel like I’m getting closer to them.
Having a BFF like Oatley who is a super-sponge and seems to never reach the limit of what he can absorb inspiration-wise, it was really comforting to hear someone I admire as much as Loish describe the same sorts of overwhelm that I can suffer from.
Fantastic interview! And I loved the part where it sounded like a fight broke out in the background. Can someone please tell me what they were arguing about??
You too, Lora? This is why I love these podcasts … you’re so honest and helpful.
I’m probably a mix of you, Lora(or Loish) & Chris in this regard. Sometimes I can’t get enough and sometimes it shuts me down.
I loved the crying child…the one throwing a tantrum. I must have been too involved with the conversation to notice the fighting.
They were probably arguing about the well dressed old guy stealing their bike 🙂
Hey Lora,
Something I’ve kinda fallen into, is letting myself get inspired by different types of art. Reference photography is a big one, but also literature, movies, music. Helps me to avoid just regurgitating the latest trends too.
On more of a random tangent, I recently had a illustration I was working on & I showed a friend too early on in the process & their comments kinda derailed the piece. When I compared the finish to the rough, I realized I needed to start over from my original rough. Reminded me of an earlier podcast where you talked about knowing how to best utilize your circle of trust. When I was in school I use to love brutal crits, but as my work has evolved and gotten more personal, I find that hearing how people react emotionally to certain things is oftentimes more helpful. I’ve also noticed after you have a certain amount of experience, crits start becoming a lot more about decisions & taste rather then about correcting mistakes. I hate the comment: “I would of done it like……..”
Oh man. Inspiration. I loved the point about being ready to be inspired. So often I collect a bunch of pictures I admire and want to draw skills from, but I can’t break them down into the components I like. But a few months down the road, I’ll look at one of those images again and instantly realize that it was the soft overall gradient or the rendering of the eyebrows…
I just wasn’t ready to absorb those images at that point in my journey. What a great realization!
This was just what I needed to hear. The last couple weeks were a sad sort of downward spiral all around and today’s podcast really lifted me up. OA has repeatedly done this for me and as always the timing is perfect. Thanks Chris, Loish and awesome ninja team!!
In terms of Art education in the US and abroad…I attended a 4 year school here in the US and spent a semester in New Zealand. (Which I am to understand works similarly to many places in Europe?) They were VERY different teaching styles and I wouldn’t say one was better than the other. NZ was more conceptually challenging. I feel it would have been very confusing as a freshman to pick a direction based on major, but more accommodating so that whatever I took I could form it to what I wanted to do ultimately. Also about half the cost of my school in the US. The US was more structured which gave me a greater sense of advancement, but my program didn’t focus on fundamentals as much as it should have. It was simple to see which major I should take, but there was little flexibility within it for customization – thus I didn’t feel prepared upon graduation for any particular career that I had interest in. I think it just depends on the school and the person. Like Lois said with the school in Belgium, it wasn’t a good fit. I didn’t end up figuring out what I really wanted to do until I found OA a year after graduating. There is no specific program in any school I could find that studies my particular field (Everyone who is employed doing what I want to got there in a bizarre way – thru sculpture, animation, illustration, miniatures, fashion design, etc.), so it comes down to piecing together my own extended studies.
I think that’s where “true versatility” comes in. I agree that it’s the ability to communicate more than just one idea over and over again. But I also think that it comes from a generally versatile person – someone who isn’t just fixated on one thing. They can draw from many different interests or experiences or observations to make something appealing or meaningful. That’s another reason I love Loish’s art so much. I can often see the bits and pieces she’s pulling together and that keeps things fresh and exciting. 🙂
I just want to say that you’re one super awesome human being andbyou ROCK Beki!!
You’ve got this Beki! I know my Australian training is very different again to what the US teach and Europe, maybe it’s even a combination of both. But I think there is a major difference from when you leave school and you have to go to university/college, compared to when you decide at a random time in your life later that you want to learn again. Learning because it’s not expected of you, but because your heart truly wants to learn more for the sake of learning, and OA is perfect for that!
You’re my favorite, Beki.
…. that is all….
Hey Chris,
great interview with loish! I love how the interview voyage into art philosophy. I have some thoughts on variety & style as well. I don’t think about ‘personal’ style at all, it’s just a accumulation of influences & how your brain interprets the world. However project to project I’ll figure out what style fits best for that project, but I don’t consider that ‘personal style’. In addition every project I’ve been on I’ll pick up a few things that will carry over stay in my tool arsenal.
For variety, I’ve come to realize I’m very passionate & can only draw what I like. In the professional world that means I need to sometimes convince myself, or find something I can grasp onto to get excited about the assignment. However this will also exclude a lot of styles & subjects that won’t appeal to me. Within a limited range you can still show lots of variety. As far as variety of skills, I’m not good enough where I can be good at everything, so I focus on what I really love & slowly incorporate other skills. In terms of getting work, I think both types of artists are needed for different types of projects, but it really helps recruiters if you know what you want….sorry for the rant, fun to think about this kinda stuff.
Great stuff, Pat. Sounds like you have the right idea on a variety of subjects. 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for the great post/ interview! This is my first comment, by the way. I have always been listening Christ Oatley+Paper Wings podcast secretly.
What resonated with me the most from the interview is what Loish had said about the special motivation we had as a kid. How fearless we were at simply “drawing for fun” late at night. Less caring about the result. I am now 26, and with 2 part-time jobs it’s becoming harder for me to find motivations to draw, rather scared at how my own art skills might disappoint the critical me and invisible people in the internet. As much as appreciative I am about all the infinite images of artists’ works freely available in the internet, it’s definitely intimidating and hard to focus on what makes my own art special.
I think that’s what I admire about Loish. She might not have overcame the fear, but she definitely kept charging for what SHE loved in art and in her own art. I also admire that she had great supports from her family, friends, and fans. It sounds like she received many supports not because she was just lucky to be around such good companions, but because she was so fearlessly passionate herself that people were drawn to her and couldn’t help but to cheer for her.
– Hena
Hi Hena,
Thank you for coming out of your ninja hiding place and commenting in here! 😀
It’s super hard to find motivation pretty much for anything when one is swamped with work. But it’s not impossible.
I believe in you. I believe you’ll charge up and start sketching. Because you just took the first step right now. When you decided to comment and be a part of the conversation.
You rock. You just don’t know it yet. I’ll be looking forward to your next comment on our next podcast and some sketches to go with it 🙂
Go Hena!! 😀
Hello! Where have you been hiding?! 🙂 Welcome to the comments.
First off, your work is awesome!
Second, if you think you’re not as good as you want to be, start drawing little stuff more often. Or if you’re like me, make a personal project. Any will do as long as it gets you drawing. I personally started a comic thinking that my skills were not up to par. The more I work on it, the more I draw and the better I get.
The phrase is “fail fast, fail often.” You might start out awful. But if that’s the way it’s going to start, might as well start failing sooner so you can get past that and on to the good stuff!
Great interview guys and Chris you are going to have stop talking about Europe as I want to return again!
Versatility is a funny thing, people defiantly have natural strengths and natural weaknesses in art, I know personally I struggle with character design and it does not come naturally to me, but that wont mean I wont try learning everything I can about it, but I accept there are amazing character designers out there who i take my hat off too.
I’m a little addicted to learning and want to absorb all the art I can, which includes being super inspired by finding awesome artist art and saving them for inspiration. It’s another reason I would love to work at a big studio, to be surrounded by that mountain of talent and the imagined learning, that would be grand!
Great chat as always guys and have loved following Loish’s inspirational work! Cheers!
Also memories of Switzerland are like a dream
Great one. I liked it because Lois is self taught and successful on Deviant Art, I like self-made success stories like that. On the other hand, it’s frustrating to hear great artists say they don’t know why they’re good, or what their personal style is about when they have such a strongly identifiable visual style. Yes, you don’t have to be good at everything, but you have to be good at something, right? I totally get the not being able to look at lots of great artists, it feeds my insecurities to compare myself. (The FoP class roster is doing that to me right now 🙂 )
Lois’ comments about luck in what we’ve been exposed to hits home for me, I find myself strongly influenced by the Franco-Belgian comics and 70s/80s Heavy Metal Style that I grew up with, even though I haven’t gone back to much of that material in a long long time.
On top of everything else you guys are marketing gurus – the Oatley Academy itself is a meta-study in branding. So many facets to learn here … 🙂
Oh yeah, and Europe… you’re cute Chris, it’s so nice to see you going through the traditional European romance. But I think you make your own positive experiences, never forget that – you had a great time because you want to have fun and are open to learning from anyone, and you create opportunities to meet and hang out with interesting people. It says as much about you as it does about Europe. 🙂
But yeah, Amsterdam. What a cool city, huh? And I LOVED Italy, though not all of it is wonderful. I will agree Italians are great … especially that girl in Gaeta… well, never mind. 😉
Thank you for such incredible content as always!
I love Loish’s strategy for taking inspiration from other people’s work, and her perspective on negativity from teachers. She is an awesome communicator and has incredible insight into her own life story.
After listening to this, I don’t feel quite qualified to comment on true versatility :P. Another artist recently looked at my portfolio and said simply ‘you have an impressive range.’ It was neither a compliment nor a criticism really, but it spoke to the fact that (without even knowing it) I tend to panic and think I need to learn all the things to be versatile.. I’m going to listen again :).
P.S. I joined the Magic Box almost a year ago, fell away from it for a while, but now I’m back and caught up with the podcasts. I particularly remember seeing Ania’s work and superhuman involvement in the Oatley Academy and thinking ‘she’s destined for greatness’. Now she’s an Angel Ninja. Hearing her and the other members of the OA team.. it just blows my mind :). You’re all amazing.
D’Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww *-* you’re so nice to little me… sniffles.
And the most valuable insight I keep hearing: slow down. Learning takes time, no need to panic (I’m telling you this when I’m exactly the same but oh well… takes one to know one, right?)
And I remember you!!! You’re the lion person!! YOU’RE AWESOME!!!
C’mon you rock!!
another great podcast! it was both really inspiring and very informative, but next time try to do it a place more quiet, the random yelling kids and vehicles going by kind of disturbed the interview. I have seen loish’s working floating around on devianart a lot, even faved a few of his works, but just never took the time to explore her gallery and know her as the person behind the art, but glad a finally got to know her more in this interview.
I did like what loish said about it’s okay to not be good at everything, so for me I guess true versatility means being to draw just about anything in your own personal style and not just copy the style of other artists. even if you are not that good at drawing that one certain thing, you can still make it look good by adding your style to it. like me for instance, I’m not very good at creating super detailed drawings, but I learned as long as the overall image looks good, the little details don’t matter too much.
Thanks a lot for such a great interview! So far this is one of my favorites, I got really interested in what she said about feeling discouraged at the begining when you see how many professionals are in the world, how amazing their art is, because that happened to me a lot, but that thing she said about investing your time trying to understand what do you like about the artists that inspire you, about their art, instead of just comparing your work and feeling bad about it, that part really got to me. I’ve done it before, but just unconsciously, and now I will try to analize what I like, and stop worrying so much. Thanks again for all the efforts you guys do to help us!
What a relief… I don’t have to be perfect! Now if only my hand would obey my brain!
GREAT AWESOME ARTCAST!
Love love loved this podcast! I remember Loish’s art from back in the earlier days of DeviantArt. It’s great to see how far she’s come, and reassuring to hear that she goes through a lot of the same feelings about her art that I and many other artists do.
I think versatility is good to a point. The more you know how to draw, the more opportunities might crop up. But it’s also dangerous to be a jack of all trades, master of none.
I think especially in this era where companies expect people to know every art software under the sun, it can be so intimidating. But I think that what’s ultimately important is using the tools and mastering the skills that make sense for your art, and Loish seems to be a testament to that. She draws what she loves and people flock to her work because that passion is so apparent.
And great to hear from the OA team too! I can attest that Jeff and Ania are so sweet and friendly and have been very helpful in getting me set up with the Films on Paper class. You guys are awesome!
Hahaha! Thank you Michelle!! 😀 You rock!!
And oh boy.. Loish is just amazing…
Another stellar podcast. I love hearing how other people have arrived at their place as artists. It’s inspiring just to hear people get excited about their craft!
I love Loish’s art and I love the Oatley ArtCasts, so it’s only natural that this was another great listen. And watch! I love watching speed paints. It’s so cool to see someone as they’re creating. Thanks for adding that to the youtube video. It made the experience an extra treat!
There were several points made throughout the interview that resonated with me and I think will be helpful in my creative journey forward. The thing that really caught my attention was Lois’ comment near the end of the interview about listening to your instructors, but not being afraid to disagree with them.
I didn’t have disagreeable or discouraging instructors at all. Quite to the contrary. The illustration program I attended was very open, respectful, and encouraging for whatever direction your interests were taking you. There was a lot of great focus on fundamentals and applying them to the varied work of the students(in the illustration department at least).
My experience was more related to how I felt like my instructors seemed to be disappointed and un-optimistic about my future career as an illustrator because my husband and I started having kids while I was going to school. Every couple semesters I was the resident pregnant lady. 🙂 Whenever I interacted with my instructor one on one I always felt like he thought my professional, artistic pursuits were hopeless because I was going to be moving into pretty much full time mommy-hood after graduation.
From that experience and other voices, exterior and interior, this idea that because I’m a mother and fully intend to live out that part of my life to the fullest, that I’m bound to quit or flunk our or fail or something at my artistic journey.
It’s a hard course to travel when it seems to be a less common one. Or maybe all the mama illustrators are too busy BEING mama illustrators to document their experiences. 🙂
What helps me the most is remembering from “Art and Fear” that stoping, or perhaps slowing down, or learning how to properly pace and balance my family life and my creative needs and development, does NOT mean the same thing as quitting!
And one thing is for sure, I’m not quitting. I couldn’t if I tried.
Battle on, my fellow artists!
I have a lot of anxiety, especially about my art, and my age.
Listening to this I kind of wish that I had the type of life as a child I could stay up till 3 without getting screamed at lol I would have, I used to be obsessed. I think a lot of my current laziness might be a result of not honing it at a child. That said I don’t think that’s a good excuse, I need to push myself.
lots of fantastic commentary, “when I see a lot of great work … it is sensory overload.” This really resonated with me, I too sort of get shut down when I see all of this, especially if they are my age, I always want to do everything “right now” and this sort of intimidates me. SO this really gave me some insight haha
I think after hearing the segment about how her teachers didn’t like her work, I put too much stock into what my professors taught me. I’m pretty sure they were very conservative as well. I need to figure out how to break out of that…
regardless great podcast, also first comment. Sorry if it was too long or too late!
I’ve been following Loish’s work for years and I always thought she was very talented. In the interview she mentions she was concerned in school that her work needed to be more conceptual (or that school teachers asked for that), and I think her latest work has a really powerful concept behind, making it way more appealing and interesting. She is a great artist and I hope she keeps creating!
Gah. Too many things about this interview are spot on for me! I’m an info absorber but I usually end up not having anything to apply from all my absorption. The idea of not being ready for a particular inspiration is a brilliant explanation!
And I 100% agree about self portraits. I always shied away from them because I’m not really easy to draw unless you go full realism (both me and my art school peers found this out through trying). But now I draw self portraits all the time. Do they look like me? Not quite. But they’re a good way for me to explore the essence of character rather than the exact appearance.
Great stuff to get you thinking. This is why I love Oatley Academy!
You have no idea how much I needed to hear this interview! I’ve been seriously struggling this past 3 1/2 years after graduation, realizing that I had chosen the wrong school and how much I didn’t know. I can’t afford to go back to get a degree in animation. The last few months have been incredibly difficult because members of my family blame me for being foolish in my pursuit of art and how I am putting a financial burden not only on myself, but my dear parents who have been trying to support me through my quest to becoming a professional artist.
It’s been suggested that I need to except my failure and live a mundane life, but it would kill me. This was such a breath of fresh air! It makes me more positive about the future and that even though it looks bleak and unattainable now, I shouldn’t stop. I should keep going!
Thanks!
Chris and Team,
Once again you have picked such a thoughtful and soulful guest. It is so cool to see the parade of like minded, genuinely caring co-strugglers as part of your team. Thanks for appointing such worthy and positive helpers!!! It makes it easy for me to want to spread the news about the Oatley Academy that you encourage your co-conspirators and your guests to talk about when its just hard to be creative. Online, a lot of times we only see the triumphs and it can be discouraging to see someone effortlessly (seemingly) creating gobs of beautiful work and think…ugh…I am hopelessly clumsy at this I must not be cut out to make art. Knowing its hard sometimes, even for our inspirational heroes makes it easier to get past those inevitable dips …” Oh gee its getting difficult, I must be on the right track this is one of the things I should expect….if I can push through there will be an upside.” This is one of the most encouraging things I hear in almost every podcast and I am glad you guys say it a lot.
PS. Did anyone else notice that spell check on the site thinks Oatley is spelled wrong? It made me laugh a little.
Magical podcast!! Thank you to all!
It makes the day infinitely better knowing that when I get home, I can listen, and read all of the encouraging and thoughtful comments. I really loved the speed-paint during the interview as well: having the paint plus all of the amazing content made me feel incredibly spoiled…like I was just handed a ginormous ice cream sundae. MMM!!! Thank you again.
I loved how honest this interview felt, and Loish articulated an artist’s insecurities so very well. This is even MORE comforting after viewing her gorgeous and emotional work. I want to thank her for sharing her story and thoughts. I especially loved her ideas about how ‘serious about your art’ means putting in more time, and when it becomes part of your identity.
Secondly, her connection between ‘when one is most anxious is often when one is most inspired,’ is amazing. I definitely have always had a huge, sometimes overwhelming fear of failure, and this method of understanding this fear is really helpful. If anything, it truly shows you’re on the right path if you care that much about it, and I will forever be working on trying to ‘cherish’ this instead of shutting down.
I also loved when Loish shared that when you are trying to capture something/one, the truth is, everything is moving and changing all of the time. There’s a lyric in the musical ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ (a musical about Georges Seurat-it’s incredible 🙂 ) that goes, “pretty isn’t beautiful, pretty is what changes, what the eye arranges, is what is beautiful.” Her comments reminded me of that, and wanted to share!
Following this line of thought, in answer to the versatility question, I think versatility is being open to all perspectives, having a willingness to thoughtfully reflect on all perspectives, and being wholeheartedly open to change.
Thank you so much once again to all!!! Crazy inspiring 🙂
Sulah… I like it! :p
But eh, SulaMoon is already out there 🙂
This was amazing to listen to.
I’ve been so down the path to make my work adequate to market that I did, indeed, lost track of myself.
Trying to go back from the path I’ve been astray from is turning out to be a long and slightly scaring trip, but I need to go back! *Cue back to the future theme*.
So thanks for the light and the inspiration, you too.
5 years ago I saw “Trichrome Blue” on vimeo and I thought this girl will immediately get a job after she graduates !
This gives me hope, thanks Chris and Loish !
Great interview as always!
Hi,
My name is Eric and this is my first post on the chrisoatley.com. I have been following this site for maybe about a month or so, just absorbing all the useful information found here. Quick shout out to Derrick Utz for replying to my email about things I struggle with. Pretty cool cat!
Back to the video. I did enjoy Loish saying you don’t have to be perfect at everything, but where do we as artist make that distinction of cut off? I’m very interested in animation, specifically story boarding, and I have difficulty with backgrounds. I feel like I can’t ignore this because it’s important to relay information. Also recently, I’ve wanted to get better at digital painting and I’m not that well adjusted. So do I shrug painting off to improve on drawing backgrounds or is this jack-of-all-trades concept more specific?
Off topic, I’m trying to come into this community full force. I’m glad to be here to grow and watch (and help if I can) others grow as well.
-Eric
Ahoy Eric!!!
Sorry for the delay in responding, been a crazy week! Thank yo for the shout out, I really appreciate it!
WELCOME and thank you for dropping this first response! To your two questions I will try to add these real quick,
Animation/storyboarding and the background struggle –
Storyboarding is amazing and Justin Copeland would be the best to speak to this but if you want to improve them I have been suggesting to others (and I hope I am not repeating something I already told you in our support messages) but use your experience and enjoyment of character in your art to start informing the background/setting. Ex: draw scenes that require your subject to interact with the background or have the background add to the scene. If you have an action shot, have the character jump off or repel away from an object or wall. That will make you include that surface in the art. Eventually you will draw more and more as you want it to become more important but this will help you start to tie it in. Secondly, figure out some way to have background items have more importance. It could be an ominous mountain casting a shadow on everything around your character or a strange shaped silhouette that the character is unsure about. Use things outside of the subject to still connect back to the subject and you will broaden the world of your character and give yourself a great reason to dedicate more time to the background.
Digital Painting – Man, I am right there with you buddy! I am still having struggle with this because I come from a penciling background so colors are like ,”what are you doing in here?”
Chris’ classes are teaching me a lot as I have time to do them (The Magic Box series) and with my graphic design background I am good at reverse engineering things I see so I just need to sit down and apply them to the panels for my children’s book. I will talk to Chris about maybe making a future post or a simple collection of resource links we find and approve for very basic illustration transition from “paper to screen” people like us!
Just keep it up Eric and stay in touch on here! I will keep an eye out for you!
Dutz!
Really looooooving this interview!
Anyway, a big “Thank you” from Italy and Italians!!! 😀
Incredible as always.
It’s amazing to hear how she basically turned being told to quit as a critique about her art. very encouraging.
thanks again Oats… can’t wait to hear about the new project.
Such a great podcast Chris and team! It was really lovely to meet the other people from behind the scenes as well (although I’ve known Ânia for a while now!) And so incredible great to hear from loish, I’ve been following her for years and when I found out she was going to be on the show the child within me jumped around in joy!
It was so much golden stuff that came out, I loved how she talks about how she had both bad and good experiences with teachers who pushed her away from her preferred art. It is exactly what I’m going through right now. Teachers who want me to do other stuff than what I want to do, but I am doing my best to learn from the experience!
I am sooo eager to hear more about this new thing!
Thank you so much for doing this interview! Loish has been an inspiration from the days when I first learned about digital painting and deviantart. It’s great to hear her talk about her journey, especially how relatable her experiences have been.
I love hearing her talk about how she found her niche doing exactly the type of art that she enjoyed doing most. Especially with the internet giving such a broad opportunity for exposure, it seems that there will always be a group of people out there somewhere who will resonate with your work if you are passionate about it.
Her story reminds me of Kevin Wada, an illustrator who produces really distinctive work combining his interests of fashion illustration and comic book characters. He has talked about how he really started to find his voice once he embraced his own interests instead of feeling the need to have a very well rounded portfolio.
Cheers,
Thomas
Regarding the matter of “true versatility” (if there is such a thing), I think it would be the aptitude to handle the various requirements of a specific objective.
For example, I storyboard a lot of film/animation firmly set in the action genre. So I do a lot of standoffs, tense moments, fights, car chases, etc.
As a storyboard artist, I’m not expected to hand in any medical illustrations of water buffalo, you know? I’m just expected to be versatile enough to identify & address the needs of my objective and any underlying fundamentals.
I didn’t take away much from this cast–probably because my life experience seems drastically different from Lois’. But it was nice to hear that things worked out for her.
Also, I’d be curious to hear Mr. Oatley talk about Appeal more in the future. I had a portfolio review with Disney at SDCC last year, and the reviewer brought up the need for Appeal.
There seems to be a variance as to what appeal actually means. I’ve heard people describe it as making a piece more aesthetically pleasing through form (like emphasizing s-curves in animation), but I’ve also heard it described as making a piece as accessible as possible–for example, Pascal Campion’s work has a lot of appeal because the specific moments he chooses to illustrate are the most accessible in terms of the human condition… we relate to them.
Thanks!
Tom
I’ve enjoyed seeing Loish’s work on DeviantArt for ages, but didn’t really know anything about her. So it was great to find out some of her background, and how she “stumbled” into her personal style and current success (“stumbling” in this case translating to “worked really hard and stayed true to her vision”). That artistic snobbery she ran into, with her instructors looking down on anything too “cute” or “girly”…ugh, not just elitist, but sexist too. Good on her for overcoming it and even taking some positives away from the experience.
The versatility question is something I think about a lot. It’s ok to specialize (and it’s good marketing to be able to present yourself as “The Go-To Guy For [fill in the blank]”). But it’s easy for a niche to become a rut, and I feel like I may have fallen into that trap. I’m going to be wrapping up one of my ongoing webcomics soon, and hopefully I can use that extra time to do more experimenting outside my usual style (whatever that is).
Incidentally, I really enjoyed the “post-game analysis” by the Oatley Academy crew, kind of summing up and pointing out the highlights of the interview. It brought some of the flavor of the comments section into the show itself, which was cool.
Thanks, J Kevin.
Great insights as always.
Great points about the true meaning of “stumbled” and the elitist/ sexist teachers.
This balance between specialization and versatility is one of the most difficult questions that faces the professional artist. …and it never stops being difficult. It’s not like you find the answer one day and then you have it figured out for the rest of your career. I’ve seen artists become very well known for an extremely specific thing and then that thing goes out of fashion or gets over-exposed…
And we had a great time with the “post-game analysis.” You’ll hear us experimenting with ideas like this in just about every episode for at least the next four months. After that we will settle into a new groove or keep experimenting. Feedback like this is especially helpful.
Thanks, buddy. You ROCK.
Dear Loish and Chris,
I am work as an animator (not cartoons but for educational videos) but I have really been struggling with doing personal work. This interview was so inspiring to me. I started drawing in the 5th grade and up until college people had been encouraging me to draw and telling me that they liked my work. However, when I got to college that was not the case. I chose a school that supported classical art training. When I got there they didn’t like my art style at all. I became very discouraged. One of the teachers even told me in front of the whole class that my work was trash. At the beginning of my junior year, a professional artist who taught at the school and had been painting professionally for many many years–a person that I looked up to, came to me and told me that I should just leave the school. The last two years of college I really struggled with art. I had lost my desire to draw. I felt broken. I barely finished college, needless to say I really struggled with the negativity toward my art work for a really long time. It has been 2 yrs since I graduated college and I have yet to finish any new pieces of art. I have felt so discouraged but Loish’s interview really renewed my passion for art. I have cleaned up my desk and broke out my dusty Wacom. I’ve starting to draw again.
I identified with so many things in the interview.
Thank you!
As an illustration student who isn’t in a traditional learning environment, I always love it when something gives me a sense of direction in regards to what I should focus on in my art education. Loish’s comment about “not having to be good at everything” ties into an earlier artcast (I believe it was a conversation between Chris and Noah Bradley but I can’t be sure) about choosing something to focus on and getting really good at it. That doesn’t mean anyone should abandon fundamentals, but I take it that specialization is important- both in terms of staying focused and creating a unique identity for your work.
Thanks for the insightful discussion, these interviews are gold.
Hi guys,
Thank you for another amazing podcast. I was so excited to see Loish was the interview. But the best part of this Artcast was the inclusion of Ania, Derrick , and Jeff and being able to actually hear them. I have not had the honor of interacting with Jeff and Derrick yet but Ania is probably the greatest person ever….yup…yup. **poll result comes in* Definitely greatest ever.
And Ania’s crayon story was great too.
i found it interesting what Loish said about artists you are inspired by come with growth and it’s kinda a coincidence. and even thought everyone might know about this artist or that you are not ready to be inspired by them. i thought that was a very profound point.
thanks so much again for all your great work and constant positive support. love you guys <3
We love you too, Andie. Thank you for the kind words. And you’re right, Ania is amazing. I have the best team I could ever have imagined.
It’s funny, I just recently started to convince myself that I didn’t have to be good at anything. A couple years ago I started on the track of looking for/tailoring my portfolio to work as an artist at some sort of game studio, and then I started feeling like I had to learn 3D, animation, pixel art, web design, programming, etc etc… most of the open positions I kept finding kept asking for knowledge of so many different programs and skill sets for one position. Well, what happened is I became unfocused long enough that the stuff I was already on my way to getting truly good at went cold. So I’m having to pick up a lot of slack and I’m starting to focus more on what I actually like to do and what I want to do with it.
It’s good to hear this encouragement. I just needed to be more honest with myself. Finding where the line is between “selling out” and being “versatile”. Though that doesn’t stop me from wanting to TRY everything. Some stuff is fun to play around with.
Now there’s the whole thing about “online presence”….
Just finished listening to the podcast and I am now a huge fan of Lois van Baarle. I really connected with the struggles Lois discussed about being your toughest critic, feeling overwhelmed by how many amazing artists you stumble across, and the inspiration overload.
As for the question of true versatility, I believe this is achieved by the ability to successfully convey a message or intent through art. The message can be a mood, a human expression, a representation of a car, anything really. Style doesn’t limit the ability to convey a message.
Excellent Podcast as usual. A fun thing is that I totally liked the fact you introduced before Loish’s interview the noise problem with the chain. The fact you did that, made the noise not disturbing anymore because I was aware of that and I was trying to make a mental picture of the situation, I had even the idea to do a drawing of the scene that you presented in a funny way! (but I didn’t) 😀 Good job!
Now there is soooo much to say about this interview. But lest say just 2 things:
– First, when I received the email announcing this interview and/or when I saw Loish’s post in her Facebook talking about it, I was totally excited. knowing both of you guys, this connection was totally unexpected like a crossover of super hero stories. That was awesome!!!!
I didn’t want to waste this interview listening to it in a bad moment so I waited for the correct time to listen to it and as usual it hasn’t been a disappointment. So, thank you. That was so interesting and inspiring.
– I would like at least to react to something you said after the interview about the Cintiq vs non cintiq tablet. What you said about the limitation of a simple tablet forcing you to have a different approach that actually rise up the quality of building the artwork was truly interesting. I have actually both a Cintiq (companion 1) and an intuos tablet. My question is this: You talked, (I think), about painting but is it the same for pure drawing as well? For my experience I can understand what you shared about painting with the intuos but when it is about drawing, particularly about inking, I feel quite in trouble leaving my cintiq. So I was wondering if it would be a good exercise for me to try to “gain” a certain ease in inking or doing clean up with the intuos rather than the cintiq sometimes or if it’s not necessary. I’m so open to go out of my comfort zone and I was wondering if what you said about the use of the tablet vs cintiq could be applied on drawing, inking only as well.
Thanks Chris
Hey, Pascal! Yes, it is exactly the same. I often draw in my sketchbook with a chunky, dried-up Sharpie just to prevent myself to draw in specific ways that are more productive for certain aspects of the visual development process.
Thank you for the kind words about the show.
I was so excited when I saw Loish named for the next podcast interview! Thanks for another great podcast! <3 It keeps me company at work. At least I don't have to watch a video to get a full experience and understanding of the discussion.
And what secret project???
I definitely identify with the anxiety, and not just looking at other people's awesome art, but also sitting down to do my own work. It's like as if I'm just so afraid to make a mistake trying, or there's a build-up of restlessness when I sit too long and get overwhelmed with looking at my screen or something. I never thought there was such a thing as sensory overload! Hmm…. Interesting.
But it's really just me and my mind. No shortcuts to that except to sit down and get work down, and learn to work around some things!
The next point I identify with: self-discipline to just draw, draw, draw. I never developed good habits that would fuel my art. Depended too much on art school homework to move me forward. Now with a job that doesn't require arty skills and the tiredness that comes with a working life, it's a new uphill challenge to do art on my own time, one small step at a time. A good challenge to develop a good lifestyle habit though!
I'm not sure if I can deal with my limitations as "admitting defeat", makes me feel demoralized. Maybe I have to look at it as "picking my battles" and "strategic withdrawal from the battlefield". I still wish I could do everything, LOL; It makes me miserable, but it's also exhilarating.
I think art schools in my country are getting better, but with the except of one private school, the rest have never been truly strong in anything outside of design and maybe fine art. They cannot guide students to be compatible with the global industry standards in the fields of animation, VFX, concept art, illustration, entertainment design, etc, both at the trade schools and the degree programs.
When my friends and I talk about it, one possible issue is that the lecturers and teachers don't have global industry-level experience and skills.
In the end it's back to the students seeking out their own growth and create their own personal portfolio, while giving lecturers what they want at school. And now we also have the internet to find our own quality art education!
Hi, Jo. It can be overwhelming. As Jeff said in the wrap-up, I can’t emphasize enough the vitality of steady, fundamental study.
You can also check out this series (especially the third installment of the series which is a podcast episode I did with Noah Bradley, Matt Kohr and Darren Yeow) for more about the benefits of fundamentals:
http://chrisoatley.wpengine.com/concept-art-portfolio-p1/
Hi there! Big fan, this is my first time commenting so I’m all a flutter right now haha. So excited for this episode, big fan of both Oately and Loish’s work so yay! About halfway through listening now but thought I’d comment before I forget.
Super glad you enjoyed Europe, Italy is indeed one of the most stunning (if not THE most) places I’ve ever been. And all that ancient architecture and art and culture…! Next time you’re in Europe you should come on over here to Ireland 🙂 Less grand than Rome and Paris and Amsterdam, but when the sun is sweet this green scenery really sings!
As for the ale thing, I’m not sure I can give you a particular reason why it might be an “English” thing, buuuuuut my friends and I were talking last week about cold alcohol VS warm alcohol; let’s see if I can get relay the gist of it here. It seems cold beer is a fairly recent thing. Because the coldness of a drink can somewhat numb your taste and/or neutralise the taste of the drink itself, it means that beer companies can get away with lessening the quality of their wares, coz when it’s cold you won’t notice the difference. That’s why advertisements in the last few years have been really pushing the idea of a nice cold beer. All this is second hand “my knowledgeable class mate told me” information, so let’s not take my word, but there ya go!
Off to listen to the rest of the podcast!
Thanks again,
Lynn
Irish Animation Student
Hi, Lynn! We are very excited about visiting Ireland some day soon. We have a good friend in Belfast. And your assessment of the ale situation sounds solid to me!
Woo-hoo, exciting stuff!
(and needless to say I finished listening to the podcast and was just in awe…some really inspiring words in that podcast. As per usual!)
I love listening to the artcasts, but I have never been brave enough to comment. However, I enjoyed this episode so much I just had to hop on and say something. I found her perspective on being an artist so relatable and super inspiring. This is my favorite episode. Great job!
Thanks for reaching out, Adam! Welcome!
Hi guys,
I am one of these silent followers; never commenting but always enjoying!
But being born and bred in Switzerland I could not resist posting something….”Where Frodo is going to die”, who wouldn’t want to die surrounded by amazing ski, chocolate, cheese and gold filled banks???
Anyway you guys are just so amazing, so much positive energy in these podcasts, that is awesome. Listening to you guys, I am regularly tempted to leave my office job and dive into the creative world…Maybe I should just start by joining the Oatley Academy ;).
Looking forward to hear about the top secret project!
Thanks for commenting, Cesar! Yes. Switzerland is filled with epic beauty. Angie and I couldn’t believe our eyes.
Yes, it would be great to have you join up! We have a new project in the works and that might be the perfect time to join us at The Oatley Academy!!!
I absolutely love this artist, it is so encouraging to hear her talk about her journey, it gives hope to continue down the path and to welcome all the ups and downs.
Thank you so much for doing this Chris and Loish!
Thanks, Maria! You’re welcome!
Hey Chris! Great podcast! Thanks for sharing! Loish has been an inspiration for quite some time.. BTW, is she Dutch or American???
Thanks, Stathis. Lois is Dutch but her father worked for the Dutch Embassy. …so she traveled a lot during her childhood and also attended international school which, as she says in the interview, was influenced by American culture.
Oh my gosh! Loish! I know her artwork! I really like how expressive and unique it is with how she uses lines and texture. I’m so glad you could interview her Chris! It was interesting to listen to how she grew her artistic skill with her desire to be better at drawing.
Her input on and artist receiving comments and putting them into context and realizing what part of your work is valuable, thus enabling her to make artwork she likes to make…that was such an inspiring thing for me to hear. And something I should keep in mind for myself, to make art I want to make.
It was funny when she said about coming across a lot of talented artists and almost wanting to give up on drawing. I can understand why she would feel that way sometimes. I my case however, I see many artists work that I think is amazing and that I might try practicing with so I save it to a ref folder I’ve made. And then I don’t practice drawing as much as I should. -_-
I also know of Auroreblackcat from Deviant art, so I knew who Loish was talking about. I love her work as well. ^^
I through when she said “When I see a lot of great work I can’t put my finger on what is useful to me…is like sensory overload.” And that to counteract that feeling she tries to take things in small doses. Was great advice.
Great interview, loved it Chris. It was fun to listen to Ania, Jeff and Derrick’s input as well! Thanks again for another fun post!
My first comment here, here we come!
First of all: THANK YOU. It was such an amazing interview and generally listening to all of you was really enjoyable. And I think it helped me a lot because I have to deal with many things Loish mentioned. You see all these incredible artists and variety of what they’re doing (characters, landscapes, super duper advanced droids and starships…) and one can be sooo overhelmed. Not to mention fundamentals! I definitely should write “One step at a time” on paper and put it above my desk 😉
I’m studying Art Education but I’m rather self-taught (my university is more about modern art and there’re no really fundamentals; however I enjoyed art history classes and learned a lot – Alfons Mucha is amazing! So are polish painters – my favourite Jacek Malczewski and Konrad Krzyżanowski). I have the same “no-so-good” experience with teachers as Loish ^^”
Anwering your question about versatility – I think, for a person who’ve just started more serious journey with art, that it can be about being open to new experience. You know, not getting stuck in your comfort zone 😀
Thank you again, you’re amazing and inspiring and really really really helpful and kind. Good job!
PS. I love how “Ania” is pronounced. We have the same name here in Poland but we speak it in a little different way 😉
Chris your podcasts are always a constant source of inspiration and refueling and I am very grateful for the amount of time and work you and your team spend putting everything together. This particular episode, your conversation with Loish (one of the artists I look up to constantly) gave answers and clarity to many of my own struggles and confusions about art. I graduated out of animation school two years ago and just started working at a studio 6 months ago. I’ve been feeling very unmotivated to do any personal art, and just very anxious at my own lack of growth and creativity. I’m so glad to know that I am not the only one going through this, and that there is a way to deal with this. You guys are giving some great advice! I’m gonna start doing the things you guys mentioned and hopefully get out of this rut.
Thanks!
Chris, what you had is called “Real Ale” http://www.camra.org.uk/ is the website for the Campaign for Real Ale. I was screaming at my car radio as you were pondering real ale, and totally jealous that you got to drink in Paris. Great Podcast as usual, and I can’t wait for the new exciting announcement. Raise a pint next time you are at the pub, and always ask for the beer on Cask, or on “The Engine” when you are at Whole Foods, or at any good beer bar.
Great one!
So, I guess I should just go on, continue to develop my style. Hopefully everything will turn out better. Will keep on listening to the Paperwings Podcast! Keep it up guys. Your voices really motivate those young people who dream to achieve their artistic dreams.
And I’ve just got your “Creating Conflict”.
I’ve been doing webcomics for almost two years. But it seems to get nowhere. I’ve always thought that unique story is enough to engage people. But now I see that, it needs more than that to create a real good story.
Now I know where should I head to.
Thanks Paperwings!
I think true versatility is found in knowing your strengths. Once you do, you can learn how to adapt those strengths to every obstacle that comes your way, rather than choosing a more popular path in ways you are weak. That being said, definitely challenge yourself and broaden your foundations as much as possible! That way, you will have more strengths to choose from. It’s a delicate balance to use your strengths but not hide behind them.
Thank you so much Chris and the team for this interview!
It was very inspiring. I think I very much relate to Loish’s personality in some aspects. I too find the vast sea of talents out there to be very overwhelming sometimes. I guess that for a non-established artist like myself, there’s also this feeling of… artistic agoraphobia? In short, the world feels so crowded with amazing artists that I get scared sometimes that I wont be able to make a space for myself. Thankfully, there are a lot of motivation boosters out there~ (wink wink)
Also to answer your question, I think true versatility for an artist has to do with adaptability and flexibility within your style. Your own artistic universe has to be rich with possibilities, expandable and ever growing, so that there are always unknown places to be explored and new, fresh art to be created. Within that perspective, be confronted to a challenge and you will know that your answer exists out there, simply waiting for you to come and grasp it!
Hey, I’m new here and don’t know if it’s ok to just barge in. Hope that’s cool, but couldn’t help myself! This cast is so cool! I’ll add my voice to those saying that Loish is so inspirational. Her attitude is great. I can really relate to what she’s saying about getting overwhelmed by looking at too many other artist. I also had to really think hard about the bit on accepting your weaknesses. I’m someone who is mindful about not being good at everything, but she changed my perspective on that (for a white at least, until I go back to being an over-achiever). So, thanks Loish (and Chris of course)!
It was also fun to hear about your trip to Europe, Chris! Is it the lake of Geneva you describe? I’m Swiss/American and grew up in part around that lake. Now I live in France about an hour South of Lyon. I keep on telling my American family that it’s the place to go if you want the most “authentic” France (and the best French food). So, I’m glad you liked it all!
And I’m glad I found your site! People here are so eloquent and thoughtful! It’s so very refreshing! Thanks!
Chris, Loish & team – the interview was so much fun & enlightening! I really appreciated hearing Loish’s response to being overwhelmed & feeling deflated when she draws inspiration from an overload of incredible artists; that she has to turn them off or tune them out, as it were. It was also incredibly relieving to be encouraged to share work with our fellow students, artists, fans, etc. – to hear their feedback, accept it for what it is and use that which will move you forward. I think true versatility is the willingness to be open to new influences – whether techniques, styles, viewpoints, what have you – & filtering them through your own style. Thanks again guys – you’re awesome!