Oh the Vanity! // Happy New Year & Defining Art Style for Looks & Function [JAN 2016]

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I am in no way an official Art Director! Like most artists however, I need to figure art style on my own. I’m always learning I say!To the question:
I believe there are two ways to answer.

SIDE A: Art style = What are you communicating through your art? For what purpose?
So what kind of mood or emotion am I trying to convey?

If I want to showcase a wonderful, whimsy, fantasy and fun world of characters and their era then most people, projects, animation, games, etc would go for the colourful, toony, appealing, pixar-esque look. Or even the extreme Saturday morning graphic art style. Or perhaps a stop-motion clay-animated style as with Caroline or Box Trolls. Or I might even go for the gritty, realistic, dark look to spike up that contrast.

If I want to explore mature sexual and violent themes I could also portray that through Noir styles of art direction or muted colours of blues and greys, or Sin City styles of graphic colour or a limited palette of colour in a given and appropriate story beat. Or also turn that around and explore such themes with seemingly innocent and appealing visuals.

Figure out what suits my given story!

This can be tremendously fun and challenging especially when I’d like to be creative with it but not too far and beyond to the point that the audience has nothing familiar or recognisable to latch onto, to help them interpret and understand what they’re seeing.

Unless that *is* my intention for the audience to feel: lost and confused!

I believe art style is all about how I want to visually communicate that atmosphere and mood to my audience, ladies and gentlemen ;D

And it’s fun to play with different styles than to get stuck on just one!

SIDE B: Art Style = on a personal and specialised level; how a given artist enjoys approaching & depicting subject matter. 

Art Style, to elaborate further is how we’d like to interpret, visualise and express life.

What aspects of the subject matter I strive to exaggerate, detail or simplify.

It’s a super combination in how we approach making visual imagery.

How we compose, how we choose colours,
whether we focus a lot on hair, eyes and skin pores
or if we make hands intentionally huge
or if we’re striving for loose and flowing painterly expression
or there are patterns and details we omit completely in our rock formations
or we just enjoy doing pin ups with incredibly painful body proportions
or enjoy painting and getting lost in the clouds
or we simply want to draw colourful and cute things

Plus we need to be aware that the more we enjoy the subject matter or feature, the more detail and focus there tends to be when we draw and paint them.

Art style ideally involves =
making art we enjoy looking at + proud to have made & to be shown to others

While the Bonus is that we actually enjoy the process of making it.

All three combined would be awesome!

An artist’s personal art style is their voice. 
Their preferred way of artistic expression.

Essentially it is very important to us and regardless of however long it takes for us to find our own two feet – it will keep evolving. Don’t get stuck!

As long as we, the artist, keeps growing!

Many ask: “So how does one find their art style? Halp!!”

I’m figuring myself out too! But hey, there’s art styles that are marketable and popular and then there is our own emerging art style where we simply use to communicate and express yourself for fun and for our own selfish reasons. (:

Sticking to one art style only is definitely a risky thing to do, especially if we’re not reaching a defined niche (given that you’re also a working artist).

Most artists stay flexible, learn and study from other artists’ art styles and from observing life. They move on and develop their own. For the growing artist, this cycle repeats.

So let’s just keep learning! Unless your client has defined it for you, do not worry about *your own* art style! Hone down on SIDE A’s aspect of Art Style instead and explore/tackle the styles of others and interpret your version of life too. Don’t pigeonhole your work to one art style either. It gets boring.

I’m striving to do this too; focusing on what I’m trying to convey and just exploring!

In time we will find what works and doesn’t work.

Believe in yourself. In whatever creative endeavour you’re venturing. (:

Getting focused on BurpAvatars & Art Streams Train ride aho!

So I started this mailing list – see more information within.

Currently I’m busy figuring out a system, pricing, what I’m offering exactly and examples. I’ll be doing this for the next two months. Rest assured, I have my own deadline so that I’m not planning forever!

And sure in the coming month or two I’m trying out Twitch. But I’m not doing Patreon anymore so this is really me doing this for fun and for free (well there’s probably ads by Twitch and that’s out of my control though)!

I don’t have a vague business plan for this side project yet as right now it is a trial period. Maybe just plugging my art commissions? Hopefully all this YouTube/stream stuff just allows me to interact with people more when I can. (:

If you’re keen, I’ll mention it on Facebook for my first time streaming but that’ll be it! I’d rather keep my Facebook mostly out of this actually, so keep tabs on twitter or even twitch in regards to when I’ll be live! Again, I don’t mind if I’m just doing it live by myself as I’m a newbie after all. Oh if you miss out, the full stream recordings will be transferred to my YouTube channel (:

That’s all, just had to mention that it’s in the works! ;D

Oh I don’t know how but somehow I got featured with my 2 year old Poker Painting here at this game artist curation project artinplay.com :0

The past two weeks: it’s ok

So it’s been alright with a sprinkle of good and introspective, restless times in between. Especially now that the Hermit Burpcast is done, this is truly the only home for my reflections. (:

As with many people, I’ve been thinking what to focus on and the above is what resulted. Well there’s probably more, such as keep making art, learn more and grow more as a person.

Keep developing friendships?
Letting go friendships with others?
Starting anew?

Sure Christmas happened and the New Year is happening but what now…?

Sometimes you get exasperated with yourself and wonder why you’re doing this and doubting if you’re working hard and smart enough. And you write things like this because you need to clarify things further with yourself.

Hello. Hello fear and loneliness. My two of my good old friends.

Honestly, it actually feels welcoming to embrace sadness (yes I finally watched Inside Out) every now and again. Not that I’m depressed!

I actually utilise this feeling to help me understand others better, appreciate the happier times, strive to be kind to others when I’m feeling genuine about it and hopefully grow into a more empathetic person. It also allows me to be more silly and happy because I’ve allowed myself to feel the sadness and then let it go.

I feel, let it go and then I forget most of it over time and move on; it’s not easy but I trust that I’ll get through it.

And I know sadness will come back.
When it does, I’ll welcome it again (:

Oh no, I’m not afraid to write about these things because I am not reaching for outside pity but I’m mostly reaching inward really. I’ve long cast aside that feeling that I could only show my happy and silly side since this post here.

I’m not trying to make this seem “romantic” as I’m just saying it as I believe it is, we’ve all got bad and good times! Plus it’s great to appreciate and be grateful with what we have, rather than clawing and wishing for more things as the excuse for nothing doing or getting what we wanted from life.

Perhaps it might help someone reading this who’s been lurking. (:

No doubt I always feel left behind when I’m still building and figuring out my career the long and hard way. While old classmates of mine are probably tackling their careers, families, partners and children too.

That said, I’m technically just 2 years into “the real world” since graduating. While there are the few super stars that take off into their careers during their studies already, many more artists are admirably sticking to it 4-7 or even 10 years into struggling as a freelancer before anything took off for them.

And the rare ones still love doing it despite all the trials and tribulations.

Sure thing, I am not entitled more than anyone else out there to achieve my dreams! I believe that one needs to earn it and also the respect! I’m part of the nobodies club on the global scale, but I can’t deny that I do have a special small handful of you supporting me out there.

I am honoured and grateful for your time, dear reader.

I don’t care if I say it so much that it loses all meaning; thank you, it truly helps and terribly encouraging when you pop out of nowhere and give me feedback when I was expecting nothing at all.

And then you lurk and hide away once again; hey! I do that too, I get it haha
Social media is increasingly overwhelming for everybody. Though sadly enough it’s how I engage with people most of the time as the Hermit Burp.

I digress! As usual, let’s go!
Gotta keep believing. 😉

Thanks! Keep adventuuuring you!

Phoar! Here we are.

Apparently I’m a mix of Wendell the Walrus (give me food & I’ll paint) & Sable the Hedgehog (reserved & takes ages to warm up to people) from the Animal Crossing series >__<;

Digressing! See you in 4 weeks!
Or at the YouTube Art Stream in 2 or so weeks! (:
I’ll be talking about games and movies and draw!! Yeah!!