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  1. 107. put down guide layers

    July 3, 2024
    don’t be afraid to put down some pencil lines add a layer of colour and paint over it with another allow yourself to iterate over your own work

  2. 106. the rule of 1, 2, 3, 4

    July 3, 2024
    I found this in a book on writing but I think it applies to all forms of art 1 is whole 2 are contrasted 3 is a complete trinity 4 implies endlessness for example 1 tree is simple and complete - think of a Christmas tree 2 trees are compared…

  3. 105. pencil marks follow texture lines

    June 29, 2024
    this helps establish volume in a drawing

  4. Fundamental drawing exercises to study form

    June 22, 2024
    I’ve been carrying a notebook in my back pocket for the past couple months, just a dollar store book with a nice blackwing pencil tucked in it and a pocket knife on my keychain to sharpen it My goal has been to just draw every day, have fun and learn…

  5. 104. work backwards from perfection

    June 20, 2024
    this is a thought I’m still chewing on.. what if instead of creating art and seeing where it goes, I find perfection first and just make that Using AI has influenced this way of thinking. the end product seems more important than the journey of making it.  why spend countless…

  6. 103. notice beauty in your art

    June 20, 2024
    in a past blog post I talked about how sketching is like carving with light Today I was drawing skin on a man’s face and noticed there is a sculptural element. Like I’m not just carving, I’m molding clay to fit the shape of the man’s face. Yes, light and…

  7. 102. a healthy dissatisfaction

    June 15, 2024
    balancing the love for my work with the criticism I have for it is important this video on improving as a portrait artist encourages me to have a healthy dissatisfaction with my work to this point. I feel proud of the moments of brilliance in my art to date and…

  8. 101. inspiration keeps coming

    June 12, 2024
    as a kid I was terrified that I would stop being myself. one day I would become normal and lose the spark that made me growing older I did change. You have days where you are bored or exhausted or too much “fun” and unhealthy with drinking or joking at…

  9. 100. a portfolio is for “S-Tier” work

    June 5, 2024
    when you look at an animator’s portfolio, you very quickly can tell if they’re good, great or bleh. So it’s important to put your A++++++ work up front! This means killing some darlings Today I’ve been slashing away at my portfolio and turning videos into gifs for an easier watching…

  10. 99. when 3d animating, make it real

    June 5, 2024
    While animating a man slipping on a banana peel, it’s tempting to use shortcuts that look good from a specific camera angle avoid these shortcuts! Instead I animate the scene “for real” which means the man actually steps on the banana peel and falls, sending the peel flying. This gives…

  11. 98. people aren’t patient

    June 5, 2024
    People aren’t patient. I used to make long videos that slowly reach a crescendo - this still works at festivals where the audience is trapped but not on Tiktok or portfolios. You have to put the action right up front Right now I’m upgrading this portfolio and that means taking…

  12. 97. go through the window!

    May 28, 2024
    I’m animating a bowling animation where a pin gets drunk and falls out a window. Initially I had the pin fall out the window while the camera stays inside but why Let’s push the camera out the window and enter free fall with the pin. It’s so much more crazy…

  13. 96. frankenstein drawing!

    May 15, 2024
    I made up an art exercise that I’m sure other people do all the time because I saw it in a book but I at least came up with a cute name for it. It’s called a Frankenstein sketch!What you do is grab a notebook and a pencil, and go…

  14. 95. what story are you telling?

    May 15, 2024
    the stories we tell about our lives go on to shape our lives. this is definitely true for me - I’ve always been able to “brainwash” myself into doing things by accepting a story I realized today that the narrative lens I’ve been seeing my life through is disjointed. I’m…

  15. 94. hit record

    May 12, 2024
    Stop starting from scratch! Stop overplanning and overstudying and overbrainstorming. Just GO Record a song and make a music video for it! Draw a comic book story. Write a short story. Film an educational TikTok for artists. There is some resistance here! What if my song is bad? Shouldn’t I…

  16. 93. life doesn’t last forever

    May 12, 2024
    This video is an interview with the writer of Battlefield Earth, often considered the worst movie of all time He was a young writer, afraid of failure, afraid that no more jobs would come, so he took a big paycheque to write the script, and it spiralled out of control.…

  17. 92. push ideas further

    May 7, 2024
    to “push” is a term in animation, drawing and design. The point is you go further into what makes something unique Why push an idea? Pushing is the act of going further. You see it in character design a lot. A pointy nose could be LONG like a carrot. A…

  18. 91. think like an alien

    May 7, 2024
    I saw this advice in a sketching book, like an alien Dash 💨 one who has never seen a person‘s face before, isn’t used to the third dimension. without norms, an alien sees things as they are

  19. 90. less is more

    May 6, 2024
    the great artist does not spend more time or put more lines down. they put the right lines down focus less on nailing the details or making everything perfect. simply sketch and explore. get comfortable and use materials! explore and discover your style. push yourself to draw outside or animate…

  20. 89. do quick studies

    May 6, 2024
    instead of drawing one thing for an hour, draw a bunch of things! that process of shading things in is fine but the learning comes from quick sketches and experiments

  21. 88. pour emotion into your art

    May 6, 2024
    I tend to hold back and focus on technical skills until some random day i get tipsy and pour my heart out just do that! let loose. Open yourself up and open your heart up because life is too short and this is all that we have and you’re dying.…

  22. 87. be ok being bad at stuff

    May 6, 2024
    allows you to try and not care about the the immediate work being good. funny enough that amateur work can be great

  23. 86. sometimes you throw away work

    April 8, 2024
    I spent a great deal of time making a scene and the project changed. It’s hard to let go of the project. it’s hard to change. It’s hard to face the limits of my skill But here I am, employed and focusing in. It’s a good job. I have to…

  24. 85. embrace breaks

    April 5, 2024
    u need rest and to prep mentally. don’t feel guilty! enjoy

  25. 84. buy 3d models

    April 5, 2024
    saves time

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