Digital Art Feature Journal AND Commissions are OPEN!
Hello everyone and welcome to the long-awaited Feature Journal!
(Please excuse the really rough format of this journal - I'll get round to it... sometime... soonish...)
So, my last feature journal had a very long and fangirl-y blurb about my love for art and fandoms and how I'm inspired every day by the art I see on my social media accounts - and this journal is no different , sorry to tell you. Except it may have a slightly different tone this time around. This is going to be one hell of a long journal, so strap yourself in.
Keep in mind that I am in no way, shape or form a professional at this - but these are my thoughts on the following subject. Enjoy!
One of the things that I've come to notice and dread in the art world, is recognition. It may not be important to some artists, as they have other lives and jobs and create art just for themselves or for fun. For a lot of artists and designers, however, recognition plays a very big part of staying motivated and getting a sense of one's development as an artist.
I've been on a gap year since the beginning of the year, and while I was working for a design company for the first three months, I haven't been doing much of anything since March. This time for myself gave me the opportunity to develop my skills in the Digital Art category, as well as to explore a whole lot of different art styles and attempt to improve at drawing anatomy (as it is a constant struggle of mine). However, this time also showed me that getting recognized in the art community and online is difficult.
This may not be the case for everyone, as some artists seem to find a little gap in the market and promptly fill it with their awesomeness and TADA! people are flocking in from all across the globe to say 'Wow, you're incredible' and whatever else. But this is a one in a million situation. The majority of artists take years to get to the level that they're at in the community and even then, it's a constant effort to keep oneself afloat and not get sucked into the ever-growing abyss known as 'The Art World'. New artists are popping up every day, so keeping on top of things is very important.
This is not to say that your art becomes any less personal, you just have to know how to go about it if you're wanting people to notice you or if you're wanting to a) make a living out of this 'thankless' career or b) make some extra money on the side.
In my case, it's both. I want to be a professional graphic designer and artist, and while I will only be attending University in January, I can't simply sit around and do nothing (and the state of my bank account is a glaring reminder every day that I need to haul ass).
So, what is the point of this whole story?
This; I am slowly but surely learning that if you're wanting people to notice you, for the purpose of acknowledgment or to get money in from commissions - You need to get in people's faces, in the politest way possible and you need to recognize others.
Why? You may ask...
It's quite simple.
People are, by nature, quite forgetful and with the constant onslaught of social media attacking us every day, you are very likely to fall by the wayside. Thus, a gentle, subliminal reminder every so often (basically, every day), is a very good way of never giving anyone the opportunity to forget you.
People are, by nature, quite forgetful and with the constant onslaught of social media attacking us every day, you are very likely to fall by the wayside. Thus, a gentle, subliminal reminder every so often (basically, every day), is a very good way of never giving anyone the opportunity to forget you.
Recognizing others is probably pretty self-explanatory but I'll explain anyway. You want others to acknowledge your presence and skill? Wonderful. But what if everyone went around saying 'I wish people would recognize me and like my art and talk about me and love me and....etc', but they never went out and favourited or commented on or shared anyone else's work?
Basically, you'd have a whole lot of artists sitting on their own pages, staring longingly at their pageviews and weeping into their sketchbooks.
So, what do you do? First, you inspire yourself by looking at other people's work and marveling at how magnificent they are. Second, you get fired up because you want to boast such incredible talent. Third, you tell people about the artists that inspire you. Fourth, you keep admiring and telling everyone about these people until, one fine day, someone comes along and says 'You have been featured in my journal! Your work is incredible! You've inspired me for years, thank you so much."
Wouldn't that be great? Yes. Yes it would. Let's not deny it.
Now, I may not be the greatest artist out there (although I've improved quite a lot since I started doing digital art last year October), and I may not have a lot of reach when it comes to my influence in this community - but you know how they say 'dress for the job you want, not the job you have'?
This is one of those situations. I like to give credit and praise where it's due, because even if only a handful of people see these features, that's a handful of people who can also acknowledge the talent and hard work of these amazing artists. I want to be someone in the art community who is well-known and has the influence to promote other artists, so I start promoting other artists until (and long after) I get there.
Here are some art sites that I love spending time on, whether it be because of the resources, tutorials or general art appreciation:
There are many more, but these are my favourites.
But enough about that, let's talk about art.
As you should have gathered by now (or if you know me), I am a complete art nut. I live and breathe anything and everything art. My room is covered floor to ceiling in pictures and my own artwork and art books and supplies, my Tumblr (while catering to my obsession with fandoms) is full of fanart and sketches and tutorials and resources.
So, it stands to reason that I have quite a few opinions on the subject. I always hear people saying 'art is subjective', and while I agree 100% - it made me think. What makes certain styles of art more popular than other styles, and what is the appeal for others in the art that doesn't appeal to me?
Well, I may not have all the answers because I'm most certainly not an expert but I can tell you what I find appealing and why. I wont list all the styles I like because this journal is long enough already, but I'll point out a few things that catch my eye immediately.
Well, I may not have all the answers because I'm most certainly not an expert but I can tell you what I find appealing and why. I wont list all the styles I like because this journal is long enough already, but I'll point out a few things that catch my eye immediately.
Good colour sense
If the colours pop or work amazingly well together at first glance, I will take a long second glance
Incredible anatomy
Because anatomy is the bane of my existence, I'm constantly amazed by those who can make it seem effortless
Emotion
If an artwork can make me feel what the subject matter is feeling, it's a winner
Originality
When I come across something so mindblowingly different, I immediately take a shining to it
Subject matter
Because everyone is involved in or inspired by some fandom or another [or another artist], we are generally affected by certain characters. For this reason, I am almost always captivated by fanart. I even get attached to other people's Original Characters sometimes
Technique
Blending! Realism! Shading! Detailing! Everything that makes me stare at an artwork for over 10 minutes is pure love
Composition
Give me an incredible panoramic painting, a well thought out landscape/environment, a dynamically posed multi-character drawing and I will be in awe of you, no matter the level of your technique
And that is what I generally look for in art. Which is not including Individual Style, which is equally (if not more) important to me than anything. I love to see a thumbnail on the front page and guess which artist it is, click on it and having it turn out that I was right. It's a hat-off to the artist of the highest level, in my opinion.
And now, the features. I always struggle to find artists to feature because they either get a lot of attention already and so it's no surprise that they would be featured (and I do prefer to find artists who need a spotlight pointed at them) or I spend so much time sifting through badly cell phone photographed lined-paper pencil sketches that I get a bit exasperated.
I try to vary the features a bit, so that it's not all fanart and not all geared towards my specific tastes. They might not all be by unknown artists (some of them just really deserve mention - popular or not).
These are the artists that I managed to find in my journey to the center of the art world;
Cowboy Bebop - Swordfish In The Asteroid Field arthurloftis
Study Chair DeerandFox
Mercedes Ref Update TacosaurusRex
Yes This Is A Good Title rirth
Erwin Smith bw idaiku17
Magical World IgorWolski
Survivor Artwork Concept Rofelrolf
Mojave QuinneCL
07 Zellim
Randy kimberly80
Barracuda And Thresher SplitSoulSister
After Dive Into You Hinell
Self Portrait kanzzzaki
Divine gkb3rk
Soldier Lenqi
Between Sheets neonanything
The Black Crowned Lugas
{KAIJI} You Are Enough llllle
NeoZoic201 - Cover Color ivanplascencia
And so concludes the features for this journal. There are so many more artists out there that deserve mention and thousands that I haven't even come across yet. Each and every artist mentioned here is deserving of your attention - so drop them a favourite or a comment if you like their work!
I'll try to do features at least every few weeks, but it's a whole lot of work finding artists who aren't too well known.
Right! The last order of business is a bit of news from me - I've recently opened my commissions (which I'm very excited about) because the life of a starving wannabe artist isn't nearly as exciting as the movies lead you to believe. So, here are my Commission Prices. I would really appreciate the support!
Please excuse the ridiculously long Journal - but it doesn't happen every day and it's important!
I spend a whole lot of time on Tumblr - so you can find me there as well.
If there are any questions regarding the Commissions or if you think there's someone who should be featured - send me a note or email me (centeineac@gmail.com)
This can be reblogged here!
Journal CSS Base by Gasara
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No seriously. This made my day 
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