Vanishing Point

20: How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.)

The problem with this question is… in comparison to what? Art isn’t an objective measure, in fact isn’t one of the most subjective pursuits I can think of.

I know what I need to work on. Human faces are a big one- they still intimidate the crap out of me, and IMO getting them right is a major Holy Grail of an artist’s life. Lighting composition is another. I’m decent at composition, but my stage-setting is still… lacking oomph. I’m still a congenital chicken-scratcher, so my “sketch stage” is pretty awful-looking. And the doozy- patience. Still way, waaaaaay too impatient. I just need to draw more.

I know where I’ve improved in the past few years. My coloring went from non-existent (since I pencil-sketched for the first two decades of my life) to half-decent, due in no small part to lateral learning from my workplace. My knowledge of and comfort with Photoshop + tablet as tools exploded. I’m more willing to blunder into new territory and see what works.

What am I most proud of? My sense of where I’m at, I think. I don’t harbor many illusions about my skill level anymore. I suffer from the usual frustrations and anxieties, but I have a much easier time processing them and being honest with myself about my failings. I’m much better at getting my ego under control and accepting criticism, at focusing on the job that needs to be done. And I have an easier time recognizing and being honestly happy with what I’m good at. It’s far from perfect, and I still have a ways to go, but I would say I’m a happier artist now than I’ve been at any previous time in my life.

12: Have you ever considered taking commissions?

I’ve thought about it. I get paid to do artwork for my day job, though that artwork is a very different animal than what I do for personal pleasure. It’s also team-based work where I never do 100% of what goes into the final product. So I suppose it’s a poor yardstick for commissioned personal work.

I think the major reason I haven’t taken the leap is I don’t feel like I have an established style that people would pay for. My artwork isn’t cute or funny (two things that are a huge help in getting attention, I’ve noticed). It doesn’t yet have that spark of personality that sets an artist apart from the crowd. I’m better at impersonal techniques like surfacing than I am at getting that unified click, the human side that people respond to. I have SO much learning left to do.

Then again, I’ve not tried, so who knows, right?

What do I like drawing the most?

Probably what I’ve been drawing since I was old enough to draw anything reasonably recognizable: armor. Armor of all kinds and descriptions, from the classical medieval plate and chain to hockey goalies, sci-fi powersuits and samurai. As a kid I dressed up as knights and characters like Darth Vader for Halloween. I drew page after page of knights. My RPG characters always wear their helmets, because it’s practical but also because I think they look badass. Helmetless Shepard is dull to me. If someone made a full-scale N7 helmet replica, I would happily sell a kidney for it.

I don’t indulge this as much as I probably should in artwork… as much as I love armor, it can also be a royal PITA to draw. Have you ever loved something, be it a character or a thing, such that you’re intimidated to draw it, because if you screw it up you’ll inevitably be your own worst critic?