I'LL BE THERE! I get there sometime Thursday in the evening. and I'll be there till Monday afternoon.

Wanna meet up? Note me!

I WILL be taking commissions! 60 bucks per colored character, 30 for a sketch character! I'll have examples at the con!

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Till then, let's open some flood gates, eh?

I'm NOOOOOT AT BLFC THATS FOR SURE :/

Seriously most of you know, but I can't make it this year. Things are super crazy hectic right now, and blah blah. SO let's move onto what I'm up to!

MY ROOMIES GETTIN MARRIED IN LIKE 2 WEEKS OH SHAT. They're throwing a small but solid little celebration locally and I've been kinda apart of the set up. So that's exciting! But busy >o>!

But even MORE pressing - is I've been remodeling my Dad's house! Long story short, I'm moving again, but this time back home :| There's always just a bit of shame when moving back to somewhere you've been (I think) - Kinda like a small step back. I kinda felt this when I moved back from Cali to Colorado. But I'm getting over it. This is actually a pretty integral step to help my dad rent the house out. It's been PRETTY ill-kept for the past several years. It's a pretty decently sized house, and my Dad is hardly home, so I can't really blame him. (Plus I had no idea how just messy he lives? It's kinda hilarious >->) But me and a couple of roomies have been cleaning THE FUCK outa that place every day for the past week and will be doing so for the next week, and more even later (Post wedding.)

So come the end of July I'll be moving again. BUT NO RENT?! SO. !?!?! Pretty fuckin' stoked! Kinda considering saving up for a fursuit finally, or probably a new computer (this one's been acting up a bit). I DUNNO MAN, THE SKIES THE LIMIT. I JUST BOUGHT A DYSON V8 (mainly to help with the cleaning) BUT ALSO BECAUSE NO RENT!?!?

Art-wise - I picked up a Udemy course on Unity! PRETTY FUCKING STOKED TO FINALLY GET GOING ON SOME GAEMZ YO. I'm like, maybe 10 percent through the course, and this programming shit is blowing MY MIND yo. MY MIND. But it's awesome! I've got a decent grasp of the logic - and I'm super stoked to see how things will go. Once I've got a solid grasp on things, I'll probably whore out my patreon, this time with a product to show!

OH AND, probably less exciting news - I kinda plan to be streaming a bit less these days. It's been a while since I've just drawn on my own? And I dunno... it's kinda nice lmao. I'm sure I'll be back to streaming very regularly at some point - but drawing here and there lets me pick it up/put it down whenever, rather than committing several+ hours straight (which has been pretty tough with the recent busy-ness).

Anywho yeah, just figure I'd update the good ole' journal :>

I hope you've all been well~!

WHERE ARE MY TEXAS HOMIES AT?!

I'm flying out in an hour and a half :D! I have the fortunate opportunity to be chilling with mah' homies  Dessy and  fuegodelalma! Pretty stoked to check out a new con, so if you're going and you wanna meet up LET ME KNOW~! I can give telegram/phone numbers/ whatever. I'm all for meeting new folks! ALSO THERE MIIIIIIIIGHT be a chance of some peeps selling pins with my art on it! if they get a table at the artist alley :> should be fun, they looked AWESOME >o>!! I'm sure if there are extras we can organize some shipping thing if anyone's interested. If it's lucrative, I might make actual art for pins :o. I've always considered some fun merchandise for cons, but haven't really given it a shot...

ANYWHO.

I WILL be accepting commissions at the con!

I wanna do something new though. More toony/simplified - gonna do more line stuff, probably more sketchy, BUT, I also want to do colorrrr. But like, quicker? I'm not really sure, I'll be messing with a look over the next couple days. I'm thinking around 40 bucks a character or something. MAYBE MORE since they're in color? but they're supposed to be simpler?!?! SO I don't know, I'm kinda wrestling around with a visual design that's solid. We'll see! If you're interested, gimme a poke, I'll offer my sketch things too, but I don't want to do those on my Ipad. The brushes don't work QUITE the same as they do as my home work station.

HMM, IM RAMBLING AGAIN.

ENJOY THE FLOOD
SEE YA AT TFF
OK BYEEEEEEEE

Soooo that flood was supposed to be bigger! But my computer literally had a shit attack and isn't booting!

(Symptoms-

(Unrelated, but related - but my RAM Is reporting as failing in overclocking (despite I set the clock speed to normal). This used to happen once a few months if even, but now it's every boot ATM.)

Pre windows logo - forever spinning loading dots
Pre windows logo - attempts to launch windows recovery, then gets stuck at a black screen)

Before this all happened - I was uploading stuff. Windows explorer opened to locate the next file to upload - but everything about it froze. Chrome froze too. I tried to ctrl alt delete to end the task - but that wasn't responding at all. After a lot of fruitless clicking, a small window asked if I wanted to force quit it - and I did, but again to no avail. After a while I just decided to restart my computer. I had to force shutdown. Since then - it's not booting.

Currently making a recovery USB on another computer. I've taken out my main drive and started backing up the art on it just in case.

not quite sure whatsup. Anyone have any ideas? )

IT WAS THE RAM. THANK YOU MEMTEST86

Anywho. Flight leaves in 4 hours - I'm SO GOOD at finding reasons to never sleep before a trip :|

OH, and - I'll be going to TFF at the end of the month! Hit me up if you wanna meet!

Oh my god, this one is SUCH A LONG TIME COMING.

There’s been A LOT of hubbub on this topic ever since large youtube peeps and semi-famous industry professionals have started making comments/journals/videos about why art school sucks. And holy shit dude, this is doing some VERY weird stuff for everyone.

Please please please, give a second to give these things more thought before just believing someone who seems to know what they’re doing. Nothing is this simple. And nothing has more value than something like “School.”

I want to create a list of scenarios that will tell us why art school might suck for you – and conversely, when art school is a really fucking good idea.

First I have to get a few things out there.

When you think of something like “Art” – it’s NOTHING like a learnable concept. It’s not something you learn the formula to, and you’re good. It’s not a test that you can pass, and then you know it. It’s not even something that once you “can do” – you’re good at. This entirely makes it nothing like a normal academic thing, thus shouldn’t be compared to as such. That DOES NOT MEAN schools shouldn’t be for art, that is not what I’m saying – just that you can’t measure an art school’s success via people getting jobs. Nor does a paper mean you do or don’t know art.

Next – you have to realize why you’re going to school in the first place. Most people would assume you go to school to get a job – and that SHOULD NOT be the case for everyone. SPECIFICALLY if you’re going into something like art. A degree, though will get you into some jobs, largely does not matter. It’s entirely the portfolio. SO, once again, art schools cannot be assessed in this method.

Next, there are A LOT of different art schools, a lot of different degrees, AND a lot of different teachers. Not all of them are great. Not all of them are bad.

Finally, and probably the most important. Learning is a two-way street. If you’re expecting to go to school and become a bad-ass - that’s not going to happen unless YOU’RE the one taking it absolutely seriously and getting your shit done.

So really quick – let’s strip some variables aside. Let’s take the quality of classes/teachers/you completely out of it and just look at the school scenario vs. learning on your own.

Going to Art School will give you this:

• A type of curriculum according to your major. (AKA a plan. This can be a BURDEN if you know what you’re doing. But obviously a god send if you don’t.)
• 4 years of new content and new material, constantly pushing you out of your comfort zone. (The best way to learn is to fail with new material. Then you learn new things in that area, and can apply it on your own. However, if you know what you’re doing, you can tell when some of this required content/material is a waste of time and money.)
• Constant demands and pressure to hit deadlines. (Forcing you to stick with the plan in a timely fashion.)
• Peers (added competition, and ability to grow along side and assess your buds. AND SYNERGY. Though this can be stressful for some peeps. Though I think friendship/peers/buddies implies no stress.)
• Perfect world: An excuse to do nothing but study your trade. (no job, live off of loans. This isn’t a possible path for everyone, but if you have the support (family, lots saved up, or the ability to live off loans) FUCKING DO IT.)

By studying at home, you have:

• The flexibility and ability to focus on what you want. (however this is often more a curse, because people don’t really know how to learn. However, if you do know how, then you can focus on things that are more pressing to you, or study outside of your normal curriculum.)
• The flexibility in time. You don’t have due dates. (Meaning you can get things done quicker and move along faster. However, this is also easy to slack on and take your time. I’m sure we can all agree the latter is more likely.)
• It’s free? At least, a lot cheaper.

Do you see this trend so far?

If you have no idea what you’re doing, school is an EXCELLENT CHOICE. Absolutely. However, if you actually know what you’re doing, that’s when you’re going to find it can be a waste of time.

So let’s go onto that list of scenarios I mentioned.

I want to mention that THESE QUALITIES ARE A NECESSITY. I’m not sure if I can suggest art school if you aren’t ready to:

• Work fucking hard to achieve your dreams.
• Socialize with people, even on the smallest scale. (art schools are amazing because MOST people are shy and even more scared than you are. If you are remotely-personable, you’ll be a god. Plus, most of us are fucking hella nerds. I’d much rather socialize with art peeps rather than anyone else xD. (I mean peeps who’re remotely interested in art, not necessarily artists)).
• Work outside your comfort zone in more ways than one. Style-wise (This is usually not a problem, but it can be.) Subject-wise. Content-wise.
• Realize your faults, and grow. You aren’t perfect, and that’s ABSOLUTELY ok and why you’re going to school.
• Pay money AND BE OK WITH IT. (Either straight, or depending on parents, or student loans.) Having that regret linger over you will get in your way. Realize that no amount of money compares to the limitless ability of creation. (or find some other way to be OK with it.)

These are a bare-minimum. Please please please understand that these are a necessity. I think these will really solidify any art school experience.

OK, onto scenarios.

Scenario A) – The Adventurer.

Bright eyed, bushy tailed. No idea what you want to do (maybe a good idea of what you want to do) – but you’re not super great yet. Maybe you’ve been drawing for a couple years, but concepts like “Horizon Line” and “Perspective” and “Gestures” sounds new and interesting. Hopefully you’re up for a challenge, because every single class, every DAY might introduce something new.

If this sounds like you – I absolutely recommend trying an art school out, at the very least a few classes. Perfect world is you’ve been drawing a few years so you’ve already ran into a bunch of problems – this way the answers will make way more sense.

Keep in mind, if you’re a bit scrubby, you probably can’t get into super high-end art schools. BUT THAT IS A-OK. Prestigious art schools might be wayyyyy too difficult and focused for what you need. I’d suggest smaller art schools, ones that still offer a bunch of different majors (and the major you’re most interested in) – but some of these schools are more focused on helping you become an artist/finding yourself, rather than getting that job. It SEEMS counter-intuitive? But 2 years of “fundamental art stuff” will be good for ANYONE, but especially the noob. Then the later 2 years of more focused illustration or animation or game design, those will launch you enough into the field so you can teach and polish on your own.

Scenario B) – The Timid.

You’ve always been pretty decent at art, but you’re not entirely sure whether or not you should make a career out of it. You’ve heard all of these scary stories, and perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that one way or the other is the right way. Maybe you’re scared of loans, or you’re scared of failing.

If this sounds familiar, I do suggest taking a class somehow. Local colleges tend to have drawing classes, and DO KEEP IN MIND, this is not the same experience as an ART SCHOOL CLASS. If at all possible, tour an art school you’d want to go to, that will definitely let you know if that’s what you want.

In the end – if you’re pretty “ok” at art – but you still don’t know what you’re doing, art school will DEFINITELY still help you. You have to stay motivated and fully focused on success though. You really don’t have time to doubt yourself. As I mentioned above, you might not be able to get into a prestigious art school, but you can definitely find one that’s comfortable and home-y. Tour around~!

Lastly, realize that art is something you have to “Risk it for the biscuit.” – That means you’ll wanna be all-in. The more you can devote and focus and hone – the better off you’ll be. It’s a competitive field, but not impossible. Find that thing that makes you special. Find that thing that you want to say to the world. Fight for it.

Scenario C) – The Badass.

You’ve been drawing for several years, and your studies have become quite natural to you. You’ve got a clear command on general artistry, characters, narratives, design. You can definitely throw a pencil around, and it’s something you want to pursue.

If this sounds like you, then I do think art school will still benefit you. BUT NOT JUST ANY ART SCHOOL. If you’re fucking good already, then you will want to choose some of the best art schools out there.

The more prestigious schools are SERIOUSLY difficult with crazy expectations. CalArts, Gnomons, LCAD, Sheridan I think? – most of these require their animators to have a finished film EVERY YEAR. That’s CUHRAZY. Absolutely crazy. But that demand in work ethic, AND folio prep – will benefit you A TON.

If you are too scrubby, you might very well crack under all this pressure. Learning all of these new mechanics and tools is one thing – but being required to do your normal classes, AND put an entire film together? Fuck man, that’s crazy shit. But if you’re ABLE TO DO THIS, you will benefit from it greatly. So I’d say the prestigious schools are for anyone who now knows what they’re doing. The easy classes will be an opportunity for you to show-off and hone your skills, as well as gentle reminders of tools/mechanics you may have forgotten. You will have peers that are also badasses pushing you to even greater heights, and all those teachers are SUPER HARDASSES so you won’t be bored.

Scenario D) – The Badass take 2

Though I think 4 full years of art school ONCE you’re a badass is invaluable, this is where it might be a waste of time and money.

So the other option is master classes.

If you’ve got all your foundations down, and you know what you’re doing, or at the very least, you know how to study all the things you know are possible – then, a lot of the general classes might be a waste of time.

Perhaps you’re looking for something VERY specific – Like how to design creatures that don’t exist. Or how to retopologize a model for very cartoon-y animation. Or how to use digital brushes in weird techniques to create thumbnails, or implied texture. This is a lot of stuff you can learn via books, or master classes.

A lot of this material is SO SPECIFIC that it can be irrelevant to study if you’re too early in the art-game. It can even be harmful since some of this can suggest workflows that are VERY specific, and NOT a good idea in a broader spectrum. However, sometimes there’s also larger methods that will help a ton, but only once you’re far enough along your art career.

For example, “Designing a creature that doesn’t exist.” Teryl Whitlatch is an illustrator of serious renown. She started studying biology, drew since forever, did a lot of paleo-art (dinosaurs, bones, concepts of what they might look like) – and from there, she started to realize and learn how the necessities of an animal dictate its biology. She learned that every animal is how it is for a reason. What they eat, where they live – all of these things work perfectly with a creatures biology. And with this knowledge, she learned what certain components meant, and how to assemble imagined creatures in a very realistic and plausible fashion.

See, like, that’s just cool to know, right? But as a very junior artist, it would be very difficult to put any of that to use. You probably won’t have very much command of general anatomy, let alone specific traits of certain animals. However, if you’re a bit further in your art career, this is incredibly handy stuff to know.

Masterclasses are also something you pay for. But you can find recorded ones online. Or attend the actual ones. Or whatever. Books also have a lot of very specific knowledge.

Scenario E) – The Prolific.

Say you’ve been drawing for several years. You’re pretty decent. You can go days where you spend countless hours drawing all sorts of things. Comics you’ve had in mind, designs you’d like to see, stories, areas, anything. Say every day you choose a new topic, and challenge yourself with that. You go out and find good teaching material, you ask your friends that you idolize – you find mentors along the way. You do what you can and you’ve come a long way (with help) but generally on your own.

If this sounds like you, I’ll have to ask you to be a bit introspective when assessing yourself.

First, keep in mind that “Art” is a GIGANTO term. That there’s much more than your ability to draft and design – but that cinematography is an entire thing, color, prop design, environments, story, acting, immersion, pacing – It’s pretty much guaranteed that every subfield of visual-drawn-art has new mechanics that you may not even know about.

If you’re motivated enough, it’s very easy to find out how to learn about something.
However, what about the things you don’t even know about?

This is where mentorships come in a lot of handy. If you have some mentor person that you trust, that you’ve seen can do well for you – and you know they have quite a lot of knowledge, then this can work. Realize that the amount of tools/mechanics you CAN have as an artist is A TON, and I don’t mean physical tools. I mean conceptual tools. Like “The rule of thirds,” that’s a tool. “Camera,” that’s a mechanic.

If you’ve spent most of your life learning on your own, you may not enjoy the class-experience at all. BUT YOU MIGHT ALSO TOTALLY DIG IT. I’m sure you’ll learn something in a class – like the stuff you’ve never even thought about. But all the other perks of a classroom (like synergy, classmates/competition, a teacher) – these might not matter to you.

Typically, peeps who’re entirely self-taught probably have a generally OK foundation, but there might be some concepts that they aren’t aware of entirely. So they might be crazy good at drawing, but not have the slightest clue how to tell a story. They might have crazy character design skills and acting, but not the foggiest clue how to compose a scene. So some classes might be an absolute snore-fest to you, while others might seriously help.

I would still recommend AT LEAST taking a tour of a school that you were interested in. If you’ve been studying on your own for a while and you’re pretty good, you can probably put together a pretty decent folio.

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I want to stress, that art school is never a “Waste of time and money.” It might be less ideal to some, and it might be invaluable to others. As always, it’s entirely case-by-case – and pledging to it being a waste of time/money is irresponsible.

I will say this. If you plan on going to art school – do it to LEARN something. Don’t do it for the job. Do it so you can improve yourself in this passion. Do it so you can do things you couldn’t before. (For example, if you know how to draw pretty damn well, maybe study 2D/3D Animation/game design. Illustration focuses a lot on the narrative of an image, and your general draftsmanship. So if you’re good at these two things, go for something entirely different, but still in your interest.)

If you use school in this way - the only “it’s a waste of time/money” is if you could learn more on your own.

Immediately, I think this proves my point. I’m sure we can all agree that “Motivation” is a rare thing. So to the few that have this die-hard motivation, the expert direction, the support from friends and mentors, AND the time? – Then art school can be “a waste of time and money.” But the rest of us?

It's also worth mentioning, a career in art DOES NOT USUALLY need a diploma. Sometimes this isn’t the case. Some of the upper jobs, like Art Director – will usually say something along the lines of “BFA, or 3 years of experience needed.” – and a lot of even higher jobs will say something like, “5 years of Triple-A experience needed.” The degree will help, but only so far. Typically the only way to get the good jobs is to, A) be a bad ass in whatever field, AND B) have the reputation and experience to be climbing up. It is VERY RARE for someone to get out of school, pitch an idea to Disney/CartoonNetwork/Frederatr, and have it accepted. It’s not unheard of, but it’s rare. Some say that’s because Calarts has connections. Not sure how true that is these days, but connections are VERY important.

That’s even if you’re going the industry route.

There are so many ways now-a-days to make a living. (THANKS INTERNET~!) The rise of the indi-creator has never been so high, with things like Patreon, Kickstarter, GofundMe, Steam Greenlight, Tumblr, Da, and of course – our little corners of furry paradise. And though schooling can seriously help arm you with tools to do whatever, you might not need any sort of extra education at all.

It’s hard to know what you want to do, and it’s even harder to know what will work for you. So I would say, STAY FLEXIBLE.

School isn’t always the answer. But if you want to up your game very quickly, it’s almost always THE answer. A very good one to say the least.

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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This concept might be one of the biggest to prove the point, “Mind over Matter.”

Oh Artblock! The artist’s woe – the void of creativity – the death of imagination. Art block has got to be one of the biggest, AND most non-real issues I’ve heard people running into.

The thing about Artblock, is that it only exists if you believe it exists. And it’s only powerful, if you don’t try to figure it out.

The first thing that we need to do is actually understand what is happening when we’re experiencing “art block.” The sooner we can put a reasoning behind our feelings, the sooner we can rid ourselves of this “all-encompassing magical curse.”

I want to point out, that a concept like this is one of the sole reasons I’m making these journals.
Someone coined a term, tons of people circulate it – and it ends up being a crutch. An unexplainable, uncontrollable, thing that just strikes fear as some inevitable thing that you will have to suffer through time to time.

In reality, “Art Block” is an imaginary thing created to absorb the blame. This becomes more apparent when we look at “art block” more closely.

First off, let’s dissect some of the common concepts of Art block.

· Lack of creativity/imagination. You literally can’t think of anything.
· Lack of ability to physically create – Everything you’re making doesn’t come out well.
· Lack of motivation. Nothing sounds fun.

Sounds familiar eh?

Well first I’d like to talk about how your mood affects a lot of your general activity. For example. It’s a lot harder for me to work if I’m frustrated. It’s a lot harder for me to teach if I’m feeling unaccomplished. Humans are simple things, we can only concentrate well on one thing at a time. If our emotions are occupying us, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to focus. I think this is why a lot of people listen to music while they work – it can be easier to get in the zone. (Now, there is a time and place for everything. I won’t delve into this much, but there are many times when even music can be a distraction and can impede your concentration.)

Keep in mind that the more you run into “artblock” while working, the more unsatisfied you’re going to be – which will add to your lack of focus. It’s the same as being on a losing streak in some game. If you’re tilted, you’re gonna get more frustrated, and you’re gonna play worse, and you’re gonna get even more mad. First and foremost – take a break if you’re finding yourself in this situation. But in a perfect world, you’ll just sharpen your ability to spot the problem, and fix it.

So let’s look at each situation individually and figure out how to fix it.

Let’s take the first one for a spin. Lack of Creativity/Imagination (as it pertains to an artblock scenario)

Say you’re generally pretty ok at coming up with drawings, or an idea. And for some reason, you just can’t. Nothing comes to mind.

First, I'd look at your workflow. Do you have one at all? Do you have a method for coming up with an idea?

Seriously, if you were to make a piece RIGHT NOW. What sort of steps would you take? Would you think for a sec, and start creating? I bet that’s what most of you would do.

There is no right or wrong, in fact, jumping into it is a good way to get your brain thinking and working. BUT, going with the FIRST THING you start drawing is almost always not going to be the best. Tons of artists will sketch in an almost “stream of consciousness method.” You might start sketching something, think of something mid-sketch, and once you’re done, hop onto the next thing. Or you might sketch your base idea, realize that you could’ve done it better in some way or form, and done a 2nd or 3rd draft. This iterative process is totally solid. However, if you’re one to get frustrated easily, this process might be the problem.

You can also jump-start this process by looking around. This works for anything art. If you’re brain isn’t in the “mode” – you can get it there by exposing it to stuff. Drawing can be a very intensive task – figuring out the form and dimension of things in space depicted in 2D? Stuff can get very complicated very quickly – and if your head isn’t thinking dimensionally in the first place, you might find it harder to lay some stuff down. Or with a story, perhaps it’s tough to just jump into creating your own world – why not look at some that’s inspired you before? I’m not even talking about reference gathering – I’m literally just talking about exposing yourself to the material that you will be tackling. Get yourself thinking in the language (whatever language) before you speak it for the day.

And finally, DO GATHER REFERENCE – Keep in mind all the things you’ve learned and gather resources that will aid you in your process. Don’t become a slave to your resources though. Learn to use your references as launching points, not as a crutch. And the more you know what’s out there, the more you know what doesn’t exist yet.

The best part about these methods – is that they tend to actually change your mood anyways. Say you’re frustrated, but you HAVE to do something (deadlines) – once you get going into it, and you’ve reached the point of focus, you’ll quickly get over your frustration and just be in the zone.

Let’s move on to the next, Lack of ability to create (as it pertains to an artblock scenario)

I mean your actual ability to create. Be whatever medium, you just can’t do anything as well as usual.
On rare occasions – it’s just not a great day. This is typically due to the reasons above though, you’re distracted to some degree, and nothings working, and the frustration is getting to you, and you’re tilted. (Tilted is a gamer term when you’re getting more and more frustrated and salty, typically due to being wrekt) But again, with proper work-flow, you can bust out of this with a solid warm up.

So again, I’d look at workflow. What sort of steps do you take when you’re drawing? A lot of the preparation changes depending on how experienced you are, and what you’re drawing.

Say it’s your main character that you’ve drawn millions of times, and you’re a pretty solid draftsman. You’ll probably never have a time when you’re drawing your character, and you feel like you just can’t draw em that well. Just because you KNOW your character, and you’re experienced enough to not be running into a lot of problems.

Say you’re a pretty solid draftsman, and you’re drawing something you’ve never drawn before. More than likely, you’ll gather up some refs and have a few tries with some rougher drawings. This will let you troubleshoot a decent design very quickly. Pretty quickly, you should be able to command the design enough to get the job done, perhaps even quite well.

Say you’re a bit junior on the draftsman-side, you don’t quite have a solid workflow or way of thinking, you just “kinda draw” and sometimes it comes out pretty good! But sometimes it doesn’t. Often times, we might be drawing a thing that we don’t actually KNOW, nor have we taken the correct time to study. If we’re just taking shots in the dark and essentially guessing while drawing, it makes sense that we’ll only get it right so many times.

This is kinda more relying on “critting” your drawing. (I call a drawing a Crit when it comes out perfectly awesome for seemingly no reason, like a critical strike). Anyone who’s plays a DPS class in any endgame knows that depending on critical strikes (unless the build is meant for it) is never the most reliable method. I’m taking the gamer lingo way too far here, but there are “builds” that work with the crit method – like doing a bunch of thumbnail sketches. Thumbnails are very small sketches of whatever – a scene, a design, a pose. You’re literally shitting out sketches until one works really well – the crit! Of course, with proper iterative analysis (actually analyzing your images, and troubleshooting and making them better) you “increase your crit chance” per thing you are working on.

Focusing on a more solid foundation will allow you to understand your subject more, meaning you’re relying on your knowledge, rather than your luck.

Furthermore, changing up how you’re drawing something can also help a tremendous amount. I find myself skipping a lot of basic steps when drawing, I’ll rely on just doing what I think is right, rather than planning out the base structures via Constructional Drawing. Some poses might be giving me issues, but as soon as I go back to planning out the bigger shapes in the most basic form, it’s always easier to get a more solid drawing.

Now, the last thing Lack of Motivation.

So say you’re on a project, and you have to get it done, and you REALLY don’t care for it. For whatever reason. You don’t like the content, you don’t like the subjects, you don’t like who you’re doing it for, or why you’re doing it etc – Any of these are going to make you less stoked for the project.

This one actually can’t be solved via change of workflow. (unless the above processes help you get your head in the game)

The problem is fundamentally in the thing you’re doing – and the only actual solutions are either A – Trudging through it. B – Reworking the project. Or C – Dropping it all together.

If you can trudge through it, you’re probably better off. The training of discipline will be nice, and if you’re able to make solid stuff that you’re NOT happy to work on – that’ll only help you in the future. Of course, if you’re in the situation where you don’t have to deal with it or trudge through (say it’s a personal project, or working with a flexible person) – then you can look at the options, and make the project more enjoyable, or switch to something new entirely.

Reworking the project can revitalize the love for it in the first place. But when you’re reworking a project, make sure you’re taking all THINGS into consideration. If you have a base idea, swapping major components will more than likely cause issues, unless you’re taking those changes into consideration. Reworking things can add a lot of extra work, but if it ends up making the product better, the rework can be by far the best move for the piece!

Finally, if there’s too many issues with the project, it can be best to drop it all together. If it’s for work, even a full refund can relieve an enormous amount of stress – Lots of times, the money isn’t worth it. If it’s a solo project, then abandoning a broken project is no biggy – You more than likely learned something along the way, and you’ll be able to take that knowledge and apply it to the next project. You could also shelf the idea, and return to it when you’ve had more experience. No shame in that. A good idea is a good idea, execution is tough, and will be easier with experience.

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The next time you’re feeling like you have “artblock” – Take a step back and really focus on what’s getting you down. What doesn’t seem to be working? What’s difficult right now? What’s happening different? What other ways can you tackle this?

Art is largely problem solving. But you do have to know the answers to solve the problems. And you also have to know that there are problems to solve in the first place!

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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Ah see, this one’s a very dynamic answer!

I know a lot of people won’t agree with me on this, but I think it’s actually a REALLY GOOD IDEA to compare yourself to others.

What you shouldn’t do – is let that comparison get you DOWN.

A lot of people seem to get really down and depressed when they find people way better than them at something. Please do be aware, that you’re PROOOOOOOOOOOOBABLY not the best at literally anything. You’re probably not close. There’s probably nothing you can do that someone else can’t do better. And find SOLACE IN THAT. OF COURSE you’re not the best. Neither are the other 6 billion peeps. You should not be concerned with where you’re at in regards to other people – that is an impossible battle that has been lost before you were born.

That’s also not what art’s about, even remotely.

I think the other issue people find, is when they compare themselves with people that they’ve known for a while. Like a friend that has blazed past them. The new problem is probably that you feel like you’re “a lesser person” because you didn’t improve as fast as that other person in the same time.

Well. Keep in mind that HOW you study is going to SERIOUSLY impact your progress.

This is where you SHOULD be paying attention to others out there. Some people improve SERIOUSLY FAST – and you have to really ask: What are they doing differently? You can start by comparing what they’re actually drawing. If you find yourself drawing simpler things, and they’re drawing very complex things – perhaps they’re pushing themselves in all forms simply in their subject matter. Perhaps they’re drawing 3-4 times more than you are. These comparisons can yield a ton of information. At the same time, the information we see, isn’t always the full story. Keep in mind, what people post is only what they POST – not all of what they draw.

You’ll find some randos online who claim they’ve only been drawing for a year, or that they just started – and it’s PRETTY EASY TO TELL when that’s absolute bull shit. I don’t know why people would try to lie about something like that, but it happens all the time. This is a scenario where you should not be paying attention.

A lot of this varies person to person. I find it really humbling to actually see all the experienced people out there. It kinda gives me a sense of being a part of some great journey that people have walked before, and are dreaming of walking on. And it’s even cooler seeing all my other homies taking the path with me!

It’s also a great idea to find some peers whose work you idolize. Finding stuff that you enjoy tells you more about yourself. You start to find out what sort of things you think is important, what you want to see more of. You can also see what people are doing differently, and how they’re working. There’s a lot of advantages from studying those above you.

Learning through other people can be very beneficial as well. Close studies can show you how an artist approaches a task. Perhaps there is a situation you would approach differently, you’re given an opportunity to think the task through, despite not actually working on it.

Finally, by knowing what’s out there, you’re able to know what’s NOT out there.

I think, if you’re being vigilant about “not trying to compare yourself” – you might find yourself avoiding other artists entirely. And being oblivious to what’s out there, encapsulated in your own little bubble, can do a lot of harm to your personal growth.

The problem is not in comparing yourself with others. The problem is when you do negative things with that comparison.

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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I’ve seen a lot of folks stressing out about “finding their style.” And I think it can be pretty detrimental if you’re focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time.

This concept is important, but it really just depends where you’re at as an artist.

If you’re on the junior side of things where you’re figuring art/yourself out – then style is the LAST thing you should be worrying about. You don’t know yourself, what’s out there, what ya wanna say, or art – enough to make this call and pledge yourself to a “style.” If you pledge too soon, you may find yourself in that position where it’s very difficult to branch out, or grow beyond it.

At the same time – one’s “style” is one of the BIGGEST weapons we have as artists. It’s what makes us unique and different. Our vision and our execution is something that lets us stand a chance in the gigantic art world of crazy experienced people. By all means, you’ll want to figure something out eventually, but you have to be at the point where you not only understand art and its fundamentals, but have drawn many different things/ways, and have seen a myriad of different visual aesthetics. In general, the further you are in your art journey, the more things you’re gonna experience. And the more you’re going to learn about yourself. The more you’re gonna find out what’s important to you.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where I’d like to redefine the term “style.”

I’m sure when I say the word “style” – we might think of things like “anime, realism, Dragon Ball, The Lion King, Disney, Warner Bros” etc etc. I think, in a lot of cases, people tend to really just focus on the drawing aspect – like the most rudimentary forms/designs. Like, one might be able to “spot a style” on sketch alone.

I actually disagree with this kind of definition. I would more-so call that a design. A lion king lion looks VERY specific. It’s quite obvious to see when something is inspired from the movie. However, you can totally compare a ton of TLK art out there, and it’ll be absolutely obvious that there are thousands of different artists drawing it – Because of their style.

This is not a quality thing, it’s just artists tend to stress different things that they find important.

Thus, why I believe that style is actually: “The characteristics an artist finds important and stresses in each piece – regardless of content.”

A lot of you would probably say it’s pretty easy to tell when a piece is mine, be it whatever animal, porn or not, pixel or sketch or painting or animation. It’s a lot easier now since the brushes I use – but there are a few elements that I tend to stress.

• Contrast/Dynamics – In SO MANY different ways. Content-wise, via size play, or pred/prey, or any of the crazy rough stuff I do juxtaposed with adorable designs. Visually – via dynamic hues and planned lighting, contrasting colors, etc.
• Presence/Bold – I go for demanding images, something that makes you LOOK at it. Typically with having intimate camera angles, or characters challenging the viewer, or content that is just bizarre and striking (most porn, but specifically obtuse porn).
• Realism/Truth – I don’t sugar coat much, and I love keeping things “real” BUT IMPRESSIVE. Obviously there’s a bit of exaggeration with some big things going into small holes – but the human body can do some magical things with enough practice ;b. This is also noteable in the physics of my images, say in the lighting.
• Adorable – Self explanatory! I love cute shit! I also believe “cute shit” isn’t specifically for kids – and that life will happen to anything, regardless of its design. (that’s a bit of a tangent, but character designers might pick up on the salt)
• Story/Content – Y’know the fact that the furry fandom even exists is a fuckin’ wonderfully weird marvel of the human species. We’re infatuated in these non-real things, it’s as opposite to nature as it gets. A rejection of reality, and a leap into idealism. It’s fascinating! I like my works to have a purpose, be it IN the content, or the content itself. There’s a lot being said that any of this exists at all.

I think that’s it. For the most part, these elements are present in literally everything I touch. And HAVE been since I started drawing. I didn’t always know I thought these were important though. As time continued, I heard things from people, picked some up, or formed my own ideas along the way. I recall my first ever art teacher said this – “If people just walk by your art, you’ve failed.” And I thought that was hard core! But the idea being your image should DEMAND attention. You should have SOMETHING (content aside) pulling them in, and a proper use of your visual tools can do that.

You’ll hear all kinds of shit everywhere – but in the end, you get to decide what you think is important!

Try to take a step back and consider what sort of things you like to stress in your art. Or what sorta things you like to see in other’s art. Get introspective and try to figure out why those elements are so neat. It doesn’t matter where you’re at regarding your art journey, this is pretty fun/good to do at any time.

Just make sure you keep an open-mind! Don’t pledge yourself to anything, always keep trying new things and you’ll soon find out what’s important to you, and what you’d love to show the world. Your style will FIND you. Until then, keep studying and experiencing!

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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Time and time again, I always wonder, DOES TALENT EXIST.

There are so many situations where I’m forced to believe it doesn’t, but others where I’m forced to believe IT DOES. Or at least, some form of difference between us that makes some of us not suited for certain things.

Let’s be absolutely black and white with it first, then we can start to flesh out the differences.

You can’t draw a whole lot without being able to see. Not to say there aren’t blind artists, or people who draw while feeling the paint. Totally a thing. But try doing that digitally. Once you move your camera, your orientation is all kinds of fucked up. There is no tactile feedback for where you are at on a screen, or where the camera is pointing on your canvas.

Sure you can make traditional art, you can probably make some pretty unique aesthetics – But you probably can’t be much of Disney animator if you’re blind. That’s just how it goes.

Let’s switch to position – Say you were born 10 thousand years ago. Art was around, for sure, but you had to be in a certain position to be able to have the leisure to do that. 10 thousand years ago, people were still hunting and gathering, so you might just HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. Fast forward 10,000 years, and the same concept applies. Doing what you want isn’t ALWAYS possible. You might just be straight up born in a situation where you cannot. The fact that we have education so easily accessible is astounding these days – but think of all the people who don’t have access to the internet? What chance do they have to becoming a successful artist? PRETTY SLIM compared to yours.

So to a large extent, you are born with or without OPPORTUNITY. Assuming you’re in the position to actually be able to decide on your own, well, now we get back to the “born with talent” sorta conversation.

So let me ask ya something. Are you inherently good at video games? Or are you inherently bad at them? Do you know anyone who’s just GOOD/BAD at them? We all have that friend who’s just kicks our ass regardless of how long they’re playing, or the one we can toss around with little effort.
So why is that?

It’s not like “oh I was born with the talent of CALL OF DUTY!” Naw, but you’re probably a bit more akin to visual reflexes and hand-eye coordination.

Games are a very interesting thing to use as an example. Certain PVP games (I use PVP games as an example because that tends to be most evident when someone is amazing, and when someone’s really not good) stress different kinds of skills. This is a BIT of a lengthy tangent, but sets the foundation of what I’m talking about.

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Magic the Gathering is a PVP card game. Like most card games, you have a deck that you customize and shuffle before playing. So each deck will have some sort of unique presence. But in the end, the luck of the draw KIND OF decides the outcome. But the player can do many things to make sure that their draw can still guide them to functioning their deck correctly.
Being good at a game like this depends on a few things.

• Your Knowledge of the Game – There’s a metric FUCKTON of magic cards out there, and having a compendium/studying what’s out there lets you know how to make synergetic decks. The more you know about the mechanics of the game, the more you can use them to your advantage when constructing a deck. The more you know about the cards out there/decks out there, the more you know what people will likely choose, and how you can counter them.
• The Luck of the Draw – But there are cards that can work around this. Some cards let you draw more cards, others let you search your deck for specific cards. A newbie will run into the situation where they might just get fucked OFTEN by their draw, but an experienced player will have a deck full of cards that support and help at some way or another at all times.
• Limited resources – Games like Pokemon or Magic the Gathering were initially gained via Booster decks. Which is a small pack of randomly assorted cards. So you had to buy a TON to get a huge library to be able to put a decent deck together. However, with things like ebay/other card compendiums – there’s individual markets for trading card games, and you’re able to buy the cards you need for your certain deck. Obviously, rarer cards will cost more, but a bad ass deck is a bad ass deck!

But that’s pretty much it. You don’t need reflexes, you don’t need hand eye coordination. The skills you need, is knowledge of the game, the ability to be able to break it and find synergized cards, eventually “luck” isn’t really a part of it if your deck is good enough – and I guess the last thing is money. You do need money to get the cards in the first place.

A game like Battlefield or other FPS’ test an entirely different set of skills.

• Reflexes – at the end of the day, someone with awesome aim will probably win the battle. Headshots tend to be rewarded with 2-5 times the damage than a body shot, and it’s a necessary edge to have. You can train your aim, but it’s pretty clear that some people are just better at it than others.
• Map Awareness – The meta of the map can put you at some really good advantages though! If you can’t aim super well, you’ll want to use the map as your main weapon. At the most basic form, camping is the best example of this. Knowing commonly treaded areas and safe areas are crucial. But to other extents, staying next to cover in a gun fight, luring your opponents to a hallway/better place to fight – using grenades/other tools to your advantage.
• General meta – Know your position! Know your character. Know your enemy! Certain situations will be stacked against you, it’s up to you to make the best call, who do you take out with you? When should you retreat?
• Teamwork – Flanking is SO important in any FPS. If you see your team is applying pressure in one direction, try to flank from another direction. If the enemy team’s damage is split up into multiple directions - that can cut their damage in half, leaving your team to over power and push.

Team composition is also important. A game like Overwatch is a great example of needing to be flexible with your team. Reinhardt is a fantastic tank character, he can summon a shield, and provide cover for your mid-range folks. HOWEVER, if your team doesn’t choose any mid-range folks, then you find yourself defending nobody. You are technically a huge distraction though, and the enemy team will still fire at you, but any good team will know when you’re not a threat, and will switch targets to your squishy assassins that are way off sides and unprotected.

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A game like Super Smash Bros and other fighting games, (though some of this applies to team games) also test different skills.

• General Meta – Again, know the character/map/enemy. But this can be broken down to the TINIEST DETAIL here. Many fighting games, professionals get into the very frame count of certain moves, or the hitbox thrown out for attacks. This can suggest when a certain move is safe to throw out, or what move is too high risk to be worth it.
• Adaptability – The biggest thing about any 1v1 pvp game, is being able to read your opponent, and ADJUST your tactics. In smash bros, some people go charging in – in which case, it’s always best to switch to defense, let them come at you, read what they’re going to do, and make your counter attack!

Does your opponent run and dash attack you a lot? Time it for a perfect guard and a quick grab.

Does your opponent dodge roll left and right a ton? If you find yourself doing the roll-shuffle, a well-placed down-A can send em flying.

Being able to read your opponent, and adjust your tactics is a real fighting concept, in fact MOST of everything a pvp-game is challenging you on is.

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You probably noticed that a lot of this kind of overlaps. Adapting to your opponent can be a reflex. Meta is just the overall knowledge of the particular game.

One thing that pertains to ALL games (And all things?!?), is being able to Analyze. What’s the point? What’s valuable in the game? How do you win? What’s dangerous? What are your weaknesses? What can you use to your advantage? (Kinda sounds like more problem solving, no?)

Let’s break down the components of a game though, in general it seems like it’s testing two things. REFLEXES and KNOWLEDGE. And often times, both at the same time.

But can anyone learn anything?

And can reflex be trained?

Lets use one of the smash bros examples. You notice your opponent is charging at you with a dash attack PRETTY OFTEN. Is it reflex to shield-grab him? OR, is that knowledge because you KNOW what he’s going to do, you KNOW the timing of that character, and you KNOW how to shield-grab?

Lets use an FPS as an example. Is aiming a reflex? Or do you KNOW where your opponents going to be? Because you KNOW the general path they are taking, and you KNOW their movement speed.

It’s interesting, right? Kinda seems like, if you just change how you think about stuff, you can probably perform a bit better in these games. Because knowledge is a very powerful thing.

Now, I don’t see art as any different. It’s an entirely new language that OF COURSE you’re not born with. But you can read this, right? You’ve mastered the English language, so what’s stopping you from moving onto the next thing?

I’m not here to answer “what is talent, does it exist.” I know there are scientific studies that say things. I know there are hard facts that we just can’t work around at all (say, being born with no arms (though there are artist who paint with their feet)). But - if you’re in the situation where it’s not so obvious, then I’m just suggesting to believe in what's actually going to help you.

Believing in the science, believing in the disabilities, the crutches, the improbabilities, the magical non-real definition words, the “world against you” – none of this helps your case, and its a bad use of mental resources.

If you’re trying to be good at something, don’t find reasons as to why you shouldn’t be. Instead, focus your efforts on changing your perspective. Tackling tasks differently. Carefully observing and learning. Critical thinking. Trying a million times and asking questions.

In the end, I don’t think it matters at all what you’re born with (so long as you have a brain, eyes, hands, and probably opportunity). A true master of anything has VAST knowledge of their subject.

I guess to bring this back to the original question. Are you born with it? If “it” is knowledge, then No, no one is. But we ARE born with the capacity to learn.

The last puzzle to this piece is opportunity and time, but I’ll save that for another article.

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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Any thoughts :O? I'm curious to see what other people think about this! I found the game-analysis really enlightening. Particularly the part where I'm breaking down reflex vs knowledge. This can be applied to all things in art too. Creativity? or is it knowledge? Finesse? Or is it knowledge? Aristry? Or is that more knowledge?

I hope this one offered some different perspective for y'all~! I know it's easy to hear things regarding "talent" and just kinda feel down about being unlucky, but I really don't believe that's the case.

Throughout my time of being online, I've heard some ideas and concepts that are passed along person to person about art that isn't PARTICULARLY 100 percent accurate. I'm talking very common things that people will say, and stuff that, to some extent MIGHT be true, but as a whole, are way too complex to be summed up in a sentence or two.

Now, one of the most important things about being an artist (and just about being a human in general) - is knowing when to filter out the bologna, and when to actually listen to something and choose to follow it.

The information I’ll be going over is stuff I feel has STRONGLY influenced people’s beliefs in a bad way. I hope that my different perspective on these matters will help abolish any mis-interpretations/misbeliefs that might hinder one’s progress.

I also hope that from here forward, people will begin to challenge and really question the validity of some claims they hear online. You do not have to pledge your stance to something as soon as you hear it. And please do not pass on any information for the sake of passing it on. I will only pass on information that has worked for me, and that I continue to live by. Stay open-minded, consider all angles, and enjoy.

This project is ever lasting and evolving!
If you have any suggestions on topics, feel free to suggest em! Keep in mind I want this series to pertain to the pursuit of artistic knowledge – I’m not really talking about social claims, or peeps being ignorant. But things that are pretty wide-spread, that can seriously affect one’s growth.

Also, do know, I will be updating these if I find something important to add. I will note when something is updated.

Without further ado – Here’s the table of contents!
(If you can’t click it, I haven’t written/posted it.)

“All you need to do is draw forever and you’ll get good”
“Doing fan art is bad”
“I’m not creative enough”
“Artschool is a waste of time and money”
“You can learn everything on your own”
“If you can’t draw well, you won’t be successful”
“Work on your Anatomy”
“You’re either born with it, or not!”
“Being bad sucks!”
“Commissions help you improve because they force you try new things!”
“It’s not a complete piece unless it’s in color”
“This artist is too expensive”
“I have to find my style”
The Starving Artist
“Don’t study other drawings.”
“Don’t compare yourself to others”
The Drive to Keep Going / Motivation
Skill Ceiling?
Time
A thing on Mediums
Entitlement
“[Insert word] IS CHEATING!”
“You only draw [insert word] to get popular”
“I’m a perfectionist”
Style pride
Artblock
“This artist only draws that”
“I can’t wait to take commissions!”



Pardon this post! For it is just a hub for the future. I'll be posting the first article very soon!

Throughout my time of being online, I've heard some ideas and concepts that are passed along person to person about art/the community that isn't PARTICULARLY 100 percent accurate. I'm talking very common things that people will say, and stuff that, to some extent MIGHT be true, but as a whole, are way too complex to be summed up in a sentence or two.

Now, one of the most important things about being an artist (and just about being a human in general) - is figuring out when to filter info out as bologna, and when to actually listen to something and choose to follow it. The "meta" can have some serious hazardous effects. It's hard to know what's right or wrong, and I've seen TOO MANY artists purposely stunting their own growth because they've heard something from some rando.

So this is what I'm planning on doing. I've collected a bunch of "things I've heard" and I plan on releasing a lengthy bit of chat on delving into those topics. Either debunking, adding support to, or rehashing/explaining them. (Now that I'm thinking about it, youtube might not be a bad medium for this... But for now, I'll just write em out.)

Here's an example of some of the things I'll be writing about. Keep in mind that these are things I've HEARD, not the stance I'm taking on them.

• All you need to do is draw forever, and you’ll get good.
• Doing fan art is bad
• “I’m not creative enough”
• Such and such medium is better than such and such medium.
• Art School is a waste of time and money.
• You can learn everything on your own.
• If you can’t draw well, you won’t be a good artist.
• Work on your anatomy.
• You’re either born with it, or you’re not.
• You need to be good in order to be successful.
• Being Bad Sucks.
• Commissions help you improve because they force you to try new things.
• It’s not a complete piece unless it’s in color.
• “This artist is too expensive.”
• “You need to find your style”

So here's where you guys come in!

Have you heard similar things like this? Things that people have come to believe and accept despite the massive amount of complexity in these sentences? I'm looking for more things to debunk/explain.

So really - Anything at all. If you've heard a thing about art (or the community) - and wanna hear my input on it, submit here! If you guys get to chattin' about stuff, that's fine too!

Meanwhile, I'll be writing these out and posting them in journals.

Thanks guys!
Can't wait to hear from ya!

YO GUYS. It's been a while. BUT I BRING AWESOME NEWS.

First off, a couple weeks ago was my Birthday :O! I'm 24 now :o - That means 2 years left before I'm kicked off of my dad's health insurance. So 2 more years to make it BIG. Challenge accepted.

Second off, I THINK I'M HEALED. After about 4 months, I think I'm good to go. But here's the funny part, nothing changed UNTIL - I did one thing! I bought some small weights, and did some fore-arm exercises (basically hold a weight, and move your hand up 'n down. 3-5 pound weights. lots of reps, 60+) And dude, seriously? I made some SERIOUS fucking progress. I can draw again like I used to, and I can TYPE again like I used to! I'VE TYPED SO MUCH SHIT TODAY IT'S RIDICULOUS! My arms are feeling tired, but they aren't feeling remotely like that had. So I think I'm good to go! Beat Tendinitis for now :D!

WHICH MEANS. I'll be getting back to actually finishing owed commissions! Do you guys remember color? It's been a while huh? WELL SOON!

3rd - So as you guys probably know, I've just released another flood. Tons and tons of sketch commissions I did a few months ago. Yeah. Months ago. I was looking around and I THINK I have about 80+ things I need to post :|. I'm sorry, I was trying to get better, but my tendinitis was always a good excuse to not post. BUT NOW POSTING IS FUN AGAIN! So I'm going to try my best to actually start being better about all of that.

4th - The flood was because of MFF! WHO ELSE IS GOING?! If you want to meet up with me, note me here, and I'll give you ways to contact me. I have telegram, discord, and skype - but the best way to actually get a hold of me will be my phone. So let me know if you want to meet!

I WILL be taking commissions there. I'm thinking some sorta different quicker thing, something like. Probably 20-30 bucks a character. I'll be messing with some looks, but do ask if you're interested! These will be con sketches ONLY. So yeah, I'm still closed for commissions otherwise.

5th - Since things are going better with my arms, I'll be being much more active in terms of communication. Which is good, because I need to put one of my educational projects into motion! So I'll be asking you guys some things once I get back from the convention!

I GUESS THAT'S IT. I gotta leave in 15 minutes.

Sorry for not responding to comments and stuff! I do read em all <3! Hope ya guys dig stuff! SEE YAAAA

Congratulations Soldier.

It is my honor, to bestow upon you, the medal of heroes.
History will long revere your courage and sacrifice.
You have etched in the rock of virtue, a legacy beyond compare.
You are the universe's GREATEST Hero!

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AIGHT I was trying to like, make this a “mission” styled journal, but after doing a lot of research, I realized that would’ve been a lot harder to pull off SO I JUST NABBED THE SPEECH FROM WRECK IT RALPH.

I just wanted to THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH for all of your support! As of 2 weeks ago (the last time my loans charged) You guys have donated $1051.15! And as promised, that has directly gone toward my student loans! Thanks to all of your generosity, I’m almost at the 40k mark! (here's the other part of my loan)

Kinda seems like a small dent in a giant wall eh? WELL IT’S NOT. It’s fuckin’ absolutely tremendous that I’m getting this sort of support and assistance on these dang pesky-ass loans! I’m absolutely thrilled to see these sketches being something y’all enjoy, and something that can still help pay my schooling off!

Seriously, I can’t thank y’all enough. If I could, I’d give you ALL Medals of Heroes :3!

To those of you who aren’t entirely sure what I’m talking about, 100 percent of the profit of my available Sketchfolios goes directly toward my student loans! If you’re new to this shindig, or are interested at all – I’ve done 4 folios so far. 1-3 can be purchased HERE. And 4 can be purchased HERE. Both are PWYW with a minimum of 2 dollars, suggested 5 dollars! That’s it! If you’re not interested or can’t front the money atm, no problem at all. I appreciate ya all the same <3

---

Let’s talk some other updates!

As of last month, I’ve updated my Patreon again! Long story short, my 50 dollar tier was awfully close to what I would normally charge for a commission of that caliber, thus, making that slot, a “commission slot” – and that’s not the intention! So, I’m made these few adjustments.

-50/100 dollar tier slots are now considered as Overcharged Sketch Commissions! The idea is, you’re paying for a sketch commission, and the excess is your generous donation toward my patreon!
-The 50 dollar tier is also being downgraded to the lighter tier I provide.
-The 100 dollar tier will be the full black/white paintings I do.

This change reaffirms my initial intentions with this patreon – That it is a tip jar! One that will help me achieve my projects and bring in some resources for you guys! If you're interested, here's a link!

---

Speaking of resources!

I’ve started a new project recently. This one is devoted to the Knowledge Pot of my Patreon. This is going to be smaller, writing heavy project. It’s called “Bursting the Artistic Bubble” – and it’ll be a series of journals debunking a lot of the current meta you might hear from peeps online. The intent is, there’s a lot of stuff people hear, accept, and pass on - despite most of these topics can’t be expressed in a sentence alone. I’ll have a lot more info on this in my next journal, in fact, I’ll be needing your guys’ help to come up with more concepts!

---

Anywho, that’s it for me! My new set up is definitely helping with typing/being on my computer. My arm still gets a bit tender, but moderation ‘n all.

To those I owe commissions to, continue your patience! I have to make sure I’m catching up slowly and carefully.

To those who it concerns, be safe with that hurricane!

YO FOLKS. So I have some bad news.

I'm unsure of what this means, or what it foretells, but I seem to be developing some form of RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury). Even as I type this to you now, my (drawing hand) is cramping and feeling funky if I don't hold it in the right position. Drawing hasn't been super stellar at all recently.

As this can be quite a serious thing, I'm taking necessary precautions. I've made an appointment and will be seeing a hand therapist very soon. I know of the future things I will have to do to avoid this, but most immediately, I need to take a break.

This means. The things I owe, I will continue to owe. SO that's not great. I was really planning on pumping some shiz out before I moved.

OH, and speaking of that. I'll be moving houses VERY soon here. This monday, we'll be doing a bulk of the moving (*flops hand around* I wonder how useful I'll be). So perhaps the timing kinda works out. I wouldn't be online all too much anyways.

In any case. I've got more than enough back up crap to upload to keep you all entertained in the mean while.

And very soon, I will be launching my newest Sketchfolio which'll have a ton of neat stuff, and 100% of the profits will go to my Student Loans :D Join me in my life-long battle in defeating the evil Student Loan Pigs~!

Aight. Till then. I need to not type much, or draw, or do anything at all. *binges THE FUCK outa Netflix and CrunchyRoll*

WUDDUP HOMIES~!

Sorry I've been so non-talkative lately~! I've been juggling uploading, with streaming, and blah, shits been cray cray~!

Quick updates:

I reworked patreon AGAIN. Nix'd the higher tiers. Nix'd the idea pot. Implemented the knowledge pot. Implemented access to past streams. Adjusted Tiers. Attempting to ACTUALLY FINALLY focus much more on the projects. And wanting to shift more on knowledge sharing~!

I'll be moving pretty soon. SO THAT MEANS I'll prolly be accepting commissions soon to get some extra dough. I've been spending way too much.

Future sketchfolios will now entirely, 100% go straight to my student loans~! So expect a new one... eventually.

---

SO. Anthrocon is coming up MIGHTY QUICK! I hope you guys are ready!
I'm super stoked to hang with all mah' homies, and meet even more new folk! Let's hope I'm not sick this time ._.

If you would like to meet up with me at all, note me. I'll give you my phone number as I'll actually see/respond to texts. I'm in a few groups on Skype/Telegram so I get a lot of messages on those. So texting is definitely the most legit way to get a hold of me.

I WILL be accepting commissions. I'm shooting for 25 dollars a character simple sketches (No shading or nothin). 40 a character for something more elaborate (the charcoal thing I do).

I'll also be bringing traditional materials~! I've got some new tools/methods unique to Caricature artists that I'd really like to try out! So I'll be opening up for portrait/bust shots of characters. (they aren't caricatures, just using caricature methods). NO GUARANTEES ON THESE! I've practiced a small amount with this, but it'll be fun and something traditional from me :D. 30 Smackers a portrait if you're interested.

Okidoke that's it. Ill be there Wednesday, AND READY TO PARTAY. Don't expect a journal of me saying "I'm here" - just text me. seriously.

Aight y'all, IT'S CONVENTION TIME~!

Y'know what that means, right? That's right. The flood. Prepare thine anoose.

To all of you attending BLFC, HIT ME UP~! If you'd like to meet up at some point, shoot me a note! I'll give ya mah' digits. Also, I WILL be doing sketch commissions there :D. I've got my Ipad Pro and I'm ready to jam >D.

I'm quite looking forward to meeting new folks, and seeing a buncha old friends - Art jammin at some tables, and eatin' some FUCKIN AWESOME FOOD. Also gettin tipsy as fawk~

Also like, I don't wanna be the guy rubbing salt in the wounds of those who wanted to go this year but couldn't make it? BUT, the theatre in the hotel apparently confirmed that they totes have Zootopia playing >->. Fuck.

AIGHT Y'ALL~! I'll be posting throughout the day whilst packing and preparing.

I'll be back in a week~!

A bit of self-reflection is always good :> I figure it’ll also have some decent info/perspective for those who’re interested in going the freelance route, or just interested in my path in particular.

I wanted to wait for AN ENTIRE YEAR that way I could see how taxes worked xD. This is, my first year of ENTIRE furry freelance. I’m going to try to break down what I’ve been intending to achieve, and kinda rate how I feel I did.
Let’s get started:

General Draftsmanship – Over the year, I’ve made a way more conscious effort doing draftsmanship studies! All the lil’ life drawing/referenced drawings you guys have seen have been helping for sure. One of the biggest things that I learned was a method of “bridging the gap” in workflow from doing studies to doing my own work. :O I guess long story short, the way I work when doing a study is much different than when I’m fleshing something out normally. BUT, With the help of that charcoal brush, it really lets me stay loose and broad :D This was a tremendous success for my methods of arting :>.

Solid improvement. So I’d grade myself a B.

Learning new software/fields – Since patreon, I’ve been really attempting to branch out a bit more and get my hands in all sorts of other creative outlets. I USED to write a ton, but I find myself at a loss for words recently. But aside from that, I’ve familiarized myself with pixel animation, a digital audio work station, basic coding in C#, and more recently Zbrush!

3D has been evading me for a long time, so it’s nice to actually jump into it! All of these tools will help me with my future endeavors in making something larger and awesome :O.

Game design is another field I’ve been heavily looking into.

I’ve dipped my feet into new fields, but I haven’t mastered anything yet. But I am acquainted. Let’s go with another B.

Commissions – Ah this parts been a bit of a mess recently. I’ll be honest, it’s been uh. It’s been pretty rough :/ Just in general this process has been a bit less fun than usual xD. I think this has to do with a combination of A LOT of things. Here’s a buncha conflicting issues that comes with working commissions:

• I don’t like turning folks down, but there’s simply not enough time to work with all of you.
• I don’t like charging a ton, but these pieces take a lot of time.
• I don’t wanna only do sketch commissions, or I feel like I’m missing out on possibly awesome paintings, or just general improvement.
• I like having a LOT of freedom. But that’s harder to have when charging a bunch.
• Streaming commissions is weird. Until a piece is complete, nothings really final. However commissioners might worry how something is looking at a single stroke.
• Charging a lot ends up increasing expectations in other ways I’m finding. I get that a lot of money makes the risk a lot higher for the commissioner. But I already have huge expectations on myself, even more so for expensive pieces. Added unnecessary outside sources of stress can get a bit cray.

I keep finding that mo’money = mo’problems. And it’s just so weird of a battle. I don’t wanna undercharge, or I’m contributing to the lack of value in art online. Not to mention things take forever, and I’ve got beelz.

But NOT working on giganto paintings has its own stresses of not finishing stuff – like my gallery will just be a buncha sketches, or the lack of making something super cool :/

TBH, I’m not entirely too sure how to fix this. But for now, I think I need to chill on the commissions.

Anywho onto the grading. I’ve learned a lot for sure, but how have I done? Well, I feel like I’m always constantly behind on them, I know I’ve let some people down, and I’ve had to make some people wait a seriously long time. Despite that, I’m pretty happy with how they all come out >o>. Though commission-grading isn’t about how I feel, I’d more so leave that up to you guys. But letting people down is a huge mark IMO.

I’d grade myself a C

Patreon/Solo Projects – *SIGHHHHHH* Man, I really just wish I knew where my time went >o>. I feel like I’m typically drawing all the time. Yet months go by SO QUICKLY. I’ve been keeping up with the monthly sketches I owe peeps but that’s literally it.

I’d say Patreon has been a VAST FAILURE for the most part. But I would be quite a bit wrong.

When I look back at my Patreon goals, it’s to Improve, AND make something super cool.

As you know, I’ve started making a comic, but I’ve yet to finish it, and lots of ideas are still floating around not getting the attention they deserve. That sucks.

However, I have improved/learned a large amount. And that’s literally entirely thanks to Patreon. I have so many things I want to do. I’m very surprised that in the past entire year, I didn’t finish a single thing.

It’s eye opening. It’s disappointing. However it’s also very driving. These ideas are cool as heck and DESERVE to exist. So I’ll be better about this. I have to.

I’m gonna grade myself a BIG FAT D for this. Seriously needs work.

Social Presence – This one’s a bit of a hit and miss xD. On one hand, I’ve been incredibly active online via streams :O. Chatting all the time, voice calls, all sorts of stuff. In this respect, I’m very contactable. HOWEVER. On furry sites, I’ve been slacking hardcore >o>. I’ll put off responding to notes, I’ll forget to post, I’ll not reply to comments. I used to write journals all the time about all sortsa neat stuff! I still think about neat stuff, just for whatever reason, haven’t had the right words together…

But I have met a lot of really awesome people over the year. At cons or online, on skype or telegram or just streams.
I’d like this all to change. I’m grading myself a C.

Being who I want to be – The Carrot I want to be is one who’s helpful, happy, and inspiring. I do my best to give off these impressions, but I’m not sure how it comes across. I suppose this one’s more your guys’ call.

---

Over all. It’s been a pretty awesome year, and I’ve had a lot of fun with it :O. But only recently have I really noticed I haven’t been hitting much of my goals. And things have been more stressful than ever.

To those curious of the financial side of things. Here’s the gist.

I made about 24k last year. But for the most part, I work “part-time.” I spend a lot of time on studying/learning other things, or game-bingeing/socializing. One could say all these things are also “apart of my work” though, in which case I do this stuff WAY MORE than full time xD.

Anywho. I had quite a bit of deductions, since I splurge on drawing equipment and computer stuff/art programs. In the end I only ended up paying 1.1k in taxes.

---

Moving forward.

I think my methods of streaming have been far too casual. I’ve been interacting too much, and it’s really pulling my focus. I need to rethink how I go about this, or perhaps save streaming for only certain days.

I need to continue to do studies, but shifting focuses. A bit more compositional studies, and way more color studies.

I need to stop doing commissions for a while. It’s hard to pass over some of these awesome ideas, and part of me is selfish and wants to be “the one” to realize some awesome concepts. But I need to keep in mind my goals and my own ideas. Hum.

I need to write more. And fall in love with projects again. This’ll get the train rolling.

I feel simultaneously distant, and closer with all of you. Closer to the few who join my streams. But quite distant to the rest of you, who only see what I occasionally post and write. I want to fix this.

To help fix this, I’m going to be rewriting a new “Commissions Commandments” for when I open up again. It’ll show what kind of artist I am/like to be – and it’ll help clarify things if you’d like to work with me.

Once patreon is a lot more underway, one of the kinds of projects I’d like to start doing are educational ones :O. I’d really like to take a stab at a tutorial or two of some sort.

---

I suppose that’s it.
Tbh, I’ve been quite a bit down recently. Self-reflection’s generally my method of closure and moving on.
:S

Haha, I don’t want to end on that note ;b. I’ll be posting a buncha shiz today~ SO GET READY FOR POOOOOOOORN

As always~! I super appreciate all the support! You guys are a large reason why I push myself to become a better person. So thanks for giving me the opportunity, and thanks for helping me grow~

Let's see what I can do this year, eh? :3

YO DOGS. Just wanted to give my opinion on a very recent feature included in the newest version of Clip Studio Paint.

(Real quick recap. The products "Clip Studio Paint" and "Manga Studio 5" are the same. Manga Studio was the original series, and was since then bought and renamed to Clip Studio Paint. So if you have an "MS5" license, this APPLIES TO YOU TOO.)

CSP has released a new update, v 1.5.4 that you can pick up here. http://www.clipstudio.net/en/dl

The update is FREE. it's a free update. FREE.

This program now has 2D animation capabilities~! It's a little wonky at first, but take it from me, this is the strongest, smoothest, most intuitive 2D TRADITIONAL animating software out there. Let me go over just a few perks.

Rasterized drawing - No auto vectorizing like in Flash or Toonboom (though toonboom is much less of an issue) That being said, you can't re-size your stuff without pixelation etc. BUT IT FEELS GOOD.

Viewport capabilities - Things like flipping your canvas via a viewport (as in not changing the entire fucking file, or ever frame, JUST the viewport (very handy, AND SUPER awesome for animation, this is the only software I've seen that can do this comfortably.)

Editing multiple layers AND cels - Doing small tweaks and transformations. Some programs let you edit across cells, some let you edit across layers, I haven't seen anything that allows for BOTH.

All the customizability and power of MS5/CSP - As you guys have seen this program has been taking the internet by storm. It's powerful and efficient. Incredibly customizeable and randomly only 20-60 bucks. Easily the most powerful software for the dollar.

As well as all your basic 2D animation software funcitons. Customizable onionskinning, lightboxing for different layers, multiple frame/cel manipulation, multiple "timelines" (aka scenes) and tons of other crap I haven't really looked into but isn't necessary for convenient traditional 2D animation.

I'm absolutely serious, the amount of convenience in this program is INSANE. I've yet to see if this has any tween capabilities or anything regarding that kind of animation, though MS5 supports 3D? so probably? or if not, I wouldn't doubt them wanting to go that direction in the future.

As a 2D animator, TRUST ME. There's nothing else out there that is as strong, intuitive, AND CHEAP as CSP for animation. Toonboom is good - but the price is expensive, or subscription based. TVPaint is also rad, but will run you over a grand for a professional license.

THE CONS-

I've seen a small graphical error every so often. If I make a new cel/frame between 2 cels, make a mark, and undo immediately, it seems to copy over some data from a previous frame. Pretty weird. Slightly annoying. Just don't fuck up and that problems solved though haha.

Normal version of CSP/MS5 will LIMIT YOU TO 24 frames of animation. That's not a lot, but that's MORE than enough to make lil' loops. DO know, you can have multiple "timelines" (scenes). So you can make a hundred 24-frame loops if you want to. Compose them all, and bam. BUT. EX is only 87 bucks atm. A bit steep, but dude that's a SMALL price to pay. It's usually 200 dollars, so you might consider hopping on this deal NOW. http://www.clipstudio.net/en/purchase

I would look at this program as something for 2D animation. NOT something for compiling. Toonboom includes a buncha faux-3D features. Including a camera, distancing your layers so they're legit in depth, allowing for fancy multi-plane camera movement. I WANNA SAY TVpaint does this too (not sure tbh.) I don't see anything like that here. (But hey remember, MS5 has already been dabbling in 3D for a while) - IN ANY CASE. No one composes crap in their animation software anyways. For fancy stuff, peeps often export their work into After Effects or a similar compositing program and pieces it all together there. I'm not saying that's how you have to do it, but damn is that way more convenient. I guess I am saying - that comfortable drawing/working is GREAT for animation. You don't necessarily need fancy tools and lil perks/effects if the program is a pain in the ass to handle.

Okidoke~! That's it.

TL;DR

New CSP update is amazing.
Anyone interested in 2D animation, pick it up.
If you have a license already, might as well get the update. > http://www.clipstudio.net/en/dl
Consider upgrading to EX now while it's only 90~ bucks. > http://www.clipstudio.net/en/purchase

I HAVE been working on some animation stuff, and I'm working with it in a way that it kinda acts like a mini-tutorial. We'll see how this goes.

Aight that's all~! Hope ya'll have been well <3

LOL so that Poll I made yesterday? I totally blew it. I edited a typo and it wiped all the votes clean xD.

So go ahead and go revote :3! Might I go ahead and plug all the WoW options? I've been playing that game quite a bit xD, and my panda SquishyPaws... I mean c'mon... why do you think her name is SquishyPaws ;3 MAYBE WE SHOULD FIGURE IT OUTTTTTTT

Ok but honestly, everything in that ideapot is gonna make for awesome porn, so I can't complain. Please go choose~!

To those who aren't patrons, I've created a giganto list of a buncha things I'd like to draw smut of. Patrons of mine can vote on whatever it is! I'm HELLA BACKED UP on Patreon, so ya'll get to vote for 5 options :> The top 5 will be painted!

Considering pledging~!

SHIT MAN. Nothing makes you all fired up like A BUNCHA GOOD-ASS ART~!

Curious on checking out something in the theatres that ISN'T starwars? I highly recommend The Good Dinosaur~! This film was seriously visually impressive. If you're an animation enthusiast of any kind, you HAVE to see this. Seeing such animated designs blend so seamlessly to such a realistic environment? This is a first for-sure~! (Upon re-reading I GUESS Wall-E. But dang DINOSAURSSS) The whole movie's just a freakin' trip with very fun characters, an awesome take on a pre-historic-ish world, and a fresh attitude.

Maybe ya want a movie to check out at home? I just watched Her a couple hours ago! SUPER awesome slice-of-life with a future twist! It has a lot of themes that I super dig regarding personal values and questioning what it means to be "real"~ I have a feeling most of us in the fandom would appreciate a movie like this!

There is also a few small animated sequences in that film that were directed by David O'reilly. He is a seriously big inspiration to me, for his general content and his approach and execution on narratives! I haven't seen anyone do anything like this guy, it's a breath of fresh air and I love his twisted mind <3! If you haven't seen any of his shorts, I recommend Please Say Something

Speaking of animated shorts - Fresh Cut Grass is one HELLUVA FILM. This one's been making its way around, I don't particularly wanna spoil anything. Just please go watch it! 10 Minutes you're going to fucking love. The director of this short also directed on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Amazing World of Gumball! Please do enjoy. Know that a film like this, content/visuals/commentary-wise is something I'd be SO DANG PROUD of making/being apart of.

Isn't all this stuff CRAZY inspiring? ACK~! So many cool stories. Such crazy different ways of telling them. So many feels. So much awesome shit.

Don't ya feel like getting some shit done? I sure do! IF ONLY WE HAD SOME AWESOME TUNES TO JAM OUT.

Oh but we do~! Last but not least - A couple musicians created this CRAZY awesome Undertale Fan-Album. It's Toby Fox approved (he's not particularly huge on people piggy-backing off his idea, so I thought that was an interesting point) - and it's some seriously driving music. The covers stand very true to the originals, and it's just a nice take on some of these gorgeous compositions~!

OK that's it from me! I just wanted to share some of this amazing art I've been indulging in recently ;v;

Make the world beautiful, folks~!

Happy Holidays!

(btw, most of those are clickable links. The actual films are NOT clickable. But everything else takes you to where you can see em!)

OK SO. I GOTTA GO LEAVE TO THE AIRPORT IN LIKE 20 MINUTES, BUT I FORGOT TO UPDATE A BUNCHA SHET AND POST STUFF SO I'M GONNA TRY TO POST AS FAST AS I FOOPIN CAN UNTIL I HAVE TO GO.

Mainly IB has a lot more things, but whateva~

SO - first thing is first. I'm TOTALLY attending MFF! Shoot me a note if ya wanna meet up or whateva~! I WILL be taking on-the-spot commissions. I have my Ipad and I'm trying to break into it. So I'll be doing 20 dolla sketchmission things (unless I say otherwise).

Other then that! PREPARE YOUR BUMS!

[edit]SHIT THAT TOOK LONGER THAN I THOUGHT. also I guess more was for IB anyways :V[/edit

Flight tickets are SUPER CHEAP for some reason. So there's pretty much no reason why I shouldn't go... EXCEPT.

I don't have a room xD.

Anyone have any room? Obviously I'll pay my part, or (draw pronz?!)

I DO SNORE. PUHRITTY LOUD TOO. So if your precious sleep is important, then spare yourself ;b.

I'm also usually hanging out till the wee-hours, but I'm a ninja when entering a room :>
OH BTW, totes fine with floor action.



OK LEMME KNOWWWWWWWWWwwwwww.

OMGOGMOMG I didn't actually think I'd get this account xD. BUT PERSISTENCE PAID OFF~!

This account will be in transition for the next lil' while :D

This will be my new main FA account~! So if you'd like to keep tabs on me, Watch this account! I'll obviously still be active on IB, and soon FN.