If you want to improve as an artist, illustrator, or designer, one of the best ways to make progress is to have your work critiqued... and I don't just mean making something and then asking your best friend or mom what they think. Seeking out honest feedback from an unbiased party allows you to get valuable insight on the things that your doing well and the places you need improvement (not just a "wow, you're so talented" from someone who loves you). I recently had my work critiqued by Art Prof, an online learning community for artists. The had one of the instructors, Alex, critique my Rip Van Winkle piece on their youtube channel.
I thought that Alex had very constructive and well thought-out things to say about my work. I'm going to take his feedback and use it to rework elements of my illustration (stay tuned, I'll keep you updated on my progress).
Since graduating from college, I've found that getting feedback on my work has been a lot more difficult. School gives you that built in group of 10-30 people who you see two times a week and know exactly what you're working on. Once you're out on your own, it's a lot more Challenging to find people who are intimate enough with your work to offer useful feedback and who you trust to show unfinished pieces. If you're in the same boat as me, here are some tips on places you can find critiques:
And if you want to hear more about the benefits of critique, along with some advice from industry professionals on how to make the most of critiques, check out this episode of the Three Point Perspective Podcast.
I haven't been posting much in the past 18 months. This silence is not due to me throwing in the towel on my goal to become a children's book writer and illustrator. In fact, quite the opposite is true. This update is a little peek behind the curtain of what I've been up to and where I'm headed.
Read MoreI've been working on integrating traditional pencil line work into my digital illustrations. Here is an overview of my process and results.
Read More