Q&A: June roundup + update

Hey lovely supporters! Hope you’re somewhere enjoying the nice summer weather! Again, here’s an opportunity to post any questions you may have, so leave your notes below (or feel free to give an update about yourself if you like)!

On my end, things have been super busy in the art world! I got my first concept art gig, where I’m designing a game character, plus, I’m learning ZBrush and taking a digital illustrations class (basically to try to get better at rendering). Along with all of that, I also have a few ideas for new personal pieces in the pipeline, and am excited to tackle those this month once the freelance work calms down a bit. Some thoughts:

Freelance job inquiries

After I posted my Skybound art on Artstation, I received a couple job inquiries for designing video game characters. Whoa, ok! So the lesson is, if you’re interested in concept art, keeping an updated portfolio on Artstation pays off! I went to a large university (not studying art) and they really emphasized networking, and based on what I hear from people who have studied in art school, people seem to really emphasize networking too. But from my personal experience in art and graphic design, it’s really your work that matters, as long as you come across as a reasonable person with decent skills. And no one's asked me where I went to school... lol!

This isn’t to say that networking doesn’t bring opportunities. Do it if you ENJOY it. But if you're like me and find it draining, I guess you can feel comforted by the fact that it's not really necessary for art or skills-based jobs. Yes, you are your own business development manager if you're a freelancer, but nowadays, so much of your work can be shown in various online spaces... there's really no need to try to force yourself to get to know "the right people". At least I think people stress too much about that sometimes, and it leads to a lot of unnecessary/pretentious behavior. I personally believe that your work and professionalism will show for itself. 

This strategy does take time and effort though, since it's dependent on how good you are/will get, and yes, it can be frustrating! I just find it so much more intuitive than trying to meet people to get my foot in the door. Anyways, people can always tell if one is being too mercenary (oh boy). For instance, I don't enjoy it when a person tries to get to know me with only the intention of trying to get a job, or asking for an art crit and never responding back if I do spend the time to craft a response (it's okay if you're my patron though XD).

Edit: I do like networking if it means "making friends over shared interests". The one I dislike and am talking about above is the "getting to know the right people so you can get your foot in the door" type of networking.

Character design work

Unfortunately, the work I’m doing right now is under an NDA, so I won’t be able to say too much about it until a later time.

But very generally speaking, some things I’m learning about myself and the process is that (1) I need to learn how to draw faster!!! (this just comes with practice and being smart, I suppose) and (2) thinking about the general culture in the game design world when it comes to female characters. Living in somewhat isolation, and where a large proportion of female bodies I see are game/fictional characters or influencers, there’s been quite a bit of working through body expectation issues. Don’t get me started on nasolabial folds.

But also, don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked to draw petite women and pull features that I personally find attractive (and have a bias for fit/athletic forms)--but it feels different than the blatant objectification I see going on a lot on, for instance, Artstation. I guess an interesting challenge in this arena for me specifically is how to design an appealing character that satisfies the clients (so far predominantly male), but also is appealing to women (especially since women are a large part of the market base).

I think you can also have sexy characters and still have this person be empowering (rather than something that makes one feel insecure). I’m not exactly sure what the magic formula is but I think it helps to think about some of the following:

• Strong backstory or character development (this starts further upstream)
• Sexy and…? (Add some more descriptors) Doesn’t fix everything, but at least it makes the character more interesting rather than just a walking pair of boobs. Sexy and dangerous? Sexy and sporty? Sexy and campy? etc.
• Functional clothing (can the character plausible move around in it without having some silly wardrobe malfunction? If they’re in something impractical, is everyone else, including male characters, in stuff like that? What’s the purpose of their decorations? Side note… as a rule for concept artists, I think whoever only designs women in heels should be forced to wear only heels too.)
• Compare with other characters in the same world (so is everyone dressed like it’s summer? Does everyone have crazy jacked up bodies? I just think of a lot of female Final Fantasy characters, but their male counterparts are equally in campy/weirdly revealing clothes, so it feels totally fine seeing Yuna prance around in a bikini in FFX-2.)

Those are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head. What are some characters or elements you find sexy but also empowering?

ZBrush and 3D Art:

I wish I had more time to practice! But so far it’s been really interesting and actually a great refresher on my knowledge of human anatomy. It’s been a bit of a hurdle to get past the UI of ZBrush (you really need a tablet and be sure to train yourself to remember the shortcuts to do things quickly), but I think I’m finally getting a bit more used to it. Once I get further along, I would love to share with you all my project(s)!

Okay, that's enough for updates for me this month. Hope you all are doing well!