Two words: Get Started.

It’s not something you can be casual about. If you are not passionate about pursuing a career in art, I can guarantee you that your competition will be. Study, draw, network, draw, paint, study, draw, visit museums, get schooling, draw, paint, and go to art shows. And draw.

I learned to draw by drawing from my head, observing everything around me. My guess is that you did too. At some point you realize that what’s in your head isn’t sharp enough. I do the gesture sketches to get the action and movement that I want, then shoot photos of models as close to that as I can get (without forcing them to do something unnatural) to provide details and nuance of light and shadow. There are artists who do everything out of their heads; Jeff Easley for one, but you can tell. He gets away with it because he has a real sense of action and a distinctive style. I don’t think most artists should try. I do it from time to time when the characters aren’t really big and the lighting is fairly straight forward, but I wouldn’t advise it until you’ve had a few years of figure-painting under your belt. Rick Berry is another, whose figures are amazing. I swear I thought he had a model that he used regularly… the guy just has an incredible understanding of form and texture, and the dynamics of light. I hate him. surprised )

I also have an extensive “scrap” or “swipe” file that I’ve built up over the years. I kept every magazine that ever came by me, and eventually cut all the pics out and organized them by category. I seldom find exactly what I need, but I can always find enough stuff close to what I need– a sky, a texture of tree-trunk, stone formations– to fake it believably. Also ordered the Wildlife Fact Files from International Masters Publishers a few years back: every month they sent eight or so “Fact File Cards” with several photos each of different animal species. Right now it comprises over a thousand file cards, and is something I go to all the time to find a wing from the right angle, or a cat’s leg that will help me see muscle forms beneath, etc. Fashion magazines can be a great place to go for clothing inspiration or a good photo of a woman when you need something basic in a pinch. Swimsuit magazines can be good too: the poses are frequently less weird than in some venues. Porn mags– even soft-core, like Playboy– are almost never useful. Occasionally you can catch me watching haute couture on the Style Channel, just to see some outlandish, sexy costumes and get some ideas.

I use the mirror, too, all the time. Especially to check my artwork. It’s a good trick for catching yourself before you commit to a big mistake. When you see it backwards, you bypass your preconceived notions of what you are doing and see it as it is. Very useful. Also look at it upside down and sideways; especially good for checking balance and composition. Another good trick, which I got from a book called “Drawing From the Right Side of Your Brain”: an exercise, really. You take a magazine photo, any photo will do, and tack it up upside down. Then draw it upside down. Or draw it upside down, but reversed. Also draw with your left hand from time to time. I do this when I am stuck on something, and it just won’t look right. Set it aside, do these exercises, and come back to it. Bang! Nail it every time. It awakens that part of your brain that sees forms as they are, not as you have taught yourself that they are.

Do you have an art education? If not, get one. It needn’t be fancy or expensive, but it needs to accomplish some important things. The most important thing for this genre, at least as you start your education, is to get some basics right up front. Know your anatomy, understand the color wheel, light and shadow, perspective, and composition. Basic design matters an awful lot (Look at Brom’s work). Don’t think you can fake a human body unless you understand it inside out- literally. Most artists shouldn’t try to fake it ever.

Pay attention to everything, and I mean everything. Biology, anatomy, engineering, math, astronomy, meteorology, physics, religion, myth… It all comes into play at one time or another. Computers are changing everything, so it wouldn’t hurt to learn computer skills. More and more artwork is being done for computer games, and the applications are starting to get truly awesome. I suspect that 3D computer art will be the best market for years to come. A good concept artist is hard to come by, though, and all the computer shops need ’em. That said, you have to know your art skills, and never assume that you have anything down "well enough". I can’t stress this enough, even if you intend to work mostly on computers. You can’t depend on computer applications to do your lighting and effects for you; you can’t tell when the computer is getting it wrong if you are letting it think for you. Learn what things really look like by painting or drawing them. You have to know your anatomy, composition, color theory… all the art school basics. Learn to draw before you start to paint; you can’t make a good painting from a bad drawing. Find an art school that teaches the basics and is serious about it. I’m afraid I don’t know of any myself- it’s been too long, and I went to a design school… I am my own teacher, which means that my teacher had no idea what he was doing most of the time… wink

A friend of mine had this to say about Art Schools once, when asked a similar question:

“…I’m not a big fan of ‘pure art’ schools ( School of Visual Arts, FIT, RISD, Ringling School of Art….), after teaching at two of them and being a practicing professional, I wonder where all the THOUSANDS of art students go each year after graduation. I am not exaggerating about that number either. With each passing year I have begun to appreciate the ‘liberal arts’ education I had partaken before, and the few classes I had, during my art training at Syracuse. Technique helps a lot, but having a brain that works on new ideas can carry you further. I am more a fan of apprenticeship with an established pro.

With that all said, I … recommend schools that are not purely art schools, so that the curriculum is structured for a more rounded education.

Syracuse and RISD (with the option to take classes at Brown University next door) are the only ones I am familiar with first hand. It’s a tough balance to strike because most schools have horrible art programs. I spent 6.5 years getting my bachelors, those extra 2.5 years of classes made a HUGE difference. The biggest factor in picking a school for art is not about the school, but whether the person wants to be an artist.”

Donato

It’s true: attitude is far more important than anything else. You must be willing to learn, and never stop learning. I have seen a lot of artists with sterling educations, who could not ignite any passion in their viewers. And I’ve seen artists with no formal training that could blow your doors off.

Then, go where the artists doing the work you want to do go to hang out. For science fiction and fantasy, that would be science fiction and fantasy conventions. Almost all of them have art shows, but some of the better ones are World Con, Dragon Con, Gen Con, and Luna Con (Search the web for more info on these). Network, get critiques, observe and learn. Attend the Artist Guest of Honor’s slide presentations. Talk to them. It will energize you and inspire you.

Never stop learning

Good luck!

Todd Lockwood