I'm in a slump and it really sucks. 8 weeks ago I got my left leg straightened (cut bone in several places, rearrange). I have another 6 weeks to go in the cast. 6 months before this, I got my other leg straightened, had a burst of drawing and managed to get the major muscles of the upper body coded in my mind and produce 4 pieces that I'm decently happy with for a portfolio. I haven't sat down and drawn seriously for 2 months, and I feel like a shit artist. I feel like, in this state, I should be drawing more than ever, but I'm having trouble getting back in the groove. It's like when I sit down I can't concentrate, and I can't think of something I'd really like to draw. When I think about how little I've progressed in 9 years, I feel really frustrated. Ultimately it comes down to just drawing more, getting the hours in, but for some reason I feel daunted by that and I don't look forward to it. Art has become a chore.
Does this happen to anybody else frequently? What helps you get out of it?
I don't know that there's any way to get out of it, but I honestly imagine that being sort of confined, like being cooped up with a medical recovery situation can be a real damper on creativity, because it's harder to see the outside world and find inspiration that isn't stuff like... other people's artwork that you can look at and say to yourself, Dammit, how come I'm not doing THAT yet.
I'm a graduate now. I got to wear a wizard robe and shake hands with the grand high wizard and everything, it was awesome.
Ur... you might want to rephrase that. All I can think of when hearing "Grand Wizard."
I don't think they have the klan in Australia
They don't have grand high wizards either, but yeah, FYI Flay, Grand Wizard in the US means you are a leader in the KKK
I'm a graduate now. I got to wear a wizard robe and shake hands with the grand high wizard and everything, it was awesome.
Ur... you might want to rephrase that. All I can think of when hearing "Grand Wizard."
I don't think they have the klan in Australia
They don't have grand high wizards either, but yeah, FYI Flay, Grand Wizard in the US means you are a leader in the KKK
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
VENTING TIME: This is why you cannot leave shit up to other people, and why group works sucks.
The student literary journal I'm working on needs to be finished, well, basically yesterday. And yet here I am, having to make the cover for someone else who was supposed to be designing it, using /her/ pictures we all agreed on.
Only none of her pictures are anywhere close to printing quality. They're all compressed and way under 300ppi (which I know isn't the same as dpi, but they are miniscule when I'm trying to make the damn layout, not to mention the artifacting already inherent to the images). Now this person isn't responding to my "Do you have the pictures saved better anywhere else?" questions and I'm going to have to dig up pictures somewhere (legal) and improvise a cover because someone has no idea how to do this shit. EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE MADE COVERS IN THE PAST AND HAVE A DEGREE IN PUBLISHING.
It's like people have no idea what the hell they're doing and, even when the fuck it up and someone else has to come in and save the day, they don't care because it worked out and their name still goes on the fucking thing.
Why should her name be on the paper if she didn't do the work? It sounds like you are completing the cover with public domain images, so you should be credited for the cover, not her.
+1
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
She's still credited as an editor on the book.
And--if I figure out how to use her pictures so I don't have to go scouring the internet, she'll still get credit for the photos.
edit: but mostly I was referring to her prior experience as a cover designer.
edit edit: This expecially sucks because her original layout was really cool. But her own incompetence means it cannot be used.
I should probly post it to tutorial, but maybe they can help you with your slump and try to focus in on what you want to get out of drawing. First thing first, don't beat yourself up! Try to associate drawing with positive feelings. Encourage yourself in the same way you'd encourage a small child, emphasizing the insignificance of mistakes and the joy of discovery.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
Those with publishing/printing experience: are these images going to look badly compressed when printed as a book cover (8.5 x 5.5 per side of the cover)
edit: I have no idea how to get a non-scaled version from flickr to work, so here's a mediafire link
edit edit: these are that girl's pictures. The source won't get any better so it's either this or I make a new cover from scratch.
edit edit edit: there is some sloppy photo maniuplation and that's mine--still working on getting that to look right, but the compression itself is all original to the image.
I'm a graduate now. I got to wear a wizard robe and shake hands with the grand high wizard and everything, it was awesome.
Ur... you might want to rephrase that. All I can think of when hearing "Grand Wizard."
I don't think they have the klan in Australia
They don't have grand high wizards either, but yeah, FYI Flay, Grand Wizard in the US means you are a leader in the KKK
Ahh blast from the past listening to Tori Amos' Boys for Pele, it was my goto album when I was 18 and such an outlet growing up in a strict christian home.
There's all these gorgeous little sounds like the piano peddles at the feet being pressed, little whirring sounds of recording machinery, sharp inhales.
I'm so flippin' excited. I've been trying to get into the Schoolism Environment Design class with Nathan Fowkes... joined the mailing list, and the classes would fill up within the hour of an email alert being sent regarding open sessions. It was crazy. A spot opened up in the May session, but I couldn't grab it because it would overlap my travel plans and moving...:C
BUT!
I managed to grab a seat that opened in October. It will run through the holidays but I don't mind. I figure by then my art mentality will be better and I'll be less stressed, so woooo
I can already feel my stress calming down over the past two weeks, realizing I only have another few weeks before I can work and sleep without Grade A dickwagons living above me. IT WILL BE GLORIOUS. I have had a lot of "I WANT TO ART NOW" moments, but I've pushed those feelings away because I know that if I am interrupted due to my neighbors, it will frustrate me to the x-treme. I think my Art Sadness mentality is slowly subsiding and I'm looking forward to jumping back on the wagon.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
I don't usually do this, but since I had to pull a cover out of my ass, and finish the last round of editing this 130 pages, and finish my portfolio/final project for another group, I'm definitely working on an accelerated timeline. Does the cover in my thread look pretty good? Anything that should definitely be fixed? http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/29774354/#Comment_29774354
I appreciate everything anyone says or does (even if you look without commenting) in advance.
That's not a doodle! I like it. It's simple. That's the low res images from the lady? It looks like it might print okay, it'll be artifacty for sure, but you did the best with what she gave you.
EDIT - I forgot which thread I was in apparently. I am a lot older than I was.
Obiwan on
0
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited May 2014
Thanks! I hunted her down and made her give me the photos in HD. They're 300 PPI and everythign should be good on that ground. The compression in that example is just because I used facebook to host it. Now that the photos are fine, I really just care about the layout and colors
fuck it
first my bike tire goes and is a total bitch to replace
now my water heater gives up the ghost
the universe is conspiring against me finishing any painting this week
Have you guys heard of this new program called Mischief? It looks like a pretty cool alternative to Photoshop...they have a free trial and the full version is only $65:
I played with it a while back, but it was broken on dual monitor setups (pretty sure they fixed that). It reminds me of sketchbook pro, but is seems like that whole infinite canvas thing would be more interesting on a cintiq/yiynova.
Posts
He'll totally get around to persecuting some people after this box of goldfish and an episode of Venture Brothers?
Does this happen to anybody else frequently? What helps you get out of it?
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
I don't think they have the klan in Australia
They don't have grand high wizards either, but yeah, FYI Flay, Grand Wizard in the US means you are a leader in the KKK
yeah our wizards are benevolent.
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
The student literary journal I'm working on needs to be finished, well, basically yesterday. And yet here I am, having to make the cover for someone else who was supposed to be designing it, using /her/ pictures we all agreed on.
Only none of her pictures are anywhere close to printing quality. They're all compressed and way under 300ppi (which I know isn't the same as dpi, but they are miniscule when I'm trying to make the damn layout, not to mention the artifacting already inherent to the images). Now this person isn't responding to my "Do you have the pictures saved better anywhere else?" questions and I'm going to have to dig up pictures somewhere (legal) and improvise a cover because someone has no idea how to do this shit. EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE MADE COVERS IN THE PAST AND HAVE A DEGREE IN PUBLISHING.
It's like people have no idea what the hell they're doing and, even when the fuck it up and someone else has to come in and save the day, they don't care because it worked out and their name still goes on the fucking thing.
And--if I figure out how to use her pictures so I don't have to go scouring the internet, she'll still get credit for the photos.
edit: but mostly I was referring to her prior experience as a cover designer.
edit edit: This expecially sucks because her original layout was really cool. But her own incompetence means it cannot be used.
https://m.facebook.com/robertryan.cory/albums/833375406677877/?_rdr
I should probly post it to tutorial, but maybe they can help you with your slump and try to focus in on what you want to get out of drawing. First thing first, don't beat yourself up! Try to associate drawing with positive feelings. Encourage yourself in the same way you'd encourage a small child, emphasizing the insignificance of mistakes and the joy of discovery.
Its because we are a hive of scum and villainy and graphically rendered butts.
edit: I have no idea how to get a non-scaled version from flickr to work, so here's a mediafire link
http://www.mediafire.com/view/gzbte33keoqcuam/Journey_cover.jpg
edit edit: these are that girl's pictures. The source won't get any better so it's either this or I make a new cover from scratch.
edit edit edit: there is some sloppy photo maniuplation and that's mine--still working on getting that to look right, but the compression itself is all original to the image.
Welp I've learned something new.
There's all these gorgeous little sounds like the piano peddles at the feet being pressed, little whirring sounds of recording machinery, sharp inhales.
Mother's Day is always a little sad for me.
Some of the blocks have been lifted this week though. I can get PA, but not the forums
BUT!
I managed to grab a seat that opened in October. It will run through the holidays but I don't mind. I figure by then my art mentality will be better and I'll be less stressed, so woooo
I can already feel my stress calming down over the past two weeks, realizing I only have another few weeks before I can work and sleep without Grade A dickwagons living above me. IT WILL BE GLORIOUS. I have had a lot of "I WANT TO ART NOW" moments, but I've pushed those feelings away because I know that if I am interrupted due to my neighbors, it will frustrate me to the x-treme. I think my Art Sadness mentality is slowly subsiding and I'm looking forward to jumping back on the wagon.
Make the dickwagons drive dickwagons.
I appreciate everything anyone says or does (even if you look without commenting) in advance.
EDIT - I forgot which thread I was in apparently. I am a lot older than I was.
If Chris Foss goes next then that's the art team from Jordorowski's Dune.
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
>=D
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first my bike tire goes and is a total bitch to replace
now my water heater gives up the ghost
the universe is conspiring against me finishing any painting this week
Ron Cobb is still around.
http://www.madewithmischief.com/index.html