Best art history & criticism books according to redditors
We found 2,831 Reddit comments discussing the best art history & criticism books. We ranked the 1,241 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
46 mentions
Image Continuum Press
>Help a girl out, trying to get laid for father's day
Uhhhhhhhh.......
>and my husband loves Dark Souls
Oh, whew.
Perhaps one of the Design Works books? I don't own one myself, but I've heard/read very good things about them. There's one for each of the Dark Souls games.
Source for those curious:
"The Madness of Avacyn" (Page 48) in The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad.
John Conway's Leaellynasaura art is one of my favorites. Honestly, it's worth checking out the whole book it's from, All Yesterdays, which isn't necessarily full of completely out-there interpretations of dinosaurs, but refreshing ones.
They ripped off the images from Darren Naish's All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. I've heard him interviewed more than once on podcasts, and think he seems like a good source.
Further reading:
Why Cats Paint
Once you've grasped that material I find:
Why Paint Cats?
to be the logical follow-up.
You may find this relevant
The book it comes from which is all about highlighting the fact that common artistic portrayals of dinosaurs aren't necessarily how they must have looked.
Daytripper
As far as I can tell, the art is from the Dark Souls: Design Works book, illustrated by Udon and published by From Entertainment.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/
IMO, the best way to start drawing is with a pad of unlined paper and mechanical pencil.
But if you want software: GIMP is free (yay), Photoshop is the well-known standard (and these videos are good), PaintToolSai feels more natural to draw with, and I just started using Mischief (which has a natural drawing feel, infinite canvas, and vector-based). My recommendation is Sai, since it's cheap, easy, and fun to use.
To learn how to draw people, start working through the Loomis books, beginning with Fun with a Pencil. A classic for learning how to 'see' like an artist is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. And when you start to feel frustrated with your work, turn to Art & Fear and Daring Greatly.
Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck with your art journey :)
I'm a comic book artist that went to school for it, still aspiring.
For understanding things like panel layout, pacing in comics, etc, check out Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and Making Comics are pretty good for helping both artist and non-artist get what makes comics comics. Knowing how to create the visual comic, even if you can't draw, will help you direct your script.
Also, there is no official, streamlined way to write a comic script. Just make sure you put in all the necessary details while keeping things clear for the artist. Like if there's a bad guy with a secret weapon, make sure the artist knows that the moment he shows up so the artist can plan for it. And unless you're planning for a particular effect, don't make a guy do more than one thing in a panel.
You are not writing a story or a novel, you are writing a set of instructions for an artist and nobody will really see the script. I've seen scripts say things along the lines of, "The detective removes his hat, revealing a masculine, sexy face, like (insert actor here)".
It's also important to know about comic book panel layouts and whatnot because often it's acceptable for the writer to give the artist a drawing of a suggested layout.
The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. And more.
Sometimes quantity leads to quality tho:
> The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.
> His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the "quantity" group: fifty pound of pots rated an "A", forty pounds a "B", and so on. Those being graded on "quality", however, needed to produce only one pot - albeit a perfect one - to get an "A".
> Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity.
> It seems that while the "quantity" group was busily churning out piles of work - and learning from their mistakes - the "quality" group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.
From Art & Fear
Read the book "Art and Fear" (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733). My sculpture teacher in college made us read it and it's 122 pages of amazingly accurate descriptions of how many of us artists struggle with exactly what you described.
I had it too and eventually I started to realize that it was worth messing things up and labeling them as "version 1" so that in my mind I knew that I could make a version 2 if I wanted to. Doing it wrong is better than not even doing it at all because at least then you have mistakes to learn from.
Making and Breaking the Grid was really helpful to me when I started to really analyze the work of professionals.
this is a piece by Rob Gonzalves, its also the cover of a great book of surreal art called Masters of Deception. a major recommendation for all fans of r/art and/or r/trees
http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Deception-Artists-Optical-Illusion/dp/140275101X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335805202&sr=8-1
These were what first got me into the whole subculture! I started studying the Russian prison tattoos when our Russian population started to grow. We started getting old school Russian criminals in our facilities and their ink was different than what we had seen, yet they all shared cominalities. This series was quite helpful and interesting to me
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0955862078?pc_redir=1406732512&robot_redir=1
It's what really got me into the symbolic nature that tattoos can have and how it relates to gang or criminal culture.
Edit : thanks for the info and those links! I'm going to check them out!
Plenty more from the fantastic website, Dr. Seuss Went to War. I seem to recall a coffee-table book of these - ah, here it is.
If DC imprints count:
There is another one (about artworks and illustrations) coming in February
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/
And a third one has been announced for Japan
http://nintendoeverything.com/hyrule-encyclopedia-revealed-as-second-zelda-30th-anniversary-book/
In case you needed ideas for next Christmas ;-)
Here's a link to the Amazon page if you want to pre-order it :)
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370329576&sr=8-2&keywords=dark+souls+design+works
Honestly if you don't know what they need from asking them, a gift card to Amazon. I'd much rather have that and spend it on what I need or whatever G.A.S. tells me I need than to receive a piece of kit that I didn't choose. I don't mean to sound rude, it's just that I rather prefer researching and choosing my own gear.
If you absolutely must, though, I recommend a book.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1907708952/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817439390/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961454733/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159711247X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312420099/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Or a notebook for taking notes while out shooting, scouting, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8883701127/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have some experience with webcomics. I write and draw Miamaska, which has been going on for 2+years, and I'm about to start my second comic next month.
General advice for web comickers!
(or: How I learned things the hard way and eventually stumbled into a good system)
Regarding dialogue and pacing... what I tend to do is thumbnail an entire scene (3-15 pages for me) first and read through it a few times. I'll leave mini-cliffhangers at the end of each page (like a question, or a realization, or a character entering the scene). During this little review process, I'll also make sure the view for the reader doesn't violate the 180 rule too much, that it's obvious which bubble should be read next, and where the reader is going to look first.
I don't have any experience in the print form of comics yet. So no advice there. Just make sure your comics are in print resolution as well (300+ DPI), or you'll be sorry later.
Resource time
I didn't have many resources starting out, but I'm gonna recommend these for you and anyone else interested:
PaperWings Podcast -- podcast and blog on web comic-making (ongoing, good community, regular but sparse updates, good backlog). Has even more resources on its website.
Art and Story -- podcast on print +web comic-making and the comic industry (ended, but a great backlog).
Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics by cartoonist Scott McCloud, worth a read for any comicker. A little more geared towards print, but breaks down comic theory really nicely.
Comics and Sequential Art, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, Expressive Anatomy for Comics and Narrative, by Will Eisner.
Those books are pretty popular, so you can probably pick them up from the library or find them on the web somewhere.
What I wish someone gave me when I was 11:
Jack Hamm for general drawing skills
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/drawing-the-head-and-figure_jack-hamm/250060/?mkwid=sZCn7b9PK%7cdc&pcrid=70112899992&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&gclid=CjwKCAjwoKDXBRAAEiwA4xnqv0doVAWOVtxzsmsMnRgHRMv0_FHh3RPpLIZe_Utf-5F9iUxN0F7DkhoC4jUQAvD_BwE#isbn=0399507914&idiq=4114568
Scott McCloud series for comic book theory
https://www.amazon.com/Scott-Mccloud-Understanding-Comics-Invisible/dp/B004S2XK4O/ref=la_B000AQ1NPK_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525171935&sr=1-5
https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Comics-Evolution-Art-Form/dp/0060953500/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0060953500&pd_rd_r=9YT79QSGRNSNW8BV913G&pd_rd_w=9zwWY&pd_rd_wg=QoWMK&psc=1&refRID=9YT79QSGRNSNW8BV913G
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=la_B000AQ1NPK_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525171935&sr=1-2
The lyrics and a link to the video.
Slayer - Angel of Death
***
Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse you of your life
Forced in
Like cattle
You run
Stripped of
Your life's worth
Human mice, for the Angel of Death
Four hundred thousand more to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Sadistic, surgeon of demise
Sadist of the noblest blood
Destroying, without mercy
To benefit the Aryan race
Surgery, with no anesthesia
Feel the knife pierce you intensely
Inferior, no use to mankind
Strapped down screaming out to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher,
Angel of Death
Pumped with fluid, inside your brain
Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes
Burning flesh, drips away
Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil
Frigid cold, cracks your limbs
How long can you last
In this frozen water burial?
Sewn together, joining heads
Just a matter of time
'Til you rip yourselves apart
Millions laid out in their
Crowded tombs
Sickening ways to achieve
The holocaust
Seas of blood, bury life
Smell your death as it burns
Deep inside of you
Abacinate, eyes that bleed
Praying for the end of
Your wide awake nightmare
Wings of pain, reach out for you
His face of death staring down,
Your blood running cold
Injecting cells, dying eyes
Feeding on the screams of
The mutants he's creating
Pathetic harmless victims
Left to die
Rancid Angel of Death
Flying free
[LEADS: HANNEMAN, KING, HANNEMAN, KING, HANNEMAN]
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher,
Angel of Death
Two things that is very helpful is to know type and grids.
On typography my favorite is: The Elements of Typographic Style
Another good one is Stop Stealing Sheep
For grids, I like this one: Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Making and Breaking the Grid
is not too bad either.
Those are really cool. Hadn't heard of any of them, but looked them up. From left to right it looks like they're:
Unfortunately I can't tell what this artwork is from and there's no title to look up for it. Maybe OP can chime in with the title of that one?Edit: Took me a bit to recognize it but it's Bioshock Infinite. So I bet the the hardcover of this book has the colored sleeve with the embossed version we see in the pic on the book cover itself: The Art of Bioshock Infinite
I don't read a lot of action-y graphic novels, so I can't really help you with finding more stuff like Watchmen, Wanted, etc. (However, you have to promise me you'll read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.)
But I can recommend more laid-back graphic novels if you're ever in the mood for something different! Give American Born Chinese, Anya's Ghost, or Daytripper a shot sometime.
Persepolis and Maus are also graphic novel must reads, no matter what genre you usually favor. And Scott Pilgrim was super popular recently, with great cause.
And, if you're willing to settle down for a long haul and read your comics backwards, I really can't recommend Fullmetal Alchemist enough. 27 volumes, but it's the best action series I've ever read and one of my all-time favorites of any sort of media. Check out a stack of it from the library and you'll fly right through it. That's what I did one afternoon, and my time has never been better spent.
Edit: More suggestions, typos.
Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba.
[Daytripper] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1401229697/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451851191&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=daytripper&dpPl=1&dpID=51feW5rJfwL&ref=plSrch)... Best thing I have ever read by far.
I feel like you've been hammered here because of the amateurish nature of your work. Honestly though, I'm pretty sure that's why you came here, knowing that it wasn't up to par, and wanting to know how to change that. Here are some things that I would focus on if I were you:
Typography: By this, I don't mean using different typefaces, but rather the study of how to structure information in a legible manner. I work as a wireframer right now, and everything that I do is Arial. Because of that, I have a maniacal focus on size, leading, value, and block shapes to create a hierarchical system on a grid. A lot of it comes from practice, but I can also recommend some books, Thinking with Type, Designing with Type, Making and Breaking the Grid, and The Mac is Not a Typewriter. Typography is one of the most requested skills by design directors because it is hard and can be very bland, but it is absolutely vital for successful work.
Balance and Rhythm: When you are designing pieces, one of the important things to consider is the structure of negative and positive space. This structure influences the way that the piece is read, and the way that people move through the information. You seem to rely on center aligning things a lot, which is dangerous because it creates no action or movement. This topic isn't as advanced as typography so it's harder to give specific resources, but you can find information on this in any basic design text. I enjoyed Alex White's fundamentals book.
Style and Illustration: The type is amateurish, but what makes the work feel dated is the illustration style. When digital illustration was younger and the tools were rougher, the sort of illustration that I see in your portfolio was very common. The most recent trend has been "Flat", but honestly, anything that can complement or hide the digital nature of its creation can work. If you really would like illustration to be a continued part of your work, I would find some tutorials to really strengthen your Illustrator and Photoshop skills, perhaps stuff from Skillshare or Lynda, or even just internet tutorials.
In General: So to be blunt, you do have a long way to go, I'm not going to sugar coat that. That being said, you do have 2 things extremely in your favor right now.
Ira Glass has a really incredible short piece about creative work that describes the place where you are caught right now. Your taste is not aligning with your skills. You have taken the first step in the right direction, so now you need to go study more and keep seeking critique (Not criticism). Whether that is on design_critiques, or from a colleague or friend doesn't matter. Find a place where someone who is better than you can tell you what isn't working and challenge your status quo.
Good luck, and keep at it!
There's a book that came out recently called All Yesterdays that takes alternative but scientifically valid perspectives on dinosaur appearances and behavior. The idea comes from how today's animals have a diverse range of features that probably wouldn't fossilize well- could dinosaurs have done similar? The second half of the book takes today's animals and draws them from the perspective of paleontologists in the future, if they only had skeletons to work with- what kind of interpretations would they make?
Books: Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland, Critcizing Photographs by Terry Barrett (you can find previous additions used a lot cheaper), and On Photography by Susan Sontag.
You're not afraid of drawing. You're afraid of response combined with perfectionism. Read Art & Fear. It's a short read, most people can get it done in about a weekend.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
Yuuuup. Color and Light should be taught in every art class, it's foundational and I'd recommend it to anybody with an interest in looking at art and understanding it, let alone actually making art.
Imaginative Realism is just as good, but it's a little more focused on the craft of illustration.
And before David the Gnome, there was Gnomes
Awesome book.
Here's a few I like:
I recomend reading this aswell, after playing it: Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line
Dr Seuss Goes to War. I bought a copy of this when it came out and love it. If you dont want to buy the book check this page out.
https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Criminal-Tattoo-Encyclopaedia-I/dp/0955862078/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=russian+prison+tattoos&qid=1565314534&s=gateway&sr=8-1
I have all three and they are great to read/flip through. A small part of history I never really gave much thought towards but am glad I found out about. They might be at a library check them out.
Even if this is supposed to be a part of something larger, it should have its own arc. You know what's supposed to happen as the author, so maybe to you, it seems like its fine. But you need to look and craft these things from the perspective of the audience.
I'll use, say, Cowboy Bebop as an example. It's almost entirely a series of self-contained episodes, save for a few episodes that touch on this relationship between Spike and Vicious. But, the self-contained episodes are often iterating and riffing on some of the same overall themes that these connected episodes are built on. Or, when they aren't, they're carried on pure entertainment value. They feel good. They're flat out fun to watch. Or they revel in the absurd, which ties into the show thematically and also rides pure entertainment value.
Fallout: New Vegas does this as well. Side-quests seem self-contained, more or less, but they build on your understanding of the world and they often build on this theme of nostalgia for the Old World, or Old World Blues, as the game eventually puts it. All of the companion character side-quests riff on this theme of clinging to the past or moving forward, the factions all follow in this theme (whether its the major factions modeling their selves after Old World powers or the Brotherhood of Steel finding that they don't belong in the world anymore, so they either need to adapt or cling to the past and die). All of these side quests are self-contained, thus having their own arc and feel satisfying to complete, but also they build on the overarching theme of the game and give the player something to think about once everything is said and done.
You can do this with your own work. You can figure out what it is that you want it to be about and make build on those themes, even just from the start. If you have ideas and themes you want to explore, you can explore them from the start in whatever way you want, and tie it all into something more grand later if you're telling an overall story, or just keep riffing on them in different self-contained scenarios. The main, best thing to keep in mind though is that if this is intended for an audience, you need to write it with the audience experience in mind. Your ideas could be incredible, but the audience would never know it if you've written it to be impenetrable to them, or just so boring that it's unlikely they'll continue to read to get to the good parts.
As an example, I love the show Eureka Seven. Somewhere towards the middle of its run, it has a small arc with a couple of characters named Ray and Charles that culminates in some of the best TV I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. But, I can almost never recommend this show to anyone. The first ~10 to 15ish episodes are a chore. The show sort of acts like you should know who all the characters are already, or doesn't give you a whole lot to work with in terms of giving you something to come back for. For this reason, it took me from when it aired back in 2005 all the way until 2014 to finally finish the show from front to back. There was a ton of good there, but it was so, so difficult to get to it through the start of the show.
So, Entertainment value. Have you read Fiona Staples' and Brian K Vaughan's Saga? The very first panel of the very first page oozes entertainment value, while also giving some great banter to help establish the characters and introduce us to the world. This is a strong opening, and even if there is some lull to the comic afterwards (which there may or may not be depending on your tastes), its given you a taste of what it is and a promise of what its capable of delivering. This is a really great thing to have. If you're aware of Homestuck, it's the GameFAQs FAQ that serves as the end of the comic's first Act that suddenly shows you how the comic will format itself: Lots of nonsensical goofing around until hitting an emotional climax that re-contextualizes the events you had just seen. This isn't at the start of the comic, but entertainment value carries the comic until that point, assuming you're into programming jokes and goofball shenanigans. But, this scene comes so comparatively late that it's likely you've already dropped the comic before getting to the "good part" if these jokes didn't carry the comic for you.
Actual Advice and Critique
Comics are hard, because, unless you have a writer or have an artist to partner with, you're doing both jobs, and the quality of the thing depends both on being well-written and well drawn (or at least some balance between the two that makes it palatable to read). I think that if you think in an actual episodic way, you could improve your writing a ton. With this comic, the arc would be "how did Lasereye become Lasereye?" It's potentially a pretty good premise, right? You'll establish a character and have plenty of chances to create entertaining scenarios because... It's your story! Lasereye became Lasereye in whatever way you decide he did. Go crazy, tell us a story! How did some young, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed kid turn into some dude in a slum with one eye glowing brighter than ever and the other dim and jaded? Telling this in three pages would actually be a great exercise.
Your art is rough in that it looks like you could use learning some base fundamental things like human anatomy. Your palette and the food stand itself reminds me of Kill Six Billion Demons though, which is great. You've created a good atmosphere in panels 1, 2, and the last panel on the last page, despite the artwork itself being rough. That's great! You know how a thing should feel. That's a great thing to have down pat that will only continue to be a boon as your technical skill improves (and it will if you work at it!). I think that if you buckle down and grind through learning how to draw, you could make very great, visually appealing work.
There's a problem in page flow on Page 2. Here I've shown how your page directs the eye with red lines. The way the page is laid out, you end up reading the fifth panel before you read the fourth panel, which will cause a reader to have to double back to read things in order. You don't want that. You'll wanna keep an eye out for how your pages read in the future. Just give them a once-over and ask where the eye would naturally go following the lines on the page.
So, if you aren't currently, learning human anatomy would be a great place to start placing effort. If you have access, figure drawing classes and the such would be a great way to start working on that. It helps immensely to have others around who can help you if you aren't sure what you're doing at first. Books on comics in general would be a good place to go as well. Understanding Comics and Making Comics, both by by Scott McCloud, are good introductory texts. Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative by Will Eisner and Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist also by Will Eisner would be good as well.
For writing, Dan Harmon's Channel 101 guides will be great tutorials as he's one of the best working writers today in episodic TV. I'm aware this isn't directly comics, but the best writing advice is rarely going to come from a comics-focused book. Will Eisner will tell you how to use visuals to your advantage in telling a story, but the nitty-gritty of actually writing will have to come from somewhere else. The Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Cambell may help you understand structure further. This is what Dan Harmon is riffing on and working off of with his Story Circles, but adapted slightly for the sake of episodic television. Film Crit Hulk, an online movie critic/ the Incredible Hulk has a screenwriting book called Screenwriting 101. It's invaluable. I highly recommend it, even if it isn't directly about comic writing. You'll be able to adapt the advice as you work in your own medium.
Scott McCLoud's got two that I enjoyed: Understanding Comics and Making Comics.
They're filled with the basics, but they also have a insight into more advanced concepts. I think what McCloud really captures is that there is not "right" way to make a comic. But he does give you time-tested and proven techniques that usually work. He also presents many methods/intents/techniques as being in trade-off with others, which is an important lesson to learn.
Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner
I'm gonna disagree with a lot of people and tell you to not buy Understanding Comics. I mean, you can, I don't disagree with most of what he teaches, but I disagree with his results. Perhaps it's one of those 'good in theory, terrible in practice' things. The Sculptor, his latest (?) book uses his UC technique 100% and while it makes for an easy read, it's visually boring and the story is just one unbelievable trope after another, complete garbage.
I'm also not going to tell you to copy other comic artists, that's a very common mistake in comics. When you copy other comic artists you learn their mistakes, or shortcuts, or cheats. I still find after I've drawn a page I'll go back and see where I unintentionally swiped a pose or technique from John Buscema (How to make Comics the Marvel Way had a big influence on me as a teenager, which is who it was made for).
For figure drawing you want George Bridgeman. His figure drawing techniques are the foundation for pretty much every other great illustrator in the last 100 years.
Another good source is Burne Hogarth (Dynamic Anatomy, Dynamic Figure Drawing) his stuff is more action and hero based, but his lessons are sound. He founded what became the School of Visual Arts. These were my first art books when I was a teenager, and they still hold up.
For storytelling, I go for Will Eisner's Graphic Storytelling and the Visual Narrative, Sequential Art Principles and throw in Expressive Anatomy, because, why not?
David Chelsea's Perspective for Comic Artists is great, because it teaches you exactly how to do correct perspective, then in the last chapter he tells you how to cheat at all of it.
For classes, take a look at the horribly designed website for http://comicsworkbook.com/ it's run by a guy, Frank Santoro, who's actually not one of my favorite artists, but he knows his shit, for sure, and he's a helluva nice guy who loves comics 100%. I think his full online class is $500 and he runs it twice a year, I think. Also look in your area for a college or art store that might have figure drawing classes, they are invaluable.
You should check out the book 'Art & Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland.
From my own perspective I have a pretty similar background. I picked up drawing fairly easily in grade school and kind of lost touch with it and never developed a real solid foundation to my art skills. I'm going back now and starting entirely from square one. It's hard to have that image of your past self's skills get kind of shattered, but once I realized I needed to put in a lot of ground work to get good I started really enjoying everything I was learning.
I still get the apprehension of spending time on a drawing that I might not like in the end but I realize every drawing I make I get a step closer, even if only a tiny one, towards being better able to do what I'm trying to. Try not to draw for the end result. Try to draw because it's something that you enjoy. If you tell yourself you're not going to enjoy it and it's going to be bad, well then you're not going to enjoy it and it's going to be bad! Stop worrying about how good your work should be and just put pencil to paper and learn because you want to.
Hope you find the path you're looking for!
I hope you picked up the art book! (Available in physical or digital on Amazon, ComiXology and iBooks.)
'Why Paint Cats?'
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
The companion book to 'Why Cats Paint'
I HIGHLY recommend everyone check out this book if you want to read more:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B9P2WP6?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
"Daytripper" is a beautiful and deep read.
"Black Hole" is trippy and existential and has a lot of meat to it.
The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar https://www.amazon.com/dp/142158249X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_-ssKxb3VABSP3
4th by my count
No, it is "Why Paint Cats." It is literally about painting cats. There is another book, "Why Cats Paint." It is about why cats will paint pictures and how they paint things upside-down. "Dancing With Cats" is by Burton Silver and Heather Busch, as are the other two books. I have read (more or less) all three books. The experience of reading them is rather surreal. Realizing that someone paid several thousand dollars to have Charlie Chaplin painted on their cat's ass, using the asshole as a bowtie, is also a bit surreal.
EDIT: Added links. Expanded info.
I can't give suggestions on hand-lettering books yet as the few I have read weren't good...so I'm trying to find better ones. But check out Louise Fili and Jessica Hische for inspiration and of course Paula Scher and Sagmeister.
There are many other books so I welcome others to chime in and add their suggestions.
I'd say your strongest point is your ability to convey action. The leaping on page 16 is particularly well executed. You also actually have a pretty good grasp of perspective drawing with the environments! It could use a little work, but I feel like every artist could do with more practice!!
The main suggestion I could give you is to start drawing from life. I know you are heavily influenced by Japanese comics, but trust me when I say that all professional manga artists are able to draw from life. What I mean is, take a figure drawing class, or at the very least pick up this book, or any other figure drawing book really. It will help you greatly with getting proportions correct, as well as help you with understanding the internal structure of the body. By skipping learning how to draw from life, and learning to draw from looking at Manga, you're really only taking the face value. Like, have you ever used a copy machine to make a copy of a copy? The original page looks crisp and clean, but that first copy has a few spots and scratches, and then the copy of that copy has big black splotches on it, and eventually the text is completely illegible. Not to say that your art is really bad! It's actually pretty decent for your first comics! I just believe that doing some observational studies will help your work greatly!
The next major thing you should work on is the writing. I get that his blindfold is what keeps his demons at bay, but by starting the comic off with the central character punching a guy's body in two, and then ripping another guy's arm off... it makes me not care about the character. I feel like if you would have shown the readers that he was a kind person, by like, helping the elderly, or defending his father or something, then I'd be like, "Why is this sweet kid suddenly a vicious murderer?" But since you didn't I was like, "Is this a violent comic for the sake of drawing a violent comic?" Therefore, when the dad was brought in to be killed, he started talking about how innocent the kid was, which is the exact opposite of my first impression. Also, why did they kill the dad? Why, then, did they let evil demon kid live, only to exile him? Wouldn't killing Kai solve all of their problems?
Anyway, I feel like you have potential, mainly because you were actually able to produce this much work! Do you have any idea how many people say they want to make comics but pale at the sight of how much work it is? You are a hard worker, and I know that you will be able to persevere and evolve into something so much better than you already are! On that note, buy Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. It will change your life. I'm being 100% serious here. McCloud is not only the go-to comics theorist, but he was also one of the first professional Americans to see the potential of drawing comics influenced by the Japanese! Once you have devoured this book, because you will want more, buy Making Comics, also by Scott McCloud. While Understanding dissects the medium and explains things you never would have thought about before, Making Comics applies those thoughts into a school-like setting.
tl;dr: It's good, but could be much better. Worship Scott McCloud.
Maus
Here's a few off the top of my head!
Sooo many others, but this is good starter list. Fair warning: I have not read these with an eye as to what would be appropriate in a Christian environment. I am fairly certain that Stitches, Maus, and Locke and Key are all "safe."
Edit: Eff it here are some more.
You have already mentioned all of my other would be suggestions. :)
Last time I tried to give advice on drawings the person got upset and quit reddit, soooo, please don't do that. My suggestion if you're absolutely serious about drawing is to absolutely learn the fundamentals.
Fun With A Pencil: How Everybody Can Easily Learn to Draw https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857687603/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ijZZDbCWDFEAQ
Drawing the Head and Hands https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857680978/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_AjZZDb0B3RBPF
Figure Drawing for All It's Worth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857680986/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OjZZDbW37G79H
Successful Drawing https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857687611/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4jZZDb95Z0W96
Creative Illustration https://www.amazon.com/dp/1845769287/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ikZZDbFRJYAJD
And after the basics
Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (Volume 1) (James Gurney Art) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0740785508/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_alZZDbZW0Y1P4
Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0740797719/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DlZZDb676AWT6
It doesn't matter what medium you use, learning how to draw and understanding what you're doing will help out the most.
The one that came with the release with Oath and part of the new series of lore/art books they're doing.
Didn't Nintendo just release that book?...
/r/TheMakingOfGames specializes in behind the scenes features for games, and often lists books like these. There's an alphabetical listing of all submissions that you can press CTRL-F on and search for your favorite game.
Dark Souls: Design Works is an art book about From Software's action RPG that also features interviews with the developers. The interviews can be read online, which is convenient since the book is out of print.
Super Mario Bros 3 - A Japanese children's book on how video games are made, with a focus on this 1988 Famicom/NES classic and including many pictures of old development hardware and Nintendo employees (includes original Japanese scans and English translations).
Street Fighter 2 - Polygon article giving an oral history from some of the original Capcom developers.
Crash Bandicoot - Making of article written by Andy Gavin, founder and former lead programmer of Naughty Dog.
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans - Stories about the development of the first Warcraft RTS game by Patrick Wyatt, former lead programmer at Blizzard.
StarCraft - Various making of articles by Patrick Wyatt.
GoldenEye 007 - Four members of the development team recount the making of.
BioShock Infinite - Wired magazine article published in 2012 about Irrational Games' ambition, a description of their offices and Ken Levine's demanding nature as the director of the project.
BioShock Infinite - Polygon article on the final years of Irrational Games, according to those who were there.
Defense Grid 2 - Polygon multiple-part article series on developer Hidden Path's journey to making the game and insight into the business deals that happen during a game's development.
Gamasutra Dirty Coding Tips article about nine real-world examples of dirty programming hacks and shortcuts to fix baffling bugs.
Gamasutra Dirty Coding Tips article #2 with nine more real-world examples of dirty programming hacks and shortcuts to fix baffling bugs.
The Art of Atari: From Pixels to Paintbrush - This book hasn't been released yet, but I'm keeping an eye on it. It's about the evocative box covers of Atari games.
38 Studios - Article and ex-employee post on the demise of this Rhode Island-based studio started by former baseball player Curt Schilling and that was developing an MMO codenamed Project Copernicus inspired by Curt's love of EverQuest.
Atari [NSFW] - Playboy article titled "Sex, Drugs, & Video Games: The Rise and Fall of Atari" profiling Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and written by author David Kushner, who wrote Masters of Doom.
A couple behind the scenes ebooks by Geoff Keighley (HL2 and MGS2 are free, the rest cost a few dollars):
A great book that actually illustrates (hah!) this point is All Yesterdays. It shows how much of our prehistoric artwork is speculative, and how we have a tendency to "shrink wrap" animals. The end of it shows some amazing work on how we'd reconstruct live animals from fossils today to underscore the point.
Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
Perdido Street Station - by China Mieville.
THIS BOOK, and THIS BOOK, are damn near the gold standard for getting started and professionals alike.
u/KnivesMillions is dead on with the point on fundamentals. Start with a good foundation of drawing and color theory. Drawing and painting from life and observation are also an excellent way to get better quickly.
A fantastic convention/gallery show to attend would be Illuxcon (if you can make it to Pennsylvania), where you can meet top-tier working artists in the industry (Danato Gincola, Scott Fisher, Iris Compt, both of the Gerards, etc.), see their work in the flesh, and ask them questions (they are usually quite receptive to questions if you are professional and polite).
Also, there are no set in stone rules for what constitutes "amazing fantasy art" aside from craft. All is chaos, embrace it.
Prison tattoos in Russia have a huge meaning. If you like art then you should get these three books. They're amazing and will tell you about each symbol and what they mean.
I know a guy that got a Russian Prison tattoo as a joke. He won't go near Brighton Beach ever.
The eternal quantity vs quality debate. Here's a quote from Art & Fear:
> The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.
> His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot—albeit a perfect one—to get an “A”.
> Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work—and learning from their mistakes—the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.
You can always pitch to Frederator. Here are some guidelines - http://cartoonhangover.com/gocartoons/
For aspiring animators, we recommend this tremendous post from Daniel Schier about getting into the business:
http://waveybrain.tumblr.com/post/8165951350/tips-for-the-aspiring-professional-animation-artist
I highly recommend buying and dissecting this book, Scott McCloud's Making Comics - http://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464296435&sr=8-1&keywords=scott+mccloud+making+comics
And in this day age, you can (and are expected to) show that your ideas are potent by doing them, posting them, and sharing them. It isn't enough to have an awesome pitch bible. Make .gifs of the characters doing lines, upload regularly, share them with like-minded people. If they are good, people will share them and you can build your fan base. Pusheen or Homestuck are good examples of people going it alone at first without the hassle of people telling your that you are wrong.
Scott McCloud's books are a good primer.
Do yourself a favor and pick up China Mieville's Bas-Lag series.
Perdido Street Station
The Scar &
Iron Council
Check these out:
How to Draw From Life by Joe Kubert
Figure Drawing by Andrew Loomis
Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner
It already exists!:
http://www.amazon.com/Maus-Survivors-Father-Bleeds-History/dp/0394747232
The tattoo is a take on the tattoo on the cover of a book about Russian Criminal Tattoos.
Here is a link to it, it's on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Criminal-Tattoo-Encyclopaedia-I/dp/0955862078
> on soviet prison tattoos you will find depictions of marx, engels and lenin
It's interesting that you've mentioned this, as the first thing I thought about after reading the title question were the Russian prison tatoo studies. There are quite a few of them. For instance, the three volumes of the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia. You can find it on amazon. The same author also wrote a book called Drawings from the Gulag.
Also, here's a study from Post-War Greece. JStore has a lot of stuff on that topic, but I didn't see a cross-country one. I guess, one could produce one by combining all these regional studies.
READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. i learned the lessons here the hard way. i saw it in another thread recently and man, i would have saved myself a lot of suffering if i had known about it.
and stop trying to be someone else. you do have something to say, you're just afraid to say it.
Disregard paranoia. Acquire Art and Fear. Overcome adversity.
If you can find a copy at a library, or get someone to let you borrow it via Kindle, you should read it. It helps artists(which writers are) overcome such fears and conundrums of questioning originality.
Basic fear aside, this is a fairly rare situation, especially in the internet age.
If you need some assurance that you aren't doing it, have someone proof read your work, preferably someone as well read, if not more read than you.
There are two resources I would recommend you take a look at.
The first is Learning How To Learn by Barbara Oakley. It is a tremendous resource for learning about how your brain works, and it has an entire section devoted to procrastination.
The second is the book Art and Fear. It's focused mainly for artists, but there are many parallels with creating in general. Given your fear of failure, I think it would be a great resource.
I'm going to piggy back off this post and recommend Art & Fear by by David Bayles and Ted Orland: https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
It's a short read so it shouldn't take too much time from drawing.
The two things that really stuck out for me were:
The other thing that really influenced me was Strip Search from Penny Arcade: https://www.penny-arcade.com/strip-search/episode/artists-assemble
Mike's advice to almost everyone eliminated was to "draw every day". That really stuck with me and I've done it ever since. Making drawing a part of my daily routine is the only way I've managed to grow as an artist.
Ha, I knew it.
So, yes, we all face this issue in the creative space.
And honestly, it is a curse, it is probably the most damning thing that happens to our ability to work.
This book is all about that https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
Interesting read if you want to read, but my main point with sharing the book is to let you know how common this issue is.
Now, the solution is, you suck, you need to accept that you suck, and you need to stop caring that you suck.
What you need to focus on is your love for music, your love for sound. That feeling you get when you press the keys using a synth with a cool sound or listen to a cool beat.
The problem really starts there, because while you produce, your love for music will so easily get trumped by the music that you love.
Do not do this, do not compare yourself to others like that.
They are different humans, with different experiences, and different lives, different brains. You will never be like them.
You are your own person, your own brain, your own experiences, and this is where your beauty lies.
People often tell you, when you want to pick up a girl just be yourself.
Well it's the same is with making music, just be yourself.
If what comes out of your head is beep boop beep, then make beep boop beep, do not feel shame for your simplicity, focus on the love of the sounds you choose, focus on the ideas that pop into your head and express them, no matter how primitive they sound to you.
Another link about this exact topic, little more esoteric.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHW1I8T0caI
Trust in your own ability to get better, do not compare yourself to others all the time, again, they are different people.
Don't buy a shirt because it looks cool on some dude, buy a shirt because you like it and it fits you.
In short, you are trying to climb a ladder starting at the top.
It's a very common feeling for all, we all have to go through this, the solution is to accept your suckage and try to improve yourself not by trying to be someone else, but to be a better you.
If that pulls you away from the music you love, let it pull you away.
If you find yourself making classical music or pop songs or punk or whatever instead of techno, let it pull you away. You need to set yourself free creatively, you need to relearn the joy of play.
To box yourself in with a genre or worse, music that you like, is extremely damning, especially if you are not well conscious of your own creativity etc.
Grab your instruments, play around, have fun. Drop some notes, drop some beats, just make music and play. If something does not feel right to you, tweak it until it does, but stay within yourself, trust your own gut, your own inspiration, stop the automatic response to start looking at other work to try and find their solutions.
Do look at other people work to study as you please, you can learn a lot, just do not do that while you are producing your own song.
Don't do so when you are trying to put yourself into your creative/expressive mindset.
Anyways, hope it helps, feel free to hit me up if you feel crappy about stuff. I have suffered this exact issue for years and years, it took me like 10 years to finally start to grasp the issue.
EDIT
more ranting
In more practical terms, I suggest you try to find your creative playful mindset.
If you are bored with a track and not inspired, fuck it, let it die, trying to finish so you can share it, will quickly kill your creative mindset, you need solid awareness of this conscious switch to be able to deal with it.
Do not try and make music like others, make the music that you hear in your head, even if it's just beep boop beep human music, hmm, I like it. You will get better and more expressive as you dig deeper, trust that.
Do not make drum patterns the way they are supposed to be, make drum patterns that sound good to you.
Use your hands and feet as much as you can, record things live using your midi keyboard, tweak after, it does not matter if you can't play piano, the point is to express yourself, using your body to do so is a much shorter road for your mind to fall into that mindset.
If you dance, then dance, do you know this moment while you are dancing and forgot to care you look stupid? That moment when you are just having pure fun and are feeling one with the music, flowing like some ninja or whatever? This is it, this is what you want to dig for.
Dance on your midi keyboard and record it, and tweak it after, with your dance recent midi keyboard dance still fresh in your memory.
Music is language, try and think of it like that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmKyySG6qp8
Listen to you beep boop beep, reply to it, maybe another boop? beep boop beep boop boop boop BAM! Whatever, have fun with it.
For me techno sounds like "yeh, yeh, let go, woohoo,, watch out, wait, wait watch out,, here we GO! yeh yeh yeh" It's primitive, stupidly retarded in a way, and gloriously fantastic.
Classical music is often like "can you hear it? can you? omg it is beatiful... no... no wait!.. it is happening again.. my love where have you gone?.. now I am here alone again.. waiting for you .. alone alone.. forever alone.. .. alone... NO NO NO I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS.. FIGHT.. I will FIGHT!!!.. glory glory!! fight for glory!!"
It is more an emotional rollercoaster ride, which people find is more complex I suppose, fair enough.
EDIT
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Spirit-Robert-Henri/dp/0465002633/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0465002633&pd_rd_r=893TKNMA88H6YMF627F7&pd_rd_w=TcJuv&pd_rd_wg=temwA&psc=1&refRID=893TKNMA88H6YMF627F7
This book I also recommend, it's about painting, but the same ideas apply to pretty much any creative endevour
The book is called Daytripper and it’s fucking amazing. Really, really sad. Amazing art.
https://www.amazon.com/Daytripper-Gabriel-Ba/dp/1401229697
Daytripper by Gabriel Bà & Fàbio Moon
Thanks for this thread, it will be a cool occasion to advertise this beautiful book that I just finished (In French, because it's my mothertongue. The authors are Brazilian.)
The concept is very simple, but wonderfully efficient: What will be your obituary if you die today?
We follow the main character, Bràs, who shares with Kenny McCormick the fact that he dies at the end of each chapter. But, on the contrary to Kenny, he dies at a different ages in each chapter.
This allows the authors to highlight what is important at each step of the life of their character. Love, in all its forms, filial, friendship or romance, is present in each page of this book. A bit of fantasy adds to the atmosphere a little bit of tenderness and something that is from the domain of dreams...
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I left it with a renewed love for life.
Magic art books looks nice, im temped to buy this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807
3 Main Sources.
Also, just to clarify, Chandra did not kill Emrakul. She did use Zendikar's life force to kill Ulamog and Kozilek. Emrakul was trapped in Innistrad's silver moon by Nissa and Tamiyo. Nahiri was in the Helvault in the past, but she was released by Liliana when Liliana destroyed the Helvault as part of her plans to kill Griselbrand in Avacyn Restored. After being released, Nahiri worked to lure Emrakul to Innistrad to take revenge on Sorin.
Keep in mind that the regular hardcover is currently $25 on Amazon US.
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts https://www.amazon.com/dp/1506703356/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fpuIyb7S947NK
To anyone who can't justify the price, there's the regular edition for Pre-Order too. (link for Amazon US)
> And "Cat in the Hat" is a metaphor for America's isolationism in WWII
I know you're joking, but in reality Dr. Seuss was a war hawk who spent the war years drawing political cartoons supporting the US involvement. link
Just get his book...
https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
I think this is a pretty common book most places, at least in the Pacific Northwest. I got it as a gift as a child and see it everywhere.
Edit: That, and "Why Cats Paint", and "Why Paint Cats". I recommend them all.
While its a cat thing, there's a book - Why Paint Cats (note the companion book Why Cats Paint).
There are a number of pictures out there on the web if you search for it. At times, I wonder how many of those owners ere murdered in their sleep.
Timothy Samara books are good for beginners - Making and Breaking the Grid was the book that finally helped me understand grid systems, while Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual was my Freshman year design textbook. The Story of Graphic Design by Patrick Cramsie is also a great GD History book.
In terms of things that are less textbook and more actual books about graphic design, I enjoyed Just My Type a lot. Design Is A Job gives some great advice on the business side of being a designer - pitching to clients, dealing with contracts, etc. How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer has some really interesting interviews with some of the best designers in our field.
And I would be terribly remiss if I didn't mention two of my absolute favorite novels, which happen to be about graphic design. The Cheese Monkeys and its sequel The Learners are fantastic stories about a design student and his experiences both in school and in his first job. Plus, they're written by Chip Kidd, who is an absolutely amazing designer (imho).
But, in case that wasn't enough, I'll also leave you with this link to a previous thread on this subreddit about great GD books.
Good luck and happy reading!
All Yesterdays is pretty darn cool.
How about a graphic novel? Try Daytripper.
Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon is one of my all-time favorites and particularly good for magical realism and surrealism in a graphic novel. It's about one guy but every chapter ends in his death, with all the others picking up at a completely different point in his life without reference to his other deaths.
Understanding Comics and Making Comics by Scott McCloud are a great place to start.
Making Comics by Scott McCloud is a really good read and it is done all in comic form.
Hello! Would love good resources for Disney-style art, if you could spare those.
Here are some of the best things I've found for comic art
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way A classic. Can be bought used for next to nothing. My only gripe is that it moves very fast and superficially
Incredible Comics with Tom Nguyen: He has a really clean style. Communicates a lot with very few lines. Excellent resource.
How to Draw: Heroic Anatomy More advanced resource. Uses a lot more lines and shading.
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels How to construct the actual comic panels and books
I got some Cyanide and Happiness books, but I'm really stoked that I got this:
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293309970&sr=8-1
If we're talking about books about comics I must mention that Scott McCloud has another book: Making Comics (It's not as great as Understanding Comics, while I'd have to own Understanding, Making is more of a checkout from the library once sort of book) and then there are the books by legendary cartoonist Will Eisner: here's the first one
Sorry to go off topic but I love all those books soooooo much! Had to give them a mention!
Persepolis and Maus seem to be safe choices, even for people who don't normally read or those who usually skip graphic novels.
MAUS (I and II)
There are multiple volume encyclopedias on Russian criminal tattoos available for purchase online. Your local library might carry these books too. It's all quite fascinating.
If you are interested in more info on the Russian criminal tattoos, there is an awesome set of books with lots of details and examples
It's called Russian Criminal Tattoo-- here's a link to it on Amazon
There is a lot of lore and worldbuilding in The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Zendikar. There is also a corresponding book coming out for kaladesh soon, as shown by this thread. If you are looking for something Pre-Eldrazi, there is also A Planeswalker's Guide to Zendikar.
I hope this helps and good luck!
If you're into the art of magic, another thing you might want to get is the art books, such as this one. These feature full page spreads of art art as well as great descriptions of the lore of the world.
if youre doing a setting you might also enjoy the innistrad art book. i picked one up a few years ago and its great
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807
Ravnica has a number of novels, starting with "Ravnica: City of Guilds," then Guildpact, then Dissension, and then "The Secretist" ebook.
Innistrad has an art book that's full of lore.
How about some cool dice? Do a search for 'custom dice' on ebay or etsy and pick something with his favorite colours or theme.
Something more expensive but very cool is the "Art of Innistrad" artbook https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807
The second book has been released and is called The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts.Good news, you don't even need to wait
No offense, but his name is spelled Stonor.
Here's his book at Amazon
There was another reason that the CIA supported these artistic movements. They almost are completely devoid of any emotional or political message. You can rarely use them to enlighten people or stir them up to political action. At best they are intellectually interesting. Artistically they are trash compared to, say, [Soviet War Paintings](http://www.allworldwars.com/Soviet War Paintings.html) with their ability to stir the soul.
Read Frances Stonor Saunder's The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters which reveals just how much of American post war culture was controlled, shaped and directed by the CIA, ie, the wealthy and powerful.
And it wasn't just the art they controlled, and not just in the US.
>The CIA also entered the world of the cinema, leaving their mark on film scripts and blocking films which they thought problematic, and helping others which favored their cause. http://www.terra.es/personal2/gmv00000/truthfiction.htm
Nice work! He has indeed. Have you seen his political cartoons? Fascinating stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
Geisel was pretty heavily in the tank for FDR and backed his policies pretty blindly. Or maybe it was the editorial slant of the left leaning newspaper he worked at at the time. Anyways, this cartoon backs FDR's Japanese internment policy.
This is an interesting book if you want to see more of this stuff.
I own Making and Breaking the Grid and Thinking with Type. Both came highly recommended.
Books that helped me get started with design:
Designing with Type
Making and Breaking the Grid
Most of these books discuss working with printed materials, but the principles are the same in the web.
At the very least
Remove the clipart, you're better off with oversized web fonts displaying the $value
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253
and include a FAQ for user reassurance as to the relative quality, timing, purpose etc.
Your code also seems excessive for the output
http://www.amazon.com/All-Yesterdays-Speculative-Dinosaurs-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B00A2VS55O
I don't think that exact product exists, but there are some Magic art books available, as well as this book by Rob Alexander (who painted some of the most iconic land cards in the game) that features a bunch of art from Magic lands among other pieces.
The art book has a lot of information that you might find useful.
The Planeswalker's Guide to Innistrad also has a bunch of information. Be sure to also check out the Uncharted Realms / Magic Story. Innistrad is my favorite plane but I am no lore master. I would be happy to help answer questions you might have (or at least try to).
I don't have any proof in terms of linking producers or production companies, but I've long felt that the early wave of flying saucer invasion B films of the 1950s were made under the influence of the CIA and the conclusions of the Robertson Panel in early 1953. [It's a well-known fact that CIA looked to use the media and Hollywood for propaganda](http://www.amazon.com/The-Cultural-Cold-War-Letters/dp/1565846648, and the Robertson Pannel explicitly recommended such a campaign to dillute interest in UFO reports. The extreme distortion of Donald Keyhoe's Flying Saucers from Outer Space that became Earth vs. the Flying Saucers seems like the clearest example of taking actual reports and turning them into sensationalistic nonsense that is thinly vieled Cold War propaganda (invading ETs as invading Commies).
Honestly I imagine that there's a traceable paper trail that exists. But again, I've never seen a thorough demonstration of CIA's involvement.
Just want to make sure that this book is linked to though it is far too late and no one will see it.
Edit: Really? A down vote for the book that us literally an intensive study covering the subject of the link. Howsabout go fuck yourself then? You know what, hey everyone, you read that Asimov short story that's linked to every week? Fuck it, just read that instead.
Another edit: Yes! Your down votes are oxygen! Let's inhale them and feed the trees around us! You guys ever heard of Sufjan Stevens? His songs are so sad right?
Dr Seuss Goes to War. I own a copy and it's a must have for any WWII buff.
a lot of people don't actually know how old this picture is, it's from a book that's about ~20 years old, aka this poor kitty IS probably a skelekitty BY NOW:
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
also contrary to the OP's username, it is not photoshopped.
Why Paint Cats. https://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
My brother gets lots of random books, so our coffee table has an interesting mix of things to look at...
I put a link and more pics in my blog. Direct amazon link:
On typography:
On grids:
On colour:
On usability:
On information design:
On inspiration:
On theory:
On history:
Monographs:
I have this book and found it interesting and helpful. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253
I will post some of my favorite books in a second for you as soon as my computer gets turned on. :)Here are a couple of my favorites from my school "Hey, I actually like these.. I'm going to purchase them!" collection.
General Graphic Design:
Graphic Design: The New Basics
This publication does a great job of showing "relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency." If you are looking for a general overview on a lot of subjects within graphic design I think this is a great way to upgrade your vocabulary and general knowledge about graphic design.
Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field
I feel like this book really can help you improve your vocabulary and general knowledge of the graphic design world offering "primary texts from the most important historical and contemporary designthinkers." It's also nice that it offers a bit of history too, analyzing the early 1900s through today.
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop
Great. Absolutely great publication for all designers showing effective use of the grid system and how to layout your compositions. "Effective layout is essential to communication and enables the end user to not only be drawn in with an innovative design but to digest information easily."
Typography: <3
30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime
I loooooove this book. It gives a bit of history and usage examples of 30 amazing typefaces you should know and love.
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students
Another great typography book. This publication was one of my favorites because, at the end of the day, I'm a visual person and this book has SO many visual examples to compliment it's copy it's beautiful. "This revised edition includes ... the latest information on style sheets for print and the web, the use of ornaments and captions, lining and non-lining numerals, the use of small caps and enlarged capitals, as well as information on captions, font licensing, mixing typefaces, and hand lettering."
Typographic Systems of Design
This is a very good resource for learning, as the title states, typographic systems. It "explores eight major structural frameworks beyond the gridincluding random, radial, modular, and bilateralsystems." Overall, I feel like this book helped me to improve my positioning and creative use of type in designs.
Making and Breaking The Grid
Although not Dark Souls 2 specific, a true Dark Souls fan would love to get the Design Works book: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-M-Kirie-Hayashi/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1407172279&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=dark+souls+design+works
Seems to be available on Amazon.ca and Canadian distributors.
The first two are from an AWESOME book called "All Yesterdays" that deserves more press.
No problem! Here are a couple of books that might help you along, if you haven't already gotten a hold of them! :)
All Yesterdays, a wonderfully provocative book that challenges common paleoart tropes.
The Paleoart of Julius Csontonyi is awesome. Most of his artwork can be found online, but it's nice to have it there in your hands. I won't go so far as to say Csotonyi is the modern day Charles R. Knight, but he's rapidly gaining that reputation.
Predatory Dinosaurs of the World by Gregory S. Paul. Modern paleoart owes a lot to Paul's work, even if his attention to anatomical detail resulted in dinosaurs that are just a bit too lithe.
Finally, we have William Stout's The New Dinosaurs. Yes, at times Stout makes his dinos look downright emaciated, but his comic-book-y style and portrayal of dinosaur behavior is a bit prescient of "All Yesterdays," and I can't help but associate his work with those wonderfully cheesy 1980s dino documentaries with Gary Owens, and that catchy theme music.
And once again, good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B9P2WP6
A pro read
Have you read the e-book "Killing is Harmless"? It is a "critical reading" of the game that I thoroughly enjoyed. The Line, as a thinking experience around games and what they can be is just a magnificent thing. This book made it better.
Link to the book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Harmless-Critical-Reading-Spec-ebook/dp/B00B9P2WP6
Step 1. LOOK at the art.
It sounds like you're doing this, that's great! The artist probably spent 2–10 hours on that one page, I'm sure they'd like it if people did more than glance at it. You might find it useful if you pay attention to these things in particular: shapes, how lighting works (the shadows, shading, and highlights), line width, composition and layout, foreground/background and perspective, anatomy and proportions (which can be unrealistic and still look good), textures and effects.
Take a look at through the Escher Girls tumblr if you want to see what inaccurate anatomy can do to otherwise skilled artwork.
Step 2. Learn about what goes into artwork. For comics, manga, and other sequential art in particular, I HIGHLY recommend reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It is not a how-to-draw book. It's also well worth your time, and odds are good you can find it at your local library if you live in an native English-speaking country. The sequel, Making Comics, is also really good.
Step 3. Keep looking at the art for multiple series, over time eventually you'll start to notice what works and what doesn't, when rules are broken to good effect and when they really should've listened.
Admittedly both artistically trained and not a parent, so I don't know if this is too out of left field. Though were I to have kids, and find out they have a thing for narrative art. I'd get this book and this book off the shelf and show it to them. I wish I had these books when I was just learning how to draw.
Don't force them to do any of the lessons out of it or anything. Just keep it as a reference book for them, if they choose to want to go beyond stick figures. These two books have pretty much all the information required to render objects and people correctly, and apply that towards the conventions of comics and narrative story telling.
As an aside though, drawing in particular is a trained skill. You could learn alongside your kid if you had the time/energy.
Ναι αυτό εννοώ. Κρίμα.
Καταλαβαίνω ότι το comic είναι πολύ δύσκολη υπόθεση. Το πόσο δύσκολο είναι το κατάλαβα διαβάζοντας τη σειρά βιβλίων του Scott McCloud "Understanding comics: The invisible Art", "Reinventing comics" και "Making Comics". Δεν είχα ιδέα από comics ως μέσο και μου κίνησε την περιέργεια μία ομιλία (keynote address) του McCloud σε ένα συνέδριο που είχα παρευρεθεί. Awesome stuff!
What a lovely idea! For me, it's been fun testing out materials and finding what I like to use. Depending on her media interests, here's what I'd recommend thinking about:
A Brush Pen (especially for cartooning on the go!):
http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Pocket-Brush-Refills-GFKP3BPA/dp/B002LJRKN8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448983878&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cartooning+brush
A Nice Brush:
http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Kolinsky-Pointed-Brushes/dp/B0013E68TO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448984196&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Windsor-Newton+Series+7+sable+%232
Some Ink:
http://www.amazon.com/Speedball-2-Ounce-India-Super-Black/dp/B0007ZJ8TM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448983937&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=ink+cartooning
A Brush Cleaner:
http://www.amazon.com/General-Pencil-Company-Masters-Preserver/dp/B0009RRT9Y/ref=pd_sim_201_12?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=512oIauSQjL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR149%2C160_&amp;refRID=1J5XTFQ5TBWPSS5E39AV
An Ames Lettering Guide:
http://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Ames-Lettering-Guide-AL666/dp/B001DNAHRO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448984324&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=AMES+LETTERING+GUIDE
A copy of Making Comics by Scott McCloud (SO useful!):
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1448984007&amp;sr=8-13&amp;keywords=cartooning
The Art of Game Design - Jesse Schell is very very good.
Game AI (Millington and Funge new edition iirc) is very very good.
Some non-game-design books that are very useful for those doing game design:
Scott McLoud: Making Comics (the other two in the series are good but the section on plot, characterization, and development in this one is great)
Donald Norman: The Design of Everyday Things. (How design works and how people interact with technology and...)
Christopher Alexander et al A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, and Construction (Thinking about scale and design elements and modularity and...)
Kevin Lynch: The Image of the City (How do urban spaces work - essential if your game is set in a city - how do people actually navigate)
Polti: The 36 Dramatic Situations (old, quirky, examines how there are really only a few human plots)
Matt Frederick: 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School (how to think about and execute simple art, improve your design sense, ...)
Perdido Street Station. http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Miéville/dp/0345443020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1457885493&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=perdido+street+station
Do you read comics? If not, head down to the library and check out a variety of them. Graphic novels and TPB's will vary in length, some shorter ones are fewer than 50 pages. Some longer ones are over 1000.
Browse Kickstarter. I'm not a huge fan of most of the campaigns on there, but a lot of them get funded, you can see from those campaigns what it takes to get what you want done.
r/comicbookcollabs is a good place to look for an artist, or deviantart, or comic book forums. You MIGHT be able to work out a partial residual deal, but expect to come out of pocket for your project to the tune of around $100 per page.
If you're not familiar with scripting comics you should get your hands on some comic book scripts to see how they pace a page, a chapter, a single issue, a book, ect. You might be fine publishing your first chapter at around 20 pages, you might want to do a short graphic novel at 50+ pages.
Here's some books you should check out
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X
https://www.amazon.com/Comics-Sequential-Art-Principles-Instructional/dp/0393331261
Again, doing one exhibit on all of comics is really difficult not only because of its narrative nature, but for narrowing it down to what to pick amongst so many great talents. Will Eisner is my honorary mention. Mostly because I can't find something online that shows how great his work can be. The best I could do was some of the great title pages and covers he did for The Spirit. But if you are really interested I recommend The Best of The Spirit. Considering the entire Spirit Archives collection spans 27 volumes, The Best of The Spirit is a great place to start with his work.
Will Eisner is a classic. Comics and Sequential Art, and maybe his Expressive Anatomy.
If you want to try before you buy, find library copies at http://worldcat.org
From Hell by Alan Moore
Maus by Art Spiegelman
That's awesome... I had few interesting books assigned in HS. I think Beowulf and Slaughterhouse Five were the two that I really enjoyed. I had a 20th Century Lit class in college that assigned the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus. That's a great choice for a literary graphic novel, too, if you ever seek to mix it up.
Buying a book is not about obtaining a possession, but securing a portal.
Maus is one I've been looking for around my town. I'm super interested in the Holocaust and the fact they made a graphic novel using mice is super cool!!
A photo study helps you fine tune your technical and perception skills. Almost every professional illustrators/artists today have tried using photo ref for either just practicing and for an actual project.
Even the old masters from the renaissance era have studied and reproduce other old masters. Drawing from imagination and drawing from observation are two different things. One way to improve your imaginative skills, believe or not, is to fine tune your observational one. Gurney's book covers a lot of these idea.
Hey! I graduated from IB in 2007 and did standard and higher level art, got a 6 out of 7 (I slacked a bit towards the end, senioritis). I then went on to do a 4 year Illustration program and graduated with a BFA. I hope you go down a similar path, art is very fulfilling and you seem to have some passion. Don't feel discouraged if your work doesn't yet match your ideas, you need to crank out tons of studies and eventually you'll feel yourself improving in leaps and bounds.
What IB really wants to see from you is a consistent theme. You've got a lot of experimentation in different media which is great, but I recommend you get some inspiration from art history. Just straight up copy old masters, if you see an old painting that you enjoy try to duplicate it and you'll understand it in a way you could never imagine. Try you hand at things like chalk pastels (Nu Pastel is a good brand), charcoal, watercolor, maybe even some oil paint. Avoid using small scratchy lines all the time, try flipping charcoal on its side and making broad strokes or get some powdered graphite and apply with a brush. A quote I try to live by: "Big artists use big brushes."
Find one or two types of media that really appeal to you and run with it, struggle with it, learn from it, study it, become bored with it, master it. I did digital painting for the most part which was sort of cutting-edge at the time and scored me some originality points and still to this day I work in that style.
Contemplate what you think is an interesting theme to make a series of artworks about, go to a local art gallery or museum and see how other artists approach themes. Get inspiration everywhere and write it down, lyrics in songs, things on the news, ideas in the shower. I did 'Creation / Destruction' as my theme and focused on the duality of the two through mythical stories of gods, warfare, self esteem and perception, yatta yatta. You're in high school, remember that this is a good time to just noodle around, try crazy shit, don't worry about being judged for failing, failure makes you better because you learn what not to do. And originality isn't the most important thing, imitate the art you love and once you feel you understand it you can tweak it.
Here's the biggest secrets I never knew in high school. Artworks are broken down into a few essential components, if you keep these concepts in mind you'll do much better.
The books I'd recommend are:
The Story of Painting
Imaginative Realism
Everything by Andrew Loomis (Free!)
Classical Painting Atelier
View these websites:
http://www.linesandcolors.com/
http://www.googleartproject.com/
http://gregnewbold.blogspot.com/
http://beardedroman.com/
http://www.artrenewal.org/
Good luck! My website is www.caycegoldberg.com so feel free to contact me if you want critiques or advice or whatever. And don't let the stress of IB take you down, stick through it. It's a tremendous struggle but it gives you a huge leg up on life, you'll appreciate it forever.
Maybe the James Gurney books, Imaginative Realism and Color and Light
Was it Gnomes by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet?
Was it Gnomes? That’s really the only book I can think of that included the types of drawings you mention.
Gnomes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810909650/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_q0BZzbMESSXWG
Do you have a picture book about gnomes???! I found one in a thrift store about 8 years ago and have loved it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0810909650/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
boop
here is a warning and heed it well: russians take their tattoos seriously. you will not be taken to task by a sailor for having a nautical star. someone may have an opinion of you if you get something like this, you need to make sure you can handle that opinion.
Great description. I see someone who has seen successes and just as many failures, but still continues on with his life's work. He looks like someone who has seen enough to know when to keep his mouth shut and just observe. This image makes me think and art that does this is worth something.
Struggling with the worth of your art is the price we pay for making art. A good book on the subject (required reading from an old art teacher): https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
I believe you should look at Art & Fear or The Art Spirit
I remember feeling a lot of these same feelings. There’s a book called Art and Fear... it really helped me. Here’s a link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0961454733/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kW30CbH1NBXKJ
Read Art & Fear, a really clear short book that addresses all of the issues in making art, fear of failure, fear of success, inadequacy. You'll struggle with fear for the rest of your life, and it's a great book to come back to over and over.
Here is the Google Doc version, though I still suggest the actual book is better to have on hand.
If this kind of thing is helpful to you I highly recommend Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It's a fairly short book, but it deal with the fears that surround getting down and doing the art in a very direct and personal fashion. It really helped me a lot when it came to getting going again.
The most recent was Daytripper. It's a great little graphic novel that explores life and death. Really blew me away.
I put this a little lower, but I'm not opposed to dropping it up here too...
I also forgot to mention that Alex Robinson's work (Box Office Poison, Too Cool 2 B Forgotten, Tricked) is so good that I wish I could get it pregnant.
Introduction to Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?
Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.
Acquire/Buy comics:
Marvel
DC
You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
Other
I used to think just like you, until i read this novel.
It's one of the things that make me proud to be brazilian, just read it 'till the end and you'll get what i'm saying.
Here's a list of my personal favorites:
Art books! My parents got me Masters of Deception as a stocking stuffer one year for Christmas and I've been waiting to have my own coffee table to put it on.
I also just bought Sorted Books a couple weekends ago (and got it signed by the artist), which I think would make an awesome one.
One year for Christmas I bought my best friend all the PostSecret books that had been made up until then and she still keeps them on her coffee table. We still like thumbing through them every now and then.
The book is called Masters of Deception and I adore it. If you want to see another amazing artist from that book look up John Pugh the muralist.
Sister Wendy's Story of Painting by Wendy Beckett is a nice one. I've had it for years and enjoy looking through it every once in a while.
A nice quote for no reason at all: "The story of painting is one that is immensely rich in meaning, yet its value is all too often hidden from us by the complexities of historians. We must forget the densities of 'history' and simply surrender to the wonder of the story." -Sister Wendy Beckett
The Illustrated History of Art by David Piper is another that was gifted to me that I enjoy immensely.
Here are a few more that I've picked up at yard sales and thrift shops: A Treasury of Art Masterpieces: From the Renaissance to Present Day by Thomas Craven and Art of Ancient Greece by Claude Laisne.
And more for fun than for art history, though it does qualify, I suppose, is Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali, and the Artists of Optical Illusion by Al Seckel. It's a lot of fun to look through and a great conversation starter with its full page artworks.
Might it be http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Deception-Artists-Optical-Illusion/dp/140275101X ?
Here are a couple of my favorites, I found them in the book, Masters of Deception.
Masters of Deception, my bro bought it for me on a trip to New York, lot of badass artists in it.
Awesome! Zendikar is an amazing campaign setting if you ask me. My personal notes are kind of a big mess, mainly because this is my first homebrew. But I can definitely give you some good places to start and I would be more than happy to share with you what I've done and learned in my campaign so far. We are currently 12 sessions in and having a great time. (PM for a discord link if you would like to chat)
That should give you a good starting point. Again, I am happy to chat on Disc if you have questions or would like suggestions.
They stopped doing the novels awhile ago I believe. Now they post a story of the newest set every week which can be found on the official website (and will be posted here and on the frontpage generally). Though there's still the booklet in the fatpacks and they've brought out and starting with something new, a sort of Art-book/Lore-book for the new sets :
If you are looking for D&D books, I think that "Volo's Guide to Monsters" is your next best bet. It has alot of additional creatures not in the MM, and more indepth art on specific races. But it's not as thick as the MM though.
If however, you are purely just looking for artwork, I would probably suggest you check out the "Art of Magic the Gathering". Unlike the D&D books, this seems to be specifically for art. And while it isn't D&D, Magic is of similar fantasy-vein, and it is done by the same company (WotC), and I have heard that they "share" artists (most artists are freelancers, and some have been known to work on both properties iirc).
There are also new art books that might be something you're interested in too: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466891518&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=art+of+magic+the+gathering
so...start with this to build the lore and the feel
and combine with this to sell the visual
Wizards came out with several of these for the different worlds. nothing super crazy but a hell of a starting point for you
Nice! I went with this book to get into Zelda prior to playing the new game...
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356
Yea they're on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485030292&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=arts+and+artifacts
That's the Art Book which is the first. The second book will be an encyclopedia of sorts and isn't up for preorder yet. And we don't know what the third book will be, but should be out this year.
Something like this that they did for LoZ BotW would be sweet to have along the way, more like you were saying with concert art, interviews with the creators, storyboards, side stories, behind the scenes, world building, lore, history, mythology, and the like. Then after the show is done, a thick compilation of those books together would be amazing! Kinda like the Goddess Collection for LoZ, lore and history and plot and making of, art and artifacts, everything else you could’ve ever dreamed of
Does he enjoy Zelda? Then I highly recommend these two books (unless he already bought them):
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/
https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Hyrule-Historia/dp/1616550414/
Both hardcovers, one gives a detailed history/timeline of most of the Zelda games. The other covers rare artwork of the Zelda series. Any Nintendo or Zelda fan would love these!! The ultimate gift!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1565846648/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_66BUBbZ0BMEA8
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1944869131/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_M7BUBbCMGEF5J
The CIA funding modern artists is also substantiated...
source
I don't make the claim that they don't. In fact, one of my favorite books is Dr. Seuss goes to war because who doesn't love Dr. Seuss? (Here's a link to what seems to be all the comics!) I simply tried to express reasons why Tibbets held such a strong viewpoint. While I can't give you a percentage of the US population at the time, I can guarentee that Tibbet's statement reflected a not uncommon sentiment among Americans.
Also, the US did not militarize civilians in the way Japan did. Japan is known to have provided training. This is understandable and acceptable given what appeared to be inevitable invasion. (Also, please look into the actions of Okinawan civilians during the Battle of Okinawa - The wikipedia entry is good, but glosses over many finer and more interesting details.) What is less understandable/acceptable is that Japan would give grenades to civilians with the instructions to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans. There is actually a controversy over this as the (current) Japanese government likes to deny some of Japan's actions in WWII. This is mentioned in the wikipedia article I linked about halfway through the section.
Since you mentioned Childrens Books, would Dr. Seuss be a worthwhile addition to your collection? He also has more mature readings too. I also just saw your antique portion....WOWSERS that added an entirely new aspect to the way I want to collect! Printings are one thing but a Bible from the late 1800's? I nearly teared up man and Im not even religious lol. I see you still have a ways to go...Have fun on your journey!!
Dr. Suess goes to War
Check out the book “Dr. Seuss Goes to War”
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
Having worked in advertising now for a good 10 years, and being a Dr. Seuss fan (because at one point I was a child), this book is a must have. It reminds me of that other awesome Seuss-related book, "Dr. Seuss Goes to War." It's about the work he did for the Army during WWII.
I actually bought a book of his cartoons for my mom's birthday a few years ago. It's called "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" and is filled with some great stuff.
>Kind of a fun fact, before Dr. Seuss wrote children's books he did political cartoons opposing WW2... Coincidence?
Your information is incorrect.
I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and own "Dr Seuss Goes To War". You can own it for $18 bucks.
In the book he was highly critical of isolationists, racists, fascists, and very pro-Roosevelt and interventionism.
one of my favorite coffee table books-
you might also enjoy:
why cats paints and why paint cats
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
Also available: Why cats paint:
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Cats-Paint-Theory-Aesthetics/dp/0898156122/ref=la_B000APOYKC_1_2
And dancing with cats:
http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Cats-Creators-International-Seller/dp/0811824152/ref=la_B000APOYKC_1_1
Why paint cats?
(sorry, it's just that the subject line here made me think of this.)
The book Why Paint Cats is my go to and it is always a hit. It’s so convincing that people can’t quite tell if it is real or fake and it becomes a hilarious point of conversation and controversy.
I first used it at an office white elephant and from what I understand, it returns every year, even almost a decade later.
Why Paint Cats
Why Paint Cats: The Ethics of Feline Aesthetics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580082718/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hUZTAbH7Y0CVM
Required link
https://www.amazon.com/Typography-Workbook-Real-World-Graphic-Design/dp/1592533019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1469950238&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=typography+workbook++samara
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=41s-rwL0vqL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR133%2C160_&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=70C7ZVY3AN5STQ6KD21T
Agreed, you have center alignment and left align used throughout, then the "s" and "t" aren't aligned to the baseline which is a huge no no in Swiss (International) Style.
Edit: Here are some books I highly suggest you read. Study them, learn from them and then practice it. Typography is a very intricate practice, trust me I know, but you'll get there if you're persistent enough. :)
https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Stealing-Sheep-Find-Works/dp/0201703394
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Typographic-Style-Robert-Bringhurst/dp/0881791326
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253
Making and breaking the grid is more general in its approach - it focuses on what a good layout is. It's all about how layout can convey your message in the best way possible - whatever your medium is.
It's not specifically about magazines but it has good hints and pointers on how to make your layout right for the message you are conveying.
For me it has been a like a bible in my studies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(page_layout)
A grid is setting up a layout on the page that creates hierarchy and order to the content in a consistent way.
Good books:
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1300584269&amp;sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Grid-Systems-Principles-Organizing-Design/dp/1568984650/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1300584269&amp;sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.com/Systems-Graphic-Systeme-Visuele-Gestaltung/dp/3721201450/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1300584269&amp;sr=1-6
Making and Breaking the Grid: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253
I always really loved this book; Making and breaking the Grid. It was essential when I was in Design School.
Well, the most important books that I read when learning design were:
All of those would be a good start.
Making and Breaking the Grid is good. The reviews can tell you better than I can.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1592531253
You can actually buy it separate.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-M-Kirie-Hayashi/dp/1926778898
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DARK-SOULS-DESIGN-WORKS-Art-Book-Japan-Anime-Illustrations-/261374277019
I think it’s All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. Looked really interesting to me but I was never able to find a paper copy.
amazon link
Those are from the book All Yesterdays
I heard about this one in a podcast and want it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A2VS55O?ref=aw_sitb_digital-text
I suggest you to read Killing is harmless if you haven't already. Pretty good read.
Definitely grab Killing is Harmless by Brenden Keogh if you were really unsettled by the story. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B9P2WP6
So is Making Comics
The book Making Comics by Scott McCloud is great for any comic newbies, or even more experienced folks. Very insightful and fun to read even if you never follow the advice. Probably can find it cheaper than on amazon with a little digging.
Learn from the masters.
First let me start with the pros.
-Pros
-Very nice simple artstyle for the characters, it's clear what the characters are doing.
Colors for the characters pleasant to look at.
-Cons
There are no backgrounds, you don't have to be detailed but you should put something more than just random colors.
The camera is always facing front which is not that interesting to read.
You should also work on anatomy especially hands.
If you want to learn more about making comics you should get this book series.
Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940
This is prob the wrong sub to ask this but let me try and give you some more info as someone who has worked on comics in the past.
If you are looking how comics are professionally made usually it’s a team of a few people with the jobs of writing, penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering split up. If you wanna take on all of that on your own it’s not impossible, most webcomic artists do it all but those are very different than comic books.
To be honest if it’s just for yourself you don’t even have to get any drawing apps. You can collage images you find online to make a story or just draw simple drawing on printer paper and put that together. See if it’s something you enjoy before dropping a bunch of money on software or art supplies.
If you are really really looking into getting into comic book making I’d suggest buying the book Making Comics
First and foremost; write a script. Without a script you've got nothing. Let people read the script. Listen to what they have to say. If they can't visualize or understand any parts of it, then neither will the artist who will eventually draw it hopefully and neither will your audience, the readers. If you get defensive about criticism then just stop now, because you're going to hear it at some point unless you only let your mother read it.
Next rewrite it. I think it was Hemingway that said the first draft of everything is shit.
Find an artist. Listen to the artist's points. If your artist says you need more action. Put more action. If your artist comes up with a cool way to reduce 4 pages into one cool layout, let them. Don't let your script be your baby. Comics are a collaborative art.
Maybe before you start writing you should learn about comics. Read some. Definitely read Scott Adams Understanding Comics and Making Comics
Also read some really great comics like;
Frank Miller's the Dark Knight Returns,
Alan Moore's Watchmen,
Kurt Busiek's Kingdom Come,
Garth Ennis's Preacher,
Jeph Loeb's the Long Halloween,
These will let you know what come before, but also what's possible to do with the format.
Perdido Street Station by Meiville
https://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-Bas-Lag-Mi%C3%A9ville/dp/0345443020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1518381854&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=perdido+street+station+by+china+mi%C3%A9ville
I'll just put this here...
China Miéville writes sci-fi/fantasy horror. He's phenomenal. Perdido Street Station is amazing and like nothing I've ever read before or since.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
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Also, I would classify most of the stuff written by Piers Anthony as "weird".
Dostoevsky might be a bit of a stretch for me, but I do know Tolkien and Hemingway.
It's more leaning towards sci-fi fantasy but consider some China Miéville; Perdido St. Station is this wild Victorian-tech-with-magic dystopian fiction (and it's the first in a trilogy).
I almost always recommend Terry Pratchett to people but I think you might not enjoy it if high fantasy is what you're after. Still, it is packed with subtext and satire of real world events, people and places.
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is a wonderful start, I think.
Will Eisner - Comics and Sequential Art is highly recommended :
http://www.amazon.com/Comics-Sequential-Art-Principles-Instructional/dp/0393331261
It
This is great. Hands are such a pain to draw well and you've done a great job. The story is relatable to anyone who's been high and experienced how weird your body is if you really think about it. 10/10, would read again.
If you're serious about moving from single illustrations to sequential art there are a lot of books and sites out there to help.
Fundamentals
Scott McCloud
Will Eisner
Writing
Jim Zub
Coloring
K Michael Russell
These are just a few. This may not be a popular opinion here but bittorent is your friend. Use it to torrent Photoshop, Manga Studio, and any drawing books you're interested in. Then you need to ask yourself what your end goal is. Printed comics? Web comics?
I've changed my workflow from originally doing everything with paper and pens to involving more digital elements during the process. It's made working quicker and most people want to consume comics on their laptop or tablet which means you'll end up converting to digital at some point in the future anyway.
Here's some examples of my stuff. I'm still learning so there's a lot here I'm embarrassed to show but it might be helpful context.
Web comic done with pencils and inks on paper then scanned. I did this for a year and you can see how much better my art gets towards the end from practicing every day. I wish I would have kept it up.
First try coloring something digitally.
Here's the second try doing a longer format comic. K Michael Russell's videos are awesome for learning the basics of coloring. Here's what the layers look like broken apart.
You can get a scanner relatively cheap, here's the one I use. The downside of a small scanner means you need to draw on paper smaller than 11x17 or draw on large paper and scan it in piece by piece.
I also moved to a Wacom tablet for inking/coloring. My next comic will be posted soon and was done 100% digital. I'm not in love with how it turned out but it helped me learn what you and can and can't do on a drawing tablet.
Hopefully some of this is helpful.
Is it Maus?
Great graphic novel i read when i was younger
Not sure you're going to find anything better than Watchmen. However here are a few thoughts...
I heard today that all good stories should ask the question "who am I"? All 4 stories I have recommended do that.
Also, Maus, not as old as American Splendor, but a terrific read
http://www.amazon.com/Maus-Survivors-Father-Bleeds-History/dp/0394747232
James Gurney made a book about how he created the Dinotopia art. He's also a really nice guy in person, and if you get him to sign your book he'll doodle a dinosaur in it.
OK, I get asked this type of question a lot so I have some pre-fab answers for you:
>Someone asked me about teaching yourself art (which is the way I learned) I thought I would share my replay in case It might be helpful to some of you.
>Fundamentals (walk before you run):
>How to draw http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933492732/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1 $30
Figure drawing for all its worth http://www.amazon.com/Figure-Drawing-All-Its-Worth/dp/0857680986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1401411454&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=figure+drawing+for+all+it%27s+worth $25
Color and Light (this book blew my mind) http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1401411299&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=color+and+light $15
Imaginative Realism http://www.amazon.com/Imaginative-Realism-Paint-Doesnt-Exist/dp/0740785508/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y $15
>Digital Painting:
>Digital Painting Techniques 1 – 6 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=digital+painting+techniques+&amp;rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Adigital+painting+techniques+ About $35 each = $210 total
>Also pick up some art books for games like Halo or Assassin’s Creed. There’s lots of great concept work in there to give you an idea of what to pros do.
>Visual design:
>Picture This (a very simple explanation on how all the components of a scene can tell a story) http://www.amazon.com/Picture-This-How-Pictures-Work/dp/1587170302/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1401412344&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=picture+this $15
Essentials of Visual Communication (A detailed breakdown on how the human brain consumes an image and how you can use this knowledge to best communicate your ideas) http://www.amazon.com/Essentials-Visual-Communication-Bo-Bergström/dp/1856695778/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1401412394&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Essentials+of+Visual+Communication $30
>Structured Education:
>Digital Tutors (Perfect for learning a program) http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/index.php $50 a month or $515 a year
Ctrl+Paint http://www.ctrlpaint.com/ Free
CGMaster Academy https://www.youtube.com/user/CGMWORKSHOPS/videos?view=0&amp;flow=grid
>Also I wrote on my blog “Become a better Artist Overnight” http://garretaj.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-become-better-artist-overnight.html where I take you through tried and true techniques on how to do focused learning revolving your sleep pattern. This is the way I did it (and still do it)
>Communities a must for getting feedback and ideas:
>http://conceptartworld.com/
>http://www.artstation.com/
>https://www.facebook.com/groups/400586640025350/
>https://www.facebook.com/groups/221278101324638/
>https://www.facebook.com/groups/awesomehorse/
>The final thing is you. You have to really want this, it’s not easy. Don’t buy this stuff or go to an expensive art school because you think it’s some kind of shortcut. The focus here is not becoming a good artist, but becoming a good student. Learn how to learn effectively, learn how to love learning, bust your ass, and always work on improving yourself.
>Do that and nothing can stop you. Or don’t.
Hope this helps
I started this one as a gag on facebook when I was running a kickstarter for a painting. https://seanstastny.com/ i did a bunch of little ads and jokes and designed a few stickers and things like that. enough people liked so I added it as a stretch goal and got a few made.
The company I ordered my patches from is https://www.thestudio.com/. I just sent them my designs and a month later patches, stickers and postcards show up on my doorstep. There are a quite a few PoD places that can do patches so get quotes if you are going to get them made to sell.
Design wise the patch is a riff on the NASA EVA mission patch. It is on all the space walk suits so I knew I wanted something that was similar. I had done the original drawing and shown it to a few people and some wondered what his legs looked like. So I decided to riff on the original patches influences and make my own Vitruvian Cthulu thing.
I think the thing to pay attention to most for a patch is the size and line weight of your drawing. Thread has a thickness that you have to pay attention to. so your design cant be crowded or over complicated. Some times its an advantage to have things jumbled together and sometimes it looks terrible. For example the NASA part of the suit is mostly unreadable at that size, but i wanted a splash of red in the center to tie the red bounding box into the drawing.
I dont know any books on patch design but for any image making that tells a story I highly recommend James Gurneys Imaginative Realism and Color and Light.
I think it's a bit difficult and unfair for me to comment based on one painting alone. Do you have any sketches (line drawing, preferably) of this painting, or anything that showcase what you can do so far? Almost everyone will suggest we start designing anything in line sketches, especially if learning, so I'm interested to see what you got :D
Edit: Since you're looking for advice on how to start, I'll just say a few things that might be able to help you start.
(1) Drawing, imo, is the very foundation of all art. I think before you start painting, you should start drawing first! Here are a few links that may help you start with drawing:
(2) I suggest you follow an art school's course outline so you can progress pretty well. Feng Zhu Design School has an outline that they use for their students to learn how to do concept art in 1 year (16 hours per day). You can also download a detailed version of what they offer in their course, then you can have an idea on what each component means.
(3) There are also a few books that would be really useful to you when learning how to draw and render. These are supposedly the best on the internet (I only have two, the first two books in the list) Here they are:
I think those are all I have for you now. I'm not in any way a professional artist (I'm currently studying Industrial Design), but I think the above things I've mentioned should prove useful to you. If you have any questions, you can send me a PM :D Work hard and practise every day!
Only 5~ months ago did I decide to get serious about improving my art in my free time. For most of my life I only doodled occasionally. So I thought I would describe my plan of action with books and resources that I will likely be using. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My process will be basics of construction-> perspective -> figure drawing -> digital art and rendering. Approximately 45% will be improving, 45% will be doing what I want for fun and 10% will be a daily sketch(this subreddit) that takes anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to complete. for fun I will be doing anything from digital to water color.
Construction and perspective: First I am starting my art journey by completing draw a box . Next I will go through Marshall Vandruff's Linear Perspective Videos and Perspective Made Easy simultaneously while referencing with how to draw by Scott Robertson. Briefly I will gloss at Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain or keys to drawing pulling ideas of where I might find weakness.
Figure drawing: Once those are finished, I will begin my figure drawing phase. I will move onto free proko subsided with loomis books such as this, other photo references sites like http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en and Figure Drawing: Design and Invention. I will also reference Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist and maybe more depending on my budget.
digital art and rendering: For the final stage of my journey, I will venture into ctrlpaint. Simultaneously I will be reading How to Render, Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter
After that.... I don't know. We will see were I am in a year.
15 cm.
https://www.amazon.com/Gnomes-Wil-Huygen/dp/0810909650/
I distinctly remember it being a section of this book http://www.amazon.com/Gnomes-Wil-Huygen/dp/0810909650
They totally freaked me out, and that's where that illustration is from
Gnomes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810909650?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Scholastic dinosaur encycloped
Ok so I might be really off, but I read a book about gnomes and I think it had something about confusing cats in it. It’s called “gnomes” by Wil Huygen and it more of a book about gnomes in general. It’s a Really large book with great detail. gnomes by Wil Huygen
Let me know if this helps!
Check out the "Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia" series. These are fascinating tattoos that tell the stories of the people covered in them, so it's a look at some really nice tattoo work and a view into a rarely seen world. It's a well bound, well art directed book that looks nice on a shelf or a coffee table. There are also other volumes in the series so your friend can add to their collection if they want, or just enjoy the first one.
Here's an Amazon link so you can see cost and cover art:
http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Criminal-Tattoo-Encyclopaedia-I/dp/0955862078/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411775129&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=russian+tattoos
[This encyclopedia on Russian Prison tattoos.] (Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I by Damon Murray et al. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0955862078/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_glfmtb0CY1XDF) I am a little obsessed win Russia and I love tattoos. It's a very niche item.
I've never gotten an opportunity to play a good April fools prank. If I could, I'd probably do something silly, but I don't know what. (I'm not very clever...) probably something like wrap their stuff in goofy wrapping paper or cover their car in plastic wrap. I don't know...
Story or fact about me? Ummmm...I used to hide food in my cheeks when I was little like a chipmunk.
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-The-Tattoo-R-Klanten/dp/3899554426/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1398737634&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=tattoo+gestalten
http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Criminal-Tattoo-Encyclopaedia-Volume/dp/0955862078/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1V5WZKHAXJRCDY01GV56
Milton Zeis, tattooing as you like it (Yellow Beak Press) is great but hard to find. Yellow Beak has a couple other cool books but I think mostly out of print.
In my experience the best books are small-run publications put out by individual artists. For example, State of Grace shop puts out a lot of cool books that you wont find on amazon or in stores : https://www.stateofgracetattoo.com/product/
I bought my copies on Amazon (link to the first volume), but I've also seen copies rarely at indie book stores and comic book shops. Hope this helps!
David Goodis: Five Noir Novels of the 1940s and 50s
Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I
Universe Down to Earth by Neil de Grasse Tyson
Walt Disney Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vols. 1 & 2 Gift Box Set
To everyone interested in this thread:
A few years back for a reddit gift exchange, my giftee got me the first book in THIS series - RUSSIAN CRIMINAL TATTOO.
It is really cool and very unique and DEFINITELY worthwhile for anyone who looked through the imgur link and wanted more.
I know how you feel, it’s really difficult to put yourself out there. Creations are intimate expressions of the self. Erykah badus quote “Now keep in mind that I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit” always reminds me that sensitivities ARE vulnerabilities. You are being vulnerable. You have to give yourself the credit where it’s due. I think the issue is fear like how you say you’re terrified- fear of rejection, fear of being misinderstood, fear of the feeling of exposure. The book I linked might help you. Your analysis of yourself is great, but also too harsh. One thing that you can change and that you do have control over with enough discipline are your thoughts. Get out of your head, as lame as that sounds. Really though, no one can do it but you. Positive thinking practices will help you, whether it’s clearing your thoughts through meditation or exercise, positive affirmations, or just really shutting your pervasive and invasive thoughts down. Use that strong mental energy you have that you’re using against yourself and put it into your work and what you love.
another thing I would add to your chart though is it having your moon in the tenth house. Something more for you to research and reflect on. When you’re in the public eye, you can get emotional, negative or positive emotions. There are ways around this. There are many artists who stay in the background and let their work speak for themselves. I know a big part of being an artist in a way is selling yourself, but really the people you need to sell yourself to are the people who are going to display your work. You can still be your low key public version of yourself in the art world and have your work shine.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
there's a book that may interest you called "art and fear." i like to listen to the audio sometimes when i'm not motivated to draw.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1511550560&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=art+and+fear
I am going to art school and have been drawing and painting for a few years now. I offer up a few suggestions, mostly things that helped me starting out. I run the risk of sounding like a know-it-all or a snob, but I'm just hoping to offer up what little things I've learned along the way. I don't claim to be an accomplished artist, but just someone who was where you were once, and took similar advice from people who had been doing it longer than me. I hope to humbly pass on some of the things that were passed on to me.
I mostly use oils, but the startup for oils is a little more expensive. I would consider trying them out sometime, because they offer a little more freedom in what you can do with them, but you don't need them to learn to paint. You can mimic a lot of these capabilities with acrylics. With oils, you mix the paint with medium to adjust the viscosity of the paint. You can paint thick, chunky strokes, or have nice smooth flowing strokes, just by how much medium you add. Acrylic is water based, so try adding some water as you paint to adjust the viscosity, it will give you more control and more options. I'd suggest going to an auto parts store and getting a little oil squirter can, (yes, like the tin man had) and you can squirt small amounts of water on your pallet next to each puddle of paint and mix it in with your brush as you apply it. Less messy that way. (I think other people have mentioned this, they've got the right idea.)
Another thing that gives oils an advantage is working time. They take an incredibly long time to dry, which gives you lots of time to work in transitions and shadows while the paint is still wet. To achieve this with acrylics, which have a relatively fast dry time, try using some retarder in your paint. It's a clear, gel like substance that when mixed with the paint, helps keep it from drying, without changing the color or consistency. This gives you more freedom to work, and keeps you from being restricted by time (as much). You might be able to get it at a big box art store, but I recommend finding a smaller, locally owned one. People tend to know their shit in the smaller, local kinds of stores, and will be more helpful at answering questions, and have a better selection.
Another piece of advice I'd give is to learn a little bit of color theory, and practice mixing colors. My professor always said that you should never use a color straight from the tube, because chances are it wasn't really the color you need, and that if you look closer, the color you really want is a mix of a few things you have. He used to say "You think that winsor newton knew exactly what color you needed there?". It mostly just helps you look and see more specifically. 80% of painting is seeing more specifically, and getting your hand, brain, and eye to work as a unit. The book "Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green" Is one of the better books on color theory and mixing with paint. Check it out. You can practice by finding something, and trying to mix that exact color, holding them side by side to test it. You'll find often that 3, 4, maybe 5 different tube colors mix to make the one color you need. Being able to mix any color you want will open doors for you and let you have more options.
Also, try painting on large canvases/paper. Giving yourself more room to work is a big thing that helped me starting out. I was still gaining control over the paint and brush, and bigger space made it easier to hone those skills and fit more detail in. You can make your own canvases for a fraction of the store bought price, message me if you're interested in that, I could write up a quick how to.
I think you're going to notice yourself improve greatly over time, you'll gain control over your brush, the paint, and then anything's possible. I think you've already got a good eye for things, and this painting looks pretty good, damn good for a 3rd painting. My third painting was in black and white (hadn't even ventured into color yet) and it was a sloppy mess. You've got strong compositional lines here, nice color choices, and a good sense of depth. It looks like you're trying out a little bit of an impressionist style, which is good. Find awesome paintings/painters, and learn from them by imitating. Once you've imitated some of the things they do, you'll have learned a little more and will be able to find what you want to do.
Most of all, practice a lot. Hope this is encouraging, if you like it, keep at it. Also, another must read is "Art and Fear" Good luck!
>I'm also pretty jealous when I see photographers local to me getting paid gigs, exposure and kudos for what I think are terrible photos. These are ok photos to the untrained eye (most of the time), but when I see a photo that hasn't been straightened, is over saturated or is just someone playing with the clarity slider just because they can, it just makes me a little angry.
This is why I tell people not to waste money on an "art education." The reality of the photo industry these days is that very little about success comes from your ability to create good photographs. It's an extremely frustrating characteristic of the beast that is the Photo Industry.
There will always be people out there who are better at networking and convincing others to spend money on them.
I once had a friend get very angry with me for suggesting how lucky he was to be earning 100k a year at the age of 25 in the NYC photo industry. He said it was all hard work. Bottom line is there are thousands of people who work VERY hard and are VERY good at what they do, and they will still never "make it" in the industry. It's not an assessment of your worth, skills, talent, or drive. It is simply the nature of the beast.
RE: Your creative rut...
Don't be afraid to switch gears. Take time off and avoid photography. Or dramatically switch subjects. I'm sure everyone here has been burnt out before. That is when I started landscape photography, and hiking. After about a year of not doing "real photography" I am now scheduling shoots with dancers left and right. Back at it with a vengeance, you could say.
You may also enjoy reading the following two books, which my old photo professor gave everyone in my glass upon graduating.
Creative Authenticity
Art and Fear
I could elaborate in depth on any of the things mention here, but I shant bore you. There are already too many comments to go through.
>You have no idea.
I have every idea. Everyone goes through this in art. Every. One. There is a wonderful book out there called Art & Fear which goes over... Art and Fear. It is short, an easy read, and really quite helpful for learning how we approach art and what this does and the role fear plays. If you've got a library card or $10 I really recommend it.
It does you no good to try and get things perfect the very first time. They won't be. Accept mistakes as a foundation for the future. Look at the undersketch guide and play around with seeking marks out. A clean piece of paper means nothing as far as learning art goes.
Art and Fear
The Art Spirit
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The Hatred of Music
Seriously, get that book. It's much better than my paltry words. I bet it's highly likely that you will end up like me: I'm on my 10th or so copy, as I've kept giving away mine to whomever has expressed artistsic doubt and just getting a new one. Most of the folks I've given it to have followed the same practice. It really helps.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
Read these:
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
http://www.amazon.com/The-War-Art-Through-Creative/dp/0446691437
Not a traditional book, but the graphic novel Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon might be exactly what you're looking for.
this is completely out of the rules so I guess I'm not really entering because it's twice the price you're looking for but I want you/people to see this haha tetris light it is so cool, you can move the pieces around...adfjaidhfadhd
something in the price range: Daytripper one of my favorite graphic novels ever, it is gorgeous and beautiful and intelligent and I wish I had a copy of my own. :) Also: the wifred costume in your wishlist...holy hell, I wish I was rich so I could buy that for you and I could be ryan (the girl version) and you could follow me around and destroy my life.
This is what you want. A little over $15, but I promise, it's worth it.
http://www.amazon.com/Daytripper-Gabriel-Ba/dp/1401229697
I used to spend hours looking at Masters of Deception - it's a collection of optical-illusion art/artists, and a great coffee table book.
It also depends on what's important to you. I like heavy charaterization, surprises in plot, great art and not knowing if the end will be happy or not. Life isn't all roses, so I don't want everything I read to be all happy happy joy joy.
series:
Locke and Key - my current fav - some horror
Stangers in Paradise - fun and serious drama
Irredeemable - disturbing
One book: Daytripper thoughtful
The Pro - funny
Two-Step - funny
No Hero - a bit disturbing
...then may I suggest a wonderful book called Masters of Deception?
I remember getting a book several years ago that was full of optical illusions and had several of these paintings in them. Good stuff!
Edit: This was the book!
If you like this, I highly recommend this book.
This coffee table book is awesome. Tons of great artists, different mediums. One of my favorites.
OH! I absolutely adore art books ( specially fantasy/concept art ). That does seem like the perfect place to start!
Link for the curious - http://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X
Your best bet would be to pick up The Art of Magic: Zendikar book when it's released next month: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/announcing-art-magic-gathering-zendikar-2015-08-31 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X
Amazon has them.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Zendikar/dp/142158249X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453452403&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=art+of+zendikar
Look at this one. Has some customer images in the comments as a first impression.
Huge MtG art fan and thought about getting my fingers on one of these as well. :)
Hmm. It was never in a Magic Story chapter, and we've got nothing on the MTG Wiki. Unless there's a mention in the Innistrad art book, I doubt there's anything at all.
https://mtg.gamepedia.com/The_Art_of_Magic:_The_Gathering_-_Innistrad
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Magic-Gathering-Innistrad/dp/1421587807
Release date of July 5 according to Amazon.
The Magic Art books seem to have lore interspersed but I think my wife would hit me if I brought them home. If only they were available via PDF.
Here is the mobile version of your link
You are missing This and This
I completely agree.
Also, the BOTW concept art from the upcoming Art & Artifacts book looks like it was based on WW. With those eyes, Link almost looks almost like a grown up WW Link…
Amazon. It's where I got my hat, among other LoZ items.
I guess you can say I'm a bit of a fan. If I had more money, I would buy from Gametee as well.
http://smile.amazon.com/The-Cultural-Cold-War-Letters/dp/1565846648/ref=smi_www_rcolv2_go_smi?_encoding=UTF8&amp;*Version*=1&amp;*entries*=0
Yes the book CIA World of Arts and Letters details this. Author Frances Stoner Saunders.
https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Cold-War-World-Letters/dp/1565846648
http://fpif.org/why-doesnt-the-foreign-policy-establishment-take-world-peace-seriously/
>For international affairs graduates, challenging such consensus views puts access to senior government jobs at risk. An academic at a prominent university whom I interviewed in preparation for this essay quickly grasped where I was heading and confided that “it is impossible to make a career in this field with an alternative view; it is not by chance that alternative views come from people educated in other disciplines, like linguistics for Noam Chomsky or law for Richard Falk
>Take Iran, for instance. Although the debate over the nuclear deal is heated, it revolves around technicalities such as verification protocol or the feasibility of air strikes. Very few people in the establishment challenge the threat to use force if Iran reneges on the deal. No one questions whether Iran should be considered an enemy in the first place."
Historically, the sort of think tanks and donors who fund the likes of Jeffrey Lewis were just PR fronts for the CIA to promote propaganda. This is very well documented:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Cultural-Cold-War-Letters/dp/1565846648
Needless to say people who challenge the conventional wisdom don't get a Ford Foundation-type grant and the NY Times doesn't come knocking on their door regularly. They're the "internet trolls" that Jeffrey dismisses, even though they may be better qualified than he is to opine on nuclear weapons -- people like Robert Kelley.
These "experts" are just there to sell the govt policy
> sheeple downvotes?
credibility waning
> highly paid computer exec wants sex with a young girl.Now if that is a surprise to you then you need to get out more
Ok now you proved you work for the US government. j/k
Most IT people are not pedoperverts. In fact most people aren't. There is a disproportional number of pedo perverts in the following industries: government, high level sports coaches, police, intelligence, high level politics, clergy. See a trend? Silicon valley entrepreneurs have their pick at the clubs and don't need to rape children or troll high schools.
If you don't understand that 'fake news' is a way to censor any and all news they don't like, then you really don't understand what's happening and who is really in control of the media so you need to do your homework and study up on this.
Here, these tools will help you
You essentially described a modern take on the CIA's Cultural warfare against the USSR - which incidentally is responsible for everything Putin does.
This is a good start, but a red flag.
Focus on the Saudi / Qatari funding - we're talking domestic terrorism and sleeper agents.
There’s a whole book of this stuff
https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
he also has a book called DR Seuss Goes To War.
It's that artwork of his we've all gotten to know growing up. But its all anti Nazi and Japan stuff.
Also (if I remember right) there's a lot about some of the more well known Americans who didn't want to get involved in the war earlier.
EDIT: http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
Very interesting book to read.
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1292140945&amp;sr=8-2
For a darker take on the good Doctor...
Dr. Seuss Goes to War.
All of his WWII cartoons. Makes for a great coffee table book. Have it next to XKCD Volume 0 in my office.
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Seuss-Goes-War-Editorial/dp/1565847040
He did anti Axis powers cartoons too, this is a book of them, it's pretty neat.
Hah...links to the actual books for the curious: http://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Cats-Paint-Theory-Aesthetics/dp/0898156122/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
Shit! They were missing "Dancing with cats" http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Cats-Creators-International-Seller/dp/0811824152/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z
From the book "Why Paint Cats".
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Paint-Cats-Ethics-Aesthetics/dp/1580082718
I own it. The book is an amazing treasure trove of WTF an ludicrous art theory.
according to this book, painting cats is something people do
Immediately thought of this book.
Relevant book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1580082718/ref=pd_aw_sims_1?pi=SL500_SY115&amp;simLd=1
The book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580082718/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Here are some general book recommendations:
https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Typographic-Style-Robert-Bringhurst/dp/0881791326?ie=UTF8&amp;*Version*=1&amp;*entries*=0
AND
https://www.amazon.com/Grid-Systems-Graphic-Design-Communication/dp/3721201450?ie=UTF8&amp;*Version*=1&amp;*entries*=0
OR
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=NTZ6D5W49YDT8ABS9XXH
If you have "a large amount of time and experience under [your] belt with graphic design," I'm curious as to how you've never learned about bleeds, color spaces, and typography? They're fairly fundamental. You're also going to need to learn more than Photoshop. If you want to seriously do print design, you're going to need to know indesign and illustrator as well.
The Elements of Typographic Style
Thinking with Type
Making and Breaking the Grid
Stuff like color spaces and bleeds I learned in design school. I'm not sure if there would be books that cover it because it's so basic. You're probably better off finding out about that kind of stuff online...or going to school to study graphic design.
Here's a basic explanation:
Bleeds: When you print a document commercially, if you want images to go all the way up to the edge of the page (bleed), you need to set up your files properly. If you're printing a document with "bleed," you're printing a size that's actually larger than the final product will be, then trimming off the excess. This ensures that you don't end up with little white edges on your paper where the trim wasn't exactly precise. The industry standard for bleed is .125 inches, though if you're using a lower quality printer, you may want to use more.
Color spaces: Light has three primary colors: Red, Green, and Blue. Therefore, devices which process light (such as digital cameras, smart-phone displays, computer monitors, etc) do so in RGB. If you are creating a file that is going to be consumed digitally, you're going to want to set it up in RGB.
Printers interpret color in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key [Black]). They do this by breaking images down into halftone screens, which are in essence a configuration of dots of CMYK. From a distance, our eyes perceive these dots as a wide range of colors. If you are setting up a file that you intend on printing, it should be in CMYK.
There were a few books that were reccomended as staples in my Design degree.
History of Design
How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul
Making and Breaking the Grid
...and there was one caled 'Type' that I can't seem to remember the author of.
Basics Design: Layout
Basics Design: Typography
Basics Design: Design Thinking
Basics Design: Image
Basics Design: Colour
Basics Design: Grids
Thinking With Type
Making and Breaking the Grid
Grid Systems Principles
The next few aren't so much technique books but are good reads.
Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design
Damn Good Advice: For People With Talent
The Vignelli Canon
It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be
Sorry for the late reply.
Here is a short list of books I keep around for reference (some better than others).
http://www.amazon.com/Forms-Folds-Sizes-Details-Designers/dp/1592530540
http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418263515&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=ellen+lupton+thinking+with+type
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418263563&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=breaking+the+grid
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Workshop-Challenges-Sharpen-Design/dp/1600617972/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418263563&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=breaking+the+grid
http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Creative-Design-Second/dp/2940411611/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418263761&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=The+Fundamentals+of+Creative+Design
For HTML, CSS, and Javascript, the O'Reilly series of books is a good teacher / skill sharpener.
See if your boss will spring for a subscription to Lynda.com. There are just bazillions of things in there that can not only teach you, but provide exercises and practical lessons. I can't commend this highly enough.
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253
https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Type-2nd-revised-expanded/dp/1568989695/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1480520404&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=ellen+lupton
I always recommend these two. They aren't going to tell you how to design a newpaper, but it will explain structure and how grids, hierarchy, content and information work together in composition.
La design nu pot sa zic ca ma pricep prea tare, dar domeniul ma preocupa din ce in ce mai mult. Thinking with type si The Elements of Typographic Style, The Design of Everyday Things, Grid Systems in Graphic Design, Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop si Don't Make Me Think sunt cartile care mi-au placut/din care am invatat cel mai mult, dar sunt clasice asa ca banuiesc ca stii de ele.
Grab yourself a copy of one (or all) of the following:
And just practice, practice, practice. Keep making revisions and keep critically looking at your work. Don't give up!
I think they're publishing the book here in the US starting sometime this year. I'll see if I can dig up the amazon link.
Fake edit: Yerp: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-Works-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1371445625&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=dark+souls
And here it is on Amazong.co.uk for UK and Ireland.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Souls-Design-From-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1370376008&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=dark+souls+design+works
If you have a lot a lot of money, figure out a way to import the trilogy edition of the Dark Souls remaster from Japan. I think it may only be for PS4 but it comes with all the games and a lot of great goodies. Otherwise if money is tighter there are some amazing Art Books (design works) you can buy online. Dark Souls 1 to 3 (3 comes out in August) with some absolutely stunning artwork from the game.
Some other neat ideas if he does not already have them would be the Dark Souls 2 & 3 Collectors Edition. Now these do break the bank at around $200-300 a piece (I think you can buy both for $400 USD combined) but the statues they come with are absolutely beautiful.
well what i really want would be these joycons for my nintendo switch since my other ones broke and i have had to keep the poor thing in docked mode permanently :(
xD those are expensive though so i will be more realistic, i would really like this design works book for my favourite video game dark souls, i love game design and interviews and have always wanted to own this
nice collection! I've been hunting the demon's souls and dark souls collector editions for a bit now without much luck. Anyway demon's souls and dark souls are my favorite also. Have you pre-ordered the limited edition dark souls art book yet? http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Souls-Design-Works-Software/dp/1926778898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1375359522&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=dark+souls+art+book
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NAxmmgG5S94/UMtKcA4OYNI/AAAAAAAACEM/9twpzSOuJp0/s1600/kosemen%2Bstego.jpg
That's from a really cool book about the limitations of paleo-reconstructive art called All Yesterdays.
OP: Have a read of the book "All Yesterdays". A fascinating read on this topic IMO.
Not a subreddit, but this 'speculative paleoart' is pretty much defined by All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (which your article actually references at the bottom).
There's also an awesome 99% Invisible podcast about All Yesterdays that you should definitely check out!
The image is from a book called All Yesterdays. Some of the authors' associates have posted it on their blog, so hopefully it's ok for me to post it here. The artist himself is C.M. Kosemen, more of his work can be seen here and here. The other 2 authors are Darren Naish, author of the fabulous Tetrapod Zoology blog and John Conway, his paleoart is pretty good.
If anyone's keen on diving into the game further, there's a REALLY interesting short ebook called "Killing is Harmless" which is an in depth critical reading of the game https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Harmless-Critical-Reading-Spec-ebook/dp/B00B9P2WP6
You'd enjoy reading the one critical book I know on the topic of video game narratives, "Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line".
The two most interesting books I've read on video games have been Tristan Donovan's fascinating history of the medium, "Replay: The History of Video Games". It is a very in-depth history that gets down into a lot of nitty gritty stuff about the birth of video games and stays very in-depth up until about the late 90s when it starts to go big picture. Still a great read.
If you're looking for something that's more of a critical piece, I'd suggest Brendan Keogh's close reading of Spec Ops: The Line, "Killing is Harmless". It's an incredible way to enhance your playthrough of what is already an incredibly emotional game. Keogh breaks down everything from the allusions to literature and film to the significance of scripted events in the game. The only advice I have is if you haven't played the game before and you try and read along as you play the game you do get hit with some spoilers as Keogh assumes you've finished the game when you're reading the book. Still def worth your time though.
Glad you mentioned that MGS 2 analysis, totally wanted to bring it up myself having read it recently. That same site's MGS 4 analysis could be worth a read too. While by no means the only games to inspire interesting analysis, MGS 2 and MGS 4 in particular have inspired some interesting writings because various people felt that those games' stories were (if you were paying attention) clearly antagonistic towards the player's expectations.
"Killing is Harmless", an ebook entirely about Spec Ops: The Line, could also be worthy of consideration.
Not to derail from this particular discussion, but if you're at all interested in Spec Ops: The Line, check out "Killing is Harmless" by Brendan Keogh. You can find some great excerpts from Google.
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Harmless-Critical-Reading-Spec-ebook/dp/B00B9P2WP6
Yager did this in almost everything, there is actual character progression through the game. The squad actually looks physically beat up, the executions become more brutal, and walker's dialogue becomes more aggressive and unhinged...or more like a Gears of War character's dialogue...
I'll go ahead and leave a plug here for Killing is Harmless, easily worth the $5 if only because it is such a unique piece of game writing.
Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
http://www.amazon.com/Daytripper-Gabriel-Ba/dp/1401229697
It doesn't seem like many people are paying attention to 1337_n00b's clarification comment, so I guess I'll write about it a bit.
For a while I'd buy little self-published books, particularly after visiting some shops in Montreal and enjoying their local work. I would try to hit a couple good comic stores every time I visit a new city, which lead to some good stuff and a lot of bad stuff.
What killed it for me was having a friend bring me some local comics back from Dublin. They were just terrible, worse than most webcomics you decide not to read after being interested in their banner ads. They left such a bad taste in my mouth that I was discouraged from exploring local stuff anymore.
The last closest book I picked up to an indie was Justin Madson's Breathers. I don't know if it counts though, since it was a webcomic first, and it got a pile of publicity for years before the trade was released. At least it's self-published? It was pretty good, but I can think of five more popular books that cost less and are better off the top of my head.
Are you thinking of Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba?
http://www.amazon.com/Daytripper-Gabriel-Ba/dp/1401229697
Sup LazyJ507. It looks like nobody's really given you any tips yet, so I'll try, and see if this helps at all.
Work on drawing.
By that I mean draw from life. Often. Get a sketchbook and go out and draw a whole lot. Draw your family, your friends, your classmates, etc. Studying anatomy helps a lot! The real meat for drawing figures is in learning what things are SUPPOSED to look like. Try to find some life drawing classes.
Read a lot.
And by this I mean reading lots of comics. Read lots of comics and read lots of books about comics. See what you like and try to emulate--NOT COPY-- things that you think are awesome. I recommend checking out Scott McCloud's Making Comics and Understanding Comics. Also, check out Will Eisner's books: Comics And Sequential Art, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative and Expressive Anatomy have helped me tons. It's awesome seeing professionals in the comics world give you tips and visuals that help you learn. Also, read novels, watch cartoons, watch movies, play video games. Find the aspects that you like about each and see how you can connect that to making comics. Comics are a pretty limitless medium.
As for this comic specifically, work on size, spacing, lettering, panel layouts, and black-and-white balance. And maybe comedic timing, but that's more in the writing area.
I can't really think of any more tips, but if you're wondering about anything else, go ahead and ask.
(i'm a sequential arts student a bluh bluh bluh)
I recieved this book as a gift and found it to be incredibly helpful. If you're looking for a really thorough rundown of the entire process, I definitely recommend it.
This website is based off of Scott McCloud's facial expression explanation from his book Making Comics and seems to be what you are looking for. It doesn't give you the words, but it can help you visualize your character's emotions and give your own spin to describing them. I hope this helps!
[Making Comics by Scott McCloud!] (https://www.amazon.com/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)
The best book on how comics work, for my money, is Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. That would be followed up by Making Comics from the same author. It's a little theory-heavy but it's amazing. I'd say it's good for 14 and up, or maybe a little younger. This would get him a fantastic background in how comics work and how to create them in general. The first book is literally used as a textbook in some college "Comics Appreciation" type classes. The coolest thing about it is that it's a comic itself, and it demonstrates the things it's talking about right there on the page.
If he's younger, and/or he really just wants to learn to draw superheroes, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is really good on the fundamentals. It's old-school (most inkers don't use a brush anymore, they use computers), but the fundamentals haven't changed all that much.
Here's a more modern one from DC that looks pretty good and has good reviews, though I haven't read it.
You might find this interesting... Should help a LOT in story boarding
http://www.amazon.ca/Making-Comics-Storytelling-Secrets-Graphic/dp/0060780940
Take one Making Comics by Scott McCloud and call me in the morning.
Perdido Street Station - it seems like Mieville is a love or hate author (or maybe each book is love/hate), but I haven't seen anything with more inventiveness per page than the world he builds in this novel, which is the first of three (nonsequential) novels set in the same world. Really, he'll throw out some stuff kind of casually in a paragraph - or even a single sentence! - that makes me hunger for an entire book to explore it. Give it a shot!
If you're looking for some books to help you with figures or comics in general, I'd highly recommend the following:
Scott McCloud is one of the standards, definitely start there! Here's a list of some of the more granular/weird ones that are on my shelves:
Will Eisner also has some good advice.
Yep. 1986, in fact.
Though, it actually started out in a serialized format 16 years prior, too.
Maus is the best Holocaust "book" I've ever read. It's actually a graphic novel, but it's a lot more insightful than most traditional books I've read on the subject.
I bought Maus: A Survivor's Tale 1/5/2007.
Not really a non-fiction book, more of a biographical/memoir/graphic novel, but still interesting and worthwhile: Maus I and Maus II.
(Author interviews his jewish father about his experiences before, during and after WWII and re-tells the story using animals symbolically. For example: Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis are depicted as cats.)
Those Comic book writers/artists voiced themselves!
EDIT: Might as well.
http://smile.amazon.com/Maus-Survivors-Father-Bleeds-History/dp/0394747232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409368330&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=maus
http://smile.amazon.com/Watchmen-ALAN-MOORE-ebook/dp/B005CRQ2IU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409368297&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=watchmen+graphic+novel
http://smile.amazon.com/Ghost-World-Daniel-Clowes/dp/1560974273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409368319&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=ghost+world
Maus, Fax from Sarajevo, Persepolis, A Contract with God: And Other Tenement Stories.
Ever read Maus? Utterly gripping drama in the form of comic where all the characters are innocent-looking cartoon animals. I haven't read anything by this guy, but I did read a comic about a Palestinian being interrogated in Israel that was really good.
http://amzn.com/0394747232
Drawing on the right side of the brain is a good start, there's a reason people keep on recommending it for you!
Andrew Loomis's books is also good (all free there in digital form)
Constructive Anatomy by George Bridgeman
Imaginative realism by James Gurney more about painting and finishing, better for more advanced stuff.
Other than that, just draw things! Just anything and everything, it will help!
This is looking really good! Keep it up!
I highly recommend you check out these books... they are something I wish I had read (or been available) when I was your age.
1)Color and Light: A guide for the realist painter
2)Imaginative Realism
These two books do a really good job of explaining some practical 'rules' for painting. You do not always have to follow them, but you should for sure know them and learn them.
3)Dynamic Light and Shade
This is just a book that is full of really great black and white drawings that that show how much can be expressed without any color. It is a great book to study from and to try copying images from.
I'm late to the party, but I made a cheat sheet for my boss niece last week: here's all the ressources I can think of to kick butts at matte painting.
The sites where we pay per month
Gnomon Online School
Super school of vfx in California. They have on their site a lot of tutorials from 8 to 20 hours to learn to make your own camera projections. You can either pay (expensive but worth it) for a private class with a teacher via Skype. Or you pay (cheaper) for a bank of tutorials.
private lessons
https://www.gnomon.edu/courses/online
the bank of tutorials
https://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/tutorials?tags[]=matte-painting
I recommend: All the tutorials of Dylan Cole (vol 1, 2,3), Camera Projection Techniques in Maya, Matte Painting Production techniques, etc.
Plural Sight (formerly Digital Tutors)
a site that has courses on a little everything. This site is very good when you want to learn new programs. Excellent serie on the 3D which becomes more and more present in the matte painting, and some tutorials
https://app.pluralsight.com/library/
related to 3D
Quick start to modeling in Maya (volume 1,2,3)
Professional Tips for Modeling Complex Shapes
related to matte painting
Photo manipulation and Clean Plating Fundamentals
Matte Painting Basic and the Static Camera Shot
Sites where we pay per tutorial (Gumroad, etc.)
The tutorials of Anthony Eftekhari
Good DMP tutorials that show you the latest techniques and how to do it step by step.
https://gumroad.com/anthonye
The tutorials of Eytan Zana
More concept art, but the main lines apply just as well to the DMP.
https://gumroad.com/eytanzana
Free sites and tutorials
Garrett Fry's blog
He also has a Facebook group that helps each other in DMP, it is THE technical reference for matte painting. His blog is full of technical stuff for camera projections (aka moving your matte painting). A treasure of information.
https://www.gfryart.com/blog
Other
TEXTURES! (Or can we find good textures to make DMP)
CGtexture
http://www.textures.com
Flickr (Matte Painting References)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tjframe/sets/72157605581901392/
Flickr (Matte Painting Resources)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dman3d2000/sets/72157629164518650/
Photobash.org (paying a card)
https://www.photobash.org/
Pictures of Jacek Pilarski
https://gumroad.com/jacekpilarski
Books (yes yes, it's a thing)
Digital Matte Painter Handbook
it's old, the drawings are ugly, the photoshop stuff in it is pure candy though. Full of stuff in DMP that I have never seen elsewhere but that is the basis of the trade. Still actual today. The matte painting of the castle in is also an excellent starting point if you start from scratch.
https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Matte-Painting-Handbook/dp/0470922427/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1523975893&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Digital+Matte+Painting+Handbook
How to draw and How to Render
Scott Robertson, a big shot of concept art, shows the basics of traditional drawings, perspective, etc. An essential.
https://www.amazon.ca/How-Draw-sketching-environments-imagination/dp/1933492732/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=GWB27RDDYF5E0JG7TTY0
https://www.amazon.ca/How-Render-fundamentals-shadow-reflectivity/dp/1933492961/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=K9W1RK5K9KVWMPY14EAE
Imaginative Realism and Color and Light
James Gurney is an illustrator who specializes in realistic fantasy artwork with traditional mediums, excellent cues on light and color
https://www.amazon.ca/Imaginative-Realism-Paint-Doesnt-Exist/dp/0740785508?th=1&amp;psc=1&amp;source=googleshopping&amp;locale=en-CA&amp;tag=googcana-20&amp;ref=pd_sl_2y2j9az9y9_e
https://www.amazon.ca/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=YCNYYJCTNJ4405KD1S6B
Nuke 101
We can make the projection of matte painting in Nuke or Maya. An excellent book for Nuke.
https://www.amazon.ca/Nuke-101-Professional-Compositing-Effects/dp/0321984129/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=FNST5YS1F7464SZY3QZV
James Gurney's books are great. There's a couple ugly links for you.
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719
http://www.amazon.com/Imaginative-Realism-Paint-Doesnt-Exist/dp/0740785508/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=010WGMHA6E5MNR6W03RW
Following artists on facebook has helped me more than anything. Well not more than putting in the time and effort to improve of course. Anyway, professionals are always posting advice and links to valuable resources. Its worth looking for artists that you like and seeing what their process is and how they solve artistic problems.
If you've got the time and resources to spare, try making maquettes. You can get modeling clay fairly cheap, and it can be incredibly helpful to throw together a quick maquette, chuck it under a lamp, and see what happens with the light.
If you want a great pair of books on light and form by a master painter, check out James Gurney's Color and Light and Imaginative Realism. His blog is worth a read as well, it's always informative and interesting.
If you want a more technical approach to lighting, How to Render is a fantastic technical examination of how light behaves on various surfaces. The associated How to Draw is an excellent technical book on perspective. Both are a bit dry and clinical, but quite excellent.
Anything by Andrew Loomis is also well worth picking up.
This [Gnomes](Gnomes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0810909650/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8.MHybXM2GCAF) ?
Reminded me of this book. It's probably from it. I loved this book as a kid.
Pretty sure you are looking for Gnomes. I have a copy from at least 25 years ago. The copy I have is in English, but I'm sure it was translated to many languages. It's not really a children's book, at least not for American standards, as it has some adult subject matter.
zincake is correct, Gnomes. I still have a copy on my bookshelf along with a bunch of other mythology, folklore, and fable books.
Oh, no way! Well, the version I bought earlier today does not have it, but that's ok I guess. Psyched to have two more books to get into. They were my favorite back as a kid, that and the book Gnomes
I don't! I remember the Gnome book...this looks equally awesome :)
>but there is no such thing as russian prison "style" tattoos.
tattoos that arose in Russian prisons in the beginning of, and remained a large part in the 20th century are very specific to the country
https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Criminal-Tattoo-Encyclopaedia-I/dp/0955862078
over the last couple decades, they've been gathered and documented in books and magazines. and yeah, artists now tattoo those very same images onto people. the guy in the picture OP posted says that all of his tattoos are medieval influenced, yet i do know the goat, cathead and alter are all taken from Russian criminal tattoo collections. he probably just went into a shop and flipped through a bunch of books and picked that out, and has attached his own personal story to it.
i've had the pleasure of traveling extensively for tattooing and while i haven't gotten a russian prison/criminal style tattoo yet, i've come close and met some cool artists who still preserve that culture.
Check out Art & Fear along with The War of Art.
Tons of good things to say about these books as someone whose perfectionistic brain has ruined many projects by screaming "worthless, pointless" over and over again.
Judging by the competitiveness for jobs in the game industry you got to stand out.
If you haven't read it, read On Becoming a Game Writer.
General steps to stand out:
Summary Be so good that they can't ignore you.
* There's a great story in Art & Fear about a pottery course. The students were divided into two groups. One group got judged on the quality of their vase, they other on the quantity. Which one produced the better vases? The second one.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
A person (including you) shouldn't judge your initial efforts and exercises in art any more than they would judge the worth of a mathematician on the practice problems in his old algebra textbook.
That being said, don't let your perceived lack of ability keep you from tackling projects you're interested in because you feel you need more practice first. Keep practicing but don't be afraid to say what you want for fear of technical ability.
Some books:
The Natural Way to Draw
The Art Spirit
Art and Fear
I would bet only 1% of artists in any artistic field make enough money out of it to be worthwhile. You have to do it for yourself, not for other people, because (probably) nobody else is ever going to understand your art.
There is a book that might help you, though it doesn't focus specifically on music: Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
Art & Fear if you haven't read it.
There is a great, afternoon sized book, that covers this really well.
Art and Fear
Edit: Fixed link.
Art & Fear is a good read on the subject.
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez is pretty great.
Not as film related bur more related to the artistic process is Art and Fear. I highly recommend this to everybody I talk about art with. It's a great book to take notes in and destroy with highlighters.
An interesting parable from the Art of Fear
The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.
His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot”albeit a perfect one”to get an “A”.
Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work”and learning from their mistakes”the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.
To each their own but I'd say hiding behind the Quality vs. Quantity argument is a path to becoming irrelevant. Fail and fail fast, people don't have time for you to plan the world....still fail....and then fix it. Otherwise Waterfall wouldn't be such a curse word these days.
I hope we have the ability to reel in those who are fired up to make shit happen, not those clinging to some semblance of safety that never existed.
Would definitely recommend giving this a read:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
I have a quick read of this little book whenever I feel like I'm in a cul-de-sac.
Art & Fear : Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
From the back cover
Art and Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way.
This is a book about what it feels like to sit in your studio or classroom, at your wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing Free Will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work.
Yeah that's a bullshit answer. Most people give crap answers anyway, you're better off not paying any attention to them.
It definitely stings when you work hard on something and post it and it gets no attention. In fact I went through that exact thing with a track recently. My best piece of advice, work hard. Don't burn yourself out, but really focus on getting those ideas down and pushing your comfort zone. Don't feel the need to release everything you make. Sit on it for a while, move on to something else, come back to it. If you're still really feeling it, post it. Otherwise leave it be. I know it can feel like one massive race at times with people creating tons and tons of art that people love and it hurts to see that and come to the realization you're pretty far off from there. But run your own race. Measure yourself with how well you've improved compared to yourself in the past, not successful people.
I know this gets posted A TON, but this ira glass video is so spot on. ira glass
And this book has really helped me out
If you want to bounce ideas or talk about creative roadblocks like these feel free to message me anytime. This stuff can get really isolating and depressing fast. Even more so if you don't have people in your life that understand the passion behind your artistic pursuits. When it comes to artists a lot of people are ignorant about how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into that work. That's why you have to shut out the opinions of people who aren't on the same level as you.
FORCE YOURSELF.
I'm on day um... 63 I think? I don't have my sketchbook on me at the moment, but I was challenged by a friend to do one drawing a day. No restrictions on content or detail. Just had to be in pen, and had to be daily. So far it's been FANTASTIC to just be in a position of "well, I don't wanna draw today, but I gotta get this done before I go to bed." It really beats the fear of a blank page out of you when you know that you MUST draw today, even if it's just abstract polygons.
Another recommendation is Art and Fear. It discusses what you're feeling on a very high level (it doesn't talk about technique at all, just things like motivation around the creative mind and thought process) and the book itself is short.
Surely you've heard the term "late bloomer." Photography is fucking hard and it takes years to actually get good at it. If you put in the time and love it, it will love you back. Get this book because it was made for people like you (and me): Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Get it. Read it. You'll be happy you did.
This is something I need because I could use all the help I can get when it comes to artwork. Its my primary source of income at the moment, so anything that could aid me in that would be spectacular.
Chuck Finley
Yeah, man. Look, I hope you didn't think I was being too harsh. I tried to make constructive criticism.
I will say this: I really appreciate hearing when artists try things that are different and out of the ordinary. Its necessary, and I will always support artists who try things differently more than artists who tread the same tired waters in a more polished way.
Yes, you could use some practice in the application of your ideas. But I hope this will be a fire under your ass a little to focus in on taking the little elements that you like about what you do, and find a way to do them better. That's where the true magic happens as an artist.
I'm reading a book right now called "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love" by Cal Newport.
The main idea of the book is breaking down the idea of being motivated to do what you do based on passion, and how that's an idea that can be dangerous. He says we can think about our work in two ways. There is the passion mindset, and the craftsman mindset.
The passion mindset leads us to find more heartbreak and creative blocks in our workflow because of our expectations for the kind of feelings and value we perceive our work to be adding to our life.
The craftsman mindset however, is much more fulfilling, realistic, and helpful in the long run. Our minds become not consumed with the grandiose ideas of how amazing our work is, and instead are focused on how we can improve them. This ultimately leads to a point where our work is undoubtedly much more full of value, because of all the energy we put into giving our work value. We can't help but feel the value in our work. We don't have to rely on vague abstractions of passion and trying to stay optimistic with our work, because we know exactly how much work we put into it.
I have found this to be especially true, and there are a lot of other theories and things I've found along the way that support it too.
The book mentions Ira Glass's Famous quote on advice for beginners. The idea that we've got to just keep working and learning and improving and not focus on how good our work is. Here's a really nicely animated version of the short speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1oZhEIrer4
Then there's the famous 10,000 hour idea from Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_%28book%29) The idea that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master. I always take that with a grain of salt, but there is something to it. I generally take it though that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberately working on getting better to become a true master. 10,000 hours of casual playing will make you a master at casual playing. Like Kenny G. (who I still consider a master, by the way. He's the best at what he does, even if what he does is fucking simple)
Another of my favorites is the story from the book "Art & Fear" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0961454733/lifeclever-20?tag=lifeclever-20) about the pottery teacher who turned one semester class into an experiment. He split the class into two halves. One half were told they would be graded on only one pot that they could spend all semester working on, and the other class were told they would be graded on the amount of pots they created. The long story short is that the side of the class who took all semester working on one pot had inferior pots than the side of the class who wasn't graded on the quality of work, but by the quantity they produced. The side who made a lot of pots gave themselves so many opportunities to learn from their mistakes simply because they gave themselves the freedom to make them. Once you do something so many times, little changes each time mean you find a better method. There is only so much you can do to improve when the approach hasn't been practiced, and all the fundamental skills haven't been repeated over and over.
Something that can help us to keep in this mindset is from one of my favorite books "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron (http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Way-Julia-Cameron/dp/1585421464) She suggests a practice to help artists work through creative blocks by a process of freewriting with a pen and paper, a practice she recommends for every kind of artist. She suggest starting every single day out with writing 3 pages of longhand writing without stopping. The only rule is to not stop. You write and write, even if you have to repeat stupid things over and over because you can't think of anything else. You come up with ways to keep yourself from stopping by writing about your day, or your grocery list, or saying "this is stupid" over and over. Anything to keep you from stopping. It gets the juices out and you keep going and going, and going. You practice getting over the fear of making the mistakes. You are practicing your art. Free expression where there are no mistakes. You practice coming up with ways to keep going. Then when you are done with the three pages, you close up the notebook and you don't read over it. You are done with the pages and you move on with your day. There is no reason to look over what you wrote since you are not critiquing what you wrote. The process is about getting over creative blocks and creatively acting without hesitation. I've found this practice to be invaluable.
Some advice that started to help me was to not spend too much time on each of my songs deliberating over details, until I was good enough where it was hurting the final product to not dive in deeper. I also don't listen to my tracks over after finishing. Instead, when I finish a song, or make a recording. I listen to it and set it aside and begin working on something else. After at least a day, or sometimes more, I listen to it with a notepad and take notes as objectively as I can, and try to find ways in which I would have improved on the song. Things I could have done better or approached differently. If its a couple of small things, I might fix them right there, but if its a bunch of bigger things, I just appreciate that I learned a lot from that song and try to incorporate what I learned into a new song to practice it.
All of these all point toward the same thing, and I hope you find some of the advice useful if you try it out. I'm not telling you this because I think your music sucks, but because I think you have what it takes because of how you are trying things outside of the ordinary.
My ideas to all artists: Abandon thoughts of your work being brilliant. Focus on keeping moving. Let yourself make terrible music. Learn from your mistakes without getting down on yourself. One finished song that you had to think creatively to get to work even though it sucked, is a better use of your time than 20 unfinished alright ideas sitting as loops. If you do like making lots of loops, export them as audio loops and churn them out like an assembly line. Don't deliberate on every move when your time would be better spend actively working through a block. In art, mistakes is where magic happens. Hone in on your mistakes and see if you can let them dictate the direction of where your song goes. Focus on improving your skills instead of feeling good about being an artist.
I hope this wasn't just a bunch of gibberish. Let me know what you think about this kind of stuff if you're interested. I'm always down to talk about it when I can't be making music.
I'm a newbie as well, so take my words with a grain or two of salt. I've been working at it for about as long as you have. Everyone trying to follow an artistic pursuit of any kind struggles with that, and it never goes away neither, as the more you know the more you are aware of what you don't know.
Now keep in mind that, just like me, it sounds like you are still working on your fundamentals. Its easy to get discouraged at this stage (heck I know I am right now, as I keep trying to draw plants and feels like i'm hitting my head against a wall) because you are basically learning how to (visually) talk and listen. Its frustrating when one can't express oneself, we are basically at "gugugaga moma?" stage. Learning to visualize 3d forms in 2d space, being able to see the information that you need from the subject that you are examining, being able to break complex forms into simple primaries, being aware of flow within 3d space, etc, these are the things you should be looking for progress in as that has been your focus with the boxes, organic shapes and even the figure drawing stuff I would think. Pretty pictures will come easy after that skill is comfortably under your belt.
Saying that, I try to categorize my progress in 2 ways. Mechanical and Conceptual. Mechanical skills progress is slow but progressive, all it takes is conscious repetition (conscious as in not in autopilot, you don't learn anything if you are not aware of what you are doing), Conceptual thou... that is what gives you the headaches as it often requires you to change how you think, progress in this is far more sporadic, but when it comes its explosive and completely changes how your art work looks. It takes not repetition, but analysis, reflection and study.
This is a good book that address the struggle : Art & Fear
Perdido Street Station. Not very much science fiction, more weird fiction. But the author China Miéville has a way with immediately immersing you into this weird alternate world with terrifying creatures and interesting people/things. I couldn't put down the book.
lol, comics are just pictures and words. there are plenty of non-fiction comics in the world
by discounting the medium you are making yourself sound ignorant. you should probably buy what i linked you to, it could save your intellect.
also, you didn't address my comment about pitting two (real or perceived) groups against one another.
yay let's all be nice for the sake of being nice, you should take all criticism on board, just don't take it to heart, if you're creating something for yourself you shouldn't really care about the approval of others. read this : http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0961454733/?tag=hydra0b-21&amp;hvadid=9556644669&amp;ref=asc_df_0961454733
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: Masters of Deception
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
Zendikar art book from MTG.
---
^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly&nbsp;bot
Might be dumb but... is this what you all are on about? https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Art-Artifacts/dp/1506703356/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1506703356&amp;pd_rd_r=FAN8888WT0D1TJBHZ8CD&amp;pd_rd_w=WFiMG&amp;pd_rd_wg=Lzi8Q&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=FAN8888WT0D1TJBHZ8CD
Making and Breaking the Grid
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Breaking-Grid-Graphic-Workshop/dp/1592531253/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c
a lot a sometimes intense layouts. the breaking section has some artschool stuff that would never pass a client review, but interesting non the less. some of the web stuff looks kind of dated, but the underlying frameworks still hold.
Now go pick up this book for 5 bucks, it's an amazing in depth analysis of the game.
https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Harmless-Critical-Reading-Spec-ebook/dp/B00B9P2WP6
Except you have the choice not to play the game.
Edit: I'm sounding roundabout. The point they're trying to make is that when you claim you have "no choice" but to do something in a game you always have another option - stop playing. Take out the idea that you paid for the game and think more that you're just there for the experience. If you are doing something you think is wrong, why are you continuing to do it?
I'd also recommend the essay/short book Killing is Harmless which explores the game on a level-by-level basis and is a good, short read.
You might only not be able to connect with these works because the CIA waged a cultural war on social realist art to try to render art with political or emotional themes unacceptable to society.
Why Paint Cats: The Ethics of Feline Aesthetics
The follow-up to:
Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics
Here's the ideal viewing order for NGE.
Now send $20 to my Paypal account to compensate me for making this perfect list.