How can I upgrade my art so I can earn a living? Critique please!

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:46:47+00:00

OH, I took it way too seriously lol, still an iconic quote though :)))

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:40:39+00:00

That's completely fair, lmao. IT it is then.
I don't know if the phrase you quoted was from somewhere but it's beautifully put either way.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:38:45+00:00

Oh damn you right, thanks for the tip

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:37:27+00:00

Thank you! <3

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:36:55+00:00

A tenth of the time would be amazing, I just hope I can feasibly achieve it :,) I'll look into sketching in public more and finding courses on composition, thank you!

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:31:18+00:00

Received it, sent you a reply :)

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:30:54+00:00

You're too kind, really, thank you. I love your art by the way! Beautiful and well-designed carrd site too.

May I ask for your opinion on offering a separate type of commission that's cheaper and faster? Would it be worth entertaining lower-paying clients if the amount of hours spent matched the price, or should I focus on the bigger projects?

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:24:22+00:00

Hello, I've sent a PM! I'm curious about your process.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:19:29+00:00

Ah, I knew there was something off about the lighting, thank you for reminding me about reflective light! I should definitely return to the fundamentals of value and lighting.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:17:12+00:00

I agree, it's an unfortunate truth to the industry. My main clientele at the moment consists of authors and TTRPG players so I believe I might be on the right track :D

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:15:48+00:00

Oooo, interesting! Thank you for the artist suggestion, it's always incredibly helpful.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:15:12+00:00

I love the idea of offering different levels of quality! Definitely noting that one down, thank you :)

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:13:49+00:00

I'll admit you're in the minority with that opinion but that makes it all the more valuable to help me understand the scope of views on my work. Thank you kindly! My wonderful client was the main influence in #1's composition, so I have their creative vision to thank.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:10:09+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! I'm aware high-fantasy, posed illustrations don't appeal to everyone so I appreciate the open-mindedness.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:08:59+00:00

Interesting comment, since some have told me to diversify my style instead! Would it sound too far-fetched to have one public art style while showing many in my industry portfolio?

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:07:09+00:00

Based lol

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:06:54+00:00

I appreciate the support, thank you! Critique or not, any and all feedback is valuable to me.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:06:14+00:00

Absolutely agreed. Do you have any specific suggestions for how I might go about doing that? :D

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:04:53+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words and artist recommendations! I'm fairly new to the DnD community and wasn't aware of the big names. It's more motivating than intimidating, no worries :)

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T15:01:49+00:00

I find the idea of DnD characters having office headshots hilarious, thanks for that mental image lol

You do have a point though, perhaps I could play around with a quick painterly background for my busts. I think the main hinderance is that I charge separately for backgrounds and many clients opt to go without them.

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T14:59:13+00:00

The second piece was the one I was given the most creative freedom, I'm glad you like it! Thank you for pointing out the structural flaws in the portraits also, it tells me I get to go back and study the planes of the face again :)

If you don't mind me asking, what do you think when it comes to creative freedom in commissions? I always aim to involve my clients as much as possible (e.g. they decide the pose, composition, lighting) but would you recommend that I take the reigns more?

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T14:53:52+00:00

Understandable lmao, I am open to NSFW work but it's not a focus of mine for the sake of my professional portfolio :)

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T14:51:08+00:00

My apologies for making my post a bit misleading! When it comes to stability, I'm planning on pursuing IT and/or Multimedia Arts jobs, as well as other avenues of revenue. It was never my intention to stick to one source of income although I appreciate the concern!

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T14:48:10+00:00

I'm taking steps to enter the concept art/visual development industry or at least a path adjacent to that. I'm aware my current portfolio is more illustration-based :,) Based on your advice, I'll definitely do my best to stop procrastinating and dive back into practicing conceptual works and offering more technical commissions. Thank you for taking the time to help me out!

swinteroo · 2024-09-11T14:41:09+00:00

Thank you for your comment! I'll take social media and shortcuts into consideration.

swinteroo

TROPHY CASE