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8 Minute Drawing Challenge - F-22a Raptor

2/28/2016

The 8 minute drawing challenge. Draw the same thing 6 times. First you have 4:00, then 2:00, 1:00, :30, :15, and :05. Watch me draw like a kindergartner!

It's a bit out of focus, sorry, I'll try better next time!

Click the image below to see the video via the YouTube website.

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My Artist & Illustrator Resources for 2016 (pt. 2 - Tools & Software)

2/21/2016

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Hello to you! This is the second part of my Artist Resources list for 2016. Check out the first list HERE. It focuses on YouTube channels that I watch for inspiration and information. As for Part 2, these are all things I discovered and found extremely useful to my workflow. Maybe you have other things you have found or maybe there is something I have forgotten, let me know in the comments!

Tablet Pro - If you have a Microsoft Surface or any Windows 10 touchscreen device (I have a Sony Vaio Flip laptop which has a digitizer for a pen stylus, the Microsoft Surface Pro Pen 3 and 4 both work with it) you NEED this software. Sometimes I set-up on my desk with my wireless keyboard and really get to work. MOST of the time, however, I am lazy. I always choose the path of least resistance i.e. whatever takes the least amount of effort. Normally, I would do nothing, but the convenience of digital art is that I don’t have to clean-up, or set-up and I can just lay on the couch and draw or paint whenever I feel like it! Or DON'T feel like it! IT’S AMAZING!

This being said, with Table Pro I can easily keep all of my Photoshop shortcuts on-screen where I need them, and work quickly and efficiently.

Starbucks, here I come! I love being able to work professionally anywhere I want to! It is fully customizable and if you do 3D work in Maya or wherever, they just updated it to help solve specific needs of 3D artists. The developers are really nice and responded to me personally on a number of occasions.

(Click HERE to see a short video of it in action)
ArtRage 4.5 - This came pre-installed on my laptop, although I had to upgrade a few times to the newest version. It was a nice preview of the possibilities of digital art for me. It is very intuitive, I had my niece and nephew drawing on it without my help in just a few minutes. It is good at replicating traditional art and I especially like to be able to have a finished illustration (in a sketchy style) in just a couple hours. (Ehhh… maybe more!) It also exports to Photoshop with layers so I can do a more “finished” illustration if I want to.

It is perfect for whenever I get the itch to draw something right away.
Photoshop CC/Lightroom CC -

It’s only $10 a month!

Come on, man, how could you NOT at that price? I never really used Photoshop to “make” art. I fixed things up here and there but using the CS4 version of Photoshop never really suited me. Do I know of any specific tools or reasons why the CC version is better? No. I guess when you pay for something it kinda makes you want to use it. That brings me to my next artist resource.
Kyle Brushes - I bought the Megapack of Kyle Brushes for something like $15. It has literally changed how I make art. I really never understood how you could use Photoshop from beginning to end on an illustration until I got these brushes. It’s a bit overwhelming considering the Megapack comes with well over 100 brushes to choose from but it’s much easier than trying to make your own and spend hours fiddling with tiny adjustments here and there just to get 1 brush that barely does what I want it to. I have barely even touched the surface of what's capable with them!
Coolorus 2 Color Wheel - As I said before, I never found Photoshop to be very intuitive as a painting program and one of those reasons why is because of their Color Picker. The swatches are tiny and I hate the way the slider is. Coolorus is more like Corel Painter’s color picker. It is circular, (well, it's actually a triangle, but you know what I mean) and contains features like Gamut Lock which lets you limit your color palette easily by only having a certain part of the picker available to choose colors from.

This has always been a problem for me in all digital painting programs.

Painting traditionally you can easily limit your palette by mixing your colors yourself from just red, blue, and yellow. (This takes time and is self-limiting as I would never want to mix a thousand different colors!) Also, once colors are mixed, you can just stick with those colors throughout the painting and even if you do mix new colors, some of the original color is usually mixed in, too. The Gamut Lock is a great tool to replicate this. It is also simpler to save colors, and has sliders to change the hue and value of the color you’ve already chosen. This is a huge time-saver. Oh, and it has a Color History so if you like a color you used 10 minutes ago and forgot to save it, NOW it’s right there in front of you!
(I do that ALL the time)

Well, that is about it for this list. Well. Almost.

Let me just quickly mention that I use the Microsoft Surface Pro Pen 3 and 4 Stylus for my digital drawings. The new nibs on the 4 are nice and I use the middle one most of the time (I think it is "H") and if I am painting loosely I may use the softest nib (B), which replicates that feeling a little bit better. The fact that it is also magnetic is nice because I can stick it on any of the various metal surfaces around my desk and find it quickly. I can't tell you how many times I went searching for the Pro 3 Stylus throughout the house... finding it under a pillow in my bed, down the crack in the couch, etc., etc.

Next time I will have my list of favorite artist podcasts.

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My Art & Illustration Resources for 2016 (Pt. 1 - YouTube)

2/3/2016

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Jake Parker - The creator of Inktober, World Art-Drop Day, partner in SVS online art school, and freelance illustrator. He has inspired me in many ways, such as drawing more using Inktober as a motivational tool. I have explored my storytelling side as well, through the Inktober event, creating my own story (AND FINISHING IT!) through that month. If you need to know what goes into a successful Kickstarter project, he’s your man, too. Check out his Kickstarter playlist here.
Will Terry - Partner in SVS online school, children’s book illustrator, and YouTube Creator. Will’s channel is filled with specific information that will help you be a better illustrator. It is inspirational and he collaborates with Jake Parker every once in awhile, too. There is a great series if you wanted to know what it takes to be an artist at a comic con. Check that out here. How much did the table cost? He tells you. How much did each print cost? .20 each… Somewhere in that range anyways, when you get 21,000 prints! Yeah, don’t quote me on that either but you get the point… He reveals ALL!
Will Terrell - Illustrator, YouTube Creator, and NOW animator. Will Terrell, not to be confused with Will Terry. He has an awesome channel that really hits a key in your heart. He reveals all of his insecurities to the viewer and is pretty much as real as it gets. I love his contagious personality (and laugh). Watching him struggle onto his path towards an animation career in Burbank, CA, is a truly inspiring and riveting story. Here is one of my favorite People Sketching videos of his. His "People Sketches" are just plain crazy good.
Baylee Jae - Animator, Illustrator, and Youtube Creator. If you want to know what it takes to become a successful YouTube artist, this is the channel to check out. I’ve picked up a number of tips and tricks since subscribing to her channel. She has a nice system for shipping out prints and knows where to get the cheapest shipping materials. She also has an interesting Vlog channel if you want to know what it's like NOT to have a 9-5! Check that out here. (ULINE to name one place. They have clear bags for prints, shipping tubes and boxes, chipboard for backing the prints, etc.)
Roberto Blake - Graphic Designer, Marketer and Entrepreneur. Are you looking for technical details, specs on computers and accessories to help your digital world? This is the place to go. I was confused as to how to store all of these new picture and video files I’ve been creating since I’ve consistently been making YouTube videos (I've actually been more consistent recording footage... I'm still lacking in the making videos area!) I found the answers on Roberto’s channel. His workflow is amazing and his prolificness is inspiring. He makes a video every day of the week. Here is his schedule pulled straight from his channel:

Kevin Cross - Comic book artist and freelance illustrator. Kevin’s channel provides real insight into what the day to day life of a full-time artist looks like. He is a punk rocker, too. You can check out his new Vlog channel here, entitled Middle Age Punk. He tells the story of what it takes to turn down paying clients to start your passion projects. His series 100 Days of Making Comics is an interesting tool he uses to push past burnout, clients, and life to try and find a way to spend 30 minutes each day on his own personal project. It’s something I would like to strive to do; nothing I’ve done, but man that idea sounds real good in my head.

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8 Minute Drawing Challenge - F-22a Raptor

My Artist & Illustrator Resources for 2016 (pt. 2 - Tools & Software)

My Art & Illustration Resources for 2016 (Pt. 1 - YouTube)

Landon R. Wilson

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