#i really loved drawing these doodles... i challenged myself to focus on communicating a general story without concerning myself too hard-

[crescentfool]

it was recently my oc's birthday, so i did some doodles to celebrate! happy birthday to this fruit in particular, i love him dearly. 🍊🎂🎉

[oddly-simple]

Blog Post Feb 2, 2021 - Dealing with Creative Block + Recent Ideas

Good afternoon! Since the queue has ran dry, I don’t really have a bunch of art to post. I personally would rather avoid talking about personal stuff here, so my focus with this is to basically talk about art block and get some of my small ideas out because I absolutely love sharing with folks my creative endeavors!

As of late, I’ve had a complicated time with trying to create art for myself or of my own interests/ideas. I could blame it on the fact that I am busy with school, but my workflow for school has improved a ton this semester giving me more free time to actually work on my own projects or to just draw in general. However, it’s been so long since I’ve actually had this sort of time...quite frankly, I don’t know what to do with myself (in this case, art wise).

So. What do I do when I can’t get myself to draw? That’s been hard to answer personally, as of late. Although there’s a struggle, I’ve found that streaming has been helpful. It gives me a sense of community and can make art less a stress (especially when friends talk to me in chat). There are issues I have ran into with it, but initially, I’ve found it fun and relaxing. I’ve thought of ideas that would be fun for streams as well! Like challenges such as:

swapping my characters aesthetics

redraws of old art

modern redesigns of my old characters

Outside of planned things, it creates a good reason to have chill streams as well where I just work on whatever. Character refs, concepts, silly doodle streams, all that business. I did a tester stream not too long ago over on my Twitch and did this little doodle (shown below) just to try things out, and it was really chill and fun!

I don’t get as bad a sense of stage fright with streaming, but I also don’t have a huge following so it’s a lot more cozy to adapt.

But besides that, my spark to create has vanished. More recently I’ll get inspiration from my partner (because they really inspire me when they draw), and then I’ll get really hyped and have a sudden drive to go create something! Then I just don’t.  I’d love to draw more fanart of my interests, get to know more people and make a few friends, but I’m stunted at what to draw and fighting anxiety to post. 

To close, my goal for the year is to continue to do better, better myself, and honestly just find that flow of art I had a while back. Striving for carefree and aimless with my art, but I mostly really wanna show off my characters, ideas, and interests (like I said, I’d really like to get back into making fanart/headcanon doodles again). Only time will tell!

Thank you for reading! Take care! 

[naomimakesart]

So these were some pieces I have done from my first semester at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. For mostly angsty venting about my experience, read below.

 In all honesty, I don’t think I’m going to go back. It was nothing like I expected it to be and I just don’t think it is the right fit for me. I really enjoyed getting to know my teachers and what wisdom they were able to pass on to me but I didn’t feel like it was worth the financial burden it has put on my family. 

 While attending the school was an incredible experience and really gave me a lot of insight into the world beyond what I am used to, I felt like it was really hard to feel happy about my opportunity to be there. In the end I felt a lot of pressure from my family and some of my friends to do something more with my talent because they were concerned I would never leave my hometown when I had potential to be more. I felt really guilty for taking out loans to try to pursue a degree in something that I can definitely admire but wasn’t entirely sure was suitable for me. I felt guilty that while I was living in San Francisco in moderate comfort, my family was at home struggling to help me get by and help themselves get by. 

My family and I have lived meagerly my entire life. The conditions we live in have always been pretty bad, but my parents and siblings were completely supportive of me and had hope for me. While I was so happy that they believed in me, I also felt like they’d be disappointed if I didn’t follow through with something I dreamt about doing for a while and had a lot of passion for. I have wanted to be an artist professionally for a long time now and I assumed that I would need to pursue a degree to make that a reality. I had already been in community college for 3 and a half years, and I was turning 22 in 6 months and I didn’t really have a plan for my future other that the fact that I wanted to be in Visual Development. I felt like I was in a really stagnant routine, and that my life wasn’t going in the direction I wanted to and I thought that by taking such a huge leap that things would change for the better.

While in San Francisco I learned a lot and was exposed to so much culture and diversity it was outstanding. The entire city was really breathtaking and after growing up in such a rural area it was an extreme shock to me. The layout of Academy of Art University is that their school buildings are located all over the city, and they don’t have one specific campus. I wasn’t fully aware of how much of a challenge this was going to be for me, because I signed up for classes last minute, and I should have probably done more research. While I was able to make friends in my classes, I was extremely anxious about doing anything other than my schoolwork and going straight back to my dorm/apartment because I was in an area of the city that was kind of sketchy and I was terrified of doing anything alone. I won’t go into details of what my campus living experience was like, but it was extremely stressful for me everyday because I didn’t get along with one of my roommates and I felt uncomfortable being in that space because she and I couldn’t get along.

Feeling so out of place isolated me so much and I depended a lot on trying to talk to my friends and family to cheer me up and for basic communication that I didn’t have when I wasn’t attending class. This was very unfair of me because my friends and family had a lot to deal with at home and it wasn’t their responsibility to make me feel happy when I was hundreds of miles away. I would get upset that I couldn’t make any friends and that I had no one to talk to and it wasn’t really anyone’s fault but my own for being so anxious about opening up with people, or reaching out to a friend from school. I felt like the ones I was closest to were forgetting me because I was out of sight, and so far away and I had a lot moments of absolute hopelessness. 

I tried to focus completely on my work and managed to pass my classes with good grades. It wasn’t easy for me coming from a community college that had lower standards, but I worked really hard and my teachers were satisfied with my skills. At the end of the semester however I had an accident in my dorm room that involved an ongoing issue I had with my roommate and I broke a bone in my foot and sprained my ankle, while also severely injuring my back. I had to leave two weeks early and was able to turn in the rest of my finals, but I have been recovering from my injuries for the last month. 

I would say the most disappointing part about this entire venture is that I’ve rarely been able to draw things for myself unless they are doodles in a sketchbook. Not having the time during the semester to draw, and not being well enough to draw now has been the hardest to endure. I was used to drawing every day and now I haven’t drawn anything consistently that I have been particularly proud of for almost 5 months. Even when I was taking classes in community college I was able to draw so much because I had so much time and so much more freedom and I am afraid of losing the joy I once felt for drawing if I continue on going to school. 

I am not entirely sure of what I am going to do at this point but I am going to take the time I need to continue healing and probably take a break from school in general. Whether or not I try to pursue a degree in the future is really up in the air right now and it’s something I’m not going to worry about. I don’t think I made a mistake by choosing to go, but I think it would be a mistake to continue to go now that I feel so opposed to it, just because I am afraid of disappointing my family. I have already discussed it with my family and some of my friends and they have been very understanding but are afraid that I will regret my decision to stay. I can’t say that I won’t regret it in some way because I don’t know what the future is going to bring but just because I choose not to continue a degree at an outrageously expensive school, it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to continue drawing or loving to create things. 

 I really hope I’ll be able to start posting more artwork in the future, but in case anyone wanted to know, I thought I’d try to explain my lack of activity going on. 

[oliverphisher]

Chrissie Krebs

Chrissie Krebs is an Australian Author Illustrator of children’s picture books. Her first book ’This Is A Circle' was published by Penguin Random House in 2016 and was followed up by a cheeky Christmas story ‘There is Something Weird In Santa’s Beard’. 

Chrissie had the wonderful opportunity to work with Michael Gerard Bauer on his hilarious story about a nutty rabbit - 'Rodney loses it' was released in 2017 by Omnibus Scholastic. Two more picture books are scheduled for release in 2018 by omnibus scholastic. Chrissie still cannot believe that she is getting paid to draw pictures all day.

She is currently living her inner four year old’s dream.

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

If I had to narrow it down, I would have to say that Dr Seuss - The Cat In The Hat would be the most influential book in terms of inspiring my career in writing and illustrating for children. I adore the clever and chaotic storyline that is coupled with Suess’ impressive and expressive illustrations. I remember studying the pictures very closely as a child.

The Harry Potter Books are also another deeply influential series. I was a lot older when I read them, but it certainly opened me up to another world full of opportunities and magic. Also JK Rowlings backstory - from struggling single mum to world renown author is truly inspirational.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

I was using a very old version of Adobe Photoshop (CS5.1) up until recently when it stopped working when I updated my iMac. I was devastated, this program was my livelihood, it was how I illustrated. I was dead against Adobe’s new business model of charging users $70 a month for their creative cloud suite so I began to search for another program.

I found, after much research, a program called Art Studio Pro. It cost me AU$32.00 and it works just as well as Adobe Photoshop and I don’t have to pay an exorbitant fee to Adobe every month. It has been a life saver.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

The road to publication for me has been a long one. It took me fourteen years from dreaming about being a children’s book writer and illustrator to actually receiving a contract. I now have five books out in the wild. After so many years of trying, I entered a competition where I was dead certain that I would at least be shortlisted. I even gave myself an ultimatum - If I wasn’t going to get shortlisted in this competition I was going to throw away this crazy dream of becoming a children’s book creator. I would take it as a sign that this dream was just not meant to be. When the shortlist was announced - I discovered that I wasn’t on the list. I was devastated, but I had made the ultimatum. So I decided to let go of that dream and concentrate on other things in my life. It was only 6 days later I got an email out of the blue from a commissioning editor from Penguin Random House enquiring about a manuscript I submitted to their slush pile. That manuscript became my first picture book. Sometimes we hold on too tightly to a particular way that your dream should be realised that you become blind to other opportunities. That was me, I had to learn to let go for the flow to occur.

Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

Although not connected to children’s books, I have on a piece of paper on my studio board:

‘He who angers you controls you’

Sometimes it’s hard to move past a wrong deed or an injustice, but continually focussing on it is completely debilitating. I have felt this way before and it has drained me of all motivation and creativity. I don’t want to give anyone that isn’t worth my time that much of my energy anymore.

What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made?

Being a part of a writing community is so important when you are working in isolation (as most writers do) so becoming members of writing organisations is really important. I am a member of the Australian Writers Guild, SCBWI and the Australian Society of Authors. Not only do these organisations help you to stay in the loop of what is going on in the writers market, they also offer advice on contracts, competitions and opportunities to network with publishers through literary speed dating and pitch parties.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

When I am nervous or I have to complete something challenging, I automatically (and without conscious thought) start humming the A Team theme song.

In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?

Due to having a supportive husband, I have been able to work from home within the last five years. Working from home can be very isolating and there are many distractions - like housework and Youtube. I now break down everything into mini goals. I give myself a mini goal every day - a goal that is achievable. For example, I am currently working on writing a feature length animation, my aim is to complete at least five pages of the script every day. If I complete more - great! But I need to complete five pages before I allow myself to be distracted by other things. Beforehand I was putting too much pressure on completing everything now instead of realising that it is a marathon, not a 100 meter sprint. I would get overwhelmed and would give up too quickly, now I am feeling better about my progress.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

My advice would be - Keep practising. Keep entering competitions, attend networking events where you can spend time with publishers and other industry professionals. A big piece of advice regarding writing would be - When you finish your manuscript, keep it in a draw for at least six months (twelve would be better) then take it out and reread and edit it. I find that many people want to send off a manuscript to a publisher as soon as they finish it but in most cases it isn’t ready. Sometimes leaving it for a while and then going over it with a fresh set of eyes can be the best thing for your work. Sometimes you will see glaring errors that you didn’t see before because you were too close to the story.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often?

Not so much a bad recommendation, but it is never a good idea to be too pushy. Book publishers and Agents really dislike forceful interactions. If they like your story - they will contact you. Don’t push yourself or your story on them, it isn’t a good look and they will remember you as that pushy person that should be avoided.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

Unfortunately, I am not good at saying no to people. But if a pushy person has contacted me under the guise that they are a fan but they want me to show their manuscript to my publisher (Yes, I get people like that, unfortunately) I have a basic template that I send out to them with generic advice on how to get your manuscript looked at. I never show my publisher other people’s work for them.

What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Over saturating social media with your book is never a good idea. I don’t want to inflict that type of bombardment onto my friends and family anyway it also creates fatigue with your work. Your author pages on social media platforms like instagram and facebook should be interesting but not annoying and constant.

What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

Being an illustrator as well as an author, I realised that I need to expand my skills into other areas. This has included working on a humorous greeting card line as well as merchandise for a gift company. This keeps my ‘brand’ in the public eye still and gives me another source of revenue. Also being able to visit schools to talk about writing and illustrating and conducting workshops help me stay relevant in the children’s book world.

When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

I take a break. As hard and as simple as that sounds, walking away from a project that just isn’t working is sometimes the best thing to do. I sometimes start work on a completely different project or I will start doodling in my sketchbook and create something completely different to give my brain a rest.

Any other tips?

Don’t give up. Don’t think your goal will come in the exact way you envisage, always be on the lookout for opportunities because they can come in ways you never thought possible. And don’t fall for vanity publishing! Research your potential publisher before agreeing to anything.

________

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[vftawpf]

Letter of Intention

violefellay@gmail.com

(+34) 658 17 61 95    

************************************************************

To whom it may concern,

My name is Violeta Fellay, I am 26 years old, and this is my second attempt at applying for admission to your Character Animation program. Last year I made it to the interview, and I hope to have improved my portfolio enough for this year's class! You can find it at http://vftaw.tumblr.com/

Ever since I was a kid I always had a pencil in my hand. I spent all my free time doodling and creating stories in my mind. Despite this, I could never envision myself living from my art, so when the time came to choose a career I pursued my other passion: languages. I moved to Buenos Aires and enrolled in English Translation at Universidad del Salvador, and started studying Japanese with a private teacher. The first three years were very positive, but during my fourth year, when graduation became apparent, I realized that translation was not what I wanted to live off of and my academic year went downhill. However, at the same time I became more enthusiastic about art. I started making friends online who helped me grow as an artist and become more involved in the community. I was no longer doodling; I was making art with a purpose.

By then I was already 22, and after finishing my degree in Translation, I found out Animation was available as a career in Argentina, and I saw it could be a way to channel my passion for art. I enrolled in the Animation Program at Universidad del Cine. Unfortunately, since it’s a relatively new bachelor, it is really lackluster. Even though I learnt a lot about live action films and developed my understanding of film theory, I was very disappointed both by the lack of focus on animation itself, and by the unqualified art teachers there, from whom I received almost no feedback and no real instruction.

During that time, I also took a course at the Academia de Animación. In their three-month stop motion workshop, I learnt animation and how to make a puppet. Before we knew it we were knee-deep in the preproduction of our short film, “Experimotion”. We had two weeks to prepare the sets and characters, and only five days to animate all the shots. It was crazy but it made me see how a professional environment works and I knew right then that that was what I wanted to do for a living.

After finishing that course, I talked to my friends from university, and we decided to make another short film, following the Academia’s model of production, with me acting as Animation Director. This time it took us four months, because we could only work during the weekend, but it cemented the fact that this is what I wanted: to work with other people to make our stories come true through animation.

After seeing no improvements in my university, I decided to drop out and started saving money to study abroad. I dove headfirst into my own projects and portfolio, and got involved with a couple of stop motion projects where I was Animation Director pro bono, as well as helping with the art department in the creation of sets and puppets. You can see the shorts I worked on in my showreel and in the 'optional' tab.

After getting your rejection letter last year, I did not get discouraged. I had my mind set into furthering my education. I found a small but renowned school, Daniel Martinez Lara's PSL, a 3D animation school based in Barcelona, where I've been living for the last seven months. It's been a great and challenging experience. The curriculum is tight and really demanding, for a 10 month course. I've been enjoying it immensely and look forward to continue growing these last few months. It is a course focused on character animation, but it also emphasizes the need of the independent animator to know how to model and rig, so that our showreels can be more unique, instead of having the same character rigs over and over again, and using our own props as the animations call for them.

I am a proficient user of ClipStudio, Paint Tool Sai, and Dragonframe. I'm learning animation in Maya and Blender, and can also make polygonal models and rigs in Blender. I have a working knowledge of TVPaint, Photoshop, AfterEffects, Premiere, and Corel Painter. I speak fluent Spanish and English, I have a moderate command of Japanese, and I am learning Danish.

As for my future, I see myself completing my education, and working mainly as a character animator, or generalist if needs must, but I could also see myself working in production. I do not have aspirations to work for big-name studios, I would much rather work for small studios or indie productions, preferably with projects that I resonate with and that drive my creativity. I would love to work in a 2D feature in Europe, but I am open to traveling for work wherever it presents itself, as I love seeing knew places and meeting new people.

Sadly, animation has been pigeonholed as a children’s ‘genre’ by the general population, I wish to see that changed and for animation to be seen for what it is, a tool for telling stories, any kind of stories. Other than a few indie features, and sitcoms, it is usually short films that touch more mature themes. It is great to see how enthusiastic young people are about shows and movies, and I wish for the industry to continue growing out of its box.

I want to tell stories for the people that do not get to see themselves in media. I want to tell stories where the characters are not a stereotype, where their lives are not plot devices or mean jokes. Growing up without a positive reinforcement in the media I consumed was harsh, even if I did not realize it at the time. I am now critical and no longer a passive consumer. I am vocal and open minded, and I wish to be part of the change of the industry with my work.

My biggest influences are comics and cartoons. I love the sprawling world Eiichiro Oda has created in One Piece, and the myriad of characters that populate it. I enjoy getting lost in Mignola’s inks in Hellboy; when I read it I always get an untamable urge to draw. At the moment I am most drawn to Vaughan’s Saga, for its incredibly human sci-fi fantasy in space, as well as Staple’s amazing art and colour schemes. I love all kinds of animations, but the ones that influenced me the most are those by Disney and Pixar, not only for how important they were to me during my formative years, but also for the beauty and care they put into their breathtaking productions, although I do wish they were not so traditional with the themes they portray. One of my biggest influences at the moment is Rebecca Sugar. Steven Universe is the kind of story I wish to tell, with characters that are alive and a story that is driven by emotions, and where the characters are developed through the quiet moments in the episodes. I love how she takes the time to show us the characters instead of using faster cheap tactics to further the plot.

When speaking of my influences, I cannot not mention my online friends, without whose great encouraging and handholding, I would have never taken my art seriously.

Choosing my three favourite works was hard, I am an avid fiction reader and I love watching movies and series, but if I had to choose it would be The Fall, by Tarsem, for its stunning photography and use of real locations, as well as the depression story subtly told through a children’s tale. Lilo and Stitch, for its beautiful animation and design, as well as how it portrays family issues and the importance of human connections. Lastly, I spent most of the last two years raving about Mad Max: Fury Road to anybody who would listen, I was thoroughly impressed by its photography and stunts, but I especially loved the feminist themes that are central to the film and how George Miller chose to empower women without relying on the shock factor of showing the abuse they suffered.

Choosing my least favourite works was even harder, for I usually consume media through recommendations from people who know me. I was specially let down by Laika’s Boxtrolls, I was very excited to watch it given I had loved Paranorman, but the script was disastrous and even insulting at points, which goes to show that even with the most advanced stop motion techniques, the neat 3D-looking animation, and the huge budget, there is nothing to it without a story to sustain it. All-Star Batman and Robin is possibly the worst comic I have read, it is a downright insult to the Batman franchise, and I dislike it especially for showcasing such a skewed view of the dynamic duo as well as Batman’s beyond ridiculous grimdarkness.

I have had the luck to travel extensively thanks to my parents. I have been to a lot of Latin American countries, and have been lucky to visit Europe too. One of my most memorable experiences was last year. When I moved to Barcelona, my 60 years old mom tagged along and we trekked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage before class started. It was a 170km trek uphill and downhill in rocky terrain through Galicia's valleys, carrying our 10kg rucksacks. It was very tiring but so endlessly rewarding that we're already planning when and how we're going to walk the whole 800km way from France.

In 2015, I went on a trip to Europe for two months by myself, and visited Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland and England. This was possible mostly thanks to my online friends who graciously offered a place for me to stay so I did not have to spend much money in lodging. These were people I had never met, but that I had been chatting with for more than five years. I had a fantastic time with them, getting to know them face to face was very exciting. I was hell-bent in meeting as many friends as possible, and it was that what took me up north to Viborg, where I visited one of your alumni and one of my oldest online friends, and she took me on a tour to TAW. I was ecstatic, and I knew I wanted to attend there.

Your program is perfect for me because your intensive curriculum and project-based education is the kind of environment I thrive in. Such a hands-on program will help nurture my skills and I know I have what it takes to make the most of it. Most of my experience comes from stop motion and 3D animation, but my dream is to be a 2D character animator. Nevertheless, I know now that I love all types of animation, and I would be happy working in whatever branch. I am eager to be surrounded by passionate and dedicated students and teachers, and to hone my skills to take my art to the next level. I love working with people and I am always excited to learn from them. I am very inquisitive and a very fast learner.

As far as how I am planning to finance my education, I have savings and a flat that I lease in Argentina, and I am applying to a scholarship through VIA University College. Where I not to get it, my parents are willing to help me with the tuition fees.

Being accepted to your school would be a game changer for me, not only because of your top-notch education, but also for the future possibilities it would open for me. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 Yours sincerely, Violeta Fellay