Clockwise from top left: Ruji, Alisian demi-goddess of luck and fortune. Willowren in medic gear, looking like a crack addict. Rivek and Bohren playing a game of dice, failed 100 Themes piece.
At a friend's party, I was struck with the desire to draw an octopus. People keep asking me to finish this one. I guess it's because it's something "different." I don't think it is - fine arts circles are already brimming with people-with-antlers and sexual-innuendo-of-girls-and-octopi. Also, I don't like her face.
Fine Arts friend of mine was saying that all the ImagineFX stuff was boring because it's that same "almost realism" style. That irritate me. I'm a big proponent of "if it's enjoyable, who cares if it's innovative?" It seems like we get caught up so often in desiring and making something new that we don't desire or make something for the sake of doing it so that it's fun for both artist and viewer.
I sometimes see gallery art as being a popularity contest. There's no real accurate measure of art like there is with code, so it's pretty luck-based. Did you get your name out there? Do you know the right people? I feel it's very "bandwagon." There are so many people who draw like James Jean and Audrey Kawasaki. It all seems very trendy to draw doe-eyed girls with bleeding tentacles.
It's true with code, though, too. Microsoft released a pretty user-unfriendly workplace system back with Windows 95. However, they pushed really hard, and we all got hooked to it. Then, they went and re-vamped their user experience "for the better." Problem ensues in that we have already accustomed to the old, yet flawed system. So is the change really better? All I know is, I am thankful for .docx -> .doc converters.
We can't know what's ahead if we don't know what's already been done, and not just in your own niche field. I think this is why I choose to do both. I don't want to get caught up in the latest styles or the new release patches. If I like it, that's all that matters. Otherwise, inevitably, I would end up circling myself.
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2 comments:
lovely sketches! you always imbue so much detail with your pencil work, it's crazy. YOU CRAZY.
regarding the rest of your work, it's pretty stupid of your friend to say that they're all the same "almost realism" style. it's like saying "it's that cartoon style" or "it's that same realism style". that's a massive generalisation right there.
but i guess it means that, to them, all of it looks the same. that does come down to preference though. some people find photo-realism boring for the same reason.
i completely agree with you about gallery art being a popularity contest. often, i see artists lauded for their ability to imitate someone else. take for instance, hyung tae-kim. i'm sick to DEATH of his imitators, but they've made a really comfortable place for themselves on the upper rungs of DA popularity.
i've also seen many, many james jean & audrey kawasaki imitators, just like you.
DA popularity is where ALL the power lies, unfortunately.
that said, i think it's a shame that some artists are forced to move away from drawing things they like just because it MAY resemble a 'trend'. myself included! i've held a fascination with octopodes ever since i was little (a trip to the aquarium changed my little life), and i used to draw them a lot in my bedroom. but nowadays, i worry about drawing them in my pieces cos i'm paranoid about looking 'trendy'.
i'm also sometimes stricken with the fear of drawing a similar concept to someone else, especially if they're rather well-known. i think, "man, people are gonna say i copied him."
on the other end of the stick, i've had people accuse me of plagiarism/"stealing" ideas AFTER i've drawn the piece. take for instance, my character raven. in the past several months i've had a handful of individuals accuse me of stealing someone else's raven! even though mine were drawn first! ahh! and do you know why? it's because the other artist is insanely popular, and for some reason that overrides originality.
i don't really know where i'm going with this any more.. i haven't slept, and it's 8am. forgive me. :P
good post though, g-lady.
Dude, I've loved your sketches since forever ago. That's not changing any time soon. And while it would be cool to see you finish the octopus+girl, it'd be purely selfish. I just really like cephalopods. (Had it been a squid, I might have demanded you finish and give me the sketch.)
As for originality, ugh, I know what you mean. There's ideas I might just not explore because they're so popular. Like Deer Boy might never be finished because antlers on people is such a fad. I don't know that I'd do too much watercolor or watercolor-like-acrylic on wood because then you're labeled as an Audrey imitator. Things too close to shojo anime-ish but fitting in a gallery looks like Camilla d'Errico. Sugar skulls are everywhere and I don't think most people remember what they really mean. Don't even get me started on purposely-fucked up analog photography. But, like any trend, it'll pass. It's just a matter of when and what the next trend will be and who will lead it.
And yes, when it comes to art, popularity is king. If you can make yourself visible enough for long enough, people will assume there's a reason for it. Love me or hate me, it doesn't matter so long as you look at me. That sort of thing. And in that case, you need to follow trends and pounce on them. For instance, one of the CGHub artists I follow painted the Conan O'Brien portrait for the "I'm with Coco" graphic. If memory serves, his style is less Shepard Fairey and more ImagineFX but I could hardly go anywhere online for days without seeing it. Why? He followed both art and pop culture trends and did it fast. It's not lasting popularity but it's popularity. He could put it in a portfolio and clients could recognize it. Or it could just be a good looking piece. I've seen it other places too.
Ummm, this had a point aside from "you need to be popular to get anywhere in gallery land", but I seem to have lost it...
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