#i dont want to upload any of my portfolio art

[shkika]

aightbronormalyimakeajokebutifuckingcantcauseyourjustactualyreallygood You are very talented and creativeeeeeeeeeeeeeee thethings you draw is coollll uhmm!!!

stay gold Dogboy

Ahhh!! Wow thank you so much The dogboy will do his best o7

[poichanchan]

Hi! I just wondered about your art journey and how you started out!! Odd question, sorry. I just really love your art and have been trying to get into art myself but always end up discouraged and feeling it’s not good enough which lead to quitting multiple times😅 But I really do want to be able to make beautiful art like yours someday so any tips to give me a push would be highly appreciated!! Thanks for your time and if you also don’t want to answer that is A-OK💖

Not an odd question at all! Im honored you like my art ;v; Dont be discouraged!

hmmm the start of the story is fairly ordinary, loving drawing and communicating through it. I was bored very often and it was a great way to breakaway from it! Drew maybe obsessively, in margins, on napkins, in the sand etc. I didnt think of this as a potential career or ANYTHING really and art is looked down on where im from so i was discouraged more than encouraged. That probably helped make it something i did more for me, for fun than anything else. I was well on my way to becoming an accountant when i got an internet connection early 2013! Started uploading to deviantart and facebook and suddenly i had job offers ;v; So that being context for how i ended up doing this--- I think its really important to enjoy and revel in the concept of being able to communicate through art or pictorially representing your thoughts into something tangible... like.... This feeling of not feeling good enough is kinda universal, i go through it very very very very often. Ive irl talked to some folks who are in high positions in some of the best animation studios in the world and have literally witnessed them actively go through this as they create (it was a perspective shifting shock for me too)

And man, the critical eye their work must constantly be perceived under is kinda unparalleled unlike circumstances you and i are under.... Nothing but the love for the craft can get you through these feelings, and love for the craft is what tends to resonate with ppl viewing your art too! I can tell what someone enjoys doing when i do portfolio reviews for example, and what someone made just to tack into their portfolio is obvious as well haha this is a really long and roundabout answer maybe, but i hope i answered your Q...  TLDR: enjoy making art and the rest works out at some point, and honestly we all think we suck but love making art 2 much to quit despite discouragement

[t-pose-to-assert-gayness]

I had an epiphany today

I know that I’m not a professional artist by any means - I’ve only been using my drawing tablet for a little over 2 years and I’ve only been getting serious for the past 18 months or so - even more so recently, but I want to share some valuable advice that I haven’t heard anyone say until now. It’s something I’ve needed to hear so some of you beginners will probably need to hear this now or in the future.

Recently, I’ve been feeling shit about my art. I’ve been wanting it to be better and I keep falling into old habits and I know that i see something I’ve drawn and that it’s just not good or correct at all. I know it sounds corny but I want to put my heart and soul into what I work on and so I want it to be perfect. Right now, the problem is that i don’t know how to fix certain things so I have to ask for help (which is totally something you SHOULD be doing) but the fact that I can’t do it on my own annoys me. There’s an old post from here that i saw a few years ago, which showed a graph (I cant for the life of me link it because i’ve tried multiple times in the past to find it again) a little like this.

I really believe in this chart. It shows that your perception of what’s good and your physical drawing skill almost step up in complete opposite bursts from each other. This is why you will start to see your drawings “get worse” when in reality, your skill just isn’t increasing at that current time - however, your perception is.

You need to understand that you cannot become an Art God (tm) right away. You also can’t have your skills incubate without doing anything and think “oh i’ll be good in a couple years so i wont try” no bitch thats not how the game works.

Constant practice is what drives constant improvement. You may not be absolutely great now, but you are still allowed to enjoy it! You’ll get there eventually, why not have a little fun along the way?

I might not like my art teacher all that much but today she actually said something that I took to heart. Today she explained what we have to complete for our course and she talked about how you may not like some of the things that you do, but keep those in a folder. The examiners will look at them, but only save your best work for your exhibition. Your folder shows your journey. It’s a necessary journey, but there is still work that you’ll produce that will be your best. That’s the work you can show off and be proud of, but still appreciate the not-so-good work because you’ve learned something from it. You tried something, you learned how to do and not to do something. You can use that art to improve your further endeavours. It’s all about the journey. Art is a journey.

Let me put this into an online art world perspective for you:

Say you have a portfolio on the internet that you only upload your best art to so you can show it off to your friends and other artists because you’re proud of it. And say that you also save all your art into one folder on your computer. Not all of it is good in there. some shit with wonky proportions. the head was too big, that lineart was crap, their hands look like they were mangled by a fucking combine harvester and then reattached, etc.

Your portfolio is your best work. You’re proud of it. Cool.

Your art folder is full of unfinished sketches that you went back to and thought “ew thats awful” and so you vowed never to do that again. See? you learned something. You learned not to make the head that big. You learned that the way you drew that hand was not in sync with the rest of the drawing.

YOU LEARNED SOMETHING AND THAT’S JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CREATING SOMETHING YOU’RE PROUD OF. WHY? BECAUSE YOU CAN TAKE THE NOTES THAT YOU MAKE FROM YOUR OWN SHORTCOMINGS IN YOUR WORK AND YOU CAN IMPROVE NEXT TIME. TURN YOUR TRASH INTO TREASURE.

To finish: some quickfire tips that I’ve learned.

Find communities where you can share your art and get feedback. Discord servers, Deviantart groups, etc

Make art friends! Holy shit bro if you dont do that then who are you going to

ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT YOU AREN’T BEING RUDE FOR FUCK’S SAKE NOT EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET IS EVIL THEY’LL BE HAPPY TO HELP IF YOU’RE NICE AND POLITE!!

Send artists you like asks and questions in DMs (if they have them open to non-mutuals)! If you are ignored, just fire them an ask on anon or another quick message cause they might either be a) busy or b) they didn’t see the notification for the messages

Participate in collabs and fandom projects or even make your own! like holy queen elizabeth II on a wheel after starting The Beach City Witch Project (a Steven Universe fan episode animatic) in 2017, I got the chance to meet and work with artists whom i’d been looking up to for LITERALLY YEARS. They are really super nice and chill people and I actively ask for a quick redlining of a pose or a question about commission etiquette or something and it really helps me. I now have a discord full of over 100 people who create music, art, literature, etc. Not everyone in the server is active all the time, but we have a core active user-base of about 30 people. We have a chat for art references, a chat for sharing links to cool art we’ve found (the #1 rule is that you credit or link directly to the artist/art) and we have a chat for posting and critiquing art that you’ve made. It’s a really good system and one that I recommend to anyone with an art-focussed server.

I hope that there is at least something in this block of text that someone has needed to hear. Please reblog this so I can spread my kinda shitty wisdom because i know how y’all feel. I felt that way once. I feel that way now and I will again in the future. You aren’t alone.

[bengaly]

Upd8

Hello!! Happy new year everyone!!

2017 was a shit year for me, no need to go deep on that. But 2018 looks promising and I already started it with something Ive been wanting for a long, long time: A domain my own! This blog now uses bengaly.art as a domain, but this is temporary. My intention with bengaly.art is to setup a professional portfolio, but while I save up for a good host that allows adult content, ill leave this redirecting to tumblr.

I want another domain too - bengaly.art being the professional business one, and another site to be a casual artsite so I dont depend on third party gallieries to share my work. Ill still upload on those, but having a site my own gives a way more freedom in matters of design, content and how I can choose to display that content. Getting bengaly.art was already a painful process: For those who dont know, bengaly is my actual surname.... but its also a language, and a place, and lowkey a tiger! My name isnt related to any of that - bengaly coms from bengell, a hebrew name meaning mace (nice), changed thanks to immigration. Unfortunately I cant use this a justification to get stuff cheaper... all domains related to bengal/bengali are taken and resold for absurd prices. bengaly.art was also got in a resale but for a more... humane price. My internet handles are xuu/5019, and I dont even need to say how those are already either taken or costing 7000$! So ill most likely have to get a new name for that. Who knows.

Ive had visits over since last year (wow) so its been hard for me to sit down and Get To Business, but ill be uploading some of the art I been doing here today! Get ready for a lil spam, haha

[75jenpai]

Commissions

PRICES

DIGITAL ART:

Sketch;  20,00 EUR Sketch with flat colors; 25,00 EUR

Character greyscale;   >   full body: 50,00 EUR   >   bust: 40,00 EUR

Character colored;  >   full body: 60,00 EUR  >   bust: 50,00 EUR

Other requests; hourly rate of 10 EUR / can be discussed

GRAPHICS:

Icons;  >   10 icons: 15 EUR ( + 2 EURO per extra 10 icons)  >   100 icons: 30 EUR

Theme backgrounds; >   20 EURO

Promo graphic; >   15 EURO

Custom graphic; >    price will be decided depending what your request is  

PAYMENT

• Payment will be made through PayPal.

• If you live in Sweden payment may be made through our banks/swish.

Payment must be made BEFORE I start working on the commission! OBS: I will provide a ROUGH sketch as to show I’ve begun working on your commission, it will have a big watermark on it, then once payment has been made, I will finish the commission!

[ Link to my paypal ]

RULES

I DO NOT GIVE REFUNDS.  

The only time I will give refunds is if I decide that I cannot finish a commission for one reason or another.

• I have the right to decline a commission. • I also claim the right to use any commission made to promote myself in a non-profit way, and to upload my art or graphics to my portfolios. • You are allowed to contact me anytime regarding the commission, however do not spam me 24/7, it wont make the art/graphics get done any faster. • Be patient with me. I am not the fastest artist around, and depending on the size and quality of the commission I will take longer/faster. Stressing me will make me work slower. • If you need the art/graphics done before a specific deadline, tell me! I will focus more on art that has a deadline set. If you dont tell me about wanting the art/graphics done before a certain date then I am not to blame for the ‘delay’.

WHAT I WILL NOT DRAW:

Complicated /architecture/robots/nature landscapes. However if you are willing to have patience with my lack of experience in those areas, then I can be willing to try it out.

Hate related themes targeted against a group of people or person.

Child pornography, just no-- don’t. 

[angelusnovuss]

“She is a mythic bitch.”

character design i tried for heathers?? i really dont know how i feel about it, i wanted to finish it up for my portfolio but idk about it. i havent uploaded any art in forever so here we go !

[dawnajaynes32]

If You Really Like What You Create, It Will Sell

Sponsored by Adobe

Becoming a Freelance Stock Contributor

With every other creative career option at her fingertips, versatile Milwaukee-based graphic designer and illustrator Diane Murphy ultimately chose becoming a freelance stock contributor.

With a B.A. in fine arts from Carroll University, a private liberal arts institution in Waukesha, WI, Murphy has been an art teacher, a portrait photographer, a children’s clothing and giftware designer, a muralist, and an all-around freelancer doing logos, print collateral and apparel. She spent thirteen years designing large-scale graphics and signage for a Milwaukee interior design-build company that serves restaurant, educational and retail clients. After breaking out on her own in 2008, she became a self-styled “vector dynamo” who as “TeddyandMia” now makes two-thirds of her income from stock licensing and one-third from freelance design directly for clients, many of whom first saw and bought her work on stock sites. Murphy is one of Adobe Stock’s best-selling vector illustrators, and I was delighted to have this Q&A with her on behalf of HOWdesign.com.

Q: Diane, you’ve done many prestigious projects, including wall graphics for schools and fast-food restaurants, and logos and packaging for clients all around the country. What got you interested in becoming an Adobe Stock contributor?

A: When I worked at the interior design firm, although I love kids and schools, I sometimes got frustrated with the limitations in subject matter, so in the evenings I started illustrating other subjects that interested me. When I felt confident enough, I tried 99designs and had great success with logo design competitions. I then branched out more and applied to stock sites. I only draw what interests me now. Lots of retro themes, logo designs, holidays, font sets, and midcentury style patterns are some of my favs. I quit my full-time job when I felt confident enough I could make a living as a stock artist and freelancer.

Your screen name is TeddyandMia. Some artists want to be off the radar as a stock contributors because it’s a side gig to their full-time employment. I know that’s not your case. But is there a real Teddy and Mia? Do you have a partner?

It’s really just sentimental. And just me. No partner. Teddy and Mia were my Pomeranians’ names. And those names just seemed to fit. My work is lighthearted and all over the place, just like the dogs.

How did you learn what kind of images would be most saleable?

If you follow themes and styles of other contributions that are selling well, it won’t be satisfying. I don’t pay attention to the tab that sorts by “popularity.” I’m not interested in drawing icon sets or landing pages, one after another. And I don’t like flashy, techie gradients. I prefer flat colors, simple textures, and simple compositions. Less is more. If I really like what I create, it will sell.

What percentage of your income comes from stock?

I started in 2008, and now about two-thirds of my income comes from stock. The other income comes from several good, reliable clients. I also have a contract position with another stock company as a vector reviewer; I inspect files for technical and esthetic quality, and send them back if they don’t meet the qualifications so the artists can make corrections and resubmit.

That shows how really good you are. We love your fruit and vegetable backgrounds reminiscent of Herman Miller picnic posters from the ’70s. And your USA state travel posters. And the license plates and psychedelic backgrounds and all your midcentury modern stuff. You are incredibly versatile. Do you recommend that contributors offer a whole range of styles?

Versatility has always been part of my plan, and I definitely recommend it for others. I love trying new styles, and it always keeps it interesting. For example, the travel posters. Growing up, my family took many road trips around the county. I’m very nostalgic and started the poster series as a personal challenge. I’ve sold many extended licenses of those.

Do you also upload to other stock sources, like iStock or Shutterstock? If so, is working with Adobe in any way different or superior?

I upload to the all the major sites and a couple of smaller ones as well. My sales have noticeably increased since the Adobe took over Fotolia. That gives me incentive to keep up on new submissions and continuously offer different and new vectors. With some of the other sites, my sales go up more slowly.

What’s your favorite stock success story? For example, one illustrator made a series of simple borders that have been downloaded more than 10,000 times. Others have gotten large freelance commissions because a buyer loved their style and approach. What have you experienced that’s especially noteworthy?

I recently started working with a Vermont candle company, Aunt Sadies, Inc., that uses my state poster images on their candle canisters. I’m negotiating to create original designs for them in the future. A nonprofit organization liked my ’60s psychedelic-style images, like my Earth Day posters, and I’ve been creating posters and other print materials for them ever since.

Our readers are especially interested in “tips and tricks,” especially for people who’ve never thought about making their work available through stock sites. What do those illustrators need to know? For example, how often do you upload? How many images at a time?

I try to upload 20 to 30 images every month. I work on several ideas at a time. That way, when I’m stuck spinning my wheels on one image, I can put it aside and work on another. After a break, I go back to the first one with a fresh perspective and can move forward. It’s important to avoid frustration—and you have to to have faith in yourself that the answer is within you. Be patient until it comes to you.

How many vectors or illustrations need to be in your library for the effort and the income to pay off?

I started by uploading maybe 20 images, and on the third day online I made $11. I was ecstatic. As time went by I added more and more, and when I got to around 400 I consistently made a few hundred dollars every month. Certainly not enough to live on, but I was still working at the interior design firm and my freelance time was limited (but those few hundred extra bucks bought me a lot of shoes). After I left the firm, I worked hard to double my portfolio, and was making $1,500 to $2,000 every month. Adding more stock sites helped. One thing I know for sure, the more you create and upload, the more money you make.

What makes your illustrations stand out among others with similar subject matter?

I think of my images as tools for designers to use. The license plate set not only contains the complete character set, but several examples that show designers how the set looks in different color combinations. One way to stand out is to create a series of coordinating images that create a unified set, like the fruits and veggies. Often buyers will download the whole set. In the card series with the lightbulb numbers, I include the complete set of numbers along with the card design so buyers can easily use any combination of numbers.

How do you prepare the files so they will be the most user-friendly?

I don’t use a lot of fancy gradients, meshes, and complicated tools and patterns. I try to keep layers simple and organized. Buyers most likely have many different skill levels. I make my images are user-friendly for all levels.

What is your biggest piece of advice for a new contributor?

Set aside regular time to draw and develop images. Don’t try to churn out images for quantity. And don’t follow the herd. The world has enough icon sets. Take time to draw what you’re interested in and you will never be bored. You may not make a million dollars, but developing your artistic talents will eventually bring in enough money, and it’s a fantastic journey. Make sure you list your contact info on your portfolio page so future clients can find you.

We hope to once and for all remove the “stigma” from creating and buying/using stock. We’ve found several interesting advertising and marketing campaigns that use stock backgrounds, infographics and logo elements, but the agencies wouldn’t agree to publicizing them. What are your thoughts on this?

The agencies are not going to say they use stock, even if they do. Imagine what the clients would think! The good thing is that they’re using stock, and let’s hope that in time the stigma will recede. I don’t worry about it. Because of online agencies like Adobe, my images are sold the world over. I think that’s pretty cool. They don’t lead to big national accounts, but they do bring me many reliable clients like the candle company, a big carpet cleaning operation, and my favorite, the International Tea Sippers Society.

Thank you for your candid answers, Diane, and Happy New Year!

If you are interested in bringing your illustrations and vectors to a worldwide audience of buyers, sign up to become an Adobe Stock contributor today – it’s free to sign up! A sweet side gig—or possibly an almost-full-time career like Diane Murphy’s—awaits. Sign up now!

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