May '19 AMA: Answers! (Patreon)

 Thank you to all of the $5+ Patrons that submitted questions! Please take all of this advice with a grain of salt as always.

If you'd like to submit questions next month, pledge just $5 a month (that's less than 2 Starbucks coffees!!)

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Abz asks:  Do you have any advice when it comes to struggling to stay focused? Even though I want to be as productive as possible, I find myself struggling to commit to projects that don't interest me personally, which is problematic when it comes to commissions/freelance. Is this something that you do/have struggled with? 

There are a few parts to this answer. 

First of all, it's really important to focus as much as possible on pursuing work that really does keep your interest. I don't do this ALL the time, but when I see someone I want to work with or a project I want to work on, I strive to build a relationship with those folks over time. This is a bit of of a long-term goal/process, but continually striving towards working with good people on good projects helps a lot with motivation and persistence. 

Second, the reality is that even though doing art for a living is awesome, it is still a job. There are going to be a lot of days that art feels a bit more like a chore than a dream, so it's important to have some structures in place to keep you on track.

I find the most important thing to do on those days is to break up my tasks into smaller goals.  "Work on Illustration for Company" is more vague and less motivating than "create three thumbnails by 5pm and send them to Company," so I find having specific small goals and self-set deadlines to be essential.

If the client doesn't set specific deadlines for tasks, then I set them for myself. I have to create some pressure for myself so I get things done by X day instead of "eventually."

Remember to tackle each task in a way that is fun for you. If something seems simple and uninteresting, I try to make turn it into a challenge. Can I try a slightly different tool for the lineart? Can I try to improve how I paint fabric or metal in this design? Can I focus on making the silhouettes for these thumbnails better than I've done in the past? 

Seek growth for your art and try to apply those little lessons to the tasks that seem less fun. Create challenges and constraints in your work to keep your mind engaged.

Meg asks:  Do you have any excersices or advice on designing and painting props? And where would be a good place to start to add prop design into your portfolio? 

When I was starting out in games, developing a (primarily) prop design portfolio led to a lot of improvement in my work! I LOVE doing prop designs for painting improvement because the scope for a prop is so much smaller than a full illustration so the iteration cycle is quicker, but it still builds on all the same principles and fundamentals. Highly recommended and very fun.

Adding props to your portfolio is a great way to add volume to your body of work pretty quickly. It's also a great way to explore your own artistic style and direction.

I suggest focusing on the genre of games/animation/etc that you want your props to appeal to. Do you want to create weapons that would be in WoW? In a mobile game? In Steven Universe? All of these have different style matching challenges and demonstrate that you can artistically fit into a project's pipeline. A big part of becoming a game artist is learning to be adaptable. 

Practice the entire process of designing a prop like you would in a studio setting. Research > thumbnails > refinement > final design. Don't skip any steps! Demonstrate that you know how to provide interesting, unique variations that all fit the same prompt. Can you create 5 sword sketches that all have distinct silhouettes but would all work for the same task description? How about 10? 15? 

Props are a great way to explore context, too. Storytelling in props can provide a really fun challenge. I want to look at your designs and know exactly how they fit into the game's universe. Is this a simple axe that you would find next to some logs by an abandoned cabin in the woods? Or is it a hero prop that you'll use to slay the final boss? 

Work intentionally and have fun with it. Sometimes, especially in stylized designs, artists are nervous to do the "cliche" answer and add details that seem too obvious... but those often help with communicating a clear theme to the viewer! I recently did a demo in which I painted a old, decorative fisherman's dagger. I made it in the shape of a fish hook and added a wave design to the blade, with barnacles along the edge. I explored motifs of seashells, fishing nets, and more in the process before settling on the final design.

Hope this helps! TL,DR: make the theme of the prop clear, explore unique silhouettes, and have fun!

Tiana asks:  I am wondering...how can you build a following on social media? I am struggling for 2 years already to gather some following, I have 116 followers on Twitter and 72 followers on Instagram, it's been sitting like that for 2 years, I use tags on Insta but really I got no followers in the end. Is my art too bad or is there some other trick to it? 

Great question. 

If you want to develop a following for your art specifically, it really comes down to quality. This takes a lot of time- it took me way more than two years to hit 1000 followers on any platform! My audience grew as my art improved over time, so keep focusing on pushing the quality of your work. Remember that your work is not static or absolute. As we explore new styles and content, our art evolves and changes. It's fluid and organically shifts around as long as we allow it to! 

I've been making art very seriously for over a decade, and I started my Twitter account approximately 7 years ago. I saw very little interest in my work online until about 2016 or 2017, maybe a bit later. It takes a lot of time and it takes a TON of practice and improvement to get your art really noticed. Finding your own artistic voice is a big part of that.

That said, I found the most growth not just when I was posting my art, but also when I was bringing something else to the table. I tweet a LOT more about what I'm passionate about than just posting images of my art. For me, that was tweeting about my frustrations with how art is taught in schools. I talked a lot about that online, especially in my last year or two in college, and that resonated with many people.

Sharing who I am as a developer and creative person was just as important as the quality of my work when I was building my presence online. I have continued to have themes in what I talk about- art school, worker rights, etc- and those are all topics that are important to a lot of people. I focus on keeping my public social media fun and constructive, and I do my best to help out other artists. All of this has led to a slow (well, sometimes very rapid) growth for my presence online.

What do you care about (especially things that are relevant to art/creativity/games)? What makes you the creative person that you are? What are topics that are important to you and resonate with other people? These are all good questions to ask when developing an audience. 

Taylor asks:  Do you have a different process or expectations for when you work with companies outside the US? Things like resume vs CV if applying for positions, do contracts look different, how does payment work between different currency types, things like that. 

My cover letter/resume/portfolio/etc is all the same as when I'm working with someone in the states, but I actually don't have a *ton* of experience working with entities that don't at least have a location in the US. 

I've always been paid in USD and am usually paid by ACH payments or through a system like Quickbooks SE! I have had very few logistical issues working with international clients, though they have all been located in either the UK or Canada. 

I did have to set up a LLC early on because some companies can't write a check to an individual person, they have to write it to a legal entity. You don't necessarily have to set up an LLC- there are several options for that- but it is something to keep in mind. That's the only bump I've run into in that regard. To be perfectly honest, I don't know much more than that, but I hope it provides some clarity!

Ghostyjpg asks:  What's your #1 tip for a young artist just finishing up school and entering the concept art industry? Sorry if that's way too broad/vague of a question!  

 Hoo boy. Just my #1? HMMMM.

A lot comes to mind. Getting good at teaching yourself, being adaptable, focusing on communicating and presenting yourself as a professional, taking your health seriously...

At the moment... my mind is immediately going to this: keep improving. We're ALL students. I'm a student! And we will continue learning as long as we stay open minded. 

Every time you learn something new about art, it will open many doors and shine lights on other things you don't know. Enter those doors, don't be afraid of them. Be curious. Be proactive in your education and stay growth-focused. Have fun with your work and let your interests guide you instead of trying to railroad your career into a perfect path. Art is messy. Work is messy. Humans are messy. Embrace how overwhelming learning can be, and obsessively pursue your curiosities wherever they guide you.

Ashley asks:  Heya!  Do you have any advice on negotiating prices?  You quote a price, the client comes back with a lower number... any advice on respectfully asking for money/reminding clients that you're worth the cost would be welcome! 

 Negotiation sounds scary... but if both parties are professional and taking each other seriously, negotiation does NOT need to be painful.

First of all, read this thread by Xavier about setting rates. Or my Patreon post about rates! I also talk about money in my 5 Needed Traits post.

The most important part of negotiating successfully? Being confident. 

I have 3 tiers for my rates. I have my minimum rate (I absolutely will not go lower than it), then I have my asking rate (my default), and then I have my "asshole rate".  What is an asshole rate? Xavier explains here. It's basically what you ask instead of just saying no to something. It's your "I don't have enough time or am not interested in this, but I would work for this ridiculous amount of money" rate. 

I will not go below my minimum rate, and I will only go that low if I'm really interested in the project or if they can throw some sweetener in the mix like profit sharing. 

Remember it's always okay to say no. If you're working at a professional skill level, even a junior professional skill level, don't ever ask below $35/hour. I started at $40/hour and that was too low, even though I was living frugally. 

Hope this helps!

Farli asks:  I really struggle with getting back into drawing, either on tablet or pencil, after a long long break for reasons I won't get into.  what sort of exercises do you recommend for restarters, especially when trying to avoid feeling discouraged? 

The absolute #1 most important thing is to find the fun in art again. Don't worry about doing the right exercises or practicing the right things unless that helps you find some direction. 

When I take breaks from art, the only thing that can get me back in is finding something I'm excited about. Maybe I see a piece of art that looks a little bit out of my skill range...but I want to challenge myself to try to reach it, so I try to make something that's on the same quality bar, or I spend some time looking at inspiration to get the gears in my mind turning.

I find that I get bored and apathetic about my art when I'm not being challenged. I absolutely must keep challenging myself and staying slightly out of my comfort zone in order to stay engaged.

Alice asks:  What are some red flags to look out for when starting to work with a new client? What's a deal breaker at those beginning stages of negotiation? 

Ahh, that's a big one.

I have some fundamental expectations of professionalism for all my clients. If their first impression is off-putting, then I think twice before continuing a discussion with them. 

Both parties *must* be willing to talk money. This is really important. If they're dancing around talking rates, that's a big red flag. I want money to be one of the first talking points when we're just starting to connect. If they ask me about my rates in the first email, that's a good thing.

If the client asks for work beyond what the contract entails, that is a big issue. And honestly? Often? People will try to do this if you are not really specific from the beginning. If you want me to design a prop, I'm going to give you 6 thumbnails, then 2 more polished drawings, then 1 render. That's it. You want more? You pay for it. 

"This should be quick" is not a good phrase to hear from someone. Any design can take any amount of time depending on how specific the client wants to be. If they say something should take X amount of time, make sure that ACTUALLY lines up with your expectations. Just in general- when estimating how long something will take, I recommend tacking on an extra 20-30%. That way, if you get done early, they're happy. If it takes longer than you expected, you have some extra time. Win win.

Other general red flags: the client not responding within a few days to your emails, the client expecting you to respond at ANY TIME (even on weekends or in evenings) for stuff that is not an emergency, them asking you to do a free art test that is lengthy or intensive, them saying you don't need a contract, questioning your rates during negotiations, vagueness in what they want... all of those things can lead to MAJOR issues and a lot of stress down the road.

Thank you everyone for asking questions :) Cheers yall!