June 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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Ghostyjpg asks: Once applying to a position and getting a rejection is it okay to apply again? how long would you wait to apply again? 

I usually wait at LEAST three months between applying to the same gig. Spamming a job opening is a really good way to get put on a blocklist, so wait a few months in between applications. The general rule that I've seen folks agree on is once per quarter each year.

Here is the more important aspect of it, though: you should never apply to the same position twice with the same body of work. Every time I reapply to a job, I apply with a completely new set of art. Sending over repetitive portfolios sends the message that you're not creating new works, which can be a red flag, especially if you're being rejected due to the quality of your art (the most common reason to be rejected). You can't be stagnant when trying to impress. You have to keep reaching new heights and striving to show that you're constantly working and growing.

Kathryn asks: How old is too old to try to break into the industry? Specifically, an entry level portfolio from someone with close to a decade of professional experience from a different field and role.  lol ;_;

I personally refuse to put an age cap on getting into art or games, but ageism is unfortunately an undeniable issue in our industry. 

Having experience in another field isn't necessarily a bad thing. It shows that you can hold a job and are comfortable in a professional workplace. The reality is that they might expect more than an entry-level portfolio from an older applicant, so it's important to aim high and stay patient.

One thing to be aware of is the average salary for game artists. If you've been working in another field for a long time and have built up some value for yourself as a worker, you may take a hit to your income when switching over. Do some research so you're not caught by surprise!

I know a lot of folks that entered games or art a little bit later on and, while I'm sure they had some extra barriers to cross, I absolutely believe it can be done!

youngizzik asks: I'm slightly getting interesting in starting to make physical merch (prints/stickers/keychains/etc.) I know you've ordered stickers and after going to a few cons, I'm curious what some thoughts might be about that process, goods/bads, should people just toss stuff on Artstation's new thing or use society6 and redbubble? (which i also worry about using because sometimes I can't tell if the original artist is the one selling the stuff on those sites)

Hey, so I got a few people asking about doing physical merch and just made a post about boosting your physical merch in general, I hope it helps!

Going more into your question specifically- I haven't actually done a ton of merch and physical goods, but I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with making a storefront on something like Society6 or Artstation that doesn't require much extra work from you. I used Redbubble in the past, I use InPrnt for prints (I think they're the best option for prints, high quality and you get a big cut), but I haven't tried Artstation's new features yet.

The biggest thing in my opinion is to lean into simplicity- specifically in how you set up any sort of merch you've created. Try to avoid splitting your goods between multiple storefronts if you can help it. If you can just stick to one or two sites, that's ideal. I personally go with Inprnt and Etsy! I like to order any stickers through Stickermule and I'm slowly building up a small inventory of things to sell on Etsy :P

While you're researching, definitely check out how much of a cut websites like Society6 and Redbubble take out. Inprnt doesn't take quite as much out (last I checked) which is part of why I prefer to use them over other options.

Something to keep in mind, regardless of the route you take, is to consider where your audience is. Make sure that the bulk of your following can easily see whatever you're offering!

Yuzu asks: hey ! I am a new patreon from last month, I have never been so happy to support an artist ! as a student in art (first year) you helped me so much with your art, tutorials etc, I love what you do !  but I have a question, How were you feeling about your future ? All the time you were studying were you unsecured about getting a job ? What would be your advice to your old yourself about your progression in art ?  I see myself growing but I'm scared sometimes ! thanks for everything :) 

Ah welcome, that is too kind! We're glad to have you here :) 

Oh jeez. God, sometimes I look back at the amount of pressure and anxiety I was putting onto myself and I'm amazed by how much I was dealing with. I've slowed down a LOT since graduating and tried really hard to have a bit more of a "stop and smell the flowers" attitude, but I'm constantly working by habit. It's hard to let go of old patterns, working way too late and being stressed over it, losing sleep, being worried about graduating, being worried about finding work- it can get CRAZY overwhelming.

When I was in college, I was making art for 10-12+ hours/day relatively consistently in bursts. It was intense, but it was genuinely self-imposed. I wanted to get better at painting and that wasn't something my college program focused on, so I put in a lot of effort outside of class. It was never miserable, though- I was working that much because I was growing quickly and having fun. It was never a chore... so I don't know if I would have told myself to work less at the time, but I would have begged myself to take better care of my body and mind. I started having chronic wrist pain at like 20 years old because I was failing to rest and stretch as a young artist. I now cope with that frequently, and I actually very intentionally take breaks in evenings just to avoid it getting worse.

If I could tell myself one other thing as a college student, I would tell myself to not deflect compliments. I had a long habit of saying something like "I'm still learning!" instead of "thanks!" when being told something kind, and it got to a point at which it came across as unprofessional and self-deprecating. At one point, I had a big interview coming up and my friends pointed out this habit to me in fear that deflecting compliments in the interview would lessen my chances of getting the job. 

When you're working in-house, you have to be able to speak comfortably about your work, regardless of if it's perfect or not. (Spoiler: you'll never think your art is perfect, so let it go!) Come to terms with understanding that being a great artist is not a destination- it's a journey. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll never step back and think about your own art "this is perfect and I have nothing else to learn!" so you might as well be kind to yourself from the beginning!

Drewzelle asks: So I've got a couple questions if that's okay!  1) I'm trying to get more serious about doing studies, particularly environments + architecture, but I find myself getting stuck on how best to approach them. I don't want to just mindlessly recreate the image, I want to actually know what to focus on so I can learn. Do you have any advice? 2) Right now I have to work a non-art full time job to pay my bills, but I try to draw as much as I can in my free time. However, I find myself getting discouraged that I'll never make it as an artist full-time because I don't often have enough time to make big portfolio pieces consistently. Do you have any advice for types things I can do that would help a portfolio without being too big or time consuming? 3) Last one! Have you ever started work on a project and realized that is wasn't for you or that the workload was much more than you expected/could manage? If you find yourself in that situation and aren't bound by a contract, is it acceptable to gracefully bow out?

I'll go through these as concisely as I can, hahah!

1) I think it's good to do a mix of mimicking and creating original work. An important aspect of doing studies is to go in with something in mind that you want to improve. Step back and consider what your actual goal is. Are you trying to paint scenes with more depth? Are you trying to get better at lighting? Is it color or form? Have some clear priorities in mind. This will also make it easier for you to figure out the learned lessons to your original art.

Go back and forth between making studies and creating something new. If you're intimidated when starting out, start small with just thumbnails. Make two columns: the left side of master studies and the left side of original thumbnail compositions. Go back and forth between the two and see what the first ones look like compared to the last ones you make!

2) Here's a secret: you DEFINITELY don't have to have super complicated, huge illustrations to have a badass portfolio. It's okay to go smaller scope. I had zero illustrations when I broke into the industry as a 2D artist, then concept artist. Most of my pieces were prop designs, textures, or creature designs. That was enough to demonstrate my ability to paint and iterate my ideas! And a lot of prop designs or textures can be knocked out in a few days. None of my work was large-scope when I started as a concept artist...but do keep in mind this might vary depending on what you're applying for.

If you are applying as an illustrator, it's okay to have a few key illustrations you're proud of and then supplementing those pieces with thumbnails, smaller designs, icons, or textures. As long as you have at least 4-5 illustrations (and again- they don't always have to be huge and epic!) that are of consistent quality, you can fill in the gaps with quicker projects.

3) Getting into a situation and then realizing it isn't great for one or both parties is a totally normal part of being a professional artist. Ideally, it's good to be very transparent with yourself before committing to a set of tasks, but at some point or another, we all end up in an unpredictable situation. Remember that you can always say no to work. I try to provide a brief explanation, especially if it's something outside my comfort zone and I'm unsure if I can complete the work at a consistent quality level. No one has ever held this against me! If anything, folks have thanked me for being honest rather than taking on a workload that I wasn't sure I could finish.

First of all, don't ever feel like you are absolutely bound to anything. Contracts are not made to be a prison. They're there to provide some predictability to an agreement of work. There are always options! 

Be honest (but professional) with the client and voice your concerns. If it's your fault that things aren't going as planned- whether you overcommitted to stuff or committed to something you can't complete- concisely describe the source of the issue. "Reflecting on my current workload, I've come to realize I put a bit too much on my plate over the next few weeks and I apologize for that" or "Going into this I felt very confident that I could complete these tasks, but I'm realizing these are a bit more out of comfort zone than I initially expected."

If they are asking for more from you than was outlined in the contract, it's on you to set boundaries. Don't ever get agitated or heated when doing so. Stay objective, clear, and concise.

Regardless of what message you have to send them, I don't recommend saying you're leaving off the bat. Try to negotiate to a better situation. Clients almost always prefer that you try to keep working with them, even with different expectations, than to suddenly not have an artist at all!

Ghostyjpg asks: Another question, what’s your favourite brush(es) to work with?? lately i’ve been using Dave Greco’s brush pack but i’m curious about what you use!

I use a small mishmash of brushes that I've very slowly gathered over the years. For 90% of my work, I'm probably only using about 4-5 brushes total. The rest I own are situational textured brushes. The ones I've stuck with have been picked out of dozens of brushpacks from the last decade. I'll download a HUGE brush pack and then just sit down with an empty canvas and go through them one by one, just keeping the very few that feel really good off the bat. I don't keep brushes if I'm not sure I'll use them because it makes it harder to sift through a huge library of options, but I try to have a very diverse set of tools with a variety of potential uses.

I tend to lean towards using less rather than more tools- I personally prefer simplicity when possible- but the brushes you use ARE important to get the result that you're striving for. Take time to sift through the packs you get and keep the tools that feel good to you! It's okay to keep a few extra rather than delete them needlessly. You can always go through later and use the ones you ended up not using.