All the Loomis books. "Don't worry about being different, be good, these days that's different enough" John Asaro

I thiink its not a livestream but just they answering our questions through here.

It's all about the Benjamin's. Money equates to value, as illustrations start to fetch the same prices as "fine art" that perceived gap is closing. Artist's like Norman Rockwell are finally being seen as the master's that they were, others will follow.

This is an incredibly complex question. The easy answer is 1. Rough thumbnails breaking down the flow of your panels and their contents 2. Breakdowns refining the contents 3. finishes, final rendering. For a more in depth analysis I recommend reading the many books by Will Eisner and Scott Mccloud as well as How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. As for covers, that's usually handled by the graphic designer. Usually there is an established template that you can ask for from the client. Every so often the cover designer will do something unique, and that can be a lot of fun. Even more rarely you can fight to incorporate the title into the artwork.

IT's great to have a good connection to the subject, especially living in the area where the subject can be found. I have used a liason to connect me with the native american subject. There are some historical re-enactors as well in the genre that work with artists. If you can connect directly with a local tribe, that is great, and probably the most optimal. I have met some locals in my area at pow-wows. One problem is trying to marry modern day pow-wow gear with clothing and regalia from the time period that I paint. I have started to build my own collection of regalia to outfit models that I meet in the future. A key thing is working with models and being able to direct them with comfort and ease. You need to be on the same page idea wise. I have had the best experiences with those who understand what I am looking for and those that are comfortable behind the camera.

If you were talking a facial hair fight it would be Erik first, Stan second, and you third!

I don't think there is anything unique to digital art, it's just another medium. I would recommend focusing on the fundamentals regardless of your medium of choice. That being said, I do my digital work with the Apple pencil on an IPad pro in Procreate

I began study of art at a local junior college. At the time, it was just for fun and an outlet while I decided what I wanted to do. I found that I could not imagine a life without art, and decided to increase my learning by going to Watts Atelier, where I could get more specific about the subject. I worked part time at a Trader Joes, and did signage and artwork at the store, as well as cashiering and other duties. It was a good job, and for the time felt I would stay with the company part time, and do classes at Watts for pleasure. I began to do some teaching with the school and at the same time a mural at Traders. After 6 months of 2 am shifts and standing on a ladder, I was pretty burnt out with doing art at trader joes. Jeff Watts approached me with working more at the school and less for Joes. I did a lot of odd jobs at the school like model booking and organizing and some teaching. I started on a path of costume making for my own paintings that I was venturing into. Eventually I had was in a gallery. Galleries can be tough to rely on solely. I now teach a little, paint for a couple of galleries, and sell antique textiles through an online business. I started selling textiles after acquiring many of them for my costumes over a decade ago. I like to split my time between these three businesses. I run my online shop in the morning, and paint in the afternoons. I highly recommend having a side job or business to make the transition easier. It is extremely difficult to have a consistent income from just galleries alone. For instance, I would have been in dire straits had I only had a gallery income last year during Covid. My shows were cancelled for last year and this year. I am glad I have other means of bringing in income. It allows me to paint every day without a huge stress hanging over my head.

Not really a true collaboration, but we have painted on each others paintings. The closest thing to a true collab was a book cover we did early in my career. I couldn't get the head right so she painted the whole head and a few other bits and bobs

Sounds like you have full plate. Congratulations on expecting another child. I thing the Watts program would be beneficial to anyone pursuing representational art. There are many options that are affordable including are memberships for less than $100 a month

I think that is a very tough area for me. I struggle tremendously with design. It seems to require improving something beyond what is there. I try to look at artists who design well-like Alphonse Mucha, Gil Elvgin, Rockwell, Mian Situ, Bill Anton, Jason Rich, etc. Some artists like Jason Rich show their reference photos on their instagram page, and how they transformed them into the final painting. Getting a glimpse into that process is a real treat and privilege. By looking at how great artists design their paintings, we can understand some of the process for ourselves. I will often work on a painting with paintings of other artists around. If I am troubled with the design of a drapery fold, I may look to see how Rockwell would design it.

I think that 10-20 hours is very good amount of time to spend drawing. It is always best to be consistent. When I was a student, I had a studio painting going at all times. Some days I would not be able put much time into it, but other days I had more. In the end, I sometimes spent a month to 2 months on a painting. They were overworked, but I really learned a lot. It helped me be more time efficient in the long run. A good break up of study is always helpful-for instance, doing shorter studies-like 20 minute head lay-ins for a few weeks, and then a 20 hour long head drawing. Everything works towards the long goal. Mentoring can be a really good way to get over a hurdle in your process. I think it is a good way to get some insight and outside perspective on where you may want to invest your studies.

Same problem. I have trouble studying his book, creative illustration too. Especially the tone and color chapters. Hope Eric and meadow will give us answer.

I would recommend a minimum of 6 good pieces, no more than 12. Do samples until you have 6, then start replacing the worst ones with better ones until you have 6 you are really proud of, then top out at 12. Emphasize quality over quantity, and try to target your dream job as much as possible. Don't put anything in your portfolio that is a job you wouldn't want to do. When pitching, briefly introduce your self hand them your portfolio "reader ready" (oriented so all they have to do is open it) if on a tablet have it already qued and active with sleep mode turned off. Then keep your mouth shut unless specifically asked a question, answer the question and only the question, then be quiet. The more you talk the more likely you are to say something wrong, you are nervous after all.

I stand by this

😂🤐🤨😀

30+ years and counting. At different times different amounts, anywhere from 15 hours a week to 60 hours a week. Somewhere in between is best ;)

1.Concept art is more of a solution to a design problem like a proof of concept that uses art to convey to the game devs that this is how a certain object in the game would function and it has to be designed in such a way. You are laying out different view angles and cross section of something that needs simplification. Whereas illustration is your book covers, trading card artwork, comics. 2. No not at all, your portfolio will speak for you. Just don't mix up too many different genre and styles of artwork in your portfolio. 10-15 best works and cater them to the studio you apply to. 3. You are 15! Hold your horses a little. Job comes later. But won't discourage you from working on building a fanbase. Work one step at a time. Chose one direction and improve in that aspect of art first. Art school is too expensive, online workshops and mentorships are better as you can opt for monthly payments. Right out of school you could look at joining event management companies to get exposure to hosting and arranging event like comic con and other conventions. There you will meet many like minded people and you would gain clarity where you want to go. Since you want to work at xbox, you can learn a programming language and get into the game industry as a programmer. For where to apply for jobs, you should check out artstation jobs, creativeheads.net, and 80.lv has curated jobs for paid members. I hope I was able to answer some of your questions. Keep creating!