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tigrin In reply to hibbary [2007-04-25 06:21:36 +0000 UTC]

Wow, uh...

How do you feel about the way in which your art has been progressing?
I like this year's better than the others. but I think that every year. It's only a year later that I look back and think... ick. How do I feel about it? I don't know. I'm glad I'm making progress. but I also think I'm stagnating. I don't know if it's just that I'm settling into a style though. My style the first few years especially was all over the place... it's still kind of caught between my interests, and it was hard for me to draw this year's, because I wasn't even sure how my characters were supposed to look. I decided to kind of challenge myself to do what I was too afraid of to do previous years (three-quarter view on Tig's body) and emphasize what I feel I've learned the past year, such as anatomy. I also wanted this year's to reflect how I approach art... I value critique and reference more than I used to, and for this year I asked my figure drawing teacher (who is amazing at animal drawing) to help me draw Tig's back legs. I'm glad I'm able to ask for help now, rather than flounder about on my own and never get anywhere.

Where do you believe your strengths lie?
Probably just a personal insecurity but I don't really feel like I have any. .-. anything I'm good at, I know people who are better at it. But looking at these, there are some things I think I have improved at... for one, realistic form and weight... I was starting to pay attention to that around 04/05, but it looks like my drawings got really stiff because of it, especially 05... disgusting. I kind of took it overboard in 06 and lost track of proportion, but I liked how much more control I seemed to have over pose and form I had in 06. I don't know.

What direction do you feel you are headed in?
Right now, I don't know... I'm probably going to keep with what I'm doing... focusing on realistic anatomy and proportion, but also with the tooniness to the personalities... I want to get away from the Jennadelle years where I drew everything really elegant and realistic... but there's still something I admire about anime and those kinds of styles, and I don't think I'll ever abandon that completely. For next year I would probably like to further improve my anatomy (there are still errors in this), and really keep working on developing my understanding of three-dimensional form.. really seeing something as having depth, instead of being a flat drawing on a flat surface. I still struggle with facial structure in particular.

Do you feel like all your work has been time well spent?
When people say they like previous years better, I kind of feel like it wasn't... but I also understand that there are aspects of previous styles that are appealing... and no matter what, I personally feel like it was worth it. It's my art and it reflects both the changes in my life and my progression as an artist. regardless of how good or bad it is.

Is there any element in past styles that you have deviated from that you feel you should like to go back to?
Something I miss that I used to do back around 03 was really elaborate, highly rendered shading. It's something I was very proud of at the time, because in 1999 and 2000, I couldn't shade to save my life. I'd like to think I'm still very good at it and can do it, but I stopped doing it around 04. I opted to do a quicker, more animated style of straight lines for shading, rather than the kind of soft blended shading that I was doing before. Since these are cartoon characters I guess that it makes more sense, but it's still something I miss. I doubt I'll go back to it, but that was something I liked about my old art. I also liked the fluffy, fat figures from 06. They're cute, they look like you can reach through the screen and hug them. I kind of liked the overabundance of curves I used in 04, too. I still like to use that, but I've toned it down a lot in recent years, and I hope I'm not losing it.

urgh, I wish I could give better answers. No matter what I say, I still feel inadequate about my art pretty often, and it feels pretentious to talk about it like it's worth talking about. =\

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hibbary In reply to tigrin [2007-04-25 10:41:33 +0000 UTC]

O dear. I was scrolling senselessly through my comments and saw this... this epically long comment and thought: Oh crap, am I in trouble!?!?!??! No, it was Tigrin's answer!

I was particularly curious because I've known you for the majority of the stages. Or, that is, I have been watching your art :3 I think I wasn't around for the first one. Also, it's really interesting to see your progression, all the while knowing the various styles that influenced you (some of them, at least).

I don't think it's pretentious at all to discuss one's own artwork, really, unless you are super arrogant about it. I mean, sometimes it's good to talk it over, and then you say things outloud that your subconcious has been stewing over for a long time. I suppose that's what an art journal is for, but I have never ever been very good at keeping those. Do you keep one?

I'm afraid my response is going to be kind of dumpy and wee, because I'm not entirely certain what to say XD It's good that you feel a sense of accomplishment and progress from year to year. Also, I think stagnation is a thing all artists have to battle, but for someone like you or I, who are still just learning and feeling around, it isn't something we should have to worry about for a while. This is what my drawing teacher tells me, anyhow, and he's a right bright chap.

Also, I suppose that rendering is something an animator just has to give up on, for the most part. It would probably be good to practice once and a while in order to better understand the 3D form, and so better to animate it, but also, it is a lengthy process. I think this is why I never got into animation. I would miss the detail.

I do want to say, looking back at the image (I realized I would have to see which pictures you were referring to by your dates or most of your replies would be lost on me XD ) that there seems to be a leap between this year's and everything before it. It's a major different in style, but also it's a sudden sense of motion. If I may be very bland and vague, an animated quality Do you feel like this is a product of your schooling? Or perhaps it's something that you have been working towards all along, and finally felt you were ready for?

Well, I just got sucked into your sketches for about half an hour. D: I had better post this before DA goes whacky, or the power dies, or somethign happens to eat my post and make me weep. I will say to you: Rock on!! I can definitely see the improvement :3

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tigrin In reply to hibbary [2007-04-27 01:03:17 +0000 UTC]

I have an art blog, but I don't talk about my art there. I pretty much never talk about my art, honestly. I mean, I could talk your ear off about it, but I won't talk about it unless prompted. like I said, I personally feel pretentious talking about my art.

I enjoy rendering and spending a lot of time on an image once in a while, but I do enjoy sketching a lot now, and like the animated look of sparse shading and such. so animation is probably a good fit for me.

Uh, I'm not sure. ; I felt like my art always had motion to it, but this year does feel different somehow. *picks nose*... I've been doing a lot of animation and figure drawing this semester, so I think the drawing kind of reflects that... I dunno. D: durrr.

anyway, yay glad you took the time to make such a long comment and stuff. *honored* ;_;

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hibbary In reply to tigrin [2007-04-27 22:48:43 +0000 UTC]

( o my. D: DA is being a butt. I will have to send this again. I hope the first post doesn't show up later XD )

I tend not to talk about my art much either, because I don't really have any art buddies to do it with. But I think, after seeing so much of it in college, I believe it to be a marvelous thing. Well, if you are ever in need of any indi feedback, you know my IM addy. I think it would be a good exercise for me, and I like to hear about work, besides :3 And perhaps, when I am having an art existential crisis, I could hit you up for some input XD

Golly, I know how you feel. I've got this problem of my own where I just can't, for the life of me, make a finished image. Once I get past the underpainting of color, I get absolutely bored. I don't know what to do about it D:

*watches you pick nose* O_O Perhaps what it is is a solidity of form. They feel more 3D and as such, they respond better to the movement you've given them. The figure drawing is paying off.

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tigrin In reply to chibilink6 [2007-04-23 06:01:10 +0000 UTC]

When I was a kid, I think I used to throw out a lot of stuff. I don't really blame myself... back then I pretty much drew the same characters in the same poses, and figured it wouldn't be too hard to redraw something... but I kick myself for that now, because I have practically nothing left from when I was really young. but everything from the past 7 years, I've kept. and I recognize them all when I see them again. XD;

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chibilink6 In reply to tigrin [2007-04-24 00:12:06 +0000 UTC]

Haha really? Yeah I think its pretty much the same for me.o.O I started saving stuff in highschool. I'm almost scared to look at some of it.

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tigrin In reply to Calicolupe [2007-04-21 18:17:26 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I don't understand that either, honestly. O.o Tigrin's had some minor changes, but no major redesigns since I created him.

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tigrin In reply to tsunami-ryuu [2007-04-21 18:19:03 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I liked when his chin was smaller, gave his head a more elegant look. .-. but otherwise I don't like the 05 design at all, his face is ass ugly. XD

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tsunami-ryuu In reply to tigrin [2007-04-22 00:43:24 +0000 UTC]

Hehe, don't be so hard on your old art. XD Though I'm just as nitpicky about my old stuff.

Yeah, I'm fairly partial to the narrower head look you have on Vampiress; it's elegant and kind of mirrors the tapered ear shape of the furrecats.

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tigrin In reply to TNHawke [2007-04-21 07:22:14 +0000 UTC]

Yeah me too. it's tough because I really admire the more realistic and anime styles, but I also really love the more western cartoon style... so torn! D: trying to find a happy medium.

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TNHawke In reply to tigrin [2007-04-21 17:44:24 +0000 UTC]

I think that's all we can do is find our own style. I think that's what I like about Miakaki's Princess Mononoke. The WORLD looks real, but the characters are distinctly anime. And they fit flawlessly. And even in their anime style, they still look realish.

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