High quality critique is definitely something I've struggled to obtain while trying to self teach. Definitely highlights a big hole in the whole process of learning on your own. Thank you for the video Scott, it definitely struck a chord with me.
Last year i have graduated on a Graphical Design technological school here in Brasil Rio de Janeiro. But quite frankly, i don't feel like a pro, i felt like the quality of the teaching wasn't good enough. Now i feel like taking online classes on The Art Department school. I just feel like i have the will, the passion, but not the right enviroment to expand and grow. Schools cost a lot of money, so my only option is going for a scholarships. Concept Design Academy is in my thoughts too. I thank guys like you Scott, that make instructionals videos and publish books, they are a great alternative if you don't have a way of getting into a good school.
Scott, the thing I note in most of your clips is the 'Design Vocabulary' that you use, that language, and understanding the use/meaning of those words is vital in understanding a) the design process b) the critical decision making and c) self critiquing your own work via the most efficient avenues. To have a 'handle' on that language and then to watch one of your clips such as 'Mech design thoughts', will show anyone the thought processes involved in self critique, design process and so many other facets of good work practice. Succinct language goes long way to stopping a learner from going in circles especially when working alone. Thanks againg for the clips, I enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Another great lecture Scott! That is indeed a problem, I am mostly self thought, and living in a small town (outside of Rio) with not enough access to good art schools, and finding good critique online is hard, people like to express their opinions, even when they have no knowledge on the subject. Learning how not to take it personally is definitely a great skill to pick up. So... Cheers and thanks for all the insight and great material!
Group Crit was the most useful thing at college. In addition to helping you get a thicker skin and looking at your work more objectively, it also breaks you from the bad habit of putting disparate elements that you like in one painting, but don't work in a single piece. Another thing you can learn is to be able to discuss and verbally sell your work. But before you can do that well, you have to listen and learn to understand and improve your own thought process in your work.
This is very exciting stuff. I had an extremely unorthodox path into a professional art career. I'm always on the lookout for things like your videos and books to help keep me in the game. Thanks for being gracious beyond reason!
Thank you very much for this session. It helped me come to the conclusion to start exposing my learning process in order to get the feedback and healthy dose of critique I need. Luckily I have a few acquaintances, professional in the field and are willing to spend time to look into my stuff. Of course, I have to do my part and facilitate the occasion or environment. Your session really showed me the North I needed. Thank you very much for doing this. Cheers from Costa Rica!
Great tutorial. Online communities are very good to keep yourself enthusiastic and inspirational, it's also nice to hear those good vibes every once in a while. For a greater (and better) critique there are online forums but ofc most professionals don't have the time to give a proper insight to your work just out of the blue. I guess a school is a great environment to learn and "feed of" the energy of your pears but in the end it comes always to how much hours and work you're willing to put into your art! Thanks again! :)
Thanks for the tips to help out someone going it alone. I missed out on a lot of group feedback at school due to my stupid social anxiety, so it's great to know I still have other options. In addition, you made a point of not equating self-worth with how well received/how good one's work is. That is probably the most important thing any artist should know. Hell, I'd be a very different person if I realised that 10 years ago!
It depresses me that after having to leave university after the first year more or less none of the things mentioned here (classes wise) were really existing in the course I was on. We had crits and presentations but it never quite felt genuine and half the people there didn't really know how to give even a quick crit. I'm thankful I have some experience with crits from being on the internet a fair while but still....that bouncing of ideas and having fun with other students just wasn't really there. Guess time to dig in my heels deep and try to figure it out myself and try again next year. Thanks for making these videos, it makes me feel at least that I might be able to keep going.
The reason I need something like this is living somewhere without a good access to great art schools. I guess there is online study, but it is not the same. One thing I've found really helpful in developing a critical eye is watching a professional on UA-cam critique other people's work. Perhaps I can see something I do wrong in the art, or see a mistake I can avoid in the future; might have to be very analytical for something like that, but when you don't have opportunities, you have to make a plan A video like this is like a goldmine too :) I really appreciate the effort, Scott
Thank you. One of the problems I struggle as I never gone to any art school. Maybe I would add quality contests on the net as a source of critique and as assigned work from instructors. Very intimidating to take part, but I can imagine beside the judges, there are more professionals around while the event is going on who eventually would give good, useful critique.
Someone talked about you giving online critiques at a cost. That's seems like it would be very interesting given you have professional experience and are a remarkable teacher.
I got a bachelors degree at product design, but the university I went to is mainly technical based, not so much visual design. That is a big problem for me, as the teachers and fellow students were not so into visual design and there wasn't a pleasant community to discuss our work or even get critique, so now I am trying to join art/design communities online to fill the gap, and hopefully improve, to become a professional.
One of the toughest things I'm trying to learn without a professional, high qual. critique is probably perspective and value at this point. I started drawing a few years ago, which is quite late as I'm 28 now. So I'm not really trying to become a professional. But it's getting more and more fun now after spending a good amount of time studying and learning, or trying to learn at least, the fundamentals by myself. Though, at this point I'm really noticing that I'm struggling to improve, as I'm having problems knowing what exactly I'm doing wrong, and how to fix it. Even though I know when something I draw doesn't look right, I don't know how to fix it. And this often makes me walk away from the problem (throwing it away) instead of tackling it, which doesn't make me learn anything new. So yea, it can be quite hard without professional guidance for sure.
+Neeken i'm with you dude, trying to learn the fundamentals. I'm 26, and it's so frustrating to see others younger and better than me. But no use whining. High five
that's the best part , getting stuck. ..... these sticky situations develop a certain individuality , a personal style....here's my process...hope it helps.....I set my sitting time 45 min....no matter what , I won't get up and walk away from the thing I am doing..before 45 min are over.... if I cannot think of anything, I will just sit and breathe , or doodle just keep the problem in front of my eyes , but try not to solve it , just be with it without judging it. I do about 5 to 6 such 45 min sitting sessions... during the entire day. why this works is.... ....frustration cannot last for more than 25 min...so you try to outlive the frustration, and be at the desk , ready to attack the problem. ...this trick also brings the super powerful subconscious mind into play . ..because of the relaxed and open minded d approach . if I can design my FEELINGS towards the subject ... I have won. it's important what emotions I put out towards the activity.
When it comes to assignments and to a lesser extent critique, there are also a lot of very nice art groups you can join through Facebook. Some of them provide daily subjects to draw and some artists (of a somewhat acceptable all the way to professional level) will give critique if their schedule allows to. It's true that most professionals simply don't have the time to write proper and thorough critiques, but the 'students amongst students' kind of environment boosting someone's skill faster can be found outside of school.
Goodend Graphics Sure, for example Daily Spitpaint, Speedpaint and there are more to find through the 'related groups' feature from there on. I haven't joined them all, but there are dozens of groups related to digital art. :)
Serve an apprenticeship in a creative art studio is one way, but not just one, move around to a few different ones, until you get a well rounded education from a professional point of view. At least that's the way I did it, and I'm still training myself constantly, actually, you never stop learning, if you love what you do. Just be as confident as you can.
Finding Instructors willing to help students are hard to find, everyone but you. I suggest open a free or with cost critique online work for self taught artists maybe? or a group or maybe contact with other instructors, I don't know, feel free to ignore this. Anyway Thank you for the amazing advices Mr. Scott, you are the best!
I've spent a huge amount of time studying the fundamentals and I feel like I can create technically accurate but bland and purposeless work. Consistent feedback, critique and guidance would certainly help, but you generally end up getting help with fundamentals which I don't struggle with anymore, so I end up getting feedback like "you're doing well" which, whether it's true or not, is not helping me create interesting and meaningful work. Throwing money at the issue for online education always works to some extent but has the same issue as schools which is initial investment and quality vs affordability, you get what you pay for (and sometimes don't). I've always felt like the most fundamentally helpful thing I can do is just practice more, without which any sort of external help is a pointless waste and at worst a distraction, and what remains is retaining the motivation to keep improving, which as it turns out is not always trivial.
Great lecture Scott! Thank you very much. Your Free Tutorials are very informative, insightful and inspiring. I specially like your videos on using techniques to break from your muscle memory and let new ideas evolve, going from chaos to order. I get it trouble when I start working on things which has a lot of brief and specs. How do you approach a work with specific brief? Can you make a video lecture on topic? Hopefully this lecture might help others as well. Thanks
A few weeks ago I found this Nice little group on Facebook called DRAW OR DIE run by a few guys that have experience In the this industry and what they do is every month or so they issue an assignment called ascension. The guys that made the group get in contact with known pros in the art industry like Brad Rigney to come up with an assignment they then give crits on peoples work. We are encourage to post work in progress aka wips to get crits along the way.
Thanks Scott! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. It's great to get your insight on things. I'm definitely looking forward to the future books. I think there's enough in How to Draw to keep me busy until then.
Could you please do a video where you critique an image and show how to improve it? Maybe it could be a contest or something idk. Thank you for doing these videos. They are very motivational.
So many art teacher say the same thing: that knowledge precedes personal style. I disagree, in my experience I developed a personal style very early on, and just now am I starting to really study the theory behind drawing, and laying the foundations as it were. I also have the opposite experience when it comes to critique: I find it easy to critique and see the faults in other people's work, but I am somewhat blind when it comes to my own work...
Thank you for the great videos, Scott. Have you heard of Watt's Atelier Online? I think it will be a great place to get critiqued, considering all of the skilled artists there.
Hi Scott, it's always great to read about the process and learning from a successful designer/artist/teacher, thanks for your series of videos and i can't wait to read the book :) One other thing that i wanted to ask and probably you'd say the new book treats this in details is about the "fundamentals". Feng Zhu also talks about this in his FZDSCHOOL channel and assumes that design comes after a solid background in fundamentals (anatomy, perspective, etc). My question is... do you have like a long term lesson plan for these fundamentals? Do you do anything like still life drawings? I'm looking for something like having a daily/monthly plan of drawing different things to put fundamentals down - let's say: - week 1: 20 still life drawings - week 2: color theory exercises - digital - week 3: drawing from reference - etc... I think i speak for many people that the fundamentals are my big stumbling block and i would like to know in more detail what a good working plan for fundamentals would be. I feel "draw all the time" and "draw as many things as possible" leaves me still clueless about how to tackle things. I hope this makes sense, Thanks! A.
Thank you Scott, your video has made me think a lot. I had 2 degrees one of them being a painting/design minor. However now I want to become a concept artist and feel that my skills are not solid enough, and I don't have adequate critical eye. I'm thinking about getting additional training, such as grad degree or intense 1,2 year program/certificate. What do you think? Is there any place you would recommend? ( it seems art center does not have a grad illustration program)
I was wondering if you got any new insights on how to get critique if you are starting and don't have access to schools. Have any online alternatives come up since you first shoot theis video?
Only thing that I can see being better than scoolism is CGMA mater academy and Feng Zhu's videos. Seriously CGMA is basically Art Center instructors but they put their stuff online. Planning on buying some classes here over the summer.
Hi Scott thank you for the amazing insightful video. One question, since I am not surrounded by concrete physical critics on a regular basis I browse though CgHubs gallery where I find some of the best works of the industry. With this work as inspiration/reference I compare it to mine and try to study the work. Not only does this help me show my current work level but also help me understand what good work looks like. I must admit that it has quite helped me but I was wondering if this procedure compensate for the lack.
Zaidali, I think the collection of work on CGhub is great and yes it's a good way to benchmark/compare your work to some of the best in the world so keep doing that.
Thanks for the reply Scott, feel super privileged to get a reply from the Master. I hope this procedure of comparing/studying great work fills the void created by lack of concrete criticism.
great information Scott, what do you think about asking professionals directly for critique via email? I have had some success but I don't like asking without offering something in return, but most paid for critiques are far to expensive for me.
+Tim Wilson You got to try and do what you can do. Just be polite and don't take it personally if you do not get a response, asking for a good crit is a pretty big ask of someone's time.
I guess it is kind of why you go to art school anyway. I could learn myself Electrical Engineering as well but it just takes way to much time to figure out what I have to learn and in what order. The service is the whole point of the school. If there was a good alternative people wouldn't go to universities.
...you already have a personal style , it's in your DNA....you are reinventing it in a different medium. if you find joy , you will keep doing it ...no matter how much time goes by.
I am better at self teaching. What works for me. I write down all the variables I can. Share those variables with those you are more skilled. Ask if I am missing anything.
To me, what is more important is that critiques must be constructive, not just something like "Oh, your work is trash, get outta here...". Most beginners and/or enthusiasts, like me, need to understand our mistakes, how to correct them and, most importantly, how to avoid them in the future... My 2 cents.
Of course they do, those are the types of crits I was implying. In fact the lecture is usually done as lecture/demo to show students HOW to do something before assigning it to them as homework. I want my students to succeed, not fail. Only positive, constructive honest critiques help accomplish that goal.
Can you tell me what school you mean? What do they name it in your country, cus in sweden where i living in, havent any special name for the school, just tell me what school you ment 😃
Shahryar Hosseini I was probably talking about schools in general in this video. If I wasn't then I might have been referring to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA where I went to school and taught for 15 years.
This answer may be i bit late, but if its designshools you are looking for. I can recomend Ume instetute of design in Umeå. There is Konstfack in Stockholm and HDK down in Gothenburg and a few more across the country. But those are probebly the top of the bunch.
Jesper Nilsson oh tnx man, its abslutely not a late answer for me, i was about to choose a University to apply for the next 3 month , i Will take a look at their webbsite maybe its where i should be ... tnx Alot ; )))
I had some really great teachers at university, and some truly terrible ones. A crit from a great teacher inspires you. A bad teacher almost always gives you a crit that feels like a personal attack. The ability to teach is a talent, and not everyone that teaches has it. Maybe it prepares you for all the jerks out there you will have to deal with.
Great Scott, I would like to give you a crit for this video. I am a big fan of yours, so don’t get all upset. You didn’t mention the word talent a single time in this video. Unfortunately, there are some people who are and always will be… color-blind. I don’t mean in the literal sense but, in that they have no clue as to which colors to combine to produce a pleasing composition. On the other hand, there are credentialed (have a degree from a University) architects who have made colossal design blunders. If you’re not talented, go into law, chartered accountancy or nursing. I believe that you already need to have inherited a certain amount of sensitivity to creative artistic possibilities. Some people are utterly lost, when it comes to holding a pencil over a formidably blank sheet of paper. A good school is definitely a great help, especially in finding out where some of the potholes are in the road, so to speak. But the most important thing is to learn from a talented and experienced master, such as a world renowned architect, if you are studying architecture. The beautiful thing is that you do not need to go to school for this. You can try to get a job in his office! It won’t be easy and you will have to start at the bottom but, it is possible if you are talented enough. I know from personal experience that the leading edge architectural and interior design firms, are looking for talented people, because you are rare - and absolutely necessary for quality work to get produced. This is not to suggest that you ought to avoid school although, there is a school of thought out there that you should. My personal belief is that the most important qualification you need to have is talent, number 1; experience, number 2; and finally credentials, number 3. Talent is indispensable. Your videos are inspirational and highly informative and I hope you don’t take this as a snub or anything like that, which it is not intended to be. Thank you for your time and efforts. And you are obviously extremely talented! So I don’t have you at a disadvantage, my website: 786271067243776056.weebly.com
I’m critiquing your critique. “Talent” is not specific at all. How would you define talent? When I was 6 I was “talented” at art, but I wouldn’t say that would make my art better than an “experienced” artistst’s. If you define talent as immediately being good at art, I feel like that’s worth a lot less than being able to learn/improve your art, because experience can get you where the talent brought someone else. Isn’t talent just the inherent ability to be good at art at first? It’s not really an indicator of how they’ll improve over time under a master
ah man, you dont know how much help you provide to dumbheads like me hehe... am young and got a lot to learn, although defeciency of "guru's" here in india...but no worries i got U...thanx one day i will make u proud ... :D
With all do respect. Seems a great deal bias, never mind the plugs for Art Centre. But there is no saying that one couldn't get a group together and do this for themselves. Now I strongly understand a mentor is key, and I was formally educated and totally understand the use of school. However I don't believe all the merit is reserved for Institutions.
+Dee Yusuff I didn't get the impression that Mr. Robertson is claiming that "all merit is reserved for institutions". But students looking to develop the type of critical eye that is expected of a professional designer or illustrator face the problem that until they mature as artists, they themselves are not qualified to vet prospective mentors or critics. Reputation in the form of commercial success or recognition from institutions is one of the few ways a young artist can hope to discriminate between good mentors/critics and hacks. Not to say that everyone without a reputation is a hack, only that in the absence of reputations, a student can't be expected to be able to tell who is a hack and who isn't. Fair enough that someone without specific professional ambitions could simply seek out people whose work they personally like, but if the goal is professional success in design or illustration, it's probably unwise for a student to merely "hope" that the people they like will have a viewpoint compatible with that world. I thought Mr. Robertson was very even-handed in his advice here, both offering suggestions on how to get critiques when formal education isn't an option, and observing that on subjective matters of style, even highly qualified critics should be taken with a grain of salt.
High quality critique is definitely something I've struggled to obtain while trying to self teach. Definitely highlights a big hole in the whole process of learning on your own. Thank you for the video Scott, it definitely struck a chord with me.
Last year i have graduated on a Graphical Design technological school here in Brasil Rio de Janeiro. But quite frankly, i don't feel like a pro, i felt like the quality of the teaching wasn't good enough. Now i feel like taking online classes on The Art Department school. I just feel like i have the will, the passion, but not the right enviroment to expand and grow. Schools cost a lot of money, so my only option is going for a scholarships. Concept Design Academy is in my thoughts too. I thank guys like you Scott, that make instructionals videos and publish books, they are a great alternative if you don't have a way of getting into a good school.
Scott, the thing I note in most of your clips is the 'Design Vocabulary' that you use, that language, and understanding the use/meaning of those words is vital in understanding a) the design process b) the critical decision making and c) self critiquing your own work via the most efficient avenues. To have a 'handle' on that language and then to watch one of your clips such as 'Mech design thoughts', will show anyone the thought processes involved in self critique, design process and so many other facets of good work practice. Succinct language goes long way to stopping a learner from going in circles especially when working alone. Thanks againg for the clips, I enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Another great lecture Scott!
That is indeed a problem, I am mostly self thought, and living in a small town (outside of Rio) with not enough access to good art schools, and finding good critique online is hard, people like to express their opinions, even when they have no knowledge on the subject. Learning how not to take it personally is definitely a great skill to pick up. So... Cheers and thanks for all the insight and great material!
Group Crit was the most useful thing at college. In addition to helping you get a thicker skin and looking at your work more objectively, it also breaks you from the bad habit of putting disparate elements that you like in one painting, but don't work in a single piece. Another thing you can learn is to be able to discuss and verbally sell your work. But before you can do that well, you have to listen and learn to understand and improve your own thought process in your work.
This was one of my favorite free tutorial friday videos. Really like hearing your philosophy on things outside of lecture topics.
This is very exciting stuff. I had an extremely unorthodox path into a professional art career. I'm always on the lookout for things like your videos and books to help keep me in the game. Thanks for being gracious beyond reason!
This video is criminally underviewed. Thank you for sharing such an organized and deeply considered answer to the question.
Thank you very much for this session. It helped me come to the conclusion to start exposing my learning process in order to get the feedback and healthy dose of critique I need. Luckily I have a few acquaintances, professional in the field and are willing to spend time to look into my stuff. Of course, I have to do my part and facilitate the occasion or environment.
Your session really showed me the North I needed.
Thank you very much for doing this.
Cheers from Costa Rica!
Great tutorial. Online communities are very good to keep yourself enthusiastic and inspirational, it's also nice to hear those good vibes every once in a while. For a greater (and better) critique there are online forums but ofc most professionals don't have the time to give a proper insight to your work just out of the blue. I guess a school is a great environment to learn and "feed of" the energy of your pears but in the end it comes always to how much hours and work you're willing to put into your art! Thanks again! :)
Thanks for the tips to help out someone going it alone. I missed out on a lot of group feedback at school due to my stupid social anxiety, so it's great to know I still have other options. In addition, you made a point of not equating self-worth with how well received/how good one's work is. That is probably the most important thing any artist should know. Hell, I'd be a very different person if I realised that 10 years ago!
It depresses me that after having to leave university after the first year more or less none of the things mentioned here (classes wise) were really existing in the course I was on. We had crits and presentations but it never quite felt genuine and half the people there didn't really know how to give even a quick crit. I'm thankful I have some experience with crits from being on the internet a fair while but still....that bouncing of ideas and having fun with other students just wasn't really there.
Guess time to dig in my heels deep and try to figure it out myself and try again next year. Thanks for making these videos, it makes me feel at least that I might be able to keep going.
This is probably the best one so far. Which is saying a lot because they are all great!
The reason I need something like this is living somewhere without a good access to great art schools.
I guess there is online study, but it is not the same.
One thing I've found really helpful in developing a critical eye is watching a professional on UA-cam critique other people's work.
Perhaps I can see something I do wrong in the art, or see a mistake I can avoid in the future; might have to be very analytical for something like that, but when you don't have opportunities, you have to make a plan
A video like this is like a goldmine too :)
I really appreciate the effort, Scott
Yes, watching critique videos of other peoples work is a great option in my opinion.
Thank you. One of the problems I struggle as I never gone to any art school.
Maybe I would add quality contests on the net as a source of critique and as assigned work from instructors. Very intimidating to take part, but I can imagine beside the judges, there are more professionals around while the event is going on who eventually would give good, useful critique.
I hope you would post videos again. Your lectures are helping me a lot! Thanks
Probably one of the most important videos I'll ever watch. Thank you Scott.
visited art center last semester. beautiful campus. the student work in exhibited the galleries was wonderful and inspiring to see.
Someone talked about you giving online critiques at a cost. That's seems like it would be very interesting given you have professional experience and are a remarkable teacher.
Very useful and interesting insight. Thanks again for sharing Scott.
I got a bachelors degree at product design, but the university I went to is mainly technical based, not so much visual design. That is a big problem for me, as the teachers and fellow students were not so into visual design and there wasn't a pleasant community to discuss our work or even get critique, so now I am trying to join art/design communities online to fill the gap, and hopefully improve, to become a professional.
One of the toughest things I'm trying to learn without a professional, high qual. critique is probably perspective and value at this point. I started drawing a few years ago, which is quite late as I'm 28 now. So I'm not really trying to become a professional. But it's getting more and more fun now after spending a good amount of time studying and learning, or trying to learn at least, the fundamentals by myself.
Though, at this point I'm really noticing that I'm struggling to improve, as I'm having problems knowing what exactly I'm doing wrong, and how to fix it. Even though I know when something I draw doesn't look right, I don't know how to fix it.
And this often makes me walk away from the problem (throwing it away) instead of tackling it, which doesn't make me learn anything new.
So yea, it can be quite hard without professional guidance for sure.
+Neeken i'm with you dude, trying to learn the fundamentals. I'm 26, and it's so frustrating to see others younger and better than me. But no use whining. High five
that's the best part , getting stuck. ..... these sticky situations develop a certain individuality , a personal style....here's my process...hope it helps.....I set my sitting time 45 min....no matter what , I won't get up and walk away from the thing I am doing..before 45 min are over.... if I cannot think of anything, I will just sit and breathe , or doodle just keep the problem in front of my eyes , but try not to solve it , just be with it without judging it. I do about 5 to 6 such 45 min sitting sessions... during the entire day. why this works is.... ....frustration cannot last for more than 25 min...so you try to outlive the frustration, and be at the desk , ready to attack the problem. ...this trick also brings the super powerful subconscious mind into play . ..because of the relaxed and open minded d approach . if I can design my FEELINGS towards the subject ... I have won. it's important what emotions I put out towards the activity.
so great to hear all of this. I am a teacher and artist and this helps me in both domains very much thank you.
When it comes to assignments and to a lesser extent critique, there are also a lot of very nice art groups you can join through Facebook. Some of them provide daily subjects to draw and some artists (of a somewhat acceptable all the way to professional level) will give critique if their schedule allows to. It's true that most professionals simply don't have the time to write proper and thorough critiques, but the 'students amongst students' kind of environment boosting someone's skill faster can be found outside of school.
Can you share the name of some groups? Thanks!
Goodend Graphics Sure, for example Daily Spitpaint, Speedpaint and there are more to find through the 'related groups' feature from there on. I haven't joined them all, but there are dozens of groups related to digital art. :)
PHeMoX Thank you :)
Goodend Graphics Agreed. The more you can practice and take part in those the better. It will help.
Serve an apprenticeship in a creative art studio is one way, but not just one, move around to a few different ones, until you get a well rounded education from a professional point of view. At least that's the way I did it, and I'm still training myself constantly, actually, you never stop learning, if you love what you do. Just be as confident as you can.
Finding Instructors willing to help students are hard to find, everyone but you.
I suggest open a free or with cost critique online work for self taught artists maybe?
or a group or maybe contact with other instructors, I don't know, feel free to ignore this.
Anyway
Thank you for the amazing advices Mr. Scott,
you are the best!
I've spent a huge amount of time studying the fundamentals and I feel like I can create technically accurate but bland and purposeless work. Consistent feedback, critique and guidance would certainly help, but you generally end up getting help with fundamentals which I don't struggle with anymore, so I end up getting feedback like "you're doing well" which, whether it's true or not, is not helping me create interesting and meaningful work. Throwing money at the issue for online education always works to some extent but has the same issue as schools which is initial investment and quality vs affordability, you get what you pay for (and sometimes don't). I've always felt like the most fundamentally helpful thing I can do is just practice more, without which any sort of external help is a pointless waste and at worst a distraction, and what remains is retaining the motivation to keep improving, which as it turns out is not always trivial.
Great lecture Scott! Thank you very much. Your Free Tutorials are very informative, insightful and inspiring. I specially like your videos on using techniques to break from your muscle memory and let new ideas evolve, going from chaos to order.
I get it trouble when I start working on things which has a lot of brief and specs. How do you approach a work with specific brief? Can you make a video lecture on topic? Hopefully this lecture might help others as well.
Thanks
You're an amazing person, thank you Scott sir.
A few weeks ago I found this Nice little group on Facebook called DRAW OR DIE run by a few guys that have experience In the this industry and what they do is every month or so they issue an assignment called ascension. The guys that made the group get in contact with known pros in the art industry like Brad Rigney to come up with an assignment they then give crits on peoples work. We are encourage to post work in progress aka wips to get crits along the way.
Thanks Scott! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. It's great to get your insight on things. I'm definitely looking forward to the future books. I think there's enough in How to Draw to keep me busy until then.
If you find the time to teach another schoolism course I hope I can get in.
Not sure if it is just me but the felt tip marker sound was like nails on the chalkboard!
Could you please do a video where you critique an image and show how to improve it? Maybe it could be a contest or something idk. Thank you for doing these videos. They are very motivational.
for me this is the best channel on youtube !
So many art teacher say the same thing: that knowledge precedes personal style. I disagree, in my experience I developed a personal style very early on, and just now am I starting to really study the theory behind drawing, and laying the foundations as it were. I also have the opposite experience when it comes to critique: I find it easy to critique and see the faults in other people's work, but I am somewhat blind when it comes to my own work...
great stuff! Thank you for sharing. One crit is.. don't use that marker. The sound kills my ears.
LOL, noted!
Thank you sir, you are an amazing person and have helped me improve my artistic career!
A lot of very good points. Thank you.
Thank you for the great videos, Scott. Have you heard of Watt's Atelier Online? I think it will be a great place to get critiqued, considering all of the skilled artists there.
Hi Scott, it's always great to read about the process and learning from a successful designer/artist/teacher, thanks for your series of videos and i can't wait to read the book :) One other thing that i wanted to ask and probably you'd say the new book treats this in details is about the "fundamentals". Feng Zhu also talks about this in his FZDSCHOOL channel and assumes that design comes after a solid background in fundamentals (anatomy, perspective, etc). My question is... do you have like a long term lesson plan for these fundamentals? Do you do anything like still life drawings? I'm looking for something like having a daily/monthly plan of drawing different things to put fundamentals down - let's say:
- week 1: 20 still life drawings
- week 2: color theory exercises - digital
- week 3: drawing from reference
- etc...
I think i speak for many people that the fundamentals are my big stumbling block and i would like to know in more detail what a good working plan for fundamentals would be. I feel "draw all the time" and "draw as many things as possible" leaves me still clueless about how to tackle things.
I hope this makes sense,
Thanks!
A.
Thank you Scott, your video has made me think a lot. I had 2 degrees one of them being a painting/design minor. However now I want to become a concept artist and feel that my skills are not solid enough, and I don't have adequate critical eye. I'm thinking about getting additional training, such as grad degree or intense 1,2 year program/certificate. What do you think? Is there any place you would recommend? ( it seems art center does not have a grad illustration program)
please do another video on this soon? (:
I was wondering if you got any new insights on how to get critique if you are starting and don't have access to schools. Have any online alternatives come up since you first shoot theis video?
these are great tips for any creative field
Thank you very much for this tutorial. I really appreciate your insight about this topic.
I just ate an waffle.
This was very informative. Thanks, Scott.
Only thing that I can see being better than scoolism is CGMA mater academy and Feng Zhu's videos. Seriously CGMA is basically Art Center instructors but they put their stuff online. Planning on buying some classes here over the summer.
what means with "fundations"? you mean the basic skills of drawing? (Perspective,Negative Spaces,Contour, Light & Shadows)
Correct.
Excellent.
Hi Scott thank you for the amazing insightful video. One question, since I am not surrounded by concrete physical critics on a regular basis I browse though CgHubs gallery where I find some of the best works of the industry. With this work as inspiration/reference I compare it to mine and try to study the work. Not only does this help me show my current work level but also help me understand what good work looks like. I must admit that it has quite helped me but I was wondering if this procedure compensate for the lack.
Zaidali, I think the collection of work on CGhub is great and yes it's a good way to benchmark/compare your work to some of the best in the world so keep doing that.
Thanks for the reply Scott, feel super privileged to get a reply from the Master. I hope this procedure of comparing/studying great work fills the void created by lack of concrete criticism.
What/how do you see or feel when you watch Kim Jung Gi draw?
Whats CCS you've mentioned in the video?
great information Scott, what do you think about asking professionals directly for critique via email?
I have had some success but I don't like asking without offering something in return, but most paid for critiques are far to expensive for me.
+Tim Wilson You got to try and do what you can do. Just be polite and don't take it personally if you do not get a response, asking for a good crit is a pretty big ask of someone's time.
Scott Robertson Thank you for responding I try to be as polite as possible.
I guess it is kind of why you go to art school anyway. I could learn myself Electrical Engineering as well but it just takes way to much time to figure out what I have to learn and in what order. The service is the whole point of the school. If there was a good alternative people wouldn't go to universities.
I started ti drawning from 24. It means ill get my personal style at 31?...
...you already have a personal style , it's in your DNA....you are reinventing it in a different medium. if you find joy , you will keep doing it ...no matter how much time goes by.
Thank you so much. This is really helpful.
Perfect video as always
I am better at self teaching.
What works for me.
I write down all the variables I can.
Share those variables with those you are more skilled.
Ask if I am missing anything.
To me, what is more important is that critiques must be constructive, not just something like "Oh, your work is trash, get outta here...". Most beginners and/or enthusiasts, like me, need to understand our mistakes, how to correct them and, most importantly, how to avoid them in the future... My 2 cents.
Of course they do, those are the types of crits I was implying. In fact the lecture is usually done as lecture/demo to show students HOW to do something before assigning it to them as homework. I want my students to succeed, not fail. Only positive, constructive honest critiques help accomplish that goal.
This is really helpful, thank you for this!
Can you tell me what school you mean? What do they name it in your country, cus in sweden where i living in, havent any special name for the school, just tell me what school you ment 😃
Shahryar Hosseini I was probably talking about schools in general in this video. If I wasn't then I might have been referring to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA where I went to school and taught for 15 years.
This answer may be i bit late, but if its designshools you are looking for.
I can recomend Ume instetute of design in Umeå. There is Konstfack in Stockholm and HDK down in Gothenburg and a few more across the country. But those are probebly the top of the bunch.
Jesper Nilsson oh tnx man, its abslutely not a late answer for me, i was about to choose a University to apply for the next 3 month , i Will take a look at their webbsite maybe its where i should be ... tnx Alot ; )))
Great!!!
you can get into communities online like /ic *COUGH COUGH* ... i mean conceptart or schoolism
I had some really great teachers at university, and some truly terrible ones. A crit from a great teacher inspires you. A bad teacher almost always gives you a crit that feels like a personal attack. The ability to teach is a talent, and not everyone that teaches has it. Maybe it prepares you for all the jerks out there you will have to deal with.
That's a nice way to spin a poor crit. I like the optimism.
thank you
Great Scott, I would like to give you a crit for this video.
I am a big fan of yours, so don’t get all upset. You didn’t mention the word
talent a single time in this video. Unfortunately, there are some people who are
and always will be… color-blind. I don’t mean in the literal sense but, in that
they have no clue as to which colors to combine to produce a pleasing
composition. On the other hand, there are credentialed (have a degree from a
University) architects who have made colossal design blunders. If you’re not
talented, go into law, chartered accountancy or nursing. I believe that you
already need to have inherited a certain amount of sensitivity to creative
artistic possibilities. Some people are utterly lost, when it comes to holding
a pencil over a formidably blank sheet of paper.
A good school is definitely a great help, especially in
finding out where some of the potholes are in the road, so to speak. But the
most important thing is to learn from a talented and experienced master, such
as a world renowned architect, if you are studying architecture. The beautiful
thing is that you do not need to go to school for this. You can try to get a job
in his office! It won’t be easy and you will have to start at the bottom but,
it is possible if you are talented enough. I know from personal experience that
the leading edge architectural and interior design firms, are looking for
talented people, because you are rare - and absolutely necessary for quality work
to get produced. This is not to suggest that you ought to avoid school although,
there is a school of thought out there that you should. My personal belief is
that the most important qualification you need to have is talent, number 1;
experience, number 2; and finally credentials, number 3. Talent is indispensable.
Your videos are inspirational and highly informative and I
hope you don’t take this as a snub or anything like that, which it is not
intended to be. Thank you for your time and efforts. And you are obviously
extremely talented!
So I don’t have you at a disadvantage, my
website:
786271067243776056.weebly.com
I don't believe in talent. I believe in work and practice.
I’m critiquing your critique. “Talent” is not specific at all.
How would you define talent? When I was 6 I was “talented” at art, but I wouldn’t say that would make my art better than an “experienced” artistst’s. If you define talent as immediately being good at art, I feel like that’s worth a lot less than being able to learn/improve your art, because experience can get you where the talent brought someone else.
Isn’t talent just the inherent ability to be good at art at first? It’s not really an indicator of how they’ll improve over time under a master
ah man, you dont know how much help you provide to dumbheads like me hehe...
am young and got a lot to learn, although defeciency of "guru's" here in india...but no worries i got U...thanx one day i will make u proud ... :D
In my school Half drop out because of thin skin.
With all do respect. Seems a great deal bias, never mind the plugs for Art Centre. But there is no saying that one couldn't get a group together and do this for themselves. Now I strongly understand a mentor is key, and I was formally educated and totally understand the use of school. However I don't believe all the merit is reserved for Institutions.
+Dee Yusuff I didn't get the impression that Mr. Robertson is claiming that "all merit is reserved for institutions". But students looking to develop the type of critical eye that is expected of a professional designer or illustrator face the problem that until they mature as artists, they themselves are not qualified to vet prospective mentors or critics. Reputation in the form of commercial success or recognition from institutions is one of the few ways a young artist can hope to discriminate between good mentors/critics and hacks. Not to say that everyone without a reputation is a hack, only that in the absence of reputations, a student can't be expected to be able to tell who is a hack and who isn't.
Fair enough that someone without specific professional ambitions could simply seek out people whose work they personally like, but if the goal is professional success in design or illustration, it's probably unwise for a student to merely "hope" that the people they like will have a viewpoint compatible with that world. I thought Mr. Robertson was very even-handed in his advice here, both offering suggestions on how to get critiques when formal education isn't an option, and observing that on subjective matters of style, even highly qualified critics should be taken with a grain of salt.
awesome video :D... Plz do a video on shape language *----* plz plz plz :D