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"First one, people may care about you because of your fame. Many famous artists are dead. *I don't recommend dying, please don't die to make people care about your art."*
Do any of you guys feel self-conscious over calling your art "art"? I feel like I hold the word in such high esteem and don't wanna "waste" it on my work, no matter how much work I put into it. Update: After 5 months of art-grinding and becoming more confident in that regard, I got no problems calling myself an artist anymore. Feelsgoodman
You're always going to be sef-conscious about what you create, but over time you'll learn to manage it. Call it art, yes ! Learn to appreciate what you create, and be ike "hey ! I made this !" Don't get discouraged :) If you want to progress, you'll have to put your work out there. Small reminder : you matter, and your art matters as well !
Me too, everytime i finished something i always have thoughts that 'it could be better' or 'there're people who are better than you'. Especially when i see a younger artist who draw better than me that was such a massive discouragement for me :( maybe i set my goal too highyou know
I am definitely not the guy to say "EVERYTHING IS ART ITS ALL VALUABLE blah blah blah" But you definitely should value what you make. Its just like learning how to cook. You can make some food and it might suck, but eventually you will make some pretty cool stuff! Will it be enough to be in the next top restaurant? Maybe not, but you could easily make alot of people happy by bringing your special pasta to the next Post Covid Potluck! Think of your art that way, you are always growing, and making things that you enjoy and hopefully share with others.
@@ergojosh Aw man that's so sweet. Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement a lot :) I'm hyped to see some improvement in my work already so I think I'm slowly but surely stepping toward valualing everything I do more! Also the analogy is really good, I might steal that next time I have to prep-talk an artist-friend and gonna refer them to you :D
I've fallen into that pitfall recently too! I subconsciously put my art in boxes. The sketches, doodles, stuff I could do quick? Not art. Stuff that was finished and took days/weeks? Art. It really made me feel like it wasn't worth doing the first section. Now I've started a small sketchbook with toned paper just for doodles and I'm loving working in it and completing small doodles.
Here's a summary of all 6 points. click read more. The real topic is "how to provide value as an artist" 1. Fame. 2:46 •If people know you, they want your stuff. If you're a star then people will pay top dollar. Advice in this regard: 5:22 have a unique attractive style, maintain a brand, have a large body of work, talk to people, be interactive, and be nice. --- 2. Skill 8:02 •If you're good, then that's cool and important, but not the only thing that matters. Advice in this regard: 8:34 Engage with people, don't rely on skill alone to get noticed, target specific skills you're weak on to improve, get your fundamentals down, use values and shading. Focus on style later. --- 3. Emotional Resonance/Relevance 11:37 •If people relate to it in their own life or feelings, they get interested. Advice in this regard: 12:46 Tug people's heart strings by targeting feelings/emotions, be relatable™, niche down, Have a message, be personal and tell your own stories, be expressive, connect with people. --- 4. Fanart and Trends 16:28 •If you do this it's a good strategy to build fame, but it may be risky in some aspects although it is easy to get viewers by leechin' off media or memes they already enjoy. Advice in this regard: 19:42 Make sure you really care about it and enjoy it, If you niche down too deep then all your fans are predicated on your fanart or topic or trend only, don't only do 1 thing lest it dies in popularity, 50/50 fan/original is a good ratio for beginners. --- 5. Nudes, Lewds, and Hardcore Porn. 23:27 •Sex sells, if you do sexier stuff, it will usually get more viewership. be careful on public places about this as pushing too far can lead to viewer alienation and the banhammer. Advice in this regard: 23:45 pictures of pretty women are more popular than men, split your work on two platforms: one made for porn and one for regular stuff, be careful of losing your account, the people who like this pay good money for it. --- 6. Commissions 25:58 •If you do commissions you provide value to only one person, and it is difficult to grow only on commissions, the more famous you are, the more you commission's you'll get. Advice in this regard: 26:19 other people may like it if it's extremely high skill or relatable, take commissions based on stuff that is fun and builds your portfolio and what you would do anyway, grow big and get popular first, do furry art, get a job if you survive fully on commissions because you will struggle to grow if you don't finesse it right, attempt to latch onto the other reasons for other people to have value in another person's commission. --- General artist advice. 29:40 get a day job to meet your basic needs in order to improve your quality, make sacrifices to achieve your long term goal, go back to go forward further, build good daily habits and self care, be a mooch, limit distractions, care about what you draw. --- Recap: Fame, Skill, Relatability(emotional, fanart), porn, and commissions. Really to get noticed, as in with any business, it's about the value you provide to your users. The general strategy is to build up your skill level and provide emotional relatability and relevance through your art whilst engaging with your fans. maintain a healthy balance of fanart and trends to original work to grow fame faster, do porn on the side if you need money, and as for other commissions maintain a balance in order to continue your growth.
instagram really did a number on artistic self-esteem. We can not run away from the fact that we grew up getting compliments for our work. compliments meant people cared. the more you got, the better you had to be, right? then came Instagram and the rest is developing history. the algorithm made it worse because it does not reward "good art" but rewards "good social media practices"
I also hate the fact that social media has replaced art sharing websites and personal websites. It's like we're forced to use some platform that isn't specifically designed for artists, because hardly anybody uses anything else.... Deviant art is mostly a dead stick, and flooded with degenerate art and fetishes. Art station feels welcoming until you realize that people who are liking your art are just spamming likes/favs (sometimes in the tens/hundreds of thousands) to gain attention to their own page. It is a great and professional portfolio site, but not much more than that. Practically gaining a following through genuine means is a thing of the past. Unless the right person comes across your art and shares it. Nowadays you have to throw away your anonymity and be an entertainer. For instance, Twitch. Twitch may be one of the best ways to sell yourself, but you have to be charismatic, relatively good looking, and maybe act in a way that isn't the real you.
@@mathewomolo There's a documentary on Netflix called the Social Dilemma that does a good job showing the tactics social media sites use to milk people of their attention without ever really rewarding the person with anything of value.
That's why I have an 8-5 job. I have to sleep late cause I do art after work but it is very true that once you have the moneys, you are able to focus on your art much better.
He covers “emotion,” and fan art is nothing but emotional. Someone who doesn’t know the character/scene will either like it or not, but those who identify what’s going on in the art and have an emotional investment in the subject will automatically be drawn to it. ... But yes, he also picks out fan art as its own thing.
If your art is rlly good ig u can make money by making prints of them and selling it to crazy fans. Oh ans you can also make them into some other stuff like keychains or cute decor.
You're a really good example of extending value through your work. You radiate so much wisdom when you talk, I always feel so comforted and relaxed when I watch your videos. It's like you're telling me to just remain calm, to stop fretting over my instagram growth and just be one with my art. Thank you so much for these podcasts, it brings me a lot of peace after a long day 💛
"when your basic needs are not met, your art and creativity process is going to tank" - Felt that on a personal level. the struggle is real, and I appreciate hearing popular artist giving a nod to the impact that has on performance because I honestly feel like, that is perhaps not acknowledge nearly often enough. Even by those in that place in the moment.
You speak so much truth! This is why I don't really like doing commissions, so much time and effort into something that can only be 'appreciated' once..
Another way to have value as an artist is to share knowledge: not only life experiences or advice, technical knowledge, ways that everyone has to do things, there is so much to learn that anything you know and can share with others seems to me a good way to help those who do not know how to do things. There is so much to learn by making art that if we all share our views we help everyone grow.
I wanna add an exception to the generalisation about drawing girls getting more views ---> if you combined what you said previously, about drawing stuff from fandoms, and if you've established urself as a BTS fanartist, that's gonna rack up a lot of followers. I've seen a handful of BTS fanartist with sub par skills and they have such massive following. But of course the big problem like you also mentioned is that once they start branching out, they are gonna lose that following because theyve cornered themselves to such a 'niche' fanbase.
UA-cam scares me. I just started my art channel a week ago and I was asking this very question to myself while uploading my 2nd vid. Then I find this in my recommendations. I clicked (coz why not?) then I subbed (of course). When you mentioned "...how you give value to people", it hit me that apart from focusing on my skill, my story, my art, my comics and my "fame", it should also be my responsibility to give value to people's lives-give something more back somehow. Thanks for this! Straight to the point and insightful.
The comment about you still being with your parents hit home for me. I am one of those who did a degree in one thing, then decided after some time that I didn't want to make it my career, and focussed on art again. I'm still learning and growing, but this video was incredibly helpful and thought provoking. Thank you.
I'm in the same position, I did a degree in science at the same time I was learning to draw but at the end I just decided I want to be an artist not a scientist
I'm struggling with this at the moment. I'm working and doing a Master's degree and at the same time, I just want to draw. It is really hard to do them all and I'm basically failing my classes even though I'm very much interested in the subjects. I'm considering dropping out but I want the degree and have no idea what to do!
@@angiegm3230 Holy shit SAME. I earned my degree 5 years ago, and barely got a toe in the door to a minimum wage job. Then Covid hit, and I lost that job. Now I just want to make art for a living (it's been a passion of mine since I was a child) and be happy.
@@AidenPhengsy sometimes people solely create for likes and not what they want to create. But its also a great way to talk to other artists and get connections
Caring about others while creating seems pretty self satisfying tho. Like genuinely caring about them as human being, and not just about their likes, money and what they can bring you. An example of this related to art, I’m not Muslim but I made a hijab for a doll game i was creating for. It was likely to be unpopular, but I did this because there was none, because I was asked to by a player, and more importantly I cared about the way muslim people were treated in my country. Seeing that player, and other Muslim players be happy to have their culture represented at a time where people were hostile towards them was genuinely gratifying, like actually one of the most gratifying memory I have even if my piece wasn’t the kind of stuff that was most popular there. I guess it goes back to point 3 (?) emotionally connect with people. I don’t think you can genuinely want to emotionally connect to people if you don’t care about them, or at least about the others who care about the thing you’re creating about. But it’s a different thing to “caring about people because they will compliment me, because they will like and follow me and pay me”.
the last part made me think about my own situation. I'm 23, just formed as an architect and starting in art, and man it's so tough to get a job in the area, or grow as an artist in social media. I wanted to already be living alone and be independent, but man, maybe i just should focus that it's ok to in my age still lean in my parents shoulders and try my best on finding my way.
As an upcoming artist, I'm starting to see the difference in drawing your own original characters vs popular characters. I don't like drawing other creators' characters but I can't deny that those illustrations bring in the audience... or spicy art.
It's probably his brand, but by looking at his channel (it's been on my explore page everyday), I find some titles quite rude ? It's kinda clickbait-y, I get that it draws attention to these videos, but at the same times it pisses people off...
I’m glad I found this channel man, I needed a successful artist to be straight up with and blunt with their advice(being thoughtful and nice is cool but I personally improve better when people aren’t concerned about being nice, but are concerned about improvement)
Maybe that also falls under 'emotional relevance' category but I realized that people sometimes follow artists because of their personality as well, if the artist is an interesting person regardless of his/her skill. Even if he/she doesn't share relatable stories, people like to be voyeurs if somebody's leading an interesting life! But I find that often very depressing, I post my face (I'm normal looking person) instead of my illustration on instagram and I get more likes for that LOL
To me, that is what "fame" means. Basically, its an affinity to you as a person or what you have done, not something that anyone else can fill. But you do have a point, a "collector" category might be a good idea...where someone buys your work because you are affiliated with something that that person wants to collect content and artwork from.
also COMICS! Creating stories in which deal with the themes you prefer is also a good way to get an engaging audience, it's the same reason why people love book characters
Hey ypu mentioned some artists that ypu proclaim as top tier and said you'd drop a link in bio. Ypu did not my friend. Lol. Love ypu and ypur insight but your low key voice didn't express the names clear enough sorry. Please drop link. Or hit me on ig @specialistbeaton with some of your top tier artist. That would be amazing. Thank ypu for being so real and content being so applicable aswell as being relevant and accessible. One love
@@michaelsterling7487 @e r g o j o s h I am also looking for the top tier artist mentioned around the nine minute mark. "gooyez and walob" went through a good bit of the comments and did not see anyone reference it.
Can I just say, I love your channel? You're pretty much the most honest and realistic artist I've found. I'm a writer first and foremost, but I've always done art in the background. It's been so hard to find quality advice on improving especially since after 8 years or so I'm trying digital art again. (I hate coloring just had to say it). So many people are literally like "I make a living off commissions, you can toooo, fuck art school it's all lies" You've helped me a lot. I don't necessarily intend to sell my art by itself, but I do want to become good enough that it compliments my writing and make it more appealing. I started by just drawing accompanying sketches next to my poems. I've recently started using my own digital work at a background for typed versions instead of royalty free photos.
haha i'm 28 and I live with my parent (singular). It's not a terrible thing. We've been conditioned to do things a certain way, and every life is different.
“I’ve really racked my brain and I can’t think of any other reason why someone would care about you or your art” I understand the video and I’m not genuinely offended but out of context, this quote hurts 😂
Its really hard to make your work notice when you are not following the trend. I dont want to follow this cute looking girls portrait trend. Am really into learning and improving my work right now. But sometimes when you work so hard on a painting and no one notice you...it hurts...I know like doesn't make you a good artist but still bcz of our human nature. But right now am still choosing to learn and broad my knowledge . I rather choose being a good artist over a famous artist without any skill. I want to get appreciated by my fellow artist ....please send me some good vibes am going through bad depression period. I hope everyone is safe...:)
I strongly advocate and follow artists whom don’t follow the typical pretty instagram/pinterest girl trend. It’s such common art now that I scroll past it on instagram. It just doesn’t interest me compared to weird, creepy, abstract and free-flowing/free thought art. Keep doing what you’re doing. The world needs your ideas and creativity. If you don’t do it, then nobody will. And it is then an opportunity for greatness missed. If you have a social media, I’d love to follow you and send some love your way. I’ll support your work wholeheartedly. ❤️💙🧡
@@sinnbadd278 Hey...thank you so much for such a kind word. Am trying to change my style and improve my work...I dont wanna be a femous artist...I want respect from my fellow artist. and meet you guys someday...its my goal for now...
Understood that we all sick and tired of this type of trend. I’m sure one day our art will get appreciated. Because I also experienced this until now. Just focus on what you love to draw and don’t care about others
I found one of my favorite artists through her LOZ fanart. Checked out her profile and instantly fell in love with the way she draws, didn't care even a smidge that it was all original. I never would have found her if not for that Link drawing. Fanart is huuuuuge.
It's crazy how much of a similar situation you are in! So relatable to my experience, though in my case I realize I have a ways to go before can actualize my dream of working in the game industry as an artist. Tough sacrifices must be made to pursue this goal as an artist and entrepreneur, but you seem to be self aware and understanding of what it will take. Upon looking at your instagram account I realized I was already following you so its funny to match the face to the account. Good work man keep it up!
Ergo Josh. Your words REALLY comforted me a lot! I have a MA in studio painting and a background in fine arts and I'm living not with my parents, but with my boyfriend's parents to make things happen and most of the time I find myself that stressed that I cannot just let my creativity express. It's difficult for me to shift from fine arts to the art industry...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! REALLY
I'm so glad that I'm not on the hamster wheel of trying to get noticed as an artist. I don't even call myself an artist. I just do what I like, to please myself. I have a full-time job and consider myself too old to see my art as a career, no time left I think. I watched a George Carlin interview the other night and thought it was interesting that he said he never got really famous until he gave up trying to please the 40-year-olds and just went with what HE felt. I think there's a lesson there. BTW, love your voice, very soothing.
Just came across your channel this evening and I've already went through about 4 or 5 vids. At 40 yrs old, Covid has pushed back into my first love...ART. Over the years I've dabbled here and there; painting, and sketching. My skill level is basic and raw... meaning I didn't do any formal training/university to refine my skill. I haphazardly stumbled upon @inktober on instagram in October and took on the challenge to draw something daily and 45 days in I am still drawing and I EVEN got a request to purchase one of the inktober pieces that I did via procreate (3ftx3ft Framed.) So that actually gave me a huge confidence boost that I need to keep this going. I want more and one thing I do love is the art of human anatomy and I started searching that and I stumbled across one of your gesture drawing videos and kept watching from there. Shoots....I never even heard about Twitch until tonight so I signed up and followed you there as well. Your way of instruction and teaching is great and I look forward to the knowledge I can gain from you in possibly taking my art to the next level. Keep up the great work!
I don’t really wanna be famous, I just wanna have fun with my art work, but something deep down is saying this is all for fame because the artist I look up to has such a massive following, and I wanna experience that. But at the same time, it’s really not something I want.
I watched some of your videos recently because they were recommended to me. I never even finished this one and I want to say that you are really helpful dude. Not only your advice but you are so chill and soothing that my art anxieties fly of the window. And there are a lot of them. Thank you!
Thanks, ergojosh! What you said about engaging with my audience really stuck. When I post my art on Instagram I usually just write a really simple "art-gallery" type of title like, "girl brushing her hair" But writing things that ask questions and encouraging the audience to participate and start a conversation is a really good idea :)
Really great advice mate. Specially emotions. Artists today tend too much to avoid compositions, design and certainly most important, message about works for stay on trending of social media and not hurt large audience. But what make art is the message behind him. Then you can then you give values, then you connect with peoples brain and emotions, then you can connect with REAL audience, then you can receive value in return (money, fame, success in any form). You need to know YOU before want to tell something to others with your art :) !
i was staring at the skin on your head and how i could see the lines and texture on it and I was like...wait is this 1440p cause very few tubers even bother. Kudos on the great content up to 4k!
before i watch this i will just share _MY_ 6 reasons to care about somebody's art: 1. is it cute? 2. is it authentic? 3. does it have recognizable characters? (for example fanart) 4. what is the aesthetic? 5. is it sexy? (no need to lie about this) 6. in case it's all of the above: does it work?
I am going to be commissioned for the first time soon! I never really thought I would do it because I have pretty low confidence in my skills but my friend insisted that he wanted to pay me for my art, and a few other people encouraged me because they said I should be very proud of what I do. Another dilemma I had, is that for as long as I remember I always loved drawing for other people and gifting art. In a general manner, I'm just super big on making personal gifts for people. I love making them feel special, and I'm sure it can make someone's day. Putting money into that process of doing something for someone else was completely out of the question to me a few years ago. This year I did start thinking that I wouldn't mind getting donations, and now I am taking this huge step of putting myself out there and doing commissions. I'm just a hobbyist so I don't really have to think about not making meets end but I guess I just wanted to share my experience! I have no doubt that starting commissions is going to help me grow as an artist and a person. Also thank you so much for your videos, it's very nice listening to you :)
I really wish I knew what to focus on lost with drawing. I was using photographs and and making some portraits, but I think gesture and line art might be a better path. It makes sense to strip things down and then work on the rest
Hope that the move went well for you! Some real (I'm just gonna say) good, obvious advice...so obvious that one might look over it. Combined with your tone and demeanor came across as chill and refreshing. I was hoping that you might touch upon the issue of not being proficient @pricing art/not realizing as an artist that you ARE good enough (ect) to make a living. I've personally been thinking of starting to upload videos on UA-cam. To get my feet wet, I've been commenting more on videos I watch. I believe in my content, and have received positive reactions from a wide group of individuals...yet fame and money are not things I am interested in....yup, I'm a tortured artist. Thank you for this video
13:37 Well... The subject you mentioned there, feminism in the middle east. That's dangerous. When you mentioned "people coming after her", that made me worried tbh. I thought you meant in the literal sense. I think getting political with your art is something really great, but you gotta be aware of the impact it will have. I'm not saying "don't do it", but be aware of the risks involved. Some people and places have a big problem with free speech.
If this is the last video I just wanted to tell you.. you are one of the reasons that made me start in the field of drawing... you gave us so many tips to solve our problems in art and your art is so beautiful.. thank you so much for giving us so many educational videos and beautiful videos and thank you because you always Cleansing our eyes with your beautiful art . Don’t forget to be always healthy & I love you from all of my heart ♥️
One thing I like bout you is that you're not on the top list of artist yet. and you're very down to earth about it. It's relatable to us mediocre or newbie artist to hear your experience and improve upon it.
This helped me a lot, thank you! Currently, I'm in the Inktober and MerMay trends.I love challenges, but starting to break out into other things. As for commissions, I chose not to do them before I restarted drawing again. I used to sell my crochet and knit work and most of my sales were commissions and I hated it. 😆 I felt like I was in a box.
I have tears of joy, hearing what you said at the tail end there! Thank you, That really (for me) needed to be heard. WOW! Yasss~ *I'm glad you didnt cut that part out OMG because it made me pivot my thinking~
You give value all the time! In truth, I resonated very much with the idea of an artist needing to study just as much as a medical doctor in order to master and commodify their craft successfully.
even though comments already has the summary of your content on this vid, I still needed to hear the words with your voice. :) the bob ross effect, thanks for a great vid!
I am doing #mermay this month and it's going really well for me! ☺ What I also found out is, that it helps alot when you engage with other artists on instagram. I am commenting and liking alot more than I did in the past. It brings alot of people to my own page and they also engage with my own art. It's great! I feel like I am part of the community, it is so much fun! ☺
At the tail end of the video, everything of making sure you take care of financial situation resonated a lot with why I went down the path I did post-art college. I did not see an immediate future with financial stability, Healthcare, or retirement benefits which were my three main concerns at the time when I wanted a job out of college. I joined the military to make sure I'm secured with what I was most concern about while working and making a living. I'm so much happier and not as stressed when it comes to my art because I have my biggest concerns taken care of so I can now grow at my own pace with my art. My friends who been trying to get jobs in the art/design industry barely get to do any personal art nowadays because they're working whether in the industry or in something completely different and they depend on commissions to try and get extra pocket money for rainy days. We need to remember it's never a race for success, but we do need to take care of ourselves even if it means taking a path we didn't want to get to the end goal.
I concur with sticking with fandom artwork. My Steven Universe fanart brought in a lot of new followers and attention to my DeviantArt page. I had a lot of fun drawing them at the time and the fandom was fairly new when I posted them but eventually, I encountered the "fandom Police" who'd criticize my OC gems and telling me "Oh, there's already a peridot/topaz and they don't look like that." I got tired of reminding people that I made the artwork long before any canon designs were revealed. So I stopped making SU fanart because it wasn't fun anymore. I'm more focused on my original characters and developing their comic and that's all I've been posting and the activity significantly dropped. All the faves are for the SU artwork and hardly for anything original but I don't mind. There's a handful of people who are watching me for my work rather than the fandoms I do work of.
Really great video. Just breaks it all down nicely. Artwork and growing as an artist can feel so insane and scary sometimes, but stuff like this helps make it tangible and achievable
This is a great video. I 100% agree with the challenge of deviating from the IG "pretty girl portrait" trend. Like you (& any artist who's intermediate or better skill level), I can digitally paint a portrait reliably, & if it's referenced to a gorgeous photo, it'll look gorgeous. But I got so bored of doing this, it almost made me stop posting my art online. Personally, I prefer painting fantasy landscapes & highly detailed illustration scenes, but that type of work doesn't get as much engagement on IG due to it being so complex & most folks looking at IG on smaller screens like smartphones. I ended up finding a happy medium where I will post a closeup crop of part of the illustration that shows an attractive character as my first frame in IG, then they can swipe to see the full
Hey Josh. Furry artist here, and watched your videos since you started on YT! I love this video and I appreciate it so much. I agree so much with that last sentiment on commissions. Commissions don't really help an artist grow either skill wise or follower wise or both. I recently got burned out doing commissions just out of obligation not out of necessity. I finally put an end to them so that I can further my art education, as well as doing what I love. I realize not everyone is in that privileged position where they can just stop commissions to have more time to further self-growth. When you mentioned about fandoms, I was wondering if you'd cover the furry one. I'm glad you did! I also noticed that furry artists who end up growing their audience end up having no issues transferring it to human art if they choose to do more of it. Especially if they occasionally pop in a human art piece in the mix because there will be people who will love what they draw regardless of it being fandom related or not. A few artists that come to mind is, Fukari, Kinghime are successful furry artists that integrated towards other fandoms or just drew their own original content with audience retention. With smaller audiences like you mentioned for the artists that end up pigeonholing themselves in one fandom, their audience will be far more likely to peace out if the artist switches gears. This is why building an audience is important even if you start in a fandom. And that at the start it's a good idea to have some variety so the small audience isn't just expecting one thing. If it's a larger audience I believe it carries over easier because they recognize the artist and their work even more. To others: I've seen people get bored of their fandoms after staying in them for many years, so having other art interests is healthy and you won't experience burnout or a loss of your audience if you integrate non fandom content in your social platforms. Even if it's not 50/50 in your gallery, at least some non-fandom content so it wont shock others when you decide to switch interests. Not everyone stays interested in one art community for long term and that's okay!
I'm a furry artist as well, I wanted to add to your sentiment with a different take since my experience has been a bit different with commissions. I've been taking them as my full-time job for almost 10 years, never really slowing down at any point and still going even now. I have suffered occasional burnout, mostly in the early years when I was still getting established and saying yes to basically everything. What helped a ton was narrowing down my subject matter to the sort of things I wanted to be drawing. I'm super into medieval fantasy and fairytale type stuff, so I spent a couple years really branding myself toward that so that people would know that's what I do and commission me for it. I do themes every month and a lot of YCH's now, all playing into the genre I'm most passionate about and that has helped TONS with motivation and being able to turn out commissions while still allowing myself to grow. I enjoy the work a lot more because I'm drawing what I like, even if it's other people's characters. A bit of a disclaimer though, I work really fast and that helps when it comes to having time for personal projects alongside the paid work. It tips the scales in my favor a bit more, so to speak.
@@LuthienNightwolf Yeah, I do understand everyone's journey is different. I think it's really cool that you made your growth work out for you while you are still doing commissions. I personally am rather slow artist, trying to work on that.
@@ekoi1995 we dont need any more furry artists. If it were up to me we wouldnt have any. devote your skills amd talents to something that doesnt go into the dumpster fire of the internet. Something truly valuable!
"Value" - Sir, I have only seen three, maybe four, of your presentations and I can confidently say that each is solid gold! I have learned so much. Thank you! Thank you very much. You know what?! As soon as I finish typing, I will subscribe.
In my younger days.... I never really consider art as a career but look where it brought me. Stepping in this game is quite a loop and I realized I don't value my art as much I don't value myself. So if I can't value my own art... How can I value other people's art....... I'm just insecure and art blockish these days...... S O R R Y
What if your interests span into more then one category of art? Like for me I like art from the gaming industry, I also like doing pretty girls from Instagram and children’s picture books, do I need to choose one category and go with it? 😅
I find attraction to particular colors like various shades of green that harmonize with my home decor, and also subject matter. Nature, birds, trees, ocean, clouds, leaves, feathers, farming. I also love certain mediums of art that display the beauty of that particular medium. For instance, watercolor and the transparency and light it emits, as well as the blending of colors. Whereas with oils and and acrylics, it’s enjoyable to see the textures of brush strokes. My favorite artist is Julien Dupre. He had a way of capturing the nobility of the most menial, especially with his use of color, and also with his brush strokes. Originality is huge too, either with personal style or composition.
Your video really helped me. I have been really focused on skill and honestly it held me back from succeeding. I realised after watching this video (although I have seen videos by another artist saying stories and emotion are more important to attract people than skill) but your video somehow made me realise that i actually can do that, because I am good at that but I didn't even try because I was focusing on perfection. It motivates me to make art to express myself. ❤
Damn I wanted to get onto that private art critique patreon tier but it was already full :(( but totally understandable that there's a limit for that actually :)
I really appreciate your content so much, for someone transitioning into an Art career in an isolated niche, I can say your page does give me the affirmation I need to keep going and relevant tips - and yes something very soothing in the voice that calms the anxious mind. Thank you x
Well i can Only answer from my experiance.. what sells.. 1. Form/texture 2. Colours 3. Movement 4. Good sales pitch im not a normal artist that ppl define to those Internet celebs that sells art.. i dont restrict any medium plus Work with flow and texture. So far i sell and survive thx to art.. same with my mother
weird question, hope you arent offended, but why is every character on your instagram seemingly white/ asian (but not really, alot have european features) is it because theyre from a specific project or is that constitute as a stylistic choice.
I've recently been watching your videos more often & I stumbled upon this one. Honestly, I like how you appeal to the audience by being yourself, you know? As an intermediate artist, I find it difficult to get a high engagement rate with my audience despite the fact that my skills have improved over the past few years, which is frustrating. Listening to your podcasts makes me feel like I'm not alone & I'm doing my best, so I shouldn't let the algorithm control my self-esteem. As long as I'm making what I love & I'm improving, I think it's all worth it. I love how unique & inspiring your art is, so I hope to grow into a better artist & person as well. Thank you so much for sharing your videos & podcasts!
Moving out of your parents house when you're not financially stable is nothing short of self-sabotage. Believe me, I did it when I turned 18, the "independence" of my crappy basement suite wasn't worth it lol
Thanks for making this video! It’s very enlightening to see this type of thing being talked about. I really would love to be a full time artist some day, so thanks for doing this it helps.
When you say help other people when they ask for help, i was courius, do you by any chance mean the art they are asking for? I mean i feel like i'm never refusing anyone, but when they ask me for free art i get so anxious that they will dislike the result, that i prefer to avoid this topic... Or do you mean help in general
Absolutely not free art, but when people ask how you did something, or maybe for tips if they see you are achieving something they are not, then thats when I say to go for it!
All really great points. I honestly appreciate the honesty and insight. I find the trend bandwagon/art meme/fanart bit quite interesting. I don't remember from who I heard this but the idea goes something like "Draw fanart to bring people to the table, but you need to have your own stuff as well on your table."
Don't feel that way. Men are beautiful. Some of my favorite work is from yaoi artists who so eloquently capture the true emotion of relationships. There is a huge viewerbase for you waiting, promise. And it doesn't have to be yaoi. Realistic artwork or amazing cartoons of male characters are just as enticing to view as art of women. Don't be scared
@@eltiospike7672 Nah, heterosexual men on average are just visual based and a lot of them are artists. As a heterosexual highly visual girl, I honestly perfer looking at a picture of a handsome man than a beautiful girl. Men are aesthetically pleasing too. Majority of the ancient arts were mostly of men like the sculpture of David. The thing is, today's society is too obsessed with the female. There's too much emphasis on the female in general. Even with feminizing men. That's the truth.
I really needed to watch something like this. I came from your previous video of "The #1 Trait All Good Artists Have" and lately I've been feeling down when it comes to drawing. Watching this really helps sort out some of my own questions as well as giving me motivation that I can do this. Thank you so much!
Here's something easier: have a younger sibling who looks up to you and stalks and promotes all your accounts. Risk: you have a ton of 12 year olds following your art account. Thanks sis.
i've been really enjoying listening to your videos while i draw. it's motivational, it's helpful, it's soothing, it's entertaining, it's great. love u josh !
That fanart thing is soooo true. I got stuck in that hole a long time ago. I left for 9 months hoping people would unfollow and the ones that genuinely liked my art would stay. I'm growing faster posting originals. And loving art again.
For full-length narrated breakdowns & tutorials you wont find here on UA-cam, Brushes, and timelapses for my most complex and detailed paintings - Consider supporting me on Patreon! ▶ geni.us/ergojoshpatreon
"First one, people may care about you because of your fame. Many famous artists are dead. *I don't recommend dying, please don't die to make people care about your art."*
Wow thats number 7!
Gooshh that's deep
Ricardo Lopez be like: W R O N G
@@AA-pv6mi no thanks
That doesn't guarantee fame either
Do any of you guys feel self-conscious over calling your art "art"? I feel like I hold the word in such high esteem and don't wanna "waste" it on my work, no matter how much work I put into it.
Update: After 5 months of art-grinding and becoming more confident in that regard, I got no problems calling myself an artist anymore. Feelsgoodman
You're always going to be sef-conscious about what you create, but over time you'll learn to manage it. Call it art, yes ! Learn to appreciate what you create, and be ike "hey ! I made this !" Don't get discouraged :) If you want to progress, you'll have to put your work out there. Small reminder : you matter, and your art matters as well !
Me too, everytime i finished something i always have thoughts that 'it could be better' or 'there're people who are better than you'. Especially when i see a younger artist who draw better than me that was such a massive discouragement for me :( maybe i set my goal too highyou know
I am definitely not the guy to say "EVERYTHING IS ART ITS ALL VALUABLE blah blah blah" But you definitely should value what you make. Its just like learning how to cook. You can make some food and it might suck, but eventually you will make some pretty cool stuff! Will it be enough to be in the next top restaurant? Maybe not, but you could easily make alot of people happy by bringing your special pasta to the next Post Covid Potluck! Think of your art that way, you are always growing, and making things that you enjoy and hopefully share with others.
@@ergojosh Aw man that's so sweet. Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement a lot :) I'm hyped to see some improvement in my work already so I think I'm slowly but surely stepping toward valualing everything I do more! Also the analogy is really good, I might steal that next time I have to prep-talk an artist-friend and gonna refer them to you :D
I've fallen into that pitfall recently too! I subconsciously put my art in boxes. The sketches, doodles, stuff I could do quick? Not art. Stuff that was finished and took days/weeks? Art. It really made me feel like it wasn't worth doing the first section. Now I've started a small sketchbook with toned paper just for doodles and I'm loving working in it and completing small doodles.
Here's a summary of all 6 points. click read more. The real topic is "how to provide value as an artist"
1. Fame. 2:46
•If people know you, they want your stuff. If you're a star then people will pay top dollar.
Advice in this regard: 5:22
have a unique attractive style, maintain a brand, have a large body of work, talk to people, be interactive, and be nice.
---
2. Skill 8:02
•If you're good, then that's cool and important, but not the only thing that matters.
Advice in this regard: 8:34
Engage with people, don't rely on skill alone to get noticed, target specific skills you're weak on to improve, get your fundamentals down, use values and shading. Focus on style later.
---
3. Emotional Resonance/Relevance 11:37
•If people relate to it in their own life or feelings, they get interested.
Advice in this regard: 12:46
Tug people's heart strings by targeting feelings/emotions, be relatable™, niche down, Have a message, be personal and tell your own stories, be expressive, connect with people.
---
4. Fanart and Trends 16:28
•If you do this it's a good strategy to build fame, but it may be risky in some aspects although it is easy to get viewers by leechin' off media or memes they already enjoy.
Advice in this regard: 19:42
Make sure you really care about it and enjoy it, If you niche down too deep then all your fans are predicated on your fanart or topic or trend only, don't only do 1 thing lest it dies in popularity, 50/50 fan/original is a good ratio for beginners.
---
5. Nudes, Lewds, and Hardcore Porn. 23:27
•Sex sells, if you do sexier stuff, it will usually get more viewership. be careful on public places about this as pushing too far can lead to viewer alienation and the banhammer.
Advice in this regard: 23:45
pictures of pretty women are more popular than men, split your work on two platforms: one made for porn and one for regular stuff, be careful of losing your account, the people who like this pay good money for it.
---
6. Commissions 25:58
•If you do commissions you provide value to only one person, and it is difficult to grow only on commissions, the more famous you are, the more you commission's you'll get.
Advice in this regard: 26:19
other people may like it if it's extremely high skill or relatable, take commissions based on stuff that is fun and builds your portfolio and what you would do anyway, grow big and get popular first, do furry art, get a job if you survive fully on commissions because you will struggle to grow if you don't finesse it right, attempt to latch onto the other reasons for other people to have value in another person's commission.
---
General artist advice. 29:40
get a day job to meet your basic needs in order to improve your quality, make sacrifices to achieve your long term goal, go back to go forward further, build good daily habits and self care, be a mooch, limit distractions, care about what you draw.
---
Recap: Fame, Skill, Relatability(emotional, fanart), porn, and commissions.
Really to get noticed, as in with any business, it's about the value you provide to your users. The general strategy is to build up your skill level and provide emotional relatability and relevance through your art whilst engaging with your fans. maintain a healthy balance of fanart and trends to original work to grow fame faster, do porn on the side if you need money, and as for other commissions maintain a balance in order to continue your growth.
Thank you. This must've taken you so long
Thank you so much!!
just wanted to add one more - Thank you - for doing the recap.
Thanks ✨✨✨✨
Damn you really probably shouldn't have made this comment lol I read it 3 min in and now I don't feel like I need to watch the video.
Your voice is so soothing. You should be a narrator or something like that.
He should totally do audiobooks. He’d be amazing at it.
he has a podcast now! so, get up on it people!
Haha yes. I don’t know English very well, so sometimes I barely understand what he says, but I keep watching because of THAT VOICE
Beautiful voice for real.
12345678910 lol
instagram really did a number on artistic self-esteem. We can not run away from the fact that we grew up getting compliments for our work. compliments meant people cared. the more you got, the better you had to be, right? then came Instagram and the rest is developing history. the algorithm made it worse because it does not reward "good art" but rewards "good social media practices"
The like and the love buttons are the most impersonal thing created ...it takes away from any real connection.
I also hate the fact that social media has replaced art sharing websites and personal websites. It's like we're forced to use some platform that isn't specifically designed for artists, because hardly anybody uses anything else.... Deviant art is mostly a dead stick, and flooded with degenerate art and fetishes. Art station feels welcoming until you realize that people who are liking your art are just spamming likes/favs (sometimes in the tens/hundreds of thousands) to gain attention to their own page. It is a great and professional portfolio site, but not much more than that.
Practically gaining a following through genuine means is a thing of the past. Unless the right person comes across your art and shares it.
Nowadays you have to throw away your anonymity and be an entertainer. For instance, Twitch. Twitch may be one of the best ways to sell yourself, but you have to be charismatic, relatively good looking, and maybe act in a way that isn't the real you.
@@mock15halo I have used deviant art and Artstation and couldn't agree with you more. Deviant Art is so weird. we are at the mercy of algorithms.
@@mathewomolo There's a documentary on Netflix called the Social Dilemma that does a good job showing the tactics social media sites use to milk people of their attention without ever really rewarding the person with anything of value.
@@mock15halo I have watched it. Maybe we need a documentary for what social media has done to artists
That title made me go “ouch”
That's why I have an 8-5 job. I have to sleep late cause I do art after work but it is very true that once you have the moneys, you are able to focus on your art much better.
Ouch, I did not need that attack-
Also, he's gonna say fanart, isn't he?
I'm a fanartist kinda hurts 😔
He covers “emotion,” and fan art is nothing but emotional. Someone who doesn’t know the character/scene will either like it or not, but those who identify what’s going on in the art and have an emotional investment in the subject will automatically be drawn to it.
... But yes, he also picks out fan art as its own thing.
neu dae , I'm 54 but will be starting in on some fan art very soon...It's what Iike. 😊
If your art is rlly good ig u can make money by making prints of them and selling it to crazy fans. Oh ans you can also make them into some other stuff like keychains or cute decor.
You're a really good example of extending value through your work. You radiate so much wisdom when you talk, I always feel so comforted and relaxed when I watch your videos. It's like you're telling me to just remain calm, to stop fretting over my instagram growth and just be one with my art. Thank you so much for these podcasts, it brings me a lot of peace after a long day 💛
Namtiddie enthusiast? 🤣🤣🤣
❤❤❤❤
@@addibel506 and omg hush 😭
"when your basic needs are not met, your art and creativity process is going to tank" - Felt that on a personal level. the struggle is real, and I appreciate hearing popular artist giving a nod to the impact that has on performance because I honestly feel like, that is perhaps not acknowledge nearly often enough. Even by those in that place in the moment.
e r g o j o s h, you are a lateral youtuber who understands the struggle. Thank you for giving us your time 🙏🏻😢
No problem 😊
You speak so much truth! This is why I don't really like doing commissions, so much time and effort into something that can only be 'appreciated' once..
how to get people to notice your art
1- pass away
me : hmm seems like a good idea!
*fake your own death* xD
@@Carl_Wheezy they won't even notice I'm gone😭lol
Know some rich guy who will promote your art as a means to avoid taxes and money laundering.
ôwô NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Aaand it's free! ✨👌🏻 (i mean. for you. Your family must pay some shit but who cares lol)
Another way to have value as an artist is to share knowledge: not only life experiences or advice, technical knowledge, ways that everyone has to do things, there is so much to learn that anything you know and can share with others seems to me a good way to help those who do not know how to do things. There is so much to learn by making art that if we all share our views we help everyone grow.
I wanna add an exception to the generalisation about drawing girls getting more views ---> if you combined what you said previously, about drawing stuff from fandoms, and if you've established urself as a BTS fanartist, that's gonna rack up a lot of followers. I've seen a handful of BTS fanartist with sub par skills and they have such massive following. But of course the big problem like you also mentioned is that once they start branching out, they are gonna lose that following because theyve cornered themselves to such a 'niche' fanbase.
UA-cam scares me. I just started my art channel a week ago and I was asking this very question to myself while uploading my 2nd vid. Then I find this in my recommendations. I clicked (coz why not?) then I subbed (of course). When you mentioned "...how you give value to people", it hit me that apart from focusing on my skill, my story, my art, my comics and my "fame", it should also be my responsibility to give value to people's lives-give something more back somehow. Thanks for this! Straight to the point and insightful.
The comment about you still being with your parents hit home for me. I am one of those who did a degree in one thing, then decided after some time that I didn't want to make it my career, and focussed on art again.
I'm still learning and growing, but this video was incredibly helpful and thought provoking. Thank you.
I'm in the same position, I did a degree in science at the same time I was learning to draw but at the end I just decided I want to be an artist not a scientist
I'm struggling with this at the moment. I'm working and doing a Master's degree and at the same time, I just want to draw. It is really hard to do them all and I'm basically failing my classes even though I'm very much interested in the subjects. I'm considering dropping out but I want the degree and have no idea what to do!
@@angiegm3230 Holy shit SAME. I earned my degree 5 years ago, and barely got a toe in the door to a minimum wage job. Then Covid hit, and I lost that job. Now I just want to make art for a living (it's been a passion of mine since I was a child) and be happy.
Caring about others while creating will never result in self satisfaction , always depending on others gratification is not good .
k i’m framing this comment
Social media is a double edged sword for art
@@budigaboi8275 Elaborate for me pls
@@AidenPhengsy sometimes people solely create for likes and not what they want to create. But its also a great way to talk to other artists and get connections
Caring about others while creating seems pretty self satisfying tho. Like genuinely caring about them as human being, and not just about their likes, money and what they can bring you.
An example of this related to art, I’m not Muslim but I made a hijab for a doll game i was creating for. It was likely to be unpopular, but I did this because there was none, because I was asked to by a player, and more importantly I cared about the way muslim people were treated in my country. Seeing that player, and other Muslim players be happy to have their culture represented at a time where people were hostile towards them was genuinely gratifying, like actually one of the most gratifying memory I have even if my piece wasn’t the kind of stuff that was most popular there.
I guess it goes back to point 3 (?) emotionally connect with people. I don’t think you can genuinely want to emotionally connect to people if you don’t care about them, or at least about the others who care about the thing you’re creating about. But it’s a different thing to “caring about people because they will compliment me, because they will like and follow me and pay me”.
the last part made me think about my own situation. I'm 23, just formed as an architect and starting in art, and man it's so tough to get a job in the area, or grow as an artist in social media. I wanted to already be living alone and be independent, but man, maybe i just should focus that it's ok to in my age still lean in my parents shoulders and try my best on finding my way.
As an upcoming artist, I'm starting to see the difference in drawing your own original characters vs popular characters. I don't like drawing other creators' characters but I can't deny that those illustrations bring in the audience... or spicy art.
Why does that title sound so passive aggressive ;-;
Amelia Preston ikr T-T
😂😂🤷🏼♂️
It's probably his brand, but by looking at his channel (it's been on my explore page everyday), I find some titles quite rude ? It's kinda clickbait-y, I get that it draws attention to these videos, but at the same times it pisses people off...
Anaïs GAONAC'H I was drawing and then I saw the title and I was like 😢
@@Icanfspell Nono don't let the title bring you down ! You know what, close the window, find yourself some cute content, and keep drawing !!
I’m glad I found this channel man, I needed a successful artist to be straight up with and blunt with their advice(being thoughtful and nice is cool but I personally improve better when people aren’t concerned about being nice, but are concerned about improvement)
Maybe that also falls under 'emotional relevance' category but I realized that people sometimes follow artists because of their personality as well, if the artist is an interesting person regardless of his/her skill. Even if he/she doesn't share relatable stories, people like to be voyeurs if somebody's leading an interesting life! But I find that often very depressing, I post my face (I'm normal looking person) instead of my illustration on instagram and I get more likes for that LOL
To me, that is what "fame" means. Basically, its an affinity to you as a person or what you have done, not something that anyone else can fill. But you do have a point, a "collector" category might be a good idea...where someone buys your work because you are affiliated with something that that person wants to collect content and artwork from.
also COMICS! Creating stories in which deal with the themes you prefer is also a good way to get an engaging audience, it's the same reason why people love book characters
ATTENTION: I am no longer offering the 1 on 1 Patreon mentorship/consulting service that I mention in this video.
Ikooioooiiiooooiioo
Hey ypu mentioned some artists that ypu proclaim as top tier and said you'd drop a link in bio. Ypu did not my friend. Lol. Love ypu and ypur insight but your low key voice didn't express the names clear enough sorry.
Please drop link. Or hit me on ig @specialistbeaton with some of your top tier artist. That would be amazing. Thank ypu for being so real and content being so applicable aswell as being relevant and accessible. One love
@@michaelsterling7487 @e r g o j o s h I am also looking for the top tier artist mentioned around the nine minute mark. "gooyez and walob" went through a good bit of the comments and did not see anyone reference it.
Found it! it is Guweiz and Wlop.
@@00-Tyler-00 Both are amazing artists. I would add Shal.E. too
Can I just say, I love your channel? You're pretty much the most honest and realistic artist I've found. I'm a writer first and foremost, but I've always done art in the background. It's been so hard to find quality advice on improving especially since after 8 years or so I'm trying digital art again. (I hate coloring just had to say it). So many people are literally like "I make a living off commissions, you can toooo, fuck art school it's all lies" You've helped me a lot. I don't necessarily intend to sell my art by itself, but I do want to become good enough that it compliments my writing and make it more appealing. I started by just drawing accompanying sketches next to my poems. I've recently started using my own digital work at a background for typed versions instead of royalty free photos.
haha i'm 28 and I live with my parent (singular). It's not a terrible thing. We've been conditioned to do things a certain way, and every life is different.
Very true! It just wasn’t pleasant to be the only one in my workplace driving back to his Moms house everyday XD
Dude I can just turn the volume almost all the way down, and your voice still sounds crystal clear and so calming, I love it!
“I’ve really racked my brain and I can’t think of any other reason why someone would care about you or your art” I understand the video and I’m not genuinely offended but out of context, this quote hurts 😂
This is helpful for someone like me who is really struggling and wants to both improve my art and get people to like it. Thank you ❤❤
An insulting title to the one thing i love?
I'm in
Its really hard to make your work notice when you are not following the trend. I dont want to follow this cute looking girls portrait trend. Am really into learning and improving my work right now. But sometimes when you work so hard on a painting and no one notice you...it hurts...I know like doesn't make you a good artist but still bcz of our human nature. But right now am still choosing to learn and broad my knowledge . I rather choose being a good artist over a famous artist without any skill. I want to get appreciated by my fellow artist ....please send me some good vibes am going through bad depression period. I hope everyone is safe...:)
I strongly advocate and follow artists whom don’t follow the typical pretty instagram/pinterest girl trend. It’s such common art now that I scroll past it on instagram. It just doesn’t interest me compared to weird, creepy, abstract and free-flowing/free thought art.
Keep doing what you’re doing. The world needs your ideas and creativity. If you don’t do it, then nobody will. And it is then an opportunity for greatness missed.
If you have a social media, I’d love to follow you and send some love your way. I’ll support your work wholeheartedly. ❤️💙🧡
@@sinnbadd278 Hey...thank you so much for such a kind word. Am trying to change my style and improve my work...I dont wanna be a femous artist...I want respect from my fellow artist. and meet you guys someday...its my goal for now...
Understood that we all sick and tired of this type of trend. I’m sure one day our art will get appreciated. Because I also experienced this until now. Just focus on what you love to draw and don’t care about others
this video kinda felt like a personal arttack, love that
Just M “ARTtack” I love what you did there
I found one of my favorite artists through her LOZ fanart. Checked out her profile and instantly fell in love with the way she draws, didn't care even a smidge that it was all original. I never would have found her if not for that Link drawing. Fanart is huuuuuge.
It's crazy how much of a similar situation you are in! So relatable to my experience, though in my case I realize I have a ways to go before can actualize my dream of working in the game industry as an artist. Tough sacrifices must be made to pursue this goal as an artist and entrepreneur, but you seem to be self aware and understanding of what it will take. Upon looking at your instagram account I realized I was already following you so its funny to match the face to the account. Good work man keep it up!
Ergo Josh. Your words REALLY comforted me a lot! I have a MA in studio painting and a background in fine arts and I'm living not with my parents, but with my boyfriend's parents to make things happen and most of the time I find myself that stressed that I cannot just let my creativity express. It's difficult for me to shift from fine arts to the art industry...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! REALLY
I'm so glad that I'm not on the hamster wheel of trying to get noticed as an artist. I don't even call myself an artist. I just do what I like, to please myself. I have a full-time job and consider myself too old to see my art as a career, no time left I think. I watched a George Carlin interview the other night and thought it was interesting that he said he never got really famous until he gave up trying to please the 40-year-olds and just went with what HE felt. I think there's a lesson there. BTW, love your voice, very soothing.
Just came across your channel this evening and I've already went through about 4 or 5 vids. At 40 yrs old, Covid has pushed back into my first love...ART. Over the years I've dabbled here and there; painting, and sketching. My skill level is basic and raw... meaning I didn't do any formal training/university to refine my skill. I haphazardly stumbled upon @inktober on instagram in October and took on the challenge to draw something daily and 45 days in I am still drawing and I EVEN got a request to purchase one of the inktober pieces that I did via procreate (3ftx3ft Framed.) So that actually gave me a huge confidence boost that I need to keep this going. I want more and one thing I do love is the art of human anatomy and I started searching that and I stumbled across one of your gesture drawing videos and kept watching from there. Shoots....I never even heard about Twitch until tonight so I signed up and followed you there as well. Your way of instruction and teaching is great and I look forward to the knowledge I can gain from you in possibly taking my art to the next level. Keep up the great work!
I don’t really wanna be famous, I just wanna have fun with my art work, but something deep down is saying this is all for fame because the artist I look up to has such a massive following, and I wanna experience that. But at the same time, it’s really not something I want.
I watched some of your videos recently because they were recommended to me. I never even finished this one and I want to say that you are really helpful dude. Not only your advice but you are so chill and soothing that my art anxieties fly of the window. And there are a lot of them. Thank you!
Thanks, ergojosh! What you said about engaging with my audience really stuck. When I post my art on Instagram I usually just write a really simple "art-gallery" type of title like, "girl brushing her hair" But writing things that ask questions and encouraging the audience to participate and start a conversation is a really good idea :)
Yeah, its getting that balance of treating Instagram like an art gallery and a SOCIAL media platform, talking to people
Really great advice mate. Specially emotions.
Artists today tend too much to avoid compositions, design and certainly most important, message about works for stay on trending of social media and not hurt large audience.
But what make art is the message behind him. Then you can then you give values, then you connect with peoples brain and emotions, then you can connect with REAL audience, then you can receive value in return (money, fame, success in any form).
You need to know YOU before want to tell something to others with your art :) !
i was staring at the skin on your head and how i could see the lines and texture on it and I was like...wait is this 1440p cause very few tubers even bother. Kudos on the great content up to 4k!
before i watch this i will just share _MY_ 6 reasons to care about somebody's art:
1. is it cute?
2. is it authentic?
3. does it have recognizable characters? (for example fanart)
4. what is the aesthetic?
5. is it sexy? (no need to lie about this)
6. in case it's all of the above: does it work?
You are the most realistic person I’ve subscribed to. That’s what I really admire
Your advice is really helpful on every video
I am going to be commissioned for the first time soon! I never really thought I would do it because I have pretty low confidence in my skills but my friend insisted that he wanted to pay me for my art, and a few other people encouraged me because they said I should be very proud of what I do.
Another dilemma I had, is that for as long as I remember I always loved drawing for other people and gifting art. In a general manner, I'm just super big on making personal gifts for people. I love making them feel special, and I'm sure it can make someone's day. Putting money into that process of doing something for someone else was completely out of the question to me a few years ago. This year I did start thinking that I wouldn't mind getting donations, and now I am taking this huge step of putting myself out there and doing commissions.
I'm just a hobbyist so I don't really have to think about not making meets end but I guess I just wanted to share my experience! I have no doubt that starting commissions is going to help me grow as an artist and a person.
Also thank you so much for your videos, it's very nice listening to you :)
I really wish I knew what to focus on lost with drawing. I was using photographs and and making some portraits, but I think gesture and line art might be a better path. It makes sense to strip things down and then work on the rest
Hope that the move went well for you!
Some real (I'm just gonna say) good, obvious advice...so obvious that one might look over it. Combined with your tone and demeanor came across as chill and refreshing.
I was hoping that you might touch upon the issue of not being proficient @pricing art/not realizing as an artist that you ARE good enough (ect) to make a living.
I've personally been thinking of starting to upload videos on UA-cam. To get my feet wet, I've been commenting more on videos I watch.
I believe in my content, and have received positive reactions from a wide group of individuals...yet fame and money are not things I am interested in....yup, I'm a tortured artist.
Thank you for this video
13:37 Well... The subject you mentioned there, feminism in the middle east. That's dangerous. When you mentioned "people coming after her", that made me worried tbh. I thought you meant in the literal sense. I think getting political with your art is something really great, but you gotta be aware of the impact it will have. I'm not saying "don't do it", but be aware of the risks involved. Some people and places have a big problem with free speech.
josh finds white hair, press F to pay respect 👻👻👻
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If this is the last video I just wanted to tell you.. you are one of the reasons that made me start in the field of drawing... you gave us so many tips to solve our problems in art and your art is so beautiful.. thank you so much for giving us so many educational videos and beautiful videos and thank you because you always Cleansing our eyes with your beautiful art . Don’t forget to be always healthy & I love you from all of my heart ♥️
One thing I like bout you is that you're not on the top list of artist yet. and you're very down to earth about it.
It's relatable to us mediocre or newbie artist to hear your experience and improve upon it.
This helped me a lot, thank you! Currently, I'm in the Inktober and MerMay trends.I love challenges, but starting to break out into other things.
As for commissions, I chose not to do them before I restarted drawing again. I used to sell my crochet and knit work and most of my sales were commissions and I hated it. 😆 I felt like I was in a box.
I have tears of joy, hearing what you said at the tail end there!
Thank you, That really (for me) needed to be heard. WOW!
Yasss~ *I'm glad you didnt cut that part out OMG because it made me pivot my thinking~
Just found your channel and bingeing as we speak lol
Welcome aboard!
You give value all the time! In truth, I resonated very much with the idea of an artist needing to study just as much as a medical doctor in order to master and commodify their craft successfully.
I feel like I'm having a 1 on 1 session with an art therapist. Keep up a great work!
Thanks for this. I've always thought of quitting art. It just gets really frustrating sometimes
I have a really hard time believing wlop is even human. Like how.
Exactly😔 there one of my idols
even though comments already has the summary of your content on this vid, I still needed to hear the words with your voice. :)
the bob ross effect, thanks for a great vid!
I am doing #mermay this month and it's going really well for me! ☺
What I also found out is, that it helps alot when you engage with other artists on instagram. I am commenting and liking alot more than I did in the past. It brings alot of people to my own page and they also engage with my own art.
It's great! I feel like I am part of the community, it is so much fun! ☺
At the tail end of the video, everything of making sure you take care of financial situation resonated a lot with why I went down the path I did post-art college.
I did not see an immediate future with financial stability, Healthcare, or retirement benefits which were my three main concerns at the time when I wanted a job out of college.
I joined the military to make sure I'm secured with what I was most concern about while working and making a living. I'm so much happier and not as stressed when it comes to my art because I have my biggest concerns taken care of so I can now grow at my own pace with my art.
My friends who been trying to get jobs in the art/design industry barely get to do any personal art nowadays because they're working whether in the industry or in something completely different and they depend on commissions to try and get extra pocket money for rainy days.
We need to remember it's never a race for success, but we do need to take care of ourselves even if it means taking a path we didn't want to get to the end goal.
I concur with sticking with fandom artwork. My Steven Universe fanart brought in a lot of new followers and attention to my DeviantArt page. I had a lot of fun drawing them at the time and the fandom was fairly new when I posted them but eventually, I encountered the "fandom Police" who'd criticize my OC gems and telling me "Oh, there's already a peridot/topaz and they don't look like that." I got tired of reminding people that I made the artwork long before any canon designs were revealed. So I stopped making SU fanart because it wasn't fun anymore.
I'm more focused on my original characters and developing their comic and that's all I've been posting and the activity significantly dropped. All the faves are for the SU artwork and hardly for anything original but I don't mind. There's a handful of people who are watching me for my work rather than the fandoms I do work of.
Really great video. Just breaks it all down nicely. Artwork and growing as an artist can feel so insane and scary sometimes, but stuff like this helps make it tangible and achievable
That voice per se is a standalone masterpiece of art.
This is a great video. I 100% agree with the challenge of deviating from the IG "pretty girl portrait" trend. Like you (& any artist who's intermediate or better skill level), I can digitally paint a portrait reliably, & if it's referenced to a gorgeous photo, it'll look gorgeous. But I got so bored of doing this, it almost made me stop posting my art online. Personally, I prefer painting fantasy landscapes & highly detailed illustration scenes, but that type of work doesn't get as much engagement on IG due to it being so complex & most folks looking at IG on smaller screens like smartphones. I ended up finding a happy medium where I will post a closeup crop of part of the illustration that shows an attractive character as my first frame in IG, then they can swipe to see the full
Hey Josh. Furry artist here, and watched your videos since you started on YT!
I love this video and I appreciate it so much. I agree so much with that last sentiment on commissions. Commissions don't really help an artist grow either skill wise or follower wise or both. I recently got burned out doing commissions just out of obligation not out of necessity. I finally put an end to them so that I can further my art education, as well as doing what I love.
I realize not everyone is in that privileged position where they can just stop commissions to have more time to further self-growth. When you mentioned about fandoms, I was wondering if you'd cover the furry one. I'm glad you did!
I also noticed that furry artists who end up growing their audience end up having no issues transferring it to human art if they choose to do more of it. Especially if they occasionally pop in a human art piece in the mix because there will be people who will love what they draw regardless of it being fandom related or not. A few artists that come to mind is, Fukari, Kinghime are successful furry artists that integrated towards other fandoms or just drew their own original content with audience retention.
With smaller audiences like you mentioned for the artists that end up pigeonholing themselves in one fandom, their audience will be far more likely to peace out if the artist switches gears. This is why building an audience is important even if you start in a fandom. And that at the start it's a good idea to have some variety so the small audience isn't just expecting one thing. If it's a larger audience I believe it carries over easier because they recognize the artist and their work even more.
To others: I've seen people get bored of their fandoms after staying in them for many years, so having other art interests is healthy and you won't experience burnout or a loss of your audience if you integrate non fandom content in your social platforms. Even if it's not 50/50 in your gallery, at least some non-fandom content so it wont shock others when you decide to switch interests. Not everyone stays interested in one art community for long term and that's okay!
I'm a furry artist as well, I wanted to add to your sentiment with a different take since my experience has been a bit different with commissions. I've been taking them as my full-time job for almost 10 years, never really slowing down at any point and still going even now. I have suffered occasional burnout, mostly in the early years when I was still getting established and saying yes to basically everything. What helped a ton was narrowing down my subject matter to the sort of things I wanted to be drawing. I'm super into medieval fantasy and fairytale type stuff, so I spent a couple years really branding myself toward that so that people would know that's what I do and commission me for it. I do themes every month and a lot of YCH's now, all playing into the genre I'm most passionate about and that has helped TONS with motivation and being able to turn out commissions while still allowing myself to grow. I enjoy the work a lot more because I'm drawing what I like, even if it's other people's characters. A bit of a disclaimer though, I work really fast and that helps when it comes to having time for personal projects alongside the paid work. It tips the scales in my favor a bit more, so to speak.
Thanks for your response! Its cool to hear this perspective
@@LuthienNightwolf Yeah, I do understand everyone's journey is different. I think it's really cool that you made your growth work out for you while you are still doing commissions. I personally am rather slow artist, trying to work on that.
omg i'm a furry artist too
@@ekoi1995 we dont need any more furry artists. If it were up to me we wouldnt have any. devote your skills amd talents to something that doesnt go into the dumpster fire of the internet. Something truly valuable!
11:22 I couldn't agree more. I spent all 4 years in college stressing because I didnt have a style.... when I had struggle skills.
Love the title cause it’s the cold hard truth.
"Value" - Sir, I have only seen three, maybe four, of your presentations and I can confidently say that each is solid gold! I have learned so much. Thank you! Thank you very much.
You know what?! As soon as I finish typing, I will subscribe.
In my younger days.... I never really consider art as a career but look where it brought me. Stepping in this game is quite a loop and I realized I don't value my art as much I don't value myself. So if I can't value my own art... How can I value other people's art....... I'm just insecure and art blockish these days...... S O R R Y
You tell people the hard truth to their faces. I love that about you. And people learn to value that over time and accept that.
What if your interests span into more then one category of art?
Like for me I like art from the gaming industry, I also like doing pretty girls from Instagram and children’s picture books, do I need to choose one category and go with it? 😅
You gotta admit those are quite far apart in terms of the content lol. You can post all of them but make sure to have something that distinguishes YOU
e r g o j o s h that’s gonna be rough lol
I find attraction to particular colors like various shades of green that harmonize with my home decor, and also subject matter. Nature, birds, trees, ocean, clouds, leaves, feathers, farming.
I also love certain mediums of art that display the beauty of that particular medium. For instance, watercolor and the transparency and light it emits, as well as the blending of colors. Whereas with oils and and acrylics, it’s enjoyable to see the textures of brush strokes.
My favorite artist is Julien Dupre. He had a way of capturing the nobility of the most menial, especially with his use of color, and also with his brush strokes.
Originality is huge too, either with personal style or composition.
Best UA-cam right now
Voice is smooth and soothing. Lots of other UA-camrs are grating to listen too while I draw. Good Content Too!!!
6 mins ago. Holy wow!! I'm early! And really excited to see the new apartment!!
Honestly, i feel like i really needed to hear this. I'm going to take this info and run. Thanks Josh.
God I got scared when he said "second to last video", I thought he was going to stop youtube 😅
Your video really helped me. I have been really focused on skill and honestly it held me back from succeeding. I realised after watching this video (although I have seen videos by another artist saying stories and emotion are more important to attract people than skill) but your video somehow made me realise that i actually can do that, because I am good at that but I didn't even try because I was focusing on perfection. It motivates me to make art to express myself. ❤
Damn I wanted to get onto that private art critique patreon tier but it was already full :(( but totally understandable that there's a limit for that actually :)
Check back near the end/beginning of each month!
@@ergojosh Ah perfect! Thanks, I will ^_^
@@ergojosh can u please do a vid on how to use blend modes like you did in the how to color video. There aren't many good videos on color blend modes
I really appreciate your content so much, for someone transitioning into an Art career in an isolated niche, I can say your page does give me the affirmation I need to keep going and relevant tips - and yes something very soothing in the voice that calms the anxious mind. Thank you x
Follow me on Twitch!
▶www.twitch.tv/ergojosh
instagram.com/guweiz/
instagram.com/wlop/
instagram.com/jamesjeanart/
love u king
I feel so guilty for not joining the twitch streams-- Imma join the next one I can asap-
@paul tak the secret is to draw FEETS...C
Well i can Only answer from my experiance.. what sells.. 1. Form/texture 2. Colours 3. Movement 4. Good sales pitch im not a normal artist that ppl define to those Internet celebs that sells art.. i dont restrict any medium plus Work with flow and texture. So far i sell and survive thx to art.. same with my mother
weird question, hope you arent offended, but why is every character on your instagram seemingly white/ asian (but not really, alot have european features) is it because theyre from a specific project or is that constitute as a stylistic choice.
I've recently been watching your videos more often & I stumbled upon this one. Honestly, I like how you appeal to the audience by being yourself, you know? As an intermediate artist, I find it difficult to get a high engagement rate with my audience despite the fact that my skills have improved over the past few years, which is frustrating. Listening to your podcasts makes me feel like I'm not alone & I'm doing my best, so I shouldn't let the algorithm control my self-esteem. As long as I'm making what I love & I'm improving, I think it's all worth it. I love how unique & inspiring your art is, so I hope to grow into a better artist & person as well. Thank you so much for sharing your videos & podcasts!
Moving out of your parents house when you're not financially stable is nothing short of self-sabotage. Believe me, I did it when I turned 18, the "independence" of my crappy basement suite wasn't worth it lol
id kill for a crappy basement suite in this day and age
Thanks for making this video! It’s very enlightening to see this type of thing being talked about. I really would love to be a full time artist some day, so thanks for doing this it helps.
Appreciate your insight and tips here! Your thoughts on commissions was interesting. I think it’s the first I’ve heard that point of view 🤔
When you say help other people when they ask for help, i was courius, do you by any chance mean the art they are asking for? I mean i feel like i'm never refusing anyone, but when they ask me for free art i get so anxious that they will dislike the result, that i prefer to avoid this topic...
Or do you mean help in general
Absolutely not free art, but when people ask how you did something, or maybe for tips if they see you are achieving something they are not, then thats when I say to go for it!
@@ergojosh oh okey thank you, that one's definitely something i already try haha
@@ergojosh Can you plz do a vid on color blend modes. I still dont understand what you did in the how to color vid
All really great points. I honestly appreciate the honesty and insight.
I find the trend bandwagon/art meme/fanart bit quite interesting. I don't remember from who I heard this but the idea goes something like "Draw fanart to bring people to the table, but you need to have your own stuff as well on your table."
*"people just love looking at girls more than guys"*
Me, a gay male aspiring artist: welp, time to give up forever.
Even if you are gay, you can probably admit that girls are just more beautiful
Don't feel that way. Men are beautiful. Some of my favorite work is from yaoi artists who so eloquently capture the true emotion of relationships. There is a huge viewerbase for you waiting, promise. And it doesn't have to be yaoi. Realistic artwork or amazing cartoons of male characters are just as enticing to view as art of women. Don't be scared
@@eltiospike7672 yeah, they are. I'm just not sexually attracted to them therefore I'm not interested in drawing nsfw of them
@@kuritheking Thank you so much for those words! You have no idea how much that took off my shoulders!
@@eltiospike7672 Nah, heterosexual men on average are just visual based and a lot of them are artists. As a heterosexual highly visual girl, I honestly perfer looking at a picture of a handsome man than a beautiful girl.
Men are aesthetically pleasing too. Majority of the ancient arts were mostly of men like the sculpture of David.
The thing is, today's society is too obsessed with the female. There's too much emphasis on the female in general. Even with feminizing men. That's the truth.
I really needed to watch something like this. I came from your previous video of "The #1 Trait All Good Artists Have" and lately I've been feeling down when it comes to drawing. Watching this really helps sort out some of my own questions as well as giving me motivation that I can do this. Thank you so much!
Here's something easier: have a younger sibling who looks up to you and stalks and promotes all your accounts. Risk: you have a ton of 12 year olds following your art account. Thanks sis.
This video really helped me decide what direction I want to go with my work. Thank you so much you're the best.
12th comment within 3 minutes of upload. Imagine catching an upload this early.
i've been really enjoying listening to your videos while i draw. it's motivational, it's helpful, it's soothing, it's entertaining, it's great. love u josh !
The grey hair in the beard looks like a little noddle
That fanart thing is soooo true. I got stuck in that hole a long time ago. I left for 9 months hoping people would unfollow and the ones that genuinely liked my art would stay. I'm growing faster posting originals. And loving art again.
"We all heard it before. Se-"
UA-cam: DEMONETISED!!
I love how honest you are