jimiyo (Art Director, Design By Humans – Ed.) said: I have no problem with spec or contests, because it got me where I am today, and also it affords me the freedom to create as I wish, become better at art, and maybe eventually get paid for it. (Emphasis mine. -Ed.) I don’t expect to get paid, so it’s more the better when I do win and get paid.

Something more important!

Crowdsourcing, being undercut, etc is inevitable. The game is changing even in the freelance world.

Because of the global economy and the internet, the competition will get even more fierce.

If you view the participants of the contests, you will see more and more international artists participating. Artists from countries who’s exchange rate makes it much more profitable for them to haul ass to even win just ONE contest, or to do freelance work for much cheaper than an established artists from a richer nation.

As they begin to proliferate into the freelance world, you might find yourself being undercut by cheaper artists as well.

I notice this escalation of threats becoming enabled in many areas. Cheaper computers, easier to use software, easier digital transferring of art.

So what’s the solution?

Better work your ass off doing whatever you can to make a name for yourself, or get out the kitchen.

Art is mostly subjective, and becoming famous in art is also largely based on becoming known, after a certain point, not for skill level, so it is possible.

The cheese is moving ya’ll.

_______

P.S.

Someone is going to win money from the DBH contests, or Cameesa contests.

Someone is not going to win money from he contests, but will have done one or two more pieces of art, and having done so, become better at art, than someone who didn’t.

DBH… also has contests that you don’t have to use logos for… like the 10K. Just saying.

I’ve transitioned at least 6 designs from Quiksilver/KOL into regular paying DBH or TF designs. So smart artists, say like… Mr Rocks, https://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/58013, might have himself a win regardless if it was entered into a “sponsored” contest.

We tried to promote the fact that you can still win without using logos, so calling out DBH is somewhat biased. We are not just asking for art without specific logos, etc IF THE ARTIST so choses. It’s very similar to Threadless’s PreLoved VolksWagon sponsored contest.

I couldn’t disagree more with that opinion. I sure hope I maybe, eventually, get paid too! It’s a bad argument and a raw deal for artists. Again, contests ≠ spec. Themed contests, however, are too close for my liking.

I am of the mind that spec (or heavily themed contests with restrictive work requirements) create a culture that diminishes the value of an illustrated piece. Client expectations for pay are lowered in a way that impacts the rest of the industry. Therein lies the rub. It affects us all.

I don’t know about you, but I’m having a hard enough time making a living from illustration in the current economy. The ever growing list of crowdsourcing, spec-generating sites like 99Designs has added another to its tally, Cameesa. This is a particularly hard pill to swallow. Cameesa’s crowd-funding philosophy was almost an ubuntu-esque, anti-spec treatise. Enter “Operations.” “Operations” on Cameesa let entities create requests for designs. From their own copy:

How it works? … Artists submit their Ragnarok Tee designs. … Members financially support an unlimited number of their favorite designs with $10+shipping. … Artists & Supporters are rewarded with ongoing dividends and t-shirts (once a designs hits $500). Read the full details OR Start supporting.

Screenshots from the current system:

Most designers are not picked and spend many hours working for the entity’s “theme” for free. They end up with designs for a specific entity that are not applicable for resale in most cases. This is much different than creating personal works that can be used elsewhere should the designs not be chosen for print. How likely is it that a Ragnarok games based design will be usable for another purpose? I have similar issues with Design By Humans’ “themed” contests that often require work to be created on spec for large clients. Incubus and KISS, really? Good luck selling the Gene Simmons design elsewhere! I’m sure you won’t be sued into oblivion; perhaps that’s the final fuck you to the designers leasing their souls one entry at a time?

I tweeted a succinct, if vulgar, summary of my feelings on Cameesa’s “Operations” program and received a reply from Andrew Cronk, who created a thread on Cameesa to address possible concerns. Let Cameesa know how you feel there.

Designers lose, entities win. Spec-alike, for sure. Crowdfunded? More like crowdsourced!

Update: The Design By Humans art director responded to my comment with a less than satisfying rebuttal. Ho-hum.

My work has been getting tighter, slicker, cleaner and I felt as though it were distilling into a bit of a “house style.” See above. I really admire the flexibility of the old school, iron-man, Jack-of-all-trade illustrators. The sorts of guys Leif Peng rescues from the depths of near obscurity, making us all feel less capable in comparison.

My own sources of inspiration are probably obvious based on my work. I’m a huge fan of Bernie Wrightson, Wally Wood, Milton Caniff, Johnny Craig, Frazetta, Alfredo Alcala, John Romita – I could go on and on.

I’ve been learning so much from them all. Between Bridgman’s collected books on anatomy and mass, Harold Speed’s great The Practice and Science of Drawing, and the constant specter of those aforementioned illustrator’s flexibility, I’m allowing myself to take more chances. Painterly work. Mass drawing. Letting style be the result of fulfilling a need rather than a means to an end – a true designer’s philosophy towards illustration is something I strive for.

With that in mind, I’ve been trying to branch out:

Lots of process after the fold.

→ Keep Reading

I’ve been working with real brushes and ink lately. When using digital tools, the divide between my “real” work and my digital work seemed more pronounced. More exposure to the real thing tainted my perspective a bit.

Rather than give up my tablet for good, and the thought did enter my mind, I decided to try and create more realistic tools for Manga Studio. Sure, I could’ve leapt over to the SS Painter XI, but that ship is rotten at the core. Too many bugs to be sea worthy. And the good ship Photoshop still doesn’t handle linework as well as Manga or Painter despite some big improvements overall in CS4.

Natural media in Manga Studio? Oxymoron, you say? Not possible, you say? Well, after three or so years of banging Manga Studio against the wall, I’m happy to say I’ve approximated natural media about as well as the program is capable of. Recent updates on how the program handles “interval,” or “spacing” for you Photoshop veterans, have equipped it with a brush creator that rivals the latter.

Here’s a screenshot of some of my most recent brushes.

After creating the brushes, I had to find some way to export them. I started a conversation with Doug Hills (Manga Studio for Dummies author and stand-up artist chum) on Twitter and showed him the above screens hoping he would have some insight. He was excited at the prospects of using my tools and, after tinkering, we discovered how Manga Studio stored custom brush files on both Mac (me) and PC (him). He’s gotten my brushes to work, and vice versa, so I plan on offering a detailed tutorial bundled with the above brushes soon. Woo!