So you wanna be a concept artist. Where do you start? Well, first you- I feel like we're missing something. Nima! Ah! There you are! So, you want to be a concept artist, where do you start? You play your favorite video games, you watch your favorite movies, and your like, I wanna do that. I wanna create worlds and characters, and I'm gonna show you how. What I want you guys to get from this series is a kick-ass portfolio for you to use. It doesn't matter if it's for school, commissions, or getting a job. I just want to give you something to improve your life and you'll have fun creating. It's an old saying right? Choose a job that you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life. We're gonna focus on drawing things you enjoy. And I hope by the end of this series, you'll share some of your work. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. Without further ado, let's get started. First up, Art School. One of the most frequently asked questions is; Do I have to go to art school? The short answer is no and the long answer is yes, if you can afford it, and depending on the school. I know that's a little confusing so let me tell you why. Schools are changing all the time. I went to Art Center College of Design, but it was a different school when my teachers went, and it's a different school for the students that go there now. You have to be sure that the school you're about to enter is not only good, but the right fit for you. For me, it was a wonderful, positive, experience that really helped shape the begining of my art career. I learned so many valuable, fantastic skills, and they can help you too. Probably the most important skill that I've learned is work ethic. When you're surrounded by talented and hard-working people, you want to make sure you stand out. You want to be the best! This sparked a lot of friendly competition and it lit a fire in me to prove myself. I wanted to show that I could be one of the elites. That meant putting in a lot of work. Teachers at school are usually pros working in the industry. The last thing you want to do is slack off and look bad. You could even earn a bad name for yourself before you make it in. Even worse, I personally remember when a student plagiarized work and is now blacklisted from the industry. Make sure you don't do that! In school, teachers will sometimes ask you to paint something that you hate. And, for me, that was cars. I hated cars. I did not even wanna draw a wheel. But after experimenting for a while, I found out how much I really love car design. And that knowledge is fused into my work, today. In school, the work ethic really taught me to buckle down and grind as many hours as I needed. Now, I can easily sit down and work, because I did it every day for five years. Wow, that's long. Sticking to a crazy schedule like that for five years can be a little rough. But I did learn to be a working professional. It feels like my career had already started. Going to school forces you to be on a schedule. You have to meet deadlines, complete you work, and keep improving, all at the same time. You really learn the value of sticking to a deadline, even if it means putting in extra hours to finish a project. All-nighters are a very common thing in art school. Luckily, I mastered power napping. Don't think you can be lazy with your work either. When you show your work, it's just as important to present yourself well. Just like a working professional. If your food tastes amazing, but looks like crap, no one's gonna want to eat it, right?! Art school creates the mentality that you work as a professional and not a student. At home, you can choose whether to work or not. You can do whatever you want. Play video games, watch TV, or just nap with your dog. But at school, you have to come prepared. Especially if you want to compete with your class. Who, by the way, are fighting for the same positions you are. And what skill do we need for presenting our work? Public speaking! When you're fresh out of high school, the idea of speaking publicly probably terrifies you. I know I was scared at first. Art school forces you to get out of your comfort zone. Every project you do has to be presented to the class, so you can tell them about your cool, awesome ideas. Could you imagine working super hard on something, and then not being able to share it with anyone? If no one knew about Nima, she would be pretty sad. Oh. I think a lot of artists out there can relate to being more introverted. School definitely forced me to get out of my shell and to make sure my ideas were heard. I have some really cool ideas I want to share, and I'm guessing you do too. After you present your ideas, you always have to be ready for the critique. This can be something you dread, because it's usually the part where somebody tells you your ideas are terrible and your drawings are bad. This is usually peoples least favorite part. It would be nice if every teacher, peer, or client thought everything you came up with was amazing. But chances are, that won't happen. Learning to have a thick skin is essential to surviving. It will leave you feeling less like someone's carving out your soul with a spoon, when your being told how to improve your work. Not all your ideas are gonna be great either. And especially, in the beginning of your career, you may not execute them as well as you think. It's school for a reason! It's all about improving. Take that critique and learn from it. Don't take it personally. Come back stronger and blow them away. Now, if you can do all these things, like have good work ethic, practice professionalism, and have a thick skin, you'll graduate with something priceless; connections. This is one of the most valuable assets you can get from art school. After proving yourself, you're now connected with all these people who know how hard you work. This is invaluable for breaking into the industry. The moment one of you makes it in, it's a win for all of you. My first big job was through my best friend at art school. It was only our second year in but we felt trained enough to take it on. And, since then, I've worked with and recommended other friends I went to school with. I know them, I know their work, and I trust them. They're not just connections, but friends and trusted allies. Now, like I said before, not everybody goes to art school, and it's okay. A lot of us starving artists can't afford to go to art school. You can learn everything I just mentioned, even without going. I have tons of friend that became super successful and they never went. Whether you go or not, here are some things you should know, to make a living with your art. You have to learn how to draw, right? Acquiring the skills to draw and paint is really the first hurdle that any artist has to conquer. It's not like I started in art school right away, I had to learn on my own. So before you build that bad-ass portfolio, how do you learn those skills to draw and paint effectively? When I started taking art seriously, I went and found my favorite artists and researched their journey. I helped relate it to mine. It made it so much easier to decide what path to go on. You know what? I think that's something you guys should do right now, as well. I'm gonna challenge you right now, to make a list. Write down your top five favorite artists. I'll have Nima join you guys as well. Ready? Go! Oh! That's a good one. Wait, are these people even real? Nima, that's not an artist. Nima, that- Milo doesn't count! What?! You put Milo in there but not me? One of my favorite artists was Jaime Jones. I tracked him down, I hunted him, and forced him to teach me his ways. But I'll get to that later. Okay, so now you have your list of artists. Do you know what you have there? It's more than just a list. It's five references of where your career can go. And now that you have them, you can do some research. Find interviews to understand how they think. You can see what their journey was like and even who their favorite artists are. If you're excited to check them out, go ahead and pause the video, we'll be right here waiting when you return. The most important thing you should be looking for is how you relate to their journey. The goal for me, was to design characters for movies, games, and TV. Even if it changed slightly over the years, it was a fantastic starting point. Remember that everybody is different. Your journey won't be like anyone else's. Not even mine! But it doesn't have to. And that's the beautiful thing. Your unique journey is what will allow you to have your own voice. And your voice needs to be heard, because you have great ideas. Isn't that right Nima? You'll also find, that as you keep improving, your tastes will change. Your five favorite artists will change. You'll learn about dozens of artists you've never even heard of. Your tastes and skills will expand. And artists you've once overlooked, will now reveal their brilliance. I was once confused why John Singer Sargent was so heavily praised. But now, I totally understand his genuisness. So, expect that list to change. And through that, you'll discover new ways to improve and grow. Nima! Isn't that exciting? As I mentioned before, I studied under Jaime Jones. Who, if you don't know, look him up now. He's an amazing, brilliant artist. The big thing I learned from Jaime is how drawing is the most important skill. There's an incredible amount of digital work nowadays. But never forget to study your traditional drawing skills. That skill-set will directly translate to your digital work. I also learned an invaluable lesson about turning studies into personal work. Most of the time, when you do studies, it's a complete one to one copy. You observe something, and then you draw and paint exactly how it is. You see Milo, you draw Milo. If you're a beginner, this is a good strategy. But, as you become more experienced, and gain more knowledge, turning studies into personal work can really level up your skill and slowly build your portfolio. You can create a landscape, but use the color palette from a painting. Or use a photo, for a portrait study. Change the lighting. Change the hair. Do whatever you want. The point is to maximize your studying efforts, while flexing your imagination. Rather than just having a one to one copy of something, you can learn more, and have an original piece of work. This is something I still do today and it helped me improve alot I know some of you out there might be really excited to become artists But to actually get started, can be a challenge I found that the best way to get yourself to work is to be engaged inside a community If you don't have school, find another way to develop your presence Today, we have tons of different ways to engage on Social Media Not only can you be excited about the same stuff with people all over the world, They can make you stick to a schedule and perform Like a gym buddy who would make sure you go to the gym, your community, keeps you on task Interaction Interaction, whether human or virtual is important into becoming a successful artist They want to hide away in a bunker, but you need to have a presence to be noticed Interacting with people in a genuine way, will help with that It's one of the main reasons why schools are so good they force you to come out of your shell and talk to people don't you want to find out who likes the same stuff as you? Today, I post on social media a lot but my favorite way to connect with people, is during conventions at places like Anime Expo, Comic Con i'm able to connect with fans in a way that i can't on social media I find out they have the same favorite TV show like the same characters and we bond over moments like that this leads to extraordinary friendships, and worthwhile job opportunities I learned right away that I had to go out and interact with people If I didn't do that, I never would have met Jaime Jones who became one of my most influential mentors OK guys, here's the story I met him while we were breeding dragons! ah, just kidding actually, i went to a digital painting workshop where he was teaching, and talked to him afterwards our friendly conversation was one he remembered so, when I asked him to be my mentor for school, he accepted you never know who you're going to meet and all it takes is one person to create an opportunity make sure there are as many eyes on your work as possible How are you different from the artists next to you? what makes you special? you have to find your voice that's not only genuine, but unique to you since i've started YouTube, I became known for Color Dodge being upbeat and making crazy, colorful paintings was my thing, and I owned it It's my voice In my earlier days, my fans know me for my Character Designs And i still bring that voice with me through my YouTube channel and Color Dodge madness Finding your style isn't easy and don't be scared if you don't know what your style is Everyone is trying to look for one, and it's not something you can force It comes from things you gravitate towards, and things you like No one has the exact same set of interests as you and that's what will create your unique voice My main interests lie in Old Master techniques japanese influences, bold graphic design and of course, Color Dodge Those artistic elements, along with my personal interests combine to make my voice these interests, shaped how I studied and created Art My biggest secret? is to have an open mind your taste changes, and as you grow you may find things you've once dislike, you now love! I mentioned in school I disliked car design, but now I love it! and it's present in my artistic influences don't dismiss something you think you may not like you might be pleasantly surprised by something new, that can very well alter the voice and style you're looking for Now we get to the truly fun part, the Portfolio you have the skills to draw you have the will to learn you make your presence known you have a voice of your own and a path you want to follow man that's uh, that's a lot of things but, once you have all those things, it's time to build a portfolio to make a living with your art maybe its to break inside the industry maybe its to get inside your favorite school the point is to put your heart and soul on a plate and tell your story It's now your job, to let us into your world what i'm going to do for the rest of the series, is to guide you on each step of this process and allow people see inside your mind because your mind is a beautiful place, and we all need to see it Next up, in our Master Class series, is a Character Design episode! yes, I'm going to be debuting a brand new character from the NIMA universe she's our secondary main character she's like the Sasuke to Naruto or the Captain America to Iron Man! I love her, I cannot wait to share her with you guys I hope that the information in this video, gives you some ideas on how to get started on your artistic journey just remember that everybody's journey is different and yours will be unique to you And if you're not familiar with my videos, I usually have a question at the end of every episode this video's question is: Who were your favorite artists and how did you relate to their journey? I can't wait to start drawing with you guys and see everything you come up with! after Character Design, we'll do Portraits, and Landscapes and so much more beyond that so look forward to the next episode til next time, on Ross Draws Master Class
