::Black paper::

by storyboard supervisor Erik Fountain

my first unboxing video!! Huion GT-220 pen display unboxing & drawing test :D some of you ask me about this brand sometimes because it’s much more affordable, and I always had no answer, but now here’s some info if you’re curious about this tablet (:

Hi everyone,

Sometimes, I get asks from people who want to know if I have any tips on how to go about something when drawing. This is very flattering to me; I’m awed that complete strangers have the courage to contact another complete stranger and ask them for help with their art. And that this second stranger, in this case, is me is difficult to grasp. In a cool way. I would never dare to do that.

So thank you, all of you, who consider me an artist you’d like to seek advice from.

Sadly, I only reply to a very small portion of these asks. I want to respond to all of them, but unless they are very specific, I rarely get around to it. Broader subjects, such as how to convey volume and weight in a picture, or how to ger proportions and perspective right are good questions worth looking into, but they are still very broad subjects. Whenever I answer these kind of asks, I try to do it with pictures and thought through explanations. All of this takes a lot of time, and that’s hours that I don’t always have. To answer questions about the fundamentals of image composition and anatomy is a huge deal, and I don’t have any quick solutions to any of it, just a lot of thoughts and some experience. To package all of this into a tumblr post that is actually useful is close to a full time job. This is why I don’t do it so often. I wish I could, but I can’t. I’ll continue to post my process pictures and might, if people are interested, try on streaming in the future. We’ll see. 

Flitting lightly over that… I’ll leave you with what I, and many others, feel is the most important part in learning how to draw: USE REFERENCES.

There are a million posts out there stressing this a million and two times, but I’ll do it again. If you like the way I draw, which isn’t exactly realistic, but not exactly cartoony either, references is your best shot for practically everything. If you’re stuck: use references. If you don’t know what something looks like (you don’t): use references. It’s not cheating (seriously, it’s not). If you’re not an abstract artist, you probably already use references when you draw, in a way, even if its just your memory’s poor rendering of them. There’s no way you can know what a human, cat, cloud or road sign looks like if you’ve never seen one. So look again. I’ve come across a few good articles and posts on how to use references, so use your Google-fu if you’re interested. Here’s a gif I recycled for this post: 

There. Now I’ve said that, and can move on to some other thoughts that I’ve had. Anything below here might just be silly nonsense.

I’m pretty sure all artists have their ups and downs when it comes to their art. No one is on top of the wave all the time (and if there is such a person, they are probably a superhero of sorts). I dip frequently, then bounce back up and spit out ten pictures in two days, all in pretty regular intervals. The world ends whenever I’m at the bottom of my inspiration pool, because it ran dry, and I’ll never ever stop drawing or smiling whenever I’m swimming in ideas and creativity. At this latter point, I also forget to eat. I’m sure I could make a pretty nice, even graph out of my pattern.

But then there’s this other line on my graph. My level. Pretty much every artist I’ve ever talked to about getting better have had some sort of experience when they felt they’ve come a new, higher point in their craft. A new level of experience, often reached after finishing a piece that had something new to it. Something outside of that worn out “comfort zone”. I’ve heard it described as a feeling of achievement followed by a period of confidence, as “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE I AM THE GREATEST”, and as everything in-between those two. I’ve experienced both (and a lot of in-betweens). Few things are as satisfying as this.

And how do you level up? Yeaaaah… y’all know how to level up ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Ninety-eight more random encounters, five bosses and nine annoying-ass quests, because there ain’t no rare candy or cheats in this game. Only your hard work and I love it. My friends tease me for it regularly, but:

I’m a grinder.

I’m an honest to god level hundred gotta catch ‘em all gamer who explored every inch of every map to get the crystal bunnies and I’m writing like I’m running out of time. Each brush stroke is another point of experience, and I brush my strokes like I run on Duracell batteries. I believe this is one of the main reasons why I’m an okay artist. I artist a lot. I also verbify nouns.

So here comes my second piece of boring, always given advice, as worded by Shia LaBeouf: JUST DO IT.

Draw. Draw. Draw. Hate it. Love it. Do it. Tell a friend when you get there. Proud of you. How much experience you’ll need to reach the point where you feel you’ve gained a level will vary of course vary and it will be hard work, but when you get there, it’s the best feeling of all. A girl worth fighting for ~♫

That’s my longest text post thus far, I think… and will probably stay that way. You might’ve noticed that I’m a pretty shy and private person, but here you go! A peek into my head. LLAP.

all of you that tagged my stuff saying you’re gonna practice and get as good as _____ picture of mine. i see you and i want to tell you all

YOU CAN DO IT

Good people do bad things:

Good and evil are subjective:

Sometimes those you trust the most will hurt you the worst:

Bad things happen to good people:

Even those you love can die:

 Life isn’t fair:

You can’t get something for nothing:

Don’t judge people by their outward appearance:

Don’t give up. Even when things are hard:

Don’t forget the people who helped you get where you are:

Hatred will destroy you:

People can change:

There are two sides to every story:

Even your enemies have feelings:

When the world is crashing down around you, it is okay to laugh:

… or cry:

Family comes in all shapes and sizes:

Big things come in small packages:

The truth is sometimes more frightening than you hoped:

Beauty can hide great strength:

Crying is not a weakness:

Expect the unexpected:

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice in order to move forward:

Learn from your past. Don’t forget your mistakes:

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.   At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne ( from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook. At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.  At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.  At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs. Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51. Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40. Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40. Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42. Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first movie role at age 52. Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57. Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76. Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78. Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow. Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it. 

Never tell yourself you missed your chance. 

Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.