Advise for Art Studies and Careers

[ofdawnandtwilight]

Hey everyone!
So before I begin this whole thing, I'd like to admit that I have no idea where I'm intending to go with this but I do know that anything you can advise or contribute will be immensely helpful. Feel free to point out anything that's unclear or messed up. Please also forgive and correct me if there's anything off.

Okay so, I've been very doubtful and anxious with my art. I'm not sure if this is the right time to worry about art because I'm still young and still studying and all but I don't really have anyone else to turn to nor people that I'm comfortable with that could understand. I've been contemplating on being an artist in the gaming industry so I'm basically just focusing on drawing characters and practicing things like environment though I'm positive that there are other things to master (which I'm pretty clueless about so there's a start). In this part, one of the things that I worry of is my art style. I don't think I'll be going anywhere with anime style because I'm certainly not going to work in Japan or in the animation industry. I actually am playing around with different styles but I do want to know if it is required to be able to draw in many styles?

My country is pretty inadvanced in the matter of art, digital art at most. So I'm really hoping that I could study overseas which would be a friggin hard opportunity to get for someone as average as me. Aaand even though I said that I want to work as an artist, I'm still thinking whether it'd be a good decision. I constantly hear about struggling artists and even if I would do anything to draw as my job, I wouldn't want to get so devastated doing what I love because of not being able to survive. Is it better if art stays as a hobby?
Aside from that, what opportunities are there for graphic artists (or whatever you call a game artist) in your place?

Oh and I think it's very obvious that I don't have any basics of art, I know little to none about compositions, perspectives or those other things that I still don't understand. Is it okay to get into an art course in university without any knowledge of these things? I'm planning to learn these things in near time by the way but I'm asking this just in case.


I'm pretty sure that there are much more things I want to learn but this is all I could think of at this moment so I might add some more later if I get more curious. Thank you for taking your time to read this! I tried to make it short as possible so I won't bore you to death ^^; And feel free to share your experiences too, every perspective counts!

Again, thank you for reading!

[MaiMai]

As someone who's attending university to get a degree in studio art, I'll give my 2 cents. It probably won't be too extensive since you live in Malaysia and I'm from the US, so I'm not sure how the art scene over there is.

I constantly hear about struggling artists and even if I would do anything to draw as my job, I wouldn't want to get so devastated doing what I love because of not being able to survive. Is it better if art stays as a hobby?
Aside from that, what opportunities are there for graphic artists (or whatever you call a game artist) in your place?

You say you would do anything to do drawing as a job, but it doesn't sound like you're willing to actually accept that it's going to be stressful, just like any other career path; it's not exclusive to art. If you're more worried about financial burdens I'd say keep art as a hobby. That doesn't mean you can't make money off of it or stop learning how to draw.

I'm specifically live in California where there's a very active art scene, but more in the fine arts than there is in game art; the latter, I'm actually not sure about, I'd have to check.

Oh and I think it's very obvious that I don't have any basics of art, I know little to none about compositions, perspectives or those other things that I still don't understand. Is it okay to get into an art course in university without any knowledge of these things? I'm planning to learn these things in near time by the way but I'm asking this just in case.

At my college, it was definitely okay not to know any of those concepts. I knew a student or two who had absolutely no idea how to approach drawing still lifes in my Foundation Drawing course and they were able to improve by the end of the semester. It's why you take beginning courses before taking the advanced ones and even in advanced classes, they constantly remind and hammer in those basics since they are foundations you can't escape from.

All of those things are something you can definitely learn about on the internet though. I'm not saying it gives you an edge or anything, but you can read up on basic perspective, compositions, and anatomy and at least be a little informed before taking a class.

The thing about art in a university is that it's a good environment to learn and work with other students who are struggling like you and you create a master/apprentice relationship with your art professor whose job is to help you improve and give feedback on your work.

[Tempus]

The game industry is very, very competitive. I say aim for what you want to do even if others try to discourage you, but be prepared to not succeed right away and have a back-up plan. The best back-up plan is one that allows you to continue working toward whatever you want to do. So if (in the future) you can't get a job as an artist in the game industry right away, you could consider being a freelance artist. That way you're still working on your art skills rather than washing dishes or making fries.

The most important things are a good portfolio and having contacts. You can become a good artist by using free online and offline resources and participating in dedicated art forums like Polycount and ConceptArt.org -- it costs nothing. A lot of professional artists already in the industry are part of those communities. Gamasutra is a good place to read about development and business relating to games -- there's a lot of good articles there offering advice on all sorts of subjects including getting a job in the industry.

It varies by university and course so I can't give a definitive answer as to whether they'd require certain knowledge or skill. That being said, don't wait for formal education to teach you the fundamentals of art. It's all out there on the net. I'd suggest starting with basic one-point perspective. Make a point to read and watch things about art fundamentals.

And don't be intimidated. Your confidence will build as your knowledge and experience does. It's natural to be overwhelmed at first. The best way to improve, in my opinion, is to challenge yourself and work on something you like. Good luck.

[Omniknight]

Here is a really inspiring article pertaining to style from one of the greatest DA artists of all time, DamaiMikaz.

http://damaimikaz.deviantart.com/journa ... -431741834

Hope it helped!

[SundownKid]

Aaand even though I said that I want to work as an artist, I'm still thinking whether it'd be a good decision. I constantly hear about struggling artists and even if I would do anything to draw as my job, I wouldn't want to get so devastated doing what I love because of not being able to survive. Is it better if art stays as a hobby?
Aside from that, what opportunities are there for graphic artists (or whatever you call a game artist) in your place?

Well if you expect to do art as a career, expect it to become more of what other people want than what you want. If you like doing art as a passion project it may be best for it to stay a hobby and do something else full time. Most professional artists basically do other people's art all the time in order to survive.
If you're going to be a game artist, you're not going to know if it's working on the next big MMORPG or just doing some pictures for cloned casual games.

It's perfectly possible to be a high quality hobbyist artist who works on their passion project on the side while doing something else as a career. It's not like doing art as a career will give you more time to work on your own stuff, it may actually give you less time by being a more difficult career to get into.

If you're fine with drawing anything as your job, then by all means go for it. But if you're a particular artist, it may not be a good idea.