Hey everyone!
I've noticed some confusion about what direction to take when building a concept art portfolio, so in today's article I want to present current options you have as concept artists based on goals and industries. If I skip a specific option, feel free to drop it in the comments:
Hey everyone,
I often mention that eyes are the window to the soul, playing a major role in character design. They're how viewers connect with a character's motivations and emotions. Mistakes like poor proportioning or detail overload can really weaken that connection. In this article, I'll give you some essential insights and tips to get it right.
Hey Everyone!
A very common issue artists face is that, after spending endless hours working on a character, it may look high-quality in the render but still lack life. In today's post, we will tackle two fundamental visual aspects of a character's gesture to address that lifeless and common problem.
This article will be divided into two categories: one tip about concept and one abo...
2023-09-16 22:59:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Today, I wanted to write about a problem many of us face and how we can address it in a few steps. Let's divide this article into problem and solution sections.
My approach to problem solving involves breaking down the issue into its most basic, undeniable facts, which I call "fundamental truths." These are the core realities that h...
2023-09-15 20:10:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
I just wanted to say that the first hour of the process video is filled with failed attempts, so if you want to skip this part, feel free. Basically, I was struggling with the gestures of the three characters, didn't know how to capture the shapes of the fox and ravens, but eventually, I think I did a decent job building some personality through the gesture....
2023-09-13 16:01:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Quick announcement before continuing with today's article:
Navigating the extensive range of content on my Patreon can be overwhelming, especially if you're new here. To address this, I've updated the pinned post to serve as a beginner's guide. The guide simplifies my creative process into four easy to understand categories:
Hey everyone!
In today's process, you'll find a very old idea I had in mind but didn't find an interesting way to portray until yesterday: The Ballerina. Let's dive briefly into this piece.
A few months ago, I thought about making something related to ballet, but I wasn't sure about trying it. These l...
2023-09-09 16:10:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Ever created a piece that ended up looking monotone? Or maybe you finished a work, but the reaction from your audience wasn't what you expected? Today's topic aims to help you identify what might be off.
We'll dive into a key element for creating captivating compositions: contrast. You may have heard this term before, or even have a notion of what it m...
2023-09-08 19:31:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone,
Here are some insights you will find in today's process video and file!.
As you might notice, I'm picking references with small stories attached, often about animals. This one in particular was about a small frog on top of a snake, something that will make you question the logic behind the Darwinian natural selection theory, or take seriously the brave...
2023-09-06 16:09:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone,
- Before diving into this subject, yesterday, on Discord, we started a new set of daily challenges called "ART COMPASS" for you to break the creative block. Daily I'll share 4 random topics and you will have 24h to make a 30min sketch of any of the topics. You can post your sketch in the #artcompass channel in our Patreon Discord. After that you will win...
2023-09-05 19:02:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
In today's video process, you'll see me struggling with an idea for two straight hours. I often don't share these failed attempts, thinking they're not relevant to your learning process. However, I was so frustrated with not capturing what was in my mind that I thought, maybe, there's something you can take away from it, or maybe you can relate in some way.<...
2023-09-02 16:29:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
One current issue we have on Patreon is how difficult it sometimes is for new patrons to catch up with all the content I constantly share here. So for today, since August is officially over, I thought it would be good to wrap up everything discussed during the past month in a quick summary. That way, whether you're new or not, you can decide what points to f...
2023-09-01 19:50:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Some insights about my process in the last 'father' character illustration.
I've been saving horse references for quite a while. I thought about using them for an anatomy related article at some point, but once I finished writing the past article about hair, I thought about using this particular reference. Not only does it highlight i...
2023-08-30 15:43:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
Today I wanted to talk about a simple yet challenging part of character design: making hair look great! As you know, my style doesn't focus on realistic detail but more on a simpler interpretation of reality. To come up with this style, I spent quite a bit of time illustrating real hair pictures. In doing so, I realized that three things usually helped me ac...
2023-08-29 18:41:51 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone,
Here are some insights about the process behind 'Shadow.' Let's dive in!
Inspiration
The spark for this character design came from a video on Twitter featuring two cats wandering the streets at night. One is a white cat marked by gray dots on its head and back, walking side by side with a black cat. Initially, it appears as though the black cat is m...
Hey everyone!
Today I'd like to wrap up some of the questions you commonly ask on Discord into a single article. This is for those of you who might not be active in those discussions but could be facing similar challenges. So, let's dive into the most common questions you've been asking!
Question: Frust...
2023-08-25 17:21:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
So, I decided to get a bit more ambitious with my latest illustration, and the results? Well, they’re something else. Drawing inspiration from a serious looking brown bull and a black and white cow, I've created characters that are part cowboy, part astronaut for the male, and a quirky, chip sharing cowgirl for the female. These characters are way more tha...
2023-08-23 16:44:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Everyone,
It's becoming evident that a lot of character designs out there are feeling repetitive and uninspired. A significant reason behind this is the overlooked potential of integrating fashion insights. By incorporating a touch of fashion wisdom into your designs, not only do you bring uniqueness to your characters but also embed them with layers of story and cu...
2023-08-22 19:04:45 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
In this process, you'll see how I initially focused on creating a shape differentiation between the two characters. This was with the goal of capturing the energy each lovebird had in the original reference and also to push the concept as clearly as I could using gesture.
At first, you'll notice my idea for the male character was directed towards a "mi...
2023-08-19 16:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
So, I was scrolling through TikTok the other day and came across this video of two lovebirds. One was dancing its heart out to the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody", all bright green and yellow. The other, a chill mix of blue and white, ...
2023-08-18 18:31:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Everyone!
Some thoughts about my last animation, "Iguana".
While I'm pondering ways to improve my reach on social media, I've noticed a current shift towards videos on platforms like Instagram and, recently, X (Twitter). I assume this is largely due to competitors like TikTok. I'm constantly considering how I can deliver quality animated art, which seems quite c...
2023-08-16 16:10:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone,
Today I wanted to push myself beyond the limits. Instead of drawing one or more characters, I decided to make one animated. That's right, I've added a little more life into the equation.
The reason behind this decision is that I've been contemplating how I can push the boundaries with my art, venturing into areas that many might avoid. I believe the approach isn't to...
2023-08-15 19:32:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
I went a little bit crazy this time in terms of complexity, that's a tendency I have to make things more and more challenging. I started doing one character illustration a few weeks ago and yesterday I just broke into four, I'll be at ten at the end of the year lol.
Concept
Anyways, my goal this time was not to draw four characte...
2023-08-12 19:26:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
I've noticed some of you still struggle with some anatomy approaches in your art. Since this is such a complex topic, today I wanted to share some key points in which you can categorize essentials of anatomy, in other words, the necessary stuff to convey a good character design illustration. Without further ado, let's dive in
1. Proportion Inconsistencies 2023-08-11 20:45:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Everyone!
In today's process, you'll find an interesting concept/story about two little fellows walking together. While searching for interesting pictures on Pinterest, I got caught up in a series of memes. As I checked one after the other, I found a screenshot, I assume it's from Tumblr, that described a short story based on a crow and cat picture. Since art pieces with stories tend ...
2023-08-09 16:47:22 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Everyone!
Sometimes, don't you feel that your sketches look better than the finalized version of your artwork? Me too. Let's discuss a bit about the reasons why this happens and also some ways we can keep some of that magic of our original sketches.
Often when sketching, we are more focused on capturing the energy of our concepts. But what does energy mean? In my opinion, it's a...
2023-08-08 17:22:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello everyone,
I've noticed that many new patrons join tiers they can afford, but then miss out on earlier tiers that offer valuable insights into my work. So today, I've decided to share one of the most popular articles from 2021 on shading (values).
My explanation and creative process have improved over the past few months, so even if you've read this article before, I've made so...
2023-08-04 19:37:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
What you will find in today's video process is how I started to design using shapes instead of drawing. Often, I got caught up by shape information of the outfit that I usually define with line art, drawing. Because I was not sure what the outfit direction would be precisely, I decided to go with a quick composition technique I used to do back when I worked at Riot Games.&nb...
2023-08-02 16:19:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
During this process, I found myself struggling to capture the visual "vibe" of the references that I used as inspiration and concept. Let me share with you how I dealt with this issue in today's character design illustration.
So, what does "vibe" mean in a visual context? Commonly used in conversational English, "vibe" conveys a particular feeling or atmosphere associa...
2023-08-01 18:46:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey Everyone!
I've noticed that perspective is a topic I often reference in my pieces and articles, but have never dedicated an entire article to it. So, today, let's start with the fundamentals.
We have many beginner artists here on Patreon, as well as professionals who have different approaches to these technicalities. I want to ensure we're all on the same page. So, let's d...
2023-07-28 15:36:46 +0000 UTC View Post