Making a Living with Fantasy Art (ft. April Solomon) - Draftsmen S2E32
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- Marshall sits down with professional fantasy artist April Solomon. The two discuss how April fell in love with drawing dragons and werewolves, the power of traditional art materials and the techniques she’s learned over the years, art festivals, what her art schedule looks like, and more. If you’re interested in supporting April be sure to check out her patreon - / aprilsolomonart
Special thanks to Great Courses for sponsoring this episode. Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/draft... get an entire month of unlimited access for FREE!
Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
01:27 - Aprils Backstory
05:35 - April's Influences
11:55 - Primary Media
18:37 - Art Supplies
30:08 - The Good & Bad of Spending a lot of time on a Drawing
34:04 - Does creating art give you bliss?
35:18 - April's Digital Art
36:22 - April's Process
39:31 - April's Inspiration
44:30 - April's Daily Schedule
48:28 - Impostor syndrome
50:49 - Talk with Younger self
54:32 - April’s contact and pateron
Show Links (some contain affiliate links):
April is on patreon and instagram as Aprilsolomonart and twitter as Aprildragonlady
April's Dragon Art - proko.com/draftsmen-media/dra...
April's Werewolf Art - proko.com/draftsmen-media/wer...
David Solomon - proko.com/draftsmen-media/wat...
Pageant of the Masters - www.foapom.com/
The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta (v. 1) - amzn.to/39aRppq
John Singer Sargent Books - amzn.to/33eHj38
zoo books - amzn.to/35ZR0Ea
D&D Art and Arcana - amzn.to/2UWCS8z
American Werewolf of London - amzn.to/3pQGtTM
Graphite Negative Space Art - proko.com/draftsmen-media/gra...
Myers Briggs Scale Perceivers Judge - proko.com/draftsmen-media/mye...
Drew Struzan - proko.com/draftsmen-media/dre...
Painting Marshall bought From April - proko.com/draftsmen-media/pin...
April’s Influences (Jeff Easley, James Gurney, Donato Giancola, Daniel Dos Santos, Scott Fischer, Gregory Manchess, Rebecca Guay, Boris Vallejo, Frank Frazetta, Norman, Rockwell, Howard Pyle, John Singer Sargent, James Jean, Terryl Whitlatch, Joe Weatherly, Drew Struzan, J.A.W. Cooper, Paul Bonner, John Howe, Sulamith Wülfing, Julie Bell) - • Making a Living with F...
CTN Convention - ctn-live.com/
Designer Con - www.designercon.com/
Dragon April sold to Drew & Dylan Struzen - proko.com/draftsmen-media/red...
Donato Giancola - proko.com/draftsmen-media/don...
Aprils patreon page - / aprilsolomonart
#dragons #artinterview #paintinganddrawing
FOLLOW PROKO:
Marshall's Art - www.marshallart.com
Email Newsletter- www.proko.com/subscribe
Instagram - / stanprokopenko
Twitter - / stanprokopenko
Facebook - / prokotv
Tumblr - / stanprokopenko
Pinterest - / stanprokopenko
ABOUT DRAFTSMEN
Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff are art instructors. If you love the arts, particularly the craft of drawing and painting and image-making… and you want to level up your skills or even make a living with your skills, we are here to answer your questions. We’re here to offer you advice, refer you to our resources, share your love of the craft and maybe inspire you! Learn to Draw - www.proko.com Marshall Vandruff - www.marshallart.com. Subscribe to the podcast at bit.ly/DraftsmenPod
CREDITS:
Guest - April Solomon (www.aprilsolomonart.com/)
Hosts - Stan Prokopenko (www.stanprokopenko.com), Marshall Vandruff (www.marshallart.com/)
Production Assistance - Alex Otis ( / alexotisillustration , Charlie Nicholson ( / shloogorgh )
Editing - Tyler Spaid, Alex Otis, Charlie Nicholson
Intro Animation - Cody Shank (codyshank.com/)
Intro Jingle - Tommy Rush ( / tommyrush )
Music Used with Permission Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra
To see more of April’s work make sure to follow her on IG - instagram.com/aprilsolomonart/
Her arms are stronger than my will to live
Thank you for the great guest, awesome host and awesome episode ( as usual).
Marshall should do a bookshelf tour and give pros and cons of every book on his shelf
Yes!!!
"My rating? It depends..."
yes, Please!
April is one of my absolute fav guests to have appeared on this podcast. The way she talks about art has rekindled the joy and love I once had towards painting. Today's episode really meant a lot to me. Thank you Marshall and April!
Couldn’t agree more. Her artist spirit truly shines all the way.
Never clicked so hard and liked so fast. Good god The Drafstmen Podcast is genuinely one of my favorite things on earth.
I agree! First thing I look for Wed morning here in lockdown London!
Be careful, fellas! Once you've had a taste...you're going to come back for more and more. You're going to try and soak up, or glean, all that you can from these episodes.
(Even if it's like 40% common sense and Marshall rambling on, or Stan stating the obvious. 😉jk I'm only teasing, with a hint of truth)
I'm genuinely loving these "Talks with Marshall."
As a mother of 3 under 3, being a self taught artist is so hard. These podcasts are so nice to listen to and I learn so much, but I don't really feel like I ever have time to really apply what I'm learning, or throw myself into the practice. I work best when I stay up late and create, but then I'm shot the next day as a stay at home mom.
My priority is my family and my art is after that, and it's a sacrifice that causes me pain, but a choice I'd never change because on my deathbed, I'd rather have raised happy and healthy kids who are well adjusted more than a massive body of work. I know when my children are grown my art will be no less valuable or worthwhile even if I couldn't practice as much in my twenties as other artists.
Even with all that said, I'm determined to make as much art as I can and spend time learning, even if it's not in the eight hour stretches the inner creative would just love. If anyone else out there feels like less of an artist because other priorities take precedence, don't despair. Your journey may be slower but it will be no less enjoyable or worthwhile.
Besides, children make excellent quicksketch subjects.
this is gaining unparalleled richness in content, a true treasure trove!
I actually kinda worried how Draftsmen podcast will go on after Stan takes his leave, but now after a few episodes, gotta say I was wrong about it. Marshall is doing a fabulous job with his interviews and making us to come back to this channel. Well done! And Stan... altho i still miss you but i think you can take your time with your leave lol.
When you are not just learning from April but also from Marshall. I love how Marshall did this interview with so many good questions he throws at April and at the same injecting his knowledge and expertise into the different topics. :)
Instead of doing a book tour marshal, why not pull a book off the shelf each episode to recommend to the audience. Would be really helpful and fun :)
Bring more fantasy artists to the podcast please!
Love her art and her arms
So inspirational this talk...April is so candid and authentic. It made my day...Thank you so much.
I'm not a big fan of fantasy art in general but her work dazzled me, thank you Marshall for this interview
This is one of the best Draftsmen episodes yet
April is one of the most inspiring artists I have ever met, and is such a beautiful person. Her passion for art is what makes her art so powerful. I’m so thrilled that Marshall did this interview with her so that everyone can experience her awesomeness!
I love her attitude, it seems like she has that "mad scientist" kind of approach. I also feel like just diving in when I draw, the first stages of the drawing aren't really enjoyable to me.
Edit: After watching it all, she's literally like my kindred soul. It feels like I'm listening to an older, female version of me lol. I got so much out of this episode, thank you guys so much for inviting April 😁
Hearing her talk so passionately and enthusiastically about art and different art mediums is really inspiring me to try new mediums. Really enjoyed this!
i love how marshall is enjoying this interview so much. you can tell with the way he smiles and laughs with so much interest.
I could literally listen to Marshall talk about art all day
Marshall is such a great interviewer his questions are always on point!
Stan painted the bookcase for Marshall's podcast/youtubing. They aren't real books! More importantly I like the puddytat on Ms. Solomon's outfit! Not to mention her artwork. I'm always trying dragons but lack imagination. Good episode, as almost all are. Thanks for everything.
Her work is effing gorgeous. You could look at the details in isolation and they will be mini artworks.
Great interview. April defined the artists path of always learning and improving her own skills to express who she really is as an artist. Drive. A rare gift Thanks
It's really comforting being able to see someone talk with such passion about what they do. Really inspiring episode.
I’m only halfway through and I can tell April just loves to talk about her art. I wouldn’t be surprised if she does personal writing because she gives amazing comparisons to things like warm butter on toast. So amazing!
when she said she loves all the mediums, i felt that.
I absolutely love her enthusiasm.
Ive never heard a more geeky conversation about media. This is awesome.
I love this interview Marshall. I grew up in Huntington Beach and attended Pageant of the Masters and the saw dust festival many times as a child and teenager. I have great memories. This is so encouraging to me and to create more art. Thanks for interview. April is an amazing artist.
In two years of watching almost everything you released this is the most relevant to me and a wonderful surprise, I have made a living (25+ years already) literally just drawing aeroplanes, I can hear rolling when I say that but it has established me internationally within the niche and it's less about the machine or the mechanics (although I am a qualified aircraft technician as a backup career which informs the foundations of my work) but more about the mystique and wonderment of flight and the symmetry and perfection of aerodynamic structures, other aviation artists focus on the machines and scenarios like warbirds in battle etc but I bring out the mythical beast inside everything that is made by man to fly. Learning from Proko about figure and anatomy has given me a deeper understanding of 3-dimensional objects and how they relate to each other.
Anyone else have those parents who told you to do something else to "make money" and now you wish you spent those years drawing🙄🙄🙄🙄
oh, yes(
it depends, you could follow your parents and use the money to support your passion...
Yep, and my my skills are stunted but that nagging to "draw" and "create" are insane at times, and almost obsessive and causing lack of sleep.
Every. Damn. Day. Except it wasn't my parents. It was my engineer friends' parents and my teachers. And some fellow classmates who gladly mouthed off to me about my "gay anime art" but who couldn't draw any better.
It's funny too. Everyone loves anime now. But when I loved it, I was like a 6 year old soaking it up wherever I could. Back then, this was in the 90s, I had to get anime stuff at the mall in vhs stores. It turns out I was a kid ahead of everyone.
I even had a bowl cut hair cut back then, and guess what? Seems like every K-Pop king has sported that look at some point. Ah, but I ramble on...this 30 year old gal has seen some good times.
@Daniel Kopland Same!
Dragons :0 She's cool already knowing that
She likes Magic the Gathering, D&D, animals, dragons, werewolves, and admired Sargents watercolor art books.
She's perfectly fine by me! That's a cool lady!
I would love to take mentoring from April. So much brilliant advice that I have been wondering about that she has touched on in this, if April ever feels like she could mentor then I am a self taught artist happy to put money on her.
I love this episode already) I wish I could make a living with fantasy art))
Excellent and rich discussion of process and practice. A solid interview.
Wow! This may be the best conversation on art I've heard. Very inspiring! Your personalities and areas of knowledge are so complementary to each other.
I was born in 1955 to parents who never encouraged me and convinced me that had to get a "real" job. So I did and spent 45 years working in factories while dreaming of being an artist. I did not get to live my life as an artist until I retired 3 years ago. What a waste. BRAVO to her parents for doing the right thing and encouraging her.
Really like this episode. April has a way with words.
I told my son, I’ll support him in any dream career - art, music, sports, deep sea photography, space pirate etc - and I’ll support you, get you lessons, help you build a career... some boring job will always be there if you need it...
so he tells me, “I think I’ll go into finance”. Lol. I think it’s just a phase.
That was great Marshall thank you. 👍🏼 🎨 😊
her work is killer stuff!!
I loved the ending part. The whole journey thing is super inspirational
Those biceps, amazing o-o
All in all, she has a really stong physique, which one rearely sees on artists that seem to be glued to their desk/ create a lot.
I myelf struggle to maintain a strong drawing/arting routine AND a physical routine at the same time. It's always one or the other... currently in a next round of trying to implement more movement durign those long desk days PLUS the Corona confinement, fencing is currently not allowed..... It is tricky.
So I'm just amazed!
The art style has a strong presence as well and the mix of media she uses and knows, fascinating. Really enjoyed watching this interview, a lot I could relate to.
I agree that ball point pen is great to use. For me I think it’s a psychological thing because when i use pen I feel less inhibited to create and i have a free flow of ideas.
A wonderful, inspiring interview, thank you Marshall and April!
Hell yeah, GO APRIL!
This is one of the most great Podcast ever =)
Thank you !
Great interview Marshall. I love April’s work. I love ball point pens also. I have just about every color and use them (and Prisma colors)exclusively in my unique sketchbook.
I also love ballpoint pen, it's one of those mediums that just happened when I was in highschool, I never expected to draw with it until one day my mechanical pencil ran out of lead
Wow! This was such a great episode. I connect with April Solomon on so many levels. From growing up in OC, D&D, thinking I’ll only ever do pencil, the fantasy horror genre, and the road to Hana! And it is my goal for 2021 to draw dragons. Thank you Marshall. Does she teach?
These podcasts always make my day!! Thank you guys for such awesome content!
Thank you for the great interview. I appreciate the effort in capturing all the show notes.
I just wanna say... Have you all seen her biceps?! Workout, guys, even if it's a little bit. A healthy artist is a productive artist! :D
I really want to see what else she has on her shelves other than the Zoobooks.
Fascinating interview!
Wow what a great episode!
Thank you so much for this podcast!
What great experiences to learn from!
her art is amazing ! so much details
Very much enjoyed this episode.
Would love to see Claire Wendling, Eliza Ivanova or TB Choi as guests in the future.
id agree, but I think TB choi would struggle in this podcast cuz her main language isn't English, also there's a tb choi interview in Bobby Chiu's channel
@@hellomint4028 Thanks, I hadn't seen that!
I m voting for Eliza Ivanova. She is absolutely brilliant
I have heard that , sadly, Claire is not in a very healthy condition..It should be delicate to interview her.
Loved this episode
Here I go again Finding unlimited nows! thank you both for this wonderful Podcast. A lot of inspiration and god work and advice. Namaste.
What a wonderful 'cast! April's work is beautiful and highly skilled. I love her story too! Oh, and I love her dress!
Loved the interview 😍
Now this is art!! Magnificenttt
its my favorite part of the week!
Wonderfully inspiring interview :-)
great episode, have to check out april's art :D
loved you guys talked about Top of the World, really nice spot, glad to have Orange County artists on the podcast
Excellent video, thank you so much for sharing. I feel like experimenting with some new mediums now.
Great episode Marshall I love ❤️ her
it only makes sense that great artists grew up in supporting environments. I guess you'll never know how it feels to have your mother rip off all your drawings just because you haven't washed the dishes...
Oh no ... I’m sorry u went through that. Unsupportive environments miss with your head before missing with your skill physically :( I hope u r out of this circle at least most of the time. For me my parents were very supportive in learning the craft and being passionate about something but they never supported I pursue it as a career at that kinda fucked up my perspective :( can’t imagine what u have gone throu
@@arijruwaii thanks for your compassionate words it really means a lot💜 It's difficult but I'll keep moving forward. Wish you all the best of luck
She is so inspiring to work hard 👍
Damn Marshall will be ready to play Sandi Claus right in time!
A great interview! I love her studio too!
So Inspiring episode
Thanks Sir Marshal
Madam April
those muscles )
I knew I would find a comment on those :)
love u guys
In this at the 19 min mark about detail and being lost in all the details and fighting the from large brush to small is one of my biggest issues to overcome in re-learning to draw. I love dragons and one of my earliest drawings were dragons. Hearing her tell the story of how she got into drawing( I didn't have an artist parent, father's mother somewhat) sounds greatly familiar to me. I have the "talent" rather in I picked it up quickly or some parts came easier and was more easier to do. I learned this year, that how I was drawing as a child, unknowingly was exactly how many do it now. I was able to freehand copy different images and drawings by looking at it. Now? I struggle to do even that after YEARS of going through the "do the mannequin" and all the basic geometric shapes. So yeah I have the foundations and proportions, learned how to do 1-3 point perspectives(though 3 point is rare). It's just now the hours to build the skills further, detail and rendering which is where I struggle the most. I'm only re-learning traditional media(pencil, colored pencil) so I can re-affirm my drawing so I can get the proper shading and "sculpting" for human forms, as I have a ton of ideas for projects. For TL:DR I think she sums up how I feel on a lot of things especially the "I can't do this" voice among other topics. A parallel of she is and does what I haven't, couldn't or can't do currently, but could do if I was able have kept drawing all these years.
I love her! And I was totally waiting for her to say the NeverEnding Story. When she did, insta like.
man I just can't stop starting at her triceps
Thanks for uploading another episode! Just out of curiosity (definitely not because podcast done only by Marshall would be lacking anything ❤️) when is Stan coming back?
The plan is to have him back for at least the last episode of the season towards the end of December.
Makes me want to be making art now - dang day job,
she is so nice
Her arms a fucking massive, even when she’s not flexing you can see her triceps and biceps pop
5:50 is that her normal drawing grip? That's is SO unusual.
Bookshelf tour please!
Great video. May I make a suggestion I will love to see James Gurney on your Podcast
Stan should let Marshall have one episode of hes own per month after he is back
this girls got pipes for days :D
I really miss having Stan here, but congrats!!
April Solomon....cool name, cool art, cool podcast
45:08 thats Blue Eyes White Dragon...
I think she's stronger than me
lol the preview when you hover the cursor over the video
31:25 sounds very familiar to me.
IM EARLY GUYS
I use boxes of BiC pens for illustration on laser paper... Virgo artist
23:30 ok but is ballpoint pen still a viable art form
I miss the arguments between Marshall and Stan
You're not the only one. Don't worry, it's only temporary.
Yeah...CAUSE THEY WERE SO GOOD AT IT. 🙄
Can you do a podcast with Steve Purcell?