I would suggest looking at it from the other side: You probably have an idea you wanna see finished someday... Look for someone who could do the work for you, ask them how much they would take. Compare this price to your skill and the money you want. REALLY helps to change your mindset on this topic
man even if you are not a concept artist, a concept artist's skillset is extremely valuable, being able to produce high quality stuff in record time is a must in the current day, specially considering how social media works
This is awesome, and spot on, 20 years in I make a clean 6 figured income, I work hard, fast, clean and smart. I have a degree and I've put in many years, did I start out making money nope no one does. Took me 12 years to get to that point. You can never stop learning.
Art is such an intensely competitive job market to try to get into. Worrying constantly about my skill level, trying to find a way to get work etc just sucked all of my enjoyment out of art. Instead it's worked better to be a programmer for a job and art as a hobby. Yeah I'm not as good as the pros, I'm not as fast or as capable. I've just come to accept that, because it's better for me to accept that and actually enjoy art again. YMMV
I thought a good while as you, stopped doing what i really love for the money, i got sick about this, I started again to do art, with 44 years, began to study architecture....and now with 52 years I am looking forward to install my first Design label in Estonia. Soon I will live in Greece, will build my own houses for rich clients and can live MY STYLE. All these years were worth it, even the useless spent as real estate entrepreneur and jurist, all this knowledge I need anyways in business, so I dont regret today one day i did the "wrong" thing, it was all a little stepstone to a real independent art career....yo, never give up, man, programming is really a good thing and you will see, soon you have your own triple AAA game brand !!! :-) never stop going....
people its all about business the more u understand marketing and stuff like that the more succesful u will be too many artists just relay on their work if u want to be the top 10 percent u have to think differently if u understand business and create pretty good content the sky is the limit
@@slurp3194 THIS! This this this this! I can't stress this enough. Hey, I'm a starving artist myself and I came to learn the hard way. I have no clue how to market my music. All I know is I can do better than most of the big names in the Industry I try to compete in. But getting the recognition is the tough spot. A guy making mediocre music but has millions of listeners can basically do what he wants (in terms of quality, he can probably do less of what he wants if he/she is working with a label ofc. I know that) . A guy (or girl) that just started out will be judged by every one of their 43 listeners thoroughly. I betcha that can be similar in art! (To some degree at least) Think of it as internet peer pressure. It's a thing, I don't like it, but it's a thing. Ofc. there's always this sorta "Zeitgeist" talk about music in particular and hitting the right waves, a guy 10x the Skrillex of 2012, today? He would slip unrecognized, there is not much demand at the moment for that style. Similarly in artwork, if you went for a Manga style in america and try to apply for jobs there, probably wouldn't get to much work in that field, even if your work translates properly, etc.
Discussing money openly in the industry is a good thing. It's that ever-present veil of secrecy that allows companies to shell out low-ball wages and keep artists producing more for less.
oh my, I learned a lot after this video. I love the fact that you don't sugar your speech, just straight truth. I think from now on I will post more often on social media, because lately I waste too much time on details scared of critique. Thanks man :)
Love your style of language. "let me tell you something bruther..." "You need some experience bro". It doesn't usually work but for you it just fits xD Btw, great video!
Hey man, thank you so much for your content. I always have it on in the background when I'm drawing. And sometimes I just let your videos stream all day when I'm at work!
That's what I do! I work exclusively for those countries. Canada or European countries also pay those wages without questioning, you make bank without working more than 4 hours a day haha AND IT'S STILL CHEAPER than an American artist. I feel for American artists, it's waaaay harder...
Hey man, thanks for sharing some of your knowledge and experiences on this topic! As a freelance artist who has been doing more and more serious over the past two years, I find this still very helpful!
Hard to hear or not, it still makes me happy that Creative endeavors are largely meritocracy based :) that and of course, the networking that comes from staying available, reliable, and better than your employer ever suspected until you deliver!
When I started doing commissions, I think my hourly rate would be like 3 dollars lol. It wouldn't pay for squat. It's gone up to 10 dollars an hour, which i'm quite happy about.
Hey Trent, thanks for your amazing content. I've always struggled with sticking to things and trying to improve, but your content really makes me thrive and want to work on my next piece before my current one is even done! Much love from Germany and thanks for all that you do for us beginners!
Hey Trent love your Creed comics in the past. Glad to have found you on youtube as well. Always was inspired by your art style. Keep up the great work.
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!! Thank you Trent for sharing all your tips and knowledge. I appreciate how you put things into perspective and help aspiring artists like me have more realistic expectations before getting into this. More power to you! Will be looking forward to more videos :)
@@azananochirozoki6848 an easy way is to draw some fanart, do a series on marvel characters or something along those lines to get more attention to your work and have something on your profile that says youre open for commissions. offering 'sales' is also a good way to entice new clients
OK, pay attention starting at 6:12 That's why it always bother me when seeing channels like wacomwcl and watching the artists speed painting, of which it took considerable amount of time them being sped up, I don't believe taking the time drawing such a simple scene (albeit it's beautiful) in such a long time is the way to go. I took about 20-40 hours on average for a piece which is not the way to go, but I intend to step up. And I'm 47. Yeah. That's bad I know.
That is not bad. Keep going. Keep persisting, bro. You will develop more and more. Is all about maximizing your performance. You will create your own perception in what you need and how to evolve your process to become more efficient. Incorporate your past experiences into your process and use examples that you can relate to. Think of two characters inside yourself. The student that only you know how to be, who know how to address his doubts and that know what is the most pertinent questions. And a teacher who may not know all the answers, but know where to find them, that know that the answers lie in past experiences that you, you as student, or anyone would be able to relate to. The teacher that became the type of person who can distinguish what is a good question, from a question that has, or is the answer itself, or that is too superficial. This is what works for me and is what I use when I have trouble. The best student you can be versus the best teacher you can be to yourself, and a lot of times the roles will reverse. In these moments, you know that you achieved something worth keeping. Every achievement counts, but some are more important than others. When you become more aware of the order of importance of each, you can better develop them. It is worth invest the time to categorize, to understand its importance level, and even to make an extra effort to make this more enjoyable. This is when you develop your process. This is where a lot of things start, i.e., like style. Use everything that can make this process less boring, less difficult. Is like a process to create a process. It will not be always the same and it will evolve as you grow as a person. Use digital, traditional methods, or both. Think simple, because when you think about it a process is a series of steps to help you retain your knowledge, so everything is valid. What it really matters is your acceptance of the method at the given moment, because what you really want is to grab the knowledge and get a hold of the feeling. Sometimes I like to use numbers, sometimes I linke doing titles followed by subtitles, and other times I begin each section with small simplified sketches that I also use as training for something else. When I Am not in the mood I also use color. RGB with red as the closest to the final step. Normally I reserve the most intense or vibrant color to the elements that in my opinion are most important at that moment. In some figure drawing step by step training sketches I use blue for the gesture and points in space, green for blocking out the form with simple basic forms, red for anatomy or fold direction, black to commit as the final marks and for lighting sometimes I use yellow. For perspective training light blue or light green for horizon line, lines beneath in green, above in blue, sometimes all the converging lines are done in blue and sometimes they have the same color as the objects in the scene. So it varies a lot. Experiment with different methods, materials, tools or programs. Think like a bored child, few things are more catastrophic than a bored child. Be aware of your boredom levels. It is your journey to know more about yourself and to work on your tolerance of what you can accept. As well as what you can reshape and what motivates you. Get the meaning of words too, people often don't realize how powerful this can be, in many ways. Semantics really helps, and learning more about the words helps a lot when you create things. When you learn something well you have a certain feeling at the moment. Don't waste those moments and don't waste that feeling. Make sure to apply and take notes of what you learned and try to create steps to achieve the results and that feeling again. Use all your life experiences in things that you know how it works to your advantage. This will help you create and embrace a metaphor that works for you. Incoporate them in your daily drills. Make your daily trainings become as essential and as effective as you need them to be. Is all about work in an effective way and create a process that you can constantly adapt. You can do it!
You encouraged me to get better. $10 dolars per hour is high in my country, it can pay like internet bill with $10 dolars or a lunch. And mainly, I'm enjoying to make art.
Always glad to hear your insights on anything art related and more haha. I'm glad you brought up the fact that a lot of people think they'll just be in a job by tomorrow or not have to work so hard at it. I have already accepted that it's gonna be a long journey and that in the end the journey is the goal anyways. I know that when I do get work I'll still try to improve, and be useful to a team. That's the part that sounds funnest to me honestly is working with other skilled people as a team. :O Inspiring as always Trent, I'ma go get some drawings in right now, haha. :)
My god, I love your direct approach to this... Thank you for that man... A low hanging fruit right now in the digital art world is working with content creators... there are so many of them out there that want custom work that you can really line up some clientele if you can DRAW well and process it digitally efficiently... (I cant wait to get your cheats set.... )
For people looking for a solid answer to the pay thing: It depends on the studio/client, the country and your experience. Go to the website glassdoor and search the studio (not just publisher- the actual studio), they'll have salaries listed but be aware they're based on experience. Ballpark range for a concept artist is about $30k-70k usd. If youre a junior, youre on the one end, if youre a senior, youll climb to the other. Most concept artist not a junior is in the 50-60k range though. Freelancers will earn more per job but they will have gaps without any income at all and they also have to pay more taxes etc. I personally prefer studio work because its more secure and less of a pain with the paperwork side of thing. Sending invoices, filing taxes, setting up an LLC. etc its not fun. Its really that simple though.
Studio work is more secure? pft! Come on dude! You'll pay more taxes, have less deductions, and you're LUCKY if you get a good manager at a game studio.
@@TrentKaniuga Ive done two years in Freelance and 4 in various studios all across England, Japan, the US and Canada and I found what I said to be true. Granted, I understand that the US coasts have much more competition + with cost of living on the west coast in particular is out of control so their studio situation is a ... how do I put this nicely? "Not Ideal" when it comes to layoffs and cost of living. Saying that, the west coast games industry isnt the end all-be all, esp. for the US. Most of my freelance clients were in film based in New York and Chicago. Regardless, freelance isnt for everyone and people like myself actually prefer the studio environment and I find myself paying less after health and other benefits in a studio.
Thumb up. This video is more like a motivation video, set expectation for people who want to get better, to climb higher, to level themselves up in any fields, not just art. The talk is straight forward about the expectation about one experience and current skills.
I live in Norway, there's no industry for art. Not in movies, games, comics or books. Planning to move to the US once I'm done with university (or else I'm screwed)!
Link there is work in Norway. The fact that there is not much industry going on means you are capable of kickstarting that. It's easy to become the best of Norway that way. It will be possible to be king of the hill.
There might be places closer to home, I've heard there's a big 3D industry in UK for example. I'm American, and I'm about a year away from the "real job" search. I'm hoping to get a job with Pixar like everyone else, but I'd love to travel also. I guess what I'm saying is, don't rule anything out.
Just remember that the US is a very different place and that after living there for a bit you might actually want to move back home again. Make sure you stay flexible.
Same, I live in India. People here bargain on the freelance rates, I'm like WHAT THE FCK? There's a limit to things to which people bargain. Every single client :(
Thank you so much for making this video and taking the time out to be real with us about what it takes to be an artist and be in the industry. Thanks again.
Great content and information as always. I don't know if I should be concerned, but I've delved so deep into the world of art now that I don't even think about money anymore. I am obsessed with just learning about art, how the old masters painted and try to fully understand how nature works. It sucks that I need to make money to live as well.
Thanks for keepin it real man.I'd love it if you talked about how you created your studio, that would be interesting stuff to hear about. How you started, the struggles etc. (Also if that video already exists a link would be dope.)
Great Vid..The art world in any part of it is tuff, make no mistake about that. I've been in it for most of my life and have done well but it's not been easy. Trent is right in that starting out making any money is great, making a lot of money is rare. It's long days and lots of late nights and the never-ending issue of chasing the next deal to keep the lights on. The one thing I think he didn't say, or if he did I didn't catch it is, you have to be completely honest about your work and where you are at this time in your development as an artist. You can't have any false conceptions about that, ever. Criticize your work continuously and be honest about judging it against the top artist in your field. Strive to understand how they do what they do and push toward that. Then one-day artist with be chasing you to ask how you make the money you make..
Hey man, thanks for sharing! I've been working as a freelance concept artist since graduation 3 years ago. Yes, it has been a tough road and its still is. Glad to know more how things work in this industry from an experienced artist. Sometimes its really hard to have consistent projects to work on. They just come and go =/
Sounds a little intimidating but it does sound interesting. I'm solo artist in self-training but the advice you're giving me is giving me some ideas that I could use in the future
I mean all you've shown is mlp. Really. Work hard, I believe in you... kinda the pony thing is throwing me off. But I believe in you, work hard. Don't give up.
Thank you so much for talking about this! There is so much more to being a successful artist than your level of skill, I really appreciate your advice on this. I know so many skilled artists that don't make it anywhere because they lack the fundamental skills they don't know they should be developing. If possible could you talk more about the non-art skills that make a successful artist in the business? What kind of mindset does it take to be successful in the industry? P.S. You have my thumbs up.
This video was pure gold man. Thanks so much! I dont wanna be a super pro but im just learning and see if i can make a few bucks in the future because art is something i believe you need to love doing, but if you want a lot of money you can also try getting it from other businesses or jobs (other sources), and just keep yourself working on your art because its amazing to create what you love and find beautiful :)
Very informative video, your input is always appreciated. I myself got lucky (because I was absolutely terrible at illustration) and got my first job doing illustrations for mobile video games for kids during my 1st year of university, and got paid 20$/hr to do so. Every project was a rush, and I would spend 50 hours a week (+ my studies, I was at school at that time!) working, then the other week 0. Did this for 2 years during my studies. Very demanding and unforgiving. It all paid off in the end because I got hired in a big company the last month of my studies, and am still here, living the dream.
Thanks for the knowledge, the honesty, not sugar coating the truth, and telling it like it is. Love your work on Diablo 3. 70 people wanted the sugar coated b.s. version.
Hello Trent, thanks for your videos, i think they are the most inspirational around youtube!! Also, for an Italian based artist (we don't have that big industrynof videogames and stuff) what website would you suggest to try to find some freelancer jobs? Thanks
Trent another amazing episode and a question I’ve asked so many times. Money in this industry and in others seems to be a dirty word. Infact I just listened to the latest episode of Jake Parker’s podcast “Three point perspective” and they talked about how much money illustration artists make and why you need to know your worth. Thanks again for this video as always inspiring
Hey Trent, another great video from behind the curtain of concept art. The harsh reality of pay as an artist isn't a sexy topic but very useful. I always get pumped to make some more work after your videos (even ones like this) is there a slack channel or discord or some place you have for aspiring concept artists to hang out in?
Using photos and photoshop trickery has always been a taboo for me but your cheat set has helped me over that and it really makes a big difference when you know and use those tools
Photos have been used in Art forever. Way before the digital age. Also, Painters and old masters would pretty much make a million sketches from life for reference and also construct grids to make paintings as life like as posible. Even things like camera obscuras like Vermeer. Artists used what people would call 'cheats' for centuries. The only people who think it's not correct to use things to help your art are losers that will never make it as professional artists.
I struggled with accepting it for a long time too. But it only hurt me to not use photos at all. Nowadays, I drop them in, and I paint over them. I study them. I learn from them and I produce twice the quantity of work. Embrace the art cheats my friend. Everything else in life is hard enough. Art should be fun and profitable.
The cheat box explains how to use photoshop techniques to make you faster. Every one of those techniques is on youtube and is available for free. However the boxset is aimed to help you buid such techniques into your process wich i value a lot. I hope it that helped you :)
Very useful information, I really want to start a carrer as concept artist and more and more i´m aware of the effort that it takes thank to this kind of videos. I think knowing the industry is really important if you want to be a serious artist because in the end money and get hired is crutial to improve your technical and soft skills without have the feeling you are wasting your time. Maybe this is not a beautiful view but more realistic you are more easy is the fight against the frustration. a ton of thanks.
11:40 I think the problem with this analysis (even if its true) is that art is subjective, and most people get interested in art because they have their own idea of what sort of drawing/style looks amazing, or cool, or beautiful. So the idea that artists gotta "know their stuff" and "know their craft" like obviously that's true on its face for any professional. But it's also kind of reductive. The kind of art that makes money is not necessarily 'the greatest art,' or indicative of the greatest "skill." It is indicative of a certain kind of skill, these particular artists have honed. Even something as basic as orthographic drawing. It is a marker of skill as an artist. It will train your mind how to see in three dimensions. But if you can do that well, and it facilitates your career, it doesn't necessarily mean you are the greatest artist in all aspects. Like I remember growing up looking at the comics in the Sunday paper, and thinking that art in them was nothing special. Even the way certain New Yorker covers get lauded for being amazing art, when they're actually kind of simplistic from a perspective of artistic ability. But the point was that these things are produced at a mass scale, and there is/was a market for them.
Awesome video Trent I know u probably have a lot of things to do but I think it would be a great idea if u hosted an art contest in ur channel like a character or a place based on points u would give a ranking to the entries in a video like top 3 or categories like "ur in a good way" "work harder" and stuff like that. It probably could turn into an art critique for some entries. I know this sounds pretty naive from me like "yo trent rate my and another thousand people's art" but still i would thank u if u gave this idea a thought.
Thanks! But I don't believe in contests. I decline most offers to be a judge in contests because it can be discouraging to everyone that contributes but does not win. Also I don't do a lot of critique because I can't tell you what you should want. I can only tell you what I like or do not like.
Hi Trent! I’m aware this comment is a bit late on the video, but I wanted to see if you had any advice. I’m trying to do a fundraiser by selling my art however I’m using websites like teemill, which make it easier to sell art but I get so little from it it doesn’t feel worth it. Also as I’m fundraising It feels wrong to ask people to pay for something when so little Will actually go to the charity. Do you have any advice on what to do?
great vid as always ! this question has been bothering me for a while. when posting art online, should i use a pseudonym or my real name? i dont exactly like using my real name for anything online, due to privacy. but then if i use a pseudonym, would that turn potential employers off? or do they not care?
Hi Trent, thank you for your awesome videos, and your awesome art! I'm an aspiring indie designer (who isn't these days, amirite?) who's still in the early stages, working on building my chops making some simple games, so my questions are from a slightly different angle. Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can provide. Q1) Do you have any advice for developers on how to approach an artist with a job offer (especially for freelance work)? In the first contact, what information do you think is vital to include? Q2) One of my long-term goals/dreams is to have a solid enough business to approach an art studio like Aquatic Moon to work on a project. Do you have any suggestions on how to get to that goal, from your perspective? Put another way, what do you look for in a project or dev. studio to work with?
Cool video, very informative! I don’t suppose anybody knows where I can find active art forums? I’ve looked a few times but most of them seem kinda dead.
twitch tv creative channel as lots of artist streaming daily and they often have active discords channels and many streamers don't mind if you ask questions etc in chat live
The more people there are that can do a job, the more easy it is find other people that can that job just as good or even better than you. Thats the reality of art jobs i think and any jobs that is open to a lot of people. You might not like it but try to put yourself in the clients shoes. Would you want someone incompetent or not?
If I wanted to be a trading card artist, how do contracts for that industry work? Do they give you a deadline? How many orders do they ask at once? Is all of this usually negotiable or do they just have an offer and you take it or leave it? i would kind of like to be able to do that part time, it sounds enjoyable and I dont really intend to be a fulltime professional artist.
its still very competitive, but you can find art managers on linked in for the trading card company that you want to apply to. You can also do searches for companies that are making digital trading card games and contact them with your portfolio. If you aim for the less famous games, you'll have a better chance. Just make sure that your art style matches what they are making.
For posting on Facebook specifically, don't they grab the rights to use the pieces after you post it? I thought it was in their terms of service, if I'm not mistaken.
Am I the only one that wants to work for a company. One that puts pressure on. Hundreds of drawings a day! Of standard!!! I see it as a kind of boot camp. If I'm going to be great when I'm an old man. I need things like this....."Freelancing from my paradise island" sounds like a way of retiring.....Retiring is the death of ambition son!!!!
Main issue I have with the industry is how it panders to AAA photorealism for concept art with 90% is what generates such misinformation about what concept art actually is. When most AAA are devoid of creativity and all the art/designs is about how realistic it can look it's really off putting. Seems like Japanese games do the opposite for the most part, like when you discussed Yoji Shinkawa.
The biggest game right now is fortnite, overwatch is going strong, wow is still going, league is still huge, and breath of the wild did great. I think there are a ton of non photo realistic mainstream triple a games out right now.
As Bad ass as he is, Someone like Yoji would find it difficult getting an entry level job these days if he was a new artist using his illustration style(He can do realistic drawings he has them in some of the Metal gear artbooks when he has to do character turn around and such, rarely shown because not as flashy0, somewhere down the line someone has to solve the design problems of texture and small details. All the Japanese games with the best designs go even more detailed than America. All photo realism is slightly stylized in different ways the idea is as a concept artist is to help the team make a product it has nothing to do with you as an individual artist.
*All photo realism is slightly stylized in different ways the idea is as a concept artist is to help the team make a product it has nothing to do with you as an individual artist.* Though I can somewhat agree their is minor stylization to every realistic drawing it's attempt is still usually to emulate realism which results in flashy graphics/highly rendered artwork over actually interesting ideas. Which is why most AAA games are third person/first person shooters. Games like The Last of Us, Order 1886 are examples of flashing cinema style graphics and gameplay over actual substance. Companies don't want to take risks, even games like Dark Souls wouldn't have been made without taking a risk which AAA companies only care about flashy visuals. I don't really count Nintendo because despite being AAA they've a long running standard of creative and unique IP's.
How long is a rope? As long as a concept artist earns. Back in the day, a person did the ranks. You might make coffee and watch what the pros did, and then perhaps get to do some small sh*t, and then you got better and better, getting responsibility. Being humble and eager to learn was a great asset, even when you were ambitious.
Dude how do you even get started doing this kind of stuff? Not like the high level stuff but just getting your feet wet in a sense. Cause honestly man I really dont want to spend my life doing plumbing dude. If I do that till I'm an old man I'm gonna be depressed when I pass. I want to be able to use my imagination and art skills to get into something where I can use all that. But I just dont know where to even start. Especially with covid restrictions still in place.
Being stuck indoors is an advantage. Use the time to develop your skills. I have tons of info on my videos. Just sub and watch. You'll pick up some things to work on in the process.
@@TrentKaniuga well first off I gotta get a computer or some type of high quality drawing tablet of some sort cause I dont have either. Would you say getting a computer with a good digital art monitor is better than just an expensive art tablet?
That's is a nature of a business everywhere. Trent, i have a suggestion for you. Break down what mean to be professional from you point of view. it's deeply connected with money and how successful you can be in the industry. I believe me and others appreciate that.
I'm somewhat stuck on skeching (Been drawing for a year, digitally atleast, traditionally since I was a babby). Getting my anatomy, gesture and perspective better here and there. Coloring and rendering always falls flat. I'm afraid to start uploading my art if I can't even finish a single piece to a respectable degree... My profile pic is about as far as I can get coloring without shit looking wonky. Welp, back to the drawing board for the 5673rd time.
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WHAT EXACTLY IS AN FZD Im assuming a concept art school cause of design cinema videos on youtube and also how would you exactly get hired for a gig what steps do you have to take to work your way up idk if you answered this already so ill look through your previous videos I with my knowledge from what Ive watched want to work as a freelacne concept artist/ illustrator i just dont know all the ends and outs (btw I FREAKIN LOVE ART MAN IM 15 AND IVE RECENTLY MADE A SCHEDULE TO HELP ME PRACTICE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL)
Hi Trent ! I want to ask about #drawthisinyourstyle challenge! Does the artist have the right to print his own version which participate in the challenge? Or is this not his right because the original concept is not his? I ask because I found some artists on Instagram have printed their versions and some do not, I'm now puzzled which two teams are right?
Hi Trent! What are your thoughts on becoming a concept artist living in a country that does not has the development in the matter like usa or other countries? ( I am from Argentina ) There is little to none gaming/movies industry here. So im talking about working for some studio out of the country. What about working freelance from home? What about moving to sayed country?
Si tenés un pasaporte extranjero, te recomiendo mudarte de país. Todo lo que parece una montaña inescalable en Argentina, se hace mil veces mas fácil en otros paises. Yo viví en dos países distitos del primer mundo y me di cuenta que todo ese verso de apostar al país suena muy bien, pero no te lleva a ningun lado, uno tiene una sola vida y Argentina no va a cambiar en ningún futuro cercano. Ser un buen profesional y tener que estar trabajando malpago y no saber si llegás a cubrir el alquiler es absolutamente denigrante. Irse no quiere decir que uno no extrañe o sea un vendepatria, etc., simplemente es la relalidad que a uno le toca afrontar en el campo del arte. Si no tenes otro pasaporte, te recomiendo hacer la experiencia que puedas en los pocos estudios que hay en Buenos Aires, para mejorar tu portfolio , y después, tratar de poner tu propio estudio con otros profesionales de buen nivel. Así podés laburar para el extranjero. Es la mejor forma de no tener que trabajar como un esclavo y por un sueldo ridículo, pero aún así, es complicado, porque el trabajo no siempre es constante.
Trent, I am a hobbyist when it comes to art...I want to get into the animation/comic book field, yet I have 3 children, a wife, and a house. I work a full time job and try to squeeze in as much time as I can progressively learning and practicing ellipses and other techniques to steady my hands. In order to successfully make money one day would you encourage someone in my situation to continue on the road I've been on, or would college help bridge that gap (or put me deeper into a financial hole). Thank you for your time!
Hello sir, I am a fan of your work and you did such an amazing job making your cartoon series. I want to ask if someone ask to make an animation from you, how would you price your work? Is it per hour or the finished product? Keep doing your amazing art and keep being awesome!
Hey Trent amazing vid as always:D . My question is: where should I post my drawings (as I want to receive some good feedback in order to improve my concept art faster) artstation only for profesionals ? Devianart is it a good place to get pro feedback ? Any other site ? Thanks :)
There's likely several places but, I'd recommend art groups on Discord. There are many groups of varying skill levels that can give you some great feedback.
Jean Kirstein instagram 100% I’ve got a nice network of fellow students and it’s super fun seeing what they’re all working on and we can all keep in touch kinda
You mentioned adapting to art styles - can you show an example of that? And what are the main art styles one should get a hold of? I mean, the style one has seems to be comparable to a person's handwriting, but if you told me to write like you - wouldn't I get super slowed down constantly referencing your letters? Wouldn't the final result look less fluid and forced? Or am I misunderstanding this completely? P.S. I'm not being precious or artsy, if the business requires for the giraffe to know how to act like a lion then it's part of the business, but how do you go about it?
![Megan Thee Stallion - Mamushi (Remix) [feat. TWICE] [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5c0_u9PsrsQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Live like a rock star? I just want to keep my lights on...
Same, but it's nice to dream, isn't it? :)
@@trickstrgod911 Ofc ! Always dream ! :)
@Lord Of Onions Wooooo. Old School Metallica reference??? Right up my alley!
I would suggest looking at it from the other side: You probably have an idea you wanna see finished someday... Look for someone who could do the work for you, ask them how much they would take. Compare this price to your skill and the money you want. REALLY helps to change your mindset on this topic
man even if you are not a concept artist, a concept artist's skillset is extremely valuable, being able to produce high quality stuff in record time is a must in the current day, specially considering how social media works
This is awesome, and spot on, 20 years in I make a clean 6 figured income, I work hard, fast, clean and smart. I have a degree and I've put in many years, did I start out making money nope no one does. Took me 12 years to get to that point. You can never stop learning.
6 Figures is like the new Minimum Wage, especially with all this inflation and prices of gas and other things soaring through the roof.
Art is such an intensely competitive job market to try to get into. Worrying constantly about my skill level, trying to find a way to get work etc just sucked all of my enjoyment out of art. Instead it's worked better to be a programmer for a job and art as a hobby. Yeah I'm not as good as the pros, I'm not as fast or as capable. I've just come to accept that, because it's better for me to accept that and actually enjoy art again. YMMV
Without programmers, there couldn't be a lot of great art. Programmers are great!
Well spoken :)
I thought a good while as you, stopped doing what i really love for the money, i got sick about this, I started again to do art, with 44 years, began to study architecture....and now with 52 years I am looking forward to install my first Design label in Estonia. Soon I will live in Greece, will build my own houses for rich clients and can live MY STYLE. All these years were worth it, even the useless spent as real estate entrepreneur and jurist, all this knowledge I need anyways in business, so I dont regret today one day i did the "wrong" thing, it was all a little stepstone to a real independent art career....yo, never give up, man, programming is really a good thing and you will see, soon you have your own triple AAA game brand !!! :-) never stop going....
people its all about business the more u understand marketing and stuff like that the more succesful u will be too many artists just relay on their work if u want to be the top 10 percent u have to think differently if u understand business and create pretty good content the sky is the limit
@@slurp3194 THIS! This this this this! I can't stress this enough. Hey, I'm a starving artist myself and I came to learn the hard way. I have no clue how to market my music. All I know is I can do better than most of the big names in the Industry I try to compete in. But getting the recognition is the tough spot. A guy making mediocre music but has millions of listeners can basically do what he wants (in terms of quality, he can probably do less of what he wants if he/she is working with a label ofc. I know that) . A guy (or girl) that just started out will be judged by every one of their 43 listeners thoroughly. I betcha that can be similar in art! (To some degree at least)
Think of it as internet peer pressure. It's a thing, I don't like it, but it's a thing.
Ofc. there's always this sorta "Zeitgeist" talk about music in particular and hitting the right waves, a guy 10x the Skrillex of 2012, today? He would slip unrecognized, there is not much demand at the moment for that style. Similarly in artwork, if you went for a Manga style in america and try to apply for jobs there, probably wouldn't get to much work in that field, even if your work translates properly, etc.
I like how you keep the fluff out, keeping it honest and to the point truely what helps get the message across.
Thanks! This was originally a 2 hour video of fluff and jokes and stories... but I shaved it down:) J/k.
Discussing money openly in the industry is a good thing.
It's that ever-present veil of secrecy that allows companies to shell out low-ball wages and keep artists producing more for less.
"I am anticipating a lot of thumbs downs" even in 2020 this video only has 67 dislikes. We like the truth Trent!
2022 and now it has |Unknown|, he's truly amazing!
oh my, I learned a lot after this video. I love the fact that you don't sugar your speech, just straight truth. I think from now on I will post more often on social media, because lately I waste too much time on details scared of critique. Thanks man :)
Love your style of language. "let me tell you something bruther..." "You need some experience bro". It doesn't usually work but for you it just fits xD Btw, great video!
Mathias Konrad Osland when he says let me tell you something brother it reminds me of hulk hogan lol
You right haha!
Haha Mathias!! Got u here 😂
Great finding you here Mathias!
Hey man, thank you so much for your content. I always have it on in the background when I'm drawing. And sometimes I just let your videos stream all day when I'm at work!
for me its enough to wake up knowing i make my money drawing
I'm from country where dollar is around 4x as expensive as my currency so i guess i should sell online to U.S. citizens? XD
Yes do it, if they like it they'll buy!
That's what I do! I work exclusively for those countries. Canada or European countries also pay those wages without questioning, you make bank without working more than 4 hours a day haha
AND IT'S STILL CHEAPER than an American artist. I feel for American artists, it's waaaay harder...
@@jeffsantos93 i feel sorry to american artists
@@kikinuryakinah799 move to a cheap place too if you're jealous. Simple
Hey man, thanks for sharing some of your knowledge and experiences on this topic! As a freelance artist who has been doing more and more serious over the past two years, I find this still very helpful!
Great video man, really good to hear someone talk abort the business side and the non-art skills artists need
Hard to hear or not, it still makes me happy that Creative endeavors are largely meritocracy based :) that and of course, the networking that comes from staying available, reliable, and better than your employer ever suspected until you deliver!
Dude. Love this channel. No bullshit art guide, you talk what I like to hear.
When I started doing commissions, I think my hourly rate would be like 3 dollars lol. It wouldn't pay for squat.
It's gone up to 10 dollars an hour, which i'm quite happy about.
That's awesome!!
Now how is it?
I did all the client experience for web and graphic design, if you artists can get these skills, you get some money to survive too ;)
Hey Trent, thanks for your amazing content. I've always struggled with sticking to things and trying to improve, but your content really makes me thrive and want to work on my next piece before my current one is even done! Much love from Germany and thanks for all that you do for us beginners!
Hey Trent love your Creed comics in the past. Glad to have found you on youtube as well. Always was inspired by your art style. Keep up the great work.
Hey, thanks!
@@TrentKaniuga No problem glad to support your youtube and its nice to see the videos with pointers.
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!! Thank you Trent for sharing all your tips and knowledge. I appreciate how you put things into perspective and help aspiring artists like me have more realistic expectations before getting into this. More power to you! Will be looking forward to more videos :)
youre absolutely right, last time i raised my prices i got a few complaints but the work kept coming.
how can I grt client?I'm just starting out.
@@azananochirozoki6848 an easy way is to draw some fanart, do a series on marvel characters or something along those lines to get more attention to your work and have something on your profile that says youre open for commissions. offering 'sales' is also a good way to entice new clients
Watched this video at 2x speed and all of the talk about being fast when creating work seemed especially accurate.
Work smart like 15 h per day - get obsession about it - u will become rock star in the industry
OK, pay attention starting at 6:12
That's why it always bother me when seeing channels like wacomwcl and watching the artists speed painting, of which it took considerable amount of time them being sped up, I don't believe taking the time drawing such a simple scene (albeit it's beautiful) in such a long time is the way to go.
I took about 20-40 hours on average for a piece which is not the way to go, but I intend to step up. And I'm 47. Yeah. That's bad I know.
That is not bad. Keep going. Keep persisting, bro. You will develop more and more. Is all about maximizing your performance. You will create your own perception in what you need and how to evolve your process to become more efficient. Incorporate your past experiences into your process and use examples that you can relate to.
Think of two characters inside yourself. The student that only you know how to be, who know how to address his doubts and that know what is the most pertinent questions. And a teacher who may not know all the answers, but know where to find them, that know that the answers lie in past experiences that you, you as student, or anyone would be able to relate to. The teacher that became the type of person who can distinguish what is a good question, from a question that has, or is the answer itself, or that is too superficial. This is what works for me and is what I use when I have trouble.
The best student you can be versus the best teacher you can be to yourself, and a lot of times the roles will reverse. In these moments, you know that you achieved something worth keeping. Every achievement counts, but some are more important than others. When you become more aware of the order of importance of each, you can better develop them.
It is worth invest the time to categorize, to understand its importance level, and even to make an extra effort to make this more enjoyable. This is when you develop your process. This is where a lot of things start, i.e., like style. Use everything that can make this process less boring, less difficult. Is like a process to create a process. It will not be always the same and it will evolve as you grow as a person. Use digital, traditional methods, or both.
Think simple, because when you think about it a process is a series of steps to help you retain your knowledge, so everything is valid. What it really matters is your acceptance of the method at the given moment, because what you really want is to grab the knowledge and get a hold of the feeling.
Sometimes I like to use numbers, sometimes I linke doing titles followed by subtitles, and other times I begin each section with small simplified sketches that I also use as training for something else. When I Am not in the mood I also use color. RGB with red as the closest to the final step. Normally I reserve the most intense or vibrant color to the elements that in my opinion are most important at that moment.
In some figure drawing step by step training sketches I use blue for the gesture and points in space, green for blocking out the form with simple basic forms, red for anatomy or fold direction, black to commit as the final marks and for lighting sometimes I use yellow. For perspective training light blue or light green for horizon line, lines beneath in green, above in blue, sometimes all the converging lines are done in blue and sometimes they have the same color as the objects in the scene.
So it varies a lot. Experiment with different methods, materials, tools or programs. Think like a bored child, few things are more catastrophic than a bored child. Be aware of your boredom levels. It is your journey to know more about yourself and to work on your tolerance of what you can accept. As well as what you can reshape and what motivates you.
Get the meaning of words too, people often don't realize how powerful this can be, in many ways. Semantics really helps, and learning more about the words helps a lot when you create things.
When you learn something well you have a certain feeling at the moment. Don't waste those moments and don't waste that feeling. Make sure to apply and take notes of what you learned and try to create steps to achieve the results and that feeling again.
Use all your life experiences in things that you know how it works to your advantage. This will help you create and embrace a metaphor that works for you. Incoporate them in your daily drills. Make your daily trainings become as essential and as effective as you need them to be. Is all about work in an effective way and create a process that you can constantly adapt. You can do it!
Djoko Triono get good, then get fast because if you don’t get fast at least you are good.
20-40 hours? It takes me a month.
I love to hear this. Your channel has taught me a lot about the industry that I want to get into, so thank you!
You encouraged me to get better. $10 dolars per hour is high in my country, it can pay like internet bill with $10 dolars or a lunch.
And mainly, I'm enjoying to make art.
Always glad to hear your insights on anything art related and more haha. I'm glad you brought up the fact that a lot of people think they'll just be in a job by tomorrow or not have to work so hard at it. I have already accepted that it's gonna be a long journey and that in the end the journey is the goal anyways. I know that when I do get work I'll still try to improve, and be useful to a team. That's the part that sounds funnest to me honestly is working with other skilled people as a team. :O Inspiring as always Trent, I'ma go get some drawings in right now, haha. :)
Anyone that thumbsdown this video probably isn't serious enough about art.
Lol, nice one XD
"You gotta work your way up to the island mansion!" This sounds like a pyramid scheme lol
Meh, if you want to get the island mansion you need to be at the top of the pyramid, exploiting the work of those below you.
@@maythesciencebewithyou that negative attitude is what keeps everyone broke
@@enriquecabrera2137 no it's the capitalist corrupt society we live in corrupted by corporations.
@@NoQuarter1995 whatever you say, poor person.
@@enriquecabrera2137 it's always the latinos bootlicking the powerful. Sad.
My god, I love your direct approach to this... Thank you for that man...
A low hanging fruit right now in the digital art world is working with content creators... there are so many of them out there that want custom work that you can really line up some clientele if you can DRAW well and process it digitally efficiently...
(I cant wait to get your cheats set.... )
great answer to the question, and great channel, thanks for all your videos
For people looking for a solid answer to the pay thing: It depends on the studio/client, the country and your experience. Go to the website glassdoor and search the studio (not just publisher- the actual studio), they'll have salaries listed but be aware they're based on experience. Ballpark range for a concept artist is about $30k-70k usd. If youre a junior, youre on the one end, if youre a senior, youll climb to the other. Most concept artist not a junior is in the 50-60k range though. Freelancers will earn more per job but they will have gaps without any income at all and they also have to pay more taxes etc. I personally prefer studio work because its more secure and less of a pain with the paperwork side of thing. Sending invoices, filing taxes, setting up an LLC. etc its not fun.
Its really that simple though.
Studio work is more secure? pft! Come on dude! You'll pay more taxes, have less deductions, and you're LUCKY if you get a good manager at a game studio.
@@TrentKaniuga Ive done two years in Freelance and 4 in various studios all across England, Japan, the US and Canada and I found what I said to be true. Granted, I understand that the US coasts have much more competition + with cost of living on the west coast in particular is out of control so their studio situation is a ... how do I put this nicely? "Not Ideal" when it comes to layoffs and cost of living. Saying that, the west coast games industry isnt the end all-be all, esp. for the US. Most of my freelance clients were in film based in New York and Chicago.
Regardless, freelance isnt for everyone and people like myself actually prefer the studio environment and I find myself paying less after health and other benefits in a studio.
Thumb up. This video is more like a motivation video, set expectation for people who want to get better, to climb higher, to level themselves up in any fields, not just art. The talk is straight forward about the expectation about one experience and current skills.
I live in Norway, there's no industry for art. Not in movies, games, comics or books. Planning to move to the US once I'm done with university (or else I'm screwed)!
Link there is work in Norway. The fact that there is not much industry going on means you are capable of kickstarting that. It's easy to become the best of Norway that way. It will be possible to be king of the hill.
There might be places closer to home, I've heard there's a big 3D industry in UK for example. I'm American, and I'm about a year away from the "real job" search. I'm hoping to get a job with Pixar like everyone else, but I'd love to travel also. I guess what I'm saying is, don't rule anything out.
Just remember that the US is a very different place and that after living there for a bit you might actually want to move back home again. Make sure you stay flexible.
well you could also forget your dreams and get a boring, soulcrushing 9 to 5 job :)
Same, I live in India. People here bargain on the freelance rates, I'm like WHAT THE FCK? There's a limit to things to which people bargain. Every single client :(
Thank you so much for making this video and taking the time out to be real with us about what it takes to be an artist and be in the industry. Thanks again.
Love the Salsa flow music and all the knowledge of yours you just gain a new subscriber
Great content and information as always. I don't know if I should be concerned, but I've delved so deep into the world of art now that I don't even think about money anymore. I am obsessed with just learning about art, how the old masters painted and try to fully understand how nature works. It sucks that I need to make money to live as well.
Thanks for keepin it real man.I'd love it if you talked about how you created your studio, that would be interesting stuff to hear about. How you started, the struggles etc. (Also if that video already exists a link would be dope.)
i had to watch this before asking the question in a most recent video... im saving this in a playlist
Great Vid..The art world in any part of it is tuff, make no mistake about that. I've been in it for most of my life and have done well but it's not been easy. Trent is right in that starting out making any money is great, making a lot of money is rare. It's long days and lots of late nights and the never-ending issue of chasing the next deal to keep the lights on. The one thing I think he didn't say, or if he did I didn't catch it is, you have to be completely honest about your work and where you are at this time in your development as an artist. You can't have any false conceptions about that, ever. Criticize your work continuously and be honest about judging it against the top artist in your field. Strive to understand how they do what they do and push toward that. Then one-day artist with be chasing you to ask how you make the money you make..
I really love the name Aquatic Moon! Also really great video, quite eye-opening and inspiring me to work hard!
This gave me a lot of insight into the field, thanks for making this video!
Hey man, thanks for sharing! I've been working as a freelance concept artist since graduation 3 years ago. Yes, it has been a tough road and its still is. Glad to know more how things work in this industry from an experienced artist. Sometimes its really hard to have consistent projects to work on. They just come and go =/
thank you father i never had. this video answer lots of my questions
Sounds a little intimidating but it does sound interesting. I'm solo artist in self-training but the advice you're giving me is giving me some ideas that I could use in the future
I mean all you've shown is mlp. Really.
Work hard, I believe in you... kinda the pony thing is throwing me off.
But I believe in you, work hard. Don't give up.
Thank you so much for talking about this! There is so much more to being a successful artist than your level of skill, I really appreciate your advice on this. I know so many skilled artists that don't make it anywhere because they lack the fundamental skills they don't know they should be developing.
If possible could you talk more about the non-art skills that make a successful artist in the business? What kind of mindset does it take to be successful in the industry?
P.S. You have my thumbs up.
This video was pure gold man. Thanks so much! I dont wanna be a super pro but im just learning and see if i can make a few bucks in the future because art is something i believe you need to love doing, but if you want a lot of money you can also try getting it from other businesses or jobs (other sources), and just keep yourself working on your art because its amazing to create what you love and find beautiful :)
I think discussing this topic is so important and healthy for us in the industry. thank you for doing it
Very informative video, your input is always appreciated. I myself got lucky (because I was absolutely terrible at illustration) and got my first job doing illustrations for mobile video games for kids during my 1st year of university, and got paid 20$/hr to do so. Every project was a rush, and I would spend 50 hours a week (+ my studies, I was at school at that time!) working, then the other week 0. Did this for 2 years during my studies. Very demanding and unforgiving. It all paid off in the end because I got hired in a big company the last month of my studies, and am still here, living the dream.
Thanks for the knowledge, the honesty, not sugar coating the truth, and telling it like it is. Love your work on Diablo 3. 70 people wanted the sugar coated b.s. version.
Hello Trent, thanks for your videos, i think they are the most inspirational around youtube!! Also, for an Italian based artist (we don't have that big industrynof videogames and stuff) what website would you suggest to try to find some freelancer jobs? Thanks
Trent another amazing episode and a question I’ve asked so many times. Money in this industry and in others seems to be a dirty word. Infact I just listened to the latest episode of Jake Parker’s podcast “Three point perspective” and they talked about how much money illustration artists make and why you need to know your worth. Thanks again for this video as always inspiring
This is the video i need to watch 100 time
Yeaah agree, the important things is learning experience
So RAW!!! , this make me wake up, THANKS A LOT BRO!
When you talked about FZD, did you mean the Feng Zhu Design school??
Yes; very expensive.
Thanks for the awesome video :)
When you say "do in one day what would take 5 days" what´s the regular daily workload? :o
Great advice Trent
Thanks for the information. Definitely thinking about checking out that cheat box.
Hey Trent, another great video from behind the curtain of concept art. The harsh reality of pay as an artist isn't a sexy topic but very useful. I always get pumped to make some more work after your videos (even ones like this) is there a slack channel or discord or some place you have for aspiring concept artists to hang out in?
Using photos and photoshop trickery has always been a taboo for me but your cheat set has helped me over that and it really makes a big difference when you know and use those tools
Photos have been used in Art forever. Way before the digital age. Also, Painters and old masters would pretty much make a million sketches from life for reference and also construct grids to make paintings as life like as posible. Even things like camera obscuras like Vermeer. Artists used what people would call 'cheats' for centuries. The only people who think it's not correct to use things to help your art are losers that will never make it as professional artists.
I struggled with accepting it for a long time too. But it only hurt me to not use photos at all. Nowadays, I drop them in, and I paint over them. I study them. I learn from them and I produce twice the quantity of work. Embrace the art cheats my friend. Everything else in life is hard enough. Art should be fun and profitable.
Is the cheat box worth it? I really want it but its kinda expensive so just want ot be sure.
The cheat box explains how to use photoshop techniques to make you faster. Every one of those techniques is on youtube and is available for free. However the boxset is aimed to help you buid such techniques into your process wich i value a lot.
I hope it that helped you :)
Stijn Beerts i Will definetly buy it once i get paid thank you !
Very useful information, I really want to start a carrer as concept artist and more and more i´m aware of the effort that it takes thank to this kind of videos. I think knowing the industry is really important if you want to be a serious artist because in the end money and get hired is crutial to improve your technical and soft skills without have the feeling you are wasting your time. Maybe this is not a beautiful view but more realistic you are more easy is the fight against the frustration.
a ton of thanks.
11:40 I think the problem with this analysis (even if its true) is that art is subjective, and most people get interested in art because they have their own idea of what sort of drawing/style looks amazing, or cool, or beautiful. So the idea that artists gotta "know their stuff" and "know their craft" like obviously that's true on its face for any professional. But it's also kind of reductive.
The kind of art that makes money is not necessarily 'the greatest art,' or indicative of the greatest "skill." It is indicative of a certain kind of skill, these particular artists have honed. Even something as basic as orthographic drawing. It is a marker of skill as an artist. It will train your mind how to see in three dimensions. But if you can do that well, and it facilitates your career, it doesn't necessarily mean you are the greatest artist in all aspects.
Like I remember growing up looking at the comics in the Sunday paper, and thinking that art in them was nothing special. Even the way certain New Yorker covers get lauded for being amazing art, when they're actually kind of simplistic from a perspective of artistic ability. But the point was that these things are produced at a mass scale, and there is/was a market for them.
Awesome video Trent
I know u probably have a lot of things to do but I think it would be a great idea if u hosted an art contest in ur channel like a character or a place based on points u would give a ranking to the entries in a video like top 3 or categories like "ur in a good way" "work harder" and stuff like that. It probably could turn into an art critique for some entries. I know this sounds pretty naive from me like "yo trent rate my and another thousand people's art" but still i would thank u if u gave this idea a thought.
Thanks! But I don't believe in contests. I decline most offers to be a judge in contests because it can be discouraging to everyone that contributes but does not win. Also I don't do a lot of critique because I can't tell you what you should want. I can only tell you what I like or do not like.
Trent Kaniuga i understand ur point of view. Keep it up.
We...need..."Trent´s Easy Art Lessons 6-10 or more"... :P
Great advice. Thank you.
Hi Trent! I’m aware this comment is a bit late on the video, but I wanted to see if you had any advice. I’m trying to do a fundraiser by selling my art however I’m using websites like teemill, which make it easier to sell art but I get so little from it it doesn’t feel worth it. Also as I’m fundraising It feels wrong to ask people to pay for something when so little Will actually go to the charity. Do you have any advice on what to do?
great vid as always !
this question has been bothering me for a while. when posting art online, should i use a pseudonym or my real name? i dont exactly like using my real name for anything online, due to privacy. but then if i use a pseudonym, would that turn potential employers off? or do they not care?
Hi Trent, thank you for your awesome videos, and your awesome art! I'm an aspiring indie designer (who isn't these days, amirite?) who's still in the early stages, working on building my chops making some simple games, so my questions are from a slightly different angle. Thank you so much in advance for any advice you can provide.
Q1) Do you have any advice for developers on how to approach an artist with a job offer (especially for freelance work)? In the first contact, what information do you think is vital to include?
Q2) One of my long-term goals/dreams is to have a solid enough business to approach an art studio like Aquatic Moon to work on a project. Do you have any suggestions on how to get to that goal, from your perspective? Put another way, what do you look for in a project or dev. studio to work with?
It’s kind of like being an a architect or doctor you have to study a lot and work hard
Do i need academic background for getting job? Or are there any differences with getting money between university graduated person or not graduated
Watch my videos about art school. I covered this topic a lot last year.
Thank you for your insight
Cool video, very informative! I don’t suppose anybody knows where I can find active art forums? I’ve looked a few times but most of them seem kinda dead.
Echo 147 Check art groups on Discord, there's a ton of good ones. 😉
Dusty Hill huh, never even considered discord, thanks!
twitch tv creative channel as lots of artist streaming daily and they often have active discords channels and many streamers don't mind if you ask questions etc in chat live
I was listening to it and I'm in fzd . Ahahaha cheers from 1 term. We are dying here but for a good reason :D
The more people there are that can do a job, the more easy it is find other people that can that job just as good or even better than you.
Thats the reality of art jobs i think and any jobs that is open to a lot of people.
You might not like it but try to put yourself in the clients shoes. Would you want someone incompetent or not?
If I wanted to be a trading card artist, how do contracts for that industry work? Do they give you a deadline? How many orders do they ask at once? Is all of this usually negotiable or do they just have an offer and you take it or leave it? i would kind of like to be able to do that part time, it sounds enjoyable and I dont really intend to be a fulltime professional artist.
its still very competitive, but you can find art managers on linked in for the trading card company that you want to apply to. You can also do searches for companies that are making digital trading card games and contact them with your portfolio. If you aim for the less famous games, you'll have a better chance. Just make sure that your art style matches what they are making.
For posting on Facebook specifically, don't they grab the rights to use the pieces after you post it? I thought it was in their terms of service, if I'm not mistaken.
Am I the only one that wants to work for a company. One that puts pressure on. Hundreds of drawings a day! Of standard!!! I see it as a kind of boot camp. If I'm going to be great when I'm an old man. I need things like this....."Freelancing from my paradise island" sounds like a way of retiring.....Retiring is the death of ambition son!!!!
Wow, you're really insightful.
Main issue I have with the industry is how it panders to AAA photorealism for concept art with 90% is what generates such misinformation about what concept art actually is.
When most AAA are devoid of creativity and all the art/designs is about how realistic it can look it's really off putting. Seems like Japanese games do the opposite for the most part, like when you discussed Yoji Shinkawa.
The biggest game right now is fortnite, overwatch is going strong, wow is still going, league is still huge, and breath of the wild did great. I think there are a ton of non photo realistic mainstream triple a games out right now.
As Bad ass as he is, Someone like Yoji would find it difficult getting an entry level job these days if he was a new artist using his illustration style(He can do realistic drawings he has them in some of the Metal gear artbooks when he has to do character turn around and such, rarely shown because not as flashy0, somewhere down the line someone has to solve the design problems of texture and small details. All the Japanese games with the best designs go even more detailed than America. All photo realism is slightly stylized in different ways the idea is as a concept artist is to help the team make a product it has nothing to do with you as an individual artist.
*All photo realism is slightly stylized in different ways the idea is as a concept artist is to help the team make a product it has nothing to do with you as an individual artist.*
Though I can somewhat agree their is minor stylization to every realistic drawing it's attempt is still usually to emulate realism which results in flashy graphics/highly rendered artwork over actually interesting ideas. Which is why most AAA games are third person/first person shooters.
Games like The Last of Us, Order 1886 are examples of flashing cinema style graphics and gameplay over actual substance. Companies don't want to take risks, even games like Dark Souls wouldn't have been made without taking a risk which AAA companies only care about flashy visuals. I don't really count Nintendo because despite being AAA they've a long running standard of creative and unique IP's.
What is contract illustration??
Thanks Trent!
How long is a rope? As long as a concept artist earns.
Back in the day, a person did the ranks. You might make coffee and watch what the pros did, and then perhaps get to do some small sh*t, and then you got better and better, getting responsibility. Being humble and eager to learn was a great asset, even when you were ambitious.
Dude how do you even get started doing this kind of stuff? Not like the high level stuff but just getting your feet wet in a sense. Cause honestly man I really dont want to spend my life doing plumbing dude. If I do that till I'm an old man I'm gonna be depressed when I pass. I want to be able to use my imagination and art skills to get into something where I can use all that. But I just dont know where to even start. Especially with covid restrictions still in place.
Being stuck indoors is an advantage. Use the time to develop your skills. I have tons of info on my videos. Just sub and watch. You'll pick up some things to work on in the process.
@@TrentKaniuga well first off I gotta get a computer or some type of high quality drawing tablet of some sort cause I dont have either. Would you say getting a computer with a good digital art monitor is better than just an expensive art tablet?
thank you very much for your time
That's is a nature of a business everywhere. Trent, i have a suggestion for you. Break down what mean to be professional from you point of view. it's deeply connected with money and how successful you can be in the industry. I believe me and others appreciate that.
I'm somewhat stuck on skeching (Been drawing for a year, digitally atleast, traditionally since I was a babby). Getting my anatomy, gesture and perspective better here and there. Coloring and rendering always falls flat. I'm afraid to start uploading my art if I can't even finish a single piece to a respectable degree... My profile pic is about as far as I can get coloring without shit looking wonky. Welp, back to the drawing board for the 5673rd time.
Tty schoolism , might help you out m8
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS WHAT EXACTLY IS AN FZD Im assuming a concept art school cause of design cinema videos on youtube and also how would you exactly get hired for a gig what steps do you have to take to work your way up idk if you answered this already so ill look through your previous videos I with my knowledge from what Ive watched want to work as a freelacne concept artist/ illustrator i just dont know all the ends and outs (btw I FREAKIN LOVE ART MAN IM 15 AND IVE RECENTLY MADE A SCHEDULE TO HELP ME PRACTICE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL)
Could you ever do a aquatic moon studio tour or take your kids to work day?
Hi Trent !
I want to ask about #drawthisinyourstyle challenge!
Does the artist have the right to print his own version which participate in the challenge?
Or is this not his right because the original concept is not his?
I ask because I found some artists on Instagram have printed their versions and some do not, I'm now puzzled which two teams are right?
Man, I was totally going to bring up the Kindle book cover angle.
how do you advertise to people looking for kindle book covers though? to get started
onoesmurlocs e-book cover artist forums is a good start.
Hi Trent! What are your thoughts on becoming a concept artist living in a country that does not has the development in the matter like usa or other countries? ( I am from Argentina )
There is little to none gaming/movies industry here. So im talking about working for some studio out of the country. What about working freelance from home? What about moving to sayed country?
Si tenés un pasaporte extranjero, te recomiendo mudarte de país. Todo lo que parece una montaña inescalable en Argentina, se hace mil veces mas fácil en otros paises. Yo viví en dos países distitos del primer mundo y me di cuenta que todo ese verso de apostar al país suena muy bien, pero no te lleva a ningun lado, uno tiene una sola vida y Argentina no va a cambiar en ningún futuro cercano. Ser un buen profesional y tener que estar trabajando malpago y no saber si llegás a cubrir el alquiler es absolutamente denigrante. Irse no quiere decir que uno no extrañe o sea un vendepatria, etc., simplemente es la relalidad que a uno le toca afrontar en el campo del arte. Si no tenes otro pasaporte, te recomiendo hacer la experiencia que puedas en los pocos estudios que hay en Buenos Aires, para mejorar tu portfolio , y después, tratar de poner tu propio estudio con otros profesionales de buen nivel. Así podés laburar para el extranjero. Es la mejor forma de no tener que trabajar como un esclavo y por un sueldo ridículo, pero aún así, es complicado, porque el trabajo no siempre es constante.
Any chance you can share what starting salary at your studio is around? I’m just kind of curious
Trent, I am a hobbyist when it comes to art...I want to get into the animation/comic book field, yet I have 3 children, a wife, and a house. I work a full time job and try to squeeze in as much time as I can progressively learning and practicing ellipses and other techniques to steady my hands. In order to successfully make money one day would you encourage someone in my situation to continue on the road I've been on, or would college help bridge that gap (or put me deeper into a financial hole). Thank you for your time!
Hello sir, I am a fan of your work and you did such an amazing job making your cartoon series.
I want to ask if someone ask to make an animation from you, how would you price your work? Is it per hour or the finished product?
Keep doing your amazing art and keep being awesome!
Hey Trent amazing vid as always:D . My question is: where should I post my drawings (as I want to receive some good feedback in order to improve my concept art faster) artstation only for profesionals ? Devianart is it a good place to get pro feedback ? Any other site ?
Thanks :)
thats a really good question :D I feel like the pro artists are way to busy to give you feedback. id like to know as well
There's likely several places but, I'd recommend art groups on Discord. There are many groups of varying skill levels that can give you some great feedback.
Also try to enter into respectful relationships with individuals that match a bar you want to hit.
Jean Kirstein instagram 100% I’ve got a nice network of fellow students and it’s super fun seeing what they’re all working on and we can all keep in touch kinda
forums, facebook groups, discord servers and the biggest thing thats helped my art is private lessons
You mentioned adapting to art styles - can you show an example of that? And what are the main art styles one should get a hold of? I mean, the style one has seems to be comparable to a person's handwriting, but if you told me to write like you - wouldn't I get super slowed down constantly referencing your letters? Wouldn't the final result look less fluid and forced? Or am I misunderstanding this completely? P.S. I'm not being precious or artsy, if the business requires for the giraffe to know how to act like a lion then it's part of the business, but how do you go about it?
How can someone apply to Aquatic Moon? I could not find it on the website.