Sketchblog Chris Chien: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Last December I took a Robh Ruppel 1-day workshop at CDA. I'm a huge fan of his work. Here is an interview (Link). The workshop was more like a life coach session than a class on digital painting. Obviously it was a good workshop - otherwise I wouldn't have written about it.

From the get go, he instilled in us...

1) "Get rid of the notion that you need to learn more and more. The learning is in the doing.

Your results equal the effort you put into it.

Do not THINK you don't know enough. Don't wait. Drawing is an act. "

I'm definitely guilty of thinking that I need to learn more and more. I'm always trying to take classes at the newest art school. I make excuses for not making great work by saying... oh I just need to take a class on how to do that. That's all crap - practice is the best instructor.

2) No speed painting. More important to do things correctly.

Basically Robh was saying how retarded speed painting was. It doesn't look good and won't lead to much improvement. It's better to do things slowly and correctly. I had another teacher - Eric Gist - tell me "Don't get good at being fast, get fast at being good. The speed will naturally come."

3) If you don't clearly see something to do. Stop. Don't flounder.

So Robh works very slowly and methodically when painting. The idea is if you are not doing something that makes the painting better - leave it out. If it's not clearly improving it and you are just noodling.. you are probably making it worse.

4) Patience and Positivity

A lot of art students think that they suck. Robh advocates a mentality that's... "Yeah I wish I were better. but I'm working on it." It's a confident yet humble attitude.

Robh encourages students to "take the time to work through it and be okay with it."

5) Distractions and Focus

There's a lot of distractions out there. How does Robh manage to work 12-14 hours a day?

No radio. No TV. He just draws, makes food, exercises twice a day and sleeps.

Personally... I couldn't live that way. But now you know what it takes to make it in this industry.

6) Books Recommended by Robh

Hard Speed - Practice and Science of Drawing

Carlson's Book on Landscape Painting

Art and Fear

Robh Ruppel and me at Comic-Con. *blink!*

Sketchbook Update: Big Bear, Drunk Drawing, Swamp Elder

Went to Big Bear this weekend for a Ski-trip. Except I didn't ski - I painted...

I painted this after I had a couple of drinks. I'm super lightweight, so it was a bit much for me.
The result is definitely much looser than what I usually do. Kind of cool in a way.

Drawing friends playing cards. Some of the kids got frustrated while playing "Mao."

Swamp Elder design I did while at a sketchgroup.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Nobody

from today's sketchjam

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

2011 Reflection Video

Just some boring personal stuff.

2011 Summary:
- Freelance Jobs- horrible lifestyle - no human interaction.
- Disneyland Job - name painting
- Anime Expo & Comic Con
- Took lots of art classes. (fun!)
- Watts Atelier. Figure Drawing
- Studio 2nd street. ron lemon.
- Glen Orbick @ 3kicks

- Movement Lifestyle.

Spend too much time working. Not content. Obsessed with work and "limitless." Shocked by "Toy Story" incident at CMU in April.

New Resolutions:
1) Balance Life.
2) Patience
3) Martial Arts
4) PUA lifestyle - girlfriend + hang out with friends
5) Concept Art to pro level. (concept art world. Art Center 8th Term)

2011 Reflection (Posted on Facebook)

December 31, 2011 at 9:51pm

Man... I hate facebook. I feel like what facebook does is tell me how much fun I'm NOT having today, which metropolitan cities I'm NOT at, what parties I did NOT go to. So depressing...

Anyways - reflection time.
In 2011, I worked in 8 sketchbooks. sketchbooks 20-28.
As a freelance concept artist, I worked on 5 game titles, 1 short film.

Art classes
1) landscape painting - Jackson Sze CDA
2) Head Drawing - Glen Orbik 3 Kicks
3) Expression - Karl Gnass Animation Guild
4) Outdoor sketching - Eric Gist Watts
5) Outdoor Figure - Ron Lemen Studio 2nd Street
6) Oil Plein Air - Tom Brown IFC
7) Environment Design - James Paick Kazone
8) Digital Painting - Robh Ruppel CDA
9) Charcoal Head Drawing - Nathan Fowkes LAAFA
10) Color for Environment - Nathan Fowkes CDA
11) TAD workshop - online
12) Steve Houston Workshop 3 Kicks

On paper, it seems like I've had a really good year. It's been awesome. However, I just feel really shitty. And because I have all these really blessed opportunities, I feel shitty about feeling shitty because I feel like I should be more happy and grateful!

so yea.. i have a stable job now. it's nice. as i'm writing this.. i'm thinking. who is my audience? am i writing to myself? or someone else reading this? i doubt anyone will read this.

Resolutions for next year
1) Balance your life (social, work, family, health etc...)
2) Be the best version of yourself (don't compare with others)
3) learn martial arts (cuz it's cool, and i think it's cool)
4) Be more patient (everyone needs this. what's most lacking about this generation)
5) Get your art to a higher more professional level (market yourself, more finished originals, art competitions)

yeah.. seriously.. facebook sucks now. wtf is all these friends lists.. no wonder i kept deactivating facebook. what is all this new shit.

just a note.. if you got offended about something i said - go fuck yourself.