There should be a new comic today, honestly. There would be, too, if it weren’t for the confounding demons living in my HP scanner.
I have a problem. I keep meaning to write posts. It’s often said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In my case, that pavement leads to limbo, or, more often, two hours of internet link-clicking (gophering?). My hitch is that I always think a blog post should be a thing of substance. Too much these days are filled with tweets about lunchbox contents, and status updates on the resulting bowel movement. A post should have a point, a message, or a story at least. It should be interesting.
So here we are.
Six weeks ago, I achieved a life goal when I became a professional full-time artist, and I now find myself in a state of transformation. Old habits (drawing in secret while pretending to work) are dying hard, and new realizations (voicing creative opinions, and being confident in my artistic choices) are a-bloomin’. It’s strange and beautiful, and I feel the need to journalize this new chapter in my life. At worst, it’s a catharsis. At best, I’m hoping some other fledgling artist might find a smackerel of helpful knowledge in my story.
I know that when I was looking for a job, there was an appalling lack of specific information about how to go about actually doing so. Everything was vague or subjective or so general that it could just as easily apply to finding work as a pool cleaner. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, or asking the wrong questions, but the most common advice I always found was “keep at it.”
Well, I don’t know much about getting a job in the video game field, since this is my first, but here’s what I do know:
1. Have a solid art foundation. You should understand classic principles of color, perspective, anatomy, and composition, and your art should reflect that. If your talent is that you can draw one thing (Pokemons, Manga, or Looney Tunes) really well, then you should branch out because you’re competing with people who can draw many things really well.
2. Have a good attitude. Anguished souls may be at home in gallery showings, but in a team environment where communication and interpersonal relations are key, you should turn that frown upside down and leave your ego at home.
3. Submitting for the same job listing at the same company every week for a month does not increase your chances.
That’s all I’ve got for now. When I know more, so will you.
