sketchatorium

crash-n-burn-comic: I got a few questions about how these guys...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:09:00 -0500

I got a few questions about how these guys dance, but sadly my animating skills aren’t good enough to answer that just yet. Instead, have some spriting attempts! ° ^°

Spritework from my lovely fiancee. Characters from her upcoming graphic novel Crash n’ Burn.

Another character from Ree. Part of what was going to become a...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:16:44 -0500

Another character from Ree. Part of what was going to become a full reference sheet but ended up collecting dust on the HD.

Photo

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:52:37 -0500

Detail shot of an old piece from 2011, originally for a...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:15:08 -0500

Detail shot of an old piece from 2011, originally for a compilation of portraits.

Some fightery-gamey Ree and Lilith. For something that still may...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:11:46 -0500

Some fightery-gamey Ree and Lilith. For something that still may be a thing, with any luck, in the near future..

My squad in XCOM: Enemy Unknown! Could barely tear myself away...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:05:33 -0500

My squad in XCOM: Enemy Unknown! Could barely tear myself away from it long enough to sketch these.

dontsleepmedia asked: “I really hope this doesn’t come off as inappropriate but...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:35:00 -0500

dontsleepmedia asked:

“I really hope this doesn’t come off as inappropriate but I’ve got some burning questions for you. I recently dropped out of a politics major in favor of a visual arts degree and I’m very curious - How do your teachers and peers react to your style, given that it’s heavily derivative of anime? Also, how do your parents/family feel about you pursuing visual arts instead of something more academic? Genuinely curious.”

I was told once, by a professor in college, that in order to make myself a success I would, and I quote, ‘need to stop drawing faces like that’. Everything else was a solid effort, but the face had to go, and you can probably guess why. There was just far too much animes in that face!

At the time, I wasn’t at all surprised, but I was still disappointed. Mostly in myself, for not being able to surpass that stylistic barrier that kept me very distinct from my fellow classmates, and not in a flattering way. Most of my efforts to integrate more western stylings into my work came out butt ugly, but I kept on trying anyway, hoping to broaden my skillset so I wouldn’t fall by the wayside once I graduated. But no matter what I did, I was always the guy who drew ‘anime stuff’.

Now this isn’t to say I was some kind of put-upon reject in the school. Not even close. I loved the college I went to (University of the Arts in PA), and the friends I made there, though I never hear from them now that we’re all on different corners of the country, were some of the best folks I ever had the pleasure of spending those years with. No one in class looked down on me for the style I had. That would be a remarkably petty thing to do, as catty as some of the relationships in art college could be.
If someone DOES look down on you for an art style, they aren’t a friend, they aren’t a viable critic, and by FAR they are not worth your time. Receiving critique from someone interested in improving your work is a vast world apart from being told you need to change your style in order to be accepted or taken seriously as an artist. One of those two can help you grow, and can nurture you as an artist. The other is noise. But I’ve said so much in earlier posts.

Now more specifically, the funny thing about having a style ‘heavily derivative of anime’ as you put it, is that there’s a good chance it’s going to be labeled as one or the other by different folks. I’ve asked quite a few people who were very much into anime before whether or not they thought my style WAS ‘anime’. They gave me a resounding no. And when I asked a number of my friends who were not really into anime, they gave a resounding yes. Haha. That’s just how it works, I suppose, when you’ve got influences across the board.
And that’s how I think it should be. No one should limit their influences depending on what others think of it. That’s the antithesis of what it means to be an artist.
What really matters is the quality of your work. If you have any amount of skill, any amount of that nebulous word we like to call ‘talent’, or just a hell of a lot of drive, you can make quality work with whatever style you lead the charge with. YOUR style, really. That’s the thing to remember. Make it yours. Nobody can tell you otherwise. There will always, ALWAYS be people that dislike your work for what it is, but you aren’t drawing for them in the first place, are you?

Regarding the question about what my parents/family think about my pursuit of an art career. I could not have chosen two better people to support me than my parents. From the very first time I picked up a pencil and filled the stacks of paper my dad brought home from work for me with drawings, to shipping me off to a good school for art, and to seeing me off when I left for the first studio I began work with, they have never, ever faltered in their confidence in me.
One day when I was feeling very down in the dumps about trying to seriously pursue art as a career, I confessed to my mom that I didn’t think I could make it, and that I was embarrassed for them, having to admit their son was trying to be an artist. Not the most well respected station in life. And she told me one thing.

The world has enough lawyers, enough doctors, enough businessmen, billionaires and bus drivers, but the one thing the world DID NOT have yet, was me, being myself, an artist. So why in the world would you waste time trying to be someone else? And then she smacked me upside the head.

In case this isn’t obvious by now, I love my folks very much.

And, well. It’s not like they can give me any guff for avoiding a more “standard” job and earning the moneys. I’ve been working for the past six years in the game industry, and I’m about to buy a house. I think things’ll be okay.

Even with them there anime faces.

Zombies from Hollow.

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:36:27 -0500

Zombies from Hollow.

Franken girl from my project Hollow.

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:49:15 -0500

Franken girl from my project Hollow.

This goes out to my chum Gotts ( http://gottschalk.deviantart.com/ ) , who has long put up with my...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:52:51 -0500

This goes out to my chum Gotts ( http://gottschalk.deviantart.com/ ) , who has long put up with my beyond-fried memory capacity.

Photo

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:40:45 -0500

mikikoponczeck: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Our love is too perfect, I...

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:19:29 -0400

mikikoponczeck:

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Our love is too perfect, I can’t take it, ooooh~

(Sorry, couldn’t resist. ´///u/// ` Thanks for your sweet words!)

I really can make my eyes do that.

I really.. really miss drawing comics. Ugh. I seriously need to...

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:12:07 -0400

I really.. really miss drawing comics. Ugh. I seriously need to remedy this.

clairvoire: I always wanted to animate a fightin’ game sized...

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 00:01:20 -0400

clairvoire:

I always wanted to animate a fightin’ game sized sprite, hehee. I’ll try to post art more often, sorry for disappearing all that time!

Aaand heeeere’s my buddy Clair, making me want to sell any number of body parts to be able to sprite-art nearly as well.

mikikoponczeck: Day 30! We finally made it. :D As a special...

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:45:09 -0400

mikikoponczeck:

Day 30! We finally made it. :D
As a special last day treat, here’s a collab with my fiance, cats included. ♥ -opens a bottle of champagne-

Daaay 30 sketch! CHALLENGE COMPLETED! And with it, a long overdue collaboration between Miki and myself. We must do this more often. :]

Another sketch. Day 29 of 30. Wanted to try drawing something...

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:25:00 -0400

Another sketch. Day 29 of 30. Wanted to try drawing something directly in Photoshop. Could use the practice.

Daaaay 28 sketch. Just some mini-Tactics-y things.

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:48:23 -0400

Daaaay 28 sketch. Just some mini-Tactics-y things.

Day 27 sketch. Been out with the family all day. Steak and snow...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:23:00 -0400

Day 27 sketch. Been out with the family all day. Steak and snow crab. Oh lordy lord I’m in heaven.

Day 26 sketch! So close to the deadline I can taste it. This...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 23:25:17 -0400

Day 26 sketch! So close to the deadline I can taste it. This sketch is of a Mad from Hollow, hauling a bit too much off to the lab.

Day 25th sketch! Tiny comic about my lunch hour today. Hey, at...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 22:52:00 -0400

Day 25th sketch! Tiny comic about my lunch hour today.

Hey, at the very least I guess it means we get to our burgers faster.