First Day of the New Year - First (Real) Steps Down the Illustration Road

Had I been thinking more realistically as a young adult, I would have majored in illustration at Cal State Long Beach instead of going with the Drawing & Painting specialization.  There's a lot of overlap in the requirements, but there were a few classes that I missed out on - mainly those on rendering, character design, sequential imagery, and of course, anything having to do with computers (that all came rushing in as I was on my way out of college).  A lot of these things are topics I've been looking into and practicing on my own over recent years along with practical, real-world, business-end topics.

I've been plugged into YouTube for the past couple days, soaking up everything I can possibly find on illustration and the business of it (the scary part for me).  I was delighted to find quite a bit online. Most notably, Will Terry's Channel seemed to zero right in on most all of the information that I've been seeking.  And, upon visiting his website, I found his video series that included rendering, character design, storytelling with imagery, and the real-world topics of marketing and submitting work!  The series costs about $30, but well worth it as it was just what I was looking for.  And, I appreciate his honesty and experience.

Last thing I'll mention is Will Terry's video on How to Set Up Your Illustration Portfolio - that was very helpful as well.  I felt as though I've been floating around at the whim of an artistic breeze lately.  This helped me to have a more deliberate direction to move in.  And, in turn, the ideas are flowing freely.

Work in Progress - hopefully I can finish in the next week.

However, hands-on art for me at the moment consists of a painting that I'm doing for our church (those with young kids in AWANA might recognize this guy).  It's not a commissioned original design or anything - just something from the Cubbie book to brighten the walls.  And, it's nice to pick up a paintbrush again.