Thoughts on Construction and Expression, Part 1

Image credits: Macdon401, oliko, Ben Balistreri,  OEffeO, H.B. Lewis, J.M.F. Oli, Ryan Wood, StephenSanchez

Looking at the concept art world shows multiple "schools" of concept art with completely different goals and opinions about appeal.  These differences can be boiled down to a struggle of two artistic forces: construction and expression. 

Construction is like rhetoric, and appeals to audiences through accuracy of description.  Expression appeals to audiences through purity of design, emotion, or ideas.  Construction can be devoid of expression, and expression can override the need for accuracy.
Every school of art uses some combination of construction and expression, but great artists recognize that expressive elements connect with audiences in ways that crude construction can't.  But my point isn't to prove that expression is better than construction.  In fact, without construction there can be no expression.  The reason why Acadamia has difficulty producing good artists lately is because most schools have rejected construction-focused education and focus almost exclusively on expression, leaving artists without the tools necessary for powerful expression.

Rendering this monster's arm with a few expressive lines took some thought, and relied on years of studying anatomy and how to use line to describe form.

Remember though that construction covers a lot of areas of learning, so anatomy and technique won't guarantee expressive ability.  The first image shows that a basic knowledge of anatomy applied randomly can result in a hodgepodge of shapes and form changes that aren't terribly appealing.  The second image is a lot more clean, fits the wound-up personality of the monster, and has an appealing interplay of shapes and forms that compliment the overall design.  These design decisions relied on constructive elements of design being applied to other constructive elements of anatomy and form in a harmonious way.

One last story to make my point.  The other day I was trying to draw people and I couldn't get the hands to feel natural.  I could imagine what I wanted, but even when I looked to my own hands for reference what came out was awkward.  I suddenly realized that I've been coasting for years on a rudimentary knowledge of hands; I'd learned to fake things so well that I'd overlooked some important education.  So I pulled out Bridgeman's Constructive Anatomy, spent an hour studying the forms comprising the hand, then attempted my drawing again.  That time it came out the way I wanted.  Now I've resolved to keep studying hands until I can express what's in my imagination effortlessly.

The moral of the story is: if you're struggling to find expression in your art, your problem might stem from gaps in your knowledge of construction.  There is also another roadblock to expression that I'll talk about in a later post.

Forgotten Princesses

Done for the Avalanche blog "Disney Princesses"  Topic.  No, this isn't an insider leak of future projects, and yes, I do realize that Hester Prynne isn't technically a princess.

Abstraction

I run into a lot of people that don't understand the difference between abstraction and caricature.  Maybe that's because the meaning of the words has become muddy in common usage.  Artists in general would be better off if everyone was clear on the terms, though, because while abstraction and caricature are related concepts, they are problems that have to be addressed individually.

My definition of each is:
Caricature=Distortion and exaggeration of a subject's distinctive features
Abstraction=Simplification down to a subject's essential features, eliminating unnecessary information

Abstraction is one expression of a design principle called Signal-to-Noise Ratio, which states that the Signal is any information that is important for the viewer, while Noise is unimportant information which necessarily interferes with the signal. 

The key in any good design is to identify how much of the detail is actually signal, and downplay/subdue/eliminate everything else.  In other words, not all detail is noise---sometimes it's part of the signal.  The best way to judge whether a detail is signal or noise is:
- Does it say something important about the character?
- Does it enhance the overall style of the piece/property? (ie. Does it say something about the world?)
- Does it significantly increase the character's appeal to my intended audience?
- Will the audience be able to see/appreciate the detail or is it just adding clutter to the scene?
If the answer is no to all four, tone it down or cut it out!

So the level of abstraction in a subject is just an expression of the signal-to-noise ratio.  I usually have to consciously abstract things after my first designs, and I often don't go far enough.  I've seen other artists who have the opposite problem and simplify things so far that they lose their connection to their audience.  I think that's why it's a ratio and not a hard and fast rule; too little is too little, and too much is too much.

With this Goldcrest, at first glimpse it may seem I didn't abstract things at all, just used caricature to push the personality and distinctive features.  But while I wanted people to react to it as a real bird, the details themselves could become distracting really fast.  So I used tricks like alignment, color, shape juxtaposition, and contrast control to keep the eye focused only on what was important.  Of course, after doing the little abstraction example above I wanted to go back and simplify about 10 more things in this image, so I'm obviously still learning this principle.

Mourning Dove

I always thought they were Morning Doves, but apparently they're more sad.  Maybe they ARE Morning Doves but they're just not morning people.

I keep trying to write a Tip-of-the-Day style post, but it's taking more time than I expected.  Stay tuned.

iPhone Art Book! And another bird.

Thanks to Bobby Chiu and others at Imaginism Studios, some of my work is now an iphone app.
You can find it here!   http://www.artistsketchbooks.com/

I will be giving out five promotional copies---if you want one, comment on this post and in three days (Saturday) I will pick five comments at random for a free app for your iPod Touch or iPhone.

The app/book includes hi-res versions of work I've put on the blog, as well as some updated and finished pieces never seen before.

Bird number two:

Resolution

I'll be honest:  I am not likely to finish the book I resolved to write.  At least not anytime soon.  However, after watching Marcelo Vignali's inspiring interview, I decided that I shouldn't wait for that opportune time to share what I'm learning.  So I'm going to revive an old feature of this blog and post the discoveries I make as I evolve as an artist.

I still plan to write a book once I've got some of the gaps filled in my own knowledge, but hopefully this will do until then.

My other resolution is to start working on more personal art, specifically art that I can use to illustrate points in the book.  This image is part of a series of birds I'll use in the character design section of the book.

Thanks everyone for reading and Happy New Year!

The real reason why toys are getting worse

The Avalanche topic was elves, so I started this by wondering, since there's no real description of Santa's elves anywhere (that I've seen), why do we assume they're all these cute, cheery-eyed fellows with curly hair?

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!

Lessons Learned

I did this for a children's magazine published by the LDS church.  I'm also a member of the church, but that's not why they hired me for the article.  That credit goes to Natalie Malan for sending a letter of recommendation to their art directors on my behalf (Thanks Natalie!).  They hire a lot of very talented artists, so I'm honored to be included.

I learned some useful tidbits doing this, and I pass that knowledge on to you:

• If nobody complains about your unrealistic, made-up lighting, just run with it
• Bright pinkish-purple subtleties do not convert well into CMYK.  Experts conclude that you have to paint the colors and values more carefully so they will convert correctly.  I conclude that I'm going to avoid that end of the spectrum entirely next time.
• If the borders of your painting are boring enough, your art director will never notice that you didn't include bleed for the edge of the page
• If your wife has a baby due around the time your art is due, it's probably better to finish it early than to take a 3-week hiatus and then sloppily finish at the last second.

Twilligt

Twilight wasn't as bad as I expected.  But then, I expected it to be really, really, really, really bad.  Done for the Avalanche Blog.

Brains

I had this idea of a mad scientist with a malevolent cupcake for a brain and it evolved into this.

Here's another monster with a different brain for a work friend who wanted posters for her Halloween party and an earlier design for the painting.  I like both of these monsters a lot better than the one I used, but the faces/horns were awkward when I tried to pose him with the scientist.  I was heavily influenced by Todd Harris's designs on these guys.

Fall

Autumn is my new favorite season. 

- Colors!

- Crisp air

- Crunching leaves

- Football games

- Back to school (this is the same reason why it used to be my least favorite season)

- Fresh vegetables and fruit

- Apple Cider Donuts

- Holidays

The only part I don't like is how short-lived it all is.

Finished

I have a bunch of half-finished images waiting for the day when I'll finally turn my attention back to them.  Today I had a little time at work while waiting for feedback on something, so this was what I did.

Also, something worth sharing

I'm working on a tribute-to-fall picture, and this is why.  We took these pictures on recent drives up nearby canyons.  My wife posted more here if you're interested.

Paint demo from class

I wanted to spend more time on this before posting it, but I'm getting that antsy "been too long since I posted" feeling.  So you get a glimpse of what something looks like when I've spent about an hour on it.  Lines by Joe Olson (link in my sidebar).

The Thinking Artist

Just a sneak preview at some of the stuff I'm working on for the book I (eventually) plan on releasing.  People taking my class will get to see the rest and the explanations that go with it.

I want my book to be about how aspiring concept artists and digital painters can cognitively increase their "talent" level.  Some people are probably born with great talent---but not most of us, including me.  Luckily, I had good opportunities and the audacity to think that nothing could stop me from doing what I saw my peers do.  And with a lot of effort, I learned how to do things I saw other people doing naturally.  Now I want to share what I've learned.

 

The only problem is I want it to be a masterwork, but I'm nowhere near capable of that.  Because I keep recognizing areas where I need to improve, I keep putting off my work on it.  So I hope people waiting for the book are okay with a release date of 2069, when I've finally mastered everything.

Either that or you can convince me that an amateur publication is good enough for now.

Not-so-popular admission

I like musicals, I can't help it.  I sometimes wish life was a musical.  Like when Jeff Bunker fires me, I'd much rather have him do it singing a bass counterpoint to the chorus of the entire staff of the company, who would of course be peering through the window to his office and flinging their hands into the air in rhythm.

My wife bought me some songs from Wicked for my iphone.  I've seen the musical, and it's okay (lots of untapped potential in the story).  But some of the songs are really great, including "Popular," which I can't get out of my head.  The situation behind the song is funny, but the song itself is nothing short of brilliant.

Chicken scratch

Went to figure drawing for the first time in months.  I need to go more often, I learn so much about observation and structure every time, even when the process is frustrating.

Marvel Tribute

My employer just recently bought Marvel.  They will never let me anywhere near the characters, though, and this is why.

Sharks

A post for the Avalanche blog.  When I was very young, somewhere between the ages of 3 to 5, I wanted to be a shark when I grew up.  But my mom tells me I was terrified of going into water, including the bathtub.  Now, thanks to Planet Earth and Youtube, it all makes sense.  Of course I didn't want to be a regular old water-bound shark.  I was planning to become one of those amazing flying sharks.  Alas, my dreams were never realized, but I do occasionally creep up on my children in the swimming pool and bite them just for old time's sake.

Also, in case anyone asks, I totally stole the ocean from a low-res photo and then painted over it.  They say cheaters never prosper, but the saying should be, "cheaters don't have to paint the whole stupid ocean."  I win.

School mascot WIP

A little volunteer work I'm doing for the new school one of my kids is starting at this year. The mascot is a phoenix that teaches kids how to play with fire safely (parents, I'm joking!). Although I can't help but wonder how long it's going to be before they ask me to replace the fire with bubbles or draw him in an anti-smoking ad.

I'm open to suggestions, including any ideas you might have for his name. My wife laughed when I called him Lighty. She said his name should be something way more dignified, like Flamey. As you can see, I desperately need your suggestions.

Part 5: Slow

I have a baby daughter! She was born on Saturday and is doing great. For my week off, I present a little more progress on the pirate picture I started working on a year ago:












I thought since it looks almost done I'd be able to hurry and finish so I had something to post this week. I forgot that this is the most time-consuming part of any complex painting, where you're trying to pull all the parts together toward a semi-consistent level of finish. Also, most of my week was spent bouncing a fussy baby. Next update: 2050?

Reject

Another concept that won't ever be used---partially because after it was rejected, I totally revamped it. Why would someone use their spare time to keep working on something that was rejected? Boredom maybe, or brain damage. At some point in the future I'll hopefully be able to talk about the project this was for.

Selling Out

I'll preface by saying that I'm releasing an art book early next year. Mainly for fun, but yes, I do want people to give me money also.

Ever since starting at Disney I've been moving my art towards an "animation industry"-like style, because I like entertaining people and making them laugh. And I love the direction I'm headed.

Because of this, I haven't engaged in popular art communities like CGSociety or Deviant Art. They cater to a different audience.

But when a kind reader, Katie De Sousa, linked my site from Deviant Art, my readership jumped up by about 3200 visitors (6500+hits) in a single day. And suddenly, I was drunk with power. I began planning to change my style and use online art communities for my eventual world domination.

Today the eye stars are dimmer and my hands only twitch occasionally. I remember my heart is still in family-focused entertainment. But I am weak and still a little tempted. So I might open up galleries on a couple different sites just to see the response. Yes, I am still the kid who sits on the end of the cool table during lunch, hoping nobody will notice I don't belong. But this time I'm not going to make the mistake of changing who I am.

In other news, I got an image into UDON's DarkStalkers Tribute Book. I loved DarkStalkers as a teenager. But some guys at work were joking about entering a contest with an image that makes fun of the contest subject, and I couldn't help myself. Why do I have an obsession with half-retarded superheroes? To be fair, I wasn't as mean as I could have been.

Princess Coloring Book Too

I'm once again trying to be as cool as Ryan Wood. His idea of painting a Disney princess coloring book page like a piece of classical art seemed so artistically offensive and funny that I had to try it: William Bouguereau meets Aladdin's Jasmine. And yes, I admit with some shame that it was fun.

Thinking Inside the Box

I've never liked the expression, "Thinking outside the box." I'm not against the principle---advanced artists/designers/whatever often come up with amazing solutions that defy convention. But defying convention is not, in itself, a virtue. I've argued for years that finding creative ways to work within "the box," or using rules and conventions to your advantage, is an art in itself. But a difficult project I worked on for the last couple years taught me why people use that phrase so much: Stupid boxes.

Let me be clear: a great box of conditions can be more inspiring than sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper. But a stupid box creates mental paradoxes, irreconcilable contradictions that make great solutions nearly impossible to find. Not that it's really impossible. In fact, finding an elegant solution to an impossible problem feels like the crowning moment of your career, if it ever happens. But most of the time, it's frustrating for everyone involved.
I feel like I'm being too vague, so here are some examples.
Good box: design a scary monster that still appeals to children and uses projectile attacks.
Bad box: design a terrifying yet expressive monster that appeals to children but that teenagers think is cool and not goofy, and make his arms into rocket launchers, and its head should be a chainsaw, so use something other than the face to make it expressive, oh, and the rocket launcher and chainsaw need to be made out of flesh.

Anyway, I still think it's a good skill to think inside the box. But my advice is this: if you feel like the box you're working inside is stupid, and if you have any leverage whatsoever on your project, do everything in your power to change that box so it no longer makes your life miserable! Then you will be happier and I will stop ranting about it.

In other news, some art I did for the Avalanche blog: