151-180 (originally written May 2017)
6 months in now…it's gone pretty quickly and it's surprising to see how much work has been done but also how much more can still be done.
This started out as a way to reconnect with drawing again and as a challenge with a friend of mine. I'm surprised how far doing a daily piece of work has gone, the obsession behind it and also how it's possible to make something become part of your daily routine, especially when you feel you have no room for it at the time.
It has helped me a ton, particularly in giving my skills the time needed to nurture but I’m even more pleased with how it has helped improve my time-management, decision making, and overall confidence.
Here's what's changed over the last 6 months.
drawing- what used to take a full hour or more is done much quicker now and more efficiently. Thanks to better skill with markers and my draftsmanship. Still, a long way to go to reach Scott Robertson levels though... a long way.
Digital- I used to take so long on photoshop. I am comfortable with it but for some reason, I had the impression that when I did designs in photoshop they had to be super refined and crisp. A mixture of Everydays and learning from Jama via hid Narrative concept course has allowed me to be much more relaxed and loose with PS. I enjoy how I am able to manipulate things accordingly to reach my objectives. Using certain tools exclusively to just knowing when and how to use smartcuts. Some of the digital pieces would have been abandoned about before this or taken me a lot longer thanks to procrastination (which I feel I am able to better manage now). So I am pleased that I can get what I want to (kind of) down in a timely manner.
3D- I have always been comfortable with 3D modelling but took my sweet time on things. I still need to become more fluent in it and I very much stick to the tools that I know and nowhere near a level where I can experiment on my process and workflows. Thanks to Maciej and his twitch streams I have been rocking with Fusion 360 for a few months now and I enjoy it. I was taught Alias and Uni (struggled with it big time but super powerful). Introduced to Maya towards the end of uni. Stuck with Maya and Fusion is now my babes. I find it a nice blend between Alias and Maya on the Modelling side. My Rendering swag is non-existent. I have been using the Non-Commercial Keyshot to visualise my models and I do like it but I rely on painters and post in PS heavily. I need to fix up my rendering knowledge so I this may be something I can use everydays for.
Time/project management- the biggest and sharpest thorn in my side. I would say I can match the devotion and work-ethic of most but where I have fallen apart in the past is how to use that energy. I would devote too much energy to something that didn't need it and shit starts to fall apart. I would and give every aspect 100% attention and end up with it looking like only 10% went it. Now I have gained more awareness in this aspect of my process. I make better choices and this is where Everydays are at their best. They test your abilities in a short time frame so I simply had to learn to give the right things the most attention. Nowhere near amazing at it but this is the answer to all of my troubles. And it all boils to making the right choices, understanding limits and maximising. The greatest people at anything are great because of this in my opinion. Talent: is just the added gloss. For example, there have been some days (a lot this month in fact) where things went to shit or got real messy. Applying the above allowed me to salvage them and still provide a result. This has made me happy because I could never do this. It's great when somethings come together but at times it's good because things just flowed. It's those times where things are not looking good but can still deliver is a sign of quality. So It means I have grown which, as much as I want to be even better I should be grateful for.
Efficiency- a bit like the above but I am to produce more in a shorter time frame than before. More often then not I can complete my everyday and dedicate time for longer projects etc. I can ask for nothing more than this as I want to just create and create some more. This month, in particular, has been pretty dramatic in terms of quality. As my drawings take much less time now I can see myself using those to buy me more time on days where I need it. And this month has thrown up some more refined pieces. So I'll see how this progresses.
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I began this as a passionate, albeit insecure, creative who just wants to make their way in this field but slightly lost at how to do so. This is still the case but the EQ levels have adjusted a bit and things are clearer and I am more driven and aware that I can achieve what I want to. But there is still a long way to go and its always something I need to remind myself of at times. I have found that my decision making is much better regarding how to 'finish' a piece. By factoring in what I am doing and tools/skill levels and time I will avoid certain things knowing that shit will get crazy or lead to nothing if I do so otherwise. I think this will help me when I do this professionally because getting shit done is extremely important as a pro.
However, getting stuff done, but it also being weak and whack, is no better than doing something that is unfinished but shows promise but is still weak because it's not fully realised.
So my efforts are now geared towards finding that balance of being able to produce quality efficiently and allowing myself more time to refine my pieces.
Looking back on my Everydays, I am pleased with the improvement from Month 1 till now. But not ONE is a refined piece of work. Mainly down to time constraints, but I would absolutely love to try and make these pieces into better-realised work as some have the potential to be pretty good ideas. It's likely impossible but something to aim for and something that will probably lead to some interesting results.
On the flip side, everydays are a great way for testing things out, particularly ideation and seeing how far you can take something in a short time frame and more importantly to see if the idea is readable. I'd say I have had some success in that regard.
Last month I stated that I want to do more vehicle interiors as well as wheels and studies. I did a few but not enough so I'll do some more over the next 30.
One final thing. 6months ago I never dreamed or fancied think about working as a professional as my skill level was so far away. I need to improve a lot more but 6 months later I had the balls to apply for a concept artist job. It was not successful but a massive change in mindset form half a year ago. So this was a milestone for me. I think I will apply to some more jobs and see what happens.
In 6 months time, I’m curious to see where I am at as an artist and professional by how things have gone over the last 6 months it is looking positive. ✌🏽
