I’ve been pretty busy for the past little while, so the lack of blog posts had been replaced with quick succession daily “microblogging” on facebook. I’m not really sure I want to do another “omake post”. Rather, why not just stay up to date by connecting with me on my facebook page. Just click the little like button on the sidebar, and you’re good to go.
What I do differently from other bloggers’ art posts is provide more substance than just plain old “here’s an art piece”. I like to treat these posts more like a diary of observations, which hopefully I can share some knowledge and provide some insight to other would-be-anime-artists too.
With the exception of juggling work, I’ve been trying to improve my art (I did say I was going to do that, right?) I had to put blogging to secondary gear in order to do that. But it seems the results are slowly paying off.
I couldn’t think of a name for her, so I’m just calling her Awesomesauce Girl. She has a bit of retro feel to her, and is based off of an older revision that I posted on facebook. (I’ll post a completed version of that next time).
My art is looking more “mainstream” in style lately. I fear that I might be treading down a path of conformity. I don’t really want to draw the same way as everyone else does. I have to work on finding something that jives with me, and still looks acceptable and appealing… lots of work to do.
I’ve also put in more effort in expressions now too. Ever since I did those sketches on the notepad, I’ve noticed an improvement on this aspect. I’m more able to draw expressions now, and I’m liking the way it’s looking.
The problem I’m having though, is having consistent looking expressions. They all look like different characters! This is fine and dandy if I’m never drawing the same character twice. It will probably fix itself over time as I discover a style that I like.
I’ve sort of discovered a “formula” in appealing anime faces, I think; the proportions and where each feature should be located for the most appealing looking face. Must experiment more… I feel like a scientist analyzing data!
Anyway, like tradition, here is a youtube video.
[pro-player]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIj3UXO3rY[/pro-player]
Since I stopped blogging, my hits have remained constant. It only jumps up whenever I do a blog post. So I was quite shocked when I saw my blog stats spike a couple of days ago. It only slightly surpassed the number of hits I got on a “blog post day”, but it was still an unusual anomaly.
lol look at that.
I found the source of the “problem” to be from an Indonesian forum (self proclaimed largest Indonesian community on the net). Someone had posted my photoshop images in a thread. Since I don’t understand Indonesian, I thought someone was simply sharing my art. After running through Google Translate and sifting through 20 pages of comments, I came to discover that the poster actually stole my artwork, saving it to photobucket, and claimed it as his own work.
He was quite passionate about it too, thanking everyone who left him a comment. The very last comment was an administrator, banning the user for 1 month for stealing my work, and subsequently locked the thread. Too bad. The guy was doing a pretty good job promoting me. I did get a good amount of hits.
Of course, after the topic lock, the hits subsided as the topic naturally fell off the forum. Judging from the immediate spike leading to topic lock, I’d say the forum is a highly active one, and the admins do a good job.
This whole incident lead me to think deeply about sharing and why I do it.
I get this giddy feeling of pride and joy whenever someone mentions me, likes my facebook posts, or comments. You could say that’s a very shallow, narcissistic way of thinking. Even I think so. But with some inner searching, I found this was not the case.
My “thirst for fame” (even more famous than I already am), has a goal. As I had mentioned before, I want to share my knowledge, appreciation, and experiences to my readers, in hopes to inspire them to become anime artists.
I’ve got people emailing me on a regular basis, asking me for advice, tips and tricks, or just want to show me their art. It’s great, and I love helping people like that.
I may not be the best artist, but I think it’s because of that, that people tell me I inspire them to do better.
I look at doujin studios like Collateral Damage, and it gives me a really warm feeling in my heart. They’re doing their best too, and they do it with passion. Meanwhile, I’m trying to turn this into my full-time job.
I feel that the only way I can really reach out to people is if people “discover” me. That’s not an easy feat. With 2000 youtube subscribers, and almost 600 facebook fans, I’m actually surprised I got this far as it is.
It pales in comparison to people like Danny Choo though. I want to get that big, not for success, but to spread awareness of anime and drawing anime.
Every time someone supports me, mentions me or whatever, puts me closer to that goal. It tells people “hey, if I can do it, you can too!”
I think that kind of sharing is important. It brings a community closer together, and when more people are supporting me like that, great things happen.
Read more!
Seeing your drawing videos makes me feel like starting to draw. I can’t wait to extensively try it out after my exams 🙂
Good to know you ‘profited’ from the Indonesian forums incident. After all the hassle at least you got something in return…
Also Awesomesauce girl reminds me of the Hanana Barabara’s The Jetsons for some reason 😡
I’m glad that my videos have that effect on you. 😀
Yeah, that Indonesian thing was both good and bad… I don’t know… it makes me worried for sharing my art now. I mean, I want it to be shared too, just not stolen like that. I thought the net had evolved enough that people would have proper netiquette and give credit. I mean, stealing art was something that happened to me two decades ago (almost).
Haha Probably because of the more streamlined look, the outfit, and the go-go boots. haha. I should draw some Jetsons characters!
I usually put a watermark kind of effect on my drawings if I’m posting them on the web or somewhere other than my personal facebook or DA account. For example I’ll put my DA URL in big chunky semi transparent letters right through the center, that seems to deter people.
I think that it is important to watermark, but putting one right smack in the middle kinda ruins it, and takes it too far, in my opinion. But that’s just my opinion. I can understand why people do it – because they really don’t want people stealing their work. But I think that having a watermark off to the side is generally better.
I guess where I’m coming from is that “you’re posting your work to share.” but putting a giant watermark in the middle isn’t really sharing anymore. Maybe I’m too much of a purist. 😛
When you said “you have potential” to me a while ago, it kicked a few gears in motion.
I’m still trying to find myself (artistically), my style- my look.
Y’know- I’m just going to blog on that later, there are too many ideas floating around in this dome xD
The thing I like about you is that you’re here for us and easy to talk to. A lot of us aspire to do work like yours, and in my case- I’m being ridiculed for it in class every week by one of my professors. When I see things like your BlazBlue cover, I feel like I can throw myself any way I choose- as long as I do it well and practice.
And I didn’t even know what the “Canucks” were until recently, and now I’m excited to hear what they’re up to.
Thanks for everything, bro!
Seeing comments such as yours is what keeps me going. I’ve always believed that one person can’t do much, many people can make miracles. Feeding off of each others’ energies is something that takes everyone further.
Anime is a tough style to get into, not because it’s hard to do, but because it lacks the mainstream acceptance of other styles, as you’ve clearly experienced too.
I’m glad that I inspire you. I see in you what was in me 10 years ago. Keep that fire burning, and you will even surpass me. I hope to see that one day. 😉
Go Canucks Go! Game 1 of the finals in less than an hour! 😀
We already know the outcome don’t we Radiant?Plus, what is your opinion on Winnipeg getting an NHL team again?
heh heh I thought we had these bears hunted and trapped, but they put up a darn good fight tonight. Them’s big and tough bears! I’m guessing that the rest of the series will play out like this first game.
I think Winnipeg getting their team back is a good thing! Anything that can lift the spirits of people and give them something to believe in and cheer for is always a good thing. Another Canadian team in the league is something I definitely approve of. The NHL seem a little too pro-American for my tastes.
I got kinda pissed off when you said ‘Indonesian fourm;;’
I’m sooo sorry -__-;;
even though I didn’t do anything I kinda felt like it was my issue, *I’m Chiindo half Chinese and half Indonesian*
personally I remember one time someone stoled on my black and white artwork in a Vietnams site;; lol, but they didn’t claim it was theirs so I had no intention on action yet but now I’ve been a lot more careful on what I post :l
but anyways; I like your anime character I was like; beauty! new video TT___TT;;
Oh? It’s okay to be pissed off. 🙂
What was it that got you pissed off though? I wasn’t trying to make ill of Indonesians, so if that’s how it came across I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend in any way. ^_^
Or did I misunderstand? Know that there are bad apples in ANY race. Who you are isn’t based on your race, but how you shape yourself. As long as you have done nothing wrong, then it’s all good! 😀
Ya it can be kinda scary knowing that your art can be taken by anyone and posted anywhere… I guess that’s the cost of sharing… 🙁
Thanks for commenting! 😀
Ahhhh;; dont’t worry thats not the problem here getting all offended.
more like I’m upset someone from my country would do such thing,
and no problem; looking forward to more of your blog… :]
ah ic ic. ^_^;
Thanks for clarifying! More posts soon! 😀
I think its a great thing that you share your artwork, its just a shame that people go and claim your artwork as their own. I agree with Ovada’s comment, you’ve always given support to your followers, and interact with them like they are friends; which is sadly, an uncommon occurrence. Plus, I’m always happy to recommend you to people interested in art and/or anime and I’ve finally got some of my friends to follow you on Facebook!
Thanks dude. Hopefully, my method of interacting with my readers/fans will spread and change the blogosphere. I think that it needs a bit of a lift in spirit and motivation. There’s a lot of stuff going on (which a few of my readers had discussed with me in my Heaven or Hell post), and it’s a bit bleak…
Thanks for spreading the word! It’s readers like you that help RadiantDreamer grow! 😀
Lovely art like always. I wonder why you`r art always inspiring me? (lol.)
Well, since i`m from Indonesia i kinda know their culture. “Sometimes” they do “almost anything” to gain something (even though not always). Somehow i want to say “i`m sorry” to you as representative of those forum. T^T
😀 I’d like to know too! Why does my art inspire you?
awww thanks. It shows me how much you care. You have your own individuality. Don’t let the stereotypes on race/culture dictate who you are or how you should act. You’re doing an excellent job of doing what you believe is right. 😀
Probably because i always learn a lot since i found you at figure.fm.
Ever since that i always stalk your youtube video. XD
I`m still learn how to draw (and still not perfect somehow)~
Ehehe~
😀 I enjoy having certain people stalking my art. 🙂
I’m happy that you’ve been learning to draw! That makes me so happy! 😀 Gambatte!
Ehehe~ Thank you`
😀
I love the late-80’s, early 90’s feel of your drawing, it reminds me of all those wallpapers I used to find online. Her gun also reminds me of the Jetsons for some reason. I think their cars had little tails that were shaped like the tip.
Theft is always a problem whenever you post something online. I’ve heard of people having entire blog posts copied and pasted somewhere else, only to be marked as the copier by Google. I guess that’s the risk you face when you want to share something.
haha oh yah those were the days. I remember it took like 10 minutes to download a 640×480(omg max resolution!!!) wallpaper.
I’m glad those days are gone! 😛
Yeah her gun is totally retro-style! I think the Jetsons style of art brought about an interesting offspring in art on its own. It’s definitely fun and something I want to explore some more!
I see blog posts getting stolen all the time. I’m glad google is good at picking those out and slapping them for it. I subscribe to google alerts, so typically if I’m quoted or mentioned anywhere, I’ll know about it.
WOW, 2 posts in 2 days, what a unusual appearance from your blog. ><
HOLY CRAP!!!! eat again….dun want to make words face expression at here anymore….
This all is what I have to type again after that sentence.
Your art has become better and better. This is the fact that can be seen by everyone. Your motivation of keep improving sure has drove you to many miles away already. Well at least not in Earth anymore I think. ^^
This has made me to think again that should I resume my artwork??? (Not to mention, it is only at beginning, infant level)If yes, I think I have to reconfigure my time schedule in my mind already. LOL
Artist work not already as your full time job?? Wow, this kinda surprisingly for me.
Well, it is good to hear that that forum has been banned. Don’t all your artwork has the name sign at below??? How come they can stole your arts???
p/s: How to make the face expression like yours???
FINISH. Copy 1st, or else need to type again I will become mad. = =
It’s very good food! 😀
I’m glad you figured out why your comments get cut off. You’re the only one that seems to have that problem.
Thanks for the comment. If you want to get good at artwork, you need to resume. And you need to draw almost every day.
Artist work is my full time job, but in a different way. I want to make drawing anime my full time job. 😀
Yeah, my artwork has my signature on it. So I don’t know. Was he trying to pass himself off as RadiantDreamer?
To make facial expressions, use western style emoticons instead of asian style emoticons. link.
Well, I think I will resume, but not for now I suppose, as I need to put more effort on my studies.
A few day later I may send some “sketches” for u to comment, but I afraid they are not really visible after scanned, I draw pretty shallow I think.
I told you my posting frequency will be a little off. ^_^
LOLX
I did not mind much about that
Do it as much as u like.
This is what blogging about for me ^^
That’s high goal, I think at first I wanted something like this but then realized that I simply didn’t. I do wish though that this type of sharing was two ways for more people, I can’t still stop to find it discouraging that for most people it’s only a passive experience merely consuming.
Having your works stolen means you are popular and stuff right?
I realize that if there is one thing that makes me really like a character is said character being expressive. Although that rarely happens, drawing wise anyways. Only examples I can think of are Maya from Occult Academy and Erika from Heartcatch Precure. I’m still amazed at each individual expression drawn for those characters.
When I still drew, one thing I always wondered was how to keep characters consistent. Even when keeping the same view, expression, etc. they didn’t necessarily feel the same. I wonder how manga artists and such manage to do it.
Indeed it’s an ambitious goal. But I know for certain that I cannot do it alone. The only way is for others to spread the word and to get that kind of attitude and knowledge from me, and then adapting it for themselves. It’s definitely an uphill battle.
I believe that humanity has it within them to share, for whatever reason that may be. But you’re right, more often than not, it’s a 1-way street. People don’t realize that making it a 2-way street is beneficial for everybody. I get discouraged when I see that happen…
Yeah, I’ve been fairly popular for a while now. I try to remain down to earth about it and keep in touch with my fans and readers. I think popular people who don’t respond to their fans are just stuck-up and self-serving. No matter how little time one has, they have to remember it’s the fans and their support that brought them where they are.
It’s very difficult to draw an expressive character! Equally hard to maintain consistency! This is probably why I’m an anime illustrator rather than a manga artist. ^_^;
If I knew how manga artists are able to do that… well, I’ll share it. lol!
hey radiantdreamer
greeting from AMH, the subforum of anime manga at kakus that you visited last night
I got some new lol for you
It is a PM from the art theft to my friend who banned him (mikoo, if you remember)
okay, here we go
“kalau boleh jujur foto-foto halaman pertama itu
semua punya copyright temen ane yang udah tinggal
di eropa, & saya hanya mempublishkan karya-
karyanya sekedar ngeshare aja. setidaknya
beberapa triknya saya telah diajarkan. maaf atas
kelancangan/segala sesuatunya mod.
thx”
“If I can say the truth the photos at the first page has copyright to my friend that live in europe, and I just publishing his art for just sharing and I already learned some of the his trick. My apologize, mod
thx”
sorry for my pooooooooooor english .-.
Hi there! Welcome to Radiantdreamer!
Wow that is quite the news… DLastISO PM’d me asking for forgiveness, and here he goes lying to a system administrator?
I don’t know who he is, and I’m not from Europe. And here I was being nice and telling him I forgive him. I cannot forgive him for lying to an administrator to try and clear his name…
No your English is fine. Thanks very much for commenting, and visiting my blog! Enjoy your stay! 😀
well I love so much with art that you created
don’t worry, my friend knows the truth
and his ban period has been increased by 1 month
thx 😀
of course I’ll enjoy my visit here with your magnificent art 😀
Welcome to RadiantDreamer! Sorry I haven’t replied, been busy. But glad to hear that the guy’s ban period has been increased. I haven’t had a chance to visit the forum again since the last time (which has been a while…) I’ll be sure to drop by! 🙂
Nice to see a post again Radiant. Instead of the usual “I think it’s awesome!” response that I give you on your art, today’s a little run down on what I think is awesome and what could use some improvements. (Again, I’m not as good as you, so take it all with a grain of salt.)
The last few of your art has been sort of hit or miss with me. I tend to only write response on pieces of art I like, so to start things off, I’ll say what isn’t working for me in this post first.
I haven’t seen the progress video, but it seems like the lineart is jagged and went through too many draw and erase rather than single strokes that define the shape. It becomes especially obvious around the legs and shoes, where I feel like you may have rework the lineart too much that it doesn’t really feel “line-like”.
However, I really love the sketches, they’re simple and to the point and are visually appealing. I could write a whole page on what I think about this, but I don’t think your blog will allow me to post all that much.
Ok. In bullet dot format so I don’t write too much junk.
Cons:
-The whole thing feels too smooth and plastic, too much soft edges, lost a lot of its original textures. Hard brush might fix this.
-As stated before: the lineart.
-Hair highlights feels like you cheated your way out to with dodge tools. Define the highlight a bit more instead of a chunk.
-Light and dark contrasts isn’t enough in certain areas. Example: the bow on her tail, I had to really look to see the shading in it.
Pros:
-Great color themes. Makes her stand out and memorable.
-Design Aspect. Giving you a thumbs up for the design ideas, they look nice. It would look even better if some extra details are added to the gun and and various gears though.
-The sketches are cute, the characters are drawn speedily and beautifully and most of all, visually attractive.
-Although rough, the sketches’s lineart is very consistent, I would even go as far to say that the your sketching lineart is what really define your style the most.
Personal Notes:
-It’s great that you’re trying to find your own style instead of being mainstream, but I feel like you’re forcing it so much that it’s suffering huge reduction in quality for stylistic points.
-You should develop on your sketching strokes, I love it and I feel your style comes from the way you sketch rather than the way your character has her eyes and face proportioned. I could look at your sketches and know right away that you drew it, but couldn’t do the same for your finished works.
On a completely unrelated note, congrats on 2000 subscribers and 400 facebook fans. I have… 100 watchers… lawl. Anyway, it shows someone likes your art enough to pose as you, I doubt anyone would ever pose as me in any forum anyway, lawl.
In terms of the cons, it’s definitely a style choice. I chose a more streamlined method of painting this since the overall art form is streamlined anyway. But I do agree with you that the gun looks like crap, and the bow on her tail is not really well defined. I definitely took shortcuts when coloring this, which was probably why I finished it in record time vs the quality. (See Optimizing Myself blog post).
You’re not the first person to say that you like my sketch strokes more. It’s definitely something that I enjoy doing, and am pretty good at. I personally like the sketchy style more too. It just feels more alive. I think my line art skills definitely have something to do with how “static” the finished paintings become. It’s something that I’m definitely aware of and need to work on.
I sort of feel the same way with my art – that it’s hit and miss sometimes. You’ve got a good eye to pick up some of the jagged areas. Inking line art is definitely my weakest skill. I’ve been having problems inking since I started learning how to use Photoshop, really.
Hey Radiant! 🙂
I’d guess It’s just one of the signs of pointing in the right direction when someone takes the time and risk to claim your work for theirs :). I mean one’s reaction should be shock and alarm (Monty Python anyone?! :D) initially, but think about it. When one’s quality gets to that level, it’s truly something. Not to mention the free publicity you get when it’s known that it wasn’t ‘theirs’ to begin with. The reaction of, “Oh, that artwork wasn’t theirs?! Then who’s was it?” for instance.
I’ve always loved your spirit of wanting to help others reach their goals. I think that is one of the major reasons why you’re so liked as both person and artist. Not to mention your spirit of wanting to share your artwork with the world rather than being a recluse about it.
You’ve inspired me artistically such that I almost never want to put the pen down at some points :). And this is just one of the reasons I have a link to your channel on my channel.
I may not have many subscribers or people who follow me on youtube, but if there’s any way I can get a passer-by to click on your link, it’d make me happy. I’m more than happy trying to get your name out there and I’m more than willing to try :).
Take care buddy! You’re on the right track!
-Jason
Thanks, my friend. 🙂 I definitely like helping. While I’m not good at helping, I do what I can, and blogging about my works and progress is the least I can do. I see so many artists out there that try to be so secretive about their work. Artists on youtube deliberately blacking out their layers window. People putting watermarks right in the middle of their works just to prevent people from stealing them. Artists being vague about answering questions. I think it’s stupid. These “artists” need to know that they are not “hot shit”, and there are tonnes of other artists out there better than them, and those artists all share. “surprise surprise!”
I embrace the sharing mentality. It makes everyone better in the long run. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings with me (and my readers!)
Cheers!
I must admit I have become less sensitive to inspirational / motivational stuff these days, but it’s good to see people getting inspired by your work and plan to drive forward towards the stuff they want to do, thanks to your passion and willingness to help them out.
Sometimes I feel that it’s tempting and easy to just horde the stuff to yourself only, and sharing can take effort to do so. Well at least this seems to be the case for some stuff, and for some pictures on imageboards sometimes they get shared to an extent it becomes difficult to track down who the original artist was, but it’s slowly getting better nowadays with more people getting aware of giving credits and such I suppose (though I may be wrong on this).
But when sharing is done well, they really can bring nice impacts on people who see them. Being impressed by the work that is shown, or being inspired to do something similar, or even just to bring a smile on their faces. Even though I don’t have much original stuff to share and share mostly other people’s stuff or random stuff, seeing people enjoy what I’ve shared and leaves me a thank you really does bring a smile to me, and even though it may seem tiny it can mean a lot to another person. Giving out is a nice thing, and when you receive something back in return then that’s what sharing is all about.
Some people that don’t have the capacity to create, are still able to share. Sharing content of others is great because you’re spreading the word further out, and people appreciate it just as much as the source creator. I think what you’re doing is good. It takes time and effort to share, that’s definitely true.
Also fun to watch you working away in those videos!
Perhaps one day i’ll draw something as well, these are always good inspiration
Awesomesauce girl is also looking true to her name, love the outfit – so simple but striking! c:
Thanks Taketombo! I’m still waiting to see some illustrations from you! What I’ve seen so far looks good!
“He was quite passionate about it too, thanking everyone who left him a comment.”
LOL poor guy/gal, I could never bring myself to do that and accept the congratulations of others. I really like all your facial expressions experimentation. I enjoy watching your creation videos a lot, although my favorite is definitely watching Joy being made. I have no desire to draw myself but I like seeing others who can.
lol I don’t really consider him a “poor guy” since he was the one that stole my work in the first place. 😛
Hey, summer’s here now! Have you thought of a bikini-wearing Joy?
Though I’m not really a fan of the retro-ish feel, I really like Awesomesauce girl’s expressions and I enjoyed watching the video.
I guess like everyone else here, I’d like to thank you for sharing and encouraging your readers to do better. Great job on being an inspiration to others. ^^
You’re not a fan of retro-style? That’s rather interesting to know, actually! Considering you seem to have interest in some of the more North American toys too, which are very streamlined, and do have some retro-feel to them.
You’re welcome! ^^
Hey Radiant. After rereading what I wrote, I realized how rude my comment sounded. Meant no offense by it, if it sounded that way I apologize. Couldn’t find a delete button for it and was just trying to be helpful, my apologies. *bows sincerely*
Hey no worries there, my friend. I have to admit that when I first read the comment, it did make me unhappy. Mainly because I knew that some of those things you pointed out are right. The way you said it definitely sounded a little rude, but I do appreciate the feedback.
I know that you are trying to be helpful, and I definitely need fans like you giving me feedback on what you think is working well, and what isn’t. It’s the only way for me to improve. After all, that’s what sharing is all about, right?
Stealing is happening everywhere on the net even my content of my post but you are right to take action to stop it but don’t let such incident cause you to lose your passion in doing what you find joy in doing. Maybe you can do some drawing for my blog mascot. LOL I was thinking to have a female one. LOL
This actually makes me scared hearing that even your blog content is being stolen. 🙁
Watermarking my work helps, but I think some people will go to lengths to cut off my watermark. It’s gotten to a point where I actually have to put my watermark into the drawing so that the drawing will be ruined if someone cuts it out, but not so intrusive as to destroy the drawing’s composition.
I will contact you in regards to a mascot.