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Concept Artist and Illustrator
What first drew you to a future in the arts?
Truthfully, I had not considered developing a career as an artist until late into high school. I wanted to make games, and set myself down an academic path of math, physics and computing believing this would be my route into becoming a proficient games developer. A consequence of picking these at advanced higher left me with a great deal of free time during my 6th year timetable, and I spent those free periods in the schools’ art department. I learned of a games development competition known as Dare to be Digital which involved creating a game prototype hosted at the Universtyof Abertay, Dundee where they taught a BSc (Hons) in Games Technology so applied for an open day to visit the campus. During this visit I stumbled into the room set up to show past work by Computer Arts students and found it way more exciting. In the end I applied for both courses, and subsequently chose my path in Computer Arts.
What is the single most useful practice that you think aspiring artists should focus on to improve their skills?
Enjoy drawing every day. Develop your sense of adventure, and your willingness to explore new things. Be this in life or in art. Challenge yourself to try things you hadn’t considered, and keep pushing when you hit a difficult task. If everything you are attempting feels easy then you have hit a plateau and you are not challenging yourself enough. Work Hard. Spend some time every day to draw. Think of all the things you can’t do art wise, and do them. Put your work out there, I recently attended a workshop in London where portfolio reviews from professionals were sought and encouraged. There is a humbling awe attained by handing over your folio to a number of great artists, each step and review you’re carrying with you the knowledge of all the flaws, and weaknesses they’ve revealed to you, and forcing yourself to hand it over again like a broken thing. Listen to the advice from people you trust, and question the source.
What is the difference between working 'regular' hours in house and working freelance?
During office hours you’re expected to work for extended periods of time on single or multiple tasks but the time is compacted into a working day. Freelance offers the flexibility to allow you to spread this time in a way which is more beneficial to your personal needs. Quantity of hours can vary in both circumstances. A great part of the decision to be a freelancer for me was the freedom that came with this of not being tied to a geographical location where the office becomes an anchor point for the work you do. Owning my own laptop allows me to work from anywhere I can carry a satchel to... that has an available power supply. I can work from home, or I can travel to work remotely for anyone, anywhere.
What should students leaving college expect from the arts industry?
It is important to first recognise that there is no singular arts industry, and each industry involving art has its own practices, principles and people. The cultures vary, the work varies and the expectations fluctuate. Everything is in constant motion as new technologies influence present and future projects and you must be able to adapt to these changes with as much ease as possible. The difference between the approach to work in film, games and animation is staggering, but there are core fundamental skills/knowledge which transcends all of them, and they will best aid you in your versatility. Life drawing, drawing from observation and the use of light, colour, value, form, perspective, anatomy, edges, and visual design .I highly recommend browsing Gurney journey, a blog by Dinotopian artist James Gurney, as it is a treasure trove of art fundamentals and art history. Expect to show your work constantly, make it presentable as soon as possible and be able to communicate the creative choices you’ve made.
Have you ever had to work for any difficult clients?
Yes. Often this involved me working voluntarily and there’s a certain wariness involved in committing your time to a project where your value is not immediately clear or evident to the client. A clients’ background or skillset will influence how they will interact with you, so learning who and what they are is as important as learning what it is they are looking for, as with experience you can learn to deliver what your client needs, over what they think they need. Trust in your own experience, you have been hired for your knowledge, and often a clients’ opinion will override their sense. You need to manage their expectations against your own creativity and negotiate this with them. I once had to paint textures for an environment before the environment itself had been modelled, and had barely been visualised. It felt a lot like shooting in the dark, but I learned a great deal about hand painting textures, and communicating with a client.
If there was one piece of advice that you could go back and give yourself at the start of your career, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to finish a piece, and walk away. Often I would abandon works in progress for fear that if I kept rendering, I would lose the initial flurry of energy in the first strokes. Strike the balance for visual clarity, and learn to finish. One of the upsides of working digitally is that a piece can survive in its many incarnations along the path of its creation, with multiple layers and files which allows more freedom. I’d also recommend experimenting more with traditional media and colour earlier, and this is something I aim to learn this year is painting with acrylic and oils. I’d like to be more bold and take the risks that come with the removal of the undo key.
Is there a tip you’ve discovered that has made a difference to your work or workflow? Eg, a particular PS brush, plug in, or even just a way of using your pencil differently to attain a particular effect?
Lots, I find watching livestreams online by my peers an amazing insight into techniques or approaches I had never considered. Find the tools which resonate with you, the answer to this question is your own unique artistic journey. I can share with you my own tools, but you are the key ingredient required to learn to use them. I can tell you what to look for though. Look for tools which increase your efficiency, which allow you to bridge the gap between your vision and the paint itself, so you can think less about the tools and more about their application. I work primarily in photoshop, and an example I learned abou Tool Presets from a livestream hosted by Anthony Jones. This dropdown list contains a list of my favourite go to brushes and the window is ever present beside my canvas. These are collection of brush templates + the additional brush settings applied to them, this way you can mix and match on the go.
What is art to you?
Art is an ability to tell stories visually. Art serves purpose, whether that is to entertain, to educate or some semblance of both. Art is a way of processing the world, and delivering back your taste of it. Art is a way of life.
What is the most useful piece of equipment/software that you own?
My sense of adventure and my laptop/Wacom, they are a symbiotic pair, as one would not be useful without the other. I like to keep my equipment portable, so I can eagerly explore and travel with my art.
What is the worst piece of advice that you have ever been given?
‘You’re only here for the money, if you weren’t being paid, you’d be at home drawing what you’d want to be drawing.’ Money isn’t the motivator, it’s the catalyst, an enabler for you to do what it is you truly want to do. Why would I remember the bad advice? I don’t have enough room in my mind to store useless information, and why would that be of any use to you? ;3 If you’re looking for horror stories I’m sure I could dig up some.
Which of your pieces is your favourite and why?
I honestly don’t know. I know which pieces have resonated with others and could therefore be seen as successful, but I like pieces where I feel a sense of accomplishment. I painted an anthropomorphic raven playing a bone flute, and it’s an example of pushing one of my paintings to a more finished state. I recently learned this one piece tipped my life onto its current path, gaining me new work so I figure this one is pretty favored.
Which other artist inspires you the most?
I couldn’t possibly pin this down to one artist - if I had to I would say one then this year I’ve taken a ton of inspiration from concept artist, Anthony Jones. His kickstarter for his art book Heaven’s Hell has been fantastic and I am eager to get my hands on a copy. His kickstarter livestream launched a lot of communities on facebook which I’m glad to have been a part of.
Do you listen to media while you work? If so, what kind?
A great deal of the time I will listen to music which evokes in me the kind of feeling or passion that I want to instil in my work. This is often soundtracks from films/games/television. It is best to set up these playlists in advance otherwise when I song ends into silence, it may pull you from your creative state in order to find the next track and this is a distraction best avoided. I also listen to livestreams that have been recorded or broadcast live from varying peers as I find it incredibly useful to learn about the artist behind the work, and experience what makes them tick. In addition to this google hangouts have become a great way of interacting with multiple artists as they are working, I’m especially fond of the Crimson Daggers hangout.
How often do you use reference material in your work?
Not as often as I should and you can see this immediately in my imagined heads/faces or stiffer looking poses. I’m working to incorporate more reference and studies into my daily routines. I try to break down the use of referenced studies as a problem solving exercise, where I am capturing the nature of the subject in the least amount of strokes. This analysis and breaking down what I am seeing into simpler forms allows me to better understand what I am looking at. Don’t rush though, the aim is not to work fast, but efficiently.
Can you Draw the Dinosaur?
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You can find more of Michael Doig's art at:
michaeldoigart.blogspot.co.uk
facebook.com/michaeldoigartist
twitter.com/michaeldoigart
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