Self Evaluation

In reality, I don't know what I want to do. All I know is that I'm making an effort to cast a broad net whilst working on making my style recognisable and my own. I would love to be a freelancer. I like the idea of working from home, in my own little office, without someone physically breathing down my neck. (Of course, there would be the metaphorically breathing due to deadlines but we will get to that later.)

Becoming a freelance artist is realistic but despite this, it isn't by any means easy. I think there is a stereotype out there that promotes the idea that being self employed equals not having to do much work, but I know instead that this not to be the case.

Since the first time I picked up a pen I was focused on character art, In fact the first drawing I ever did is of a face and it's framed in my grandparent's bedroom. That focus is still strong this semester. I feel it is the thing I'm strongest at and I really want to take my character art skill to (what I feel) is a professional level. I want to be able to look at professional character/concept art and be able to say that my own work matches that level of skill. I think my actual digital painting skill is very strong, as are my uses of lighting and colour. The way I compose or structure an image is also pretty good technically as it is something I studied in college but it is very similar in every drawing I do so I could push for more adventurous perspectives.

So, I think the main obstacles littering my path to character art success are, of course, composition (as mentioned above) but also my persistence, my speed and my "visual exploration" of research in the early stages of concepting. The speed at which I draw will undoubtedly come with practice and just , painting (a lot, everyday.) Whereas by persistence I mean, I need to actually finish paintings, not just do the face and hair and then give up and move onto the next one. (My inability to finish anything is like, Da Vinci standard.)Then finally, whilst I feel my research is quite strong, I often don't use it to its full potential. Exploring different silhouettes and designs early on, and not just a few but many, would help me create the best possible deign before my final painting process begins. Often, I feel I have jumped to detail too quickly, without exploring thoroughly what shapes and designs work best in an initial stage.

So, to set some goals, I want to:

• Have a solid web presence (obvious, but to get into freelancing I need to get noticed by clients. Creating and maintaining a website is essential, a blog is a good idea.
• Concentrate on making work in my own unique style (Continue to gain inspiration from others by all means, but let my character shine through, people tend to buy into the artist as much as the art in the age of social media.)
•   Build my "Brand"
• Make sure my various sites have a cohesive look. Should be able to tell a webpage is mine without looking at the name.  
• Paint every day
• Explore designs in the initial stages a lot more - do many iterations.
• Persist, persist, PERSIST. (Make sure I finish everything I start, for one cannot build a brand, without art.)

Flow-chart of my workflow