hey all! just updating to let you guys know that i'll be pretty inactive here until september. the reason for this is that i'm working on a full-time project until the end of august! it's really awesome and i just love it, i think you guys will too. i'm not able to disclose too much about it but it involves some fully painted loish-style comicy stuff for an online game targeted at kids. i'm gonna try to post some of the artwork i'm making but need my client's permission, so i can't guarantee anything ;] but i really think you guys will like it! a lot! in the meantime i don't think i'll have any time for personal artwork (and definitely not commissions), sadly. i could do this stuff in the weekends but i'm finding that i need those to recover from working during the week! however, since i get to work in my own style and draw so many different things, i'm really enjoying it a ton! i'm drawing a variety of characters (mostly male!), scary villains, explosions, historical settings, action scenes.. it's so much fun and a very refreshing change. it's really what i needed at this moment in my life :] can't wait to share it with you all when the moment comes.
on a side note, someone i know personally - *ElsaKroese - recently contacted me with the request to plug her fantasy webcomic, spindrift. i actually usually don't plug people's art upon request but we know each other and she is working so hard on it in her free time, unpaid. i really have tons of respect for people who put so much effort and passion into these personal projects and hope to be able to do the same someday.. and when that day comes i hope the people i know will help me out in promoting my work! i've already benefitted so much from people who spread the word about my art, so i hope to be able to do the same for *ElsaKroese. so check out the comic, i haven't read the full comic yet but the artwork is stunning, especially the covers! here's the link again.
thanks for reading, hope all is well with you guys!
commission status:
closed for now, sorry! keep an eye in this journal if you are interested; i announce the opening of commission slots here.
questions?
please read my f.a.q for information on how i draw, what programs i use, what i've studied, and much more.
i've been sick for the last few days which gave me an opportunity to finally put work aside and spend some valuable time clearing out my deviantart message center. as usual, this always puts a huge smile on my face, thanks to all of your wonderful comments, praise, encouragement, tips, and so on. thank you guys so much for that - i know there are lots of people who think i don't read their comments, but i read them all and they mean more to me than you think! it also always gets me thinking about my own art and how others percieve it.
one thing i notice is that different people like my art for different reasons. generally, the more girly, pinup-like artwork gets the most positive feedback, while many others feel that i draw too much of that and should branch out to other things. some people enjoy my sketches a lot more than my finished artwork, whereas others really enjoy the more polished stuff. of course, that's normal, everyone has different opinions and taste.
personally, i've been indicisive about my own art for a REALLY long time now. actually, ever since high school. i have a style of digital painting that i'm happy with, but which i also find hard to break free from, probably because i have a tendency to stay in the 'safe zone' with my paintings. besides the digital paintings you'll find on deviantart, i also do freelance work which varies enormously. i've worked on interactive animation, concept art, digital painting tutorials, portraits, game illustrations... some required me to use my digital painting style, but others didn't. next to the digital painting and freelance work, i've also been conceptualizing my own animation project, working on an art book, and other personal projects which keep getting interrupted by work.
why do i bring all those things up? well, it's hard to really figure out what forms my identity as an 'artist'. next to the stuff i've already done, i also have potential to improve at things, and figuring out what that will be takes some decision-making. some days i wake up and decide that i simply must pursue a career as a concept artist, and start doodling things along that line. the next day i wake up and think: my calling is as a digital painter, i have to go for that 100%! and then the next day, i suddenly want to animate for the rest of my life. ok, i realize i don't have to do ANY of these things 100%; i can always keep combining them. but this indicisiveness is tough!
anyway, this is a long personal story... but yeah. i see it as a good thing because i have a lot of options. but it's also a bit limiting to be so undecided, and i definitely notice that it drains my inspiration for digital painting. i get plenty of criticism for not having enough variety in my work and not doing more with the skills i have, which is tough because i actually really agree with that. i want to do so much more! but then i'm not sure if i actually do want to improve my digital paintings, or if i actually want to just focus on telling stories with animation instead...? etc etc. you get the idea.
anyways, my question to you guys is: what would you guys like to see me draw? what is the kind of stuff that would really excite you if i posted it here? this is purely out of curiosity. you guys have a fresh and ethusiastic state of mind which i notice in the comments i get. people can point out what they like about my art or suggest things that spark my creativity. where i tend to blank out on ideas, you guys have a much fresher point of view. i'd love to get your opinions on where my art is heading and what you think i could do with it, just so i can get thinking about that as well and maybe get a little more motivated!
thanks for reading!
commission status:
closed for now, sorry! keep an eye in this journal if you are interested; i announce the opening of commission slots here.
questions?
please read my f.a.q for information on how i draw, what programs i use, what i've studied, and much more.
hey everyone! sorry for the lack of posts lately, i've been pretty busy with freelance work and concepts for the new trichrome movie (it's gonna be red!) :] if you want to stay updated with what i do outside of deviantart, keep an eye on my blog - blog.loish.net :]
anyway, i just wanted to leave a note about, well, notes. i get plenty and i really appreciate them but have SUCH a hard time keeping up! i'm often backlogged here on deviantart. it's kind of unfortunate but my e-mail gets priority because that's where i handle my business-related correspondence. i simply used to have way more time for deviantart but now that i work as a freelance artist, it's hard to set aside time for that kind of thing. so i just wanted to let you guys know that first of all, i will eventually get around to answering all my notes for those who are still waiting for a response, and second of all, if you have something of utmost importance to share with me - a job opportunity, an important question, permission, etc - please e-mail me instead! the risk of sending a note (or even a comment) is having to wait a few months for a response. sadly. of course, i don't plan on this being a permanent situation, but this is just the reality for now.
i kind of miss the good old days where i could spend hours drawing for fun and hanging out on deviantart. even though school was a busy time, it was much easier to draw the line between school and personal time and spend that personal time on art. now art has become my job, which is a good thing, but i feel an obligation to always be working, either doing freelance work, keeping up with e-mails, or promoting myself and updating my blog, etc. it's harder to set aside time just for fun (or drawing personal artwork, for that matter). maybe that's something i still need to learn. anyone else have similar experiences?
for those of you who don't have the slightest idea as to which art theft i am referring, please read [link] . an update: the shirt has been found at a new webshop, [link] . to anyone who wants to help out, could you please contact this store and ask about the brand of the sweater with my work on it? i am going to do this too, but the more people who inquire, the more seriously we'll be taken. their contact info is at [link] . if they answer with information, it could really help me get to the bottom of who is making these. thanks so much!!
so, the theft takes on new dimensions....
i got a note from the amazing =oxygenanddreams who invested a lot of time into some important research. she used reverse image search and discovered that a huge number of sweaters for sale at ultrafashion.net are stolen designs. this means she has discovered some large scale art theft, and even though the clothing featuring my designs have been removed, many other artists are still being screwed over. PLEASE NOTE: we do not know if the theft is being conducted by ultrafashion.net, or by a random korean factory selling out the sweaters in bulk. since the clothing featuring my designs were spotted on more than one korean webshop, it is most likely not the webshops themselves making these shirts but a different company!
this is the list that =oxygenanddreams compiled, showing the shirt vs. original source(s):
if anyone discovers more theft, let me know and i will add it to this list.
what to do? first of all, the original artists must be contacted about this. =oxygenanddreams has already contacted the artists on dA but the other artists need to be notified as well. i will do this but will only have time later this weekend or on monday. if the other artists want to get to the bottom of this and maybe press charges, we can split the cost of a lawyer, so teaming up on this is important! and of course, together we are stronger! if anyone reading this has spotted their own work, please contact me at loishh@gmail.com and let me know what you plan on doing. i haven't come up with any sort of plan just yet, but we can collaborate on a solution!
second of all, as i said in the last journal, we need to find out which company/brand is producing the sweaters. we still don't know who! ultrafashion.net claimed, via a phone call with ~CursedBlackwings, that they bought some sweaters at Dong-dea-moon. again, if anyone knows someone who has regular access to this place, tell them to keep an eye out for these sweaters and try to figure out who is making them! and anyone who has experienced things like this before or has helpful information, please contact me!
[update] first of all, THANKS EVERYONE for your help! i can't begin to express how touched i am by all of your input. i'm not exaggerating when i say that i got a tear or two in my eye thinking of all the support and help i got from everyone. you really managed to lift my spirits and make me feel stronger!! i am SO SO SO grateful for all of you, and your help!!!
second of all, an update on the theft. thanks to everyone's efforts, including e-mails and phone calls to the webshop selling the stolen sweaters, the clothing items have been removed!
the wonderful ~CursedBlackwings helped me out by phoning the company. what she discovered is that:
due to all of the questions and calls about the clothing items, the webshop removed them, claiming they did not know it featured stolen artwork.
they bought the products in bulk in Dong-dea-moon, a place with many clothing stores/market stands.
they could not disclose any information about the company which manufactured the clothing. this could be either a lie to protect the company, or the truth because, as ~CursedBlackwings said, the clothing features stolen work and is probably printed in a random nameless factory.
i feel a lot better now that the item has been removed, but the sweaters are still out there somewhere and i am going to try to find the source. if anyone knows someone who ever goes to Dong-dea-moon, please ask them to keep an eye out for the sweaters! (i realize the chances are slim for this, but it never hurts to ask, right?) also: it's pretty likely that the clothing items will pop up in other webshops. please let me know if you find the clothing anywhere else! ref photo: [link]
and finally, if anyone else has had their art stolen on these types of sweaters, please contact me. maybe eventually we can split the costs of a korean lawyer to get compensation and have the sweaters removed from stores!
thanks for reading!!! [/update]
old entry:
so, as some of you may know, my artwork has been illegally printed on a sweater and is being sold in numerous webshops in korea. one of them already removed the item; as of now, i only know of two, but there could be more.
a link is here:[link] please don't tell me how cute or funny you think this sweater is because hearing that really just makes me feel worse. apparently it's worse than i thought, they are also selling this clothing item with two more drawings of mine printed on them: [link]
i am truly exhausted and depressed by all of this. i've literally been in tears. i am at a loss for what to do. the fact that this is happening in korea complicates things enormously because a) it's really far away, b) they have different laws and c) there's a language barrier. this eliminates all cheap and easy solutions for me, because besides having to find a laywer in holland that can help me out, i'll also need to hire a korean lawyer. i'm not exactly swimming in money so i have no idea how i will be able to afford this.
i'm going to see what my options are but i'm feeling extremely discouraged and just sad. i don't know how to defend my rights to this artwork, all i can do is sit here and let these assholes abuse my work and make money off of my efforts.
anyway, i wrote this journal for two reasons: to let you guys know, maybe you guys can help spread the word. maybe there's someone out there who's been through the same thing, or has connections with a korean lawyer. chances are slim but you never know, right?
secondly, to ask if anyone out there speaks korean and can help me figure out what brand this sweater is? since the sweater is being sold in different shops, the webshops are not the ones who made it. i need to find out which company has fabricated these sweaters. it could save me a lot of money if i decide to take legal action, because then i won't have to hire a lawyer to figure this out for me. so if anyone who speaks korean, or knows someone who speaks korean, could pretend to be a potential buyer of the sweater and inquire as to which brand it is, and ask for the contact information of this brand? any contact information at all would help enormously.
anyway, i wish i could do more and stand up against this kind of stuff. sitting here and taking it sends out the wrong message to all art thieves, telling them they can just get away with stealing our hard work. i feel a responsibility to send out the right message, but i don't know how at this moment.
and now for something totally different! i've been working on-and-off as the animation director of an interactive motion comic for about a year now. it's a project that i put a lot of creative energy into, and i got to know and worked with sooo many talented people - artists, animators, composers, producers - to make it. the project has finally been launched and i really want to share it with you guys.
it's called The Art of Pho, produced by SubmarineChannel, and is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Julian Hanshaw. It's basically a motion comic with interactive elements. we aimed for a traditional and quirky feel. it's nothing like the stuff i usually post here, but i figure some of you would find that interesting. either way it gives a glimpse into what i do outside of digital painting as well!
please watch, check back for new episodes and spread the word if you enjoyed it!
i've been so excited to announce this! my artwork + 3 tutorials written by me are featured in the new d'artiste fashion design by ballistic publishing.
the first tutorial i did is about using shape, movement and silhouette to create a full-body portrait and talks about how you can, after creating an expressive and dynamic full-body pose, enhance the movement in it through your clothing and painting choices. the second one is about using accessories and makeup to create an exotic portrait and talks about the details you can add to a portrait to give it a sense of otherworldliness. the last one deals with different background elements that you can add to an existing full-body figure to bring it to life.
to pre-order or just browse through a preview of the book, check out the following link: [link]
for those who have been asking for tutorials, this is definitely a good resource, also from the other contributing artists Alessia Zambonin (*fuchsiart) and Annie Stegg (*PinkParasol).
Hello all! Someone asked me a while back if there was any way to view my older oekaki artwork. Since it is such a huge part of how I draw now and a lot of my followers got to know my art through that work, I went ahead and uploaded it into a picasa web album for all to see - [link] .
It even includes some of the ugliest artwork I have ever made, such as the scary purple too-many-eyelashes creature - [link] - and a host of padmé (from star wars) as powerpuffs drawings. Awful! The drawings were made between 2003 and 2005. I hope there's at least one person out there who will enjoy this!
THANKS EVERYONE for your input! i read through all the comments and took notes of all your suggestions. it is immensely helpful to me. i only have one last question to ask: how much are you willing to pay for an artbook? i do understand that this depends on what you are buying, so the more detailed your answers could be, the better! thanks so much :]
[original entry] hey everyone! sorry i haven't been so active here lately. work has been growing increasingly demanding! i've been spending 3 days in the week working on a project in amsterdam, and the extra 2 days are usually crammed full with other freelance work. i'm usually pretty beat by the weekend! i used to always find time to draw, but life is changing, i guess. being a grown up sucks sometimes, i'm the worst multitasker ever and there is so much to juggle at once nowadays - work related, running my own business and all of the financial issues that come along with it, keeping the house clean, and a whole gigantic range of other stuff that feels pretty overwhelming at times.
anyway, having realized how much energy full-time work sucks out of me, i have plans to take a break for a few months around june to get back into the groove of drawing my own artwork and coming up with concepts for the trichrome animations! i'm very excited about it, i'm full of ideas and thoughts lately on stuff i can do but have no time to actually make any of them, so i'm very excited for june.
another thing i plan on tackling around that time is looking into making an art book. i want it to look really good and feature some exclusive material and progress shots, and even a tutorial (perhaps a DVD!). i'm really excited about this especially since i've gotten so many requests to make one, but i want to do it well, so i'm really going to invest time into making it.
my question for you guys is: do you guys have any favorite artbooks of particular artists that really stand out to you? i want to do some research and get an idea of what makes an artbook truly interesting and succesful, and could use some pointers. i already have james jean's fables artbook, any other tips out there? thanks so much!
by the way, does anyone know where i can edit the journal title? it's completely unclear to me with this new setup... :[
hey all! i've been getting a bunch of birthday wishes on my profile page! thanks so much, but it's not my birthday :[ i think deviantart has some kind of bug in the birthday system because my bday is on oct. 11th, this coming monday. nonetheless i really appreciate it! it's nice anyways since it's the WEEK of my birthday after all :b
oh as it turns out it's all just early birthdays! *facepalm* THANKS ALL! this is going to be an exciting few days on my profile page <3
i'm looking for old issues of two magazines that my work is featured in! i lost my copies a while back and as far as i can tell, no back issues are available from their websites anymore. if you have one, i'm willing to trade your copy for an original drawing! or whatever else you'd like to trade it for.
the ones i'm looking for are:
imagineFX issue 2, released in march 2006. i have no idea what was on the cover of this one :[ it's such an old release, but i'm hoping someone has a copy lying around that they'd be willing to trade with me! it was my first magazine feature hahahah.
advanced photoshop (the dutch version), issue 9, released in august 2008. the cover features this guy with a hoodie and spraypaint cans as far as i can remember.
if you happen to have one of these, let me know!! i'm dying to have them again!!
[EDIT] thank you ~carlschanz and ~lolila for helping me out! and everyone else too! you guys are too kind :]
i designed a new journal a while back and figured this was a good time to implement it :] i haven't been using my journal as often as i used to; i really just use this journal for dA related things and commission announcements. this is mainly because i have a blog where i post news relating to my art and work, so check that out if you want to stay up to date with those things!
by the way, i have plans to make an art book in the near future. do any of you have suggestions of what you'd like to see in an art book by me? right now i'm thinking some step-by-steps and tutorial-esque material as well as artwork and sketches. if anyone has art books that you are particularly enthusiastic about, let me know so i can check them out for some inspiration and ideas!
Hey guys, for a long time now a sort of drama has been unfolding between myself and another deviantart user, Luisa Rafidi (now known as *lulles). The only reason I bring this up is because, as Luisa herself mentioned in a journal entry she wrote a little while back, many people have been sending notes about it to both of us. The issue is that many people feel that Luisa is copying me - not just my artwork but also my layouts and overall web activities - and want to give me a heads up about it. Luisa's journal entry is intended to clear up the situation and to state that she will work on the problem, but since then I have still received notes on the issue (relating to her latest blog post). Also, since the journal does not represent my feelings on the matter at all, I want to write my own journal entry in order to clear things up from my side.
First of all, for those who have sent me notes on this issue, I really appreciate it. I get notes all the time about my artwork being 'stolen'. Sometimes (most of the time, even) this is the case, such as my artwork being used for layout templates or being sold on ebay. Sometimes it's not the case at all. These are just people expressing concern over whether my artwork is being used in a fair way, and I appreciate the gesture, even though sometimes this concern is unjustified. Here on the web it's hard to keep track of what's happening with your work and it's great to see people looking out for eachother; I have done the same myself for other artists in the past.
As for my side of the story, let me begin by saying this: I'm not posting this journal with the intention of starting some kind of feud. I do not want people to stick up for me or, worse yet, go after Luisa. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. I don't want to start any heated discussions or fights. I simply want to explain this situation from my perspective, since I have never addressed this issue openly (with the exception of a few angry twitter messages) and the only journal entry that does (Luisa's) gives the wrong impression of the situation, in my opinion.
To begin with, Luisa states that "it all started with a blog layout and tutorial" and mentions that a few of her art pieces incidentally resemble mine, and leaves it at that. This is not how I experienced it. It did begin with layouts, since she modeled her website after one of my old designs and then proceeded to literally copy/paste all of my CSS coding from my blog into hers, after which I contacted her and asked her to stop. She said she understood and indeed stopped copy/pasting, opting instead for eyeballing which resulted in almost identical designs anyway. Let me be clear, however: blog designs are not a big issue to me. Sure, I find it irritating when someone copies my layout without crediting me, but it doesn't bother me that much and I can move on.
However, around the same time, her artwork began to look a lot like my own as well. Of course, we are all influenced by other artists. However, few of us can say that we are influenced by one artist alone and seek to imitate their work almost completely, which I felt was the case with some of Luisa's work. Again, though, not the first time this has happened to me and I can live with it. If it bothers me a lot, I talk about it with that artist, which I did with Luisa. However, nothing changed.
And then came all of the extra details. Her facebook profile page suddenly contained almost the exact biography. Her F.A.Q had the same design, structure, and CONTENT: literally the same topics which she claimed were frequently asked to her. She began joining all the websites that I had accounts on, including vimeo, where she began posting progress videos of her artwork within days that I had done this exact same thing. Her profile information on these pages were freakishly similar to my own. Link buttons and website graphics which were almost identical to mine appeared on her sites. Her website biography had the same structure, length, and even identical sentences to my own. And the most agitating thing of all was that if I changed something, within a few days Luisa changed it too, which made me feel, honestly, like I was being stalked.
I began to get pretty angry about the issue. Every time I received a note alerting me to these things I would get really upset, I simply don't know how else to put it. Not just angry but offended and hurt. I had tried to sort it out with Luisa many times, by talking with her through e-mail and deviantart notes, and she always seemed understanding. However, her behavior only seemed to show that she did not understand at all, and I had given up on trying to talk to her about it since it yielded no results and drained my energy. I tried to completely ignore the problem.
That is the main issue which I feel isn't addressed in Luisa's journal entry. This is not just a fellow deviant who has been 'inspired' by me. Honestly, I have seen many people here inspired by my work, just as I have been hugely inspired by others, and I must say that 'inspiration' is very different. Luisa has been imitating me. Not just my work, but my words, my designs, my activities. It is very severe and I have never experienced something like this before.
The second thing in Luisa's journal which I absolutely don't agree with is her statement: "This is mine and Loish's problem." She makes it sound like she and I are sorting this out and that everyone else should mind their own business in the meantime. Let me be clear: she and I are NOT sorting this out. I tried to talk about it with her so many times, with so little result, that I just gave up. Since then, I recceived two notes from other people who were clearly speaking on her behalf, one of them asking me if I could fix the situation of people sending her notes and later adding that Luisa is too scared to talk to me herself. Although I understand that Luisa is overwhelmed by this situation (that she caused herself), she has no reason to be scared of me. If she cannot bring herself to talk to me directly, then she shouldn't write a journal making it appear as if we are sorting things out. This is far from the truth.
Most importantly, she should not blame those people who are sending her and I notes or tell others to just "mind their own business." I feel quite strongly that the only person who can solve this issue is Luisa, and not by writing evasive understatements in her journal and telling others to shut up, but by facing her problem and admitting to her behavior. Luisa herself has admitted to me that things like this have happened to her before. This is the time for her to open her eyes and develop a healthy attitude towards digital art and promoting it online, to develop her own voice and learn to express herself and not imitate others.
I hope this makes my side of the story clear. In Luisa's journal she also states that she will work on this problem and that there are no need to send notes anymore, statements which I completely support. By writing this journal, I'd like to put an end to my involvement in this whole situation and just move on. Anyone who notes/comments/emails about this in the future will simply be provided a link to this journal so that I don't have to put any more time into explaining what is going on, and hopefully this whole problem will be nonexistent soon. Thanks for reading!
hey everyone! i've been getting a LOT of questions lately about brushes - which ones i use, where i downloaded them, etc. because of this i updated my f.a.q with this link: [link] it shows which brushes i use, what the settings are and examples of how i use them.
although i understand that people are curious and want to learn about other people's techniques, i am often surprised that people don't look at the resources they already have (the brushes already installed in the program for example). lots of people are always looking for some kind of 'magic trick' to achieve a certain thing and jump on tutorials, brushes and other resources as if that alone will teach you how to draw. using resources is a good thing but the most important thing is building up experience, finding the things that work for YOU, and coming up with ways to achieve the image you have in your mind. i did make a rough estimate of the flow and opacity settings of the brushes because i get so many questions about it, but honestly i think people should just try out the settings until they like what they see. you don't have to stick to any rules!
hope everyone understands where i'm coming from.. and i hope the new brush ref sheet is useful!
welcome to my f.a.q! since i get a looooot of questions via deviantart and e-mail i've deemed it necessary to write this up, to save time but also give people the information they want in a quick and easy way. this f.a.q is the same one as on loish.net, except with some additional information specifically intended for deviantart. since it is a lot of information i've divided the f.a.q into categories, here is an overview:
Categories:
1. Digital art
Background information, plus tips and techniques relating to my digital artwork.
2. Other activities
Info about drawing traditionally, my animation work and my web designs.
3. Education and work
Info about where I studied and what I do now.
4. Permission
Permission for PSP tubes, tattoos, layouts, and more...
5. Various requests
Info about requesting commissions, art trades, etc.
6. Deviantart related
Questions relating to my Deviantart activity
1. Digital art
1.1 Background info
1.1.1 How/where did I learn to draw
I've been drawing my entire life, ever since I was a tiny little kid. It was always something I enjoyed doing and put a lot of time into, which helped me to develop my skills gradually. I started drawing digitally with a mouse when I was 15 and got my first tablet when I was 16, after which I spent a sizeable portion of my free time drawing digitally. All of this was self-taught. When I was 18 I decided to study animation in college, which taught me how to animate, but didn't teach me a great deal about drawing (besides the influence that animating naturally has on how someone draws). So in short, I taught myself how to draw by spending a lot of time doing it.
1.1.2 Inspiration
Many people ask me where I get my inspiration and ideas from. I am often inspired by other artwork that I find on the internet, through DeviantArt or browsing websites. I watch a lot of movies and animated films which are sources of inspiration too. I also have a lot of friends who draw or animate. The things which most often inspire me are colors or color combinations, which usually give me an idea for a drawing and motivate the drawing process.
1.1.3 Artistic Influences
When I was 15, I was inspired by japanese drawing styles (animé and manga), as well as various french comic artists (particularly the work of Aurore BlackCat) and Art Nouveau (particularly Alfonse Mucha). After joining DeviantArt I became very inspired by a wide range of other artwork on the site, mostly digital paintings. My DeviantArt favorites (a collection of images on the site which are my personal favorites) gives a pretty good idea of the type of artwork that inspires me, as well as this influence map I created in August 2010: [link]
1.1.4 Developing my own style
Some people ask me how I managed to develop my own style. It wasn't really a conscious decision I made, nor do I have any specific tricks or methods to doing this. As lame as it sounds, I suppose developing your own style has to do with drawing a lot and very often. The more you draw, the more your work evolves and you start to find the ways of drawing which suit you best. It's important to nurture these unique approaches and not to be afraid to approach things differently if it feels right to you.
1.1.5 Getting started with digital art
I've been asked by people who are just beginning to draw digitally for tips on where to begin. In my case, I started by just messing around in photoshop and other digital programs, not expecting too grandiose of an outcome. I draw a lot of smaller drawings in a day, rather than putting a lot of my time into larger, more elaborate pieces. The more detailed digital works came gradually as my skills improved. So a more concise answer would be: draw a lot, draw fast, and experiment!
1.1.6 Old artwork and layouts
Occasionally people ask where they can find my old artwork. I used to be very active on various oekaki boards and deviantart, and have since cleaned out my online galleries quite a lot! I put most of these old drawings in this folder: [link] . I also uploaded screenshots of my old website layouts into this folder: [link]
1.2 Approach
1.2.1 How often do I draw
When I started out drawing digitally, I made something like 2 – 5 small drawings a day and basically spent most of my free time drawing. Nowadays, I draw all the time because it is my job, and the amount of time I spend drawing outside of work varies so much that I can't really say how much time I spend doing that. Let's just say it's an almost-daily activity.
1.2.2 Using reference
Most of my finished artwork is created without reference. The lighting, shading, colors, anatomy, subject matter, and any other aspect of the drawing are pretty much always created from my imagination. Sometimes I use references for details of the image such as hands. Sometimes I draw caricatures or realistic images which mimic photos, which are always made using a ref. As for advice, my opinion on using references is that it's just an all-around good thing to do for your drawing skills, and it's also fun. I recommend it to all! It's just not something I do all the time because that's how I prefer to work.
1.2.3 Life drawing
I took some life drawing classes in college, but they were not intensive and were only given once a week for one semester. Although I really enjoyed them, they didn't have a gigantic impact on my drawing style or technique, probably because they weren't given that often.
1.2.4 How long do I take
I spend on average between 6 to 10 hours to make a detailed digital piece. Sometimes I take longer and sometimes shorter. On quicker speed sketches, I spend between 1 to 3 hours.
1.2.5 Original size of the images
When drawing digitally it's important to start at a large resolution, and downsize later for viewing on the web. This is essential to being able to make high-quality prints of digital work. I often start with a canvas that is at least A4 format (300DPI) or larger.
1.3 Tools
1.3.1 Programs
I use Adobe Photoshop for practically everything. I am currently using CS5.5. In the past I have used Painter, Opencanvas or OekakiBBS.
1.3.2 Brushes
I tend to use the standard set of brushes that come with Photoshop, and mess around with the flow and size until I like what I see. I don't make my own brushes. Click here for a rough indication of which brushes I use.
1.3.3 Mouse or tablet
I haven't used a mouse in years and only use a digital drawing tablet, which, for those who don't know, is a kind of surface on which you can control your computer's mouse movements with a pen. I use a Wacom Inuos4 large, and occasionally my old tablet, a Wacom Intuos3, A6 wide format.
1.3.4 Tablet advice
Sometimes people approach me for advice on which tablet to buy. I would suggest buying a Wacom tablet, since it is said to be the most reliable brand out there, not to mention that I am completely unfamiliar with any other brand. As for which make and size, it depends on your needs and budget. In my experience, larger tablets are not necessarily better than smaller ones, and the more expensive the Wacom tablet is, the better it is likely to be. Any other info can of course be found on the Wacom site or through Google.
1.4 Techniques
1.4.1 Sketching
For sketches, I try to put more emphasis on flow and expression than on anatomical precision. Shapes, movement and direction are more important than details, which can be added later. This approach reduces stiffness in the final drawing. I often sketch digitally using Photoshop, although sometimes I also sketch using pencil. For examples of how I sketch, please see the following links: [link][link][link][link]
1.4.2 Lineart
Lately I'm not a big user of lineart, preferring instead to paint over a very rough sketch and just wing it from there. When I do use lineart, I often draw my lineart with pencil, scan it in and then color it digitally. I usually do the coloring on a separate layer, and then eventually merge the two and paint it all on one layer, which helps to blend the image into a unified whole. As for digital lineart, I tend to draw it freehand on a large scale and downsize later, which helps smooth out the linework. I'm not a big user of the pen tool or any other non-freehand tools.
1.4.3 Choosing colors
Choosing colors, for me, is largely an intuitive process. I just slap really rough colors onto the image and mess around with it until I like what I see. Using color editing controls plays a huge role in this process – hue/saturation, color balance, and replace color are the options I use most. When I'm happy with the colors I see in front of me, I start adding more details. A useful tip is to avoid using shadows or highlights which are simply lighter or darker versions of your base color. Try using a different color for the shadows or highlights to give more dimension and life to your picture. Another method I use is to add textures early on in the process, which can add colors, depth and interesting effects to the colored sketch (for more info on textures, skip ahead to 1.4.5 - textures). For examples of my coloring process, please see the following links: [link][link][link][link]
1.4.4 Blending colors
As I explained in the previous section, I like to start out rough. As soon as I like what I see and can envision the final picture, I start blending the colors more. I usually lower the opacity quite a lot (this applies to basically any brush I'm using) and just start painting in the details. A useful shortcut for this is alt+click, which makes the eyedropper tool temporarily appear. This allows me to pick colors off of the canvas and paint with them, which is why it's so useful to start out with a rough color version before adding details. In the final phases of the drawing I like to pick a relatively soft brush and put the flow to just 1% as a way to smooth out everything. I personally do not recommend using the smudge tool.
1.4.5 Textures
Textures play a huge role in all my work. They have an effect on the colors and overall look of all my illustrations. I use a method which is described here. I also tend to add a texture early in the painting process, merge it with the coloring layer, and basically paint on the texture, which helps blend the texture in with my coloring. As for the types of textures I use, I often use images of concrete or plaster walls, which have fine, grainy details and give a grungy look. I get most of my textures from cgtextures.com. For some before/after pics of textures in my artwork, please see the following links: [link][link][link][link]
1.4.6 Layers
Nowadays I almost always use only one layer. Especially when I'm painting in the details, I like to use one coloring layer and add layers only when I add textures or other details, which I end up merging into one layer after a while. I find this easier and that it brings the image together so to speak.
1.5 Resources
1.5.1 Tutorials
I do not have any full tutorials posted online. I have received many requests for tutorials, but making them is very time consuming and I try to provide as much information as I can through this F.A.Q as a substitute. I have resources posted here and there on the web as well as a number of publications with comprehensive tutorials and walkthroughs.
Note: if you're interested in attaining any of these publications or magazine issues, please contact the publisher for information on their availability.
People often ask me for links to good tutorials, but I don't use tutorials myself so I can't really give any tips on that. The only resource I really make a lot of use of are the texture sites cgtextures.com and lostandtaken.com, as well as the stock photo section of deviantart for occasional model reference.
2. Other activities
2.1 Traditional art
2.1.1 Pencils
The pencils I use are just good old factory mechanical pencils – the kind where you click on the back and more pencil comes out the front. I don't have a specific type of mechanical pencil that I use – just whatever's lying around.
2.1.2 Other tools
The other tools I have lying around are Pantone Tria markers and Van Gogh colored pencils, plus artline pens for inking. I don't use these much. Since I scan the lineart into the computer, the paper type is usually just standard printer a4 sheets.
2.2 Animation
2.2.1 Links to my animation work
Besides here on loish.net, my animation work can be found on my vimeo page.
2.2.2 Animation programs
I use TVPaint for frame-by-frame animation, a useful program which offers good digital drawing tools and a timeline. I usually make the backgrounds for my animations in Photoshop and composite my animations in Adobe After Effects, as well as animate with it. I sometimes edit my animations with Adobe Premiere Pro, and in the past I have ocassionally used Anime Studio Pro to animate. Sadly I do not have much experience in 3D programs or compositing traditional pencil-drawn or cel animation, although I plan on changing that in the future.
2.3 Web related
2.3.1 loish.net
I used to code loish.net using notepad, having learned some basic html and css from various resources online. I moved on to Dreamweaver eventually, coding most of the website myself and using Simpleviewer for the galleries, but am now using Indexhibit with the styling and graphics made by me (and some jquery help from my boyfriend Arjen Klaverstijn).
2.3.2 Learning how to code
The best way to learn how to make your own website is search (with, for example, Google) for tutorials, websites, and so on. I learned by starting simple, learning how to make a basic html page and then finding ways to expand on this basic knowledge. However, my skills are far from professional! If you want a strong website and have no coding skills, it's best to just have your site made for you by a professional.
2.3.3 Promoting myself online
I've been very active with posting my artwork on the internet ever since I started drawing digitally in 2003. Besides drawing on oekaki boards, I posted all my work to Deviantart and maintained a personal website. Over the years, I kept doing these things as well as branching out to facebook, twitter, and numerous other websites. For those seeking advice on how to promote oneself on the internet, I recommend staying active and keeping people up to date on your progress. Keep a blog next to a gallery site and stay in touch with people who start following your work, preferably through popular websites such as facebook and twitter as well as a personal website.
3. Education and work
3.1 Work
3.1.1 Current work
I've been working as a freelance animator/illustrator in the Netherlands ever since I graduated in August 2009. I'm also working on producing two animated shorts which I am financing myself (for more info visit the Trichrome website).
3.1.2 Future plans
In the future I'd like to set up my own animation studio. However, I'm open to other possiblities too; it all depends on how my life goes the coming years.
3.1.3 Work tips
People sometimes ask me for tips on getting work, building a portfolio, etc. It's important to keep in mind that the commercial art industry is different from country to country and I can't give a lot of advice unless you also live in the Netherlands. It also depends on what industry you want to get into. In all cases, only include your strongest works in your portfolio and, if you're looking for advice, consult someone who is in the specific field of work and location that you are interested in. In my experience, promoting my work online has been the most fruitful way of finding freelance work.
3.1.4 Making a living off of art
I often get asked whether it is possible to make a living off of art, usually from people who are about to choose that direction in life and are worried about their future. Your ability to live off of your art depends enormously on what you do, where you live, and what your options are. Personally, I am able to live off of my art. This is due to the exposure my work gets on the internet, the possiblity of being able to work from home, the fact that it's relatively easy to work as a freelancer in Holland, and my ability to do work in both the animation and illustration field.
3.2 Education
3.2.1 My education
I studied animation for one year in Ghent, Belgium (at the Hogeschool Gent), and for four years in Hilversum, the Netherlands (at the Utrecht School of the Arts), obtaining a European Media Master of Arts and a Bachelor in Design. I chose animation because I thought it would be a good way to expand on my drawing skills.
3.2.2 College tips - Outside of The Netherlands
A lot of people from all over the world ask me for tips on choosing something to study and finding the right college for it. I feel bad, but there is little advice I can give! I don't know anything about colleges outside of the Netherlands. The system in Holland is different than many other colleges (we don't work with majors and minors, for example), and as mentioned before, the commercial art industry is also different, which of course has a large influence on your decision of what to study. Also, each college has a different view on what your portfolio should look like, so if you need help on what kind of work you should have, please consult someone at the college you'd like to go to.
3.2.3 College tips - The Netherlands
Here in the Netherlands, I can only give advice on the animation course at the Utrecht School of the Arts. At this particular school they focus a lot on training students to work in projects with a tight deadline, many of them interdiscplinary (working with filmmakers, game designers, and other students at the school). The focus is more on these projects than on training the students in animation techniques and skills. I really enjoyed my time at the Utrecht School of the Arts but found it to be a very flexible school where you can make or break your experience depending on how much effort you are willing to put into it. Information for international students can be found here: [link]
4. Permission
4.1 PSP tubes and signature tags
PSP tubes are images used to make (often animated) graphics, which are usually used as signatures in e-mails and forums. I do not allow people to use my work for PSP tubes or signature tags.
4.2 Licensing artwork
I am not interested in having my artwork licensed for use in signature tags or any other stock usage.
4.3 Layouts
I only allow my artwork to be used in layouts if my website link (loish.net) is visible on the image being used. Please e-mail me (info@loish.net) before using my artwork in a website layout so that I can indicate whether I approve of its use or not.
4.4 Avatars and icons
I do not allow for my artwork to be used in avatars or icons unless "loish.net" is visible on the actual avatar or icon.
4.5 Pixel art
Using my art as an inspiration for pixel art (dolls) is not a problem as long as I am credited properly; however, I'd prefer if my artwork was not used as a reference for bases.
4.6 Reference
Using my artwork as a reference for your own is not a problem. This applies to referencing specific parts of my art as well as 'style borrowing' or trying out elements of my digital painting approach. All I ask is for you to link to the image you used as a reference and provide proper credit (with a link to loish.net). Also, I would love to see the artwork you created with my work as reference!
4.7 Tattoos
No need to ask my permission to have my art tattooed on you. Go right ahead! Please send me a photo of your tattoo when you have had it done.
4.8 Personal use
Using my image as your desktop wallpaper, printing out a small version for yourself, or any other small-scale personal use is perfectly fine. Please just don't sell my art or claim it as your own.
4.9 Website or blog features
I am always happy to have my artwork featured on your journal, blog or website. Feel free to post my images with a link back to loish.net.
5. Various requests
5.1 Commissions
I ocassionally take commissions. For more info, please e-mail me (info@loish.net).
5.2 Requests + art trades
I don't do requests or trades, sorry!
5.3 Free artwork
Sometimes I am approached to do artwork for free, in the context of projects such as games, comics, and animations. At this point in time I don't do any artwork free of cost.
5.4 Buying prints and merchandise
Right now, the only place where you can buy my prints are at my DeviantArt prints shop, although I have plans to make my own web shop in the future. DeviantArt prints are all done through the internet – I upload the images to DeviantArt and the prints are all sent out via the website, so I never actually come into contact with them myself. For help with prints, please refer to DeviantArt's help and f.a.q.
5.5 Interviews
If you'd like to interview me for a blog feature or basically any kind of publication (online or other), I'm perfectly willing to do that! However, I no longer do interviews for school projects or other formats which will not be published, since I get a lot of them and they are seriously time and energy consuming. In these situations, I hope my f.a.q is a good enough source of information! If there is anything which is not dealt with here and is very urgent, you can always e-mail me (info@loish.net).
5.6 Reviewing artwork & mentoring
I sometimes get requests from artists to review their artwork, give opinions and tips, and sometimes even mentor people in their artistic development (sometimes in the context of someone's schooling, sometimes not). At this moment I get too many messages like these and have too little time to actually fulfill all of these requests. Sorry!
6. Deviantart related
5.1 CSS journals
I learned how to make CSS journals by applying the knowledge I already had about CSS from building my own site, as well as looking at various resources here on dA. I also modified a lot of already existing layouts that I found by browsing the journal CSS section, using a system of trial and error to find out how the coding worked. I found the following to also be a useful resource: [link] Nowadays I am able to code my own CSS journals from scratch. The graphics for the designs are all made in Photoshop.
5.2 Gallery CSS + icons
Again, my already existing knowledge of CSS helped me to code my gallery CSS, and also found this reference sheet very useful: [link] The icons were designed in photoshop and uploaded by uploading them to the 'options' section in each gallery.
If you have any questions about me or my artwork which are not answered in this F.A.Q, please do not hesitate to ask with a comment below, my formspring account, or an e-mail to info@loish.net. Before asking, please be sure to read through this page before typing your question!
THANKS SO MUCH everyone for all the help! i really enjoyed looking through all the music and managed to find something for my showreel. it's a surprise though ;D but i'll let you guys know when the showreel is online!
again: thank you so much! (i don't really have the time to respond to each comment individually so i hope this will suffice!)
i got a new laptop today, a dell xps m1530. anything is better than my old asus z92m who, ever since my trip to tanzania, hasn't quite been the same, and besides that has suffered many a gallon of tea, coffee, and water poured over its delicate exterior. but besides wanting to brag about how much i love my newest material possesion and am generally satisfied with the appearance of windows vista, i wonder about the screen.
it's definitely a great screen. specifically, it's a 15,4-inch UltraSharp™ WSXGA+ (1.680 x 1.050) TFT-widescreen... screen. i decided to invest in this aspect of the laptop since i figured having more workspace and better general quality would have a positive effect on my artwork and animation. but now that i have it in front of me, i notice that a) colors are generally much sharper and precise but also more muted and desaturated than other screens and b) everything is MEGA SHARP and small!
my artwork tends to be much too brown-ish and dark as it is because my old screen made things appear much less saturated than they were in print or on most other screens, so i ended up inadvertently over-playing the sepia thing when i was working. and also, when i view my website and other designs on this new screen, it all feels so small and shrunken down compared to my old resolution, so i wouldn't be surprised if my future layouts feel good on this screen and are suddenly too huge and expansive on other resolutions.
i don't want to complain too much, because i just love this laptop, but i wonder if other people have had issues with how their art/designs translate to other screens or print. does anyone else think their work looks a certain way only to find that in some form or other, it's totally different?
commission status
temporarily closed until february, probably. sorry!
calendar
my 2009 calendar is available! *artgyrl got hers and was satisfied with the quality as her blog attests (thanks!!). buy 'em before it's already 2009!
art book
fusion junction has a book out with my artwork in it. the idea behind fusion junction is to publish books that feature four different artists in one book, and i've been included in a release called 'queen of arts.' the other artists included in the book are excellent, by the way. if you'd like to order, check out this link: [link] !
just to let you guys know i finally posted my 3rd year animation online, i had to wait on the sound designers for the finished work. check it out here on youtube - [link] (there's a link to a better quality one in the description there).
anyone notice that when the movie's done all these ariel slideshows come by with my artwork in it? *shoots self*
commissions closed
i'm no longer accepting commissions. i have a month left til i go to tanzania for until november (school exchange program thing), and in that time i have to not only buy malaria pills and get shots and all the works, but also finish off the commissions i accepted before i left on my great bicycling adventure. sorry about that!
art book
fusion junction is publishing a book with my art in it. the idea behind fusion junction is to publish books that feature four different artists in one book, and i've been included in a release called 'queen of arts.' if you'd like to pre-order, check out this link: [link] !
hey everyone! just announcing that commissions are open. for prices and info, please email me at loishh@gmail.com. please keep in mind that i'm not offering them as cheaply as the last round.
that's all folks, for the rest i am just an empty husk of a human being, existing purely for the purpose of finishing off required schoolwork assignments. allright, bye!
art book
fusion junction is publishing a book with my art in it. the idea behind fusion junction is to publish books that feature four different artists in one book, and i've been included in a release called 'queen of arts.' the other artists included in the book are excellent, by the way. if you'd like to pre-order, check out this link: [link] !
my site is down... apparently there were payment problems that no one took the time to contact me about in advance, so now my 'account is suspended.' i can't even access my own ftp. anyway, time to seriously start looking for new hosting somewhere. anyone got tips?
MY SITES 
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