Finding Art Parents, etc.
3yr
Jason Arizona
Hey Proko, I'm having some odd troubles. I've heard that you need to adopt "art parents" when you uhh um uh draw or something or "study the masters." Unfortunately, most of the artists I like, and feel have a real handle on their craft do NSFW work. They became my favorites through strong style and voice, to be sure, but I can't pretend I didn't find them through their subject matter. I'm really insecure about the fact I can't show some of my favorite artist's pieces without feeling like I'm going to be judged. And that sucks, because I really love the way one uses color, or another's brushwork. or another's distinctive voice, and I can't share that because of the stigma around it. Another problem is that most paintings from masters don't... wow me. I like Rockwell, Rembrandt, and Sargent fine, but their art doesn't really grab me like the artists who inspired me to draw do. I just don't get the hype. A lot of what I like in art is personality. It's kind of odd that I respond more strongly and positively to *literal boxes* (Donald Judd's prints, attached) more than, say, a commissioned portrait by Rembrandt. So, should I feel pressured to adopt more "traditional" art parents? How do I find them? What qualifies as a "master?" Is there a list? Should I be asking this question here? I hope that I can get some good answers.
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Peter Anton
Follow the river to the source. So for these NSFW artists, see if you can determine their influences and find them in old masters. Ex: if you're into hentai art, maybe look at the Japanese Ukiyo-e artists like Hokusai. Another example: for Peter de Seve, you can find out among his influences were Heinrich Kley and Arthur Rackham. There are two buckets of art parents: content and technique. Bouguereau goes in the technique pile because he's a wizard but his art doesn't make me feel anything. On the other hand, I like stuff like Yugioh and Naruto for the awesome monsters and superpowers, but I don't want to draw in that syle. Only a few artists will combine both content and technique, and those are your favorites (Jesper Ejsing and Tyler Jacobson for me)
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Dan B
Hey Jason, You definitely can choose whoever you like as 'art parents,' especially if these artists create work in a style you also would like to create. The 'old masters' tend to relate to fine arts and traditional painting, but that doesn't mean you have to use them. The reason though that the masters are suggested for copying is not so much the subject of their paintings, but to analyse how they developed it: the strokes, colours, composition, etc. So in regards to artists you like, you could think about why Judd particularly chose those colours, the spacing (composition) etc and see if similar patterns or approaches show up in other works you like. It will help you develop as an artist to understand how the artists you admire express their ideas and skills. In terms of the NSFW art, I guess that's something that goes to Proko's judgement rather than the community as to what limits might be for 'offensive' or 'distasteful.' The community will have interests across the board so some will judge and others admire, such as it is with all art :)
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