Joe Mills

5 Tips for Finding Time to do Art

Considering illustration is not my “real” job, I have had to find ways to be creatively productive while trying to educate a group of 60 5th graders. As strange as it may seem, being a teacher requires a lot of time and energy. Yet…I’ve been relatively successful completing artwork and holding a job down. So, I have five tips for the rest of the world:

1. Use down time to think about ideas
This might seem like a non-tip, but it is important to keep in mind. If you spend any time away from your job or commuting or at an uninteresting social event, think about new artworks or work out problems with current artworks. Since I do not have the luxury of doing my illustrations day in and day out, I use that time away to figure out what might not be working with a particular piece. It can actually be a good thing since it is impossible for me to let an illustration consume me. I don’t have the time. So, I use that time to let design issues or new ideas just sit and marinate before moving forward. Since I do not want to start something that ends up going nowhere, I can use that time to really decide, “Is this going to work?” This is an underrated part of the process.

2. Keep current artwork out at all times
I work on Adobe Illustrator so I always keep my current work open. It is a constant friendly reminder to keep working. It can be a pain if Windows decides to update my computer and reboot the whole thing, but that can be fixed. If I know it is there, I can’t ignore it. And since I like doing the work, I do not feel like I am bugging myself. And that leads me to my next point…

3. Work in small increments
Since it is open all the time, I can use small bits of time to put in work. Now, if I am really trying to figure out how to draw something or make an important choice in style, a small bit of time is not useful. I usually have lots of repetitive parts in my work, so I can use those half hour and hour time intervals to do some more monotonous work. I have found these to be particularly beneficial at the end of a piece because the design choices are already fleshed out in my head and I just want to finish the darn thing.

4. Work late at night
I wish did this more often. That time from about 10 to 1 can be very productive. If you are not afraid to stay up late, it can be a great time to tackle big issues or complete a larger section of your illustration. Plus, no one bothers you at that time and the only thing stopping you from doing work is…well…sleep. It is the most difficult to accomplish, though, because it can impact your next day. Plus, I get so tired some nights that I just can’t even think about it. Sometimes I need to put on a cup of coffee and just sit down and start working. If I do that, midnight just rolls around before  I know it. That is the best case scenario.

5. Keep life structured
The myth of the kooky, unorganized artist is just that…a myth. The rest of my life is highly organized. I am always creating lists. I am very systematic about how I organize my life, and I am unwavering in my quest to be responsible. I pay my bills on time. I do the grocery shopping. Basically, I make sure I do everything that I am supposed to do…then I do my work. As far as I can tell, this is not something that can be sorted out overnight. I am constantly revising how I organize and what I organize. No matter my choice, though, it allows me to be creative since the creative side of my brain is not overrun by the side that can’t get its act together. I’m telling you…I’m not sure if I’d be able to create if I do not take care of all the things that just get in the way.

Hope that helps!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Hoang – Vietnamese Artist

My brother-in-law recently got back from Vietnam, and he brought back a lot of artwork. The one I was most impressed with was the one above. I don’t think the picture does it justice, but it is an abstract city landscape of a city in Vietnam. (Forgot to ask which one.) It looks as though the artist took every color in his palette and built up the layers of each building. It is very dynamic and the simple choice of constructing the image is stunning. The smears going up and down add this sense of movement. It almost seems like a mistake that just worked out. I wish I had a web site to send you too, but in some ways, this is just one of many anonymous artists around the world…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Blood Sweat Vector

Image courtesy of Blood Sweat Vector

Since my illustrations have definitely taken a vector slant recently, I was happy to stumble across Blood Sweat Vector. It is a blog authored by vector artists. It is about a year and a half old and the posts are centered on the world of vector art…a world where I am currently a member. They have recently become part of my RSS feed. At some point, maybe I can become a contributor…seems possible.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Veronica Navarro

Image courtesy of Veronica Navarro

I came across Veronica Navarro’s work through my Behance network. The above work is not on her site yet, but I think it is a great example of her style. I like how there is so much emotion in her portraits. Portraiture can often seem very dry and straightforward, but she amps up the emotion with a quality I can’t quite put my finger on. I think it has something to do with the way she draws eyes. You feel like you are being drawn into the illustration. Amazing work!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Matei Apostolescu

Image courtesy of Matei Apostolescu

I came across the work of Matei Apostlescu on Drawn! They had featured his polymer toys. I’m not even sure if I can properly describe them, but you can find them here. I was equally intrigued by his illustrations. They are extremely free and fun and energetic.  The details seem to be in place for a reason…it is not just a mash of images, lines, and colors. They are definitely worth checking out.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

eBoy Amnesty International Poster

Image courtesy of eBoy

I am a big fan of eBoy. Here is their new Amnesty International poster. Check it out here…fantastic!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tadashi Ura

Image courtesy of Tadashi Ura

Here I am back on my negative space kick. Yes, that was the main reason I was drawn to the work of Tadashi Ura. I also liked the use of perspective in some of her work. It is very clean. It is very simple. It uses just enough color to drawn you in so the negative space becomes something that you notice after you have already examined all the activity in her work. Once again, great balance…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Tomer Hanuka

Image courtesy of Tomer Hanuka

I think the thing that I love the most about the illustrations by Tomer Hanuka is how he takes a style that I like and packs in so much emotion. I really like hard-lined illustrations with a strong graphic quality. That kid of style, though, can look very cartoony, very fast. That’s one of the reasons I like it. Yet, I can’t help but like the way Hanuka twists that style on its head and makes it look like a painting. I’m always torn between focusing on completely illustrative work and trying something more artsy. I think Hanuka has achieved that balance.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Francesco Masci

Image courtesy of Francesco Masci

I ran across Francesco Masci recently, and his artwork is surreal and oddly funny. I did not see the artwork above, but it does represent his work. He had done these food totem poles for a grocery store window display. It is not the normal place for an exhibition, but I think it fits with his style. I tend to make my work a little more realistic, but sometimes I wish I could go this surrealistic place…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Rod Hunt

Image courtesy of Rod Hunt

This is definitely a style I like. Rod Hunt creates these intricate “landscapesk with so much to examine and look at. I have found myself gravitating to this style. The trick is to avoid a Where’s Waldo look. It is definitely an illustration style I like.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites