The Lounge Area: Lets talk about the shared experiences with the forum

[mecos]

you misspelled "the"

i'll provide a more serious post later. for starters DSF has been great for me. i used to draw and paint a lot - most people that knew me can't imagine me doing anything else but alas i don't draw or paint anymore. 99% of what i do draw now is for DSF or else i'd have no motive.

[fdiskart]

My name's Fernando Dominguez, I'm 28, was born in Cuba with a brief stint in Venezuela before settling in Miami, FL like every good Cuban does :p. I don't do art for a living, I work as an IT Specialist at a very corporate workplace and environment, but that provides me with enough money to live comfortably and time to do a lot of art as my passionate hobby.

"Did we like the forum?" is it going away? I love the forum, it has its own bookmark and I visit it a lot more than I do the main page.

Photo based sketches are always a lot of fun and a great challenge for those of us that struggle with light, shadow and contrast in our art!

The most challenging part has always been not being intimidated by all the amazing talent here. Sometimes someone will post a brilliant image that is technically proficient but also nails the topic perfectly and it's hard not to be discouraged to participate even though I know it completely goes against the nature of the forum. I also have a hard time with abstract topics like "Happiness" and non-fantasy ones like "Modern City Scape". And the time limit is always a huge challenge for me lol. It's also hard to struggle with myself sometimes and my competitive attitude, I'm ashamed to admit sometimes I don't participate in challenges just because I have no chance to win and that also goes against the nature of this forum.

The most fun is definitely the people here, they are all very talented but also down to earth, friendly, helpful, and overall nice to each other. I feel like I'm amongst friends, while in other art forums I feel like people are very smug and have a "Better than you" attitude. I also love the more character friendly topics like "Knight in Shining Armor" or crap like that because it's what I draw best :p I love when I see people voting for my sketch because as someone who is not a professional artist it means a lot to be recognized by those who are. I also love that DSF has always been the cure for "Artist's Block", anytime I sit down wanting to draw but can't come up with a topic I can come here and find something I like instead of drawing another generic fantasy piece or Superman image.

I'd love to see longer time limits, but at the same time I love the challenge of drawing stuff in a short time since it's something I'm simply not good at but every artist should be able to do. Other than that I don't know, I really think this is the best DSF on the Internet when it comes to topics.

[DreamMaster]

Hey, awesome idea I'd love to get involved in this discussion, but unfortunately, at the moment I'm not feeling too well. It'll have to wait.

I do read though, great posts you guys. :)

[PaulZant]

My name is Paul Zant, I'm 25 and was born in Amsterdam. At the moment I live in Utrecht in the middle of the Netherlands where I study Architecture. I love architecture and the design aspect of it, but I'am looking for a study now for when I'm done where I can really go wild with my hobby drawing. I'm thinking of going to San Fransisco to study graphic design.

I really love this forum. A few years ago I came in touch with digital drawing and when I did I was sold. I immediently bought a Wacom, but short after that I had some rough time and I lost my motivation to keep drawing. I allways wanted to get back into drawing and that day came when I came across this forum. This forum really is an inspiration for me to draw and I think I'm going to stick around here for along time.

The most challenging part for me I think is to translate the image in my head to the paper and to try to put the feeling in that I have when I have the image in my head. I'm allways trying to deliver a message with my drawing. Another challenge for me is to develope my own style I really have no idea how to do that :).

The most fun of this forum I get from the topics. I allways like the topics and I like to puzzle to come up with a good design for a certain topic. Some are more difficult for me then others but he that keeps it challenging. I allways try not to look to the entries of a topic until I made a design. I really like to see then when I'm done what other people came up with, I'm far from that level and that allways gives me inspiration to try to do better everytime. The entries here are allways nice and some with alot of humor. Sometimes I just scroll trough old topics and look at the entries and almost every time I have tears in my eyes from laughing :) that cheers me up. When I scrolled trough the sketchbook of daw I was almost dying man there are some funny entries there, I love your work daw ;)

In the future I hope to see some more C&C like dreammaster did at the topic expedition that allways is a good learner. I try sometimes to come up with some C&C for other entries but find it difficult to post because I think that I'm not qaulified for that because I need to learn alot myself. Find it difficult to give someone crits and comments who is way better then me. I just say it one more time I love this forum and I hope it keeps on going for along time.

Greetings Paul Zant

[MattU]

My name's Fernando Dominguez, I'm 28, was born in Cuba with a brief stint in Venezuela before settling in Miami, FL like every good Cuban does :p. I don't do art for a living, I work as an IT Specialist at a very corporate workplace and environment, but that provides me with enough money to live comfortably and time to do a lot of art as my passionate hobby.


"Did we like the forum?" is it going away? I love the forum, it has its own bookmark and I visit it a lot more than I do the main page.


Photo based sketches are always a lot of fun and a great challenge for those of us that struggle with light, shadow and contrast in our art!


The most challenging part has always been not being intimidated by all the amazing talent here. Sometimes someone will post a brilliant image that is technically proficient but also nails the topic perfectly and it's hard not to be discouraged to participate even though I know it completely goes against the nature of the forum. I also have a hard time with abstract topics like "Happiness" and non-fantasy ones like "Modern City Scape". And the time limit is always a huge challenge for me lol. It's also hard to struggle with myself sometimes and my competitive attitude, I'm ashamed to admit sometimes I don't participate in challenges just because I have no chance to win and that also goes against the nature of this forum.


The most fun is definitely the people here, they are all very talented but also down to earth, friendly, helpful, and overall nice to each other. I feel like I'm amongst friends, while in other art forums I feel like people are very smug and have a "Better than you" attitude. I also love the more character friendly topics like "Knight in Shining Armor" or crap like that because it's what I draw best :p I love when I see people voting for my sketch because as someone who is not a professional artist it means a lot to be recognized by those who are. I also love that DSF has always been the cure for "Artist's Block", anytime I sit down wanting to draw but can't come up with a topic I can come here and find something I like instead of drawing another generic fantasy piece or Superman image.


I'd love to see longer time limits, but at the same time I love the challenge of drawing stuff in a short time since it's something I'm simply not good at but every artist should be able to do. Other than that I don't know, I really think this is the best DSF on the Internet when it comes to topics.



I totally agree with you fdiskart. I feel the exact same way about everthing you said, except the Cuban part. LOL!! I'm a 23yr old Italian trying to make my way into the industry, but its been tough though.:eek:

[DreamMaster]

Tell us a bit about you if you wish. Hi, my name is MeKenzie Martin, 24 years old female from USA residing in Netherlands. Lovin' it here! I'm mostly self-taught with some art courses, mostly focused on commercial art and graphic design; however, I have discovered that I like illustration, fine art, and concept art way better so that's where I'm focusing my study on right now. I hope to become a professional freelancing? artist someday because it is really my passion. It's a beautiful passion to have and to appreciate because then I get to *really* enjoy life too (which I thought I would never be able to, long story). Also, I'm profound deaf. I use my understanding of colors and feelings to make a certain moody piece to make up the missing feeling my husband seem to get through his music (no sounds for me :banghead: ); frankly, I'm jealous of him. Taming color power, here I come!


Did you guys liked the forum? What, are you kidding? Why wouldn't I like it? ;) I love it because it provides an excellent atmosphere to practice on, especially when I'm not inspired. There's title and time all ready for me to try. I'm aiming to find the quickest and cleanest method to complete my speed sketches, but at the same time be technically correct (no cheats if possible because I'm going to try oil painting someday). Also because of DSG, I finally am getting closer in colors and values that I have been struggling for years. :D So, yup, I like it here! Thank you guys!


Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts? I prefer free ideas more than photo sketches, but however when I did the last one, I came across how challenging it is and it really helped me to learn about how to match values and colors so that it looks as realistic as the photo is. So I think we should all do that once in a while... it's challenging, but very good for learning. Just please don't let it overtake the free-style topics. ;)


What has been the most challenging part of the DSF? The most challenging part for me is to come up with original idea, especially with such abstract topics that fdiskart have mentioned in his post. That's all I think. [By the way fdiskart, try not to feel intimidated.. I know I did feel that before, but the only way you can get as good is by practicing and learn from your mistake. I do too. ;) Just use them as your inspiration to improve. ]


What has been the most fun? Seeing my improvement! It is nothing worth more than that precise moment when you finally see that you're really improving in art. It's a really high, thrilled feeling, Ahhhhh! Also people here too! Everybody have their own idea and style, I just love to browse everybody's art here even though sometimes I don't get involved there myself. I know I have had some chuckles from your interpretation of the topic, that's the best part of DSG, you never know what to expect!


What would like to to see in the future? Time seems to be good. :) I wouldn't mind longer time limits, but I think 50-60 min to be a good time frame to practice on a busy day. So, I'm not sure about that one. On other hand, I think I'd like to see more people interacting and helping each other to improve. Nothing's more motivating than having people to support you and versa visa. :) Speaking of that, come on guys, keep on painting! :D Oh one more thing, for topics, I would love to see more fantasy and/or sci fi based topics. Otherwise, it's excellent!

[Taron333]

Uh, daily sketchers anonymous...c'mon, we had that one coming, didn't we?! ;)
Tell us a bit about you if you wish. I'm Taron, 36 male, born in Germany, I've givin' a fair share of interviews that makes me feel a little silly to write it all down again. Self taught with a few years of design "oriented" school.

Did you guys liked the forum? I'm still liking DSF, while I've long lost a draw towards CGtalk as a whole. I love peace, sincerity and the human connection and it's not very easy to find that "there"- I consider DSF to be a rather special section in here, which could well be its own forum altogether, hehe.
Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts? That might be interesting every now and then and could well be a regular thing, but I wouldn't push it to more than biweekly.
What has been the most challenging part of the DSF? To overcome the weekly reminder of the competitive aspects of it. Although it is really interesting to see what people respond to by means of their vote, it also can be tempting to aim for recognition or demoralizing for those, who never find themselves up there. I, too, am not immune to that sometimes, but have long since learned to be generally unaffected by it consciously, however, it does set a tone.
What has been the most fun? The competeti...I'm kidding. The most fun is what the topics make you do. It guides everyone into directions that normally would have remained unexplored. It's a beautiful playground to grow into a much more rounded artist. It's really the most fun not only to follow the topics as creator, but to have a peek into the brilliant minds of everyone. Loads of fun!
What would like to to see in the future? Maybe some connected series that could result in a complete set of images. I think at some point we went into tarot cards, which was a nice start, but it could be something less ambitious, too. Maybe also some more intellectual explorations to get an insight on things beyond superficialities. I'm sure we all have our perceptions and it's not a bad idea to nurture curiosity and transform our creating into something potentially meaningful, whilst still being playful.

There you have it! :)

And Dreammaster, thanks for sharing all that. For some reason I had no idea you were a girl! :eek: :applause:

[daw]

• Tell us a bit about you if you wish. - David is my name and Im only 37 years old :) - and been a dvd designer since 97 here in Sweden...

- pretty fun back then - but now it's damn hard to make something new within 1024x576 - as 30 sec with 6 scene's over at the scene selection menu - hehe...

- lucky for me that blu-ray came along so something changed over here... :)
I do the authoring as well... - new stuff, -give me new stuff!!!

• Did you guys liked the forum? - I lurked here forever and posted my first daily back on sketch 227 - after testing

"Goro's" brushes - just for fun!

- now nearly 500 sketches later I must say I've learned a lot... - Surly the best place to be as an up coming artist!

• Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts? - love this! - especially the matte painting stuff...

• What has been the most challenging part of the DSF? - to participate! - man, - Im way to busy most days....

• What has been the most fun? - to learn... - Much credit to Goro's "TUTORIAL" thread and to all the participant's with comment's and brushes and so on...

• What would like to to see in the future? - not sure here - but one thing would be "Inspiration to the topic" - I see a lot of topics go buy...

- like the coolest topic and you know the perfect twist to it but you don't have the time to make it! - so write it on the thread so people can draw it...

- and you can see you thought's come to life... - over all, - I must say that this page with it's sketcher are the best...

/david

[laurghita]

• Tell us a bit about you if you wish. - I am a database programing engineer, drawing its a hobby.

• Did you guys liked the forum? - Of course, because its a true DAILY sketch forum, I mean it look like a calendar by itself rolling on forever.

• Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts? - of course at least one at 2 weeks

• What has been the most challenging part of the DSF? - to vote, thats why there are so little voters

• What has been the most fun? - to get comments

• What would like to see in the future? - more comments

[Taron333]

laurghita, you're absolutely right, it used to be about the comments almost as much as about the sketches. We had almost every image somehow commented, or am I fantasizing here? At least it felt that way. Aside from that, thanks for reminding me what I wanted to suggest, too! It's that kind of interaction that makes the forum strong. Not just the self-endulgence, but the connection and exchange between us. :thumbsup:

Oh man, I just did a little journey back in time. unfortunately I couldn't go further back than mid 2008, but there were still names I recognize and there was the classic commenting, so it's true. Remember SalamanderCoral, Telemaco, Goro and so many of the names that I remember immediately, as soon as I see them... :blush:

They didn't only have style, they also had the spirit to take time and write comments, even if it was just a big heads up. I'll resume it from now on, as soon as I pop in again! :arteest:

[laurghita]

Anyway from now one I also make comments when I summit my drawing... you cant ask for what you dont give.

[PaulZant]

You are right Laurghita, I will also try to give crits and comments when I post an entry. But I found it very difficult to do because I feel I´m not good enough for that. But I will try.

[Deje3D]

Tell us a bit about you if you wish.
Oh boy, i love to talk about me ! :D I'm 22 years old, which makes me one of the younger guys in here i can see. Its funny I was thinking that I was one of the oldest. Anyway, I got big dreams !! I wan't to make univers and stories. I want to make people fell joy by telling a story and some them other worlds. So for a long time I was struggling with 3D, as a hobby, but finally i figured i had to learn how to draw. So I took a drawing class on a half year, where i learn traditional drawing (long stidues, croqui and all that shit), I believe it's the best school in Europe. Our teachers is awesome ;D It's a part of a bigger school, with two lines, CG Artist and Character Animator. I applied for the CG Artist line, one of the days in this week, I'm getting a letter :S So now i allmost been drawing 1 year (at august), and my ny challenge is to learn to make concept art, something down on paper, fast !

Did you guys liked the forum?
I love it ! It's a great way to get started, and get going, but i think its allready covered ;) Maybe a introduction tread would be nice. I also think it's hard to find the right brushes, and the right method to start drawing, or a least some opitions on how to draw. So i figured maybe a "How to get started" tread, the tutorial tread is very confusing. I see a lot of people saying they want more comment, so i figured, The Forum is what the people how uses is. So If people want more comment the users have to comment. Personal i think the best way to evovle is feedback from others and looking critical at your work, It can allways get better, so how? Maybe you could encourge people in the tread to comment others.

Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts?
I never tried it, so i dont know :) Maybe it could be fun to try.

What has been the most challenging part of the DSF?
The only thing holding me back is my self. So the most challenging for me, is not to waste my time, and make some ****ing speed sketches ;D I just got to 10 sketches, and its proven that people stod with new habbits about 7-10 times after they tried it. So I'm gonna get over the bump at start making a new sketch after im finish writing this.

What has been the most fun?
To see that my sketches become a bit better everytime. To learn something new every time, and to get er satisfing result.

What would like to to see in the future?
Maybe some sketches which is tied together. One could be, make a character, next make a enviroment for your character. And so on. It could be fun.



Its nice to read something about the fellow artists inhere :) I will be looking forward to competing with you ;)

[vicmonty]

Alright sports fans,

Tell us a bit about you if you wish.
I'm 26 y/o male living in Virginia. I'm an x-ray tech working in the navy. I'm going to school part time for a bach. in healthcare administration. 5 classes left! I'm married and have 3 kids now. youngest was born May 29, 2009.


Did you guys liked the forum?
love the forum and the direction it gives me. At the end of the day, I'm not sure what to draw. If I were in school, I would have an instructor telling what to draw. My mind is so blank when I finally get to sit and draw that I don't draw at all. Well that was up untill I started becoming active in the forum. I love the random topics.


Would you like for me to supply more photo based sketches for future efforts?
The photos? Well, a lot of times I do use reference, so if you got them, post them. If not, it's no big deal.


What has been the most challenging part of the DSF?
Just painting on the wacom tablet and using photoshop. I got it last christmas. I'm still learning, and everytime I start sketching for DSF, I feel like I'm going in with a blindfold. I paint now, and see the results when I'm done.


What has been the most fun?
Again, the same challenging part of this is the best part of it. Not knowing what topic of the day will be is always cool.


What would like to to see in the future?
I'm trying to keep up with everyone else so I'm just in work mode. I'm always interested in WIP's. If someone has brushes that work nice, share them.

P.S. VISIT MY SKETCHBOOK AND COMMENT ON EVERY PICTURE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!

love,
Vic Monty

[PELENG]

Nice topic!
My English is bad, so I'll write in brief.

My name is Sergey Kolesov. I'm 30 years old and I'm living and working (textile print design) in Russia.
What about DSF? I like it! It helped me to improve my skills a lot!

Good luck to all! I'll quit writing cause I dont know any words in english else :)

[DreamMaster]

Wow it's really intriguing to get to know you all! Awe-inspiring thread for sure and by the way hey Peleng, you seem to write English just fine. I have seen worse and I managed to understand them hehe (yeah no choice here... long story again) and your English is nearly perfect, it's definitely understandable.

Hey, Russia is awesome for it's breathtaking red sky. :O I have seen very stunning pictures of that.

[Wexter]

Yeahh, i like to know a little bit more of the rest
of the crew, great persons, nice forum, allways trying
to help and comment, is so nice to have a feedback!

Well my mother leanguage is Spanish so i make it short (like
Peleng). Im 30 years old, drawing digital is my life, i
have the luck to have a work here as a freelance in cartoons
for the kids, illustrations (mostly backgrounds) for
other kind of jobs.

The DSF is a place to visit every day, is where i feel
contfortable because everybody here enjoys Painting! is like
my private club for sharing knowledge practice and more practice.

It helped me a lot to develop ideas into concept and then
drawing (the most enjoyable part :P )

Thanks to Roberto, for all the days carefull working in the forum.

Goro, Peleng and a lot of persons make me want to learn more,
and make more thinks for the pure fun, of paint.

Thanks all of you, everybody that have make a single paint
here in the forum, and for all the people tha participate
here.

Walter.

[theanswer07]

I'm just a young padawan as far as the DSG is concerned, and to be honest, art as well.

So here goes, my names Luke, and i'm 17 years old living in Australia i've been seriously into art for about 1 year, but have sub-consiously drawn all my life, never really taken it seriously. But now I'm sort of torn between where I want to go in terms of style, illustration, concept art, or matte painting, they all appeal to me, so I'm here to learn and to eventually decide, and hopefully make it!

Thanks for having me, and Taron, love your stuff, here, at CGHub, and at the artrage forums, and no, I'm not stalking you, pure coincidence, I swear!

Cheers!

[vicmonty]

Oh, I forgot to add one thing to my reply. It's awesome to see how many people have careers outside of art. I read a lot IT's and students are here. Just seeing that there are those that make art of part of their life is great. I've been struggling with the fact that I'm not "in art". I realized just because it's not my bread winner, it can still be part of me. Anyway, I gives me inspiration to see other artist with great skills still able to enjoy art. With my career, my mind is always going at 100 directions at once. When it comes to drawing, because my drawing time is so little, I have tons of ideas in my head and try to make the best use of my time. Well, because of this, I can not ever decide on what to draw. Before I know it, an hour has passed and my sketchbook or screen is still blank. DSF forces me to draw something. I love that about it. I'm still not sure though on how to improve with my painting. PLEASE VISIT MY SKETCHBOOK.

Love,

Monty

[PELENG]

Just want to tell that photo based sketches are very nice idea. There should be more such topics.

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