What is the "mark" of a mature artist?

#21

I agree with ed and cgmonkey both; you find your own style through working on your skills as an artist but naturally you will also have a unique way of doing things which just becomes more pronounced as you refine skills.

The maturity you gain as an artist does depend to a degree on how you utilise knowledge of art history. It’s like literature and writing; if a book is good by itself it may not seem to matter whether or not the writer studied the history of writing, yet having the knowledge there may mean that he/she is able to incorporate and build on ideas that have already been explored and create better artworks.

#22

moonlantern,
Thank-you for more eloquently making my point.
When I was young, people would always say things to me like " You painted that?" or better yet, “No way you did that!” I always took that as a compliment understanding that they thought someone with greater experience only could have produced whichever piece they were looking at. Now, I AM an old guy with greater experience. I found my “style” ages ago. I won’t say my stuff is better than everyone elses, but it’s different. I guess my point is, that I’ve lived life, seen things, GREAT artists work, all of which, (whether we are aware of it or not), influence the output of our skills.
My greatest challenge in recent years was the transition to CG. The most significant breakthrough, (for me at least), was the use of pre-vis for my own 2D artwork. Computers! What a tool! I needn’t even go outside. Although I’ve NEVER taken pictures for reference, I can slap together a quick scene in 3D and view it from all angles, dabble with different lighting setups, etc. I’m lovin’ life.( And technology).
E.

#23

What’s interesting is that some people interpret mature as unique, and others interpret it as excellent, and some people combine the two ideas: that a mature artist is a highly skilled individual. I like that approach. It’s someone who has not only “found themself”, but also manages to impress you somehow.

One attribute of a mature artist is just how intuitive they make everything seem. Watching them work is even fun. After watching demos of great artists, I tend to spend more time in “play” mode, rather than fretting too much about each individual mark.

#24

There are very few artists out there that will meet all your “requirements”.

I guess there are very few mature artists then… :slight_smile:
I don’t see what’s so hard about them? A good theoretical foundation, skill, more than one technique, some art history, being able to teach what you do… sounds like the absolute minimum for any professional illustrator.

#25

I say a true artist is who follows this rule - "THE STOP THAT KEEPS YOU GOING…:wink: "

#26

I guess it only looks easy when you’re already on the other side of the fence. The rest of us will go on struggling. :wink:

Joking aside, I’m glad Steven agrees. Those really ARE the bare minimum for any professional artist–at least one that will have the respect of his peers and colleagues (not just impress the Rubes and make them go “Oooh…ahhhhh”)–and that’s the kind of artist I’d say is “mature.” Making a living with art skills alone does not mean someone is a mature artist–there are plenty of hack artists out there making a living.

#27

Anyone can fulfil those criteria. But that alone will not make you a mature artist.

#28

I guess it only looks easy when you’re already on the other side of the fence.

hehe, I just meant that most pros I ever met or heard of - including everyone who graduated from the illustrator school I went to - had those requirements before they even started their careers. :slight_smile:

edit:
possibly excepting me, I’ve always been a little weak on the art history

#29

True. What I described is more about being a good artist, but being a mature human being is a seperate thing. So, to be a mature artist, one should, on top of what I already mentioned, be a person who’s responsible, educated (whether through schooling or self-improvement), articulate, and have a clear understanding of his goals and how to achieve them–including what he wants to express in his artwork.

#30

" Accepting constructive criticism is very important for a mature artist."

I also think a mature artist should have the ability to GIVE constructive criticism with useful suggestions.

" Having just gone through some major changes in my life, I have been re-assessing the way I approach life and also how I create my artwork. I see both as being interconnected on all levels."

Something important has been said there. A mature artist constantly reevaluates their work, seeking for ways to improve, to grow, to increase their ability to say what it is they want to say. They don’t get good at something and then just stand still, satisfied. You may know you’ve produced a good piece or work, but at the same time you see the flaws, the things you know you should have done better. Instead of making you despair, those imperfections inspire you to work harder and better.

I also think a mature artist, or at least one approaching maturity, is that you actually have something to say with that art. You’re not just making a nice composition with objects well placed, you’re trying to make a statement of some sort. This is not to say every piece of art has to have some deep meaning, but it should say SOMETHING, it should have content.

"

  1. Must have solid art foundation knowledge (composition, perspective, anatomy, figure drawing, color theory…etc).

  2. Must have highly developed skill (various rendering techniques).

  3. Must have a personal vision that’s easily identifiable.

  4. Must have solid knowledge of art history, and variety of contemporary art–from illustration to fine art to entertainment design…etc.

  5. Must be able to articulate ideas/knowledge into words, and have the ability to pass information on as a teacher.
    …"

I both agree with these points and disagree. In MOST cases they apply. But there are always exceptions. In general, though, I would say that having that solid knowledge base is an important factor, despite the arguments it usually causes when you advocate for traditional art education in CG.

“I agree that you must be a mature person to be a mature artist.”

Again, I agree, in MOST cases. I don’t think it has to do with age, however. Age is a side effect. It has to do with experience. You have to have experienced life to portray it. I’ve lived my life like a starving man at a banquet, grasping all the experiences I could. This has both good and bad points.

I’ve always believed that artists are the mirrors of society. We take the things we see, that everyone sees, and we show them back to people in a different way that makes them think about those things, whether those things are problems we see in our world or the beauties we find there. When we look at history, where do we get most of our information? It comes from those things that survive, the arts. Painting, sculpting, architecture, storytelling. The arts chronicle the existence of humankind in both it’s glories and its shames.

Style, well, that’s a hard subject. You can’t just decide on a style and then do it. Style is such a large combination of things. Practice, experience, choices of color and themes and composition. My art is generally made with a triangular three point composition. I didn’t set out to do that, it just evolved as I worked into the type of composition I find most pleasing to my eye and the way I work. And that art education we mentioned. That comes into play as well because after you’ve worked long enough, you no longer think consciously about things like composition and color choices. You do it without thinking, knowing this has to go here and that has to go there, this has to balance, these colors go together. On the other hand are the things you DO think about. The iconography of something as simple as a fly in a piece representing the impermanence of life, or the position of a hand representing an entire emotion, and how changing that hand can change the entire feeling of a piece. Color and mood, time of day, the immense number of details that should go in any mature image. Even in the seemingly most simple pieces, detail is vital. And one part of maturity as an artist is knowing how to get that detail in without over doing it. Knowing how to pick the RIGHT details so that one object represents a wide range of unseen implications. And you have to have actually lived to be aware of those implications.

#31

This has been an interesting read :smiley:

I’m not sure if I’m mature enough to comment hehe but I agree with most of the comments mentioned, especially the one about being able to take critiscism :slight_smile:

I find it difficult to take critiscism sometimes, if I’m prepared for it then I can put the right head on so to speak. I cried once in my art class (so embarrassing) when my art tutor critiscised some of my photography work, but it was good crit and sent me off in the right direction.

#32

A lot of people don’t really know how to do a good crit. You should always point out the good things as well as the things that need work. And a crit should be accompanied by suggestions on how to improve the work.

#33

I agree with a great deal of your well written post, but I pulled this out for emphasis. I think that one can easilly get caught up in creating only “glossy” images dripping with eye candy, which in itself is not deplorable, but vaccuous if the goal is to distiguish one’s art from others and to create substantive work.

Lunatique: Thank you for clarifying your previous post. Education comes from a variety of sources beyond that offered by “official” educational systems.

enialadam: I agree, this has been a enjoyable thread! I thank everyone for contributing their various veiwpoints.

#34

I used to get frustrated with this (quote below), not necessarily the valid critiques, but the ones I know are a bunch of BS - merely ways to degrade your work. (There are always people who misunderstood Einstein’s “Stand on the shoulders of others” as “Stand on the corpses of others”) You just have to grin and bear it - plus there’s usually something to learn from those with BS critiques, because they like to put in the extra effort to find flaws (whether real or not).

#35

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