Jim St. - Art School Journey - Term 4

[JimSt]

@Nosnibor Thank you! I'm looking forward to seeing your Term 4 work too. The anatomy stuff is dense, but sooo good.
Thank you for the kind words on my comic pages. I really enjoyed ink brushing these pages. Wayyy more satisfying than using my tablet.

[petrus.prinsloo]

Your work is incredible! You already seem to be pretty advanced with a developed style and a bloat load of creativity. . Will check in regularly to learn from what you do, maybe even do a study or two.

[JimSt]

Hey, thanks! I think every artist I know looks at their works and only sees the mistakes, so I appreciate your kind words!
I'm hoping to be around a little more consistently, especially since the art for my current comic project is done and I'll be picking up the regular Art School stuff again... maybe next week or after the new year (busy time of the year with everything competing for attention). That will be my third year into the program... maybe I will finally learn how to speed up.... lol

[snakker]

Yo, been a while, awesome seeing all the progress!

That zine is really cool, what if I may, inspired the concept?

cheers!

[JimSt]

Thanks @snakker!
The zine is a quasi-autobiographical existential tale of liberation. The story was originally supposed to be like 80 pages long, which is why it sat on a shelf for over 20 years. I condensed those 80 pages down into something more to the point (15 pages) while remaining true to the information/story I wanted to share. I'm including 9 pages of my own philosophical musings and "spiritual" practices that originally would have been revealed to the main character on s/h/it's quest towards self-discovery. I haven't committed to what I'm going to include quite yet, but its currently likely to be some of my writings/ideas on Astromythology and Taoist Energetics. My influences come pretty heavily from the "bizarre," Franz Kafka, Ted McKeever, Liberation Psychology, Anarchism, and Esotericism.

[snakker]

Awesome, I definitely thought kafkaesque at first glance

Cheers

[gregorya]

I did use a grid for the links though, but it was largely freehand - which is pretty obvious when you start to look at the size variances. The six-armed guy is a character my friend asked me to design as a sort of mascot for this band.

Good to know.

I like the muscle and hand studies. The forms look good. I also like the tokens, too.
I'm not sure what the memes are, but they look interesting.

Nice work on the comic page. The bug people look interesting. An 80-page comic sounds daunting, but condensing it to 15 pages sounds like a challenge, too.

Can I promote that kind of thing on the forums?

I'm not sure. It might be possible.

[JimSt]

Quick update from me, cause I'm still around!
I stalled out on my Art School practices because of the below stuff, but I did watch the Anatomy 3 video and drew along. I even got a couple draw overs done. I am working on internalizing the muscle names and verifying insertion points, but I think I have the general structure and groupings down. My imaginative figures are improving too. Years of copying superhero artwork makes it a bit easier. But I feel like I need a bit of a refresher on the upper body anatomy. Maybe I can fold that in too...

I completed the lettering, writing and layout for my comic/zine. I got tripped up on whether I wanted to do a Kickstarter or not. I've done two previously and recall how much I hate running them. So I am going to go a different route and just starting selling copies. I'm planning to release it on February 1st. There will be digital options and the limited edition with block-printed covers and handbound. I just received the gear for saddle-stitch binding yesterday. At some point, I'm going to get a speedy laser printer and have my own indy press so I'll never be at the mercy of a corporation to get my stuff out there... So all of that took more time than I thought it would and in the process I forgot that I still need to do the covers (front and back), which is why I'm not quite ready to release it.

Another huge distraction was "The Artist's Way." If you feel like you are blocked creatively or need to do some soul-searching, I highly recommend it. The main tool of the 12 week program is to write 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness with paper and pen. Doesn't matter what, just write. There's also other tasks for you to complete alongside with the readings to help you address specific areas that might be the source of a blockage. Despite it being a bit out of date, it was interesting and I did indeed learn something about myself. But I wasn't really blocked in my creativity, so it didn't give me any of the release it was supposed to have each week. I knew it was for releasing blocks, but on the cover it says "A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" and I was intrigued. It offered some interesting perspectives and might be a better fit for someone else, so I basically wasted a month of time (30-60min a day) doing something when I should have been studying leg anatomy. Well, I'm letting that one go and might revisit if I get to a place where I feel blocked. At least I've reclaimed the time to make art.

I know we're like 3 weeks into the New Year, but I feel like it is just now starting.
Cheers!
-Jim

[gregorya]

I got tripped up on whether I wanted to do a Kickstarter or not. I've done two previously and recall how much I hate running them. So I am going to go a different route and just starting selling copies.

Good luck with the comic/Zine. From what I seen from crowdfunding, getting the books printed and shipped is one of the bigger problems.

Another huge distraction was "The Artist's Way." If you feel like you are blocked creatively or need to do some soul-searching, I highly recommend it.

I've haven't heard about the book before. It sounds interesting.

[JimSt]

Not quite done with Term 4 Week 4, but I wanted to post this so I get back into the cadence of weekly updates. Some of these are rough and incomplete, which may or may not be "completed" - time will tell.

The past week has been challenging due to adjusting my daily schedule to include time for non-art learning and family responsibilities. I also must admit to a certain level of procrastination, but my 2/1 deadline for my comizine is fast approaching. I am becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the time I spend attenuating to streaming content. For my mental health, I feel like I need to disconnect and focus on my local reality.

Ok, I gotta go. Take care and see y'all soon!
-Jim

[Nosnibor]

I am becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the time I spend attenuating to streaming content. For my mental health, I feel like I need to disconnect and focus on my local reality.

I feel that too. I've put a lock out timer on apps on my phone that waste my time and I also dont leave my phone on my desk anymore (I waste a bit more time just scrolling about on the PC itself now) but I have definitely gained a significant amount of time back. Feels much nicer : )

It is nice seeing someone else working on Term 4 at the same time as me - especially as you are ahead so I can see and look forward to what is to come. Nice leg anatomy studies : )

[JimSt]

@Nosnibor Sometimes I think how crazy it is that we (the collective human experience) chose to create this hyper-addictive non-productive feedback loop with the amazing technology that we have. Always-on always-streaming, no space for rest, no space for boredom. It's the very definition of dis-ease, I tell you!
Yea, seeing how people handled some of the challenges is always helpful. I'm looking forward to the animal stuff, I've seen some really fun things on here. Sometimes, I go searching in here to see what people came up with - it also lets me do a little comparison with where I am vs them... which can be helpful when it isn't intimidating. LOL

Weekly Update!
This week was busy with getting everything squared away for releasing Project ColoringBook #3, which is out now and can be found on my Ko-fi shop: https://ko-fi.com/jst/shop
The pdf is $5 and the limited edition hand-crafted cover variant pre-order is set at $100. Amazon POD service didn't work out because they wanted me to put my name and title on the book, but that wasn't something I wanted to do (plus it's Amazon). So I'm looking into other print-on-demand options or investing in a laser printer to just do it all myself (which I kind of want to do anyway). I'm still really glad I didn't do a Kickstarter because I really hated the whole process and how it pulled me away from making more stuff. And while I'm not really done with everything with PCB#3, those things will partly influence the next project.
I also took some time to update my website to make it a bit more integrated with my Ko-fi presence and if you are really curious you can find all my super old and embarrassing comics in the "Dog Food Comics" Bark'ive.
https://boredombrothers.com/dfc/index.html

Okay, not a lot of Art School stuff, but I got a couple comic art studies. I'm probably less happy with these but time was stupid-limited.

I'm planning on having more time for my art studies this week and maybe finish out Week 4? Anyway, I gotta go. I hope everyone is doing well and making progress in their efforts!

Cheers!
-Jim

[JimSt]

Time for a check-in!
I've been a bit late in getting this posted due to a death in the family, so almost all of my energy has been aimed at being a vital support to others who need it. I am still trying to make the time to work on my art school projects, but I am feeling like I'm in a holding pattern because I'm not spending the time to make things the best they can be, which makes me spiral a little and feel guilty for even trying to maintain my practices in the face of what everyone is going through. But I also know that I need to nurture myself, so I think I'm going to move on to Term 4 Week 5 soon. I will still owe the finished Landscape studies.

Leg Studies

Landscape Studies

I hope everyone is well and making progress. Cheers!

[Nosnibor]

Time for a check-in!I've been a bit late in getting this posted due to a death in the family, so almost all of my energy has been aimed at being a vital support to others who need it. I am still trying to make the time to work on my art school projects, but I am feeling like I'm in a holding pattern because I'm not spending the time to make things the best they can be, which makes me spiral a little and feel guilty for even trying to maintain my practices in the face of what everyone is going through. But I also know that I need to nurture myself, so I think I'm going to move on to Term 4 Week 5 soon. I will still owe the finished Landscape studies.

Sorry to hear this and sorry for your loss. I think a lot of us feel guilty when we stop for a bit and dont remain consistent with practice, but sometimes it is good to slow down or even pause for a bit to avoid burn out. Happy to see you are still studying though : ) Looking forward to seeing more landscape studies

[SamuraiSingh]

@JimSt Its important to take care of yourself especially when dealing with stressful life events.
I think of it like letting out internal pressure that builds up
Also know that you have people there to support you and care about you

[gregorya]

Nice work on the muscle studies. The Marvel comic crossover with Ghost Rider and Dr. Strange looks interesting. Do you know who drew it?
My condolences for your loss as well. It's helpful to take a break if you need it.
Nice sketches of the environmental studies.

[JimSt]

Wow! Two weeks already? Ok...
@Nosnibor @SamuraiSingh @gregorya Thanks for stopping by and making a comment. I think having a solid art habit that still provides a way to get outside of myself for a little while and get lost in some sketching has helped provide some structure and relief from the chaos. I also think slowing down and taking my time with some things are probably in order, so hopefully I can enjoy it more deeply.
The Dr. Strange & Ghost Rider cover is by Sam Keith for Marvel Comics Present #104. 90's comics were wild and Sam Keith was a huge force from that period.

Here's the stuff I was able to complete for Term 4 Week 5 so far....

Lower Anatomy Studies

Foot Studies - 12/20
Only #1, 11, & 12 are digital. Analog is so much more satisfying for me right now. I think it is because I'm finding the use of a computer enables distractions too easily and I am also associating all the crap I see on social newsmedia with the computer in general and makes me want to disconnect. There's some fun little warm-up doodles too.

Comic Anatomy Studies (2/10)
Images by Ted McKeever for Marvel Team-up #13

Whelp, I gotta bounce. Again, I hope you all are making progress where you are intending.
Cheers,
-J.St.