Had you feeling sometimes to quit to 3D?
Zilvergrafix
Posts: 1,385
I have 3 options, maybe there are more but that's the 3 I've felt sometimes in the past.
1-Had you ever, in sometime of your artistry life in 3D, the urge to quit?, because you feel you are walking in circles?, or the rest of the 3D artists are getting better and better in no time than you?, and due to that, you think is useless to continue because asides your creative skills are lowest than the surface you stand, your PC is a Pentium with 512Mb ram and Voodoo card?
2-Or the opposite way; you are recognized like a Top Artist/Modeller/PA and your renders are the way to emulate for all of us and you think it's time to stop because there is nothing to do in 3D for you?
3-You are an average artist, you create wonderful works and you know to do this an that, but you post your exceptional images and apparently the others ignore your works...you feel like being rejected due to your mastery?
I'm curios, opinions?
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Luckily, no. Although you should do whatever is best for you, I would of course encourage you to NOT give up, if that's what you are thinking. To address a few points from your post above:
1. Unless your goal is to get better faster than everyone else (in which case you should probably be competing in the olympics, not in art), or you have a goal you need to reach in order to survive (you make your living entirely as a PA, and aren't reaching the goals you set for yourself) it is completely irrelevent how fast you get good and your relative rate of performance improvement relative to others. All that matters is that you have fun. Everybody doesn't improve at the same rate, nor does everybody have the same opportunities to improve. For example, if I spent my entire day doing art my skills would obviously improve much faster than if I was working and had a busy family life and only did art half a day once or twice a month. If I have a old, slow computer I won't be able to try a zillion things just to see what effects a random parameter or lighting change would have on the scene, so I won't be as familiar with the opportunities available to me. That's not a reflection on my own abilities. And my memory is horrible compared to others, which greatly hinders my ability to do things especially in the age of no software manuals and doubtless puts me behind others, but honesly who cares, I can still make art I'm happy with anyway, even if I do it somewhat slower than others.
2. Can't help you here. If you feel you are done, it's probably time to take a break and try other things. Luckily I have plenty of art left in me.
3. If you want more feedback from your works, you might have to seek that out. I would be willing to bet there are places that where viewers have dramatically more or fewer comments on the same work, just due to the nature of the site or personalities of those viewing. Perhaps there are places specifically designed to elicit feedback so you don't think you are ignored. Keep in mind that just because you don't get feedback does not mean your work is being ignored though. I periodically dig through the huge volume of art being produced, but I almost never comment on it. Honestly, you can only say "nice render!" so many times before it looses meaning to say (for me at least), even if it's still true, so I'm usually silently appreciating it instead of commenting. Do not assume that a lack of comments means a lack of appreciation. I've also noticed that work seems to get buried, the comments I get are nearly all within one week of posting it. Perhaps you could set up your own gallery or website specifically for your art, with a reason people would want to regularly visit it to see your new stuff, so you could concentrate viewers who are interested specifically in commenting on your works. Not sure.
I feel like quitting 3D about every six months or so. Last year I did quit for about 3 months to practice drawing, but I don't think I'll ever really quit 3D for good.
The reasons why I consider quitting are always the same: being limited to the products that I can buy (as I don't know how to model yet), and not being all that enthusiastic about the end results any more.
No, I'm still adicted.
I think everyone gets that way to a certain extent. Anyone who follows me on DeviantArt will probably have noticed I haven't updated it much recently. This is partly due to me having to spend more time on other pursuits, and partly due to a lack of inspiration. I've never been considered particularly amazing, nor (I hope) particularly poor. Just riding that middle ground somewhere between the two, and that's fine with me.
Surprisingly, a few pieces I put the least amount of work into seem to get the most views on my page. Whilst ones I spent a lot more time on seem largely ignored. It doesn't really bother me, since art is always going to be a subjective thing, but neither does it particularly inspire me to create new art.
I've never considered quitting. I enjoy creating my images, so even if it's for my own benefit I'll continue to purchase new items and make art. But sometimes, a little break can help to reboot your creativity. There's no shame in leaving a gap or two.
No, I'm not quit 3D, I've felt sometimes but I always return, I take long vacations far from the PC and thus, have more quality time with my wife.
Maybe I'm just not artistic enough, but with all the contents I buy, you would think I'd have more to show for it, but sadly I don't. I get many many ideas in my head, just never execute them. I do tend to take time off from all of it often. I do like this hobby though. It keeps my grey cells active.
I'm a programmer and in this field, we have a saying. The last 5% takes 95% of the time. I find that early on when doing 3D, I would forget this rule. Any time I do something that really comes out well is when I spend time not on the bulk, but on the little details. Getting there is a challenge and I find is what used to cause the most disappointment. Maybe it's the level of modeling skills. Maybe it's the lack of ability to do good textures. Rigging? It's always something. For me, the irony is that I usually take a break after I finish a project I've given myself. It always takes the most out of me and I feel drained afterwards. But I always come back. And something I'm noticing now is that I don't get burnt out as much. In fact, I'm finding it actually relaxes me. Now, I do it for fun. If you do it for work, that's gonna be different. But there's gotta be something that keeps pulling you back that you really enjoy.
Well, based on two years of experience and participation for my 6 threads..
1.) People appreciate what you do- they're called lurkers and they are your friends. They silently come in, learn from what you are doing, are grateful, and cruise to the next thread.
Not everyone is comfortable posting for the world to see, for various reasons. They don't know how to post, they don't think they know how to ask something, they might feel it's repetitive to say "good work!" (as already mentioned), they assume you know from your thread count that your work is being viewed, they don't feel they have anything to add, they have limited time to surf, your thread might raise other questions so off they go to find out more about what you've posted...etc.
So, LOVE MY LURKERS! Welcome anytime!
Second- and this isn't the case with you, you post and support other people- but it amazes me when people want support and don't bother to give it to other people. If you don't support their threads, why should they post to yours? I think it's been well established that I'm a staunch supporter of the Art Studio section but you do have to have a "tough skin" when you first post as there might not be many comments. Regardless of the views, I'd say view the thread as a progress report for YOU and no one else- and here's the big thing to my approach- ADMIT WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. I deliberately started from scratch and said "I don't know..." and "I don't know..." and I think that kind of honest approach will get you over the "everyone's better than me, moving faster than me..." way of thinking. I do know I spent FOUR MONTHS on my first render, putting in what I was learning on one thing, while everyone else was moving forward and learning new things, I was refining three or four aspects. (Baby, ask me about spotlights and distant lights!) My first baby is posted below.
Focus on what you want to learn and stick with that aspect, let everyone go "forward." But ask yourself- what is forward? There's no straight line from A to B. You may think you are still on A, but folks on B may have skipped some of A. The funniest thing to me was when I informed someone (doing a lot of things, really experimenting and IMO very, very good) about the fact if you select a light over in the view, you actually move the light, it's not a view. He said "OMG, I didn't know that!" I laughed- hard, and it made my day to help him. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE YOU CAN HELP. Every day, there's someone who is brand new. If you have a pity-party day (we all have them dearie!) go help someone. Take a cue from Jaderail- he was in horrible physical pain many days, but he posted and helped others and I imagine that helped him as much as the person he was assisting.
For me, everyone else moved on. Everyone is still light years ahead of me, but that's okay, but for the little I know- I know it WELL. People started iray 5 months ago. Good for them, happy for them- and they are helping me now because I am just starting. ASK FOR HELP. This forum is absolutely awesome with people trying to assist. Other forums, days can go by, but here, it's minutes to usually a few hours. There's always exceptions of course. If there's something you don't know, someone else does, and don't look at it that everyone is ahead of you, think of it as "Oh goody! Lots of people to help me!" In short, stick with what YOU want to learn and master it. Set your goals- and they are yours. Have fun with what you're doing. I'd rather see art that masters some concept rather than a hodge podge thrown together.
2. Doesn't apply to me, I haven't mastered much- but I'm having FUN.
3. I don't think people "ignore" works due to mastery. I think the lurking thing applies to all ranges of ability.
If you don't have an Art Studio thread, think about starting one! Post your work- for YOU- and ask questions. Admin is also extremely good at popping in over there, Cris, Richard, and Chohole help me out all the time. (Thanks!)
Cathie
(So proud of those dragonfly wings- done with SPOTLIGHTS layered!)
Thank goodness! You're one of the people who help me out OFTEN! (This gal knows a lot!)
I don't consider myself an artist, and would never have the skills many here exhibit. I can easily see getting discouraged, though. I use 3D as an ends to a means -- the output is primarily used for illustrations and product demonstration. About 15 years ago I started doing LEGO constructions using proprietary tools and POV Ray, and these never had to be "artistic"; they just had to convey for readers how to assemble the pieces in steps. "Functional" art is vastly different from artistic art, and less of your soul is exposed. I've used 3D pieces in the comps for book covers, and illustrative art for books and magazine content. There is no expectation of artistic acceptance.
I'm a photographer and writer by trade, and I understand the need to have one's work accepted before feeling fulfilled. And I know that sometimes you just have to do it for yourself. Early in my writing career, back in the 70s, I interviwed several famous "old school" animators still alive during that time - Chuck Jones, Richard Williams, Art Babbit, Tex Avery, and a number of others. One animator, who had in the 30s created a famous cartoon character and worked for all the big animation studios at one time or another, had in his retirement taken up painting sad clowns. Now clowns, happy or sad, aren't my thing, and they're a specialized taste for many people. But this guy loved doing them. I don't think he sold any. He just painted 'em. He seemed happy doing what he loved, and he lived to a very ripe old age.
I usually get frustrated at some point and quit for a few weeks, or lose my focus. Mostly when studio is acting up, which seems to happen everyfew months. I hate the slowness, the weirdness that occurs without explanation. I find re-categorizing content burdensome.
Right now, the Iray stuff, alienates me a bit, since I cannot join in, because my computer is slow, and I cannot afford a new one, so I do sometimes feel left out. It is like when everyone is speaking Klingon, and I am speaking English. HAh.
But what I usually find is some nice piece of content tempts me back. Since I understand there is a new male figure to be released I'm hoping that will be sufficiently interesting to spark my interest.
I'
Luckily I have other options for my time than CGI. I got into poser thru a fellow artist in a gaming community where we were both creating for that game. She turned me onto poser 5 and I was hooked for quite awhile, but then came to a point where i was never happy with my images, especially the lighting. So i tried a few external renderers like Vray and maxwell and LOVED them, but couldn't swing the price of admission for the long term. Then I discovered luxrender and the few attempts at freeware bridges for poser. I liked the results, but the options were very limited. Then came Reality and finally coming to grips with DS and it was a whole new experience after which has really kept me striving onwards and upward.
I honestly feel there are 2 types of render artists, the ones that are pure to the renderer they use and the others that rely on postwork and are more savy in photoshop that the technical aspects of the software that does the rendering. I enjoy setting up the lights and surfaces so they interace with each other in a realistic manner based on the renderer much more than doing postwork, probably because it is what I know more. I have seen some artists do amazing things with postwork and envy them, but also look at it as a total different medium so to speak and another aspect of art to explore and learn.
Personally I am a modeler at the core and rendering gives me another creative outlet in extention with the objects and figures I model.
I am secure enough in my skills to not need external validation from others. While I do like praise (who doesn't?) and also custructive criticism (it's how we all learn) it's not something i crave.
Personally I am a modeler at the core and rendering gives me another creative outlet in extention with the objects and figures I model. I do addons and mods for several game communities and a couple of commercial companies and a game studio which helps be split up my creative time. It also gives me other options for things to focus my creative energy on when not using DS or poser.
I'm still too new to 3d to have had one of these moment, yet. However, art is funny, and everyone has moments of burnout.
But, what I will say is I kind of feel like 3d art, due to it's very nature, sometimes feels more like playing with blocks instead of art. What I miss the most is the ability to just Doodle. Some of my best watercolors started off as a bunch of leftover paint in my tray, and a dirty brush, no plan, no thoughts, just a doodle. Maybe I've just not found the way to doodle just yet...
I started 3D art in 2006, and have quit three times in the last five years, for various reasons.
The third time was last March. I was frustrated with my workflow, the growing disparity in content compatibility, and the overall state of the industry. I threw in the towel when DAZ introduced Iray. The last thing I wanted was to start learning how to use another render engine, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to help myself. Three months later, despite my best efforts to resist it, my addiction kicked in again. As a visually oriented person, 3D art is the only medium through which I feel I can truly express myself. It just feels so damn good overcoming challenges, sharing original art, and getting feedback on it. So, I installed 4.8 last month, and am using it as a clean slate to begin anew.
3D is now a life-long hobby.
I stopped for 5 months late last year after dropping the external with my DS content (luckily I had backed up my poser content that I keep in a seperate runtime) and had neglected to back it up. Then a commish project got me going again. I also play drums and I think it's normal to run out of inspiration from time to time. As far as being the best it does not matter, if you have the right subject matter one can enjoy this and bring in some play $$.
how do you quit?
I quit for many years. Focused on 2D. I brought me back to 3D after about 3 years. :)
I was a traditional 3D artist, I did not use stock assets. I modelled and textured evertything myself. Rejected anything stock as trash. Eventually it was too much work...
Did not want to leave art, focued on 2D, and ended up wanting the advantages of 3D characters after a lot of work in 2D. Accepted premade content to speed up the process. Never became a victim of the market though.
Sometimes I get annoyed that people don't like my expression. Sometimes it fuels me to do more, sometimes it reminds me breaks are good. While I think I am mediocre, I think I'm still above poser porn crowd that gets more attention than I do. So depends on my mood. As an artist, I still suck and have for more than 15 years. But I'm far above average in the poser porn crowd, but I don't get the attention due to my preference in subject. I won't change it to become popular however. Cause that is when you lose the artist, and become a craftsmen, artistan or content creator. None of that interest me :) As long as I have a day job that pays well, I have the luxury of crafting pieces that amuse me. If they don't appeal to others, tuff skittles :)
1. Tell everyone you're quitting.
2. Uninstall your software.
3. Delete all of your content.
4. Remove your credit card info from every 3D art site you shop at.
5. Close all of your 3D art site accounts. If they require you to delete your gallery submissions and wish lists, and then e-mail them with your request, then do so.
7. Delete all of your 3D art-related bookmarks, but keep your favorite forums, so you can stay in touch with other artists.
8. Promise yourself you will never start up again.
9. Revel in the tremendous sense of relief you feel knowing you will never waste countless hours of your life again, trying make your software do what you want.
10. Appreicate and admire other artists' work, but don't let yourself be inspired by them.
11. Spend time on other hobbies.
12. Go see a movie and enjoy over-priced popcorn and soda while the back of your mind wonders if DAZ will ever produce a decent, comprehensive manual.
I've only done #5, once, when I quit last March. Thankfully, they were all able to re-open my accounts, and my purchase history was still intact.
I like your works, specially Syren, is your signature character.
Thank you Zilvergrafix, Syren came after my quit! Resuming 3D allowed me to express some ideas that took too long do do without the benefit of stock assets and rigging. Even so, I take breaks now to focus on other hobbies. And come back when I have energy. My main audience is dA, and that community died a couple of years ago due to changes in format.
It hurt cause I got tons less traffic per work...so I took another break. Not a permenant I quit type break. Just a "time out". Gonna post a quickie of Syren tonight now :) I miss her!
You certainly read my mind, exactly the way I feel. I have 107 unfinished projects (wip's) in my project folder.
I love art
To me creating 3D is very, very, very, time consuming. Don't believe I have actually ever complete a project. When I used to draw by hand, I would start complete project, but on the computer projects are alway's non stop changing, improving, switching, etc.... each day I sit at the computer, I view scene creation differently. I'll learn something new, make changes to scene, or start a whole new scene. And because of this I have 100 plus wip's. It's like I have no direction, which can lead to frustration/disappointment. I create art or 3D mainly for relaxation, it's like therapy to me. I would never quit, but I do take very long breaks.
I create art to share. Otherwise I could just keep all my millions of ideas in my head. To me art is limiting, if I had unlimited resources and staff I could express myself then. I never wanted to be an artist, I wanted to be a producer, a director. And one day I realized I didn't have the money to be those people. I realized, if I was paitent and lucky I could refine my own skills and use my own time to communicate a small fraction of my ideas.
It's painful. The stuff I have time to express is far below what is in my head. But it's better than not sharing the concepts at all. It's better than not sharing anything. Some people find what I do have time to craft enjoyable, some people even find it motivation, inspiration or reference. Not as much nowadays, but those bits of feedback did help me keep going.
The idea matters not, all that matters is if you can share it.
Exactly
if you are good at doodles, do that. Some of us doodled for many years of our life. Failed epically.
Found computer art. Realized it looked better for us at least. Less torn paper, less erasure marks and debris.
Do what works...If it doesn't fit, don't wear it. But don't knock it or plant blame on the tools.
True, I still doodle to, Lol !!!! I enjoy coloring books, using color pencils etc.... Difference is, art by hand is natural, 3D art requires a major learning curve
Question 1: Well... I have been frustrated with 3D (and other art I've tried, like sketching, writing, etc) a lot, because I always see that I still have a long, long , looooong way to go before I will meet my own standards. I don't even dare to think about meeting other people's standards at the moment.
But it never got to the point where I wanted to actually quit. Take a break, try something different, yes. But quit? No.
The funny thing is that, actually, after taking a break and doing something else, my brain is free again to make a step forward in the field you took a break from. Plus, my artistic spirits are refreshed by the input from elsewhere, and I'll come up with new approaches and ideas.
Question 2: I've never had the feeling in 3D Art, but my experience is - if you think you have truly mastered a field, either something comes along that will change the game, or you've grown arrogant by all the praise, and fail to improve yourself. You'll grow lazy, and miss that there's still a ton that you don't know about the topic. If you feel like you know-it-all, start from scratch, create the "simple" stuff in 3D, and re-invent it. See if you can still achieve the same/similar result without photoshop, or just with a single light. Create your own challenge. Nothing is worse than forgetting to be humble about your skills.
Question 3: I'm creating my art for myself. If others enjoy it, then that is fine. If others don't, then that's their problem. If they do, then that's a plus.
But honestly, you need to know "who am I producing this for, who is my target audience"? If you want to make art to please others (ego stroking artworks), you will have to study what the crowd likes, and create your art in a similar fashion. Then you get the "great/like" comments in large numbers.
If you think your art is rejected because of your "mastery" as an average artist, then you probably have a serious ego and attention seeking problem. In this world of many producing artwork, average skills is not enough. And if they are to be enough, you have to be at the right place, and the right time, to be seen by the right people to achieve that "popular" status. It still doesn't mean you have mastered the tools, or the art. Take a step back, and see how you can truly improve on your own art. Ask for constructive feedback, participate in contests where such constructive feedback is given. It will probably be an eye opener for you.
If you feel like that, honestly, just go and do it. Take that break, if you can financially afford to, and get a different perspective. And a happier wife, too. :-)
Art by hand is not natural for all, hence digital space. Not all digital is 3D. I prefer a wacom tablet over a pen and paper, or pencil or charcoal (out of all traditonal media charcoal was the one I worked best in).
If you like to doodle, then maybe doodle in a digital space, leverage the benefits. If the 3D space is a hinderance, then don't let it be. I actually find art by hand a hinderance, where as I find art via digital liberating. I don't tear paper, I don't waste hundreds of dollars in resources. 3D doesn't benefit everyone, but I do think many can benefit from digital.
Also I think some get lost in their transition. Maybe using a naked stock vickie for reference poses is ALL you need! That is what got me into DAZ Studio, the red sonja on a dinosaur tutorial! I only got back into 3D to use it as a reference for my 2D. Then I realized rendering 3D was pretty neato...and stuck with it. And it works for me. Each time I try to go back to 2D it's unnatural! So think about that. Do what is natural. Do what works. Do what allows you to create what you want and not have countless unfinished projects. Unless that is the goal.
I have tons of unfinished pieces, millions of unfinished ideas that I never even tried in either digital or doodle format :) But I don't let any learning curve get in the way. If I am learning something new, it is because it is beneficial to the end result. Right now I am learning new stuff for a new form of expression, one that might be the most liberating yet. One that may be ahead of things I envisioned in the past. But certainly not a limiting factor. Well worth the time investment.