Thread: 2Dimensional Art with an Extra Dimension

Originally Posted by JShockley

Then I must be good, I can't do anything. -_-

Seriously though, I understand what you are saying, I have no one around here really to compete with, my school is full of computer illiterates, so I'm not particularly used to the criticism, but will learn to embrace it. Thank you Marvo(:

What you need to do then, is look at professionals. Just look at GOOD advertisements (there's a lot of shit generic ones), look at the clever ones. Try to be that good.
Think of a product, and make an ad for it. Draw up 20-30 ideas in 10 minutes. You probably won't get to 20, but aim for it. Choose the best one and draw it out better, since it will be mostly scribbles lol
Then produce the final product.

GO

If you want to really get good, you need to study the basics of design principles. For ANY kind of visual art design is essential. I didn't want to take design classes, but it was a requirement in order to take any art classes at my school, and when I get there I was super-glad I did!! He made us do things like make interesting compositions just with a bunch of thumbtacks, lay out a bunch f wrenches to make interesting use of positive and negative space etc, and a dull as it sounds, it was an amazing experience that formed a strong foundation for all my art.

Buy books on design principles and the principles of art. That alone (well that and reading them, and most importantly actually practicing the exercises over and over) will give you a tremendous leg up over anybody who hasn't done it. Heh.. I had two hours in between classes one semester, and I spent it all in the library poring through all the art and design books they had. I think I learned more that way than in the class itself, but I wouldn't give up either experience for anything in the world.

Agree completely. You gotta learn the principles of good design. For example: a design where the text is not readable (such as the drunk driving poster you made) is not good design. You want to be able to get the message across without real effort from the audience. It took me a while to read that poster, some of the text got lost int he background, and I had no idea which words to read before others. Make sense? Also photoshop is cool, but you need a purpose for the things you do. You don't want to just arbitrarily apply brushes and filters and blow out a design with random colors and blurs. Too much photoshop is the easiest mark of the design novice. And don't take offense to the word novice, you are only 16 and haven't had any design classes, then that is exactly what you are. It's not a bad thing, you're just beginning and you have a lot to learn. But I didn't even start computer design until I was 18 so it's great that you're starting very young. But I would hesitate to make a portfolio site for yourself just yet, let alone advertise yourself as a graphic designer.

Yesterday, I went out and bough $100 worth of books, Design Workbook, Inspiration Guide for Designers by Abduzeedo, and Photoshop Compositing Secrets.

You have a bright future...learn well, young jedi knight.