# Questions - markers, auctions, art school etc.



## Aegidia (Apr 5, 2008)

EDIT: I've just realised that I might have been making an ass of myself: was this supposed to go in 'Feedback'? I'm somewhat confused about the difference between the two...

Hello fellow artists! I have a few questions, so I thought I'd make a topic here and ask them (the sheer genius of this idea is astounding).

1. I want to try my hand at colouring with markers, because I love the results some other artists on the 'net manage to get with them. Most readily available to me (...okay, the _only_ options available to me) are Copic markers and Tria Pantone markers. Which would you recommend? The Tria's are slightly cheaper, but I honestly want to go for quality over my wallet. I'm asking because I've heard several times that Copics are overrated. Also, the Tria's come in more colours (300 vs. 214). Obviously, I'm not in a position to fork over 1200-1500 euros for the full set, but if I like working with them and want to continue using them, the colour range could be an important factor - right?

2. I've been accepted to an art school near here, which means that next year I'm going to have to pay A) lecture fees for art school, B) lecture fees for university, C) rent for a room nearer to school/university and D) obviously, food. My standard government fee just about fails to cover rent, so I'm going to have to find a way to work two studies and make about 450 euros a month without leaning on my parents too much. I've arranged for a flexible job after the summer, but until then, I thought I might make some money doing something I like: drawing (and painting). Preferably by auctions on Furbuy. So a few questions:
What works better: an auction for a commission or an auction for an already drawn piece?
Are people more interested in auctions with ladder options/extra's thrown in for higher prices?
Tame or adult? And if adult: pin-up poses, general (hardcore) hetero- or homosexual sex, or fetishes? (if this question violates the PG-13 rule, I apologise: please say so and I will remove it)
Is it wiser to stick to generally popular species (foxes, wolves, cats) or is there no harm (significant time and money lost) in trying to interest buyers with species that are seen less often?
Anyhting I might have forgotten to ask, but which is nevertheless helpful.
I understand that there isn't something as easy as 'a winning formula' (and if there were, you'd be daft to share it with me), but tips derived from observation or personal experience in the matter are greatly appreciated.

3. Speaking of art school... any tips? Do's and (especially) don'ts? I really have no clue what to expect. My admittance just sort of... happened. As in: 'Let's do something about all this free time. I know! I'll try out for art school!' and I got in. There is one matter I'm especially curious about: the teachers' attitudes towards your work. I read an interview with a student at the art school I'm going to, and she described how a teacher just smashed her work because 'it looked like two flawed milk bottles' and she seemed to think he was completely in his rights to do that. Now... have I been tainted by university into thinking that there is supposed to be mutual respect between teacher and student and that destruction of the student's work is plain old vandalism and not helpful to his/her progress at all?

4. Does anyone have any tips for other mediums I can try out? So far, I've used the following:
(Coloured) pencils, (coloured) inks, charcoal, water colour, acrylics, oils, pastels (soft and oil), etching, linoleum carving, sculpting (clay) and combinations of these. I've also applied Nepalese parchment, bee's wax, beads and sand to paintings and have painted on paper, canvas, canvasboard, glass and wood. Oh, and I do photography. As noted above, I've got my sight set on markers now, and I'm also keeping an eye open for the option of acrylic inks.

5. Does anyone know where you can get good reference photo's for animals that are not so well known? I prefer books over sites, but anything will do really. I have a truckload of old WWF- and National Geographic-magazines and calendars, but for some reason the same species always return. I mean, there's what, 80 or 85 species of antilope? Then why do you always see the Thomson's gazelle, impala, wildebeest and oryx and not the other 75-80? Okay, don't answer that, just focus on the main question. It's doable to find pictures of lesser known animals standing still or being dead, but what about pictures from interesting angles? Pictures of the animals moving? The baby animals?

6. Any other book recommendations - about (the life of) animals, (the use of) plants, culture, mythology, religion (in an academic way, not a 'feel the love of god'-way), fantasy, science-fiction and of course, art - are greatly appreciated too.

That... was more text than I'd anticipated. A heartfelt 'Thank you' to everyone who answers to any of these questions. Oh, and the tip 'don't buy books or fancy art supplies so you can save for those 450 euros a month' is also appreciated, but will be politely ignored: I've been saving birthday- and special occassion-money from my grandparents for years, so I feel entitled to treat myself.


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## Kiriska (Apr 5, 2008)

1. I prefer Copic Sketch over Trias mostly for the brush tip, which I think allows for amazing flexibility and accuracy. As for "overrated," most supplies will only give back as much as you give in. Obviously, you would have to work to master any new medium, but with some practice, I really do believe that Copics are worth it.

2. It's very good that you have an outside job in addition to artwork. Starting out, it's always good to have backup plans. 
--- a. I would negotiate commissions on an individual process and auction pre-made pieces. 
--- b. I'm not that familiar with auctions because I don't do them much, but personally, I don't think I'd like extras for a higher price. It makes things more complicated than they need to be. 
--- c. The adult furry market is usually easier to sell into, I think, because there aren't as many people willing to do it. And I think fetishes would be more interesting than simply hardcore sex as it's more interesting and more tasteful than right out porn.
--- d. If you are only drawing to sell, then I would definitely stick with the popular species. But throwing in the occasional rarity could be fun for both yourself and your audience and who knows, you may just find a grateful fur who's been waiting for someone to draw that species.

3. Professors and teachers at art schools vary greatly. I've had both horrible and wonderful experiences with them, so there's really no way to tell. There is a general idea that many of them look down at the anime and furry subcultures and don't understand/appreciate our work, so you may have to gear yourself up for dealing with these kinds of people. Prepare an intelligent defense or just ignore them. Most of them aren't worth dealing with. Other professors are perfectly accepting and encouraging, so it all balances out in the end. The main thing about art school is just that you get out of it what you put into it. I think too many people go to art school because they have nothing better to do and think that just because they can graduate with a degree, it means they're great artists and will have jobs later. This, obviously, isn't necessarily true. Work hard. Nothing's going to be handed to you

4. It seems like you've covered almost all the major mediums. You could always try digital?

5. The Eyewitness series of animal books usually has lots of good information and photos, including subspecies and infant/immature animals, but I'm not sure how varied their species coverage is. Most lesser known species are lesser known because they're rarer to some degree, so it would make sense that it would be harder to find books on them. Browsing through your local library may help though?

6. I find that general college-level biology, botany, and zoology books are great for general research. You can usually find them pretty cheap at used book stores or from other students. Of course, some of these will be more text-heavy than image-heavy.

Hope that was helpful. Good luck with everything! c:


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