GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to rich35211 [2017-09-21 22:56:14 +0000 UTC]

Thank you Scott!

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to Andorada [2017-09-02 09:12:04 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! Hope it helped, was interesting and/or gave some insight!

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Andorada In reply to GabrielBStiernstrom [2018-02-03 23:56:08 +0000 UTC]

Definitely! Glad you gave the interview!

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to zaksaturday007 [2017-08-18 17:48:18 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad to hear you say each image depicts it's own story, it's very much what I'm after!
Thank you very much for your comment!

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to anabananaART [2017-08-01 17:39:19 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much for your kind comment Anastasia!

You're asking a question that's very controversial and important me, so I shall try and answer it as best as I can from my point of view! I studied 2D Graphics in the Game Development Programme at the University of Skövde. During my three years at this university I mostly wrote 30 pages long reports for teachers that had no connection to the gaming industry at all, I kept telling myself that it would be better next term, next year! But it didn't really get much better, so it was a poor choice as I felt this education was more of a hindrance to me, not allowing me to learn and improve as an artist. Sure, we did have group projects and such which would give a taste of how it can be to work with people you've not chosen, but this is also experience you gain doing real work at any type of studio (game, film, vfx etc). So as an artist, no, I did not improve at this particular education. I've thought about it quite a lot though and I can't speak for every university and education that exist, but I personally believe I would have benefited studying at a traditional art school, learning the fundamentals of composition, perspective, color, light, values, anatomy etc. Art fundamentals are of most importance, because you can apply your knowledge of fundamentals any artwork using any medium (and the tools for these mediums).

I believe that you can become a great artist without proper education. But then you truly need to do your own studying. And you need to work hard! There's so much information online and in books and these will suffice if you know how to use the information. If you're still looking towards educating yourself more "properly" then I would suggest looking for a non-academic education (unless you really want that bachelors degree paper), but as an artist you'll improve the most by practising your craft, to actually draw and do studies. Not by writing 30 pages of reports. Otherwise, there are a lot of educations and courses you can do online - LearnSquared, Schoolism, CGWorkshops, CGMA and more. These are more niched though, and can be focused in specific areas. There's also gumroad where you can purchase a lot of great video tutorials, and a few artists offer personal mentorships and so. These places might not be as expansive as a traditional eduction, but the teachers are people who work in the industry and it is cheap. Though, it might be a bit of a gamble because you don't know how pedagogical the people are. But apperently you don't need to be pedagogical to teach at the university either because of how the system is constructed.

Sooo... Well. I can't really with certainty vouch for that any option is the best option. Great artists have emerged from my University, but I think it's not because of the education but because the artists pushed themselves to learn and improve. I know of people who have jump out of the university and made it big as artists, I know people who never attended university and made it as artists. I know artists who have attended universities and made it as well.

To sum it up I can only speak from my own experience. The academic type university did nothing for me as an artist, had I tried to get into an art education today then I would have gone for a traditional art education. But in the end it's about your own drive to learn and continously create art, and you are able to find all the resources you need online and at the library to truly become a great artist. You only need to know where to look!

Hope this answer helped and didn't confuse you!

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Planetrix In reply to GabrielBStiernstrom [2017-08-14 18:51:52 +0000 UTC]

This response deserves to be in a journal somewhere.  Modern universities are very good at training people to be students, I feel, but lack the career background and real-world experience needed for actual jobs.  I learned *FAR* more about software development from my first few industry jobs than I ever did from the classroom.

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anabananaART In reply to GabrielBStiernstrom [2017-08-05 21:34:06 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much for your response ! This is exactly what I wanted to know I asked because I also study in an art university, but my university is very bad:/ everything I've learned I've learned by myself and I keep wondering if there is any reason to keep studying if it's just waste of time:/
you have a huge talent! No matter if it was with the help of art school or not, you have a great future good luck

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to foureyes [2017-07-30 09:08:29 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much! You've got an expectational gallery yourself!

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to ItchyKitchy [2017-05-11 15:11:57 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much, I am glad you like it!

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to F3N-R1R [2016-11-22 12:19:12 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much!

I don't mind, ask away anything and I'll do my best answering!

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F3N-R1R In reply to GabrielBStiernstrom [2016-11-23 06:27:36 +0000 UTC]

You say you use Photoshop to make these? I can't really imagine how.
How much time does it usually take you to complete an image?
What inspires you to create these?
Do you have any videos or streams on how you make your work?

Any special tricks you can share? Tools or programs, or techniques not well known?

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GabrielBStiernstrom In reply to F3N-R1R [2016-11-23 11:24:59 +0000 UTC]

Photoshop is a very powerful tool if you know how to use it! But I also use 3D programs (Autodesk Maya is what I prefer) that helps me frame the composition, light and the big shapes very easily. Sometimes I get more advanced in 3D creating shaders and texturing with HDR-lighting, but only if I feel the need to. I find it unnecessary to do too much work in 3D when some things will be quicker and easier in photoshop.

The time it takes for an image truly depends on if it's personal work, client work, if I try something new, if it's something I know, what level of detail I want to achieve. A very simplistic space image could take 2 hours, a very detailed piece can take up to a week.

Books, images, music, trips, games, films. Everything and anything really.
Books are great because there's no imagery, everything I see is my own imagination and sometimes it can be pretty awesome and inspiring. This doesn't mean that I need to create a scene from this book but it can be used as simply inspiration.
Watching other peoples works inspires me and pushes me to become better a better artist myself.
Music can create amazing emotion and feeling that I sometimes try to translate into an image.
What I think could be the most important source of inspiration is the environment itself. See the world, or if that's not possible, walk around your own neighbourhood. Find a forest, find an abandoned factory, walk streets you don't know and simply look around you. Sometimes you see what could be a fantastic image right in front of you, bring a camera or a sketchbook and capture what you see. It's very important to know other cultures, people, architectural styles etc. if you want to grow as a person and as an artist. It's about gathering a visual library more or less. Don't expect to find all you need on the computer, move yourself!

Yes but only one so far www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj9lOt… but I'll try and make more in the future! But there are tons of videos and tutorials online if you are interested. Gumroad if perfect where you can support an artist and get so much material back check on some people like Maciej Kuciara, Anthony Jones, Ben Mauro, Eytan Zana, John Sweeny, John J. Park, Jan Urschel... just to mention a few. And if you want free great content you can check up artist on YouTube. Many upload entire makings and some breakdowns. If you browse ArtStation.com it's easier to see if people have a video of the process of the images. Apart from that there are a few concept artist that do stream and make interviews with other artists such as Learned Squared, Art Cafe (by Maciej Kuciara) and Level Up! (Wojtek Fus, Darek Zabrocki & Jonas De Ro). There's so much more if you just know where to look!

And any special tricks? Well, there isn't "one trick" that will magically make an image happen. Know your fundamentals about color, light, depth, composition. Take your time, make mistakes, start again, have someone give you feedback that's constructive. Use pen and paper and sketch out your surroundings and you'll start seeing things you don't even think about. Try and actually understand how things work in correlation with each other. Don't be selective either, even though you aren't doing traditional art you should still analyse it and learn from it, find things to appreciate in it. What actually makes you appreciate an image, try and break it down. Gather references and gain experience!

Hope this helped somewhat!

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Eddy-Shinjuku In reply to GabrielBStiernstrom [2017-04-15 14:55:22 +0000 UTC]

I'm just passing by but this is such dedication to a reply! It basically sums up what is required to excel at digital arts for any level of skills. 
Though what most will find out eventually that Level Up! will single-handedly introduce them to this world and their artistes; miss those three and can't wait for their next Session in May.

Namaste

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