Glance over this month's news and events, and don't miss the upcoming sale, job opportunities, and new art challenge!
BLACK FRIDAY SALE EXTENDED!
We are currently in the middle of our biggest sale of the year and you can save 25% off on ALL CLASSES!
The sale was originally set to end on December 3rd but due to multiple requests, we are happy to announce that it will be extended for another week! Our 25% off sale will last until December 10th! After that, classes will be listed at their full price.
All classes are on sale but spaces are limited! Sign up now to secure your seat and take advantage of our special sale price!
FORM RENDERING (with feedback)
FANTASY ILLUSTRATION (in self-study or with feedback)
MATERIAL RENDERING (in self-study or with feedback)
CHARACTER ILLUSTRATION (in self-study or with feedback)
DIGITAL PAINTING BASICS (in self-study or with feedback)
INTRO TO STYLIZATION ( self-study or with feedback)
INTRO TO CHARACTER DESIGN (self-study only)
Note: there will be no Mentorship Group this term. "Pre-sale" classes will be available to view starting January 5-12 (depending on the class).
Private consultations are unavailable for December but will reopen in January.
ANNOUNCEMENT: SWATCHES STUDIO!
We are very excited to announce the soft launch of Swatches Studio, offering illustration and concept art services! We will be working with our usual clients as well as some new ones! We look forward to sharing more details soon. If you would like to submit your portfolio for consideration, please fill out this form: https://www.swatchesstudio.com/jobs
Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee that you will be offered a position.
Follow Studio updates on IG https://www.instagram.com/swatchesstudio/ and our website https://swatchesstudio.com/.
EVENTS
Our WARHAMMER 40K SPACE MARINE ART CHALLENGE is currently in progress!
Catch the final review livestream this Thursday December 5th at 12 noon ET on https://www.youtube.com/@Swatches where we will be looking at all the final artwork and choosing our winners!
Our next event will take place during spring break and the theme will be either Fantastical RPG Props -or- Djinn and their Vessels -or- Gothic Monsters and Monster Hunters! To vote on which theme should be chosen, head over to www.swatchesdiscord.com and vote in the challenge-announcements channel. Tickets will be priced at $20 as usual and will go on sale in March.
COMMUNITY
With Christmas just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to share the DND-EMBER Daily Challenge! This Christmas themed D&D prop challenge was created by our friend Sofia and it is so much fun! Check out the prompts below and be sure to use #DNDEMBER2024 if you post on social media. You can follow Sofia and check out her art on IG @sofia.alex.art
DISCORD PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
We are also still accepting portfolio submissions on Discord! However, because of Christmas break, we will likely not resume the review livestreams until January. To submit your work for live review on the Swatches YouTube channel, please join our Discord server here: www.swatchesdiscord.com and post a link to your work in the video-critique-submissions channel.
CORPORATE TRAINING
Swatches Academy is now offering corporate classes of our most popular courses. We recently wrapped up private training for multiple corporate teams and the results were extremely positive! If you or your team would like an artistic edge with private training, contact us here: https://www.swatchesacademy.com/corporate-training. We offer bulk discounts, schedule flexibility, and lifetime access.
ALUMNI SPORTLIGHT
We have been so impressed by the concept and visual development work being done by our former student Miyuki Yamada! Miyuki is based in Toronto and currently open to opportunities. To see more of her work, check out her Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/gata_yama.
INSPIRATION
We recently came across the very excellent work of concept artist Andrew Ferguson. We were blown away by his concepts and presentation. All the devices, ships and vehicles he’s come up with are well thought out and so interesting to look at. He has even included wonderfully animated drawings and models to demonstrate the different mechanisms.
Andrew’s approach to his portfolio presentation is really fresh and stands out from the mountains of concept art on Artstation, and in that environment, grabbing people’s attention and holding it is no easy feat.
Check out more of his work here: https://www.artstation.com/andrewferguson
TIP OF THE MONTH
Creativity doesn’t just apply to art.
Lately we have been noticing that students mostly think of creativity in the context of painting and drawing and less about it in other contexts. As professional artists trying to build a career and make a living off of our art skills, being creative in other areas of our life can be the factor that pushes us towards success while others remain stagnant. Creativity expresses itself first and foremost in finding solutions for problems. The same applies when looking for work. The most successful artists are the most resourceful. Academy instructor Nino Vecia is a great example of a professional artist that is both creative and resourceful. Nino creates his own opportunities, selling directly to the public and crowdfunding his own products and personal work. Another well known example of this is Lorenzo Etherington, the author of the “How to Think when you Draw” series. Lorenzo didn’t wait around for someone to invite him to work on a book, he created and published his own through kickstarter and is one of the most successful independent artists in recent years. All this to say that if you can be creative in other areas of your life, your career and your process, you will make real breakthroughs and set yourself apart from your more passive, less creative competitors.
And that wraps up our news for 2024! We appreciate all those that have stuck with us this year and look forward to more art, classes, and community events in 2025. See you in the new year! 🍾🎊
-Clint
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