@Karlsonimation profile picture
Games & Frames @Karlsonimation

Teacher of the 3D art stuff. BFA/MFA Animation/Game Design SCAD² 3D/2D Artist/Animator. USN Veteran. History Nerd.

Joined April 2017
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When you look for your Redbull because you think it's missing when really it's just gone. You finished it. It's over.
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This is a magnified knife. I think about it when I fall into precision traps. In digital art, it's easy to aim for perfection. Before you know it, you're trying to make everything perfectly symmetrical and mathematical. Nothing is ever perfect. It's important to loosen up.
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Additionally, we must ask ourselves whether the details we are focused on, like "Are these 2 vertices exactly the same distance from the center?" or, "Is my character's arm exactly rotated 90 degrees?" are important to the project or our own sense of perfection.
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One of the more upsetting things about AI is that a lot of AI practitioners don't understand the point of art. I've heard people say that AI can help artists do tasks faster. Which is true, and in some cases useful. But also, artists enjoy spending time on their work.
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Like I get it. Many things are "results based". That's great. But you cannot look at the entire world like everyone else is just a dumber scientist. Humans have an inherent desire to create. Even if AI replaces every single art job, I'll still want to create.
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Went to presentation recently where someone said that "art is what people do with technology until they find something better to use it for". Which is just a great way to trivialize something you don't understand while living in a world ruled by art.
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Are you growing as an artist? Are doing the same thing over and over, hoping you'll eventually get better? We don't get better by doing the same thing. We get better by doing different things, and bringing that knowledge back to our passions.
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I see this a lot with people drawing characters they've created. We get pleasure from familiarity. We've drawn this character 1000 times. Keep drawing those characters! But draw other things too. Challenge yourself to operate in circumstances that don't feel comfortable.
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Um I just asked ChatGPT to create a picker UI for any rig in Maya using MEL and it did it
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The worst mistake you can make when learning new 3D software is assuming the same practices from software you are familiar with still apply. If you're going to learn, really learn. Embrace starting from square one. It's frustrating, but "translating" is not the same as "learning"
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Many artists refuse to learn software because it's not familiar. People will spend years learning Maya and then never touch Zbrush because it's....well...ZBrush. It's not that you don't have the skill to learn, you don't have the patience to suck again. Trust me I've been there.
Just spent all day troubleshooting a render for glass reflections. This one tiny part of my render kept crashing maya. Turns out, that reflection wouldn't be seen in the final comp. And I had forgotten because I'm rendering the foreground separately....
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I respect that there are awesome researchers and innovators working in Blockchain and AI. Their passion for their work is amazing. However, digital arts should not be viewed as monolithic. There are HUNDREDS of other digital arts focuses and pursuits that are just as amazing.
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I'll happily collaborate with anyone who is an expert in blockchain or ai. But my focus will always be on aesthetics and storytelling. That's what makes collaborations work, allowing people to focus on their passions while contributing to the greater whole.
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What I see is this pressure to make blockchain or AI the sole focus, regardless of the final product. Art is often seen as a hollow shell that proves the viability of the technology. I want to focus on how these technologies can serve art. Not how art can serve these technologies
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There will always be times when you have to sacrifice a little, to gain a lot. But be sure what you're sacrificing when signing up for freelance contracts, especially if you already have a full-time job. Make sure the benefits outweigh the costs.
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For me, if I charged for all of this, I would probably never get another freelance contract again. So try to find projects whose deadlines fit your schedule. Don't be so quick to say yes to every opportunity. We all have to do what we have to do. But only we live with the impact.
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A lot of people regret not saying yes to things. For me, I say yes way too often. You have to be your own client. How much would you pay yourself to live your life with less stress? Does that outweigh what someone else is going to pay you? Is the project going to launch you?
Me in class "Let's not approach animation in Maya from a programming perspective" Me animating "I have to launch Maya with Python 2 instead of 3 just so this character picker will work"
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