Question - where to discuss art fundamentals?

Beestonian

With the (relatively) recent additions of the 2D section, I've sort of meandered around the forums wandering if there was a spot where first principles, or just general design can be discussed. Since they're the foundation for all asset disciplines, I figured this was a question worth asking. General discussion seems to be where it's at but there's a lot of non-art content that does get posted. I was thinking technical talk would be perfect for lighting principles or perspective drawing, but that sub-forum is all software related discussion.

Where on this forum can I go to find good design/drawing/anatomy etc discussion?

JordanN

That's very arbitrary, given Polycount as a whole is an art website. Any information posted in one section can still be applicable to another, because they're all connected to the fundamentals in one way or another.

But you can still use technical talk to ask lighting or perspective questions. It might say software, but seeing as software is used to make art, it doesn't make a difference.

Beestonian

You're right to an extent that it's relevant to everything, which is kind of an indication of the issue rather than a solution. 

It's partly a matter of catching the right fish for the thread. You might have people who browse 3D sketchbooks looking for a specific kind of content - 3D sketchbooks - but you're in there asking about shape language in character design? That's not what they wanted from that sub-forum, so you get no responses.

The inverse of that is of course if you're looking for prior discussions on a particular topic, as I have been doing with Conceptart.org but half of it's content have since disappeared. A forum is kind of like the wiki, but with a round table discussion, because that takes advantage of the archival nature of the forums. Use the search function for a specific set of keywords, or use the archives, maybe. And the reason all of this is important is that I'm under no presumption that my threads or questions are entitled to a response, so maybe I can look for other's before posting.

Maybe I can just go to the 2D section and make a universal 'fundamentals' thread that becomes as permanent and nebulous as the 'what are you working on' thread, and it'll be so good that Pior and Hazardous will post in it and it will be stickied. Maybe that's what I'll do. 

RN

Hey there.
I have a strong feeling that the people you mentioned learned their fundamentals the offline way with real live teachers, books, workshops etc.
I think it's the healthiest way for your career anyway.

Daew

If you do do this in the 2d forum, i suggest sneaking in some 3D in there, both are really great for learning. And a topic Id like to know more about if you are taking suggestions, "fighting the uncanny, what is a duck face and how can I stop sculpting the duckface. and other common uncanny mistakes" 

Eric Chadwick

The best way to gain traction for your questions, is to post solutions of your own, and update the thread constantly with new additions. Be a contributor, and others will contribute in kind.

If you're interested in learning, this explains how to get the most out of any decent professional forum. Just substitute "hackers" with "experienced artists" and the meaning is the same...
http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#intro

Beestonian

Eric Chadwick said:

The best way to gain traction for your questions, is to post solutions of your own, and update the thread constantly with new additions. Be a contributor, and others will contribute in kind.

If you're interested in learning, this explains how to get the most out of any decent professional forum. Just substitute "hackers" with "experienced artists" and the meaning is the same...
http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#intro

Thanks man, that's absolutely ace advice. I've been thinking about forums the wrong way, evidenced by my fish metaphor - I need to encourage participation by being a problem solver. As for the 'where' to post question, I'm sure those problems sort themselves out.

/thread

Eric Chadwick

Yeah, don't worry too much about where it should go. If you make a thread with some cool content, we'll make sure it gets moved to the best place.

I've been collecting things in the wiki about art fundamentals, specific techniques, etc..
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Concept_Fundamentals
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Character_Concepts
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Roguedevelopmentdiary
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Defining_the_Rift’s_Visual_Style
etc.

Feel free to register and add things you like, or make new pages for new topics (shape language in character design, etc.)