Posts
Right now at http://www.schoolism.com Save $100 off Self-Taught Classes until January 2nd, 2015. Exclusions may apply
23 hours ago
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Saturday, October 04, 2014
Ape table 421, inktober
Drew this for some dear friends. We are at #APE today! Come and say hi! Booth 421. #inktober
Friday, October 03, 2014
APE in SF. Table 421
Kei Acedera and Bobby Chiu will be at APE (Table 421) in SF this weekend. Our first time! Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones!
Friday, September 12, 2014
7 Tips for the 21-Year-Old Me
When I was a student in college working on my skills as a character designer, I’d had periods where I would sit at my desk working as hard as I could but having little to show for my efforts at the end of the day. I remember sitting there surrounded by blank pieces of paper, trying to come up with an amazing style that nobody had ever seen before. I would do one drawing and not be satisfied, so I would lay a new piece of paper over it, re-draw it with slight changes to features here and there. This would still not be good enough so I would put another piece of paper over my revision, make more minor adjustments trying to perfect this new style I was searching for.
I did this for weeks on end, tweaking and polishing over and over, working hard every day. But in the end, did I come up with a brand new style, something amazing that nobody had ever seen before?
No, unfortunately I didn’t.
And how much did I improve from this experience? Not much at all.
Spinning my wheels like this made me a little depressed and I thought to myself, “If only someone could tell me what to do to become a great artist, I would do exactly that and do it with all my heart.”
That’s what this article is about: seven key things that I would tell the 21-year-old me, which I’ve found to contribute the most to having a successful career in art.
1. “Focus, Bobby. Undisturbed focus, 90 minutes at a time.”
It’s actually really great to work intensely for short segments of time and take regular breaks. I’ve found that when I split my work into intense and focused 90-minutes sessions, not only do I have a good sense of urgency as the 90 minutes expire, but the regular breaks also give me wonderful, fresh looks at my work multiple times throughout the day.
2. “You have to practice, Bobby. There’s no way around it and there is no substitute for good, purposeful practice.”
There are many different ways to practice but I have found that practicing as a way of trying to learn has the greatest impact. What I mean by this is, I don’t practice drawing something just because it looks cool—I always have an objective in mind. What am I trying to learn?
Am I studying how an artist does a certain technique or achieves a certain look?
Am I learning muscles and other anatomy?
I didn’t practice simply how to copy what I saw but rather I practiced fully understanding what it was that I was drawing and painting to the point that I could do it out of my imagination.
If I had only practiced how to copy things, then I would have become a great copier. But by striving to understand what it was that I was referencing and trying to create something with the same essence and feeling, I worked multiple parts of my mind and skills.
3. “Embrace your routine, Bobby.”
I used to be against routines.
I used to think routines would take all the fun and excitement out of my life and lock me down. I started my own studio because I wanted to be free.
But I’ve since discovered that I looked at it all wrong.
Freedom isn’t necessarily a result of having spontaneity, it’s the result of having time.
I feel the most free when I have time to do the things that I really want to do, and the best way to have a lot of time is to be better organized. Having a great routine allows me to be more productive, which gives me more time to do the other things I love to do.
Routines are also extremely powerful for creating momentum but they only work if we make them a priority. I became better at drapery and drawing people by sketching for a few hours on the subways of Toronto every Sunday. This was part of my routine for five years and I did it consistently even if it was raining, Christmas, or my birthday. And even though subway sketching only took two or three hours every seven days, the routine helped improve my skills dramatically.
Try it yourself! Start off with something small that you know you can commit to. Do that thing consistently and you’ll quickly see the benefits of a great routine. Once you get used to it, add something new and soon you’ll have a great routine that will improve your skills and save your time.
4. “Cultivate a love for what you do, Bobby.”
As a student, I was afraid to really, truly love doing art. Some artists get too obsessed about their art, and I didn’t want to go that crazy about my work.
But what I found was that loving what I do doesn’t automatically make me crazy about it, and that’s a good thing. Loving art not only helps me get through the day, it makes me eagerly await the next day because each day is another opportunity to get better at doing what I love.
Most of us who call ourselves artists love art, but like with any relationship, we have to put in the effort in to make our love affair strong and lasting. So we should all try to cultivate our passion, enthusiasm, and love for art; these can only help us on our artistic journeys.
5. “Build a network of like-minded people, Bobby. Everything is easier when you have a group.”
I could never do as much or go as far alone as I could with a group of like-minded people.
I think part of the reason that I’ve had a successful career over the years is because I’m naturally curious about people. I love learning their stories and, in turn, making friends. In this way, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of the artists that I look up to and admire, and today, call them my friends.
Because art is typically a solitary pursuit, many artists are naturally shy individuals, so building a network can be daunting. Nevertheless, I cannot overstate the value of having people. To get over my natural shyness, particularly when I first met my heroes, I had to consciously dig around in my mind for that little tiny piece of me that is not as shy, and expand it even if it’s just for a short period of time. I let this little piece steer the ship for a while, and that was how I got myself out there to meet interesting people or people that I didn’t know.
Think of it this way: not meeting one person doesn’t mean missing out on that one person that you could have been friends with; it means missing out on that one person and every person that that person could have introduced you to, and one of THOSE people could have been the one to give you your dream job, been your best friend, or your wife or husband.
Take every opportunity you can to get out there and talk with people, in person or online. Who knows where it will lead you.
6. “Discomfort and fear can’t hurt you, Bobby. By challenging and overcoming them, you will always continue to improve.”
I have learned to challenge challenges, to be comfortable in discomfort, and to overcome my fears. By doing so, I constantly push my limits and therefore expand my potential and possibilities. I love doing things that are challenging, even when I might not know where to even start. These are the things that I live for and they have helped me to push my limits further and further.
When I’ve been too comfortable for too long, I get unsettled. An alarm will go off in my head, compelling me to get up and do something challenging.
Comfort is one of life’s traps and many new professionals fall into it, preventing them from continuing to learn and improve every day. The moment this happens will be the exact moment that you start to fall behind.
The whole world keeps evolving and learning every day, so to stay relevant and to have the best chance at a successful career, we must continue to learn as well.
7. “Exercise your willpower, Bobby. When the mind is willing, the body has no choice but to follow.”
We are not born with willpower. As babies and children, we have to be taught (and taught and taught again) to resist urges, wait for rewards, and basically do the things we know we should do but don’t particularly want to. This challenge doesn’t end at adulthood, either. In fact, I’m sure we all know grown men and women who still have trouble resisting that extra slice of cake, hitting that snooze button one more time, or doing that uncomfortable and inconvenient thing in order to get the reward that they want.
Willpower is something that we can develop, like a muscle that we can grow and strengthen. To exercise it, do things that are challenging or which you don’t want to do but you know are good for you.
Willpower drains as we make decisions such as resisting what we want to have, waiting for a reward, or doing something we don’t want to do. For example, perhaps you can decline a piece of chocolate cake, but what if it was followed by brownies, ice cream, French fries, and potato chips?
This is why I always prefer to make will-draining decisions the night before so that the following morning, I don’t have to make ANY decisions and can just jump right to the first item on my to-do list.
I did this for weeks on end, tweaking and polishing over and over, working hard every day. But in the end, did I come up with a brand new style, something amazing that nobody had ever seen before?
No, unfortunately I didn’t.
And how much did I improve from this experience? Not much at all.
Spinning my wheels like this made me a little depressed and I thought to myself, “If only someone could tell me what to do to become a great artist, I would do exactly that and do it with all my heart.”
That’s what this article is about: seven key things that I would tell the 21-year-old me, which I’ve found to contribute the most to having a successful career in art.
1. “Focus, Bobby. Undisturbed focus, 90 minutes at a time.”
It’s actually really great to work intensely for short segments of time and take regular breaks. I’ve found that when I split my work into intense and focused 90-minutes sessions, not only do I have a good sense of urgency as the 90 minutes expire, but the regular breaks also give me wonderful, fresh looks at my work multiple times throughout the day.
2. “You have to practice, Bobby. There’s no way around it and there is no substitute for good, purposeful practice.”
There are many different ways to practice but I have found that practicing as a way of trying to learn has the greatest impact. What I mean by this is, I don’t practice drawing something just because it looks cool—I always have an objective in mind. What am I trying to learn?
Am I studying how an artist does a certain technique or achieves a certain look?
Am I learning muscles and other anatomy?
I didn’t practice simply how to copy what I saw but rather I practiced fully understanding what it was that I was drawing and painting to the point that I could do it out of my imagination.
If I had only practiced how to copy things, then I would have become a great copier. But by striving to understand what it was that I was referencing and trying to create something with the same essence and feeling, I worked multiple parts of my mind and skills.
3. “Embrace your routine, Bobby.”
I used to be against routines.
I used to think routines would take all the fun and excitement out of my life and lock me down. I started my own studio because I wanted to be free.
But I’ve since discovered that I looked at it all wrong.
Freedom isn’t necessarily a result of having spontaneity, it’s the result of having time.
I feel the most free when I have time to do the things that I really want to do, and the best way to have a lot of time is to be better organized. Having a great routine allows me to be more productive, which gives me more time to do the other things I love to do.
Routines are also extremely powerful for creating momentum but they only work if we make them a priority. I became better at drapery and drawing people by sketching for a few hours on the subways of Toronto every Sunday. This was part of my routine for five years and I did it consistently even if it was raining, Christmas, or my birthday. And even though subway sketching only took two or three hours every seven days, the routine helped improve my skills dramatically.
Try it yourself! Start off with something small that you know you can commit to. Do that thing consistently and you’ll quickly see the benefits of a great routine. Once you get used to it, add something new and soon you’ll have a great routine that will improve your skills and save your time.
4. “Cultivate a love for what you do, Bobby.”
As a student, I was afraid to really, truly love doing art. Some artists get too obsessed about their art, and I didn’t want to go that crazy about my work.
But what I found was that loving what I do doesn’t automatically make me crazy about it, and that’s a good thing. Loving art not only helps me get through the day, it makes me eagerly await the next day because each day is another opportunity to get better at doing what I love.
Most of us who call ourselves artists love art, but like with any relationship, we have to put in the effort in to make our love affair strong and lasting. So we should all try to cultivate our passion, enthusiasm, and love for art; these can only help us on our artistic journeys.
5. “Build a network of like-minded people, Bobby. Everything is easier when you have a group.”
I could never do as much or go as far alone as I could with a group of like-minded people.
I think part of the reason that I’ve had a successful career over the years is because I’m naturally curious about people. I love learning their stories and, in turn, making friends. In this way, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of the artists that I look up to and admire, and today, call them my friends.
Because art is typically a solitary pursuit, many artists are naturally shy individuals, so building a network can be daunting. Nevertheless, I cannot overstate the value of having people. To get over my natural shyness, particularly when I first met my heroes, I had to consciously dig around in my mind for that little tiny piece of me that is not as shy, and expand it even if it’s just for a short period of time. I let this little piece steer the ship for a while, and that was how I got myself out there to meet interesting people or people that I didn’t know.
Think of it this way: not meeting one person doesn’t mean missing out on that one person that you could have been friends with; it means missing out on that one person and every person that that person could have introduced you to, and one of THOSE people could have been the one to give you your dream job, been your best friend, or your wife or husband.
Take every opportunity you can to get out there and talk with people, in person or online. Who knows where it will lead you.
6. “Discomfort and fear can’t hurt you, Bobby. By challenging and overcoming them, you will always continue to improve.”
I have learned to challenge challenges, to be comfortable in discomfort, and to overcome my fears. By doing so, I constantly push my limits and therefore expand my potential and possibilities. I love doing things that are challenging, even when I might not know where to even start. These are the things that I live for and they have helped me to push my limits further and further.
When I’ve been too comfortable for too long, I get unsettled. An alarm will go off in my head, compelling me to get up and do something challenging.
Comfort is one of life’s traps and many new professionals fall into it, preventing them from continuing to learn and improve every day. The moment this happens will be the exact moment that you start to fall behind.
The whole world keeps evolving and learning every day, so to stay relevant and to have the best chance at a successful career, we must continue to learn as well.
7. “Exercise your willpower, Bobby. When the mind is willing, the body has no choice but to follow.”
We are not born with willpower. As babies and children, we have to be taught (and taught and taught again) to resist urges, wait for rewards, and basically do the things we know we should do but don’t particularly want to. This challenge doesn’t end at adulthood, either. In fact, I’m sure we all know grown men and women who still have trouble resisting that extra slice of cake, hitting that snooze button one more time, or doing that uncomfortable and inconvenient thing in order to get the reward that they want.
Willpower is something that we can develop, like a muscle that we can grow and strengthen. To exercise it, do things that are challenging or which you don’t want to do but you know are good for you.
Willpower drains as we make decisions such as resisting what we want to have, waiting for a reward, or doing something we don’t want to do. For example, perhaps you can decline a piece of chocolate cake, but what if it was followed by brownies, ice cream, French fries, and potato chips?
This is why I always prefer to make will-draining decisions the night before so that the following morning, I don’t have to make ANY decisions and can just jump right to the first item on my to-do list.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Schoolism Fall Sale. $100 off Self-Taught Classes
New classes include:
Painting Creatures with Bobby Chiu http://www.schoolism.com/school.php?id=27
Environment Design with Nathan Fowkeshttp://www.schoolism.com/school.php?id=26
Save and share with others.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Amazon announces Niko and the Sword of Light on Amazon Prime!
Ever wonder what happened to our animated comicbook app "Niko and the Sword of Light"?
Shortly after it hit #1 in over 30 countries in the "Kids ages 9-11" catergory, we were approached by a number of big studios to option it for film and tv. In the end we went with Amazon. We love the possibilities of a series on Amazon Prime for binge watching.
A few hours ago Amazon made their announcement of 5 kids TV pilots and.... Niko and the Sword of Light TV pilot is under way! I'm so proud to be a part of such an incredible project. To think it just started with 4 friends and an idea.
My apologies for tooting my own horn but I'm so happy right now and wanted to share the news... :)
http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-greenlights-original-kids-shows-again/
Friday, August 15, 2014
Schoolism Workshops in Montreal and SF
Hold on to your hats... Schoolism Workshops are coming to Montreal & San Francisco.
MONTREAL - Sept 20-21, 2014
Creating Worlds with Robert Kondo (Art Director for Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Monsters University)
Designing with Color & Light with Nathan Fowkes (How to Train Your Dragon, The Legend of Puss in Boots, Prince of Egypt)
Color Scripts with Dice Tsutsumi (Toy Story 3, Ice Age, Horton Hears a Who, Monsters University)
Environment Design with Nathan Fowkes (How to Train Your Dragon, The Legend of Puss in Boots, Prince of Egypt)
SAN FRANCISCO - Oct 6, 2014 (Tickets go on sale Tuesday August 19, 2014)
Creating Worlds with Robert Kondo (Art Director for Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Monsters University)
Color Scripts with Dice Tsutsumi (Toy Story 3, Ice Age, Horton Hears a Who, Monsters University)
Characters for Animated Film with Daniel Arriaga (Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph, Toy Story 3)
The Art of Story with Brenda Chapman (Brave, Prince of Egypt, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast)
Workshops coming soon...London - Oct 11-12, 2014Berlin - Oct 18-19, 2014Florianopolis - Nov 8-9, 2014Florence - Dec 16, 2014Sign up for the Schoolism Newsletter to stay informed.
Did we miss any cities? Where else would you like to see us do a workshop in the future!
MONTREAL - Sept 20-21, 2014
Creating Worlds with Robert Kondo (Art Director for Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Monsters University)
Designing with Color & Light with Nathan Fowkes (How to Train Your Dragon, The Legend of Puss in Boots, Prince of Egypt)
Color Scripts with Dice Tsutsumi (Toy Story 3, Ice Age, Horton Hears a Who, Monsters University)
Environment Design with Nathan Fowkes (How to Train Your Dragon, The Legend of Puss in Boots, Prince of Egypt)
SAN FRANCISCO - Oct 6, 2014 (Tickets go on sale Tuesday August 19, 2014)
Creating Worlds with Robert Kondo (Art Director for Toy Story 3, Ratatouille, Monsters University)
Color Scripts with Dice Tsutsumi (Toy Story 3, Ice Age, Horton Hears a Who, Monsters University)
Characters for Animated Film with Daniel Arriaga (Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph, Toy Story 3)
The Art of Story with Brenda Chapman (Brave, Prince of Egypt, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast)
Workshops coming soon...London - Oct 11-12, 2014Berlin - Oct 18-19, 2014Florianopolis - Nov 8-9, 2014Florence - Dec 16, 2014Sign up for the Schoolism Newsletter to stay informed.
Did we miss any cities? Where else would you like to see us do a workshop in the future!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Imaginism Mentorship Program with Peter Chan
Hi everyone, we are excited to announce a new mentorship program for artists in the Toronto region looking to improve their art skills with Senior Artist Peter Chan.
Classes are tutor based and will be catered towards the student's current skill level and personal interests. Students can choose to learn in a variety of mediums including but not limited to Digital Painting, Graphite Drawing, Acrylic Painting, and Oil Painting.
Limited students allow for 1 on 1 time for personalized learning.
This program is for artists of all levels including:
- Beginners who are looking to learn the proper fundamentals
- Intermediate level students looking to bring their work to the professional level
- Graduates who are looking for mentorship to prepare their portfolio for getting work
- Students who are looking for guidance to get a portfolio ready for applying to a post-secondary program
- artists who are interested in mastering a new medium
Pricing:
6 Lessons - $325
12 Lessons - $600
Class Times:
Class A: Every Wednesday 8pm - 10pm
Class B: Every Sunday 12pm - 2pm
(Students can request which class they want to be in)
Location:
92 Rameau Drive
(10 Minute Bus from Finch Station)
Spots are limited on a first come, first served basis.
(10 Minute Bus from Finch Station)
Spots are limited on a first come, first served basis.
Register now at:
peter@imaginismstudios.com
Classes Begin on June 15th!
Peter is a senior artist at Imaginism Studios who has worked on numerous projects including concept art, children's illustration, and trading cards. His work has been featured on magazine covers, illustration annuals, children's books, and had multiple group and solo exhibitions in cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Chicago, Portland, and San Diego.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
"Painting Creatures with Bobby Chiu" is now open for registration!
I'm very excited to say that my class "Painting Creatures with Bobby Chiu" is now open for registration! http://www.schoolism.com/school.php?id=27
Livestream and Drawing give away today 7am PT/ 10am ET
I'm (Bobby) giving away a drawing that I'm doing during a live broadcast on Livestream!
I'll also be answering your questions about art and the business of being a concept artist for films and other things.
For more info or questions please click on the link --> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152511124604928&set=a.10152407106689928.1073741826.189674159927&type=1&theater
This is happening every Thursdays 7am PT/ 10am ET
Sending positive vibes to you all!
Bobby
I'll also be answering your questions about art and the business of being a concept artist for films and other things.
For more info or questions please click on the link --> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152511124604928&set=a.10152407106689928.1073741826.189674159927&type=1&theater
This is happening every Thursdays 7am PT/ 10am ET
Sending positive vibes to you all!
Bobby
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Schoolism Spring Sale ends tonight
Schoolism Spring Sale ends tonight 12am PT/ 3am ET. $100 off Self Taught classes. http://www.schoolism.com/school.php
Monday, March 31, 2014
Schoolism Spring Sale is here! $100 off
Schoolism Spring Sale has started! $100 off all Self-Taught classes. Only 2 sales a year... this is one of them. Have a wonderful Monday! http://www.schoolism.com/
Friday, March 21, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Chiustream is on every Thursdays 7AM PT / 10AM ET on Livestream
Drawing & broadcasting LIVE today at 10AM ET/ 7AM PT. Come join me!
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/6693476
http://new.livestream.com/accounts/6693476
Thursday, January 23, 2014
More Bobby & Kei images on Instagram
Hey all,
Incase you didn't know yet...
We'll be posting even more pics on Instagram!! You can find us at...
Bobby Chiu's Instagram username: digitalbobert
Kei Acedera's Instagram username: kei_acedera
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