My childhood hero Bruce Lee once said: The first step to immortality is living a life worth remembering! That's one that helps me when I don't feel much like working or creating that day! Cheers, Hans van Meer.
Kinda relieved I'm not the only one with this problem, even if I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's something I've felt insecure about all my life, and has led me to not want to pursue things because I can't trust that I'll finish. Good to see someone with the same issues being this accomplished. Props to you man!
I shared this with several of my creator friends who I know can relate to this. I've sort of turned around that mindset of "it's not good enough" and shelving projects and going back and finishing projects bit by bit. My first novel, "Unkillable Joe" goes to print today and will be on Amazon in a couple weeks... A surreal feeling. Determined to finish and print the first issue of my Horror/Action comic "Lilith's Cradle" by the end of the year as well. Bitesize, realistic goals are key, but I also find it's important to not think about completing the project every day and just get into the groove of the daily production. This way, completion sort of sneaks up on you and you can take a little break to sniff the roses- a very emotional time for us creators. So glad I stumbled on your channel and I think you give solid advice to us new folks trying to build our own legacies. Keep up the great work mang and thank you!
All together now 2019 is OUR YEAR. Seriously though I always get like this were I get so frustrated that my skills don't match my vision and you end up feeling defeated. But let's push through the wall don't give up!
I don't know if I'll ever be able to out into words how grateful I am for these videos. A lot of inspiration comes from you both in philosophy and art. I normally put your videos on play in the background as I draw. I've learned a lot from you thank you so much.
I started a webcomic series in the spring but stopped it to improve my drawing skills over the summer. Now, I’ve started it up again and I’m so glad I took those few months to practice 😆 love the video btw!!
Hey man! I'm in a similar mind set for 2019! It's actually really exciting that this is your 'finish stuff' year too. I'm working on an illustrated young readers book. For people struggling with it, one thing that helped me was to identify the source of WHY you are not finishing stuff (that's me on 2018): You might be lacking on one of three things, which are Time, Energy, or Attention. Identify your problem, and adjust your routine and habits to it! FOCUS, and finish things.
+Francisco Guerrero same thing here. I wanted to make few comicks and books for children and adults. My problem why i dint finish my project was someones elses opinion (negative ones). My family didnt like idea that i want to be an artists and they were putting me down so i got scared and it was stopping me.
Jeez I love to see that, I'm at the same mind set, same step into my creativity. It feels really good to see that people are sharing this same step and it really gives me confidence to do more so thanks a lot too ! :) I really wish you a lot of success and experiences !
I see I'm not the only one who starts projects with a lot of energy and loses steam as they go along... but we shouldn't let it all pile up too much, right? A priority list is really helpful, and the feeling of moving forward is sometimes enough to give a new breath of fresh air in the process! Great videos! In time I will watch them all!💖
Thanks for the wise words Trent. I'm nearing the halfway point of a comic I've been working on for..... over a year already. I feel amazing having come this far but can also relate to everything you've said about doubts and insecurities. I already know I could do everything better, but I just gotta plow forward and apply it to the future. Thanks again for all the inspiration and guidance through such an emotional artistic roller coaster. You da boss!
great advice. Having some experience it was a big revelation for me some time ago. Besides the psychological aspect it's the fact that rendering / finishing stuff requires a different set of skills than sketching. You can have a great mastery over getting the construction and perspective right, but then you neet to know the tools, know how to show different materials etc. and the lackings will be visible. What's more important - finishing forces you to power through those out-of-comfort-zone topics, you'd normally just skip to start a fresh drawing. So yeah, completion is fundamental. Wish I had understood that earlier. Good vid, man!
I am a new subscriber to Trent Kanigua... I just have to say the amount of videos/ and things for sale on gumroad... is staggering. It all looks so good and yet so far out of my ability to purchase. I just wanted to say I love what ya do Trent!
I gotta say I love your content. I feel like I learn useful, life things, each episode and feel so motivated. I used to draw all the time but had stopped for a few years due to my work not requiring it, and whenever I tried to get back into it I didn't like it, I felt jaded and unrefined. Now after watching a few of your videos like the stick figures one, it really got me back into drawing. I would go so far as to say it brought me back to my roots of drawing before I went to art school and got muddled with tons of the technical aspects of art. Now I can approach sketches in a simpler way, then afterwards, apply some of the things I learned in school and it feels better than ever.
Welp... I needed this. Didn't know I needed it, since I am aware of most of these things, but you reminding me worked for some reason. You have my gratitude and bell-thing subscription.
Thanks for kicking my ass into gear and reminding me that I need to work on half the shit I started last year but kept endlessly revisiting the pre-production for. There's a lot to do sure, but if I can at least put it out there then I have something to show for it. Working on this stuff might actually help me be not trash at rendering as well
Hello sir Thank you so much for making this video. I have a history of not finishing stuffs so I planed of making an art book this summer but got overwhelmed by various thoughts and as a result I stopped working on it. Now thanks to you my mind is clear and I started working on it. Thank you sir.
Oh boy, I needed this. I'm not gonna try to unearth some old projects but nowadays whenever I start a thing I will try to get it to a finished state. Too many times have I started something ambitious and just dropped it when I felt like my abilities fell short. But not this year!
Same. I have that too A shelving coping mechanism, that's ill managed. It can be used positively to prioritize things that matter. But Ill managed it just feels like you're stuffing projects/opportunities in a shelf and forgetting about it. And creating this cluttered/unfinished what-ifs and regrets. At least now we are aware of it. This is gonna be a good year man
It's funny how I happen to stumble upon your video. I've been thinking about creating a story/world, and I just have a few ideas but still haven't finished past paintings I got. It's given a lot to think about, thanks for the video.
Right timing. I'm getting closer to the deadline of my thesis design project and have to finish a game design artbook but ended up redrawing some of its content until endlessness, but actually I haven't much time left for the management of pages and the print process. After seeing your video I looked at all my works for this book again and think "Com'on dude, it doesn't look perfect but far from bad either." So now I going to wrap this whole piece up and go to the print shop! Thanks for this reminder! 2019 will be our year man!
I've recently re-wrote and re-drew my web comic with a few pages animated here and there. I was proud of the reboot but now that I'm on chapter two I already want to redraw chapter one. But NO. I now like seeing my old work compared to what I've learn and how I improved along the way. I will get my web comic finished so I can start on a manga idea I have for a story I'm rewriting since I now have a main plot for it. Watching your videos is helping me understand compositions, techniques, layouts, world building and story telling. I'm also doing figure studies to improve my anatomy next is to learn color theory. Thanks for all the informative videos! They're helping me a lot, and I bought your art book and stories and they're great. I'm reading the second one now.
Appreciate the transparency Trent! I always play your videos when I’m working on my own art, helps to know there are others in the same boat. Keep killing it and let’s make this the year to get things done!
Thank you so much Trent ! I was struggling to get back on the right track concerning a card game and comic project I'm working on, and being a perfectionist is clearly not helping me out, the struggle of looking back to the early works of the project is a never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction. I needed this ! Looking forward to your next video, it's always a pleasure watching your tutorials and hearing your advices!
OH BABY! Trent, your videos are awwesome, its so cool to watch your videos and realize that there are other, much more succesfull people out there that struggle with similar stuff that the rest of us mere mortals do. I want in on the action too, 2019 will be my year of finishing as well, but also my year of beggining. Theres a lot that I want to do in my life with my art and my vision and I'm going to stop putting it by the way side and get it going. More videos from you is all I want to see from your channel. The chill, conversational tone you have over your time-lapse videos is a really good mix. Cant wait to see more finished art in the future!
Great idea. Actually I'm doing finishing in 2019 as well. You yourself once said that finishing is important, that creativity should not be about only the thrill of some new piece to do. So yeah, let's finish as much as we can. And btw - awesome artworks!
Wow! This video really hit home with me. I have started a ridiculous amount of personal projects that have never been finished. It;s kind of like my personal Island of Misfit Projects, abandoned there to never be seen. Some were honestly over-ambitious projects to start with, but most were abandoned because I was discouraged or lost interest. It's hard not to get discouraged. One way I have been discouraged in the past is I will have some idea and start working on it, but then discover some similar project that someone else is developing. So then I start comparing and doubting mine. I think "why bother with this if this other awesome one already exists and is further along than mine". Truth is that other person may not ever finish theirs either. So I try really hard not to compare my work to others or go looking for similar projects online. Thanks for the advice. I now have some renewed motivation to rescue some of my misfit projects.
Lots of good stuff in this video. Accepting the fact that you think you suck is probably the best thing. You think you suck but you don't so keep moving forward.
Hello Trent! Every time i came here.. I think my questions never ends. I really appreciate this opportunity to ask so experienced artist like you in our days. If the purpose is to become an illustrator. What do you think the most efficient way to achieve it? Be focused on fundamental first like until it becomes a pretty easy for you and only then turn all knowledge in illustrations or just do illustrations and improve fundamentals between them? I have this question because I’m familiar with art fundamental but I can’t tell like I’m pretty good at any of particular. My point is the learning process never ends and how figure out when you ready to focus on an illustrations more than on a studies. Big thanks for your answers, videos and gumroad stuff. Take care!
It never really ends. Just when you think that you're "good enough" at one skill, you find that there's more to learn. Just focus on the things that you're good at and apply %20 of your effort toward studying things that you're still struggling with. Do this with every painting.
Hey Trent, thank you for making this video. I wanted to let you know that Jake Parker also did a video like this, you might have seen it already, it’s called “finished, not perfect.” I hope you feel the joy of finishing your projects, but just so you know: you are already good enough to inspire (me), even if you don’t finish any of your projects!
Hey Trent, Just wanted to say thanks for this video! I really love your personal thoughts on this subject because I am the same way with the music I write, tons of half finished ideas that I don't think are worth hearing. It is so great to hear other people feel the same way..even when seeing your work (amazing and creatively so far ahead of me =)..) It is awesome that you were honest and made me feel that no matter what level of skill you are currently at, this creeps up on everyone. Thank you Trent! I subbed without hesitation, keep up the great work! I am on board to finish projects in 2019!!!
Last year I started ambitiously working on projects I didn't have the skills to finish and ended up putting them on hiatus. Yesterday I was thinking about how I could improve my portfolio as fast as possible when I came across a few screenshots of those projects and realized that they weren't half bad, and would look pretty decent with a few hours of touching up, which I started doing. It was satisfying to realize how finishing these projects a year ago seemed hands down impossible but now it feels like when you play a mmorpg, at lvl 17-19 you struggle to beat one lvl 20 enemy, but once you are lvl 25 you could easily take on 5 of these guys at the same time.
agreed bro, love all your work and ideas, following your style as well. I've downloaded your free e-books ( couldn't donate a buck coz I'm kinda less on money until soon ). You once said, some artists get pissed off when they been told that they have born talent in art, it's practice makes art perfect. So everyone can draw upto a level but creativity and imagination doesn't come with practice bro. Keep up the good work. Love and blessings from Sri Lanka ❤️❤️.
First time watching your stuff. Really enjoyed your video and your attitude toward finishing work! I'm working on a comic right now and it was really encouraging to hear this.
Thanks for this! I've had a universe on the burner that I've been real nervy about working on or advancing in but this year I've been trying to get myself in the mindset of "hey if i don't work on this then it wont happen" and even if its not the very best thing ever at least it'll exist.
You are a total honest & awesome guy man... love ya love your work dude.. hatsoff. I have got half finished painting for my portfolio too and they all are half finished some have good characters missing background and some have good background but less details.
Thanks Trent, I’m in that moment when I need to finish some of my creations and stop adding unfinished painting in my files , I’ll be writing back tomorrow tho XD too drunk tonight.
I don’t have the problem of people saying that is bad or is not good enough, I have the problem that people like the ideas and is me who procrastinates and not finish it, I guess that’s the feeling of me don’t believe in it and thinking that I’m not in the same level... or something like that... the feeling of fear of not being able to do the work nice.... after so many years of procrastination, this is my mayor fight day by day.
first of great stuff! you make excellent artwork and i really dig the style. secondly thank you for all these amazing vids you made, the really help with getting motivated again to start picking up that drawing i did last time i never finished or that comic i am still working on. anyways thank you and keep up the awesome work!
i dont know why i didnt discover your videos earlier... i am a graphic designer but always loved to draw... i thought i may be too late to jump into the gaming or concept art train... but at least i wanna try it and men your insights and thoughts are amazing source of inspiration... i maybe a late bloomer but i wanna bloom, i am trying to get better at drawing through the course of this year and documenting with short videos of the drawings... i would be honored if you could give any advice ... great work!
Hey, just wanted to tell you that this really clicked with me. There are so many unfinished sketches and projects around my house right now but I have been trying to not be burdened by how many there are. Instead choosing to celebrate the ones I finish and prioritizing what comes next.
Trent, super helpful as ever. Definitely needed to hear this. Would love to see your Twilight Monk platform game down the line. Jubees Rockhouse totally sold me on it.
This makes me think of my projects. One brewed in 2006, when I was 12. It was shallow and very silly looking back at it.. But it spawned something greater. Two years later I came back to it after just drawing dragons and stuff for the years between. It gets revived, a new, varied cast and a more defined setting, and it stagnated in this iteration for the next 10 years. I made other worlds, one scifi horror one, a magical one with Lovcratian entities, and a mecha focused story, with no Idea what to do with them beyond their superficial designs. Fast-forward to 2018, the stories all had filled in history and world lore for the others, they were compressed into one world, one universe with a new, more developed drawing style. It's still a work in progress of a huge sort, but it's finally working into something whole. Edit: And I don't plan on finishing the who thing this year, I'd stress myself grey trying to do that, so I plan on developing each act (and all things contaiened within) as I start to write them!
Thanks for the advice Trent, your videos are always very helpful :) Currently I'm creating a long-form webcomic myself, but as I have very little time to create more than once or twice a list I try to break up my process into chapters instead so it isn't so overwhelming. I have other projects I want to do, but this is a reminder to not try do everything at once and be super perfect at everything (or feel bad about not managing to do that) as having a lot of unfinished stuff just feels bad. You know you're better than it but you get overwhelmed by too much at once! I love the art you have as timelapses in the background too, I don't know what these characters are but I love their designs :)
Thank you so much for sharing these experiences and happy new year! (Or like we mexicans say: ¡Próspero año nuevo! ). It took me a while to understand some of that stuff too. Last year I planned to do so many things, but I couldn't. At least one of my projects was completed and that is what keeps me going, but I really want to complete more stuff this year, so these advices will help me a lot :D
I think this is something I just figured out for myself (like, this month) but thanks for putting it into words! also, those character artworks look great I love how you do texture :) I switch between "I suck" and "I'm awesome" all the time. being surrounded by awesome people in art school and on the internet (which is worse because you don't know them and idolize them) is inspiring but also can really drag you down and stop you form even trying. Sometimes I just tell myself how child-me would think I'm really awesome and should post way more stuff on instagram xD
I'm heading this for the first time in May, '23. I'm going to commit right this minute to finishing at the very least a chunk of the MASSIVE piles of unfinished paintings and mixed media pieces,compounded by the craft projects i just like to do for shits and giggles, that also rarely are ever finished. I've got to get my act together.
this video is tight, thanks for posting. I can relate with having so many ideas its overwhelming. For me i dont even get far enough to not finishing, its that i never even start. Imma change that.
I also can't focus on one thing, I am always dropping a project it because I had an idea for another. I want to do everything and I end up doing nothing. But as you said, this is the year of finishing things, let's go!
wow thanks man i needed that, been working on something for a few years now and ive just started to get that fire up my ass again and you just added more fuel!!!!!
I'm actually on track to finish the script for my comic, mid-February the latest date it'll be done. Of course, then I'll start on character design, "set" design, and concept art, as well as drafting the thumbnails for chapter one, but 2019 is looking to be the year I finally do it! I'm really having to swallow that bitter pill of "accepting that some projects will indeed suck in the end" even if I'm nervous to show off my stuff if it's not "perfect." 2019 let's Get It!
I think my problem would be planning out everything for the inner workings of a story (though i never actually worry about the publishing aspect of it), whenever i plan something out too much it turns into this beast of its own that seems impossible to complete in a reasonable timescale, so i move on to a different story and plan away until it ultimately happens again
I think another example artists can pull from is Japanese mangaka Hirohiko Araki and his series JoJos Bizzare Adventure. The first part of Jojo leaves a lot to desire artistically, but if you look at his work for part 8 now, it's absolutely jaw-dropping. It's a sign of his immense progression and confidence as an artist.
Damn Trent I had you intro song in my head all week I was finally getting over it till I clicked on this video again >.< On another note I have always had a problem finishing projects because I start good but I think internally I am too afraid to mess it up so I never finish, especially with traditional mediums. I think I am getting better to detaching myself from my work so even if I do mess up, it doesn't discourage me.
Whoa, on the same wave length or something here. I decided I was going to make this year the year that I make some progress on (and *gasp* perhaps finish) several long time projects that I keep deferring because I’m not good enough or I’m too indecisive about how to pull something off or I haven’t been willing to take the step to get something out there or I can never find the time. For me, this will be in the form of slapping several new shirt designs up on my Etsy store, starting a graphic novel I thumbnailed over ten years ago (and had the idea for even further back than that), and getting the children’s book I “wrote” and drew several years ago published (self-published, that is). I’ve got a lot of hurdles, many of them self-imposed. I have constraints on my time being a stay-at-home dad and a devoted scoutmaster, but, I can make these things happen. Thanks for the inspiration, from your skill to your work ethic to your positive, upbeat vibe. I look forward to your completed projects this year!
I had a project call The Magic Trials and I stopped working on it after realizing some bad character writing. I had decent character design, but I set it aside and then lost it! I had all the character references on paper... I have plans to pick it up someday and redesign, but improvements on my story telling skills will come first.
Been binge-watching your videos, Trent. I hope to see more videos and quality stuff this year, too :D I hope when one day I can afford a credit card and I can buy your stuff on Gumroad. Meanwhile, I'll be watching and be inspired from your videos. Thank you for creating super helpful videos, sir!
I am terrible at getting projects done. I have a bad habit of being a perfectionist and just downright too hard on myself. Time to change that for 2019! Get my art done and finished and kick that awful mindset out of my brain! Screw you brain! You work for me! Lol
I have same issue and this year i decided to finish every project but this time i'll cut every project into smaller pieces so i wont have impression that this is a huuuge work to do. I also wanted to try new program which helps set time lines. I decided to make notebook where i put one task at once and im doing same thing in my mobile phone as a reminder and motivation.
Good for you, Trent! I think you're going to do well with reaching your goals this year. I noticed that you went into a lot of detail about the Man and the Moonkin, and about how you felt discouraged by the people around you saying "Don't put that out" and all that. I actually read the Man and the Moonkin, and I think you have the bones for a really great story, there, and you've already built onto that a lot. It's a little rough around the edges, though. Have you thought about taking it to a content editor and/or proofreader? A content editor is the type that will look at your entire manuscript and look for plotholes, gaps, things that don't make sense, etc., and then give you feedback. (A good beta-reader can also help with this, sometimes, but a good beta can be hard to find.) A proofreader, of course, will clean up the manuscript and give it a grammatical spit-shine so it looks as professional as possible. As always, I love your artwork. I hope you succeed in accomplishing your goals this year. From one Midwestern creator to another, I know you can do it!
My issue is that I almost always jump from idea to idea, because making progress on one sparks ideas for something else entirely, and so I almost never get anything completely finished
Wow... nice... sounds exactly like my problem ;-) we are quite similar, i`m always trying to do everything on my own - and it really, really slows me down - but i had similar thoughts as you for 2019.. so lets see then... a small 3d game/ 2 boardgames, finishing my masters, teaching more and so on... let 2019 be the year where my to do list is getting shorter ;-) thanks for the encouraging talk ;-)
I took your advice and picked up "Story" by Robert McKee and I'm halfway through. My goal is to write and illustrate a short story of a comic book in color. Thanks for your advice and sharing your process. It's helpful for us too!
"year of finishing". You could say that it's THE BEGINNING OF THE END lol. Good deal. It wasn't on your list but have you considered making a comic book tutorial video or book? Or would you have a recommendation for a book/video series about comics(panel layout, telling a story through words vs illustration, little tips and tricks on how to communicate plot while characters dialogue)???
I'm fortunate enough to hate beginning new things that I don't have the problem of always starting new. On the other hand I have a problem with finishing things as well. Thanks for the advice. What I like most are stories so what I'm most interested is the Secrets of Kung Fulio book but that's just me :)
Loved what you had to say Trent-- Absolutely-- this is the year for finishing projects-- Trimming out the fat and being mindful of creative ADD has been something I've struggled w/ for a long time-- do I want to draw today, do I want to sculpt today, do I want to model and paint a texture-- There are tons of things we get excited about and tons of great art to stand in awe of, which then inspires us to want to move onto the next big thing. A couple of things that help me-- I keep a small lined molskine notebook. Any ideas I get I'll write them in-- can be anything, like a quote, a goal for the day, advice from someone you follow on SM. For larger, long-term projects, I'll brain dump all I can into that piece I'll potentially work on, I"ll literally write that I stay committed to it, and then I"ll knock out a little bit each day-- small steps to completion-- even if it's only for 30 minutes in the day. Here's a piece I'm working on now that I started at the end of 2018 and it's near completion now. Cheers man-- facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102445294028357&set=a.10100469067986187&type=3&theater
"Don't die with your song left unheard." -
an exceptionally wise woman that I had the pleasure of crossing paths with.
... who probably read that on the internet. Very Nice quote though
@@Hubert99999 there are original wise people out there. Where do you think things on the internet come from?
My childhood hero Bruce Lee once said: The first step to immortality is living a life worth remembering! That's one that helps me when I don't feel much like working or creating that day!
Cheers,
Hans van Meer.
"Unless you're Tupac, most of your songs will go unheard" - Tupac
@@HansKaramottoBonsai I'm proud of you my child
Im with you!
Kinda relieved I'm not the only one with this problem, even if I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's something I've felt insecure about all my life, and has led me to not want to pursue things because I can't trust that I'll finish. Good to see someone with the same issues being this accomplished. Props to you man!
I shared this with several of my creator friends who I know can relate to this. I've sort of turned around that mindset of "it's not good enough" and shelving projects and going back and finishing projects bit by bit. My first novel, "Unkillable Joe" goes to print today and will be on Amazon in a couple weeks... A surreal feeling. Determined to finish and print the first issue of my Horror/Action comic "Lilith's Cradle" by the end of the year as well. Bitesize, realistic goals are key, but I also find it's important to not think about completing the project every day and just get into the groove of the daily production. This way, completion sort of sneaks up on you and you can take a little break to sniff the roses- a very emotional time for us creators. So glad I stumbled on your channel and I think you give solid advice to us new folks trying to build our own legacies. Keep up the great work mang and thank you!
Got a load of unreleased short films that I'm not stoked about but this is the motivation I've needed to get them finished and get them out.
All together now 2019 is OUR YEAR. Seriously though I always get like this were I get so frustrated that my skills don't match my vision and you end up feeling defeated. But let's push through the wall don't give up!
yeah! keep working hard, make your vision come true!
Jesus loves you :)
I don't know if I'll ever be able to out into words how grateful I am for these videos. A lot of inspiration comes from you both in philosophy and art. I normally put your videos on play in the background as I draw. I've learned a lot from you thank you so much.
I started a webcomic series in the spring but stopped it to improve my drawing skills over the summer. Now, I’ve started it up again and I’m so glad I took those few months to practice 😆 love the video btw!!
Hey man! I'm in a similar mind set for 2019! It's actually really exciting that this is your 'finish stuff' year too. I'm working on an illustrated young readers book. For people struggling with it, one thing that helped me was to identify the source of WHY you are not finishing stuff (that's me on 2018): You might be lacking on one of three things, which are Time, Energy, or Attention. Identify your problem, and adjust your routine and habits to it! FOCUS, and finish things.
my lack of time affect my lack of energy wich fucks up my attention, i feel you dude
+Francisco Guerrero same thing here. I wanted to make few comicks and books for children and adults. My problem why i dint finish my project was someones elses opinion (negative ones). My family didnt like idea that i want to be an artists and they were putting me down so i got scared and it was stopping me.
Jeez I love to see that, I'm at the same mind set, same step into my creativity. It feels really good to see that people are sharing this same step and it really gives me confidence to do more so thanks a lot too ! :)
I really wish you a lot of success and experiences !
Sounds awesome, good luck with the book dude!
Mine is energy and attention slowing time. I feel like a snail.
I see I'm not the only one who starts projects with a lot of energy and loses steam as they go along... but we shouldn't let it all pile up too much, right? A priority list is really helpful, and the feeling of moving forward is sometimes enough to give a new breath of fresh air in the process! Great videos! In time I will watch them all!💖
Thanks for the wise words Trent. I'm nearing the halfway point of a comic I've been working on for..... over a year already. I feel amazing having come this far but can also relate to everything you've said about doubts and insecurities. I already know I could do everything better, but I just gotta plow forward and apply it to the future. Thanks again for all the inspiration and guidance through such an emotional artistic roller coaster. You da boss!
great advice. Having some experience it was a big revelation for me some time ago. Besides the psychological aspect it's the fact that rendering / finishing stuff requires a different set of skills than sketching. You can have a great mastery over getting the construction and perspective right, but then you neet to know the tools, know how to show different materials etc. and the lackings will be visible. What's more important - finishing forces you to power through those out-of-comfort-zone topics, you'd normally just skip to start a fresh drawing. So yeah, completion is fundamental. Wish I had understood that earlier. Good vid, man!
I am a new subscriber to Trent Kanigua... I just have to say the amount of videos/ and things for sale on gumroad... is staggering. It all looks so good and yet so far out of my ability to purchase. I just wanted to say I love what ya do Trent!
I gotta say I love your content. I feel like I learn useful, life things, each episode and feel so motivated.
I used to draw all the time but had stopped for a few years due to my work not requiring it, and whenever I tried to get back into it I didn't like it, I felt jaded and unrefined. Now after watching a few of your videos like the stick figures one, it really got me back into drawing. I would go so far as to say it brought me back to my roots of drawing before I went to art school and got muddled with tons of the technical aspects of art. Now I can approach sketches in a simpler way, then afterwards, apply some of the things I learned in school and it feels better than ever.
Welp... I needed this. Didn't know I needed it, since I am aware of most of these things, but you reminding me worked for some reason. You have my gratitude and bell-thing subscription.
thanks trent!!
Thanks for kicking my ass into gear and reminding me that I need to work on half the shit I started last year but kept endlessly revisiting the pre-production for. There's a lot to do sure, but if I can at least put it out there then I have something to show for it. Working on this stuff might actually help me be not trash at rendering as well
A couple of minute in and Trent has described my life in its entirety...
Same
Hello sir Thank you so much for making this video. I have a history of not finishing stuffs so I planed of making an art book this summer but got overwhelmed by various thoughts and as a result I stopped working on it. Now thanks to you my mind is clear and I started working on it. Thank you sir.
Oh boy, I needed this. I'm not gonna try to unearth some old projects but nowadays whenever I start a thing I will try to get it to a finished state. Too many times have I started something ambitious and just dropped it when I felt like my abilities fell short. But not this year!
Man you're truly a wise person
Awesome advice! Just what I needed to hear right now. Thank you!!
Same. I have that too
A shelving coping mechanism, that's ill managed.
It can be used positively to prioritize things that matter.
But Ill managed it just feels like you're stuffing projects/opportunities in a shelf and forgetting about it. And creating this cluttered/unfinished what-ifs and regrets.
At least now we are aware of it.
This is gonna be a good year man
your storytelling is mesmerizing, thank you for teaching drawing&play!:):)
It's funny how I happen to stumble upon your video. I've been thinking about creating a story/world, and I just have a few ideas but still haven't finished past paintings I got. It's given a lot to think about, thanks for the video.
Right timing. I'm getting closer to the deadline of my thesis design project and have to finish a game design artbook but ended up redrawing some of its content until endlessness, but actually I haven't much time left for the management of pages and the print process. After seeing your video I looked at all my works for this book again and think "Com'on dude, it doesn't look perfect but far from bad either." So now I going to wrap this whole piece up and go to the print shop! Thanks for this reminder! 2019 will be our year man!
I've recently re-wrote and re-drew my web comic with a few pages animated here and there. I was proud of the reboot but now that I'm on chapter two I already want to redraw chapter one. But NO.
I now like seeing my old work compared to what I've learn and how I improved along the way. I will get my web comic finished so I can start on a manga idea I have for a story I'm rewriting since I now have a main plot for it.
Watching your videos is helping me understand compositions, techniques, layouts, world building and story telling. I'm also doing figure studies to improve my anatomy next is to learn color theory.
Thanks for all the informative videos! They're helping me a lot, and I bought your art book and stories and they're great. I'm reading the second one now.
Appreciate the transparency Trent! I always play your videos when I’m working on my own art, helps to know there are others in the same boat. Keep killing it and let’s make this the year to get things done!
Thank you so much Trent ! I was struggling to get back on the right track concerning a card game and comic project I'm working on, and being a perfectionist is clearly not helping me out, the struggle of looking back to the early works of the project is a never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction. I needed this !
Looking forward to your next video, it's always a pleasure watching your tutorials and hearing your advices!
OH BABY! Trent, your videos are awwesome, its so cool to watch your videos and realize that there are other, much more succesfull people out there that struggle with similar stuff that the rest of us mere mortals do. I want in on the action too, 2019 will be my year of finishing as well, but also my year of beggining. Theres a lot that I want to do in my life with my art and my vision and I'm going to stop putting it by the way side and get it going.
More videos from you is all I want to see from your channel. The chill, conversational tone you have over your time-lapse videos is a really good mix. Cant wait to see more finished art in the future!
Great idea. Actually I'm doing finishing in 2019 as well. You yourself once said that finishing is important, that creativity should not be about only the thrill of some new piece to do. So yeah, let's finish as much as we can. And btw - awesome artworks!
Wow! This video really hit home with me. I have started a ridiculous amount of personal projects that have never been finished. It;s kind of like my personal Island of Misfit Projects, abandoned there to never be seen. Some were honestly over-ambitious projects to start with, but most were abandoned because I was discouraged or lost interest. It's hard not to get discouraged. One way I have been discouraged in the past is I will have some idea and start working on it, but then discover some similar project that someone else is developing. So then I start comparing and doubting mine. I think "why bother with this if this other awesome one already exists and is further along than mine". Truth is that other person may not ever finish theirs either. So I try really hard not to compare my work to others or go looking for similar projects online. Thanks for the advice. I now have some renewed motivation to rescue some of my misfit projects.
Lots of good stuff in this video. Accepting the fact that you think you suck is probably the best thing. You think you suck but you don't so keep moving forward.
Your inspirational videos always seem to come about at the right time, Trent. Thanks.
Love the idea of "the year of finishing stuff" ^^ Thanks for that video, it arrived just at the right time ;)
Hello Trent!
Every time i came here.. I think my questions never ends. I really appreciate this opportunity to ask so experienced artist like you in our days.
If the purpose is to become an illustrator. What do you think the most efficient way to achieve it? Be focused on fundamental first like until it becomes a pretty easy for you and only then turn all knowledge in illustrations or just do illustrations and improve fundamentals between them? I have this question because I’m familiar with art fundamental but I can’t tell like I’m pretty good at any of particular. My point is the learning process never ends and how figure out when you ready to focus on an illustrations more than on a studies.
Big thanks for your answers, videos and gumroad stuff. Take care!
It never really ends. Just when you think that you're "good enough" at one skill, you find that there's more to learn. Just focus on the things that you're good at and apply %20 of your effort toward studying things that you're still struggling with. Do this with every painting.
@@TrentKaniuga thank you! I'll follow this advice and will be glad to share with results!
Hey Trent, thank you for making this video. I wanted to let you know that Jake Parker also did a video like this, you might have seen it already, it’s called “finished, not perfect.” I hope you feel the joy of finishing your projects, but just so you know: you are already good enough to inspire (me), even if you don’t finish any of your projects!
A Hearthstone art tour sounds super cool! I wish you luck on your year of finishing, Trent. I'm inspired to do the same. It's gonna be epic! :D
This is something I needed to hear. Thanks for the chill delivery!
Hey Trent, Just wanted to say thanks for this video! I really love your personal thoughts on this subject because I am the same way with the music I write, tons of half finished ideas that I don't think are worth hearing. It is so great to hear other people feel the same way..even when seeing your work (amazing and creatively so far ahead of me =)..) It is awesome that you were honest and made me feel that no matter what level of skill you are currently at, this creeps up on everyone. Thank you Trent! I subbed without hesitation, keep up the great work! I am on board to finish projects in 2019!!!
Last year I started ambitiously working on projects I didn't have the skills to finish and ended up putting them on hiatus. Yesterday I was thinking about how I could improve my portfolio as fast as possible when I came across a few screenshots of those projects and realized that they weren't half bad, and would look pretty decent with a few hours of touching up, which I started doing. It was satisfying to realize how finishing these projects a year ago seemed hands down impossible but now it feels like when you play a mmorpg, at lvl 17-19 you struggle to beat one lvl 20 enemy, but once you are lvl 25 you could easily take on 5 of these guys at the same time.
agreed bro, love all your work and ideas, following your style as well. I've downloaded your free e-books ( couldn't donate a buck coz I'm kinda less on money until soon ). You once said, some artists get pissed off when they been told that they have born talent in art, it's practice makes art perfect. So everyone can draw upto a level but creativity and imagination doesn't come with practice bro. Keep up the good work. Love and blessings from Sri Lanka ❤️❤️.
First time watching your stuff. Really enjoyed your video and your attitude toward finishing work! I'm working on a comic right now and it was really encouraging to hear this.
Thanks for this! I've had a universe on the burner that I've been real nervy about working on or advancing in but this year I've been trying to get myself in the mindset of "hey if i don't work on this then it wont happen" and even if its not the very best thing ever at least it'll exist.
This was truthfully super motivational to watch. Thanx so much man, I'm totally gonna handle 2019 better after this vid! waiting for more!
yea i have been working on my comic and been slacking off so this videos helps i can't give up yet but its still gonna take awhile
You are a total honest & awesome guy man... love ya love your work dude.. hatsoff. I have got half finished painting for my portfolio too and they all are half finished some have good characters missing background and some have good background but less details.
Thanks Trent, I’m in that moment when I need to finish some of my creations and stop adding unfinished painting in my files , I’ll be writing back tomorrow tho XD too drunk tonight.
I don’t have the problem of people saying that is bad or is not good enough, I have the problem that people like the ideas and is me who procrastinates and not finish it, I guess that’s the feeling of me don’t believe in it and thinking that I’m not in the same level... or something like that... the feeling of fear of not being able to do the work nice.... after so many years of procrastination, this is my mayor fight day by day.
first of great stuff! you make excellent artwork and i really dig the style. secondly thank you for all these amazing vids you made, the really help with getting motivated again to start picking up that drawing i did last time i never finished or that comic i am still working on. anyways thank you and keep up the awesome work!
i dont know why i didnt discover your videos earlier... i am a graphic designer but always loved to draw... i thought i may be too late to jump into the gaming or concept art train... but at least i wanna try it and men your insights and thoughts are amazing source of inspiration... i maybe a late bloomer but i wanna bloom, i am trying to get better at drawing through the course of this year and documenting with short videos of the drawings... i would be honored if you could give any advice ... great work!
Hey, just wanted to tell you that this really clicked with me. There are so many unfinished sketches and projects around my house right now but I have been trying to not be burdened by how many there are. Instead choosing to celebrate the ones I finish and prioritizing what comes next.
Trent, super helpful as ever. Definitely needed to hear this. Would love to see your Twilight Monk platform game down the line. Jubees Rockhouse totally sold me on it.
This makes me think of my projects. One brewed in 2006, when I was 12. It was shallow and very silly looking back at it.. But it spawned something greater.
Two years later I came back to it after just drawing dragons and stuff for the years between. It gets revived, a new, varied cast and a more defined setting, and it stagnated in this iteration for the next 10 years. I made other worlds, one scifi horror one, a magical one with Lovcratian entities, and a mecha focused story, with no Idea what to do with them beyond their superficial designs.
Fast-forward to 2018, the stories all had filled in history and world lore for the others, they were compressed into one world, one universe with a new, more developed drawing style.
It's still a work in progress of a huge sort, but it's finally working into something whole.
Edit: And I don't plan on finishing the who thing this year, I'd stress myself grey trying to do that, so I plan on developing each act (and all things contaiened within) as I start to write them!
so true, finish things,
Thanks for the advice Trent, your videos are always very helpful :) Currently I'm creating a long-form webcomic myself, but as I have very little time to create more than once or twice a list I try to break up my process into chapters instead so it isn't so overwhelming. I have other projects I want to do, but this is a reminder to not try do everything at once and be super perfect at everything (or feel bad about not managing to do that) as having a lot of unfinished stuff just feels bad. You know you're better than it but you get overwhelmed by too much at once!
I love the art you have as timelapses in the background too, I don't know what these characters are but I love their designs :)
Thank you so much for sharing these experiences and happy new year! (Or like we mexicans say: ¡Próspero año nuevo! ). It took me a while to understand some of that stuff too. Last year I planned to do so many things, but I couldn't. At least one of my projects was completed and that is what keeps me going, but I really want to complete more stuff this year, so these advices will help me a lot :D
I think this is something I just figured out for myself (like, this month) but thanks for putting it into words! also, those character artworks look great I love how you do texture :)
I switch between "I suck" and "I'm awesome" all the time. being surrounded by awesome people in art school and on the internet (which is worse because you don't know them and idolize them) is inspiring but also can really drag you down and stop you form even trying. Sometimes I just tell myself how child-me would think I'm really awesome and should post way more stuff on instagram xD
Thanks Trent! Needed to hear that! Best wishes in 2019!
Very inspiring Trent, funny enough yesterday I finished a project and I am onto my next one.
I'm heading this for the first time in May, '23. I'm going to commit right this minute to finishing at the very least a chunk of the MASSIVE piles of unfinished paintings and mixed media pieces,compounded by the craft projects i just like to do for shits and giggles, that also rarely are ever finished. I've got to get my act together.
this video is tight, thanks for posting. I can relate with having so many ideas its overwhelming. For me i dont even get far enough to not finishing, its that i never even start. Imma change that.
Very useful advise that I needed, thank you Trent
Hearthstone art tour and workshop would be truly amazing!
I also can't focus on one thing, I am always dropping a project it because I had an idea for another. I want to do everything and I end up doing nothing. But as you said, this is the year of finishing things, let's go!
Hey trent! Great video! I personally have been planning to get started on a webcomic, so I'm gonna join you and start on this thing!!!
wow thanks man i needed that, been working on something for a few years now and ive just started to get that fire up my ass again and you just added more fuel!!!!!
Every time I see your thumbnails I get so excited😂😂
My next personal concept art project is an isometric game project so COLOR ME INTRIGUED when I saw you have stuff planned on the matter!
I'm actually on track to finish the script for my comic, mid-February the latest date it'll be done. Of course, then I'll start on character design, "set" design, and concept art, as well as drafting the thumbnails for chapter one, but 2019 is looking to be the year I finally do it! I'm really having to swallow that bitter pill of "accepting that some projects will indeed suck in the end" even if I'm nervous to show off my stuff if it's not "perfect." 2019 let's Get It!
thanks for sharing Trent !!
I think my problem would be planning out everything for the inner workings of a story (though i never actually worry about the publishing aspect of it), whenever i plan something out too much it turns into this beast of its own that seems impossible to complete in a reasonable timescale, so i move on to a different story and plan away until it ultimately happens again
I think another example artists can pull from is Japanese mangaka Hirohiko Araki and his series JoJos Bizzare Adventure. The first part of Jojo leaves a lot to desire artistically, but if you look at his work for part 8 now, it's absolutely jaw-dropping. It's a sign of his immense progression and confidence as an artist.
great video, thanks for the pep talk Trent! :)
Sorry I couldn't finish the video because I was so inspired that I've got allot of projects to finish.
Damn Trent I had you intro song in my head all week I was finally getting over it till I clicked on this video again >.<
On another note I have always had a problem finishing projects because I start good but I think internally I am too afraid to mess it up so I never finish, especially with traditional mediums. I think I am getting better to detaching myself from my work so even if I do mess up, it doesn't discourage me.
Whoa, on the same wave length or something here. I decided I was going to make this year the year that I make some progress on (and *gasp* perhaps finish) several long time projects that I keep deferring because I’m not good enough or I’m too indecisive about how to pull something off or I haven’t been willing to take the step to get something out there or I can never find the time. For me, this will be in the form of slapping several new shirt designs up on my Etsy store, starting a graphic novel I thumbnailed over ten years ago (and had the idea for even further back than that), and getting the children’s book I “wrote” and drew several years ago published (self-published, that is). I’ve got a lot of hurdles, many of them self-imposed. I have constraints on my time being a stay-at-home dad and a devoted scoutmaster, but, I can make these things happen.
Thanks for the inspiration, from your skill to your work ethic to your positive, upbeat vibe. I look forward to your completed projects this year!
This speaks to my soul.
I had a project call The Magic Trials and I stopped working on it after realizing some bad character writing. I had decent character design, but I set it aside and then lost it! I had all the character references on paper... I have plans to pick it up someday and redesign, but improvements on my story telling skills will come first.
Been binge-watching your videos, Trent. I hope to see more videos and quality stuff this year, too :D I hope when one day I can afford a credit card and I can buy your stuff on Gumroad. Meanwhile, I'll be watching and be inspired from your videos. Thank you for creating super helpful videos, sir!
I am terrible at getting projects done. I have a bad habit of being a perfectionist and just downright too hard on myself. Time to change that for 2019! Get my art done and finished and kick that awful mindset out of my brain! Screw you brain! You work for me! Lol
I have same issue and this year i decided to finish every project but this time i'll cut every project into smaller pieces so i wont have impression that this is a huuuge work to do. I also wanted to try new program which helps set time lines. I decided to make notebook where i put one task at once and im doing same thing in my mobile phone as a reminder and motivation.
I just watched the video. I'm looking over unfinished projects right now. Thanks for the inspiration! 2019!
Good for you, Trent! I think you're going to do well with reaching your goals this year.
I noticed that you went into a lot of detail about the Man and the Moonkin, and about how you felt discouraged by the people around you saying "Don't put that out" and all that. I actually read the Man and the Moonkin, and I think you have the bones for a really great story, there, and you've already built onto that a lot. It's a little rough around the edges, though. Have you thought about taking it to a content editor and/or proofreader? A content editor is the type that will look at your entire manuscript and look for plotholes, gaps, things that don't make sense, etc., and then give you feedback. (A good beta-reader can also help with this, sometimes, but a good beta can be hard to find.) A proofreader, of course, will clean up the manuscript and give it a grammatical spit-shine so it looks as professional as possible.
As always, I love your artwork. I hope you succeed in accomplishing your goals this year. From one Midwestern creator to another, I know you can do it!
I'd love more videos on master Umu 😃
My issue is that I almost always jump from idea to idea, because making progress on one sparks ideas for something else entirely, and so I almost never get anything completely finished
I would love to see an updated office tour for this year
Thanks for sharing. I should finish my The Lore of Canis game. This is a good one but somehow I am afraid of finalizing it.
Thank you very much for sharing :)
Wow... nice... sounds exactly like my problem ;-) we are quite similar, i`m always trying to do everything on my own - and it really, really slows me down - but i had similar thoughts as you for 2019.. so lets see then... a small 3d game/ 2 boardgames, finishing my masters, teaching more and so on... let 2019 be the year where my to do list is getting shorter ;-) thanks for the encouraging talk ;-)
Please! More hearthstone! Love your vids man
I took your advice and picked up "Story" by Robert McKee and I'm halfway through. My goal is to write and illustrate a short story of a comic book in color. Thanks for your advice and sharing your process. It's helpful for us too!
My skill is not where I need it to be for what I want to do so I never actually put anything down on paper, but this video really makes me want to!
One thing in my mind on how to price some work art like that. or a Matt painting, or something like movie concept.
Need to finish a big commission, and add some things to my portfolio, then I can start applying to some art houses, aquatic moon is first on the list.
Wow I needed this, guess I'ma go finish the project I had to finish a while ago xD
Love your work, I'm doing a heavy art grind in 2019, current goal is to bust out my webcomic by the end of the year or by early 2020. :)
"year of finishing". You could say that it's THE BEGINNING OF THE END lol. Good deal. It wasn't on your list but have you considered making a comic book tutorial video or book? Or would you have a recommendation for a book/video series about comics(panel layout, telling a story through words vs illustration, little tips and tricks on how to communicate plot while characters dialogue)???
I'm fortunate enough to hate beginning new things that I don't have the problem of always starting new. On the other hand I have a problem with finishing things as well. Thanks for the advice.
What I like most are stories so what I'm most interested is the Secrets of Kung Fulio book but that's just me :)
Loved what you had to say Trent-- Absolutely-- this is the year for finishing projects-- Trimming out the fat and being mindful of creative ADD has been something I've struggled w/ for a long time-- do I want to draw today, do I want to sculpt today, do I want to model and paint a texture-- There are tons of things we get excited about and tons of great art to stand in awe of, which then inspires us to want to move onto the next big thing. A couple of things that help me-- I keep a small lined molskine notebook. Any ideas I get I'll write them in-- can be anything, like a quote, a goal for the day, advice from someone you follow on SM. For larger, long-term projects, I'll brain dump all I can into that piece I'll potentially work on, I"ll literally write that I stay committed to it, and then I"ll knock out a little bit each day-- small steps to completion-- even if it's only for 30 minutes in the day. Here's a piece I'm working on now that I started at the end of 2018 and it's near completion now. Cheers man--
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102445294028357&set=a.10100469067986187&type=3&theater
I want to flesh out characters ,for a short story ,I'm working on
The hearthstone stuff sounds cool btw!