Hey, guys! In this episode, I am chatting with Dan Howard, full-time freelance illustrator and concept artist from LA. He has worked with clients such as Rocket Games, UbiSoft, Riot Games, Flight Comics, and Fantasy Flight Games, just to name a few.
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Get in touch with Dan
- Website: http://danhowardart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_howard_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanHowardArt
Key Takeaways
“Always draw and enjoy what you draw … whatever you like!”
- Dan’s biggest influence when he was a kid was his older brother, an artist himself. He would send Dan his drawings and Dan wanted to be like him. He always wanted him to succeed.
- Dan absolutely recommends going to conventions. You will learn more about the strategy of living as an artist, you will get hang of it, discover print shops. Even if you feel awkward, don’t look awkward and just do it!
- Dan recommends that you are everywhere as an artist – facebook, art station, Instagram and do everything separately. You have to do posts for those audiences specifically so they feel appreciated
- Dan says that when working with the art directors, it’s not about rendering everything to be photorealistic, but about simplification – stylized, faster drawing. Sometimes they want the assets as fast as possible and there is only time for the ‘essence’.
Resources mentioned
- Dan did illustrations for Upper Deck Fantasy Trading cards
- Anime conventions – Baltimore, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta
- FanimeCon in California – May 2018
- Burne Hogarth – books on anatomy with a very good explanation how to do it – very visual
- Classes with Glenn Vilppu
Special thanks to Dan for joining me today. See you next time!
All artworks by Dan Howard, used with permission
Click Here For The Episode Transcript
Hi, I am Iva (rhymes with “viva”). I am an artist, illustrator, founder of Art Side of Life®, and Top Teacher on Skillshare. Since 2009 I've worked as an illustrator, character designer, art director, and branding specialist focusing on illustration, storytelling, concepts, and animation. I believe that we are all creative in infinite numbers of ways, so I've made it my mission to teach you everything I know and help either wake up or develop your creative genius. Learn more about me.