Do you like to go all out in your illustrations? ♡

[surenlicious]

The way I can barely think of a percentage to put on mine omg--- XDDDD

[surenlicious]

I remember when doing client work in my younger days I also felt the pressure to go even beyond my best (whatever the heck that may even have been XD), versus now knowing what I am able to do with much more confidence. I'm glad you're more aware of your own skill range and can be a bit more at ease if offering what you're confident enough to do for the money.

[crowstories]

It kind of depends on how much time and mental bandwidth I have for each illustration, but since I switched from working on a comic every day to doing one illustration a week for my novel, I've been able to put a lot more of myself into each drawing, and really stretch to learn new skills (with mixed results lol). I've been a lot happier with my art as a result, though working on the comic did help to improve my skills rapidly in the beginning.

I have another WIP that I've poured EVEN MORE time into, and hope to actually finish one of these days (luckily I've learned the skills to do that since I last worked on it), so really given more free time, I could push my illustrations even further... there's just never enough time, unfortunately.

Here's the WIP in question:

[DanielRKM]

Oh man, yes. This. But your 55% is still pretty slick.

I find that I often work with my "deadline" art style (coined by John Romita Jr). I look back at my inconsistencies, cringe, then remember that "well, I gave myself a deadline, so that's all, folks."

[surenlicious]

I definitely am feeling you on the time part, oof. What I like about your WIP is how you take your time with it and finish it little by little, and that way it too will turn out in something very stunning. It makes me happy to hear it works out well for you this way too!

[LCT_m_a_d]

I usually try to go all out on every illustration. It allows me to fully experience and appreciate the art of creating beyond the sake of productivity. Plus, it's fun to see how far I can push the boundaries of my creative skills as a form of expression. To create with the purpose of mastering my senses. Doing fewer things fully.

Of course going all out doesn't necessarily mean detailing everything. Detail is just one aspect of my art. It's also a cognitive exercise of how much detail adds or how less detail adds. There's also thinking about the drawing conceptually, principally etc...

With that said I don't draw for money or business so it feels right to take advantage of the freedom I have and use my time mindfully. Plus my going all out can serve as a demonstration for fellow creators of the opposite. Sort of like being a classical muse to compliment the more new age creators. I think having both sides is good for art today. I can fully appreciate those who just want to get stuff done though.

[joannekwan]

It depends on my mood/mental health at the time I draw it. If I'm good and am really vibing with the drawing, I may give it special attention and make sure things are perfect.

For commissions, I just deliver what is stated on my commission sheet. I may give special attention to pieces where the client has given me a nice tip though.

[rajillustration]

Like everyone else here, it depends. For comics especially, I have to hold back because my other style is like...photoreal...and I don't believe in going WLOP. I have a time limit to my pages and so if I don't have that panel quick enough--it's time to move on, and I really don't go back and fix it, it just is what it is, and that's how free webcomics work. But, if I have a certain portfolio piece I'm excited about, or a job that is really fun to do, I will absolutely go all out. That's why they're paying me, haha.

[Kelheor]

I think I usually go all out in every illustration, some way or another. Mostly because I try to not only draw something to the best of my abilities, but I also try to learn something in the process of drawing every artwork, it doesn't necessarily needs to be something groundbreaking, but it should add to my small piggy bank.
But it also proves being problematic, because it usually takes much more time, personal investment and breaking a bit of my boundaries, that's why I have a lot of art waiting to be finished and have so few finished illustrations

[surenlicious]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I can find lots of parts of myself in your explanation as well.

[surenlicious]

Omg that latter so much hahaha! I have learned to take it easy with all the special treats, just do what the client asked and make it pretty. XD

[surenlicious]

JDKFHFJKGHJFKDHG GOING WLOP--- I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, I only recently started doing comics and I am very much in need of learning to tone it down...drastically haha.

[surenlicious]

Ouch, I'm feeling that last bit a lot! I do share learning a little bit of a new thing with each artwork, and I think you can find your balance between whipping out the goods or just sharing a little bit (but a pretty bit :D) of your skill in due time.

[Legendofgenii]

Always try to give my best effort. I might complain as I go, but it’s usually worth it in the end.

[TheGentleArtist]

I go all out nearly all the time in my illustrations. It helps to see how far I've gotten, especially when looking back at my old stuff; it also helps gauge my ability and see any weaknesses that I have.

There are times where I don't put a lot effort, yet still enough and that's when I do some casual illustrations.

It fluctuates with my comic though; there are times where I go all out and times where I put a percentage, so it is evident in different episodes. Like, there is a part of me wanting me to pull back a bit as to avoid burn out XD. Though, I feel an achievement when giving my best.

[euzalea]

I love this question!

Client commissions I always go all out! But I don't go all out on my own personal art, mainly because when I make something I want to feel good and enjoy the process of creating it rather than feel bad and frustrated. I think negative feelings should be reserved for art studies.......

I'm kidding , studies are essential in honing skills too, they can be exhausting but it's humbling to know that there is still a lot of room to continue improving!

Anyway, my take on this is that your art should be about you and how you express yourself to the world, if people like it then that's awesome. What's important is yourself and how you feel about your art, and if it brings you joy (Marie Kondo!?), at the end of the day.

[maseba]

I am the opposite to everyone here : I love to give life in my illustrations because I like to draw and I feel satisfied when I give my best ... except when they are commissions and they pay me, whose treatment of love or "I do the least" depends on whether it gives the chance that I like it or if it turns out that I hate it.

[DNoble]

I really like to go all out when I can, but for the sake of speed and getting stuff done in a timely manner, I usually cap myself at like 80%. Sometimes if an idea really catches my attention or gives me the opportunity to go nuts (super complex robot designs, lace and lingerie, intricate stone carvings or metalwork, etc. etc.), I'll do exactly that, but I can't afford to do it regularly.
When it comes to my comic, it's even more sparse; I'm trying to put out 4-6 pages every 2 weeks on top of a full-time freelance illustration job, so I really have to limit how much detail I put into those pages on a pretty regular basis. Once per chapter or so I'll pick 'the thing' for that chapter that I really want to pour my heart and soul into, and those pages usually end up looking ultra sicknasty, but I'd never get anything done if I did that more than once very 20 pages or so.

[Kaydreamer]

I lack the patience to go all-out on most pieces. That, combined with the tight working pace of making a comic, means I generally cut corners in order to create panels which look nice, but which certainly don't represent all that I can do. (Otherwise I'd be over-rendering every single panel, and I'd never actually have a comic I could share.) Sometimes I'll render a little more, if it's a panel I think looks particularly nice.

When I did have time to focus on standalone illustrations, I'd put a lot more effort into them. Especially those I'd identified that I wanted to make look as polished as I could. I have a few like that, which I'm still enormously fond of, but I haven't had the opportunity to do something like that for a while. The last one was the cover/thumbnail for Blue Star Rebellion.

I feel like if I did go 100% in an illustration now, it'd show a huge leap in skill due to the sheer volume of art I've created this year. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to demonstrate something like that soon!

[jmccubbins]

i like to go all out even on sketching. Typically because I often feel like I'm not pushing myself hard enough. Like I didn't do good enough and I need to try again. But I'm trying to get out of that by telling myself I did do good enough because the only person I should compete against is myself.
My sketch of a miniature unicorn is a great example of me trying to much on a sketch