I receive many questions about breaking into freelance, so Ive put together a 'warts n all' article, outlining some of the realities a freelancer faces. I hope it helps

Conzz

The Realities of a Freelance Digital Artist (SurrealPSD)



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I am diffusing the DA aggro with these puppies. No more DA beef for me, art only from now on. Peace.





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Some people on here spend more time 'hunting', tracking and analysing supposed art-thiefs than producing actual art or contributing.

I have seen a 13 year old girl bombarded with multiple insults / threats. In a group admin discussion, the deviants were saying the young girl should be 'gassed' - and that 'Hitler would have been too kind for her'. She was tormented into quitting the site by a large group of women. If you think that's kool, then fuck you.

I have seen feuds tear across social platforms and various sites because of 'copying' or alleged copying, causing insurmountable aggrevation and pulling others into the crossfire.

I have seen Facebook art sites attacked my the 'righteous indignation' brigade, attacking genuine art appreciators like evangelical lunatics.

I get messages daily about this stuff. Many of the messages do not even come from the artists themselves, but 'concerned parties'. Please, I DO NOT CARE. With the exception of the famous Chad Love Lieberman case, most of these issues are so god damn trivial, I really don't understand why anyone would put so much emotional energy into it.

Yes, art theft is out of line, but here's a tip:

GET OVER YOURSELF

Easy huh? In this digital age, it's highly beneficial to have your art spread by others. If someone uses my work for Youtube backgrounds, Facebook profile pics, or repost on a blog without an artist link - I honestly don't care. Many brands actually spend a lot of time and resources getting their message spread like that. Ever heard the term 'viral'?

Sometimes I do step in to confront someone who has stolen my work, these situations are usually related to commercial useage - I have my own way of dealing with this, but it doesnt involve rabble-rousing.




It's an opportunity for a group of people to rally together and attack someone else, in the name of 'good'. Many of these folks get a kick out of it, Im sure. The biggest lunatics on the planet are the ones who are certain they are doing 'gods' work.

I don't like bullying, please don't involve me in it.

Many people arent gonna like this journal, Im normally a hippy about most things.. but that's my perspective. I don't like large groups attacking individuals like that; especially adult women terrorizing a 13 year old girl, like a group of sadistic teenagers kicking a puppy to death. That's how you guys come across.



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~BloodyZone's #darkclub is a long-running DA art collective, focusing on macabre artworks of all media. The group has a powerful following, and shares SurrealPSD's passion for innovative and original artworks.

We are now sponsoring the group, and are looking forward to some awesome collaborations in the near future!!

If you like your art with a healthy dose of sinister ambience, be sure to check them out!! #darkclub




Im preparing to move house, so I can finally record video tutorials. It's way too noisy where I am at the moment, and I really want to get my training system finished and online!! Because of this, our Fantasy Tutorials have taken a back seat for a little while, but they'll be back in force very soon.

Once things are settled, Im looking to get content out 5 days a week, plus guest articles, Youtube art features and a whole range of visual goodies.

Will keep y'all posted!!

In the meantime you can check out our other Fantasy Tuts and Articles:


Fantasy Lighting - Expert Tips [link]
Photoshop Body Paint Tutorial [link]



Conzz



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Video Tutorials are coming back to SurrealPSD!! Here's a little video message, explaining the philosophy of my training website






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So, Ive been mooching around DA for nearly 8 years now - spending most of my time submitting work and browsing the photomanip galleries. Right from the outset the 'Girl in a Pretty Dress' genre has been huge, making up a sizeable percentage of ALL photomanipulations submitted to DA. It's the popular style, the most dominant stomping ground for newbies, and subsequently the most popular sub-genre in photomanip.

I can't help thinking the following - how many variations of a forlorn girl set against a woodland background shimmering in the moon do we really need? Don't you guys get bored of it??

At the top tier, there are many fantasy artists here in photomanip, that have skillsets that I seriously envy. Ive yet to figure out some of these remarkable ambient lighting techniques, and I plan on doing so in the near future. I would love to see how these guys tackle other subject areas such as Surreal, Sci Fi or Abstract. There are infinite worlds; real or imagined that could be conceived with our artform, why do we keep returning to the same old scene, the same old story? I just feel it's a missed opportunity, by the many, to push photomanipulation forward as an artform.

Regardless of my journal witterings, this is a trend that will not die out soon, and I don't think it should either.. who am I to stop people creating the art that they like? Who remembers the Breakdancers against Abstract Lights craze a few years back? lol

Something to think about.. If you are in the 'Flowy Dress' genre, why not try something different? I'd love to see the 'Fantasy' style applied to unlikely topics. I am a photomanip fan, first and foremost - this is my shoutout saying I want to see more creativity overall in the galleries: so I can steal your ideas, and get better myself




The reason Im thinking a lot about this topic at the mo, is beacuse I want to do a Fantasy Season of tutorials at SurrealPSD!! Got any ideas of what you want to see done? At the moment Im thinking epic landscapes, mythical creatures, and - you guessed it, girls in flowing dresses Yup, Im gonna get right involved in that one, immerse myself and try to learn as much as I can, mainly the awesome lighting techniques. Would be great to hear what you guys think.




Been a while!! Here's a selection of recent s from my Premium, Surreal & Photography galleries:






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Hey everyone, hope you had a good holidays and you're feeling ready to face the world again! I just wanted to share with you a big project I have underway for 2013 - it's a Photoshop training course 100% focused on Photomanipulation techniques. The course has been in development for around 4 years, and is the actual syllabus I use to teach at university level. The success of my students at CCCU has really encouraged me to take this methodology to a wider audience.

So what's it about? It's a short series of courses that covers the following:



1. Core Skills & Compositing

(includes: workspace, doc types, layers, layer masks, adjustment layers, processing, shortcuts, pen tool, selecting stock, compositing complex objects, dealing with hair)

2. 'The Art System'

(includes: visual research, mood-boards, movie poster analysis, composition, rule of thirds, depth of field, producing for print, social art profiles, visual hierachy, colour)

3. Lighting Techniques

(includes: lighting overview, shadows, diffraction, highlights, speculars, catch-lights, ambient colour, reflective colour, light objects: fire, stars, lens flares etc. fantasy lighting, vignettes, foreground 'pop', case studies, 3-point lighting overview)

4. Walkthrough Projects

to be confirmed..




This training course goes against the grain somewhat, as it's not just a massive bundle of walkthroughs - it covers the 'art system' of visual research and composition. All the good stuff that's majorly important, but is never covered by the tutorial sites. Anyone can learn photoshop in a fortnight, but developing visual awareness requires a more specialized skillset.




This course is being put together based on the work that Ive done with hundreds of students over the past few years, but I'd love to hear from you guys at DA. What would you want from a training package like this, and what do you feel is 'skimmed over' by other training providers?

Look forward to hearing your comments.

Conzz



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A little bit of a philosophical musing here.. I was wondering why people invest so much time, energy and passion into their artform? Think for a moment beyond the financial aspect, and reflect on a deeper level of why we do things.

For me, it's a desire to entertain others and build a 'legacy' as it were. Being naturally competitive, I keep pushing my skillset so I can match (..or even exceed) the work of my peers. It's a never-ending cycle, and a challenge I enjoy alot.

What about you - What does it mean to be a Digital Artist?





Featuring recent s from my Premium, Surreal, Photography & Design Galleries..








Be sure to check out our new Sci Fi Season at SurrealPSD, featuring biomechanoid, cyberpunk and futuristic tutorials and goodies!!



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There's a butt-load of Photoshop Tutorial sites out there, covering how-to's on a wide range of software techniques.. How many of them get into the nitty gritty of fine-art though? Photoshop is a great tool, but it's just that - a tool. With SurrealPSD we want to go beyond the software, and use fine-art techniques from natural media  in the creation of better art.

Some of the topics we enjoy include Lighting, Scale, Composition, Depth of Field, Colour Theory and more. We've just undergone a huge overhaul of our category system, so for your convenience - here's a lineup of our tutorials and articles:





• Photoshop Basics Tutorials

Tutorials covering the basics of Photoshop including Layers, Layer Masks, Adjustment Layers, Compositing Tools and more.

• Photoshop Compositing Tutorials

Photoshop Tutorials covering compositing, background removal, masking and photomanipulation techniques.

• Photoshop Horror Tutorials

Photoshop Horror Tutorials. Undead, macabre and creepy walkthroughs and techniques.

• Photoshop Sci Fi Tutorials

Photoshop Sci Fi Tutorials including Cyberpunk, Android, Biomech and more.

• Photoshop Lighting Tutorials

Photoshop Lighting Tutorials covering highlight effects, shadows and lighting theory.

• Photoshop Beauty & Retouch Tutorials

Photoshop Tutorials covering common beauty enhancement techniques including skin correction, makeup, enhancements and more.

• Photoshop Type Effects

Photoshop Type Effects and Tutorials.

• Industry Advice

Tips and articles related to freelancing and working as a commercial artist.

• Art Theory

Articles and Tutorials focusing on the principles of art theory, and their application in Photomanipulation work.





• Kiren's Digital Scream

*KirenInDigital showcases the finest Photomanipulation work on the planet.





• Eve Livesey's Stock Corner

*EveLivesey presents our Premium Stock Collection, featuring FREE unrestricted stocks to use in your Photoshop work.




2013 is going to be a huge year for the Photomanipulation world and SurrealPSD! Watch this space for the latest news - however if your a Facebook user, you can keep up to date at our brand new Fan Page. Give us a 'Like' >> SurrealPSD Facebook


Much Respect


Conzz



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Every day is Halloween for us at SurrealPSD, but it doesn't stop us getting excited when the mystic season approaches!! To celebrate the underworld's excursion into the mortal realm, we will be rolling out a short tutorial series entitled '4 Weeks of Terror'; showcasing Photoshop techniques of the macabre variety.

I'll give y'all a headsup via the Journal for each tutorial submitted.



The official Theme Tune:




Conzz



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Been some seriously high class Digital Surreal works on DA recently, so I thought I'd share some recent favourites. The Surreal collection in my 's is a fairly new edition, but I like how it's turning out. Enjoy!








The latestPhoto Manip tutorials at SurrealPSD:


• Skin Tone Correction in Photoshop (Beginner) >> Correct skin tones using Curves with this Photoshop Tutorial.

• Epic Movie Photoshop Type Tutorial (Advanced) >> Use faux-3D effects to create epic movie type with this Photoshop walkthrough.

• Photoshop Makeup Tutorial (Level: Advanced) >> Produce amazing Photo-realistic makeup effects with this Photoshop walkthrough.

• True Blood: Photoshop Vampire Tutorial (Level: Advanced) >> Emulate the amazing True Blood Poster with this vampire themed Photoshop Tutorial.



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Seriously.. There's been some immense cyberpunk art making an appearance the last few months, it would be selfish to keep these beauties to myself! Sleek as hell in a variety of media - hope you enjoy these as much as I do







The latestPhoto Manip tutorials at SurrealPSD:

• Epic Movie Photoshop Type Tutorial (Advanced) >> Use faux-3D effects to create epic movie type with this Photoshop walkthrough.

• Photoshop Makeup Tutorial (Level: Advanced) >> Produce amazing Photo-realistic makeup effects with this Photoshop walkthrough.

• True Blood: Photoshop Vampire Tutorial (Level: Advanced) >> Emulate the amazing True Blood Poster with this vampire themed Photoshop Tutorial.



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In the next few months I will be releasing a pack of exclusive video tutorials, for FREE! It's a little thankyou for those that have been supporting SurrealPSD during it's early days.

If you would like receive the tutorials, that won't be seen elsewhere online, simply head over to SurrealPSD.com and join our newsletter by entering your email in the form at the top right.




There has been an influx of phenomenal cyberpunk art recently, so good I think Im going to run a full feature on it. Watch this space!




If there's any techniques or things you would like to see at SurrealPSD, don't hesitate to drop me a message - and I'll see what we can do

Much respect

Conzz



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

DeviantArt have rolled out a new Premium Content Platform that enables Deviants to charge for digital resources. Im a little bit worried about this..

In my humble opinion, this may change the landscape of the resources / artist community. At present the system is built on altruism, everyone trading on good will and services. For instance, I use the free images provided by stock artists, in turn I write free tutorials for the community. Stockers gain exposure for their photography practice, I gain high quality stock, everyone gains from the new digital works that result. I like this system.




I do pay for premium stock. Often. I go to Fotolia to buy specific images for my commercial work; but I know that every image on there is screened and of a high quality. There are instances where I require a small element or feature to incorporate into a piece, DeviantArt usually helps me out with that. I also use DeviantArt stock extensively in my teaching, as it's accessible and FREE for my students.




DeviantArt is the best figurative stock site on the web, bar none. There are many stock artists on here that truly deserve to earn from their works; but how to implement this without killing the community? There could be a designated folder in the Deviants gallery, with the absolute best of the best, full-res, professionally shot works that are premium. Once purchased these can be used commercially. That could be a viable option from the perspective of the stocker and commercial artist.

I saw one conversation where a stock artist said they would charge $500 for stock, if used commercially. Really?? That's double what I get paid to do a book cover. For one stock image!!! At that point I would head right over to Fotolia for my full-res, studio shot image for $10.

Edit: The same deviant has uploaded a stock pack containing 47 good quality body shots for around $5 - which is a really good deal. If they can be used commercially, I would be interested in purchasing .zipped stock packs




One demographic I really feel for, is the hobbyist - particularly the young guys. Unlike commercial artists (who make up only a fraction of this site), these folks aren't in a position to pay for any stock. I fear that a huge block of once free resources will now be unavailable to them, in turn resulting in less digital works produced. Everyone needs a helping hand at the start of their career, I know I did.




No, I will not be charging for tutorials!!  It's my thankyou to the community that has built me up with guidance and free resources.




I'd really like to hear from the stock artists, commercial artists and hobbyists on this one. Stockers, you know Ive always loved you; how do we work this one out?

Much respect

Conzz



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

So Im thinking of going to the Devmeet this weekend in Hyde Park [link]

Any of you guys going? If it looks like there's going to be a few kool people there, I'll be getting pissed and staying over in a hostel! Let me know, and we'll have a drink

By the looks of things, there's an unhealthy amount bronies and teenie boppers attending - the darkside need to represent! haha



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

We love lighting over at SurrealPSD. There's a new walkthrough explaining some simple techniques for replicating movie poster lighting in Adobe Photoshop. Use pro tricks to add punch to your photo manipulation work!


Movie Poster Lighting Photoshop Tutorial at SurrealPSD >> [link]




Im teaching myself studio photography and diversifying my practice. Keep a look out for a whole new style from me over the next few months!



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

Our Core Skills series continues, with this episode focusing on the commonly used Photoshop Selection Tools and modifiers. The walkthrough was designed with beginners in mind, however there may be a shortcut or two that could help out the intermediate users!


Core Skills - Photoshop Selection Tools @ SurrealPSD: [link]


More in the Core Skills series:

• Document Setup [link]
• Photoshop Layers  (Part 1) [link]
• Photoshop Layers (Part 2) [link]
• Photoshop Layer Masks [link]
• Selecting Stock Photography [link]
• Photoshop Levels [HD] Video Tutorial [link]
• Photoshop Pen Tool [HD] Video Tutorial [link]
• Photoshop Adjustment Layers [link]




My zombie pic 'Taken' was entered into the Popcorn Horror Monster Makeup contest, and it's a finalist! Voting has opened to determine the winner, so if you could drop by and vote for my piece (if you like it) - then I would be very grateful indeed. It takes just one click

Popcorn Horror Competition >> [link]



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

Layer Masks are arguably the most powerful function in the Photoshop toolkit, novices and professionals alike should have a thorough working knowledge of masks and their uses. If you are looking into producing work with Photoshop, why not check out our no-nonsense guide!

Core Skills: Photoshop Layer Masks >> [link]




Featuring a selection from my recent Premium, Surreal, Photography and Design favourites:





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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

Experimenting with textures is a great way to break into the world of photo manip, however these effects are very easily 'overdone'. The following walkthrough outlines some of the techniques and considerations to have in mind when working with textures.

Photoshop Textures Tutorial at SurrealPSD >> [link]





SurrealPSD has a new feature called 'Stock Corner' - where our resident stock artist *EveLivesey uploads unrestricted resources every week. The selection so far has been fantastic, why not head over and check them out?

Texture Pack 1 >> [link]

Castles Pack >> [link]

Cracked Earth Pack >> [link]



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD

Soft Light is one of those great layer modes that has a tonne of uses.. The following walkthrough shows some of the digital makeup and retouch techniques that can be achieved by using Soft Light layers alone:

Photoshop Makeup with Soft Light Tutorial @ SurrealPSD >> [link]



Stock Credit: ~ladystardust



This guide looks at the notion of scale and composition, an area of study grossly under-represented online.. If you would like to refine the arrangement of your elements for higher impact art, why not check out the following tutorial?

The Importance of Scale and Composition @ SurrealPSD >> [link]



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10 Photo Manipulation Tips for Beginners | Core Skills: Selecting Stock Photography | Core Skills: Photoshop Pen Tool | Core Skills: Photoshop Levels | Lots more tutorials and resources over at SurrealPSD