October Q&A - leave your questions here!
Added 2021-10-22 03:49:27 +0000 UTCHey!
Hope you're well! October is nearing an end here, but before we're all dead on Halloween, we should do another Q&A - you can ask anything you like, personal or professional or obesessional - we can talk art, life, body deterioration, why my feet are slowly turning into jagged rocks, everything is on the table.
Please leave your question below or feel free to ask a follow up if I messed up your question from last month.
Thanks as always for your support!
Dave
Comments
I am SO SORRY KIM!! Idk where the Amy thing came from - October's been a long month!
Grelorne
2021-11-04 22:53:21 +0000 UTCDave with all the possibilities for personal projects and a limiting lifespan. How do you think in regards to splitting up your time for such things. Do you have some protects you want to be doing more on but are not just yet because of feasibility. and for Kim, what would you like to be doing more of that hasn't been able to happen yet. If you guys come down to Australia some day, come hang out and we can feed kangaroos and do Australia stuff.
Andrew Gibbons
2021-11-04 12:58:27 +0000 UTCWould you rather get the shit beat out of you or the piss beat out of you. Thanks and stay well
Ian Marshall Pellerin
2021-10-31 13:45:58 +0000 UTCHey y’all, If you two could live in any fantasy world, which one would you choose? Also, I was wondering what sorts of things you think about when it comes to lighting these big multi character compositions? Have you come up with any rules you try to follow for stuff like what direction the light comes from, characters casting shadows on each other, unifying color themes, etc. Thanks! Also, I live in your walls.
Louis Whitworth
2021-10-30 06:13:46 +0000 UTCHey Dave and Kim, if I can squeeze in a 2nd question. Could you speak about artists guilds a little bit? Is it necessary to be apart of one as a freelancer? Are there pros and cons to not being apart of one? Thanks
Alfred Manzano
2021-10-29 19:50:15 +0000 UTCHey Dave, and Kim! I was wondering if you have any art friends you talk to, and how often you talk to them. Also just out of curiosity could we be friends? 👀👉🏾👈🏾
JVMES16
2021-10-29 18:08:20 +0000 UTCHey Dave and Kim, Hope you both are feeling better. Dave, how did you learn how to draw such detailed heraldry and filigree on armor and as borders. For example you had a lot of fine heraldry on the large Castlevania composition. Any tips for understanding such small designs?
Nick Yourkonis
2021-10-29 16:51:01 +0000 UTCHi Dave! New Patreon here. I have been listening to all your Q&A and I have gotten a lot of useful information. Thank you so much for all your time and patience answering our questions. Just two questions here. - When creating comic stories, how to avoid overthinking too much about the plot and story? I constantly find myself overthinking and finding new things I don't like or I want to change in the story. By doing this I can spend weeks or even months just thinking in the story and I never start drawing the comic fearing the story or the plot is bad. - You've talked about your break routines several times before. Would it be possible for you to do a studio tour or show your chair and how your tablet is setup? I want to improve my posture to avoid having injuries in the future. I still haven't watched all the Q&A's yet, so if one of these questions is repeated I will just watch the remaining Q&A's Thanks and keep up the good work!
Cristian benito
2021-10-28 16:03:12 +0000 UTCHey you beautiful couple, hope you're doing beautifully great! I have a three questions: 1) Jordan Peterson said one time that "opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated". Have you ever seen examples in your respective professional fields where that has been the case? 2) For both of you, where lies the line where you can differentiate between work and pseudo-work? 3) Dave, between longer and shorter pieces of work, which ones have you found to be the most relevant in your social media growth, and why do you think it worked so well for you? Thanks for answering all the questions, love the new format with both of you, it's way more insightful and fun to have you onboard Kim!
André Alessi
2021-10-28 14:52:02 +0000 UTCHi Dave and Kim, what is your favorite Vietnamese dish? Thank you guys, take care --Sức khỏe dồi dào
Senna Prahara
2021-10-28 06:01:38 +0000 UTCHi Dave! I was just wondering if you or anyone else here knew of a brush in Procreate that was close to or similar to the gouache brush you shared that you use in CSP, it's hands down my favorite brush in any program. I could sub to CSP on Ipad but I'd prefer not to. Thanks!
CK
2021-10-27 21:59:42 +0000 UTCHi Dave and Kim! I hope you guys are doing well! My first question is what did you do with Amy's body in order to stop your second wife, Kim, from discovering the secret family you've been harvesting in Eastern Venezuela under the name of Diego Rapardo? Secondly, would you rather fight one horse-sized chicken or twelve chicken-sized horses? You can use one weapon, but it must be made by your own hand. On a serious note, thank you for all that you do - it's a tremendous help and we can genuinely tell that you and Kim are invested in this, as are we! Take care.
Craig Herbert
2021-10-27 16:09:40 +0000 UTCHey Dave and Kim, I've been telling everyone you make hundreds of millions of dollars and showing people pictures of Cardi B's house and telling them it's yours. I've also photoshopped you into the background of pictures of Jeffery Epstein. Is there anything else I can do to help? All the best to you and your family.
Bogsloth
2021-10-27 14:38:52 +0000 UTCDid you have problems with patience(rushing) when doing your artwork?
Dario Pocijak
2021-10-26 15:47:36 +0000 UTCDo you still draw things 18 times to learn them?
Leon Ngo pham
2021-10-26 09:01:24 +0000 UTCThoughts on dedicating a video to the very first step of your process, the rough draft, which isn't supposed to be seen by the client ("just shit everywhere" as you put it)? I hate to admit but in the previous Q&A that was the best piece of advice you ever gave, I finally feel like I can churn stuff out and compare what works and what doesn't with ease. Or maybe you've done such vid and I just missed it. Anyways, it's something that gets omitted by other artists and now I feel like an idiot because it shaved several hours off of my work, especially with clients. Also a question - If you could spend a shitton of money on art but not make anything yourself, what would you do? Any artists you'd like to throw money at, let someone take a spin on an IP, collab, buy old masters paintings, etc?
Anton
2021-10-26 04:16:56 +0000 UTC"Framed Ink" is a really great book on composition that I've seen recommended a lot. https://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953#customerReviews
Louis Whitworth
2021-10-25 18:48:09 +0000 UTCHey Dave. Thank you for taking the time to read my question. I Hope you and your family are doing great. I’d like to ask you for some sort of career advice. I'm a full time concept artist (generalist) working in house and doing freelance on a side. Working 90+ hrs week. No debt, no family. I'm in my early 30s. No internet following. All my work is under NDA, and can't be shared for at least one to two more years. Issue is that I reached my earning potential as inhouse artist. No studio in my country will pay much more for my position. I do freelance to increase my pay and make savings. But it’s all charged hourly. I have no online portfolio. All work that comes my way is based on referrals. I find myself kinda trapped. I'd like to keep my current pay but cut down hours I work by at least half. Honestly I don't see the way I can do it by working in gamedev as a concept artist. I’m considering what options I have in this situation and would love to hear your opinion/advice for what I can do. Thank you for any advice you might have. Best wishes and good luck with buying a house. I’m sure you will find a place that’s right for you and your family.
Sleepy
2021-10-24 13:30:17 +0000 UTCHi Dave and Kim, I hope you two and the kids are doing well. I was going to ask an art question but I never know what to ask until I'm in the middle of drawing something, so instead I'd like to know what would you do if you were a skeleton for a weekend? Another question is there a specific part of parenting that you're looking forward to as the boys grow up? Both questions are for Kim as well. Also I'm looking into getting a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ to learn digital art on soon so maybe next Q&A I'll have an art question.
Corn
2021-10-24 04:10:16 +0000 UTCGreetings Dave and Amy! I hope your family is doing well. I recently subscribed to your patreon and was listening to the backlog of your Q&A videos, and foremost - having Amy join in was a fantastic idea. The shared insights and perspectives as well as her own views from the outside on your creative work process has been very fun to listen to. My question, however, is if you can recall the first really big professional gig you'd landed beyond individual client commission work - was there any pressure in making the piece "perfect" and if there was, what helped you kick that pressure off? Thanks! (PS. I wanted to also say thank you! As I was listening to one of the Q&A's where you had mentioned not waiting for creativity to spark, and just making it yourself in regards to art. And it was one of those obvious things I needed to hear; I went on and produced 21 line art drawings over the course of 3 days. And have been drawing every day as opposed to one piece every 3 months, and have completed 4 ( simple ) full paintings since early October.)
Grelorne
2021-10-23 23:29:51 +0000 UTCHey guys, Just wondering if you had any tips for managing your time with the little ones? I just had my third kid and I've been finding it difficult to balance my non art job and family with art practice. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Also, have you thought about bringing back other artists for interviews/art talks? It would be interesting to hear from other people again that might not have a platform of their own. Maybe people from back in the crimson dagger days or something. Just a thought! Anyways, thanks for doing these, all the best. : )
Alex O
2021-10-23 22:46:47 +0000 UTCThank you both!
Lucyan J. C. (cyangorilla)
2021-10-23 17:56:02 +0000 UTCYes to this!
Frederik H.
2021-10-23 12:07:14 +0000 UTCHello David Rapozo and Kim Rapozo, it is I, normal human male Frederik, and definitely not a faceless humanoid wearing the skin of one of your beloved Patrons. Thanks so much for being so thorough in answering my question last Q&A, and sorry for bringing up the broken Cintiq topic, I hope Dave didn't proceed to punch the wall and scream after the recording. I have a question regarding comic cover backgrounds: Backgrounds are always a bit of a black sheep, but how do you decide on a background for a cover? When does a simple colored background work better than parts of a full scene? Any tips on making the characters not look like they're doing a hero pose in an empty void? Also, what's your favorite comic cover you've ever done? (I love your Knull Wolverine one.) Sorry for the long winded question, I hope you and the boys have a lovely family Halloween!
Frederik H.
2021-10-23 12:06:35 +0000 UTCTop 5 Favorite manga artist and top 5 American artist
Kye
2021-10-23 03:56:47 +0000 UTCTo piggy back off of this: What is the worst costume you've tried to pull off?
Linda Marsh
2021-10-23 03:09:40 +0000 UTCYeah, when it comes to art advice and cultivating a professional mindset, I really connect with Dave's laid back style. I like how he gives tons of specific practical tips compared to so many other artists. It seems like most pros have trouble breaking down their own process for less experienced artists. Great to hear about the job. Congrats! 👍
Oronoro
2021-10-22 21:47:26 +0000 UTCHey D-Ra and K-Rizzle, long time stalker, first time caller. Let's talk about the underrated taboo of cannibalism. Say your plane crashed in the icy hellscape of the Andes mountains. And say you saw the silver lining in this tragedy: a providential chance to stick it to the vegans. Dave, would you rather join the rest of the survivors and gobble the finger and toe meat of the leathery old pilot? Or would you prefer to eat your own left leg, which was severed below the knee during the crash? And Kim, would you tell the others that you found a large suitcase full of beef jerky before or after you took this rare opportunity to sample ethically sourced human flesh?
Oronoro
2021-10-22 21:38:27 +0000 UTC1. How do you think Vampire Hunter D blends science fiction and fantasy in an seamless way? 2. Did you see the Green Knight? 3. Have you heard of the manga Blame! (pronounced Blem). It's a science fiction manga that has some interesting concepts in it. 4. Do you use the standard cintique stylus? It's like gripping those stupid giant pencils you would get during school fairs as a kid. Thanks for answering my random questions.
YoPotato
2021-10-22 20:07:55 +0000 UTCHey Dave and Kim, any chance you could add introduction/socials channel to discord? I think it could be a neat place where people can look for art buddies or do a little self promo. A lot of people in the discord are like-minded anyway.
Anton
2021-10-22 19:42:40 +0000 UTCI feel exactly the same, art thoughts channeled through a relatable dude like Dave, humanized the hole art thing for me. Congrats on-the-job, dude !
Sebastiaan te Pas
2021-10-22 17:08:36 +0000 UTCHi Dave and Kim (Creaman and Skelletoreo)! Hope you are both well in this spooky month of scares. First off, wanted to be sappy for a minute and thank you, Dave (also Dan, but he is the dog whisperer now). A few years ago I quit my full-time job and threw myself into art without understanding anything and being pretty bad at it. Today I signed my first big contract for a job with a big company and the lead up to it has been a year of book covers, mats and cards (my dream jobs). Without your down-to-earth demeanor, without the "Getting through the middle video", and without the tutorials that were mostly about life I would have given up a year into it. Thank you! Now, do you have a way to deal with influences from other people affecting your way of thinking? I currently avoid listening to other artists talk about art and their processes (other than you, because you never prescribe stuff). I feel they make me think my way is wrong because so and so professional does it differently and I notice it translates into less confident work. How can I shut up the voices in my head? Thank you and much love and health to you both and the round bois.
Lucyan J. C. (cyangorilla)
2021-10-22 16:16:18 +0000 UTCCan you share what helped you most with getting used to digital mediums other than just doing it a lot? And do you have an opinion on iPad vs Wacom. Thanks for all you do. Your art single-handedly got me drawing again after a 6 year hiatus.
Gero
2021-10-22 14:57:52 +0000 UTCCan you recommend any books or resources for learning about composition? How do you get good at that? I feel like learning about things like anatomy or perspective is straightforward, but learning about composition is not because people don't treat it like a technical subject. So I don't know how to get better at composition. Thank u
David Carrasco
2021-10-22 14:26:27 +0000 UTCWooo Halloween questions. What was your best costume you ever pulled off?
Alfred Manzano
2021-10-22 09:22:24 +0000 UTCHello Kim and Dave! Hope this month finds you well. First a question for both of you, if you could get dressed as ANYTHING this Halloween what would it be? Secondly, Dave who are some of your favourite traditional artists and what do you like about them in particular?
Chris Pittas
2021-10-22 07:00:01 +0000 UTCWill you make a piece based on Diablo? Since you like to draw monsters and demons it looks like a no brainer for you, loving the fast output that you've been doing lately with your new workflow. Keep the good work.
Jorge Romero
2021-10-22 04:40:08 +0000 UTCHi! I'm new to the patreon and have been learning as much as I can. One thing I really want to be good at is drawing the human figure in different poses with little references as possible. What books (or resources) helped you develop your figure drawings?
Javier Lopez Jr.
2021-10-22 04:15:42 +0000 UTCIf you had the time, what other mediums or styles would you like to experiment with? I'd love to see some Rapoza plein air in oils or watercolor someday.
Drew Bartlett
2021-10-22 03:54:17 +0000 UTC
