Stay fit and healthy: how to look after yourself
Body guards Artists rely on their bodies as much as their tools. Dom Carter hears how creators should look after them
The Covid-19 crisis is affecting all aspects of life, and as we go to press people are still being asked to work from home wherever possible. For full-time artists this can be an easier task compared to a lot of professions, yet perhaps now more than ever it’s a good time to analyse your home setup and ensure that you’re not putting your well-being at risk.
Besides the mental health issues we covered in issue 186, artists face physical strains as a result of their dayto-day work – whether it’s at home or (during normal times) in a commercial studio setting. Left unchecked, these can turn into serious complications, so it’s important to recognise the warning signs and equip yourself with the right tools that will look after your body. So what physical ailments do artists face? “Most complain about bad backs and carpal tunnel,” says comic artist PJ Holden, who was also subject to elbow bursitis. “I was suddenly aware of how much weight I put on my left elbow. I draw with my right hand and would rest my left elbow on a table and rest my head in my hand while I work.”
Meanwhile art director Melissa Malone adds that the most common physical health problem for artists is, “without a doubt repetitive stress injuries (RSI), usually in the wrists, neck and shoulder pain and visual impairments.” Just like PJ’S elbow issues, RSI are a result of how artists work. “I work at a Cintiq for
I was suddenly aware of how much weight I put on my left elbow…
eight hours a day so I have to be mindful of the way I’m sitting, or the pain in my trapezius muscle will flare up,” adds Melissa.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
To avoid poor working habits causing problems down the line, it’s crucial to listen to your body. Anna Hollinrake, principal artist at Mediatonic, says pain, tension and heat are signs that artists need to give their bodies a rest. “I feel tension in my forearm and trapezius muscles if I’ve been painting or hunching over for too long,” she says. “If my thumb is getting worn out I’ll get a ‘pulling’ sensation along it. Don’t ignore those feelings. ‘Painting through the pain’ is a terrible idea!”
On top of this, Melissa points out that pains in an artist’s back and neck can present themselves in ways that aren’t straightforward, such as headaches and dizziness. “Fatigue, general anxiety and tightness are warning signs that you need to revise how you’re working,” she explains.
Visual artist Laura Braga adds that this all feeds into an artist’s emotional well-being, which is also useful for highlighting the need for a coursecorrection. “Professional artists are lucky: we work with our biggest passion,” she says. “If we realise that we’re losing our passion or interest, that means it’s time to change our working methods.”
This is all good in theory, but how can an artist look after themselves in the face of demanding schedules? For Anna, an accommodating studio can play an important role. “In my last job we would do Taiso Time. Everyone working on the show would get up and follow a three-minute Japanese radio calisthenics stretching video at 3.30pm every day. It’s definitely not industry practice, but I wish it was. We did somewhat have the energy of being part of a cult, but I also massively reduced my back stiffness and general neck pain by doing them.”
Melissa also enjoyed the benefits of an understanding studio. “We’ve been offered discounted gym memberships and massages, and standing desks have been made available if you
Don’t ignore those feelings. ’Painting through the pain’ is a terrible idea!
have a note from a physio. While these things all help, the responsibility is on the artist to make sure they’re not working excessive hours without stretching. You’ll likely move studios multiple times in your career, but you only have one body.”
FREELANCING FROM HOME
It’s a slightly different story for freelancers. “I work from home, so my well-being falls to me,” says PJ. “I work with deadlines, and can, usually work around any ill health. Though I might start stretching at the start of the day.”
Tight schedules are also a concern for Laura. “There isn’t much room for my own fitness, but it’s necessary. Many publishers are quite flexible with deadlines, but publications follow fixed dates, so time management is key.”
With the onus on the artist to look after their body, it’s unsurprising that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. “I ride my exercise bike and do a steps workout, but mainly a routine of workout exercises on a mat,” says Laura. Eye-level monitors and a microwaveable heated compress are what Melissa uses to ease her aches and pains. “I find doing half an hour of yoga two or three times a week at the recommendation of my physio has helped a great deal as well.” As for Anna, she goes for a massage once every month or two. “Your back supports your arms and your wrists, so it’s good to have any muscle knots or tension points worked out.”
“And mental health can be just as important as physical health,” says PJ. “For me, that means not piling on unnecessary pressure. One way I avoid that is by setting out a schedule of work for the week and limiting that to two big ticket items per day.
“The other way I manage my mental health is to have an outlet. I do a regular podcast with some friends of mine (www.sunnysideshow.com) where we talk nonsense about our lives. I laugh like a drain doing the show and it’s a great vent.”
The responsibility is on the artist to make sure they’re not working excessive hours without stretching
It’s many artists’ dream to work on a big film like Star Wars and with Industrial Light & Magic’s London studio always looking out for new talent, it’s possible to turn that dream into a reality.
At our Vertex event from earlier this year, ILM’S Jason Horley, Pablo Dominguez and Bimpe Alliu gave a talk on that very topic. Here, we bring you the highlights, and reveal how to create a well-rounded and varied portfolio that’s geared towards the requirements of ILM.
BECOME FAMILIAR WITH 3D TOOLS
It’s been a source of debate among concept artists for some time: do you need 3D skills, or can you get by on 2D talent alone? Well, Jason was emphatic that at ILM at least, that debate is over. ”Every artist in our department has to have the ability to work in both 2D and 3D,” he said. “In our work, speed is a key factor, so you need to be versatile, and adapt to whatever the brief is. I’ve been to universities and met people studying concept art and I’m surprised that some of them still aren’t using 3D yet. It can be a bit daunting, but it’s definitely an essential tool.”
That said, you don’t have to invest in expensive software. “There are some free packages out there,” pointed out Bimpe. “For example, Maya has a free student version, and Blender’s totally free, even though it’s an industry worthy tool.”
SIMPLIFY YOUR ART
During their talk the ILM team showed the audience paintings that Jason had previously submitted as part of his artist portfolio. And one of the themes that emerged was the need to simplify your concept art – something that the artist had definitely taken on board.
When you’re creating an illustration, you can put in as much detail as you like, said Jason. But concept art serves a specific purpose, and so needs to be crafted differently. “Directors look at these images so quickly, they have to be very clear; a quick read. Too much detail means you don’t know where to look. What you’re trying to convey is atmosphere, lighting and mood. If the colour, light and values are good, you can jettison all that extra detail.”
How do you know if you’ve got it right? “From far away, it needs to be something clean and clear, not noisy,” said Bimpe. “You want to be able to squint and recognise what those shapes are – get an immediate mood and sense of a story.”
Of course, simplification alone only gets you so far. The team showed the audience several pieces that may have struck the right level of simplicity, but looked unbalanced and lacked a strong focus. “So it’s not only about reducing detail, but thinking about strong composition,” said Jason.
LEARN ABOUT COLOUR AND LIGHT
Film-making is famously known as “painting with light”, and capturing light successfully in your work is a
good way to get the attention of ILM’S art department. “When we see portfolios, colour theory is something we often find missing,” said Jason. “For instance a lot of people, when they go to shadow areas of their painting, often just go to black.”
You might think you’ve learned all the theory you need to know at art school, he added, but that may not be the case. “When I worked at Disney, which was 2D and traditional, they taught me about staging, about colour, about bounce light, about sky reflections… about all these things that I never learned when I was at college.”
For self-study, Jason recommended two books: Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney; and Vision: Color and Composition for Film by Hans Bacher. And you need to practise constantly to translate this theory into action. “Any personal work you do should be a learning process,” he noted.
STUDY CAMERA LENSES
Here’s something you might not have considered: to become a successful concept artist, you need to understand something about film-making technologies. That’s because although you’re not making the film yourself, the person who is will talk in those terms, and you need your concept art to match their requests.
“For instance, often a director will talk about rendering a scene with a particular camera lens, such as a long lens,” explained Jason. “So you need to know what that means in order to translate their vision into your concept art.”
Interestingly, the ILM team revealed that you don’t have to be an experienced concept artist to apply to work at ILM. “There are other routes in,” said Bimpe. “There’s nothing wrong with working as a runner and working your way up that way. And we employ art assistants, too.”
Indeed, one of ILM’S current art assistants secured the job by approaching them at 2018’s Vertex event, revealed Jason. “She was the very last person who came up to chat with us, and she showed us her sketches,” he recalled. “We said to her: ‘Go away and learn 3D’. And a couple of months later, she sent me all this stuff that showed she’d done exactly that. We were really impressed, and hired her as an assistant. So you don’t have to be a fully fledged concept artist already – there are other ways in.”
DON’T SUBMIT FAN ART
Finally, you might think, “ILM makes Star Wars, I love making Star Wars art, so I should include that in my portfolio.” But you’d be making a big mistake.
If you think about it, the job of a concept artist is primarily to come up with new concepts. So fan art is an emphatic no-no. “We often see people have Baby Yodas or Jokers in their portfolio, but what’s the point?” said Jason. “If you want to show a cool painting of a superhero character, create something new.”
When we see portfolios, colour theory is something we often find missing