I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my followers, old and new, for your support of my artwork.  I've gained over 100 new followers over the last couple months, which may not seem like a lot in relation to some of the other DeviantArt Titans who have thousands, but it means a lot to me.

I've been a part of this community since I was 18, which is really silly when you see my work from back then lol.  Though I've been a part of DA for longer than most, I haven't really been active until a couple years ago.  

All of your support gives me so much encouragement and propels me to work harder.  I, like everyone else on this site, aspire to become more recognized, but everyone has to start somewhere.  

I'd also like to extend a HUGE thank you to my followers who have commissioned me!! I've been consistently busy with commissioned work since December. It's been a pleasure to put my talents to work to bring your characters to life.  I know that there are (sadly) too many deviants who are happy with point commissions and/or underselling their talents. To my commissioners: thanks for supporting fair wages for this artist! I look forward to doing more work like this in the future!

Overall, I really appreciate your support everyone!  If you have a project in mind, I'd love for you to consider me for it!  Also, if you have something you think I can do to be a better artist to watch, I'd love to hear it and interact with you more

Sincerely,
Sean Bianchi

Hi everyone!

With 2016 in full swing, I'm officially open for commissions! I can complete a variety of creative projects, such as OC designs, portraiture, busts, mecha designs, fanart, and character redesigns.  I respect my commissioners, so you can expect frequent communication and even WIP shots of your project as I'm working on it.  I'm more than happy to answer any quandary as I complete your project!  To protect us both, I only use PayPal, and you can read further down how my process works.  Below are samples of my work and pricing.

Sketch: $40

OC Design/Character Redesign/Fanart: $60

Busts/Portraiture: $60

Half Body Portraiture: $70

Full illustration: $80+ (please note me for specifics)

Got a question, or did I miss something? Just ask!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to completing your project for you!

Sincerely,
Sean Bianchi

So you've toured your art college of choice.  You've been accepted.  You're portfolio got passed, even though you might have been nervous it wasn't good enough.  You got that coveted letter in the mail that you've been accepted; you feel like Charlie when he found the golden ticket. 

So now what?  Are you confused on what to do now? Do you have anxiety or apprehensions about what to expect?  Are you unsure if you can even make it in art school?

I've seen many artists come to this crossroads, and even experience anxiety over their choice.  In this journal, I will walk you through nine aspects and tips to help you succeed if you are attending a college for visual art, you may be considering college for visual art, and how to succeed in this new environment.

1. Focus

You're paying for this.  Or your parents are. Either way, you're not here to waste your time.  Sure, you're going to have some fun and meet some people along the way, but make sure your attention is given to your developing your craft and studies.  This is true for any college student, but especially for art students.  We don't have the luxury of taking a test and getting a job from passing a course; far from it.  You're in this place (art school) to improve yourself and get a career out of it.  College is ripe with distractions such as partying, social outings, videogame sessions, Netflix binges, etc.  You should definitely partake in social events to ensure you get the full college experience, but make sure it's not disproportionate to the amount of time you invest in creating art.  You can know everybody in your school and be the most l33t gamer in your dorm, but when you graduate, none of that matters if your skill level hasn't significantly improved.  That won't land you a career in art when your portfolio is lacking.

2. The New Social Climate

The best thing anyone can tell you about college is that it is the great equalizer.  It doesn't matter who was popular, who was an outcast, or who was teased when you enter college.  It's a giant reset button for everyone.  For some, this is really hard to get over, but it's actually a really beautiful thing.  Take this time to reinvent yourself and consider how you want to be regarded by your peers.  After all, some of your classmates will become your friends, rivals, or possible coworkers and contributors.  You want to be respectful and open to everyone.  I, personally, think artists come with a huge cornucopia of personalities unlike any other area of higher education.  That being said, you're not going to like everyone.  If you do, you're just being fake and that's not an admirable trait.  While you don't have to enjoy the constant wave of new personalities in your school every semester (I know I had people I didn't care for, just being honest), but you need to convey yourself as accepting and respectful. Remember that your personality is evident in your artwork, and if you attack someone's personality or point out their character flaws when unprovoked, you're also demeaning them as artists.  That's not the type of community we need to create as artists.

3. The Professors

Get to know them! They are all working professionals, and can guide you through your artistic journey.  You should try to connect with at least one.  I personally use three of mine as references for jobs, and one of which was really a strong mentor to me through college who brought me a lot of great opportunities.  They can give you access to other industry professionals in your field of interest.  They are your instructors, but they're also fellow artists who (hopefully) have a passion for inspiring and uplifting other artists.

That being said, here's a big BUT...

Not all professors are going to be magnetic and serve as fountains of experience and knowledge.  If you're expecting every professor to be like Dumbledore, I'm sorry to inform you this will not be the case.  Bare in mind that professors are people, and as such, are imperfect.  It's likely that you will have at least one professor who falls into one of these categories: amazing artist but terrible teacher, unreceptive to newer art forms, overall crank, or knows they're tenured so they don't have to try hard.  I had two professors while attaining my degrees that were far from Robin William's character from The Dead Poet's Society.  Nonetheless, you need to persevere and make your time worthwhile during these encounters.  You need to learn what you can, and challenge yourself, even if you're the only person in the class doing it.

4. A Whole New (Art) World

It should go without saying that college is drastically different from high school in pretty much all aspects: the structure, the climate, and the vibe is overall far more adult.  With this, you're going to be quickly immersed in a sea of fellow artists with a diverse range of interests, all hopeful to attain success and recognition in their respective fields.  If your high school had a small art program with few like-minded individuals, you now have a plethora of fellow comrades-in-arms! Very cool.

The most significant change comes with the structure of your classes and assignments.  There will be some classes where, yes, you will be designated something specific to create and reproduce; however, the majority of your classes will have more independence. This means that you will be responsible for taking a simple directive, such as making 4 artworks that have a connecting theme, and you must challenge yourself and make meaning out of very little direction.  This gives you room to explore your personal interests and meaningful concepts, yet also place a lot of responsibility on you.  Make sure that you aren't looking for shortcuts in loosely-based instructional environments, and push yourself to try new things and apply new concepts.  Taking the easy way out is a guaranteed method of halting your growth as an artist.

This also puts success in your hands, not your professors'.  They get a paycheck whether you wow them or bore them.  Your professors will mostly give you motivation, but won't hover or feed you ideas like your high school teachers may have.  You essentially hold the key to your success or demise, so don't expect your professors to chase you around for overdue work or you failing to contribute in class.

5. The Foundation Year

 If you're going to a school that specializes in visual art, you will more than likely partake in what is popularly called the foundation year.  Essentially, during your first year, you're required to take a series of courses where you will practice the basics of visual art and design such as exploring new mediums, color theory, observation drawing, gesture drawing, etc.  Get over it. (cue incessant whining) Let's be real for a minute.  If you think you are thebomb.com and don't need to constantly develop your artistic foundations, you are in for a rude awakening.  In fact, you're setting yourself up for failure.  There's no such thing as too much practice.  Ever met a professional artist who said "I'm really successful, but I wish I didn't practice as much..."? Nope.  And you never will! Take this year as an investment in yourself and continue to build the most essential skills and concepts you will ever need as an artist.  Most artists, especially on this website, who ask for critiques and feedback on artwork they are dissatisfied with suffer from a lack of understanding of basic art foundations.  Stop rolling your eyes over drawing spheres and your 300th observation drawing.  Humble yourself and remember that small steps lead to grand victories.

6. You still need to practice

Did he just say that?? Yes I did.  The most common misperception everyone, and I'm not speaking exclusively to artists here, have about college is that attaining a degree means you will get a job.  That's not the case in the twenty-first century, and you're wrong to think that.  Just attending and passing classes does not equal a great paying job for you.  The curriculum of higher education art institutions is meant to expose you to new techniques, mediums, and concepts.  You're not taking art history because your employer will require intimate knowledge of Baroque artwork (unless, like me, you went into teaching and have to pass a certification test that requires knowledge of almost every art movement ever).  You still need to practice outside of your curriculum and homework! Develop some interesting and challenging projects to do on the side.  Not only will it improve your progression as an artist, but everyone will notice you for it--including your peers and professors! You might even get some side jobs or internships because of this.  Not every class you take will allow you to express yourself how you want to, so it's important that you continue to make artwork that is inspired and motivated by you.

7. Stop taking the easy way out!!!

I've seen this so many times, and it's sickening.  This can either be the result of your personal lack of motivation or creativity, or a wide-open or poorly conceptualized lesson by your professor.  No matter what it is, stop searching for the easy way out.  If you're professor requires you to draw a self-portrait, for the love of everything good and evil in the world, don't you dare create some pathetic, blank-expression portrait that is completely devoid of personality.  If you need to create a still life painting, don't even think about grabbing the first 4 objects you see in your room and paint that unimaginative scene.  When you have to create your first piece of digital art using Photoshop, don't try to think of the easiest design possible.  Do you see where I'm going with this?? Any artwork you begin where you ask yourself "what's the easiest way to complete this?" or get into the mindset of, "I just need to get this done, so whatever!" is just disrespectful to yourself as an artist and only stands as a testament to a narrow mind.  You don't want to be that person, you're better than that!  Do you want to be the person on critique day, when everyone has their work displayed, everyone looks at your artwork with unimpressed eyes and thinks to themselves, "They didn't even try..." Well, do you?  Because that's where taking the easy way out gets you.  Sometimes your professors will give you a ton of conceptual freedom with an assignment or give you full reign on the medium you use, so take advantage of it! Do something really challenging and make sure it's personally interesting for you.  The more you move out of your comfort zone, the quicker you will improve as an artist!

8. Get a Job

It should go without saying, but you're going to college to get a job.  If this is a hobby for you, college won't support you unless you start to figure out how you're going to be employed by it.  By the beginning of your sophomore, you have to declare a major at most art schools.  Do yourself a favor, and do your research into how you will monetize your skills.  Look into career options, and what prospective employers want from applicants in those fields.  Your college will most likely host career fairs and portfolio reviews, so take advantage of these events! Go talk to employers and network! You are your best advocate at all times, so the more leg-work and research you conduct, the more prepared you will be; thus, the more successful you will likely become in your field.  Also, look into internship and career-related opportunities to help get your foot in the door.

9. Your Future isn't Your School's Responsibility

Going to college doesn't guarantee job placement.  This is an antiquated mindset perpetuated by my parents' generation and previous generations. The economic state of the world was very different in their time, and there were also far less people going to college at that time; thus, jobs were far more guaranteed.  Nowadays, it's important to realize that obtaining a degree doesn't mean you will get a job right away. That's true for all college majors; there are plenty of nurses, doctors, lawyers, and business majors who are drowning in student debt.

The function of your school is to provide you with time and instruction so that you can make the best out of your experience.  That being said, you need to give it maximum effort.  You can have a degree when you graduate, but that won't make potential employers overlook a weak portfolio, more marketing and advertisement, and terrible people skills.  You don't want to be overlooked for jobs because someone else has a better body of artwork and connects to the employer better.  Overall, disregarding extenuating circumstance, it's your fault if you fail.  Make sure that during your college experience, you are producing high-quality artwork, taking advantage of all opportunities that come your way, and learn the business of art.  This will create the best version of yourself possible, and the most employable version as well.

Conclusion

I hope that after reading this, you have a full picture of what to expect from art school, and what you should expect from yourself.  Nothing in life guarantees success except hard work.  If you're already attending a college for visual art or about to enroll, I hope that you have found this journal insightful and helpful.  Good luck in your future endeavors, and continue to make art your priority.

This is the second part of my journals on a pressing issue that all young artists eventually come to: Do you pursue higher education in visual art, or do you seek an alternative path to success in art? This journal will focus on, in my professional opinion, what it takes to be successful without a degree from an art school.  You can read my previous entry here: Your Future and Art SchoolI'm breaking down this journal into two in order to give my perspective on a subject that all artists who want to be professional have to face: do you go to art school, or do you choose to be self-taught?
I've read a lot about this in the forums, and I've dealt with it a lot in my professional career as an art educator. I've seen the confusion and the hesitation on the part of families who fear their children will be living in a cardboard box for pursuing professions in art. I've seen many of my students shy away from pursuing careers in art, and I've seen more questioning their potential on this website.  As such, this journal will explain the pros and cons of attending a higher education institution for visual art.  I will create another journal sooner afterwards to explain the pros and cons of foregoing art school in favor of being a self-taught professional artist.
Why you should go to art school, how to mentally approach it, and what you should expect from it:


Okay, so you've decided art school isn't the route you want to take.  It can be for a variety of reasons.  You don't want to spend the money.  You don't want to accumulate student loan debt.  You aren't in a position where you can't dedicate four (+) years of your life to a degree program. Personal circumstances.  You personally feel it's not the environment you need to be successful.  Regardless of your reasons, there are five main components to making it as a professional artist without that illustrious degree from an art college

1. Suppport

I'm not talking about the kind where your friends and family slap you on the back and tell you that you're awesome and oh-so-loved-and-appreciated.  I'm talking money.  In every article I've ever read about declining to go to an art school, they never seem to mention this; I feel it's a sin because you won't get far trying to be a professional artist if you have no clothes, no food, and no place to live.  So, you've got two options: either your family/friends/loved ones are going to be very understanding and help you by picking up the little things so that you can dedicate yourself to developing your craft, or you will get a job.

If you're someone who's blessed with a family who can support you financially while you work hard over a long period of time, then you are very lucky.  I'd recommend sitting them down, telling them your plans, developing some goals, and really hearing each other out.  You want them to understand how much this decision means to you, and how you will be the best artist you can be by having them support you.  They're going to pick up all of life's necessities for you for at least 4-5 years, so it's important that you impress upon your family/friends/loved ones that you are not going to slack off and this is the right option for you.  Furthermore, since they are technically the ones sacrificing for your sake, you literally owe them big artistic progress.  That's something you should keep in mind every time you want to binge game or take a week off and watch Netflix; they're working hard for your sake, and it's be disrespectful to not honor their efforts in the same way they have honored your decision.

If you're like the majority of people, option one is out of the question.  You've got bills and responsibilities, possibly some financial support, but not enough to float you for a long period of time.  Thus, you must work.  And (at least in the US) that work is probably going to suck.  More than likely it will be customer service or manual labor related jobs, since they don't require college degrees.  But alas, this is not your career--it's just a job to earn a paycheck and earn your basic human needs.  Speaking to you as someone who has worked through high school and college in a variety of customer service related jobs, they're generally pretty terrible from a morality standpoint.  I recommend that you work as often and frequently as possible outside of your work schedule (whether it's full or part time) so that you don't lose momentum; more importantly, you don't want to get sucked into the black hole that those types of jobs can generate.  They can be incredibly demoralizing to you.  Customers are so rude you'll never believe it, some of your fellow coworkers will not have ambitions anywhere near yours, and those same coworkers will (unknowingly to you or them because they don't know any better) try to get you to lower your expectations and become a lifer in those careers instead.  For example, every place I worked growing up, everyone told me I'd never make it as an art teacher and I'd be jobless working in those jobs forever (joke's on them). You have to keep your head above water and work as hard, if not harder, than people from option 1.  Remember that it won't be your forever job, and you can always switch jobs if things become too dire, but you will be in this boat for at least 4-5 years while you build yourself up artistically enough where you can wean yourself out of those positions.

2. Discipline

Since you're not going to be in any kind of formal structure, you need to take this decision seriously.  Get off the internet, put down the controller, stop finding new tv shows to watch, and don't waste your time.

You need to dedicate a large amount of time, in the area of the same amount of time of those who decide to go to college.  In college, you have around 3-4 hours a day of classes and 2-4 hours of homework a night (at least).  So you need to carve out around 6-8 hours a day to developing your craft and practicing. So basically, around 40 hours a week is solely for the purpose of art-making.  If you're working, it's probably more realistic that you will do 2-4 hours a day and do more art making on your days off.  I'd recommend making a schedule for yourself and creating attainable goals.  Perhaps each month covers important topics like composition, value, perspective, anatomy, etc. Just because you're not within the physical and social structure of a college doesn't mean that you can succeed without developing your own structure and process. Here's an easy formula:

Out of a week, you have 168 hours.  So, here's what you need to keep in mind:
8 hours of sleep (56 hours), 40 hours of art making, and maybe 3 hours a day for eating and hygiene (21 hours) = 117 hours.  That leaves you with 51 hours a week for other things.  Enjoyment, human interaction, etc.  Figure out what you have to do or need to do for the remainder of that time.


Make sure to create some time for the human concerns though: time with family/friends/loved ones, entertainment, running errands, and don't neglect your health or mental well-being.  It's fine to take some "you time," but it shouldn't come close to the amount of time you invest in your artwork.

3. Manage Distractions

The first two reasons are why those who don't go to college don't make it, but this can undermine your efforts if you're not careful.  Since you're supposed to be autonomous without any real oversight, it's easy to fall into habits that promote laziness.  While it can definitely be fun and cathartic to play videogames for a little while or catch up on some tv, it can hinder or halt your progress as an artist if it is in excess.  Furthermore, overindulgence in anything other than your artistic endeavors can develop into escapism, which may also lead to depression and/or anxiety.  Either way, you owe it to yourself and those around you to minimize your involvement in activities that don't directly benefit you as an artist.  Remember, you chose this path where you are leading your own journey; if you can't handle the freedom and responsibility of that decision, you probably should've just gone to art school because you are the type of person who needs the college structure.  If you really can make it without art school, then you should be able to handle your time in a mature fashion.

4. Education

What, did you think you avoided this?? Newsflash: you've got a lot to learn!  The biggest mistake I've seen in my professional experience with young artists is that they want to develop really advanced artistic techniques, but lack a strong understanding of the foundations of art and design.  Also, sometimes young artists consider it trivial to continue to develop their skills in foundations such as value, form, perspective, anatomy, color theory, and composition.  In art school, your first year is typically called your "foundation year" because you take classes that develop these concepts and skills.  Since you opted out of that structure, you need to implement that training for yourself.  You also need to explore subjects outside of your immediate area of interest; especially the subject of art history.  To succeed, you need a plan and you need resources. 

Fortunately, the internet is an endless sea of education. YouTube is the best resource that comes to mind.  Millions of videos by professional artists in their trades are available at your disposal, 24/7.  There are also popular plans, such as the 21 day artist challenge: medium.com/@noahbradley/21-day…

You should also consider an online mentoring program, or a online program offered through websites such as CGAcademy. This article will give you some additional tips and advice on how to be the boss of your own artistic education outside of the structure of an art school: medium.com/i-m-h-o/dont-go-to-…

5. Social Networking

Since you aren't going to hold a degree from an accredited college or university, are not going to meet professional artists who are your professors, and not be offered as many internships as your peers attending art schools, you need to create your own network.  This, I think, can be really hard for many artists.  Especially those of you who feel unconfident or have social avoidance.  If that previous sentence describes you, then you need to really push yourself outside of your comfort zone.  Since you chose an independent plan of study outside of college or university, you need to focus on selling your best product: yourself.  You want to be outgoing, friendly, mature, and respectful.  Just remember that you can have all the skill in the world, but if you don't put yourself out there and sell yourself, it's all for naught.

I don't think there's any real formula for developing a following on social media.  In fact, if you look in the forums section of DA, one of the most frequently asked questions is "how do I get more favs/views/watchers??" There are only a few things I can tell you that are bullet proof that help to stir interest in you: being active online, having a strong portfolio of work, and originality.  People love those who respond to their questions, engage in a community, and offer help and advice.  The most frequent reason that I can sight for those who want more favs/views/watchers on this site is simply because they have a really weak portfolio of work; isn't it obvious that artists with great artwork have more of every kind of attention? That's kind of your number goal: improve your art, and people will start to notice you!   Consistently challenging yourself will make you better, and people will notice it.  And lastly, having novel ideas works best.  Sure, fan art or NSFW is a gold mine for attracting lots of attention quickly, but if you want longevity and more options as an artist, you'll keep that stuff to a minimum and focus on originality in your artwork.  Also, depending on where you want to go in life as an artist, doing NSFW work in hopes of gaining attention quickly will hurt you professionally; you run the risk of being seen as a pervert, a bigot if you are a man, and/or will typecast you into the role of making NSFW artwork.  Consider this path carefully, and be aware of the consequences.

Conclusion

You're brave to venture down this path.  It's not going to be easy, but it can be extremely rewarding.  You have limitless potential, and you are going to have to work just as hard as your peers attending an art college.  Perseverance, discipline, and your personal goals will guide you to success.  Be aware of, and quick to spot, sink holes that will hinder your progress and jeopardize your potential.  If you can go to bed every night and honestly say to yourself, "I worked as hard as I possibly could today," then you are progressing.  Be sure to recognize your progress, and be cognizant of your mistakes; not to bring you down, but so that you may learn from them.


Good luck!