/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

>>1735029
Why is he a crook, again?

>>1735029
The free tutorials are all available here though...

For those wondering what the drama is...here is the writeup that is being kept hush hush.

Ben Mauro wrote it and sent it out to various people, and it is making the rounds. Sorry, gonna have to break it up into multiple posts since it is a bit too long for 4chan's character limits.


"Hi guys,
I will try to be brief, with the recent creation of his new ‘drawcrowd’ website i thought you should be aware of a few things. Some of you may know a little and others i hadn’t had a chance to speak to, will try to be as straightforward with this as i can.
I worked with Feng Zhu for around 8 months on a job while i was at Weta and he built up a degree of trust with me. After going out to Singapore for a workshop with Neville Page during this time, everything seemed great from the surface level, treated us well, paid us well everything was taken care of during the workshop. He put out the appearance of someone i thought i could trust and work with, we talked about starting a company together where he would produce projects and we would create IP’s and profit share on them, it sounded great. He promised us higher rates than we were making at Weta (around 45k per year) and to pay for housing when we came over.

Once i got back to NZ, he said he was able to bring us over (myself, Long Ouyang, Eduardo Pena from Weta and also Thomas Brissot an illustrator from France who we didn’t know at the time), i convinced my friends based on my experience with him up to that point that Feng was a good/honest guy to get them to come along (which i now completely regret). Feng then asked us to let Weta know we were leaving, then after he was aware of this we received contracts to work with him for the same wages we were making and received excuses for why he was not going to do as he promised. (first red flag) " ...

Continued...

"We thought that if we were getting housing it was still alright, so we signed the contracts for the lower than expected rates. Some weeks past and it was made aware to us that he was also not going to get us housing in any capacity and were told to 'figure that out ourselves with google'. After more emails asking for help as we don’t know the city and its a new country we know nothing about, we finally got a pdf that they send to students coming to the school…. This should have been our second or third red flag but at that point we weren’t in a position to go back to Weta so we just decided to give it a year and see what happens. So Feng’s promises of higher wages and housing turned into same wages in a more expensive city and living in a hostel for a month while we tried to find a place to live with no help from him or his wife orchestrating this while we cleared out our savings in the move and relocation which we were not compensated for in any capacity.
Upon starting it became very clear that our months of talk of ‘starting a company together’ was also a lie and we were there to “build a new company for him” almost singlehandedly which we would get no part of while he laughed in our faces at the idea of sharing anything with us (i have the emails of him saying otherwise before we came over, which were critical in us deciding to come out in the first place), all of our requests for contracts on the IP’s we were creating ourselves were met with more excuses as to why he couldn’t give that to us…..again even more red flags. In the end, the moment Feng got what he wanted (project finishing) we were fired, some earlier or later than others but each time the same experience." ...

Continued....

"Promise people things they want (but not written in the contract), string them along on low wages then fire them and throw them in the trash when he gets the thing he wants and move onto the next person to do the same without giving them anything he promised. The entire time he kept telling us “I’m not going to screw you guys, why would i screw you guys? I’m not going to screw you” and that is exactly what he did to all of us. Toward the end we were working 100+ hour weeks to finish a short film we almost singlehandedly created ourselves (Myself and Eduardo) working nights and weekends to meet the schedule he created while not being compensated for any of this while we were penniless and broke at the same time Feng is taking vacations and posting photos of expensive dinners and using our names/work to make sure the school is getting fully booked with students…..it was just an extremely twisted horrible experience. This person will lie, manipulate and say anything to get what he wants. We were actually warned by one of the local artists when we first got here about all the other artists/schools/companies he screwed over in Singapore but we didn’t listen, we didn’t think an artist could be that low to do all the things we were being warned about and so our kindness and trust was completely abused (as so many others before us were) as he proceeded to do the same to us and get away with it yet again.
This is an extremely small snippet of the bad things this person has done to good people, other people have their similar or worse experiences with this person but i cannot speak for them. I just thought all of you should be aware of the way this person is and some of the things he has done to me personally, just as i hope you guys would alert me to someone else in the community doing this to other artists. What happened to us is not the first time and won’t be the last time this happens." ...

Final part of the message:

"By endorsing his website just encourages him to act and treat people this way again and again as it creates positive reinforcement for horrible behavior…… allowing him to build his schools brand and his positive personal image (which conflicts greatly with who he is in real life when the doors are closed) …..i really want to move on from all of this but just feel i needed to let people know before i do and try to make peace with the things that were done to us and hopefully ensure others don’t get tricked into a similar situation by this person.
All of this is completely fine and your choice i don’t think any sort of response is needed, i have tried to be as honest in the wording of all of this without turning it into "name calling’’. I’m sure you have your own opinion or superficial ‘nice and happy’ email exchanges/interactions with him over the years as i did before all of this happened to me and my friends, but just felt like you should all be aware of what happened to the 4 of us and use your best judgement/caution with this person in the future so it doesn’t happen to you or people you care about.
Thanks."

The channel is still up and working for me.

>>1735091
Is there a source?

discontinued not disappeared, hasn't been any new news in a couple of months but the shitty artbook the school is putting out, of course all student work who won't see a dime from the profits, Feng is probably taking marketing lessons from Noah

>>1735091
I'm not sure. How can we be sure that even happened? Not saying it didn't happen, just trying to be as fair as possible.

>>1735110

you can't. you will have to use your judgement.

i for one 100% trust ben on this one. long posted here confirming it, but then again it's 4chan, you can almost never be 100% sure (although long does post ocassionally, so again, i trust it WAS him, and i trust that he too is telling the truth)

>>1735128
so many artists have no backbone and just let people fuck them in the ass i find it very humorous. be a fuckin man god damn i wouldnt trust some little asian kid talkin all that garbage i cant believe he is actually surprised that he got fucked over. you notice the well established successful artists are a lot smarter when it comes to this sorta thing and have built their careers on their own without wasting all this time trying to meet youtube artists and act like little artsy hipsters

>>1735135
>victim blaming is fun

>>1735110

>>1735135

maybe you are right, doesn't change any of the facts though.

>>1735158
Still no reliable source. Is there a copy of 'my side of the story' floating around too?

>>1735160
feng zhu is a baracuda he will crush any weakling that stands in his way from reaching the top and you cant really blame him. you have to be an asshole and step on some fingers if you want to be more successful than everyone else. thats business

>>1735096
/thread

rest of you should be ashamed: gossiping won't make you better artists.

>>1735177

there is no source because he deleted the posts.

Check his facebook page on march 2 :

"Hey everyone,

I've removed the posts. This is actually a professional matter and should be handled behind doors. I'm in contact with people now so lets hope all this blows over so we can get back to drawing!

ps. Thanks for the support everyone! And especially those who personally messaged me. You guys are awesome."

and

"What a great Sunday. Took my dog to the park, ate some yummy lunch and went shopping with my wife. The most important thing in life is inner happiness.

I'm fortunate to live a very comfortable, relaxed and happy life (but boy, did I work hard to get to this point). This type of security is why I can make free content for all of you out there - and I enjoy every moment of it; even though some episodes of Design Cinema keeps me up till 4am. lol. But I love sharing to the art community and hearing the responses from all of you - especially the ones in which people's lives have changed for the better because of the content we provide - now that gives you the ultimate high.

Remember, judge one's character not by the words of others, but by what they've accomplished in life and how much they've given back. And don't jump to conclusions without checking all the facts. Life is short so value the positive moments and leave the negativity behind.

I'm looking forward to seeing my hard working term 2 students tomorrow and recording a new episode of Let's Draw. I'm leaning towards:

- Chrono Trigger/Cross/ series
- Medieval III Total War (I'm addicted to 2 right now)
- One of the Monkey Island Games

Have fun out there!

-feng"

>>1735182

yeah if you want to be more successful in business. and it's easy to screw over naive artists then, because they don't care about business. they want to be the more successful in their art. but i guess they learned their lesson.

I don't know man, the school almost lost all of its teachers apparently, I don't think ben or eduardo would make shit up since they were already well established in the business, I too wish there could some official squashing of the rumors, this is something that concerns all artists, somebody taking unfair advantage of people should be punished, so is spreading false accusations.

A lot of pros are siding with Ben on this one, even the level up guys refuse to acknowledge the drawcrowd platform for example.

>>1735098
Only the claim that it's by Ben Mauro, and there's a bit on his site that says similar things without naming names.
>>1735110
I think probably it's somewhat exaggerated. No doubt there was a falling out, and Ben is pissed as hell about it, but the fact that he supposedly circulated it secretly among the industry makes it seem like a smear job by a pissed off asshole who knew if he came out publicly he'd make a fool of himself. Running things around the rumor mill instead of being open and inviting investigation doesn't endear my sympathies, but my suspicions.

>>1735029
Sounds like bullshit. Feng has way too much tied up with his studio and school to pull a stunt like that.

>>1735359
>Only the claim that it's by Ben Mauro
It is by Ben. I asked him once and he confirmed.

>>1735572
fheng fanboys are so fucking delusional

>>1735586

this. they will learn the hard way when they find themselves with fengs tiny cock stuck between their buttcheeks.

>Feng then asked us to let Weta know we were leaving, then after he was aware of this we received contracts to work with him for the same wages we were making and received excuses for why he was not going to do as he promised. (first red flag) " ...

I don't fuck around when it comes to that shit. If what we, verbally, agreed upon is not in the contracts then it's a no go from me. I have heard of way too many stories of people being fucked in the ass by that shit.

I always, come with my terms first and if they don't agree and come to some sort of compromise then oh well...

what the hell? this is so weird.

Well fuck, his deviantart comments seem to show it's true.
http://benmauro.deviantart.com/

you get 4 pros at the top of their field leave your job at once, that's like super shady, if feng's an unethical employer it should be known so that he can't fuck other artists over, you hear about this kind of shit all the time, we have to take a stance and represent ourselves better as artists and be more biz savvy.

>>1735689
http://benmauro.deviantart.com/art/ELYSIUM-Raven-Attack-411751234

this is a 'top pro'?

>>1735700

yes. however the top of his field is 3d, not 2d.

>>1735700
>http://benmauro.deviantart.com/art/ELYSIUM-Raven-Attack-411751234

He is a designer not an artist. If the final product is great visually it's all that matters

>>1735700
I don't get it. What's wrong with it?

All things considered I can't enjoy FZD anymore.

>>1735707
pretty sure he counts as an artist. artist and designer aren't mutually exclusive.

>>1735029

guys i am 100% certain that i saw an anon post the latest FZD episode here. it was again with ben mauro. the anon that posted also said in his thread "so i guess the reconciled and are buddies again".

i thought "awesome gonna go to sleep and watch it tomorrow". then i went to sleep. next morning the thread was deleted and the episode was removed from the FZD channel.

i asked here about it, nobody seemed to have seen it. maybe i was the only one, i dont know, but i am 99.99% certain i wasnt dreaming.

>>1735716
Check the archives you fucking tool

>>1735720

it's down for some reason.

nah Idon't they reconciled, no official statement has been issued and feng is still a thieving shitty marketer just like noah

Somebody explain to me why these 4/5 'professionals' lived in Singapore the whole year round knowing they were being fucked anally.

What was in the contract? Clearly not what was talked about, so why did they sign? why not bolt? The artists were working on a completely different project than the one they agreed to work on. feng didn't fulfill his side of the contract, doesn't this imply the contract is over?

>>1735781
>never had a job

>>1735083
>>1735085
>>1735088
>>1735091

Were these guys just some pack of sheltered retards who got a studio job straight out of college and have no idea how the world works?

>first red flag
>but we signed the contracts anyway
>second or third red flag
>but we decided to give it a year anyway
>more red flags
but we finished the project working 100+ hour weeks anyway

stupid.
as.
fuck.

This is what you have to do to make more money than doctors or lawyers with concept art.

I am convinced Asians lack empathy

>>1735875
but i love you anon

>>1735875
well racists think lots of stupid things, that's why nobody likes you guys.

>>1735881
>>1735884
lel bullies always win

>>1735809
don't tell me this isn't retarded

>>1735029
>Him and Noah should start a business together. The only thing is Feng is an actual one, dishonest but decent at his craft

Manley should join too if he's doesn't get his ass fucked in jail.

>>1735910
When you have no choice you take whatever you can get.

>>1736663
>comfy studio job at world famous special effects company
>no choice

>>1735781
Basically they put themselves in very bad situation and took a long time to realize it. Imagine that there this cool guy that promised you a dream job in an exotic place. you quit your day job because you believe him, but once on place it's not exactly what's promised. but on the other hand you still believe the guy, so you believe it will get better. and you don't have a job to go back to.

it basically the sunk cost fallacy: you have invested a lot (leave your job and your country) so you decide to continue even if it doesn't please you. it get worse but you also stand to loose more with every passing month, so you want to believe that thing will eventually get better, to justify your choice.

Yes when you look back it seems retarded, but it's a very human behavior.

>>1735144
>playing victim is funner

>>1736741
>you quit your day job because you believe him
this is where the retardation begins

>>1736671
You're an idiot. It was mentioned several times that he ripped off artists for years now, many of them local artists.

>>1736753

>>1736759
quack

>weta
>$45k
fuuuuck that

>>1735716

Just so you can get on with your life that was an old video he did with Ben I accidentally posted one day and then realizing my mistake deleted the thread.

>>1736753
Why are you calling me an idiot?
The fact that Feng Jew has a long track record of shafting people means these dumbasses should have been on their guard instead of engaging in the kind of hero worship endemic in the concept art industry and saying to themselves "oh but it's Feng, he's famous and seems like a kind of cool guy, he surely wouldn't shaft us"

>>1736802
Because you assumed that Feng only ripped off the artists who are now accusing him of doing so even though it was already mentioned in this thread that they were just the first victims to truly fight him. There were other artists who worked with Feng because they had no better alternatives, which is why I said that you take whatever you can get when you have no choice.
The fact that I had to write this out just proves my point about you being an idiot

>>1736807
Don't be fucking stupid

If you have a choice between flipping burgers and an a dodgy art job the choice is obvious every time.

>hurrrr this guy is dodgy as fuck but I'm not getting any other offers to work on video games or movies or comic books which is my destiny and what I really want to do so I'm going to give him a year of my life anyway and see what happens

>>1736821
yes, obviously you take the art job. I used to work about 100 hours a week doing copies of master works before china started doing it and even though i knew i was being fucked on the money i still did it because i love art.

>>1736821
or you keep doing the art without getting fucked by an asian cock

>>1736822
and look at how successful you are now

>>1736837
fairly i guess, i won a national art prize when i was still in school, which i dutifully handed over to my uncle who is a broker, so as it stands i get a livable allowance, my mother is a real-estate investor so i live in a block of flats she owns, i rent a studio downtown, i have about a show a year, stuff sells alright, not great. i mostly spend my time travelling around as an artist in residence. i also have a daughter who is very talented and just smart as shit. my wife is still in her 5th year of a bachelor of architecture, so she gone be rich (fingers crossed)

i spend all my time totally emerged in art, which is what i love, so i'm pretty happy.

i know you kids want to be famous and everything but you should consider pursuing happiness instead, i think it's probably easier and makes you easier to get along with.

>>1736839

and yet here you are on /ic/.

(pics or it didn't happen)

>>1736847
ok just let me upload a picture of my wife and daughter to 4chan...wait a minute..almost got me. no.

>>1736839
>my wife is still in her 5th year of a bachelor of architecture, so she gone be rich

why is she going to be rich?

>>1736856
architects get paid well here, i know in some places like the uk there are architects who like check buildings are up to code and stuff like that, here it's a fancy pants job.

>>1736839
I mean no offence anon but that guy was making a dig at how successful YOU are, and in your response you said how you're good because of what your uncle, mother, daughter and wife do, not much about you. I'm not implying your a leech or anything, I just think you should work on yourself more, or at least focus on your own success rather than that of those around you.

>>1736864
i just don't want to short change my family. i could of said it like "well i won a huge art prize which i invested wisely and now i'm set for life, but i have solo shows where people buy my shit for thousands of dollars, and people pay me to travel around the world making art, i'm so success #moneyinmypocket #swag"

but that wouldn't be right. and i'll tell you what, anyone who does put it like that is an ungrateful douche, or maybe an american :p

>>1736874

you still seem pretty far up your own ass to brag about your success on /ic/.

>>1736882
well i'm pretty awesome so anything i say about myself sounds like bragging #yolo

what's the problem with noah?

>>1736903

alright autist.

Not to derail captain fancypants art bragging but wasn't there something shady where he accused a teacher of fucking a prostitute or something ( name Long comes to mind) and then used that to fire him?

lol what's that from?

>>1736926

that was complete unfounded and not based on anything. i made a joke about how long got caught banging students in the bathrooms, and i would imagine the anon that said feng and long banged hookers on coke was just joining in on the fun.

>>1736924
read the archive

we need like a pastebin of all the drama because I'm so sick of the same thread every fucking week