/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

[Anonymous No.3742891]

Hello /ic/ I’ve been drawing on here since I was 15, I’m 23 now and I’ve reached a crossroads as to how my career is gonna go and I could use some advice.

All my biggest inspirations have all served in the military in some form or manner, all have commended their training and military lifestyle to of helped them develop their skills. I’m aiming towards either being an Armourer or Ammunition Technician both work to learn how things are put together and taken apart which is excellent for my visual library development. However it’s a five year commitment, once I’m in there’s no going back which means I really have to be at peace with my choice. After the military I’d be leaving at 28, a perfect age to enter the industry or go to a high end school taking my knowledge I gained into that work.

What are your thoughts on this, anyone had similar experiences.

[Anonymous No.3742892]

pyw

[Anonymous No.3742894]

>>3742891
Ask Kim Jung Gi. He went into the military at some point.

[Anonymous No.3742914]

>>3742894
He’s one person I’m referencing, while he mentioned he had very little time he does talk about how it helped develop his ability to draw real world military stuff and once he got out he had all this imagery to work with.

I’ve gone into this quite deeply as I know it’s a big choice to make.

[Anonymous No.3743079]

>>3742891
Draw on the side, man. Go for the military, if you wind up in the right place with the right people it’s a good experience.

[Anonymous No.3743086]

keep a sketchbook and make social media, don't start getting into the game till you get out.

[Anonymous No.3743120]

Same age, similar position. I’m kind of concerned about wasting my twenties. It’s selfish, but you will likely never be this healthy, attractive or free to do what you want ever again, and I get the feeling after missing 5 years of one of the most important times for personal developement and living, I’ll come out socially stunted and have an even harder time connecting with people than I do already. You’ve probably thought about this or don’t care, but I personally think I can learn a lot more drawing on the side. That said, if you feel aimless or like you’re heading down a bad path, the millitary could be the right move

[Anonymous No.3743168]

>>3742891
Who else besides Kim is a contemporary artist with a military background? Genuinely curious.

[Anonymous No.3743253]

I joined the military because a lot of my heroes were military men too.

23 is a good age to join, because you've experienced adult life for a bit and know how to manage on your own before getting in that time warp that's the military. There's a reason for the saying that the age you enter is the age you'll be for the rest of your life mentally.

Assuming you're in the US, join the air force if you can. We have a better standard of living, get paid more, and live in dorms than barracks. If you're lucky like me, you may even get your own room (no roommate, private bathroom) that you use as your own studio. You don't want to stay in a barrack environment for years, there's a reason that grunts marry local strippers to gtfo of the barracks. You want to build your visual library? The AF has technician jobs too, but you can also do that with kitbashing and model kits. Most of your ability to visualize will be from directly applying your observations onto paper though, so keep a sketchbook. There's plenty of technicians who can't draw for shit.

Some tips:

1. Save, save, and save. Don't be like those dumbasses who blow their paychecks on new cars, eating out, and sneakers. The military is the perfect opportunity to build a passive stream of income with your investments. Your 20's is the time to secure yourself and grind, so your 30's self can comfortably produce artwork and have the time, money, and skills for it. You won't be making anything of real substance as a 20-something, knows-nothing anyway. You barely lived yet.

2. I don't know about other branches, but in the air force they give you $4000/year to pursue education, which is NOT the GI bill (which you save for after separation). Depending on your supervisor, you may be able to spend it on an atelier. The military is going to milk you for all you're worth and you'll earn every penny, so take advantage of any opportunities you get.

[Anonymous No.3743297]

>>3743168
Steve huston, I think.

[Anonymous No.3743326]

>>3743253
Salute to that Wacom Intuos 2!

[Anonymous No.3743725]

>>3742891
love your country and want to serve it? Join the military. Don't want to serve? Don't join.

[Anonymous No.3744808]

>>3743326

I stuck by Intuos2 for over 12 years because of how portable and extremely responsive it is. It's also super durable.

I've tried Cintiq (the big ones) before, Intuos 4+, and the pens drag (wasn't a PC problem). With Intuos 2, maybe it's because of how light the driver is but it follows my hand immediately. I'll cough up the cash for a better tablet once the technology improves and can be just as fast as the little old tablet I have.