Draftsmen

Learn plein air painting from Stan! He talks about his plein air experiences, how the outdoors can be a powerful method to help you capture colors, and how it can force you to make important artistic decisions while working under time constraints imposed by nature. You’ll also hear the two discuss the pros and cons of working outdoors versus painting within the studio and some other tips and trick...

Is it possible to have too much art? A listener’s question forces Stan and Marshall to conduct a thought experiment on the topic, making them ponder and interpret if there really should be such a limit. The discussion then transforms to how artists and art appreciators can come to terms with whatever the answer may be. Call and Ask Your Art Questions: 1-858-609-9453 Learn more about your ad choice...

Stan and Marshall took your calls live for Lightbox 2021! Here's the advice they had for listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marshall and Stan sit down to talk about one of the scariest, but most important things an artist needs to learn: How to fail, and how to use that failure to succeed. Not only do the two discuss the importance of failing and landing back on your feet, they also chat about how to pivot from a failure, creating situations where failing is okay, keeping your expectations realistic, and how to retain...

This week, Stan and Marshall are back to answer some of the questions impacting you! The dynamic duo tackles topics ranging from the importance of art communities, and where to find them, building rituals and habits, and finding the right resources for self-taught artists. They also unpack ways to balance edgy art with marketable work and discuss ways to become comfortable with working at your own...

Our guest this week is animation and gaming industry veteran Flint Dille! He’s been involved in a wide range of projects from the 80s animated Transformers movie to games like Diablo III and Pokemon GO. We sit down with Flint to find out how artists can use methods valued in game design and writing to take their study routine and education to the next level. Flint shares how you can use familiar c...

Having difficulties figuring out how much to charge for your art? Do you feel like you’re undervaluing yourself and your work? There’s a lot that goes into pricing and selling fine art. We’ll show you how to break down the process into stages, and share a variety of ways we’ve found to negotiate and determine prices for your art. You’ll then get to see an example as we negotiate over the cost of a...

It’s that time again! Marshall and Stan are back to answer some of your burning questions about artist and mentor friendships, horror art, getting your foot in the door as an instructor at Universities, balancing your interests and marketability, dealing with regret in an art career, finding fun alongside study, pricing commissions, and understanding spot blacks and shadows. Call and Ask Your Art...

This week, Marshall talks to Stan about how artists can borrow from a writer’s toolbox of exercises and thought processes and use them in their work. Using Gabriele Rico’s book “Writing the Natural Way” as a starting point, the two talk about techniques that can help boost creativity and help artists develop exciting work. Learn how to brainstorm more effectively, leverage creative tension, proper...

Marshall interviews the clinical performance psychologist Dr. Eddie O’Connor, whose course “The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life,” was the subject of repeated references throughout season 1 of Draftsmen. They discuss the course, and Dr. Eddie shares valuable tips to help overcome anxiety surrounding your work as an artist and individual. Dr. Eddie also brings to light some of...

Stan and Marshall discuss the importance of understanding expressionism and the purposeful rule breaking that comes with the territory. They both examine the work of notable expressionists like Kandinsky and Mondrian, and share their own personal experiences and opinions on the movement. Marshall also includes a few exercises that can help you discover and implement expressionism in your own work....

Marshall sits with Stan to chat about the wonderful world of cartooning. They spend time defining what a cartoon is, looking at some of the history and cultural differences behind cartoons and reviewing some work from famous cartoon artists. You’ll also hear some of the skills an artist would need to hone in order to be a good cartoonist. Call and Ask Your Art Questions: 1-858-609-9453 Learn more...

We return to answering voicemails left by listeners! In this episode Marshall and Stan dive into a range of topics from entering the “Flow State” to thinking in words vs images, the tools for perseverance, when it’s appropriate to remove a piece from your portfolio and more! If you have an art question that you’d like us to answer, call 1-858-609-9453 and leave a voicemail!  Learn more about your...

We're going live again and taking more questions from the community! This time we'll be taking live voice calls via Discord. We will start at 12pm PDT June 30th. HOW IT WORKS: Join the Draftsmen LIVE Discord In Discord, post your question in the #questions channel and then hop into the #WaitingRoom voice channel. If a mod likes your question, you will be moved to another channel to talk to a mod a...

Special thanks to BetterHelp and Indeed for sponsoring today’s episode. Get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at https://www.betterhelp.com/draftsmen  Get a $75 credit by visiting our sponsor at https://www.indeed.com/draftsmen In this episode, Marshall and Stan discuss the topic of identifying one's strengths and how to utilize it to learn more about yourself. They both share their...

Marshall reconnects with his friend Chris Appelhans to discuss his journey from working as an artist on movies like Monster House and Coraline to writing and directing his first animated and independent feature film, Wish Dragon. Chris tells his story on how he came to the realization he wanted to get into animation, how his time living in China influenced his film, and the importance of mastering...

An old comment from a previous episode prompts Marshall and Stan to crack open their old sketchbooks. This week the two discuss what sketches are, the value and purpose behind having sketchbooks, and how sketchbooks influence an artist’s growth. There’s also plenty of sketches that Marshall and Stan share from their own personal sketchbooks.  Show Links (some contain affiliate links): To get your...

Submit Your Questions at https://proko.com/512! Marshall and I will be going live! Drop in and ask us questions while we hang out and celebrate the launch of Proko 2.0! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Start living a happier life today. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com/draftsmen  Get started right now with a FREE $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com/DRAFTSMEN To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for FREE, go to mintmobile.com/DRAFTSMEN Get 20% Off + Free Shi...

In today’s episode, Marshall and Stan discuss the process of developing longform artwork, from thumbnail to final. They both share their personal process for creating a complex work, the different methods other famous artists use, the stages of the development process, and the importance of working from macro to micro. Special thanks to Manscaped and The Great Courses for sponsoring this episode....

Creature design artist Terryl Whitlatch is behind some of entertainment’s iconic characters like Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars. She joins Marshall to talk about her career path, going from amateur to professional, her artistic influences and her time working for Lucasfilm on Star Wars Episode 1. Call and Ask Your Art Questions: 1-858-609-9453 Learn to Draw - www.proko.com Marshall Vandruff - www.ma...

Stan makes a special announcement and Marshall gives an in-depth review for a book called Hit Makers. It focuses on the science behind popularity and it provides artists with some info on some of the key ingredients you’ll need to make something a “hit”. You’ll also learn how to figure out what your customers want and how to get it to them and the story behind Stan’s first viral video. Call and As...

James Gurney is our podcast guest this week! He’s the creator behind Dinotopia and the author of “Color and Light” and “Imaginative Realism”. James talks with us about how he was able to succeed with his own art education and how it deviated from traditional art schools. We also take a look at popular art books that you can study from, try to imagine what the future of art education looks like, an...

Get ready to jump into the Metaverse as Stan takes a deep dive into explaining NFTs to Marshall. Stan gives his overview of blockchain technology, why some people associate NFTs with a pyramid scheme, how others think it will revolutionize the digital art world, and what can be done to improve the space for artists and the environment. DISCLAIMER: We are not registered investment advisers. Everyth...

Scribbling in your art can be an excellent starting point, or a disastrous dead end. In today’s episode, Marshall and Stan discuss how scribbling can reveal fresh ideas, how scribbling relates to categorizing thoughts, and how their training shaped the way they draw today. Call and Ask Your Art Questions: 1-858-609-9453 Thanks to Mint Mobile and BetterHelp for sponsoring today’s Draftsmen episode!...