Friday and xmas break!! // Fredag och jullov!

A photo posted by Andrea Femerstrand (@noukah) on Dec 12, 2014 at 3:39pm PST

Oh the Swedish blogosphere, I can hear you all cheering - it's xmas break!

Today is my last day at work before holidays, and I won't be back at the office until January. Ahh yesss.. I feel spoiled, that we have so many breaks/long vacations here in Sweden. I know that many of you have less weeks off during the whole year, and it gives me the creeps. I really wish and hope that you guys have the chance to relax and recharge anyway! You're probalby more fit than the rest of us softies ;)

Well, I will still be working though. Still got some own projects rolling and that book cover needs to get done. Plus some new videos for you guys. Allright, gotta go back to work for now, day's not over yet. Laters!

A photo posted by Andrea Femerstrand (@noukah) on Mar 3, 2012 at 10:48am PST

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Svenska :)

Seasons and inspiration // Årstider och inspiration

"Do you feel the seasons affect your choice of subject to draw, and if so, in what way?"

Nah, not really. I rarely paint winter-subjects, actually. I tend to get more inspired and motivated during winter though! I think it's because of the weather. I hate the cold so it feels more legit to stay inside and work all day. Guilt-free. I'm often more restless during summer and constantly feel the urge to go out and enjoy the summer while it lasts. 

What about you?

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Svenska :)

How I became a concept artist - Part 2

After graduation, I started to feel really anxious and my motivation was pretty much down to zero. I felt absolutely knocked down by the rejections(I never had a plan B, because at the time, due to arrogance haha. In your face, ego..), and everything got uphill from there. At least that's what I started to feel like. 

I can tell you more about that some other time.

Back to my teens: I became more and more aware of  one thing - that all the animated movies being released every year are being made by real people. Somewhere out there, there are actually people working with this. They're actually doing thos FOR A LIVING! And their names appears in the credits in cinemas?! How cool is that.

Those thought started buzzing at the back of my head. I knew that I wanted to do this, but didn't have any idea how to get there. It felt like all those things happens in a land faaar far away. USA. Growing up in Sweden, that place felt just as surreal as Narnia. You kinda needed an enchanted closet to get there... We don't have that many studios here, or schools for that matter.

Then luckily, on a cold and rainy afternoom, I saw a billboard at the subway.

To be continued...

Part 1
Part 3

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Svenska :)

Take me back to summertime

Yeeah well happy third advent to you! Hope you're having a nice time.

How is it for you, are you feel the x-mas spirit yet?  I'm kinda split. Nothing beats spring and summer. Looked around in my old folders and found these images. Ghah, take me back NOW. Non now now now noooow... Sit on a bench in the forst and sketch, long summer nights, warm air and blackbirds singing. I love blackbirds. X-mas is awesome too, but you know. You always want the things you can't have ;)

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Svenska :)

5 years on Twitter // 5 år på Twitter

Oh, Twitter just anounced that it's my 5th anniversary today. 5 effing years? Damn where did the time go. Feels like yesterday.

So much has happened. I created that account during the same time as I created this blog actually. I was 23, and had just got laid off from my first creative job due to downsizing. It was actually the best thing that could've happened to me at that time. I took it pretty well since I've already started to prepare myself mentally to escape for something else. So yeah. Perfect timing. I wish that you could go back in time though, and talk to yourself. Hah, I would've done that A LOT.

Dear 23-old me:

Relax, it's gonna be allright. I know that you've been feeling worried, sad and sometimes angry and frustrated, but it WILL get better. Sure, you may not be that skilled yet, and it may feel like everyone's against you, but it will change. Slowly but steadily. Believe me, all the hard work will pay off eventually. It's awesome that you're starting to get energized, and that you're taking this the right way, seeing it as your chance for something new and better. Yeah, lots of exciting things are awaiting so just keep going, and stop doubting yourself.

What would you tell yourself? And when?

A photo posted by Andrea Femerstrand (@noukah) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:40am PST

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Svenska :)

Still here

Heeeyy amigos!

Sorry for the slow updates this week. Just been busy, life happened as usual and sometimes it's tricky to keep up with everything. But I've got lots of stuff in the making :)

I'll continue posting the rest of my story about how I become a concept artist, and I'm also making new videos for you(ghah, never thought that it would be so hard to get satisfied with them though). And some other stuff as well.

There's a x-mas party here at the office today, so we won't get that much done today. I'll do some more work during the weekend instead  - yes, I'm a workoholic.

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Svenska :)

Inspiring artists, friends and links

I wanted to dedicate this post to inspiring, sites, artists and friends. I'll update it frequently, as soon as I find new gems :)

Clickety below for ze list:

My favorite pencil // Min favoritpenna

My favorite pencil for sketching is a MLP2 Square lid mechanical pencil(from Zebra). I absolutely adore it, and you can probably find the same model from other brands as well.

Why I think it's so awesome? It's because the lid is thick and kinda square-shaped. Like a carpenter pencil. It forces me to stay loose. I can sketch extremely fast with it and I won't get stuck with unnecessary details.  Super beneficial when playing around with ideas, poses, storyboards you name it.

I use it all the time, and it's almost as if my sketches turn out better when I use that pen.

What's your favorite tool? Give me some tips!

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Svenska :)

How I became a concept artist - Part 1

 

One of my readers asked me a long time ago: When did I decide to become a concept artist?

Hah, it's  a long story... It just kinda happened with time. I've always loved to draw(hehe, ask my teachers from elementary school ;) ) 

I wanted to be an artist in the beginning though. As a kid/teen, I thought that was the only way. It sounded cool, and I heard and read about people who could create art for a living... So I though to myself, why couldn't I do the same? If they can do it, then I should be able to do it too, right?

To this day, I've always dreamt big.

My problem though, was that I could paint and draw at an ok level. But doing it for a living? HOW the hell do you do that? I took the art-program in senior high school(gymnasium in Sweden) where we having many classes at the sudio. Messing aroung with oils/acrylics/clay/you name it. Exploring different techniques.. I really enjoyed those three years!

But we didn't really learn how to make it as artists.

I had to teach myself that, by trial and error. So you had to stay curious, ask the teachers questions and try to gain knowledge from their experiences. It's super important to actually do that.

Back then, I thought that Konstfack and Beckmans was the shit(flashy art schools here in Sweden) That you'll be all set if you got in to any of those two.

I applied. Luckily, I never got in :)

To be continued.... ;)

Part 2
Part 3

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Svenska :)

Speaking of girl crushes// Apropå girl crushes

Aaaah ok gotta tell you this while it's fresh. You know I mentioned yesterday that I have a girl grush on Jenna Marbles? Well I have one more crush - Marlo Meekins! And guess what, SHE FAVED ONE OF MY RETWEETS YESTERDAY! No seriously, what are the odds. She's insanely popular and doesn't follow me back on twitter or anything(we don't know each other). But by some chance, she actually stumbled upon my retweet. MINE! Haha. I kinda died.

I'm such a fan girl so I had to capture this moment on insta - what happened next is unbelievable(hahaha saw what I did there?)

Yeah that was it.

One day I' gonna meet them both and tell them face to face how awesome I think they are. I've such respect for both of them. Hopefully, I'll be less starstruck by then... I've become all paralized and shit on previous occasions, when meeting my idols so.. Kinda like a dog chasing a car - running after it like crazy but doesn't know what to do with it when catching it haha..


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Svenska :)

Kermit trollin' Kermit

Sketch Dailies was awful fun today haha. Nuff said.
Jenna Marbles is one of my girl crushes by the way. And I want a puppy like Kermit.

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Sketch Dailies va sjukt kul idag haha. Nuff said.
E typ hemligt kär i Jenna Marbles. Och jag vill ha en sån där vovve som Kermit.


- Andrea

I want my own art book! // Jag vill ha en egen art book!

Heeey how have you been?

I just got home from the studio. Had a nice afternoom but felt all mjeh and grumpy during the morning.  You know one of those days when it feels like everyone's against you, and you just wanna go hibernate. Then it got better. I blame the gym.

The grumpiness transformed into inspiration, so now I'm sitting here, thinking about that darn art book that I wanna finish already! Imagine having your very own book filled with your art and sketches. Gosh, I wanna make exclusive books with never seen before-images that will inspire the sh*t out of you. Time to make up a plan and get going.. So jealous of you all the cool kids who already have made their own books.

Do you have any goals right now?

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Svenska :)

Hey it's the day of the cat! // Men de e ju katt-dagen idag!

Heyyy dudes and dudettes!

Happy advent! Having a nice day filled with coziness? I've not celebrated at all HAHA. I almost missed it, I mean come on it's still November?? Instead, I've been celebrating tha international day of the cat. Giving some extra snuggles to ewok and the gremlin, my favorite little monsters.

Trying to prepare myself for next week. And I'm also thinking about ways to rip myself out of bed earlier in the morning. Sleeping is my real passion in life, and I'm szoozing it away..  Gosh wish I was a wombat. Got the worst discipline ever, I suck. Maybe I should hire someone who can ring my phone until I get up. Or makes lots of noise/plays loud music in the whole apartment, just like they like doing in in Big Brother.Jag hade blivit så jäkla förbannad...

How about you? Are you an early bird? Or a night owl?

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Svenska :)

Littlefoot // Lillefot

Latest topic for Sketch Dailies was Littlefoot.

Must be one of the most beautiful movies ever. I love it. Dunno how many times I've watched it,  I've lost counting. Kinda grew up with it, almost like background noise.

I remember that I identified myself with Littlefoot, since I kinda felt like an outsider as a kid. Other kids tended to think that I was rather odd too. First of all, I'm a foreigner here in Sweden. I was born i Hungary and can speak Hungarian fluently.

"Three horns never play with long necks" = "Swedish kids never play with foreigners" 
And I didn't always behave like "normal kids"

But luckily, no matter how awful kids can be to you, eventually you'll find your own Ducky, Petrie and Spike in your life ;) It's just a matter of holding on long enough.


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Svenska :)

Dude, I'm so stubborn // Jag e så sjukt envis

Ett foto publicerat av Andrea Femerstrand (@noukah) Aug 8, 2014 at 4:41 PDT

Ooooh check this out. Did you know that you can embed your insta photos? Interesting...

I'm unbelievable. You know that I ranted a bit about my blog design this other day.. My biggest concern was the totally messed up code. It was me who ruined it, since I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm too undisciplined to leave that damn code alone. But because of my stubborness and curiosity, I managed to fix some of it! Now it's more or less the way I want it to behave, I'm just gonna add some minor things and then I'll be happy yaaaay! In other words, I'll do that as soon as I have time again.

I'm supposed to be working right this moment... But I couldn't help myself,  derp derp ;)

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Svenska :)

Wordpress, CTNx and Horses

Wehooo amigos how are you today?

My wekend has been goood.. Been chillin', baking ginger bread(yes, I'm early haha) and tried not to think about that CTNx is happening in Burbank right now. Yeah you know that awesome animation expo, the whole area transforms into this magical artist-village and everyine's there. All the studios, online friends, cool people. Ghah..

Feels like all the cool kids are there. Except me. Usually I go every year, but decided to take a sabbatical this time. Just been out of shape so to speak. But I'll book as soon as the new tickets get released(in early 2015). There's no backing ut then. I'm pumped already!

Other than that, I'm thinking about whether I should migrate this blog to Wordpress. Frankly, I'm sick of this design.. So I'm currently looking into other solutions. Too bad I suck at designing blogs. Oh well, I'll have to do some more thinking on that.

Well, time to prep myself fo ze horsies, for an hour of riding. Still pretty cool that I'm back at Ågesta, my childhood stable :)

Laters!


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Svenska :)

5 tips: The perfect e-mail to a freelancing artist

There are plenty of blog posts and texts out there, that tell you how to write the perfect e-mail to clients. We're shaped and trained to become the perfect creative, to always be available, always be polite and clear.. And so on.

We need to talk.

I'm one of those who recieve tons of work-related e-mails, several ones per week. I'm super grateful and I've landed some really fun and exciting jobs. But some other ones get rather exhausting.

Most e-mails sound something like this:

"Hey, I'm looking for an artist for my project, what are your rates?
Best regards// Unknown"

Yeaaah awesome, good for you! :D :D :D
No, seriously though...

Creatives are not mind readers, and you didn't even introduce yourself. We're not supposed to pull if out of you. Sure, most creatives are very eager to help out, but there has to be some boundaries!

So I've done a list for you CLIENTS out there.This will make both your, and our lives so much easier. Feel free to share or refer to these if you get an e-mail from a client that's not clear enough.

1. Introduce yourself

What's your name? You don't have to talk about your whole background but at least let us know what your title is and the company you belong to/own.

2.  Describe your project in the first e-mail

This would save so much time on both ends. Tell me as much as possible about your project, and think about what's needed. How much work is actually needed?

3. When is the deadline?

This is super important. Most creatives have a rather tight schedule and we need to know whether we can plan your project in. The sooner you know this the better! Time is precious...

4. Do you have a budget?

What's your budget for the project? This is very vital since we can see whether it's doable or not. If it's way too low, then I may be open for discussions. Perhaps getting paid in both money + royalties? Never offer exposure though! Cause really, that's just a trap and creatives are worth way more than that. Period. So, royalties or other perks might work :)

5. Do your research

I call myself.. An illustrator, concept artist or a character designer. My portfolio is stuffed with work that's geared towards those areas. So it feels rather strange if you would ask me to design a new logo, which has less to do with the things I normally do. It's because I suck at logos :D No, but you know what I mean.

So, is this worthy enough, my fellow creative amigos? Should anything be added? What are your thoughts, and does this happen to you a lot as well?

 Sketch of "I love you, bro" Photoshop CS5 + Wacom Cintiq 12WX

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Svenska :)

I wasn't good enough // Jag var inte tillräckligt bra

Many people e-mail me nowadays. People from all over the world. You ask me for tips and advice. You want to hear my story and journey, give me compliments and sometimes even tell me that you're jealous of my "talent"(I don't really like to call it that way, as you may know).

I read everything and try to reply to as many of you as possible. Giving back is something that's important to me.

Also trying to motivate the once who may doubt. Cause you can always get better! I've been at the "bottom" too. I had to work my butt off, but it's been worth it. Actually, I wasn't that good at all in the beginning of my career. I wasn't fast enough, didn't have enough experience. I even managed to irritate some of my colleagues, they probably though that I was only in the way...(I don't blame them) I just smiled, kept apologizing and kept going. I was so damn frustrated on the inside though...


So yeah. I had to struggle a lot too. It wasn't easy at all, and making everything work perfectly from the start is very rare. Even though it may seem easy. Hopefully this are comforting news for some of you :P

Sometimes I still wonder whether the stuff I make is good enough. I often let everyone else decide that for me.

As long as you try your best! Maybe even get irritated and motivated at the same time, wanting to improve and learn new things. Just don't let sircumstances or people bring you down, ever. "No" doesn't mean "never".

Joined Sketch Dailies! The current topic is "Rafiki" ;) Photoshop CS5 + Wacom Cintiq 12WX

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Svenska :)

I'm never satisfied // Jag nöjer mig aldrig..

Unfinished version. Photoshop CS5 + Wacom Intuos4

Yeeaaah mm well, it happened again. I was half-way through another painting that I recorded the process of but... Nope, I didn't feel happy with the design overall. Both the fox and the "Dala- Horse"(It's an iconic figure here in Sweden, here's a link - click!) felt like mjeh..
Clearly, I didn't spend enough time on the design before painting.

So I decided to start over. Heh, typical me.. The one above is the older version. And here's the new version:

New version! Yay! Photoshop CS5 + Wacom Cintiq 12WX

It feels a bit better now. For me at least. So I'll go with this one. Shouldn't be a big deal, I mean I already picked a colorscheme and all. So I'll just have to hit "record" once more and keep going. Trial and error ;)


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Svenska :)

New video is up! // Ny video uppe!

It's done.
I'll leave you with this. What did you think?

Time to get going, I'm off to the stable to ride some horsie. Laters!

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Den är klar.
Jag lämnar den här med er. Vad tycker ni?

Nu ska jag pallra mig iväg till stallet å rida. Laters!


- Andrea