I wanna be a Rockstar!

In the world of video games, Ian Bowden is one of the most experienced. Formerly an Art director at Rockstar where he'd taken part in making GTA, Ian Bowden moved to a mobile company set in Berlin called  Gameduell. In this article, Bowden gives advice that has helped him within his years of practice.

1. Watch for the trends: When making art of any sort (drawing, logos, advertising, etc.) it's good to look at other examples. Don't copy them though, put an exciting twist on this trend and be original with your work!

2. Visual quality is important: The quality is a very important part in any art piece no matter how small of a screen or how small in general it will be. Don't do a lousy job! This is "life and death" for art, what makes it sell. Pay attention closely to details.

3. Sketch sketch sketch!: Ian Bowden says he always carries a sketch book and keeps a keen eye out wherever he is, for ideas of course! If you get an idea, jot down notes, sketch something real quick so it's fresh in your mind and you can go back to it and do something with your ideas.

4. Experiment!: Don't just do the same thing over and over, try new things, otherwise you'll be stuck. Sometimes-says Ian-the only way to get past a rut is to move forward. Look around for ideas as well.

5. Be Modest/Humble: There's always someone or something better, and they too can give you ideas, so be open minded and look for ways to improve. There's always something you can learn out there.

This article was very inspiring and has already begun to encourage me to test out new ideas, etc. There's honestly nothing I could disagree with since I do a lot of these steps myself-such as being humble about my work and watching for those trends especially on website designs since I do edit a lot. These are tips that any artist can take with them anywhere no matter what they're doing. Car designing for example. Car looks and abilities are all based on what everyone is looking for right now. So, artist or not, these tips can truly help you.