usernamesareannoying wrote:So my son who is 13 has decided that this is what he wants to do when he gets older. He's constantly making gamer tags and logos etc for his friends.
My question to you guys is do you have any suggestions on how to inspire/fuel his interest?
I was also wondering if there is anything tool wise that may be helpful?
He wants a drawing tablet for the computer but i'd hate to get it just to see it end up in a drawer. Are they useful?
My wife is a graphic designer. Since she was trained as an artist she started out doing book covers, schoolbook illustration etc then took a turn to packaging for consumer goods (mostly wine and foodstuffs).
One thing I always hear her talking about is that there's no substitute for old-fashioned pencil and paper. Even though most stuff nowadays is done with tablet and pen most high-end (meaning well paid) starts out in a piece of paper then gets finished on a screen.
Sure you can make a living just doing stuff on the computer, and changing fonts and colours but that's the lowest end. Crowded and very badly paid.
Get him a tablet, have him learn the ropes but always have him keep a sketchbook and pencil (or brush) to keep the hand in good shape. Books about composition, balance, history of design and art, thematic collections, etc should come later on.
Of course I'm talking about 2D. There's a whole world of 3D design out there: video games, ads, product development (though that's an engineering in itself) which seem to draw a lot of the younger crowd nowadays.
