mythusmage said:
By and large I like what I see here on this forum, but I do notice that a lot of the art posted here is amateur at best. Down right clunky at worst. I get the impression that most of the people displaying their work are self taught, and concentrate on fantasy subjects. If that's your bag, I wish you luck. But expanding your (artistic) horizons can be a big help.
Yes most of us are self-taught and we post in here since we want to improve, we neither want praise nor an axing that takes away all of love for what we do. I can only speak for myself but I can say I'm a happy amateur that don't draw for any other pleasure then to please myself, and aswell as any other person that might like what I do. Of course I do listen to what people say, but I seldom reply to something that is out of tact or just mean (since those posts/replies seldom, read never, helps me out to improve).
mythusmage said:
1. Art lessons. Lessons on composition, drawing, oils and acrylics. A good teacher can help a lot with animation and expression, bringing your art to life. Try other media as the mood takes you. Many community colleges offer art courses. Or see if you can find an artists' club or association.
Most of us are amateurs with full time jobs and doodle on the side when we have a moment to spare. We don't have time to find a mentor in real-life. The reason to why we post in here is to see if we can find a mentor or someone else that can comment and help us improve our style. I have don't found anyartist's club where I live, they are more common in a university and/or college so out of school it might be hard to find one, and finding time for it is an issue aswell.
mythusmage said:
2. Life studies. Studies of human and animal anatomy. Art using live models, clothed and nude. Knowing how real life people and animals are put together is a great help with fantasy races and beasts.
Well it is good advice, but most of us usually doodle at home and you usually end up drawing of the same stuff all the time. In my case I draw from my head and use my imagination and memory to figure out how to draw but that is just me.
mythusmage said:
3. Visits to your local museum of natural history. loads of things to draw there, and not just the animal displays. A good natural history museum will have displays for local minerals, fossils, geological formations, and so on and so forth.
As nice it would be to live near a natural history museum the closest I get is 3 hours with train, not everyone have the luxury of actually having such feat close to them. But this is good advice for anyone that do live near enough one.
mythusmage said:
4. To get good at showing animals in motion, get yourself a yearly membership at the local zoo. There is a big difference between a live tiger in mid-leap, and a mounted tiger posed in mid-leap. Learning how to show a live tiger in mid-leap goes a long way in learning how to show a dragon in mid-leap.
Better solution is either a Video or DVD disc thatyou can set to [freeze frame] if you don't have access to a local Zoo (which I don't have), best way however is to grasp the anatomy of how muscles flex aswell.
mythusmage said:
5. Bring your art to life. Learn how to show expression. Learn how to "animate" your work, make it seem as if it could literally step off the canvas and walk about.
Why do you think we amateurs post in here, we want critisicm (that doesn't mean praise nor axing) that will help us improve to the level in which we can do this trhough the help of other souls.
mythusmage said:
6. Get in the habit of doodling. Doodle when you're waiting for someone. Doodle during a business meeting. Doodle for family and friends. Doodle for strangers you meet. Carry a sketch pad along with pencils and pens so you can doodle, draw, or sketch whenever you feel the urge.
As much as I would like to this it is not quite possible, most of us have work and other stuff that needs us to focus on what we do for the moment. I however have done this while I have been unemployed since I had to activate myself, and it do helps a lot. Just remember it is not possible for everyone to do this (and don't do it at school since it will affect your grades, trust me I speak from experience).
mythusmage said:
7. Whenever you feel tempted to draw something, give in. The opportunity may not pass your way again.
The best things comes when you do not try to create a masterpiece so this is actually a solid advice.
mythusmage said:
8. Get in the habit of redoing work that doesn't quite suit what you want. But, always keep your eye open for anything that might be better than what you'd originally envisioned. In other words, keep your eye on the goal, while keeping your eye out for unforseen possibilities.
This is actually one of the better things you have said, but I like to add one thing. Make copies of outlined sketches and try out detail on them before you apply them on the orignial drawing, since then you don't have to destroy the orignial to try something out.
mythusmage said:
9. Grow a thick skin. You're always going to run into people like me. People who will tell you your wondrous work is not as good as your friends say it is. People who will get on your case about improving your art, your technique. (I was going to say "encourage" or "urge", but they weren't strong enough to get my message across.
) We're not being mean, we really do want to see you do better.
I have run into people like you, they usually dun really care for why the person in question (e.g. me) actually draw. If I would get a penny for every time someone says "that just sucks you should really don't do this" or just says "cool" for that matter; it doesn't help me improve, nor encourage me to draw more, well the "cool" comment is always nice to get but I want critisicm just not something that just say "I like" or "you suck" and most people who just say those things (cool/suck) never really care about illustrations.
mythusmage said:
10. Make art your life. You want to be a professional artist, you have to keep practicing, keep training, keep improving. In addition, get in touch, and stay in touch, with your local artistic community. Not just your local Internet or common interest community, but your local geographical community. You will meet more than your share of flakes, but you'll also meet folks who can and will help immensely.
Well if you refer to us in here, some of us are pros, others like me doodle on our spare time and don't really have the goal to become a pro, just to improve our doodling. So when you're assuming that everyone that draws want to become a Pro I think your are way off. I myself have no urge to become a Pro, I know what I'm good at and it is not drawing, I just enjoy drawing.
mythusmage said:
11. Never reject advice out of hand. Even my advice.
You'll find that most people showing an interest in your work want to help you become a better artist. Some of them will even know what they're talking about.
Your advice might be good, but the way you present it in is totally out of tact, it is usually a better way to actually help people not to tell them that they suck, or should go back to art school for the next 5 years. We just want solid suggestions without getting flamed and/or insulted from advice. To be friendly and kind is better then insulting at all times.
mythusmage said:
To be mean, cruel, nasty, unkind, rotten, and even (heaven forbid) helpful, I have to say, most people posting art on this forum couldn't get a job as the graffiti artist for a pre-teen gang. But, at the same time, most of the people posting art on this forum show promise. It is that promise I'm hoping to encourage. Becoming a good artist aint easy, it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. But it has rewards unlike any other human endeavour. Keep drawing, keep painting, keep improving and your work will pay off. Often in ways you never expected.
And this I will not even comment on, it is one of the most insulting things I have heard in quite a while and while you might think in this way, telling people they suck is insulting and can make people feel very bad about themselves, not everyone is a person that has a total lack of empathy like yourself (or so it seems from your posts in this forum).
mythusmage said:
Well my suggestions is to go get websters and check up the word critisicm and empathy, then we can have a discussion again.