You read a comic, you thought you'd doodle something similar, and then you went on the comic's forum to share it without seeing what the forum was like first. You aren't the first one to make that mistake.
There are too many things that need to be done to improve your drawing skills to spell them all out. If you want to take art seriously, take some classes, practice a lot, and keep working. For a lot of people around here, this is more of a doodle than anything.
srsizzy on
BRO LET ME GET REAL WITH YOU AND SAY THAT MY FINGERS ARE PREPPED AND HOT LIKE THE SURFACE OF THE SUN TO BRING RADICAL BEATS SO SMOOTH THE SHIT WILL BE MEDICINAL-GRADE TRIPNASTY MAKING ALL BRAINWAVES ROLL ON THE SURFACE OF A BALLS-FEISTY NEURAL RAINBOW CRACKA-LACKIN' YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE HERE-NOW SPACE-TIME SITUATION THAT ALL OF LIFE BE JAMMED UP IN THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL FLOW BEATS
If you want to take art seriously, take some classes,
Pfft, classes are boring! The best way is to just practice.... thats the good thing about drawing, if you do it you WILL get better (even if you just draw the desks or clocks around you while you sit at work or school)
Getting encouragement is also a BIG factor for learning to draw (something these forums dont seem to understand). Not everyone is amazing (in fact, everyone starts out about the same), but as long as you stick with it in a good environment you wont be tempted to quit.
There are lots of really helpful art communities though! As long as you show a willingness to put in the effort, you will find a really good reception and TONS of really helpful pointers.
One place is www.conceptart.org (they have a learning area and a mentoring forum too). I started off posting on a gaming site with fan-art (everyone was soooo nice, even with my first really really godly horrible stuff they never put it down) ...
But, you also have to come at learning to draw with the right attitude. No matter how good you are, you will make really horrible things (everyone does from time to time), best thing to do is just learn what you can and move on (because, again, if you stick with it...you WILL get better. No ifs about it).
As for tips!... you should get some anatomy books and just start learning about the shapes of the body. Things like the tips of the eyes are about the space of an eye apart.... or that the tips line up with the edges of the nose....or that the mouth is about as wide as the center of each eye. Or that the eyes are about half way down the head (and the mouth is half way down that....errm...or was it the base of the nose was half way down that? o.O whatever!!). Those types of rules are just random observations that a lot of anatomy / drawing books teach you to keep in mind while doodling (that way things look more "right).
Then again, webcomics arent just about art... theres also the writing and humor (depends what type it is). But the basic things really help a TON with even the most simple styles.
If there is any tip you can give is take a class. Not say DON'T take a class.
If you can't handle the work art teachers give then there is no way people can adapt to the amount of work you gain as you go further in education. To practice alone would not only take longer to learn but you would not have the knowledge if you are capable of handling these work loads.
I know of many good artist who tried to self teach themselves and just crumbled in college because they couldn't handle all of a sudden being assigned work and having to study anatomy and ect.
Sure the artist itself was fine in where he was at but his drawings were not physically correct and therefore this leap was his end and generally made what he learned a waste of time when he could of been studying what he REALLY enjoys doing
Drawing in itself may be fun but to push it as a career if you plan on taking art seriously like this should really be considered taking a class then. Otherwise its just foolish to think another way and just self teach yourself. That is the difference.
This same thing can be looked at anything else, science, math, gardening. It may be "fun" to look under the microscope and see all the little creepy crawlies, and science may seem interesting. But the amount of research that must be pushed in can turn you away from science. If you took this the same route as people recommend art you would read books about specific things that are fascinating but your knowledge isn't vast enough and then taking classes in college would probably screw you over because odds are you can't handle the actual work
I mean come on this person may not be great but dont screw over 4 years of his life
If you want to take art seriously, take some classes,
Pfft, classes are boring! The best way is to just practice.... thats the good thing about drawing, if you do it you WILL get better (even if you just draw the desks or clocks around you while you sit at work or school)
I cant agree with this, practicing while taking classes is the best way to learn. Its hard to practice something you know nothing about. If I wanted to learn to sew I wouldn't just pick up a needle and string, I would find somebody who did it well to teach me. Sure I might get a little better on my own, but I would still probably sew like ass.
which is absolutely useless. It's a complete waste of time for people to complement your work without critiquing it.
Not at the lower levels! Its exactly what is needed for people to keep at it.... i dont think i would have kept drawing if everytime i showed something people just said "you suck"... simply "drawing more" is what a lot of people need to do when they start off (not get lectures on the subtle effects of line weight :P)
Otherwise its just foolish to think another way and just self teach yourself
I dont know...i have been teaching myself for a little over a year now...and i think im doing ok.... (still lots to learn! but thats cause i need to draw more >< hehe)
I mean come on this person may not be great but dont screw over 4 years of his life
lol he didnt say he was making a career out of art >< he just said he wanted to try a webcomic.... who said anything about 4 years and college? o.O
When I first began doing art it was very harsh for me. Not only was I treated poorly but most people also wanted me to stop altogether because they felt that me trying to become a artist was out of my reach. I basically have gone through the most toughest criticism anyone can possibly ever gain since day 1 when I first drew something.
No someone does not need a compliment in order to keep going if you cant handle it then you obviously cant handle it now
And now i'm majoring in art in college and am becoming a traditional artist now if only I had a time machine and a chainsaw
Yea... but wouldnt you have been more motivated to draw and get better if everyone around you were *gasp* encouraging? They dont have to say your the best thing in the world (or lie to you)... but being honest is a LOT different than simply putting them down.
Putting down someones work is NEVER acceptable... it doesnt make them "stronger", its just mean and very very very unprofessional (which i am guessing a lot of people consider themselves to be).
Well...anyway... *gets off soapbox* just something that had been bugging me about this forum for a while hehe. I can take it, but to a lot of new artists is a good way to shatter confidence and get them to quit before actually getting a chance....
I can't really imagine what it would be like if people where nice to me but being nice to people either has No to Worstening effects on a person asides making them feel better I focused more and more hours because of the amount of intense hatred I began growing for even those few I only knew in school, not like I was social IRL in the first place.
No if your nice to someone they feel fine about there work. The only thing that can let them grow then is if they can bypass this and criticize themselves and tell themselves they need to improve which I have learned to do since people have begun to be to nice to me lately ever since I escaped that horrible place. You won't learn whats wrong you'll only feel your good in your current position. If I had the advantage of knowing this place when I first began though instead of being around failures who none-sensibly attached themselves to anime and drew utter shit and praised people who didn't take classes. I might have been even farther in art then I already am today.
So basically you gave him the worst advice ever by telling him to avoid classes, you might as well tell him to shoot cocaine and take ecstasy because that will increase his imagination.
Not only that but you told him a horrible method of learning off what he did as well, now that I think about it. Basically the only thing he would learn is how to flex the muscles in his arm to draw a straight line by repetitive random teachings. He won't learn styles or how to vary it properly and thats basically the only thing you cant screw up in art.
Actually if you wanted to make even worst advice you could of told him not to draw at all and read how to draw anatomy books for a year before touching a pencil
I should write a book on this
Loomdun's How to learn art.
Step 1: ) Read only anatomy books for the first year dont even touch a pencil
Step 2: ) Use a normal HB pencil because you dont need to have a art pencil
Step 3: ) Copy anime to learn anatomy
Step 4: ) Get praised by everyone about everysingle mark you make
Step 5: ) Don't take any classes
Step 6: ) Profittttt
The way i see the stages of development of art...are more stepped
First is the physical control aspects of it. This is as simple as the drawing the straight line you were talking about! Or being able to draw a circle! Simple hand-eye coordination is the very first step to learning to draw (which is why when you draw ANYTHING over and over, you get better at this with respect to art.... draw the clock in class a billion times? good! you will find you can draw the table pretty well also! or a person! Because you have a better grasp of hand-eye coordination)
Then, comes the understanding parts of art... this is HUGE and really really wide area. This is the muscles of the body, how the bones act, how fabric reflects light, how color interacts with eachother, the basics of shape and forshortening, perspective....all the science behind why things look like they do. Getting a strong grasp of these lets you draw from your mind. (Of course, people usually start with the shapes and shadows and basic things like that first....using those tools as they draw and adding bit by bit with anatomy or anything else they can find / are shown).
After this (or along with this) comes technique! Learning HOW to do those things on a piece of paper (or on the computer). Learning about different tools and flows and methods to build up those effects you see and understand. I understand how and why light bounces off the human skin...but i cant really draw it (well, only from a wide view level with simple lighting and shading... but textures and the other techniques i dont know).
....starting off...people are usually in the first step and begin working on the very basics of the 2nd step. They start learning about the body and shapes and how things act when they are farther away or in a scene. But they also lack the simple physical control over the tools to be able to perform what they know (like drawing a circle, or being able to draw a confident strong straight line). For this...you just need to draw, draw everything and observe what you draw.
Though i didnt... when i started i just drew from my head and tried to make it look "right" over and over (pretty much practicing step 1, with better control over the tools). From there i began trying to look at anatomy books and theories on shading / coloring (along with other things like that), along with looking at other peoples work and trying to play with poses and dynamic views.
So...thats why i say...you just gotta draw.
As for classes! I hate classes! There are countless books and material out there to teach you! Going to a school and taking traditional classes is NOT the only way to learn art. There is NO reason why you cant teach yourself (and many many many many artists do). There is no way you "have to" create a piece of art.... you can draw your sketch in little smile faces first if you wanted to....
Hehe better than some? Worse than others? I dont try to compare myself that often... i know my stuff stinks (though i can actually make things i like now!) . Like on concept art....there are people who can whip out AMAZING paintings in 30 minutes.... the level they are at is sooo far ahead of me its crazy (i cant even think of how to start doing some of the things i see). But i will get better and learn new things, so i am happy with that
But, there is also something else i have learnt! Being the "best" doesnt mean too much if you are trying to profit from art (and i am guessing there are some here who want to do that!). Its largely about business management and marketing! muaa ha ha
But, there is also something else i have learnt! Being the "best" doesnt mean too much if you are trying to profit from art (and i am guessing there are some here who want to do that!). Its largely about business management and marketing! muaa ha ha
Posts
its a seam, not a VJ
o_O
Vagina, or has the penis been chopped off and sewn over?
If this happened to me, I'd be pissed too!
Yeah, i'm hate the fact that people are making fun of it now
I wasn't making fun. o_O
I wouldn't worry, it succeeds on a level where other illustrations fail.
Thanks, for my first art post that means alot.
well i have to go sleep, i have work in the morning
Also, maybe spend a little time making some cleaner lines. I did a little paintover to show what i mean.
Dude, you need to clean all your lines- get the basics down and maybe not worry about detail at this point.
The first few guys were being sarcastic. This is really really bad.
There are too many things that need to be done to improve your drawing skills to spell them all out. If you want to take art seriously, take some classes, practice a lot, and keep working. For a lot of people around here, this is more of a doodle than anything.
Pfft, classes are boring! The best way is to just practice.... thats the good thing about drawing, if you do it you WILL get better (even if you just draw the desks or clocks around you while you sit at work or school)
Getting encouragement is also a BIG factor for learning to draw (something these forums dont seem to understand). Not everyone is amazing (in fact, everyone starts out about the same), but as long as you stick with it in a good environment you wont be tempted to quit.
There are lots of really helpful art communities though! As long as you show a willingness to put in the effort, you will find a really good reception and TONS of really helpful pointers.
One place is www.conceptart.org (they have a learning area and a mentoring forum too). I started off posting on a gaming site with fan-art (everyone was soooo nice, even with my first really really godly horrible stuff they never put it down) ...
But, you also have to come at learning to draw with the right attitude. No matter how good you are, you will make really horrible things (everyone does from time to time), best thing to do is just learn what you can and move on (because, again, if you stick with it...you WILL get better. No ifs about it).
As for tips!... you should get some anatomy books and just start learning about the shapes of the body. Things like the tips of the eyes are about the space of an eye apart.... or that the tips line up with the edges of the nose....or that the mouth is about as wide as the center of each eye. Or that the eyes are about half way down the head (and the mouth is half way down that....errm...or was it the base of the nose was half way down that? o.O whatever!!). Those types of rules are just random observations that a lot of anatomy / drawing books teach you to keep in mind while doodling (that way things look more "right).
Then again, webcomics arent just about art... theres also the writing and humor (depends what type it is). But the basic things really help a TON with even the most simple styles.
If you can't handle the work art teachers give then there is no way people can adapt to the amount of work you gain as you go further in education. To practice alone would not only take longer to learn but you would not have the knowledge if you are capable of handling these work loads.
I know of many good artist who tried to self teach themselves and just crumbled in college because they couldn't handle all of a sudden being assigned work and having to study anatomy and ect.
Sure the artist itself was fine in where he was at but his drawings were not physically correct and therefore this leap was his end and generally made what he learned a waste of time when he could of been studying what he REALLY enjoys doing
Drawing in itself may be fun but to push it as a career if you plan on taking art seriously like this should really be considered taking a class then. Otherwise its just foolish to think another way and just self teach yourself. That is the difference.
This same thing can be looked at anything else, science, math, gardening. It may be "fun" to look under the microscope and see all the little creepy crawlies, and science may seem interesting. But the amount of research that must be pushed in can turn you away from science. If you took this the same route as people recommend art you would read books about specific things that are fascinating but your knowledge isn't vast enough and then taking classes in college would probably screw you over because odds are you can't handle the actual work
I mean come on this person may not be great but dont screw over 4 years of his life
which is absolutely useless. It's a complete waste of time for people to complement your work without critiquing it.
also I really liked my drawing classes and I improved more in one semester than I had in years.
I cant agree with this, practicing while taking classes is the best way to learn. Its hard to practice something you know nothing about. If I wanted to learn to sew I wouldn't just pick up a needle and string, I would find somebody who did it well to teach me. Sure I might get a little better on my own, but I would still probably sew like ass.
Not at the lower levels! Its exactly what is needed for people to keep at it.... i dont think i would have kept drawing if everytime i showed something people just said "you suck"... simply "drawing more" is what a lot of people need to do when they start off (not get lectures on the subtle effects of line weight :P)
I dont know...i have been teaching myself for a little over a year now...and i think im doing ok.... (still lots to learn! but thats cause i need to draw more >< hehe)
lol he didnt say he was making a career out of art >< he just said he wanted to try a webcomic.... who said anything about 4 years and college? o.O
No someone does not need a compliment in order to keep going if you cant handle it then you obviously cant handle it now
And now i'm majoring in art in college and am becoming a traditional artist now if only I had a time machine and a chainsaw
Putting down someones work is NEVER acceptable... it doesnt make them "stronger", its just mean and very very very unprofessional (which i am guessing a lot of people consider themselves to be).
Well...anyway... *gets off soapbox* just something that had been bugging me about this forum for a while hehe. I can take it, but to a lot of new artists is a good way to shatter confidence and get them to quit before actually getting a chance....
No if your nice to someone they feel fine about there work. The only thing that can let them grow then is if they can bypass this and criticize themselves and tell themselves they need to improve which I have learned to do since people have begun to be to nice to me lately ever since I escaped that horrible place. You won't learn whats wrong you'll only feel your good in your current position. If I had the advantage of knowing this place when I first began though instead of being around failures who none-sensibly attached themselves to anime and drew utter shit and praised people who didn't take classes. I might have been even farther in art then I already am today.
So basically you gave him the worst advice ever by telling him to avoid classes, you might as well tell him to shoot cocaine and take ecstasy because that will increase his imagination.
Not only that but you told him a horrible method of learning off what he did as well, now that I think about it. Basically the only thing he would learn is how to flex the muscles in his arm to draw a straight line by repetitive random teachings. He won't learn styles or how to vary it properly and thats basically the only thing you cant screw up in art.
Actually if you wanted to make even worst advice you could of told him not to draw at all and read how to draw anatomy books for a year before touching a pencil
I should write a book on this
Loomdun's How to learn art.
Step 1: ) Read only anatomy books for the first year dont even touch a pencil
Step 2: ) Use a normal HB pencil because you dont need to have a art pencil
Step 3: ) Copy anime to learn anatomy
Step 4: ) Get praised by everyone about everysingle mark you make
Step 5: ) Don't take any classes
Step 6: ) Profittttt
First is the physical control aspects of it. This is as simple as the drawing the straight line you were talking about! Or being able to draw a circle! Simple hand-eye coordination is the very first step to learning to draw (which is why when you draw ANYTHING over and over, you get better at this with respect to art.... draw the clock in class a billion times? good! you will find you can draw the table pretty well also! or a person! Because you have a better grasp of hand-eye coordination)
Then, comes the understanding parts of art... this is HUGE and really really wide area. This is the muscles of the body, how the bones act, how fabric reflects light, how color interacts with eachother, the basics of shape and forshortening, perspective....all the science behind why things look like they do. Getting a strong grasp of these lets you draw from your mind. (Of course, people usually start with the shapes and shadows and basic things like that first....using those tools as they draw and adding bit by bit with anatomy or anything else they can find / are shown).
After this (or along with this) comes technique! Learning HOW to do those things on a piece of paper (or on the computer). Learning about different tools and flows and methods to build up those effects you see and understand. I understand how and why light bounces off the human skin...but i cant really draw it (well, only from a wide view level with simple lighting and shading... but textures and the other techniques i dont know).
....starting off...people are usually in the first step and begin working on the very basics of the 2nd step. They start learning about the body and shapes and how things act when they are farther away or in a scene. But they also lack the simple physical control over the tools to be able to perform what they know (like drawing a circle, or being able to draw a confident strong straight line). For this...you just need to draw, draw everything and observe what you draw.
Though i didnt... when i started i just drew from my head and tried to make it look "right" over and over (pretty much practicing step 1, with better control over the tools). From there i began trying to look at anatomy books and theories on shading / coloring (along with other things like that), along with looking at other peoples work and trying to play with poses and dynamic views.
So...thats why i say...you just gotta draw.
As for classes! I hate classes! There are countless books and material out there to teach you! Going to a school and taking traditional classes is NOT the only way to learn art. There is NO reason why you cant teach yourself (and many many many many artists do). There is no way you "have to" create a piece of art.... you can draw your sketch in little smile faces first if you wanted to....
But, there is also something else i have learnt! Being the "best" doesnt mean too much if you are trying to profit from art (and i am guessing there are some here who want to do that!). Its largely about business management and marketing! muaa ha ha
not really, no