Rant: Improving my drawing skills

[Ieono]

So I have always just kind of doodled stuff, and I want to get really good someday. I want to eventually be able to draw like those super-realism pencil artists and such. But the more I attempt to draw regularly, the more I realize that it literally takes years of practice to get to that point, if you aren't dedicated to it. I don't have a lot of time to just draw all day, but I really don't want to wait for years to be comfortable enough to speed draw masterpieces. I wish I had more natural aptitude for it, but my only really drawing "talent" is the ability to somehow visualize anatomical poses. I'm not even sure if my anatomy is correct though, haha.

Geez, this shit is hard! It was a lot more chill when I just drew basic stuff, and didn't dive too deep into the whole "art" of drawing. I felt the same way when I first started EV training and IV breeding Pokemon, but those things eventually came natural to me. So yeah, I guess I'm just being whiny about having to put in the work to be great at something!

Did any of you fabulous artists have to work long and hard to be able to draw as well as you do today? Do any of you remember what kind of hurdles you had to overcome along the way, such as a specific technique or subject you struggle(d) with? This topic has probably come up a lot, so I apologize in advance if it irks some people. 

[Chrysocyon]

Yeah, I've been drawing for as long as I can remember and I still wouldn't call my work "fabulous."

It doesn't have to take years to get good, but the sooner you start practising and drawing everyday, the quicker you'll get better.  It doesn't have to be a lot, even 15 minutes a day would be good, but consistency can help. I think my biggest issues have been procrastination and not enough study.  I find the most helpful thing in improving drawing technique is through life studies and not drawing solely from imagination or copying someone else's work;  Still life, gesture drawings, that kind of thing.  The problem is I find it boring and don't do it often enough any more.

[willow]

I honestly don't even think it has to be an every day commitment. it helps but I believe if you try drawing every day you run the risk of burning yourself out. that being said I think one thing a lot of artists definitely need to accept is that not every piece of art is going to be a masterpiece or worth sharing.

one of my biggest challenges was anatomy and actually having the patience to fix things so they didn't look like shit. what wound up helping me was asking for feedback from the forums. I also took suggestions for things I needed to improve on and then drew them.

[Sidewalk Surfboard]

I've been drawing seriously since about 2010, and have been drawing in general since 2006. Trust me, my stuff now isn't great, but I've certainly improved. Just time in every day, or every other day, to practice.

[Guest]

I feel you. Been drawing for years now and while I did improve I am not satisfied with how far I got

 

I confirm what you mentioned: I'm afraid the only way to get better really is to dedicate yourself to it. For now, just try not to think beyond your capabilities as it only ends up demoralizing you when those goals you've set yourself aren't reached. By doing the small things first the bigger ones scale down to a feasible level

To clarify, when I say that you have to ''dedicate yourself to it'' it doesn't mean you have to draw all day everyday. Begin with a small excercise, say, 30 minutes a day to start, then increase your workload as you build up your drawing skills, knowledge and thus confidence. Especially because you're a beginner it's very important that you keep drawing at a regular pace. I suggest at least once every 3 days tops for now. Make adjustments to this schedule as you see fit: while constant practice is great it is also important that you don't burn yourself out, as Willow mentioned

In my case, when I draw I always start with the head, the rest comes naturally. Depending on what element of a piece you give most weight to, focus on doing studies about that specific thing first. Being this my personal mode of business, I suggest focusing on drawing heads/faces first. Headshots, bustshots, that sort of thing. Either way (especially in an artist's beginner phase), references are your best friends so you'll need plenty. Real life photos take priority for me which I use mainly for the anatomy. As for heads, yes I reference from real life photos of animals but I also see how other artist drew what I'm meaning to draw. Maybe I like how they drew the eyes, the way they did the muzzle, the ears and so on and so forth and thus I implement that bit into my piece. So yeah, don't be afraid to take inspiration from other artists you look up to/appreciate. As long as you don't do a downright ripoff of their works, obviously, but I know you're not the kind of guy to do that

Edited March 12, 2016 by Guest

[Ieono]

Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone in this, haha. I appreciate all of the advice. I do need to practice, and yeah @Chrysocyon, I also find it pretty boring to draw using living references and such. I am starting to make it fun by using my OCs for this though, sort of like a form of gamification. 

@willow, I tend to take long breaks after drawing regularly for a few months. I tend to burn out, and I am definitely trying not to do that again. I feel that it is important to get feedback as well; I am just now starting to ask for critiques because I feel that I can actually draw something worth critiquing these days. 

I can see progress too, @Sidewalk Surfboard, even though I am an occasional artist. I think that echoes what willow said, about not needing to do it everyday.

And @Amiir, that is excellent, detailed advice! I feel that I am very confident drawing portraits and headshots, especially of humans. I tend to struggle on bodies right now, though. I honestly think it is because I was too lazy to put the work in to draw AN ENTIRE BODY! (It still makes me a bit anxious just saying it, haha). As you said, references really help with the finer details, such as adding muscle tone and posing. 

[Monochromatic-Dragon]

I have sort of the opposite dilemma. I focus on drawing the full body so much that I actually have trouble adjusting to just focusing on just a headshot view or whatever. 

I used to be a shitty artist, like 4 years ago, and I was a freshman in college, an ART college! It has taken me a few years of consistent practice and study to get to where I am today, and I would say that my art is just average. My anatomy is "meh" but has gotten a lot better. I still largely rely on references for things like poses but I am getting better at filling in the anatomical details on my own. As stated above, references will be your friend, likely for the rest of your career. Though you will find that you will not need to rely on them as much once you've drawn something enough times that you have a basic understanding of the shapes and forms. 

For practicing full-bodies, I would recommend doing timed drawings based on references (nude reference is preferable) you can find these on Google or on DeviantART
In my life drawing class, we usually started off with 10-20 1 minute "gesture" drawings before moving on to longer poses. Maybe shoot for 15 minutes or 30 minutes for the longer poses. 

This is an excellent resource for timed drawings http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/

Here is a series of videos that I have assembled that really helped me get started with understanding anatomy 

 

 

 

[Hewge]

No - you won't be able to draw "really good someday" if you don't practice a lot. Yes - every artist experiences their own struggles, and have put in loads of time and effort to reach the point they're at.

I'm not really into unnecessarily detailed advice when it comes to this subject, 'cause there really isn't much to it. You wanna learn to draw? Then start drawing.

Do you want to draw just as a hobby? That's what it sounds like. So no; you don't need to religiously practice hours a day.
Don't say you don't have time to draw. If you have the time to make posts and threads like these, then you have the time to draw. Draw as much as you like. It can be every day, or only once a week.. 
Don't be afraid to try new things or leave your comfort zones. Be open to constructive opinions and ideas. If you need help with something, someone will always be out there to help you. All you need to do is ask.
Draw whatever you want - there's nothing you can't do if you only try. If you ever feel you can't draw something, then draw it until you can. Nothing is stopping you.

But most importantly: Draw because you enjoy it, not purely for the sake of being "good". Everyone wants to be good at something. Quit over-thinking things, have fun, and just draw.

[AlastairSnowpaw]

2 hours ago, Chrysocyon said:

 Still life, gesture drawings, that kind of thing.  The problem is I find it boring and don't do it often enough any more.

I find the opposite true. Drawing gestures from real life poses so very helpful and interesting since more often their are pictures or actual poses that are way more interesting than the poses i can imagine. Basically real life and still life stuff enhances imagination much more. Then it's good to use those gestures for future drawings. This site is great for gestures and interesting life drawings. Also I'm lucky enough to have a good museum near me that has public model life drawing classes every Thursday, so if you can find anything like that it helps a lot. I really only got semi serious about drawing a year ago and by that I mean actually trying to draw, and thanks to my art teacher and trying to at least spend an hour a day on art related stuff i have improved a decent amount. One thing that has also been helping me a lot is making a tumblr to use as a daily art blog to force myself to create new stuff everyday which is ultimatly working out well for me.

that being said my "Problem" is i tend to only work on sketches and very rarely fully complete things. However it's questionable whether this is a problem since working on fundamentals is way more important for me than spending a couple hours perfecting the shading and coloring.

also this guy has a good explanation of how to get better at drawing. Basically his answer is to fail repeatedly in different ways.

 

 

Also i don't think talent is that important, it's mainly just time, and those who spend lots of time doing it and learn how to make better use of that time. like 80% of the stuff drawn is going to be erased/covered and I think that applies to all pictures so when you see a final piece it is the 20% of stuff that had to beat out and be better than the other 80% you never see. Which is also why an artist is their worst critic cause they see all 100% when everyone else can only see the final 20%

Edited March 12, 2016 by AlastairSnowpaw

[Ieono]

Thank you guys. I will look over the resources you guys provided. I want to get serious about drawing, and this stuff will definitely help. 

And by the way @Hewge, I usually draw a bit of details, and browse the site between breaks. I've always done better if I do a little here and there without working continuously for long periods of time. I'm just trying to talk about this to make my efforts a bit more interesting. I understand that I need to put the work in, but I'd like to discover the best way of putting the work in so I can get better faster. But hey, thanks for the advice man. I really like your art style a lot. 

[Nova]

I would recommend you too trace and study everything, it helps a lot .

 

[Hikaru Okami]

I've been drawing since I was able to hold a pencil. I'm in my early 20s and a 13 year old would draw what I was "supposed" to know how to draw already. How long someone has been drawing is only one piece of the puzzle to why someone's art is appealing. The amount of time you put into something and natural talent go hand in hand. Having natural talent  makes things easier, but there still needs to be dedication, practice, time, etc. A lot of artists struggle with comparing their work to others, me included, and become discouraged to continue drawing. It's nice to look at other's work for appreciation or reference, but don't fall into the comparison trap. Continue to focus on what needs to be improved and practice whenever you can. Start small (drawing hands, legs, face) then work your way up to complexities (drawing poses, gestures, facial expressions).

[Pignog]

its actually impossible to learn tod raw u imbeciles. why can't everyone be as smart andcool ... as me.

[diretractor]

I had to poke my head in as a non-hobbyist. As such, this advice is more for the people who want to be professional artists, not hobbyists.

Here's how to get good as an artist fast.

The quality of your practice matters. Your practice needs to be deliberate, focused, and targeted. Don't waste your time drawing things you are already good at. Don't practice drawing things the wrong way by using bad reference or practicing bad technique. You'll need a good teacher to help guide you in this regard. Take art classes from people who know their shit and can actually teach.

Slow down. If you practice drawing shitty then you'll only get better drawing shitty, and you'll have to erase way too often. If you slow down, think about each stroke, and draw your construction as accurately as possible, the speed will come with time and you'll be able to draw accurately without erasing. You can't do that unless you slow down first. This is the biggest issue I have with the "speed paint culture" on YouTube, and people who think that they have to draw as quickly or as loosely as a pro to get pro. That's not true. Those guys have been doing it so long that it's muscle memory, and can take a lot of shortcuts. They can skip some of the construction drawing phase because they understand 3D form so well. You are not there yet. Practice your accuracy, and the speed will come later and you'll still be able to draw accurately. A good way to force yourself to do this is to paint and draw using unerasable media.

This is a big fucking deal: lay off the graphics tablet for drawing until much later. It's not as accurate, digital media teaches you bad habits, and the whole human-computer interface thing just gets in the way of your ability to learn how to draw. The cheaper Wacom products (anything below $400) does not have the ability to adjust the pressure curve in the driver, requiring you to put a lot of pressure down to get 100% pressure. This will cause injury over time if the program you are using does not let you adjust the pressure curve.

Every good designer I know had to give up something to become who they are. It was usually video games, sometimes other hobbies as well, but it was usually video games. Treat art like a second job and plan what part of the day will become your drawing time. If you have a day job, become an early bird. It's much easier to start your day learning to draw when you are awake than after you've gotten home from your day job and just want to zone out. This will probably impact your social life going to bed so early, but it depends on how badly do you want it. The best musicians in the world do 3 sessions of 90 minute blocks of practice with 20 minute breaks between each session. It's an application of the ultradian rhythm. If you can, carve that regimen into your daily schedule, especially on weekends, and you'll be able to focus a lot better. Keep track of where your non-working/non-chore time goes, in other words anything that you don't have to do, and then decide which is going to be your absolute best and most enjoyable way to relax (should include people, in real life if possible), and then do that in moderation.

I can't stress enough the importance of having a good teacher. There's so much bad art instruction out there online, in colleges, and unfortunately trade schools. I've been super lucky, and can't provide much guidance other than to be picky about who you learn art from.

Edited March 15, 2016 by diretractor
I said weekday but meant weekend.