# Should I quit while I'm behind?



## Leeham991dark (May 18, 2009)

I've just been thinking, I could quite happily curl up and play video games, work a boring 9-5 and drink beer for the rest of my life. 

I find drawing hard and even though I enjoy doing it I seem to get more praise from a good headshot than my art ever gets. I'd actually rather have lots of people think my fire and maneuver tactics are poetry than have 2 or 3 people think my art is "OK"

I don't like my art I do, it never turns out how I want it to, but other people _seem_ to like it. All I really need is some random stranger's opinions... If anyone can do that?

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/leeham991dark/​


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## ShadowEon (May 18, 2009)

If you want to draw,you should keep drawing. =<


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## OxfordTweed (May 18, 2009)

I made this for people in your position. I hope it helps:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2297967


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## onewingedweasel (May 19, 2009)

No one wakes up and turns into Da Vinci. drawing is a skill like anything else and can be learned. it just takes practice and a want to do it. If you're really not happy drawing and would rather play video games i say do what makes you happy,  but you said you like drawing, just not the end product.  if you just do it as a hobby i wouldnt worry to much about what people think and just enjoy the act of drawing without focusing so much on the result. or if your desire is to get better the only way to do that is practice. not everything has to be a masterpiece but every sketch gets you closer, and there are plenty of learning tools online to help you start seeing things like form and tone and color to build up a good foundation to drawing.


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## krisCrash (May 19, 2009)

Shrug. Stop now if you are not having a good time. Maybe one day you'll feel like drawing again. It's not a definitive, huge and dramatic decision.

Read this http://painting.about.com/od/productreviews/fr/Art_and_Fear.htm before Arshes posts it


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## ElizabethAlexandraMary (May 19, 2009)

We had a similar discussion here, if that's any help.

I'd like to remind you generally a good artist is more appreciated than a good gamer.

Perhaps it's time to consider a third option.


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## Arshes Nei (May 19, 2009)

Quit if you can't physically do it any more or it no longer brings you pleasure.

Asking us if you should quit is the female equivalent of "Do I look fat in this?"

Age is not a factor when it come to becoming a better artist.


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## HyenaIsSpider (May 21, 2009)

Leeham991dark said:


> I've just been thinking, I could quite happily curl up and play video games, work a boring 9-5 and drink beer for the rest of my life.



Were you considering that you could make a living off of your art?


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## Leeham991dark (May 21, 2009)

HyenaIsSpider said:


> Were you considering that you could make a living off of your art?



Well I am at another art school in september, though I have already cease my job to get in some pre-college practice. 
I still keep getting tied down with things, but I have had a few streaks of inspiration on a few free days that have resulted in a couple of new arts posted up online.
I don't know... Maybe a couple of years back at college will sort out my mentality a little.


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## LeonardGreenland (May 21, 2009)

oC session?


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## Aden (May 21, 2009)

Maybe you should draw something that isn't a Pokemon.


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## Leeham991dark (May 21, 2009)

Aden said:


> Maybe you should draw something that isn't a Pokemon.



Aye I have. Just not recently.

I had a major block that lasted a couple of years. Before then I drew Dinosaurs, trains, landscapes, houses, cityscapes, people, just about everything. Lately only Pokemon seem to get far enough for me to post. I have 2 dinosaur pictures online, though one is circulating beyond my control, but that is about it.

I think I have about 40+ finished work I don't want to show and 100+ works I have no mind to finish.

I keep thinking I should draw a dolphin... But I keep getting a point to draw them and ending up recreating their genitals with plasticine instead... Hmmm... *insane?*


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## Aden (May 21, 2009)

I think you should just grab a sketchbook, go outside, and try drawing what you see. Repeat as often as possible.


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## Fox3 (May 24, 2009)

You are a reasonable artist. You dont draw like a child nor like a profissional.
PS: BG colors are weird.


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## Leeham991dark (May 25, 2009)

What exactly is a BG color?


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## krisCrash (May 25, 2009)

I'm gonna guess it means "background" colour.


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## Leeham991dark (May 27, 2009)

krisCrash said:


> I'm gonna guess it means "background" colour.



Oh!

*slaps myself*

And I don't see how... I just make swirls, clouds and the similar for my backgrounds... Bland maybe but not exactly "weird"


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## roland_perteev (Jun 20, 2009)

Just do what you want to do.

If you really want me to say so, I think you should soldier on with art, what with headshots being really ephemeral and art being (thinks about how long it takes for a pic to get pushed off the FA frontpage by other submissions)... not quite as ephemeral.  You're not a bad artist, and practice will only make you better.

But if you don't want to draw, then don't.  Just don't expect to ever be happy with what you do draw if you don't practice.  I'm critical of my own art, and for every picture I show to my friends there are a dozen or so that I'm unhappy with and probably didn't even finish.  I'm never totally happy with how they turn out, I just have to remind myself that *that* little mistake will most likely go unnoticed, and that even if it didn't turn out as awesome as the image in my head (and what picture ever does?), it's still better than what most people can do, and that's something.

There have been innumerable instances where I've been highly impressed with an image by another artist, only to later notice (in some cases much, much later) that they contain certain errors that would have made me abandon the pic should I have been the one drawing it.  But this doesn't alter the fact that the it's a great picture.  So remember that no one peruses your art like you do, and that few people give it more than a glance before they decide if they like it or not.

In short, do whatever the hell you want to do, and do it as best you can (and yes, I include serial killing in that... just think about how much happier the police will be when they catch you!)


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## DeadDog (Jun 30, 2009)

Cheer up, emo artist!

You seem to be drawing for the wrong reasons. You draw because you love to draw. Because you can't stand it when you're hands aren't doing anything. Because you strive for your own self-improvement. 

I wont tell you "bawww but you're so good!!!" because frankly... you're okay but you're still an amateur artist. Wanna get good? Practice your craft. If you want people to just fall over themselves for your art and attention then you need to get GOOD first and there is only one way to do that. Pick up the pencil and DRAW. 

If you don't plan to make money with your art then fine. You're a hobby artist. Simple as that. Pick up the game controller and go play several years worth of Final Fantasy but don't come down complaining that your art isn't where you want it to be.


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## outward (Jul 1, 2009)

Considering that like, 99% of the populace doesn't draw at all, I definitely think you're 'ahead' rather than 'behind.'


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## Internet Police Chief (Jul 2, 2009)

Do you enjoy drawing?

Yes - Continue.

No - Stop.

Simple as that. If you don't like doing something as a hobby, don't do it.


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## Centradragon (Jul 6, 2009)

You shouldn't do anything you don't enjoy.  B:  Simple as that.  If you enjoy art, just keep it going as a hobby.  

Even though I'm studying graphic design at a university, I still have a lot of hobbies I keep up.    If I couldn't be an artist, I'd want to be a geologist.  I'm sure you have lots of hobbies or talents you could potentially turn into a job, too (either art or something different)~


Why settle for a boring 9-5 job when you could do better?  B:  It might take a little more effort than aiming low, but I think you'll be a lot happier with the outcome if you do what you REALLY want to do.  <3


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