# I don't know...



## Zanzawolf (Jun 20, 2009)

Been at a major loss for a few months. Barely draw much anymore cause it just doesn't seem to be getting any better. Want to improve so much more so I don't end up getting put out of the art school I'm in. Already lost my scholarship after my first year of being in and had to appeal twice to retrieve financial aid. This most recent they shot me down so gotta find other sources I don't know how I'm going to pay back. So if my grades don't meet their expectations this following semester well I've just wasted some insane amounts of money for not ending up with that lousy piece of paper and any significant improvement in skill. 

So long story short, I want help. I'm not seeming to improve any on my own so want some assistance since my watchers are rather useless. Just hope I can get more help this time around than with any of the previous attempts.

Link to gallery for skill estimate:
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/zanzawolf/

Just want to become a better illustrator so my time and efforts at school don't go to waste.


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## wendyw (Jun 21, 2009)

The skull images in your gallery look well done, but I think we'd need to see more to really help. Can you show us any of the other work you've been doing for your course?


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## Zanzawolf (Jun 21, 2009)

Wendyw: Did you look in my scraps? It's where the majority of my gallery is now.


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## krisCrash (Jun 21, 2009)

What _does _art school expect to see from you, since they're grading what you do turn in so low?

I see good anatomy studies. Then I see cartoon animals. Have you tried constructing something with all that good anatomy knowledge? Have you tried working in colour?

What I usually see from art students is a lot of body sketches, still lifes and other colour studies, etc. Not cartoons


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## Zanzawolf (Jun 21, 2009)

All the teachers want something different. Some judge on technique, some judge on creativity, some judge on quality, etc. or some just judge on every concept. Only time I really get any slack grade wise is creativity otherwise it's C or lower.

I'm going for animation and trying to do some work for illustration to help out with that. Most of the stuff in my gallery is just majority personal and animation build up. 

I don't have much of my body sketches and such up because well it's just real rough and just doesn't seem any good in my opinion. Also just feel I haven't really mastered pencil work and value as much as I can so that's why there isn't much color studies. Always getting criticized on my work being cartoony even when I am well drawing from life or referencing from it. I'm trying but just doesn't seem to be working.

Yes I've tried to use some of that knowledge grasped from doing all those studies and well it hasn't proved to be of any help.

Guess I'll throw this in as well for any other source of my work to study.
http://manat3chchimera.deviantart.com/gallery/


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## TheKyleIsHere (Jun 21, 2009)

I've been to art school, and for financial reasons, I never finished. I am still close to the school and the people there. I was an illustrator, but the school has a phenomenal animation program. I've gained quite a bit of animation knowledge simply by proximity.


One thing I've learned is that animation relies very heavily on you already having a style and an advanced ability to draw quickly and easily. If you find that your drawing ability is any bit lacking, it may be a good idea to either back out until your skill comes up to par, or switch majors to illustration, where your drawing abilities will increase ten-fold. Remember that you can always go back to animation in the future, so long as your success in art increases in the mean-time.

It is the summertime right now, but your vacation won't last long, and if you are intent on making it through animation, I suggest buying the biggest sketchbook you can find and drawing from life until it is full, which should take no longer than two weeks if you stay focused. Do this until the summer is over. When you go back you'll have improved well and you may fare much better this time around.

I have a friend who has gone, and is going through much the same troubles. He's found some new inspirations and work ethic for his art, and is now on his way towards a career, it just takes doing.


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## Zanzawolf (Jun 21, 2009)

TheKyleIsHere said:
			
		

> I've been to art school, and for financial reasons, I never finished. I am still close to the school and the people there. I was an illustrator, but the school has a phenomenal animation program. I've gained quite a bit of animation knowledge simply by proximity.
> 
> 
> One thing I've learned is that animation relies very heavily on you already having a style and an advanced ability to draw quickly and easily. If you find that your drawing ability is any bit lacking, it may be a good idea to either back out until your skill comes up to par, or switch majors to illustration, where your drawing abilities will increase ten-fold. Remember that you can always go back to animation in the future, so long as your success in art increases in the mean-time.
> ...



Hmm guess I should just go all the way with this debt I'm building and switch majors... *shrugs*. Part of the reason I haven't switched already. The other being my mother fussing about the delay in graduation and the money. 

Guess I'll try that again, keeping a life sketchbook. Had to keep one in a previously taken illustration class last year for a whole semester but just didn't see much if any improvement in my work. Maybe I did something wrong. *shrugs* Have any particular methods or mediums to use that may help along with this?

Well thanks anyways though.


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## TheKyleIsHere (Jun 21, 2009)

manaTech said:


> Guess I'll try that again, keeping a life sketchbook. Had to keep one in a previously taken illustration class last year for a whole semester but just didn't see much if any improvement in my work. Maybe I did something wrong. *shrugs* Have any particular methods or mediums to use that may help along with this?
> 
> Well thanks anyways though.



You have to stay dedicated to the sketchbook, use any number of drawing medias at your disposal. A fried of mine uses an ink dropper to draw in his sketchbook (he draws vague shapes and smears it around a little, then finishes by adding a few details)

Use anything you can to draw quickly (no more than 15-20 min. per drawing) Don't just draw singular objects or still lives, draw entire scenes and compositions.

You MUST maintain focus, if you don't it's no different than doodling on math homework.


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## Zrcalo (Jun 23, 2009)

I've never been to art school but what I have found to really get me to improve is to do something I have never done before.

and this is what I'm ordering you to do.

STUDY PAINTING.
PERIOD.
then go apply it to digital cases, then take an InDesign class to learn good design. 
either that or study typography.

I cant even begin to explain what typography has done for my art.

after seeing the pictures in your gallery what I notice is that you're missing the raw basics of colour and anatomy somewhat. I see highschool students come out with better stuff. (no offense, but I see nothing of your school projects) IMO, you /desperately/ need to learn how to paint. and stop drawing cartoons. just. stop. 
I want to challenge you to paint your cartoons as if they were real people. what you need to do is OBEY the teachers 100% and explore all other aspects of art.

either that or the school is 100% completely crap and you shouldnt spend money on it. there's thousands of "colleges" out there that are crap and charge an arm and a leg to attend. most of these are "art schools" ... go to your local community college. just. go.


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## Zanzawolf (Jun 23, 2009)

Zrcalo said:
			
		

> I've never been to art school but what I have found to really get me to improve is to do something I have never done before.
> 
> and this is what I'm ordering you to do.
> 
> ...



Ok. I take no offense from the whole "high school students doing better than me" thing. I already know that there are a bunch of high schoolers doing better than me and that's another factor in the reason I want to get better.

My high school art classes sucked until my later years when I got into a career center class for commercial art. However even when I had a more knowledgeable teacher she wasn't that much help. Was more focused on having the students work independently and helping out the other students that already were good and leaving me aside like I was a lost cause for the most part.

I have been kicking cartoon stuff to the side. Barely have really been drawing much to tell the truth...Just isn't that enjoyable anymore since I'm not going anywhere skillwise. Just been anatomy, life, and photo drawings but like I said none really seem to be going anywhere...

I've been trying to learn how to paint but just haven't had much luck in the department of improvement. I've asked my teachers for help whenever I need it (pretty much all the time) but none of them have really proved to be of any help. This goes both for traditional and digital media. I listen to every single word my teachers and fellow students say in critiques but it just seems that my abilities just can put what they say to full use.

I have a few anatomy pieces up on FA and some old color concepts pieces in my DA gallery if you didn't look there. The majority of my school stuff is on DA but it's not all of it. The other stuff I will never dear to post anywhere because it's just that bad by my opinion... 

Well what genres/aspects/whatever do you feel would be of most help to me?


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