# What helped you improve?



## FireFeathers (May 10, 2011)

Nothing sucks more then having all the reference material right there, all the information you could want about HOW to improve, but what was it that actually made you improve?  Tracing? Excessive sketching? Naturally observant? Good friends? Critique? 

It's a pretty generic question, and I'm not asking about reference material, but the actual kick that got you to improve.

For me, i'm very observant. I can focus on little nuances anatomy wise and i'm good at replicating that. Even little  things, like the way a horse's nostrils dip towards the front and the folds from that, i can picture it pretty accurately, and I haven't drawn a horse in months.  So it's more a matter of getting my brain to actually take in all this information to regurgitate later. I also fear failing very badly, fear i'm not at the right skill set for the age I am, since I hopped on this art-train pretty late at 19 years old. + obligatory "i have a lot of reference books to inspire me"  nod.  DA also helped expose me to new styles  that progressed things. 

So let's have it. What'd you do?


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## Frokusblakah (May 10, 2011)

Hrm...in all honesty I'm still pretty bad, so I dunno if I can say much on "what made me improve".  I hopped on the art train pretty late too though, later than you, I started in the 20's.

I have the same fear, btw, of not being good considering how old I am.  I always stand in awe at some of the great art I see from 18 year olds, and here I am a half decade ahead of them making scribbles!

Though I have come a long way from where I started....hrmmm...what was the kick.  Honestly I took a life drawing class and I started to think about body shapes and I finally started to improve a bit this year.  Though the big kicks came from joining DA and FA and getting a chance to really browse through some jaw dropping artwork that made me want to create things like that.  Before that, I would just see the occasional doodle online and go "huh, thats neat."

But one thing I can think of sure are those improvement memes.  Every time I see one where I can find a spot on their tree where they were similar to my skill level, then I look at their current gallery, it gives me a huge "you can dooo eeeetttt" feeling and helps me to practice.  Someday I might be able to do something like them, right?  x3

Edit:  Oh, and as for the actual method, I've been excessively sketching lately.    Still bad though, but becoming slightly less bad over time.  GIMME A FEW YEARS!  

P.S.  Your gallery is amazing ;O


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## Taralack (May 10, 2011)

Mine was wanting to be accepted by fandom, funnily enough. Fantasy elitists hate anime art, so I wanted to change my style and improve.


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## Saeto15 (May 10, 2011)

I started getting better the moment I started taking commissions.  It's one thing to be able to paint something you _want_ to paint, and totally another to have to meet (and exceed) a client's expectations.


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## Arshes Nei (May 10, 2011)

I started studying art history, and wanted to know how certain masters did it. It came from when someone stated, don't just look at people who inspire you, but find out who they were inspired by. After all, no matter how many tutorials are out there, a lot of the old masters did the work for us in terms of how to study and what to look for.


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## Jw (May 10, 2011)

Practice.

Hey look, I said that word again. But really it came from breaking down the human body, getting to know it well both inside and out. Bone, muscle, tendon, all work together to create a form. This form expresses flow and movement and _is alive_ in every meaning of the word. I watch people, look at the shadows on their hands and the creases on their face. Appreciating the variety of life in an artistic way s the best way I can describe it.

That being said, I've worked my ass off to get to where I am today. Shockingly I started anatomy art roughly 5 years ago when I was 15 years old and am only now feeling like I am getting a decent grasp on it. I still realize there is a LONG way to go yet, but successes are a long time coming in art for the most part. 

I've got a load of art books in my room right now that I can stack to knee height on me. I look and learn from them. I criticize them and utilize them. I recently got a book on Michelangelo and am planning on doing some studies of his figures this summer now I have some free time again.

*TL;DR But honestly, the thing that has helped me out the most was: 
#1 being observant and PRACTICING
#2 critiquing others and receiving my own critique. I'm learning and applying constantly.
#3 Screwing up with dignity and learning with humility*


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## FireFeathers (May 10, 2011)

Arshes Nei said:


> I started studying art history, and wanted to know how certain masters did it. It came from when someone stated, don't just look at people who inspire you, but find out who they were inspired by. After all, no matter how many tutorials are out there, a lot of the old masters did the work for us in terms of how to study and what to look for.


 
I rather like that. I know one of the biggest draws to this line of work was to find that out, find how they did it and try to see the world in the same way. That and desk jobs suck. (although this one requires being inside and inadvertently at a desk a lot) 




> Hrm...in all honesty I'm still pretty bad, so I dunno if I can say much on "what made me improve". I hopped on the art train pretty late too though, later than you, I started in the 20's.
> 
> I have the same fear, btw, of not being good considering how old I am. I always stand in awe at some of the great art I see from 18 year olds, and here I am a half decade ahead of them making scribbles!
> 
> ...



Lol, thank you. Also: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3237985/




> Practice.
> 
> Hey look, I said that word again. But really it came from breaking down the human body, getting to know it well both inside and out. Bone, muscle, tendon, all work together to create a form. This form expresses flow and movement and is alive in every meaning of the word. I watch people, look at the shadows on their hands and the creases on their face. Appreciating the variety of life in an artistic way s the best way I can describe it.



Yes yes, we all know that, but that's the how. I'm asking the Why. The way anyone improves is by practice, that other thread  already proved that there is no automatic skill-maker or secret short cut.


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## Jw (May 10, 2011)

FireFeathers said:


> Yes yes, we all know that, but that's the how. I'm asking the Why. The way anyone improves is by practice, that other thread  already proved that there is no automatic skill-maker or secret short cut.


 
Why did I want to improve? Because I sucked at art. I push myself. I pretty much covered the why in my first post though...


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## Aden (May 10, 2011)

I made my thread to force myself to actually practice~


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## Frokusblakah (May 10, 2011)

FireFeathers said:


> Lol, thank you. Also: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3237985/



Haha, nice.  Yeah...thats what I'm talking about.  Your improvement is amazing.  Its also nice to hear from somebody that doesn't tell me the "I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon" story.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I often wonder if its a fools quest I'm on to become an "artist" when I didn't even start scribbling until my mid 20's.  Seeing somebody with art like yours that just started around 19 is nice to see.  x3


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## FireFeathers (May 11, 2011)

Lol, thanks.  It can be done, it's just a little mentally destructive in the process of it all.


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## Vincent Jaeger (May 11, 2011)

All the tips and suggestions I've got from my fellow artist friends.
Words cannot say how much I am grateful for them.

Also my dad, who is an artist aswell. Helped me many times to improve my art.


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## Arroyo Milori (May 13, 2011)

Criticism from certain people. It's one thing to have someone to tell you to study from life and just leave it at that. It's another to go a bit of an extra mile in your criticism just to help give a clearer message just so they can improve at a better rate. As well as the standard observation bit and stuff.


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## OxfordTweed (May 16, 2011)

Rather embarrassingly, I 'learned' to draw from Lee J Ames books. You know the sort. First you draw a circle, and then you draw a line here, and then you put circles on the lines...

Complete bollocks. I could never work out why my stuff looked so disjointed until I got my skeleton a few years ago (the one currently wearing a Tom Baker scarf and a giant peacoat). I was lying on the floor one night, looking at him, and realised that he doesn't have a single circle anywhere on his body. 

My artwork improved almost overnight. After a year, I was finally at a level where I felt like I didn't constantly suck. By about two years ago, I finally got to a point where I felt comfortable enough with proper anatomy to start fucking with it and playing around. I think that's when my style really came into its own. I just had to build up enough skill to go with my talent.


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## Sax (May 17, 2011)

FireFeathers said:


> Nothing sucks more then having all the reference material right there, all the information you could want about HOW to improve, but what was it that actually made you improve?  Tracing? Excessive sketching? Naturally observant? Good friends? Critique?
> 
> It's a pretty generic question, and I'm not asking about reference material, but the actual kick that got you to improve.



The "how" is being observant, but the "why" is that I wanted to be able to show off drawings without feeling ashamed afterward cuz they sucked.
Now, I'm still far to be one of the best, but I know that even though I improve, I can now look back at some older drawings and not find that they 100% suck.
I used to get favorable comments on some really bad drawings and, I dunno, I kinda like the fact that I can now get nice comments not simply because I draw porn.


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## Cutiefox (May 20, 2011)

I also use a lot of observation along with practice. If I see something that I haven't drawn, or don't draw very well, I try to interpret it into what I should do when I draw it and how I can make it distinctly that.
As for why I'm improving, I not only want myself to have good drawing skills, but I want to pretty much give others nice pictures to look at. Not just people who specifically ask for something they specifically want to see, but anyone who spends time looking at pictures. I want my pictures to be the kind that are enjoyable and er...inspirational (which is not the exact word I'm looking for, but whatever). As an example, sometimes I draw fanart of something I like (that isn't very popular) just because there aren't a lot of nice pictures for it to look at.


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## Ley (May 20, 2011)

I started drawing as early as ten.. I drew a lot of birds and people flying.. but I wanted to be a science teacher. Then one day a pencil was flung at me and I'm like 'I love doing this'. It was about 2008 at the time. At 2009 (14 yo) I started developing characters and such, and got out of anime and all. Now at 16yo, I'm trying to get better. I barely got PSE about two months ago so a lot of my stuff is still really rough. 

But instead of sitting on my ass and feeling sorry for myself, I look at other artists and realize that Hard work will get me there. C: Hell, I love OP's style, even Jollyjack, Demi, Culpeo, and the artists of DC comics are all what inspire me to do better. :3c


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## Zoetrope (May 20, 2011)

Thinking I was crap. Getting told I was crap and being rejected from an art site. Unfortunately I still think I am crap. I have low artistic self esteem I guess... but still... knowing I'm not all that good pushes me to improve.


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## Arshes Nei (May 20, 2011)

This might get some people in the mood or understanding on how to improve: http://philintheblanks.com/blog/?p=546


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## irateSleeper (May 31, 2011)

I'll start by saying that I'm not a very great artist yet, but compared to what I USED to make, I've improved beyond what I thought was possible. Maybe I just had low expectations- who knows.

Anyway, what has helped me so far has been three main things-

1. Trying new things. It's easy enough, and practical enough, to keep using pencil and paper, becoming the best you can be with those tools. But trying something new that you aren't used to can be just as good- for me it was ink-wash (I really recommend it, it's a lot of fun), and doing that actually helped me realize things I could do to make other types of art better. 

2. Start looking at things. Not just, 'Ohay, a leaf!' but really looking. It didn't hit me until one day at random I realized I didn't actually observe the world, just noticed it. Now I'll pause to look at how that leaf casts a shadow, what its texture is like, where did it fall and how did it get there. 

3. Asking questions. Especially when it comes to digital art- with all of its obscure tools and methods, asking other artists, or just searching on the web can yield unexpected results! ^^

I don't know if this is really helpful, or if it's even my place to comment on the matter, but there's my two cents if you want them! ^^


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## Kayla (Jun 2, 2011)

I draw. ALL THE TIME. Like, I do at least a few sketches a day for years. But I have also taken some art classes, figure drawing, asked other artists about techniques and read "how-to" books through the years. I can't say a particular thing that helps me improve; I suppose a bunch of factors contribute to me improving as an artist.


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## Viteren (Jun 3, 2011)

Just a mindset.
Always when I'm sketching I constantly want my next drawing to be better than the last.
"Make it better make it better", its a chant in my head.
Having fun comes naturally to drawing X3
Thats why.

Of course the 'how' is all the sketches i do before hand, the books i study from, and the small and rare piece of advice or critique I get from someone.
Outside advice is so effective. This one person made a single comment about a piece I did. I considered it and my artwork improved more than what a lesson would do =D


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## Zenia (Jun 3, 2011)

I'mma read the other posts after I post. >3

What really helped me improve was getting a tablet. Not because it made me instantly better, but because I had a new tool to play with and it made me draw at least 5x as much as I did before. So essentially it boils down to butt-loads of practice. Also, seeing artists that are better than me, and wanting to be like them and/or incorporating parts of their style into mine. 

Also, observing EVERYTHING around me. Why do shadows fall like that? What happens when this thing is put next to that thing? How does this attach to that? How does this bend? etc I am ALWAYS looking at things and thinking "If I was going to draw/color this, how would I do it?"


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## kabiscube (Jun 8, 2011)

for me, when i was 15 i decided to draw every day. so i set up things that i should practice on what day, and in my spare time from that i did paintings or drawings of what ever i felt like, for example. week one would be, proportions, hands one day, feet one day, and so forth. next week id work on my shading, then i would try coming up with more original things with what i've learned to create my own style. i'm soon to be 22yo now and working with designing for smaller bands and companies. painting and drawing on my spare time and still drawing every single day. so all i can really say to someone thats newish to wanting to get better at drawing or painting, or anything really is just do it all the time. don't get lazy with it, set goals and work hard.


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## BlackDragonAlpha (Jun 9, 2011)

Practice and studying how the art was drawn. Sometimes, doodling helps.


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## Sar (Jun 11, 2011)

Imagine - Imagine the finished image. I dont use many lines or anything, just enough for a stickman then detail from there.
DONT Sleep - (u mad?) The sleepyer you are the less likely you will mess up. This might not be true to everyone, it is to me. Down a red bull at 3am and draw!
Skull refrence - Images of skulls at diffrent angles helped. Used iPhone for pics
Repetition - I commonly end up drawing a part like 10 - 20 times before i am happy with it. i am a perfectionist.

They are my tips.


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## Kibu (Jun 11, 2011)

uhmmm I think I improve by sketching a lot of things, I just love to draw something incomplete or something divided


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## mizu-oka (Jun 21, 2011)

Mostly, it was a desire for my art to be taken somewhat seriously. Because I had never done realism (I'm working on it, but I'm still bad), only mediocre manga, I decided to take influence from western sources and study the way the body actually LOOKED. That, and the reinforcement from my dad definitely helped, since he's an amazing artist.

So observation is definitely key, along with someone skilled to help you out along the way.


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## CAThulu (Jun 21, 2011)

What's helped me improve?

Practice, practice, practice.
Realizing that I'm not as crappy an artist as I am.  Having a good friend that tells me that enough times for it to sink in has helped *G*.
Having said best friend kindly kick my ass into gear when I'm not practicing enough (*waves at ToeClaws* ^^; )


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## Kailombax (Jun 27, 2011)

What helped me improve?

Mainly three things...
-Practice, practice, practice 
-Looking at artwork my favorite artists post (be it old or new)
-Books (Drawing/Life Reference/etc,

Mainly those. And they still inspire me and help somewhat today. I may not be at the level I feel comfortable in but I think I'm making progress and those three things always keep my spirits up and help push on.


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## Bandy (Jul 18, 2011)

When I need help drawing, I grab tutorials and all the references I can get my hands on. If I'm drawing a cheetah, I grab photos from different angles and I'll study them to get a better grasp of how my cheetah should look. I never trace. I have always considered that cheating. Honestly, I am not as strict as I should be when it comes to drawing. I am so busy with two jobs it's hard for me to find time to do anything sometimes. But every time I pick up a pencil I feel like I have improved. I feel my grasp on anatomy is getting better all the time.  One thing I need help improving on is shading and coloring in photoshop. I found a book recently, I am going to buy, that describes itself as being a classrrom in a book. I'm excited to get it. Someday I hope to get a tablet as well. 

As for the comment *Frokusblakah *made about starting to draw later on in life, I also started drawing more religiously at about 19 or 20. A couple years later, I can see serious improvement in my work and I think it is never too late to start drawing. As long as you keep up the practice and commitment you'll always get better.


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## Blarmajin (Jul 21, 2011)

I


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## Rinz (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm naturally competitive. I have a friendly rivalry artwise with my best friend, and it pushes us both to improve because we want to be better than the other.


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## In_Abyss (Jul 24, 2011)

what helped me improve was a mixture of having fun with it, getting help from others, as well as just keeping at it. When you want something you're always going to improve. Last year I went from doing things traditionally to going completely digital and that was actually really hard for me. From when I started until now , even though a year, is a leap and bound from when I originally started. I got some helpful words from friends and others alike, as well as I asked for advice from others when I was stuck. I actually do have a person i go to before I post things to make sure he can give me proper advice on my wips before I go further. I also have lots to learn but i hope to also inspire and help others as others had helped and inspired me 

But keeping at it is what worked for me, even though at times I really got fed up with it, having trades and sometimes requests also helped because the more you do it, the better and quicker you get at it. But also have fun with it. And don't get distraught. It's easy to get a little bit discouraged if you dont see an improvement in a certain time you wish to see it, but just remember have fun with it, and it'll come to ya.


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## Nibo (Jul 24, 2011)

Use of grids, motivation and support from friends, lessons from Art Academy DS, getting distracted with music, perfectionism, fun. I pretty much throw my feelings on the paper, emotional involvement that is. I'd say it's mostly the support from friends, 'cause that's what keeps me drawing often.


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## FireFeathers (Jul 25, 2011)

Rinz said:


> I'm naturally competitive. I have a friendly rivalry artwise with my best friend, and it pushes us both to improve because we want to be better than the other.



Oh man, as am I.  I have artistic aspirations to reach, and people that I deeply respect. But I'd be lying to say I didn't have them as goals for a reason, that some day, while I love the stuff they do, i'm gonna kick thier ass in art


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## RTDragon (Jul 25, 2011)

Nibo said:


> Use of grids, motivation and support from friends, lessons from Art Academy DS, getting distracted with music, perfectionism, fun. I pretty much throw my feelings on the paper, emotional involvement that is. I'd say it's mostly the support from friends, 'cause that's what keeps me drawing often.



You know i have been wondering about Art Academy on the DS is it that good considering i asked a gamestop if they had it and they said no.


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## Arceale (Aug 11, 2011)

For me, it would be "What's helping me to improve" (just take a look at my gallery, still plenty of things to improve).
There are some things that give me that "push":

- Looking at other artists' work (SiplickIshida, Thazumi, Vekke...) and saying to myself "If they can do it, why not me?"
- Support from a good friend.
- My huge perfectionism.

Let's see how everything goes in a year or something.


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## Hopfel (Aug 11, 2011)

What helped for me were speeddrawings.
2-3 hours recorded drawing without any distracting chats or Internet in general.
It gives the right kick to concentrate and you even get a good vid you can speed-up and upload to Youtube. ^-^
(Well, if it looks good enough xD)


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## SugarCult (Aug 11, 2011)

I doodle all the time.I like to browse other people's art and try to practice recreating it.Though I will NEVER be good at coloring.Don't have the patience.I have a long way to go,but its my own art.If other people don't like it they don't have to look at it.


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## IsabellaPrice (Aug 12, 2011)

Sketching every day, listening to critique, learning new techniques, observing others' art, observing small details and having a huge desire to improve. :3


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## iTails (Aug 12, 2011)

I learned by making mistakes. Simple enough. There's still a handful of artwork I haven't uploaded to my dA or FA account mostly because I don't have a scanner that works. Though, most of my good stuff is on there.

I still can't get perspective right if I'm drawing something I see. For example, someone will be looking straight ahead, and I'll draw them kind of tilted to the side in a different pose, but the perspective usually gets screwed up in the process. As in, hands look weird, face looks completely wrong, etc.

Perfect example of my perspective issue.
http://itails.deviantart.com/art/Halo-The-Pelican-103248526?q=gallery%3Aitails%2F31004773&qo=8

*Notice the left wing*


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## Limizuki (Aug 12, 2011)

I've been drawing since i was about 4 or 5 or somewhere around that age. Both my parents were painters at the time as well (school eventually made my mom quit and now she's a CPA and my dad up and left us randomly one day) so its no wonder it transfered to myself. However, i only recently got into digital art about 5 years ago. My tablet was a mystery to me back then, but now its my derpy friend. My tablet likes to troll me - .-'

Anyway, my improvement is usually initiated by a mindset to do better. I google whatever i want to draw and look at a crapload of reference pictures, some i used to even trace to help my anatomy along. I would also study popular artist's styles until i eventually formed my own craptastic anime-reality-wanna-be style.


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## Mr. Warper (Aug 16, 2011)

Well besides "all of the above" copying other popular artist styles helped me improve by a whole bunch and I'm not talking about tracing, I'm talking about literally stealing the essence of someone else style. Their line variation, sketching technique the works because I'm not natural born artist. Outside of an art class I wouldn't do much drawing for fun if any at all I really started to draw just as a challenge to my self to see if I could.

I still do it for practice


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## Vladma (Aug 16, 2011)

Assuming you're looking for a more motivational reasoning for improving rather than the methods to do so:



FireFeathers said:


> some day, while I love the stuff they do, i'm gonna kick thier ass in art



I've also got this plan because while I'm not really competitive I do have a mean jealousy streak. xD

I look at all the art from artists I appreciate an admire and while I love it, I know some day I wanna be better than them. I envy the attention and admiration other artists seem to get so easily but rather than QQing about it it pushes me to work on being worthy of that admiration. The important part of this for me is realizing I'm really not as good yet. I feel like I have an over critical eye and all art is subject to it. Even in the pros for some reason I end up trying to find things wrong with it and my art is no different. And I find a LOT more problems with mine than theirs. Instead of the "If they can I can" response I usually end up thinking "I can do that better". I guess I'll never be satisfied until I can't find anything wrong. XD

On the other hand creating is my passion and I hope to one day make it my life and let it support me financially. And I know the only way to do that is to be really REALLY good.

If this post isn't a shallow display I don't know what is.


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## Rinz (Aug 17, 2011)

FireFeathers said:


> Oh man, as am I.  I have artistic aspirations to reach, and people that I deeply respect. But I'd be lying to say I didn't have them as goals for a reason, that some day, while I love the stuff they do, i'm gonna kick thier ass in art


"I'm here to kick ass and paint pretty pictures, and my legs are tired."


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## Mouse6 (Aug 18, 2011)

I was taking requests, but then I noticed the quality of my drawing would drop when I draw someone else's characters. I hated that. So I decided to do some self improvement, but doodling randomly won't get me far, so I searched the internet for general and specific tutorials. Trying realism was a big help, also practicing during free time. And the support from friends too. I still think there's a lot of room for improvement. But I plan on tackling specific problems at a time.

The next problem I'm focusing on is nature backgrounds, which is actually fun once you get the hang of it.


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## Antonin Scalia (Aug 23, 2011)

Draw muscles!  And bones!  http://www.innerbody.com/image/musbov.html

Seriously, I cannot stress it enough.  Draw the shit out of them before you move on to bigger things, you WILL get better.


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## Sar (Aug 24, 2011)

Perfectionism. 
A pain in the ass but it helps.


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## FireFeathers (Aug 27, 2011)

Mr. Warper said:


> Well besides "all of the above" copying other popular artist styles helped me improve by a whole bunch and I'm not talking about tracing, I'm talking about literally stealing the essence of someone else style. Their line variation, sketching technique the works because I'm not natural born artist. Outside of an art class I wouldn't do much drawing for fun if any at all I really started to draw just as a challenge to my self to see if I could.
> 
> I still do it for practice



No such thing as a naturally born artist. You may start off being more observant, or want to express yourself in some way or another, but being naturally born as an artist is crap. I had to work my ass off to get anywhere, everyone does.  If that was true, the only things i'd be naturally born for would be accounting and cutting magnets.


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## ByondRAGE (Aug 30, 2011)

I always used to think i was terrible, a normal thing.
I loved drawing and animation too much to not draw, I was "drawn" to it. Every time i would get stuck, I would examine my problems and keep trying.

Practice Practice Practice...

It would also help to think over a subject and learn about it until it's embedded into your skull. I would often do this, even when typing a sentence.
Even when you think you are not improving, just remember to learn from your mistakes and move forward.


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