How can i draw better - she asks.
What can i do to draw better? - i'm asking myself a lot. I'm giving it a lot of thought but i still don't know it all. Sometimes i work as hard as no one but the progress doesn't show itself, then i wake up one day and draw something without any problems. No matter how i look at it - one of first things you have to understand is:
1. You need your own time and pace
Just because other/younger people made a progress in no time it doesn't mean you can't do it. More talented people have it easier. Sometimes. If they enjoy what they're doing. Etc. You might be frustrated that you work and work and the hard work doesn't pay of. Sometimes you need a rest, of course. But it's bad to give up. Because one day, after understanding your mistake and many tries it migh happen that you just wake up and stop having the same problem. Or maybe you just start another drawing and the problem you couldn't overcome for a while isn't here anymore. And it might be 1000 more problems before you and before your drawings start look well but if you overcome one problem you will know that there will be a day when you overcome the rest. Even if slowly, it's possible. Sometimes it's hard not compare to others but as long as you less or more understand that you need your OWN time and pace to figure something out it's less frustrating. And frustration doesn't help you. Even if it can look like some kind of motivation - being frustrated is not friendly for you.
Today, i just overcame one little mistake i always did. I knew what i did wrong since some time but it just didn't go well. I did it and that was what inspired me to write this journal.
2. Don't take to heart everything people say about your arts!
Often when you don't take someone's critique seriously, you're hearing that is bad if you can't take any critique. But it's not true. You have right to deny anything you get completly because on internet you never know who is giving you a critique. Of course it's not bad to write critique, let me get to the point. Even at art universities you get to know many teachers and while one says A, other one says B. When one says "C", the other one says "all but not C" and you really can get confussed at some point. You can meet similiar situations but even WORSE on the internet. Someone advice can be a mine, and you might regred listening to everyone in the end. I know it's hard but you have to find some self consciousness, you have to decide on your own what might really help you. But everyone have problems with self consciousness at some point and then it's better to find some people who might give you a real advice. So if you get a critique, don't follow it brainlessly - look carefully whose criticism might be best for you and who else helped you in making a progress.
I had joined 2 ''critique" groups on facebook. One was for everyone, the other one was closed and full of professionals being nice to give advices/critiques. In the place with "everyone" there were a lot of people who were 100% sure they're right just because "they're seeing it so it must be that way" and were butthurt when i said them "no, it's not true" while in group of proffesionals people digg the problem, analise it, were nice, told that they really understand and know how hard it's to overcome something and their arguments were logical. Nobody of them told me "there's mistake because i see it", actually they saw mistakes somewhere else and explained them. How do you think who helped me more? To be honest i totally enjoy how professionals never are rude not only because they know how to behave but also how they know things aren't always that simple and don't insult you if you won't accept their criticism.
3. But how can i gain self concsiousness? Learn, try, train your skills.
Seriously, nothing won't help you as much as knowledge and practice. If you join it together you probably understand many things at some poin - what you can and what you can't, how much it takes to get to some point for you, when it's good to use your intuition or others intuition and where do you have to let it go and base on real facts. I personally thing it's different to everybody. Many people say "If you don't know the basics you can't start developing your own style". I'm not sure if i can agree with that but if you want to start a discussion with someone you have to know basics for sure. Also - you can't make your lack of knowledge your strong point if you want to discuss your art. Your lack of knowledge might sometimes bring you luck in what you're creating but you can't insult people who know more - that's what i know for sure. But i think if you aren't a genius, lucky or involved in art style that doesn't need knowledge it's better to know. It helps you because it's making you more confident and your head isn't a total mess. Knowledge helps you judge your drawings and critiques you get much better. BUT! Knowledge is just a first step. Nothing helps you to keep knowledge and learn how to use it than practice. It's just like with muscles - if you know what they are, what you need them for, what is needed to help them and how to help them it's actually more than good because you can excercise without hurting yourself. But if you don't start to excercise you can only help others but not yourself. If you don't start excercising it won't help you at all. And if you stop excercising you and your muscles also forget some things. And it's the same thing with drawing. You have to train to get better at it. And when you stop for a longer while (because everybody needs a rest sometime ;D) you might start forgetting it and start to learn some things again.
I'm currently doing a comics. It's really shitty in many ways and made of fail. I'm drawing a lot, lots of things i never wanted to draw, i have to think about everything and even if i don't see it in comics itself - i know it pays of by seeing my artworks. I also know too well what it means to stop practicing. Seriously i feel like i'm doing now something i could do 1000 years ago just because i stopped drawing regulary at some point.
4. The harderst thing is to stop making mistakes you've already learned to make.
Don't just do something because it's easier that way. And once again don't listen to just everybody. It's so frakin' hard to make step back sometimes that it just doesn't need longer comment.
5. Find a motivation.
It can be anything - if you're enjoying your arts it can be good motivation. If you're getting money from it - that's a motivation too. It can be your own satisfaction that you finished something. Yet sometimes it's not enough. That's when positive feedback or people's support should be here for you and should tell you "Hey, don't give up!". In my country there are a lot people thinking that only pointing out bad things will do because everyone just brainlessly praise eachother. I personally think that people's effort needs a support and positive feedback is a great thing for those who need motivation. So if you really think someone should be praised - just go and praise him or her! Maybe for you it's just a random comment but for someone it might be ray of sunshine. Obviously i don't tell you "hey, say only nice things to others because it's the only thing that will help them". I want to say "think more how you can motivate that person now, at this moment". For some people there's huge difference between "It's not good, there's a lot of work ahead you" and "If you work hard i'm sure you will be even better!" sometimes because people often just read between lines things that don't exist and it's hard to help it - it's in your heads.
If you go on a journey you should find a crew. I'm a space pirate so i know that too well. It's hard to get somewhere alone and if you have people you can trust it's more than good. They will know what you want to hear, and if they don't you can tell them without fear if you want critique or do you actually need a hug. And you know they won't laugh at you and if they do - it's because there are friends. You know, it's hard to find motivation for me sometimes and i easily get irritated and sad about my drawings but when i feel i'm loved or that there are people for me i feel like i can do it all. I wish you find your own motivation - be it people or something else.
6. Don't do *too much* stupid things.
Haha, i'm putting this comics because i saw it one day and it was just too true. I always told myself things like "you need more self-control/self-discipline" to the point i was like "no, i won't eat the dinner, because i didn't finished that yet!" but that's not the way it should be. Tho i don't think people are overdoing self-dicipline thing as much as i did at some point.
It's not all, but all for now. I don't know if it helps someone but it might be just something for my future self if i ever starting to forget things i've learned so far about how to get better.
1. You need your own time and pace
Just because other/younger people made a progress in no time it doesn't mean you can't do it. More talented people have it easier. Sometimes. If they enjoy what they're doing. Etc. You might be frustrated that you work and work and the hard work doesn't pay of. Sometimes you need a rest, of course. But it's bad to give up. Because one day, after understanding your mistake and many tries it migh happen that you just wake up and stop having the same problem. Or maybe you just start another drawing and the problem you couldn't overcome for a while isn't here anymore. And it might be 1000 more problems before you and before your drawings start look well but if you overcome one problem you will know that there will be a day when you overcome the rest. Even if slowly, it's possible. Sometimes it's hard not compare to others but as long as you less or more understand that you need your OWN time and pace to figure something out it's less frustrating. And frustration doesn't help you. Even if it can look like some kind of motivation - being frustrated is not friendly for you.
Today, i just overcame one little mistake i always did. I knew what i did wrong since some time but it just didn't go well. I did it and that was what inspired me to write this journal.
2. Don't take to heart everything people say about your arts!
Often when you don't take someone's critique seriously, you're hearing that is bad if you can't take any critique. But it's not true. You have right to deny anything you get completly because on internet you never know who is giving you a critique. Of course it's not bad to write critique, let me get to the point. Even at art universities you get to know many teachers and while one says A, other one says B. When one says "C", the other one says "all but not C" and you really can get confussed at some point. You can meet similiar situations but even WORSE on the internet. Someone advice can be a mine, and you might regred listening to everyone in the end. I know it's hard but you have to find some self consciousness, you have to decide on your own what might really help you. But everyone have problems with self consciousness at some point and then it's better to find some people who might give you a real advice. So if you get a critique, don't follow it brainlessly - look carefully whose criticism might be best for you and who else helped you in making a progress.
I had joined 2 ''critique" groups on facebook. One was for everyone, the other one was closed and full of professionals being nice to give advices/critiques. In the place with "everyone" there were a lot of people who were 100% sure they're right just because "they're seeing it so it must be that way" and were butthurt when i said them "no, it's not true" while in group of proffesionals people digg the problem, analise it, were nice, told that they really understand and know how hard it's to overcome something and their arguments were logical. Nobody of them told me "there's mistake because i see it", actually they saw mistakes somewhere else and explained them. How do you think who helped me more? To be honest i totally enjoy how professionals never are rude not only because they know how to behave but also how they know things aren't always that simple and don't insult you if you won't accept their criticism.
3. But how can i gain self concsiousness? Learn, try, train your skills.
Seriously, nothing won't help you as much as knowledge and practice. If you join it together you probably understand many things at some poin - what you can and what you can't, how much it takes to get to some point for you, when it's good to use your intuition or others intuition and where do you have to let it go and base on real facts. I personally thing it's different to everybody. Many people say "If you don't know the basics you can't start developing your own style". I'm not sure if i can agree with that but if you want to start a discussion with someone you have to know basics for sure. Also - you can't make your lack of knowledge your strong point if you want to discuss your art. Your lack of knowledge might sometimes bring you luck in what you're creating but you can't insult people who know more - that's what i know for sure. But i think if you aren't a genius, lucky or involved in art style that doesn't need knowledge it's better to know. It helps you because it's making you more confident and your head isn't a total mess. Knowledge helps you judge your drawings and critiques you get much better. BUT! Knowledge is just a first step. Nothing helps you to keep knowledge and learn how to use it than practice. It's just like with muscles - if you know what they are, what you need them for, what is needed to help them and how to help them it's actually more than good because you can excercise without hurting yourself. But if you don't start to excercise you can only help others but not yourself. If you don't start excercising it won't help you at all. And if you stop excercising you and your muscles also forget some things. And it's the same thing with drawing. You have to train to get better at it. And when you stop for a longer while (because everybody needs a rest sometime ;D) you might start forgetting it and start to learn some things again.
I'm currently doing a comics. It's really shitty in many ways and made of fail. I'm drawing a lot, lots of things i never wanted to draw, i have to think about everything and even if i don't see it in comics itself - i know it pays of by seeing my artworks. I also know too well what it means to stop practicing. Seriously i feel like i'm doing now something i could do 1000 years ago just because i stopped drawing regulary at some point.
4. The harderst thing is to stop making mistakes you've already learned to make.
Don't just do something because it's easier that way. And once again don't listen to just everybody. It's so frakin' hard to make step back sometimes that it just doesn't need longer comment.
5. Find a motivation.
It can be anything - if you're enjoying your arts it can be good motivation. If you're getting money from it - that's a motivation too. It can be your own satisfaction that you finished something. Yet sometimes it's not enough. That's when positive feedback or people's support should be here for you and should tell you "Hey, don't give up!". In my country there are a lot people thinking that only pointing out bad things will do because everyone just brainlessly praise eachother. I personally think that people's effort needs a support and positive feedback is a great thing for those who need motivation. So if you really think someone should be praised - just go and praise him or her! Maybe for you it's just a random comment but for someone it might be ray of sunshine. Obviously i don't tell you "hey, say only nice things to others because it's the only thing that will help them". I want to say "think more how you can motivate that person now, at this moment". For some people there's huge difference between "It's not good, there's a lot of work ahead you" and "If you work hard i'm sure you will be even better!" sometimes because people often just read between lines things that don't exist and it's hard to help it - it's in your heads.
If you go on a journey you should find a crew. I'm a space pirate so i know that too well. It's hard to get somewhere alone and if you have people you can trust it's more than good. They will know what you want to hear, and if they don't you can tell them without fear if you want critique or do you actually need a hug. And you know they won't laugh at you and if they do - it's because there are friends. You know, it's hard to find motivation for me sometimes and i easily get irritated and sad about my drawings but when i feel i'm loved or that there are people for me i feel like i can do it all. I wish you find your own motivation - be it people or something else.
6. Don't do *too much* stupid things.
Haha, i'm putting this comics because i saw it one day and it was just too true. I always told myself things like "you need more self-control/self-discipline" to the point i was like "no, i won't eat the dinner, because i didn't finished that yet!" but that's not the way it should be. Tho i don't think people are overdoing self-dicipline thing as much as i did at some point.
It's not all, but all for now. I don't know if it helps someone but it might be just something for my future self if i ever starting to forget things i've learned so far about how to get better.