Does my art suck?

[TechBrush]

Hey, I don't know if I post in here about this. but I been feeling the hate with what I draw. Is that bad? or worst?

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/kunkun/

Help me out if you can. I would really like it.

[Lux]

Hello there!

I'm a furry and pony artist. I have to say that I felt the same way as you did, questioning how well I drew. But here are a couple of things I learned over time that hopefully can help you.

Nobody's perfect. You're going to have hits and misses in your art. Sometimes you art might not turn out as you wanted it while other times it may be better than expected. The goal is to minimize those less than stellar art and maximize the good results.

That brings me to my next point: practice, practice, practice. Very few artists can pick up a digital pen and draw awesome works of art with their first try. I spent a year drawing and I still know I have a long way to go. There is no magic trick to being a good artist other than practicing. the more you do, the better you'll be.

Aside from practicing, do your homework. Study how others draw (but don't copy them) and study art books. Maybe even take a few art classes. The more you learn the better you'll be. Also try drawing a certain part of your character like just the head or a hand to get the details down.

And most importantly, draw for yourself. You will have those that like your art, and you'll have those trolls that will for some reason not like it. Personally, I barely get any responses to my art just because of the sheer number of art works being made per day. The thing you have to remember is that art is a passion first. You draw because you want to. How others view your art is all extra. So ignore the haters and the trolls and focus on how you view your art. You are who you think you are. If you think your art is bad, then you'll trick your brain into drawing bad art. This is a scientific fact. So train your brain to think that you are doing well and go from there.

Hope what I said helps as much as it helps me when I draw and continue to improve.

[Rosewind]

Art to me is self-indulgent. Don't draw for any other reason except to make what you enjoy. With that said, love what you do and keep practicing to improve yourself. Nobody is magically good at art, and it's something you develop over time. Love yourself and have faith in your ability to grow, not in the product you see before you.

[TechBrush]

Hello there!

I'm a furry and pony artist. I have to say that I felt the same way as you did, questioning how well I drew. But here are a couple of things I learned over time that hopefully can help you.

Nobody's perfect. You're going to have hits and misses in your art. Sometimes you art might not turn out as you wanted it while other times it may be better than expected. The goal is to minimize those less than stellar art and maximize the good results.

That brings me to my next point: practice, practice, practice. Very few artists can pick up a digital pen and draw awesome works of art with their first try. I spent a year drawing and I still know I have a long way to go. There is no magic trick to being a good artist other than practicing. the more you do, the better you'll be.

Aside from practicing, do your homework. Study how others draw (but don't copy them) and study art books. Maybe even take a few art classes. The more you learn the better you'll be. Also try drawing a certain part of your character like just the head or a hand to get the details down.

And most importantly, draw for yourself. You will have those that like your art, and you'll have those trolls that will for some reason not like it. Personally, I barely get any responses to my art just because of the sheer number of art works being made per day. The thing you have to remember is that art is a passion first. You draw because you want to. How others view your art is all extra. So ignore the haters and the trolls and focus on how you view your art. You are who you think you are. If you think your art is bad, then you'll trick your brain into drawing bad art. This is a scientific fact. So train your brain to think that you are doing well and go from there.

Hope what I said helps as much as it helps me when I draw and continue to improve.

Yeah, but I been drawing for oh.. how long was it... I'll have to say almost 8 years and every thing I have draw online for about 5 years starting with Flipnotes via DSi. and I posted in the right places and yet my viewing and rates are still low. It must be bad luck around me. heh. I love how I get better at my art and I love changing areas to help my art.. I did test with [colour=#d3d3d3]Nude[/colour] pic and I got a lot of view... highly sad if you ask me.

[TechBrush]

Art to me is self-indulgent. Don't draw for any other reason except to make what you enjoy. With that said, love what you do and keep practicing to improve yourself. Nobody is magically good at art, and it's something you develop over time. Love yourself and have faith in your ability to grow, not in the product you see before you.

Yeah, I get that, but I'm thinking of a job in Graphic Art as well, so I need people yelling out what needs to be fixed or some thing of the sort.

[Rosewind]

Yeah, I get that, but I'm thinking of a job in Graphic Art as well, so I need people yelling out what needs to be fixed or some thing of the sort.

Nothing needs to be "fixed," you just need to practice. I recommend getting a book of anatomy, and practice sketching body parts. Really work on getting your shapes consistent, then worry about piecing them together into a whole.

[Accellerant]

Both Lux and Rosewind are spot on and I couldn't say it any better than they have. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you of my own experience. Yes it's a wall of text, but this will help you, I promise! If anything, at least watch the video at the bottom.

When I first started drawing I originally started with a wacom tablet and I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I drew to gain attention and wanted to be the next CSIMadmax or other famous pony artist. Sure, I got some of the attention I craved but I found little to no satisfaction overall. My own views were low and I just felt frustrated because it seemed like I was in an endless rut of zero self improvement. It continually angered me that I would take days just for ONE digital picture. I felt as though I just HAD to get it right or else nobody would like it. Even when I did get an image 'perfect' I still got low views and the cycle renewed itself. In the end, I closed my account and just gave up drawing for a while due to being frustrated. It was only last summer when I started doodling on a notepad for the heck of it did my interest in drawing get revived. I tried the tablet once more but found that it was once again, too frustrating. I did my research and found Ctrl+Paint. I did the Unplugged series for a while and it helped me out, but I still felt I needed someone on the spot to ask questions. After all, Matt is a busy guy and doesn't have the time to answer every question. I decided to go back to college.

When winter came I decided to take a beginning drawing class to hone my skills and learn the basics. While it did help me improve, there was several issues early on. For one thing I never practiced and only drew while in class. The next issue was that I was overly critical on my drawings and always felt frustrated because I didn't get it perfect. It wasn't until I talked with my teacher did he recommend me some books and just told me to not be so hard on myself. I'll admit, it wasn't an overnight change but my mood did change as the semester continued. I got better, I practiced and I learned a very important thing while drawing. Sure, practicing is important, getting advice and critique is important as well. But it wasn't until I started doing Life Drawing did I discover a very important aspect to drawing.

I had to let go.

Let go of trying to attain perfection and accept that I'm human. I will make mistakes and those mistakes actually HELPED my drawings more than harm. It was only when I went through such a difficult time did I realize these things and learned this very important skill. As soon as I began letting go, I found myself able to draw at a much faster pace and enjoy it even more so than I ever did before. If I had just learned to have accepted myself and threw away the notion of perfection much sooner, I would've truly began drawing way before I started up school and got these books.

But you don't need school to get a head start on your drawing career! If I had to suggest some books, I'd recommend Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. This book will help you in symbol recognition and is an excellent beginners drawing book. When you begin to start getting a handle on the basics, the next one I'd suggest is Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loome. This is the next step if you wish to focus more on composing figures and anatomy. It even has suggestions for different techniques and overall composition. If you don't have money, or the library doesn't have these books then you can visit Ctrl+Paint and go to their Unplugged section in the library.

Remember: Drawing is a practice, there is no formula or magic shortcut to mastering this field. It'll take years and years of work, but it'll pay off in the long run. Be diligent, take some classes, and don't lose hope when you fall! Draw for yourself, draw for your enjoyment and don't be afraid to experiment!

I hope you got something out of this wall, I leave you with Matt Kohr's words which influenced me to take beginning drawing.

[TechBrush]

Both Lux and Rosewind are spot on and I couldn't say it any better than they have. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you of my own experience. Yes it's a wall of text, but this will help you, I promise! If anything, at least watch the video at the bottom.

When I first started drawing I originally started with a wacom tablet and I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I drew to gain attention and wanted to be the next CSIMadmax or other famous pony artist. Sure, I got some of the attention I craved but I found little to no satisfaction overall. My own views were low and I just felt frustrated because it seemed like I was in an endless rut of zero self improvement. It continually angered me that I would take days just for ONE digital picture. I felt as though I just HAD to get it right or else nobody would like it. Even when I did get an image 'perfect' I still got low views and the cycle renewed itself. In the end, I closed my account and just gave up drawing for a while due to being frustrated. It was only last summer when I started doodling on a notepad for the heck of it did my interest in drawing get revived. I tried the tablet once more but found that it was once again, too frustrating. I did my research and found Ctrl+Paint. I did the Unplugged series for a while and it helped me out, but I still felt I needed someone on the spot to ask questions. After all, Matt is a busy guy and doesn't have the time to answer every question. I decided to go back to college.

When winter came I decided to take a beginning drawing class to hone my skills and learn the basics. While it did help me improve, there was several issues early on. For one thing I never practiced and only drew while in class. The next issue was that I was overly critical on my drawings and always felt frustrated because I didn't get it perfect. It wasn't until I talked with my teacher did he recommend me some books and just told me to not be so hard on myself. I'll admit, it wasn't an overnight change but my mood did change as the semester continued. I got better, I practiced and I learned a very important thing while drawing. Sure, practicing is important, getting advice and critique is important as well. But it wasn't until I started doing Life Drawing did I discover a very important aspect to drawing.

I had to let go.

Let go of trying to attain perfection and accept that I'm human. I will make mistakes and those mistakes actually HELPED my drawings more than harm. It was only when I went through such a difficult time did I realize these things and learned this very important skill. As soon as I began letting go, I found myself able to draw at a much faster pace and enjoy it even more so than I ever did before. If I had just learned to have accepted myself and threw away the notion of perfection much sooner, I would've truly began drawing way before I started up school and got these books.

But you don't need school to get a head start on your drawing career! If I had to suggest some books, I'd recommend Drawing On The Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. This book will help you in symbol recognition and is an excellent beginners drawing book. When you begin to start getting a handle on the basics, the next one I'd suggest is Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loome. This is the next step if you wish to focus more on composing figures and anatomy. It even has suggestions for different techniques and overall composition. If you don't have money, or the library doesn't have these books then you can visit Ctrl+Paint and go to their Unplugged section in the library.

Remember: Drawing is a practice, there is no formula or magic shortcut to mastering this field. It'll take years and years of work, but it'll pay off in the long run. Be diligent, take some classes, and don't lose hope when you fall! Draw for yourself, draw for your enjoyment and don't be afraid to experiment!

I hope you got something out of this wall, I leave you with Matt Kohr's words which influenced me to take beginning drawing.

oh, that is right but I was never human to begin with well I was, back when I was 9? or some thing? lol I was bullied by older kids and some kids in my grade. I was alone for some time... let's say I don't want to remember the past... blah blah... I'm not normal type of person you'll meet..

To All That Posted.

I have done a lot of this stuff or I wouldn't call my self 'TechBrush' I was a person that went what I feel when drawing and I guess people think I'm a Emo or some thing... well... I like input and this is more then I thinking of from you all. I'm me and I can only be my new self. (not my old self, cuz I was a zombie, LoL) so. yeah.. post and I SHALL read when I can. so thanks for the support.

[TrixiePony]

Art is a personal skill, not an open opinion to what people can judge on.

Drawing in my mind is the way to express yourself in the different ways, what you draw down is what you express from inside. There is no 'better art', just art commonly liked.

It's like...an illustration on who you are so others can see. Art is where the heart meets the soul, express them.

You're letting your imagination flow, your thoughts, feelings, ideas as well. It's about you and you only. Besides, like they've mentioned before, artist start to dwell on their art because they want their art to look someone else's, but that shouldn't be the case. It's your own style with your own perspectives.

Practicing art isn't to make them look better, it's to help develop your skills in illustrating them to be able to glow yourself in. You drew that, for you!

[Derpytheditzy8000]

It's not how good you draw, though. It's what you draw and how YOU feel about what you drew. If you feel that it's not good, keep experimenting. For one, I even think your art is good.