WD said:
I'm not sure if you are complimenting me or insulting me. It's hard to tell with you. If it's the former, then thank you.
I didn't bother to get 'good'. It just happened. I'm somewhat artistically inclined..even though I think I suck.
I have bad confidence issues and jealousy issues too. I thought I was okay until I started going on the internet. And then I got stressed out and thought I would never get better and didn't feel like trying..and every time I did I would hate it. I can't do poses, expressions, really simple drawing essentials..everything I do seems to be..flat. Since I learned that anatomy is srs bsns from all the strict drawing books I read that would nitpick everything, I tried to focus on that..but I was afraid to play with poses in case the anatomy would be fucked up. So now I just think they are flat and unoriginal. In short: I don't find it enjoyable anymore. It's not a hobby, it's a stressor. And since it seems I'm not passionate enough to pursue it and try my best, I suppose it's just not for me in general.
Sorry for sounding so brooding and emo, but I just wanted to explain.
You sound a lot like me a few years ago. Back then I'd actually get pissed off and sad when someone the same age as me drew fucking amazing art. I would actually rate people's drawings according to their age. I'd actually say "Wow this is amazing" and then go "Wait he's 20, nevermind". The only way I could get over this insecurity was by...Actually I have no idea how I got over it. I just did. It was like artistic puberty for me. It's hard to explain.
Also seeing your own art as flat is natural so don't emphasize it you stupid n00b. It's because you kill the surprise of your art by redrawing certain parts and actually knowing which parts were redrawn. When a person looks at the picture he doesn't instantly see it, he reads through it. Usually from left to right or from top to down. But when it's your art you're looking at you can't "read" it because, obviously, you're the one who "wrote" it! So unless the main parts of the drawing took you a few lucky strokes you won't find it amazing. Hell, I can hardly find my own drawings that I enjoy. I can still see a lot of mistakes in composition and fucking common sense. Of course the disgusting part of them makes it easier and you could make excuses, but there are rules in art. Rules you can't break. The few pictures of mine that I can "read" correctly are probably the one with
Balrog (nsfw), or these two
One thing they have in common is that they were all drawn in an extremely short period of time. Really, the important parts of them like the expression on quote or the "complexity" of the bird's head was made with a lot of luck - a few strokes in a few seconds. Of course there was some nit-picking in his shirt and whatnot, to fix the lines but that's just basic shit.
Lace said:
Solution: Don't give a fuck about what other people say. Art cannot be considered "good" or "bad" by some definable metric. That is, screw anatomy. Screw poses, screw expressions, screw anybody who tries to judge your art.
If you draw what you want to draw without worrying about the composition itself, it will hopefully cease to be a stressor and become enjoyable again. That's what really matters. Furthermore it's still likely to be awesome so stop self deprecating.
Actually if you stop giving a shit what people say your skills won't develop. Sure, your art is pretty great, and so is mine. But I'm still learning, and the stuff I draw? It's basically luck. A few lucky brush strokes and you have the funniest picture. You need to realise that isn't only skill. If you asked me draw a human face I'd probably fuck up. It might look nice but I could still see houndreds of mistakes in proportions. I'm currently trying to draw a human skull at these art classes I take and it's nearly impossible. So right now I can stick to Ms. Paint and the current style I use. I could post a few of my paintings but whatever fuck that.
WD said:
..whereas some people have the ability to make a few lines in 10 seconds and they'll have a proportionate and fluid drawing. My friend is like that. Bleh.
I'm like that friend too. But as I said, the shit that I draw is made of 30% luck.