Anonymous asked: You're such a great artist and I wish I could draw as well as you do. But I don't know where to start, do you have any tips/references for a beginner?? Also, I was wondering how you got into drawing and being an artist??
Thank you Anon~ @__@ I certainly appreciate the compliment!
Tips or references for a beginner…Honestly, after years of drawing, I can tell you that the tips remain the same no matter what stage you are at. Draw, and draw every single day, even if you’re not inspired. Treat every drawing like a finished piece, even the simple gestures you do in your sketch book; every time you put your pencil to paper you’re going to be learning something. Draw from life just as much as you do your imagination. Find artists that you admire and study what it is about their work that you like so much, and then try to find a way to incorporate that into your own stuff while maintaining you’re own unique qualities (in short, find what you like but don’t flat out ‘steal’ another artists style.)
I read once about this artist who, when facing a mental block, just drew the same thing, from different perspectives (in this case, it was one of her OC’s in their room.)
Watch movies that inspire you, read books, poems, go to music shows or fairs. I got into art through a combination of those things, plus, I traveled a lot as a child and it was a fun form of self expression that I could pretty much do *anywhere.*
Even after college ( I went to an art college to expand on my skills) I still go and spend hours at book stores reading up on technique books, or talking to other artists, or simply going back and revisiting artist’s/techniques we covered IN college.
Never get to the point where you think you’ve got nothing left to learn, because that’s simply not the case. Put your art up for other artists to critique, and be receptive to this criticism. Sometimes people will simply say mean things to cut you down, for whatever reason, but sometimes a negative comment is still a valid comment. That being said, its up to you to be able to distinguish these and sort through them. I say artist, btw, because your family and loved ones are more likely to say they love it, its perfect, they wouldn’t change a thing! Which is fine and dandy, and maybe thats really how they feel, but its also the equivalent of surrounding yourself with ‘yes men.’ If you don’t challenge yourself, you’re never going to grow.
Also, and this is the biggest tip I can give you, remember that we’re all our own worst critic, so don’t be overly harsh on your own talents. Just like you shouldn’t be heavy on the self praise, obviously~
Edit: another thing…try all different types of mediums! You’d be surprised what you can learn!
