practice questions

[JParrilla]

This question is for the really accomplished artists that hang around here. I frequently check out the 2d Illustrations in amazement and wonder to myself what these artists did to progress. Now I know you practiced and practiced and practiced. But Im curious as to what specific things did you do. Im sure none of you came out of your mothers as amazing artists.. so back in the day when you werent so great, when you sat down with your pencil and paper, what did you draw? Did you take classes? how did you improve? Copying? Life drawing? books? Im trying to get an idea of the different practicing strategies some of you great artsits used, in hopes that I can borrow some practicing ideas for my own. I have time to practice drawing, and there are things I enjoy drawing. Im not at the level yet where I can get the many ideas I have onto paper.. well I can but they never look like they are intended to. It seems like the only way I create a piece im truly proud of is when I use a reference or basically copy. Its fun and all but I doubt its really going to make me a better artist. I set huge goals for myself, Id really love to be a concept/ environment artist and I know my current skills are nowhere near where I want them to be. So please help me out.. Please :)

[Grimey]

it really depends on what you mean by "better artist."
we all know there is a difference between an artist and a craftsman. Artists in 2d work should have competent draftsman skills, at least, which is only done with practice, as you mentioned. Copying absolutely everything is a great way to boost your drawing skills, but won't really help you expand your creativity.
Advice for creativity:
take a bunch of different images from stock photography, and random google images. make a visually appealing scene with those images (in any medium, you can change anything in there)

find photo reference for an animal, person or even a plant.. and redo it with a ton of exaggeration. it doesn't always have to be visually appealing, its more of an exercise.

of course, silhouettes are an amazing way to advance in character design.. but i suck at those so i have no advice there.

don't know if that will help, but hey.. its what i got

[Homeless Foxman]

You covered most of the strategies already. Some learn from books, some from classes, etc. To understand drawing and everything in it pretty much, you will always have to do life drawing, and it will always be very good practice.

Check out these threads, first for books, second some exercises you can do.

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=22558
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81332

Look at the other links in seedling's signature for helpful information.

[Ilaekae]

I only started to advance as an "artist" when I started asking why and how. Why does that look like that? Why is it that color? How does it stand up? How does it connect? Why does it even exist? Why is that red and not green?

This became the rule once I realized soon after that it just wasn't a visual process, but a process of input. And for that, I began to read. I read Darwin's "Origin of the Species" when I was nine, and had been reading books on myths, fairytales and gods before that. I discovered fantasy and science fiction about the same time I discovered real science and history was fun to read, and suddenly had confirmation that I didn't have to think like everyone else to be normal. All that mattered was that something fun was going into my tiny little skull. I began to study books on artists and carefully look at how they used patterns and textures and colors to make something look beautiful. I even looked at ugly things (to me) to see if the same rules held (which they did).

Then I tried to duplicate what I saw. Draw something accurately. Counterfeit a stamp that looked just like the original if I could. Paint a red thing like Paul Klee. A stone like Siquieros. See how many different kinds of marks I could make with a stick, a certain kind of brush or pencil/pen. I tried to figure out why something felt easier to do than something else. I sat and looked at walls on buildings made of marble and granite and shale, and at wooden furniture, to see what patterns were there and discovered that I could see pictures where nobody else could. That's when I realized that the images were created by my mind, not by the item itself. At that point, I knew what it meant to be an "artist."

The rest was just a bunch of boring practice and trial and error until things started to do what I wanted them to. Pretty easy, looking back on it... :P

[JParrilla]

Thank you so much for the replies. I was redirected to this site after asking this question over at the CGtalk forums. I can tell that this site is the place for me to learn. That post with all the lessons is absolutely great im really excited to work through them. Any other advice u guys can give me to help me on my path to become the artist i want to be? :)

[Homeless Foxman]

Not right at first, but after learning the basics doing speed paintings and trying to get a painting done possibly every week, digital or not, whatever suits your fancy. This can really help you work better and faster at your desired medium.

[JParrilla]

ya i enjoy doing speed type paintings in photoshop although im not proficient enough with photoshop and the tablet to produce really good work with it. Even though I love digital im trying to focus on traditional for now to strenghtn my base as an artist because I havent drawn seriously since I was like 12.. im 18 now :) oo the wasted years.. I wish i had this dream back then.. who knows how good id be by now.. ehh doesnt matter now i guess i just have to work that much harder :)

[Maidith]

Those methods worked for me, and still do:

- Look at pictures by artists you admire, and try to figure out things. How do they handle light and color? What edges are sharp, and what edges are soft? Why do they use that particular color there? What technique did they use? How did they work? The more you look at work of others, the more different kinds of styles and techniques you will see.

- Learn from the masters. Copy works you adore. Not for imitating the artist or showcasing your copy, but for the sake of learning. Don't be shy, ask your favorite artist everything you want to know, such as "What paper do you draw on?", or "How do you go about painting a picture, do you start with a sketch?", etc. But be specific, don't ask "how can I paint like that?". And check the artist's website, chances are they already have tutorials, a FAQ or step-by-step tutorials there.

- Challenge yourself. Never used a particular medium? Then buy it, no matter how poor you are, and try it out. Never drawn a still life? Do it. Never used that particular color scheme? Give it a try. At a certain point, when you are afraid of repeating yourself, you are on the right track to improve.

- Use reference. If you aim for realism, you can't paint most things straight from your imagination. The old masters always made preliminary studies of life models, and did most paintings from life models too. For example, if you are unsure how to paint a head with the light source from below, look up a photo, or take it yourself, or have someone pose for it. It is worth every effort!
Stock photos from deviantartists can be a valuable resource also and provide inspiration.
Here's an article about why reference is even more than a crutch, but essential for artists who paint realistic illustrations: http://maidith.deviantart.com/journal/15788173/

- Draw from life. It's probably the most valuable practice that there is. Sign up for a life drawing class so that you'll be actually "forced" to do it. Believe me, it works wonders.
As for studying anatomy from books about figure drawing (Loomis, Bammes, etc.) a good exercise is to copy the body parts and figures in there and then trying to draw the same from your mind to see how much you remembered.

- Look up tutorials. Browse through the tutorial section and study the many different ways and media of the different artists. Also visit the websites of the great artists here - many have tutorials up there.

- Collect pictures. On my harddisk, I have different folders: 1) one for old master oil paintings, 2) Modern master oil paintings, 3) Different kinds of watercolor paintings, 4) Great digital art images 5) paintings by Linda Bergkvist, and 6) a folder of cool anime art.
They are very inspiring to browse through and can give you new ideas in terms of technique. Whenever I feel uninspired, I look through my folders.
The images I've collected over time, mainly from Cgtalk.com, Deviantart, Epilogue, Artrenewal.org and many other websites.

[Rocul]

Well.. my mode of practice is copying, copying, copying and copying. From copying I am able to see things what I normally miss in my head, I learn from the ones who painted or drew the original pic. I managed to pick up different styles.

I'd say copying is one of the best ways of practice, since it also allows you to learn from the artist.

[JParrilla]

Well.. my mode of practice is copying, copying, copying and copying. From copying I am able to see things what I normally miss in my head, I learn from the ones who painted or drew the original pic. I managed to pick up different styles.

I'd say copying is one of the best ways of practice, since it also allows you to learn from the artist.


Wow so I guess its really whatever works for you.. because some people have said not to copy so much. I guess theres really no rules as long as your improving at a rate that your happy with. Would you say that you improve much by copying work?

[Maidith]

Would you say that you improve much by copying work?

I do. It also depends a bit on what you copy. Life drawing is best. Copying straight from nature in general is best.
Also, if you can't yet draw like the old masters, copying them helps too.

It's all about looking at stuff, which you do when you copy. When you try to construct from your imagination, it's a matter of trial and error. And it takes longer to learn that way.

[Cthogua]

Theres a quote (probably apocryphal but who cares) from Rembrant that goes something like "If you want to learn to paint a tree, look at a tree...then look at a painting of a tree" Copying is very useful in terms of seeing how others that came before you solved the problems they came up against..and they probably looked at some older source still ;-)