6 Months or Bust - SketchBook

[FromJoeToPro]

Hey, newbie here.

I started drawing (seriously) late into highschool, and got into Sheridan College up in Oakville/Ontario for illustration. Fast forward 2 years and I still don't feel like I've learned anything. I don't want to diss the school, but in the interpretive stream we start dropping classes where we learned (painting, lifedrawing, design etc) in favour for "Finding style" and making things that would sell. We were never really pushed, and the most critique we ever got in classes like lifedrawing was "The arm is a bit off, but other than that it's good".
So instead, I quit this April and took a Vacation. Now that I'm coming back in a week, I want to start up again and this time go for broke.

I've given myself 6 months to improve drastically, else I'll probably just do art as a hobby and find a new career. I want to be able to see myself painting things that go beyond just deviantart scrap doodles.

So I'm asking you all to help me out on this :P Or even just a few of you.

anyways, here's so current work I have up, mostly taken by pictures because I'm in another country:

Practicing from photos:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/faces5.jpg

Lifedrawings; 1 done in highly stylized and another in attempted realism (naturalism? What's the correct term for that?)

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/lifedrawingpart2.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/lifedrawingpart1.jpg

Page of wacky doodles
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/S8001215.jpg

Bad quality doodles:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/Image002.jpg

File corrupted, so now I can't work on this (maybe it's for the betteR):
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/start3.jpg

For a duel that was called off:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/duelFUCK-FUCK.jpg

Finally school work: Creating an animal out of several. I just really liked the thing's AIRRRRR face:
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/promarkus/FREAKOUT.jpg

and just for fun, and older piece, probably 6 months old.:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Ju-Ju-doom/maruko.jpg

[a la bapsi]

<sub>Beautiful doodles. *_*
Your style is gorgeous. <3
Keep posting.

[MilesNoctis]

Hey, newbie here.
Uh what? Nah!

I want to be able to see myself painting things that go beyond just deviantart scrap doodles.
Dont be so hard to you, your work does look great already, solid linework.
Maybe make more anatomy works (didn´t see much of that in your pics)


Keep it up!, good work so far

[kidult]

Just draw and practice - I spent 3 years doing fine art and all I learnt was through practice. Lectures had good tips and could teach basic skills but learnt more from just doing.
How much do U draw and what? What do U want to do with your art? Fine art stuff, gallery stuff or concept art?
Just decide on that and then work towards that

then check out these books: they might be old but have more info on art and getting better than most new ones today:

http://processjunkie.blogspot.com/2007/09/best-figure-drawing-books-ever.html

Also setting a goal like in 6 months or else is a bit silly. Why not go for I want to improve my art in 6 months and then when U get there go I want to improve more! Art is a lifelong journey!

So go draw and get better!

[Mitchell]

I read your 6 month plan.

I started taking my art seriously when I was in my first semester of college, about 3 years ago. I knew nothing about it, and my stuff looked even worse then deviant art stuff..

my school was big peice of shit public university. They lean towards abstract work, and the teachers were crap. None of the teachers could draw a figure worth shit. I'm talking waaay below mediocre.

well anyway, I figured that the best and ONLY route to take from there was going to be self teaching myself. I started practiccing all the time, taking a sketchbook with me EVERYWHERE, I quit my job at the mall, so I could have more time to draw. I was lucky enough to still live with my parents at the time, so I could afford to quit. Started practing at first around 3 hours a day, then I would increase it as time went on, and i built a tolerance for it. I started to improve drastically. I now work freelance jobs, and work about 9-12 hours a day...

I guess what i'm trying to say is that a school won't make or break you. You could be going to Art Center and not get any better if you don't practice all the time. infact EVERY good artist today, illustrators or concept artists, have put in the time on their own to get better. If you only do your schoolwork and expect to get better, then you are gravely mistaken. You are the one to decide how good you get. You have to love drawing, and quite frankly, to me, it sounds like you don't because you would rather give yourself a time limit to get better, or bail ship and get a whole new career. I know guys who would live in a dumpster if it meant that they still get the chance to draw and improve.

but by all means, don't disillusion yourself. If you don't want to put in the time it takes, or you just aren't very excited when it comes to art, then maybe it's not the career for you. Something else might better suit you.

BUT, if you are only frustrated that you aren't that great at art, then please stick with it. That is a very Wrong excuse to quit art. Be in love with the process of drawing, the process of getting better. as Kidult said, art is a life journey, not a six month thing.

Though, i'd say give yourself a year, and see how good you get. a year is quite a while and you can improve DRASTICALLY in that time. If you aren't that good at the end of this year, then it wasn't the school's fault, or that you don't have the ability; it would only be your fault for not putting in the time.

sorry if any of that was a bit harsh, i just didn't want to see another artist give up on themself. You have a lot of potential, and I feel you can be very good provided that you take this information to heart. Keep goin' man. :)