Where do I begin?

[Nintendo_zombie]

I'm currently 15 and have a dream to become a full time professional artist.
I am currently self taught in all that I do (aside from seeing other people's art)
but I am only mildly skilled in pencil, slightly in pen, and even less so in watercolor.

In my little town, no one is offering any art classes, and because I homeschool
I can't enroll in a public school art class. Worst of all, I have no friends
who are personally into art that I can bum off of or grow from/with.

With that dream seeming so far away and out of grasp, I have to ask..
Where do I start? I hear life drawing is the best to go, are their any books
out there or websites that you could give me that would help?

All help is greatly appreciated. :D

[Call0ps]

honestly if u 15 and u "want to start", just go crazy... do whatever u want, with your age i drew even the most ridicules things, u know that robot from robocop2? i drew that, also dragon ball characters, marvel comics, Miyazaki Hayao's movies and of course which lead to my own original worlds... live the joy of drawing ^^ experiment all kind of mediums, papers, brushes,etc..

but replying more directly to you question try ...

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=53517

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76955

, it contains also really good exercises & helpful links, and what kind of person would be if i didint recommend Loomis :P , check for Bridgman as well

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94571

, drawing from life i think is one of the helpful and efficient exercise, all is based in the reality , volume, light, color, form... and so on, have a good knowledge of those( understand it ) is mandatory ( in my opinion ).
Altought your situation dosent look so good, dont worry, as long u hard work and keep loving what u doing, nothing will stop you ;) hope this helped and good luck with it

[Nintendo_zombie]

Well, I've already started drawing.
I'm just wandering where I need to go from there.
Like what are some good exercises (sp?) and what all I'd need
to do before college. And all that jazz.

Anyways, thanks alot!
I'll have to check out the links and stuff.

[km]

in your case i would get a job and save up as much money as possible for college, in the mean time, check out "the drawing manual" by vilppu, "the natural way to draw" by nicolaides, and "drawing: the creative process" by Seymour Simmons 3 / Marc S.A. Winer

i'm also in the beginning stages of learning though, the first two books have been recommended to me by a lot of people, the third one i borrowed off a friend and thought it was really good

as for excercises, gesture draw EVERYTHING, people, places, objects... that's an excercise that you'll never stop doing so get used to it

carry a sketchbook with you everywhere, and force yourself to draw whenever ur not doing anything, waiting for a bus, etc. at first it's kind of tedious, but youll get used to it, dont be scared of experimenting, and just have fun with it, go nuts

the book by nicolaides is actually a workbook, he gives instructions and excercises, based on his schedule.. so if you follow thw workbook you'll be drawing 3 hours a day, it's a pretty time consuming book but it's supposed to be really good

[km]

, it contains also really good exercises & helpful links, and what kind of person would be if i didint recommend Loomis , check for Bridgman as well

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94571

HOLY SHIT!!! i keep finding reasons to love these forums

[Nintendo_zombie]

Thanks for the references km.
I hear that Bridgman's complete book is a great start.
So I plan to order that as well as some others.

What do you mean by gestures?
I keep hearing that, do you mean like.. facial expression or expression in general?
Sorry, I'm not all too familiar with art terms and the such.

I'll definitely have to look up the books or check my library. Thanks again!!

[Call0ps]

gestures usually are quick studies/drawings of a figure life drawing, and which dosent take much time ( like 2~5 minutes ) this is a really good example done by Kevin Chen 1 (http://www.characterdesigns.com/bandaid/content/tutorials/73/140/tutorial_kevin_chen_0067.jpg) , 2 (http://www.characterdesigns.com/bandaid/content/tutorials/73/81/tutorial_kevin_chen_0008.jpg), anything is a good exercise if u have in consideration the life factors (volume, light, color, form...), cast drawings/paintings & life drawings/paintings i consider really important to understand those factors... what exactly u draw is not important, cant repeat myself more than i am. just draw until your finger tips bleed :P ( lol not! but u got the idea ^^ )

i leave u more links, this time sketchbooks, maybe u already saw them, maybe not, hope they answer some of your questions and most of all inspire you to draw non-stop ^^

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=46487
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41092

and theres much more sketchbooks here at ca.org and countless artist u can also check ;)

[dark eagle]

hey, I am also 15(-2) and know nobody who actually cares about art.

I think i have the best approach, sit back and relax(not too much though) your way through teaching yourself...

[arttorney]

In a small town in Louisiana you might have trouble finding a life drawing group. Look at http://www.posemaniacs.com
If you use the 30 second drawing tool and just whip out the general form of the pose displayed each 30 seconds it will amount to gesture drawing.

[FearSelf]

I would recommend getting a tutor, there should be someone who's older and skilled in the arts in your area that's willing to teach/guide you for a bit of money. I know it helped me progress in leaps.

[DSillustration]

Exposure is key.

You would be doing yourself a grave injustice by not seeking out formal education.
You can learn a lot on your own, and a lot from books;
but ultimately, having an actual artist show you things is what is going to help the most.

If I were you, I would find an artist that lives in your area and give them a call.
You may think that there aren't any, but there are brilliant illustrators trapped in their basements all across this country that would be happy to have an enthusiastic student pop in for a visit.
(yes, even in Louisiana)
That's not to say that they will tutor you full-time, but they can certainly open your eyes to what possibilities exist in your area.

Go to Barnes & Nobel and open up a copy of "Spectrum: The Best of Fantastic Art".
In the back is a listing of all the artists in the book and most of their addresses.
See if there is someone close by you.
The hardest part is having the nerve to actually make that call, but I assure you, you'll be surprised at how helpful and inviting most illustrators will be.

Ask you parents to plan a day trip and visit whomever is willing to accommodate you.

Homeschooling is fantastic (and your education is apparent in your grammar), but exposure is invaluable.
Get out there, meet real people, and ask lots of questions.

EDIT:
Here I found this, it may help:
http://www.coleensalley.com/foundation/found_authors.htm
Send out some emails, include some of your work, and see if anyone will let you visit.
What's the worse that could happen?

[km]

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=louisiana+art+school&meta=

[Nintendo_zombie]

call0ps : Thanks alot, I absolutely love this website.
It's so amazing and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. :D
Thanks for the advice, I'll check out those sketchbooks tomorrow. :)

Pyrokid : Well, I mean, I'm not wanting to stress out over it, but I don't
want to not care about skill until it's close to start applying to college.
I'm mostly just looking at where I need to go to improve my artwork.

Attorney : Thanks, I'll have to check it out next time I'm on a fast computer.

Fearself : Yeah, not all too sure I could find a tutor let alone afford one.
We're really tight on money right now and I'm not making anything.
Can't get a job because of my age.

DSIllustration : Yeah. I've always wanted a teacher/tutor.
And I know it'd help a great deal, I'll have to start asking around.
But because of where I live, I dunno if I could afford to drive there
and back plus pay the person for their time.
Who knows, perhaps I'll find a blessing, haha.

Yeah, even if it's just a little I'd greatly appreciate it.
I just want to find someone that I can learn from and possibly they learn
from me in areas, and just find an all out teacher. I'd love to be able
to talk about art with someone face to face.

I don't have a Barnes and Nobles around here, so I'll have to look online for it.
Wait, is the book for local artists or something? Or is it just filled with loads of artists? Like a phone book for art? Haha.

I'll ask about doing that with them, but I don't know if they'll be game.
They tend to stress over gas alot, hopefully they'll do it.

Yeah, homeschooling is pretty great.
Outside of being able to get art training easily, I love it.

Thanks alot! I'll look at it tomorrow when I get the chance.
I really appreciate you taking your time for me, thank you so much!

km : Thanks for the link! Appreciated!

[Musselfarmstudios]

Buy yourself some large sketch pads to practice on . . . a really big novus mistake is to work in sketch books that are way to small . . . you know the kind . . . the ones they sell at wal-mart in the craft section. They are good for small studies and thumbnails but the real progress will be made in larger sketchbooks . . . i.e. something at least 18x24 . . . you may have to order it but if and when you do . . . draw big and fill up the entire page with the drawing.

In regards to books . . . find the kind that help with the fundamentals . . . I recomend the old Jack Hamm drawing books . . . I found them back when I was in the second grade and have been using them ever since and you can't go wrong with George Bridgman,

as well as How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema . . .

and the DC Guide to Penciling by Klaus Janson.

The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston . . . this is an essential for anyone interested in going into animation or concept art at any point in the animation production pipeline.

Again . . . until you can find someone who could teach you in person . . . stick to the fundamentals learn all the basics and when you make it to the college level or art school level . . . you'll be ahead of the game . . . most high school art classes don't really prepare you for college or art school anyway.

http://corporate.disney.go.com/careers/walt_disney_animation_studios_resources.html

and check out this website . . . it will give you tons of information on all the books that may come in handy for anybody interested in concept art or animation!

Good luck, Bra!

[Nintendo_zombie]

Musselfarmstudios : Thanks alot!
I never thought about using an 18x24 sketchpad, I currently
draw on 8x11 and 9x12 paper. I have some paper that's 14x18, I think is the size, so I can start drawing on that.

I'll have to check those books out.
I actually just ordered three book off of Amazon.
Bridgman's Complete Guide to Life Drawing,
The Natural Way to Draw,
and The Creative Process.

I should be getting money in a couple days, so I'll have to check out those books.
Thanks for the suggestions!

What is college level/art school level?
Do you need to be skilled in certain areas or can you go in with
just being able to work with pencils??

Thanks for all the help! :D

[Musselfarmstudios]

What is college level/art school level?
Do you need to be skilled in certain areas or can you go in with
just being able to work with pencils??



What's college level? . . . there is no set standard . . . I've seen people with no talent enter into some of my art classes so if you have some idea of the basics you'll be better off . . . but, this all depends on the school that you'll be trying to get into. If it's an art school that you'll be looking into then find out if you need a portfolio and start working towards it . . . if its a college that your applying to then most likely you won't need a portfolio.

In regards to pencils . . . yeah, go for it, I would suggest maybe trying graphite sticks or charcoal sticks for sake of learning to think outside a point medium but use what ever your comfortable with to learn the basics then move on to more advanced techniques later.

Drawing I for the most part was nothing but graphite and charcoal drawings . . . so you should be cool!

The sooner you master basic graphite or charcoal value drawings the better off you'll be once you start hitting color.

[Nintendo_zombie]

Oh, ok. Haha, I really know nothing about all this.
I feel like a kid whose walked into an advanced art class not
knowing the first thing about basic fundamentals.
(The advanced art class being conceptart.org)

I would really love to make it into an art school and make
a profession out of doing art. It does seem really discouraging though.
Ah well, what happens, happens. :)

So it's better to use the blocks opposed to actual pencils??

[Musselfarmstudios]

So it's better to use the blocks opposed to actual pencils??

Do you mean sticks? as in charcoal sticks . . . or graphite sticks . . . just stick to the pencil for the time being . . . then after you've read a few of the books then look into the sticks . . . one step at a time

[tomwaits4noman]

when I was your age I learned to draw fro stacks of comics and then spent ages in college learning how to draw anatomy correctly

comics are good for dynamic gestures I would suggest as people have advised using Bridgeman or Loomis books...

free loomis books here www.fineart.sk

also and this is not as exciting as comics but if you can get a stack of magazines with great photographs like national geographic or time (if you don't have access to people who will pose for you) and sketch the poses have the loomis or bridgeman book open and look at how they how body parts are made up

draw pages with just arms and hands, then pages with just heads, and quick sketches of full body so you understand proportions and how the body is made up.

or just go to life drawing classes if you can. nothing beats sketching from life,
and the teacher might be able to give you a few pointers and tips and save you hours of figuring something out yourself.

[Nintendo_zombie]

musselfarmstudios : Yeah, that's what I meant. My apologies.
I might actually have some charcoal sticks somewhere around here if
it's what you're talking about. They're just rectangle sticks, correct?

tomwaits4noman : Yeah, I need to get some more comics.
I gave all my others to my brother since he began collecting them.
Only, now he no longer lives at home so I have no comics. Haha.
I'll have to try and snag some off of Ebay or something.
Or cruise around and try and find a box of 'em at a garage sale.

Thanks for the link! :D

Yeah, I think we have some magazines around here that will have good
reference pictures, if not.. there's always the internet!! :)
Thanks for the help tom!

[Black Spot]

Clothing catalogues can be a good source of the human form, especially the underwear sections.