Need help, and I don't know where to ask.

[MarchOfThePig]

I am trying so hard to be a better artist, and I so long to be able to paint similar to the beautiful concept art I see for video games.
But on top of being a terrible drawer, I also cannot paint realistically. They all look flat and boring, and cartoon like. How do I make my paintings look more real? I understand layers, but I can't seem to place the paint in the right areas...? I don't know. I'm just not good. Help? I'm feeling discouraged.

[Flake]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138102

Unfortunately the answer is more work and study.

[B u r l]

i wouldn't say unfortunately, Flake. the journey of improvement is the most exciting and never-ending part of painting and drawing, albeit fucking stressful most of the time. :D

[Flake]

Quite true Burl, it's a big old hill to climb though, especially when you're at the bottom. :)

And then you get a wee bit up it and realise it's bigger than it looked from down there..

MarchofthePig, I'd suggest you step away from digital for now, grab some pencils, charcoal or whatever and and practice drawing from life. Digital will still be there later.

[Maidith]

- 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.

- 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 of fantastic 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.

Useful resources:
http://itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm
http://airage.deviantart.com/art/Inside-Environment-Painting-2-29149738
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC-4HTgFIO4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih3djTbpXOw
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=164&t=222004
http://nykolai.deviantart.com/art/Painting-in-PS-The-Basics-9117297
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=3558243

[MarchOfThePig]

Thanks everyone =]
I think I'll talk to a certain artist from DeviantArt about his techniques
And I'm for sure going to start drawing from life.