Unconfident Artist

[Cthulu_loves_you]

My entire life I have been good at art. I got into art school last year and have suffered a huge blow to my ego. I realized how far behind I am. I mean I feel like I failed miserably. I am at a certain point where I feel almost completely blocked off. I mean my art teacher on several occasions has been rude to me and I've sort of been spiraling downward. I logged onto Deviantart figuring I'd get some serious criticism, but I got none of the sort. It was aggravating and annoying, so I quit. I just need so honest to god critique about whether I suck or not.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g48/Aki-Kawaii/9867_view.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g48/Aki-Kawaii/9868_view.jpg

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g48/Aki-Kawaii/9870_view.jpg

Oh...I am so sorry about the poor quality. My room is dim and my camera is on the sucky side.

[~Faust~]

"Do I suck?"

Wrong question.

Ask how you can improve, be constructive in your attitute and you'll get constructive criticism, I'm sure.
That said, I'd say begin from squre one. From what I can see (You're right the shots aren't very clear) you need to refocus. Doing stillifes is good but maybe you should start with simple objects like cubes and spheres. They will teach you how to depict form.
Another thing would be anatomy, copying medical illustrations won't do you very good right now, you must understand principles and learn to simplify. There is a lot of good anatomybooks out there aimed for artists. Those from Bridgman are very good.

And start a scetchbook, draw draw draw!

[SilverClock]

CA is an amazing place to go if you want to improve your artistic ability. :yayca:
Whether you suck or not...that doesn't really matter. I SUCK let me tell you, but I'm doing something about it--I'm working on improving.
There are tons of skilled, hard working, awesome people here who can help you to improve.
I would of posted those pictures in the critiques section, by the way:
http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59
ALSO, since you're at an art school where it seems like everyone's better than you are...take advantage of it!
Just keep an open mind, talk to the higher-skilled people, and (politely) ask for advice and just SOMETHING to help you to improve. Don't let your ego get the best of you, if you show off like you're better than everyone else then no one would be willing to help you and you would be getting nowhere fast.
Of course, all of this depends on how serious you are about art, if this is really what you want to do.
And if you are serious..
This thread has good advice for artists just starting out:
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=26636
Again, what if I told you that your art did suck? Then what? Give up?
The answer is
HELL NO.
On the contrary..
All the more reason to improve.

[Viridis]

Yeah.... dA is not the place to go for serious criticism at all. There's a reason why it has a huge section on encyclopedia dramatica.

However, fortunately for you, ConceptArt IS a place to go for serious and helpful critique.

Take the others' advice. Start a sketchbook to chart your progress, and post frequently in the Critique forum for even more feedback. Sketch frequently. Get the Loomis and Bridgeman (?) books and study the exercises within.

Honestly, looking at your sketches, you don't seem to be doing much worse than most people just beginning art school. Your second two studies are pretty good, although I would suggest working on refining values; your copies of the photos/diagrams are noticeably "flatter" and you're missing some of the more subtle shades. Other than that, though, they're pretty accurate.

So no, you don't suck. Now go draw. ;)

[MiniGoth]

Suddenly being in a bigger pond can be a dash of cold water.

Either shake it off and dive back in, or run away from the pool.

[kittens]

Don't give up! If you make it your goal to improve you will. There is always going to be someone who is "better" than you and there is always someone who is "worse". You can't get caught up in comparing your work to others. (And I know this is not an easy thing, I struggle with it all the time) Focus on your work and how you are improving. If someone says something rude, what I always try to say to myself is that I am going to prove them wrong and I have many times.

If you want to become that "great artist" you have to commit to it and put in countless hours of hard and not always totally fun work.

You are in the right place to do this. This forum is really a great support system to improve. The critique center is awesome!

I saw a good quote around here something to the extent of: "The last person that gives up is the first person to succeed." And it's really true. If you tell yourself that you will never give up you are pretty much guaranteed to succeed in some way shape or form. = )

[OmenSpirits]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165842

Just spent a week learning.

Learning is not easy, and takes a lot of drive to continue, especially something as personal as the pursuit of becoming an artist.

[Flake]

Suddenly being in a bigger pond can be a dash of cold water.


This. When you were in high school you were probably the most skilled artist out of another 500 students.

Move to art school and you're suddenly around 100 other artists who were all the best in their high school of 500, statistically many of them are going to be better than you.

How you deal with that is of course up to you.

[alesoun]

The longest journey starts with but a single step. Life isn't static. You'll be up, down and all over the place in the next few years. Enjoy the journey!

[Max Challie]

I remember a few years ago, back when i thought i was "talented", because my mother told me so (no joke), and i went to a watercolour class. I brought some drawings along, and drew while there. A woman critiqued my work, basically saying "That's boring. You've used no perspective or sense of depth, all the lines follow the same weight and tone, and what is this subject, A dragon? It's the same as all the cliches you kids draw these days. The composition is disgusting, your figure is out of proportion, and there's nothing interesting about this to begin with. However, i'm not surprised you think you're a fantastic talented artist, most kids lacking in skill think they're the most talented munchkins on the planet. Get over yourself."
I was crushed. However, she showed me this and this, how it could be more interesting. So i drew it again, using the crit, and the new drawing was much better.

When i realized that i wasn't in fact the most talented dumpling, i was crying and wondering if i was ever destined to be an artist at all. It was a tragedy. Then, i thought, "should i keep crying, or go draw?"

You're not Rembrandt, you're growing up :)

[velderia]

A lot of people who posted before me are offering pretty good advice. I also suggest buying Art & Fear. It's affordable on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250613307&sr=8-1 It's been recommended in a lot of CA threads and I don't regret buying it, ever.

:yayca:

I think every artist has a time to doubt themselves. It just happens. I've done it so many times I lost count. It's very important not to give up and not to take everyone's opinions of your work too literally to a point where you stop producing said work.

The first image is pretty simple... I like the next two ones. Especially the third one. They show that you can actually process what you see and apply it on paper - A lot of people struggle with that. No one's studies are perfect, but yours are better than mine. Never consider anything what you do is a mistake. The more you study and practice, the better you will become.