Myopia and Art

[flamaist]

Does myopia (badly) affect the way an artist (especially traditional) ''sees'' the painted picture? I am someone who is only a little bit myopic, I only need my glasses when I'm sitting in the very back of my classroom and need to focus on the blackboard.
But still, am I missing something if I don't have super eyes? Is it a disadvantage if I sometimes need contacts or glasses in order to paint something?

Please give me some opinions on this, I'm a bit worried :/

Thx in advance!

[Meloncov]

If it's a disadvantage at all, a whole lot of artists have managed to overcome it.

[Jazz]

Don't worry yourself, because if you fear the worst you might hold back! I actually have hyperopia (far-sightedness) among other eye conditions and I haven't fallen into doom yet! :D I had an art instructor who told me about someone with severe myopia. That person used their limitations to create their own style and method of creating art. You can do that too! Just give it a try. :D

[flamaist]

Don't worry yourself, because if you fear the worst you might hold back! I actually have hyperopia (far-sightedness) among other eye conditions and I haven't fallen into doom yet! :D I had an art instructor who told me about someone with severe myopia. That person used their limitations to create their own style and method of creating art. You can do that too! Just give it a try. :D

I thought about this as well, but the only thing I fear is that I can not ''catch'' the necessary details if I am lacking eye sight...Observing things, analysing certain objects would be harder I guess. Hope thats not the case :/

Thanks guys for your comments, that makes me feel better now ^^

[alffla]

i think today's glasses help short sighted people perfectly fine :)

[Kaileighblue]

I knew of a guy that was legally blind and was just getting into art. He said he wanted to learn before he could no longer see. That was kinda crazy.

Personally I think if you want to do it you're going to. You'll find ways past whatever issues you might have. I have a stigmatism without my glasses, not only is everything blurry, it's stretched wider.

[Whirly]

I am shortsighted and one of things that annoyed me is that when I am drawing sometimes the paper is underneath where my glasses are (so I am looking below the lenses) so I lost focus. I bought a table easel and its done the world of good. Also drawing more upright felt a lot nicer

Kaileighblue: Does that mean if some says "do I look fat in this?" you can say "yes but I have an eye problem that makes everything look fat" :D

[Kaileighblue]

Kaileighblue: Does that mean if some says "do I look fat in this?" you can say "yes but I have an eye problem that makes everything look fat" :D

Maybe. I never really thought about it. It mostly means I tend to make people too tall and thin.

[Jazz]

Flamaist, what might work in your favour then, is seeing the big picture first. Seeing the broader picture, the shapes and forms that maybe others might not notice right away. You may not not catch the details from farther away, but maybe you will catch something bigger that grabs you. :)

[tobbA]

Didn't stop this guy

L3AgO6H0H98

But if glasses help you see just fine I don't think you have a problem

[Black Spot]

Jazz is right. Use it to your advantage.

[Sepulverture]

I am myopic and have something called retinal macular degeneration and have had to have restorative laser surgery several times to repair tears in my retinas, but I deal.

I have found that looking over the top of my glasses while drawing helps a lot, but unfortunately that's become habit and I often do that for things that I'm perfectly capable of seeing normally. Myopia really isn't that bad to deal with.

[kyurai]

i have severe myopia but i found it kinda works in my favor sometimes.
i cannot see anything with details further away than 3 meters without my glasses :))

Buuut, if i want to check out values or colors , i found it s better if i dont use my glasses. If i can t see the object i don t try to give it the colors or value that my mind thinks it should have.

So, if it s only a mild myopia there is absolutely nothing you should be worried about. Everything has its own good sides :))

[jakobweiq]

i had shortsightedness + binocular diplopia.... or is it esotropia? watever it is..
n funnily, my left eye sees things in richer color than my right eye..

[Flake]

i think today's glasses help short sighted people perfectly fine :)

^

This.

The vast majority of eye defects are smallish focal errors that are corrected simply and easily with (usually weak) lenses.
That's what lenses do, they change the way light bends until you can see right.

Unless your eyes started at "way messed up", a good set of lenses can have you with perfect "fighter pilot good" vision. You'll be able to read the bottom part of the chart that people "might or might not" be able to read really..

Short version, If you can read a book with your glasses on, you have more than enough visual clarity to learn to paint to a fairly badass standard..

[drd]

There is speculation on whether El Greco had some sort of eye condition as you've described, due to how he seems to have seen the world through his paintings. Of course, there's no real proof either way, whether there actually was an anomaly or whether he just felt like drawing that way.

[jakobweiq]

i rem there's one art historian speculate that most artists could had eye defects one form or another, due to the daily contact of oil paints..
rem tat some oil paints in those days contain lead..