what's the most important thing you ever learned about art?

[Zaknafain]

What's the most important thing you ever learned bout art?


The most important thing I learned about Art is, that there are two ways to enhance the realism of your paintings/drawings (correct anatomy and lightning etc...):
- Make a lot of studies of everything. I learned this by doing studies and recognizing the enormous learning effect
- Constantly take "mental notes" of everything you see. I learned this by reading a quote of John Singer Sargent and after a few weeks of trying I recognized that it works.

[Bammer]

The most important thing I ever learned about art is that it is not some magical miracle that is beyond all reason (as third grade techers would have you beleive). Art is a product of reason. There can be right and wrong art. An artist can make mistakes. Reason can be applied to correct these mistakes, and make an artist's work better. A critique is a wonderful wonderful wonderful thing, even when it is a no good very bad biting harsh one.

[Exoats]

I've learned that once you can wrap your head around something, you can draw it. That's kind of related to the making studies - you make studies so that you can understand what you're drawing.

I remember a couple months ago, I was going out to a stable and drawing every week, and I got really frustrated with my drawings... I was just going out there, looking at the horse, and then drawing a horse in my sketchbook. I wasn't looking at the horse and drawing what I saw... I was drawing what I thought I saw.

So my most important lessons have been to understand what you're drawing and don't draw what you THINK you see.

[ArtbyWard]

Don't be scared to put lines on the paper and don't erase to much. I did that first and not much came of it but frustration.

I'm interested in that Sargent quote, can you type it down please?

[look]

Try out different mediums and styles, don't restrict yourself to a particular style right away.

Other things: always draw spine line. And if having trouble visualize things, break it down to basic elements. And always remember to cast shadow and use reflective lighting.

[the_allejo05]

that is not easy..that is a lot of work and dedication..well if you want to do more than splattering paint ..and well the rewards..the ohhh and ahh of peoople..somehow..they give you some kind of respect..well thats what i get when im sketching/painting outside..sometimes i hate it hehe..i dont want people to interupt me!!..ah yes that is addictive..you wont stop doing it until you die. i love it everytime ...i guess..the the 7 years of not drawing help me realize how much i lost buahhhhhhhh

[Dizon]

That Art should be a direct communication between the artist and the viewer.

[luxun]

that i love doing it and that an important motivation and factor in making progress is that you infact love making the art

[Gezstar]

that i love doing it and that an important motivation and factor in making progress is that you infact love making the art

word

Also i've got to say, Bammer I'd be careful with that line of thought. Look at one of Miyazaki's movies and tell me there's no magic in it. I just won't believe you. And magic comes from the heart, not the brain.

[Odds]

You can achieve anything with time, effort, and a bit of luck.

[darth massacre]

The most important thing I've learned?

Yeah I'm still trying to figure that out. They're all important to me.

[SJ Bennighof]

That art is merely a language.

[ApolloNuevo]

don't be afraid of the paper, if it's not working, toss it and do it again

start fast and furious and work your way down to slow and steady

shoot reference or look it up (GIS is amazing)

study the artists you love and keep yourself saturated in other people's work

you don't know it all and never will

-apollonuevo

[Ilaekae]

1. Don't think too much.

2. Most of what I produce will be crap, so don't worry about it. The "hits" more than make up for it.

3. Ignore any advice until you know the person offering it knows what they're talking about from experience.

4. Never give up. I fully intend taking my paints to my grave...

[Zaknafain]

Don't be scared to put lines on the paper and don't erase to much. I did that first and not much came of it but frustration.

I'm interested in that Sargent quote, can you type it down please?

No I'm to lazy to type that down.
But if you like to read that quote, its on page 6 of this:
http://www.goodbrush.com/misc/painti...gent_notes.pdf

There are many other things to learn from those notes and it really pays to read the whole thing.

you don't know it all and never will

I like this one.

[phiq]

Here's the main lesson I've learnt: technical proficiency does not equal good art. Let me quote a great artist of our time...

"There is a mainstream perception of competence in image-making, often based on quantifiable technique - with photography, for example, if it's in focus, if the colours are true to life, if the composition conforms to certain expectations, then it's a better photograph. This means that as everyone gets better technically many will start to make the same photograph." - Phil Hale in Fantasy Art Masters, p74

Do you ever feel you're seeing the same thing over and over again here on CA? Perhaps Mr Hale has a point.

[Grief]

i learned that old thread is old.

[phiq]

Hey, what's so wrong with Thread Necromancy eh?

[Grief]

its a good topic, just jabbing you.

great sketchbook by the way.

[phiq]

Honestly, it was that new Similar Threads thing at the bottom of the page. Maybe it's meant to allow for more thread necromancy? Thanks for the sketchbook compliments too

[Rist]

Art is for the individual and what they can achieve.

Pablo Picasso put it better than me:

Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.

And I quite like this quote from the ol fella'

Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.

- Pablo Picasso

[phiq]

Hell yes, this thread necromancy is totally working. Great quotes Rist!

[George Abraham]

Be artful it works better that way.

[Ghostbrush]

wow good stuff in here!

I have learned that Art is not an impossible dream to be chasing, it requires hardwork and practice like anything you wish to be good at. I have come to a point now where I know that steppin up and making Art a massive part of my life is how I will get where I want to be...scary exciting fucking stuff!

[SMILEFACE]

LOL'd all yall rrrr hella funny! i learnd for me that there isnt one thing that is the most important

[LORD M]

You can do anything as long as you're dedicated.

[Stoat]

Don't kid yourself. If you change a pose because you can't draw feet -- fine, do that. But don't kid yourself it's the picture you wanted. Don't copy a photo reference slavishly, stick some horns on and kid yourself you've made a fantasy character. If the old masters make you burn with envy, don't kid yourself they pulled off that fabulous work by tracing from some primitive camera obscura (i'm looking at you, David Hockney). Don't kid yourself your picture would be master-level if you just slowed down and spent more time on it. Don't go into an illustration with half the picture problems unsolved and kid yourself they'll somehow magically solve themselves as you paint. Don't kid yourself that your work would look a whole lot better if you could afford Winsor and Newton.

There's a healthy dose of bullshit in art, so go ahead and kid the rest of us if you want. But there's never anything to be gained by kidding yourself.

[Cthogua]

Leave your ego at the door.

The moment you think you fully understand something is the moment you choke off learning.

Don't just be happy with what you get, work to get what you WANT.

The process is more important than the product. The process is alive and growing within you, the product is merely the residue of this experience. When the process becomes internal and second nature the product will be the evidence of this.

Always be honest.

Always do what you want. I think Andrew Jones said it perfectly in a recent thread..."Stop wanting and start DOING"

[carlosranna]

We are our biggest enemy. To be good you need discipline to work hard. And your lazy ass don´t want you to work hard. You have to beat yourself and go to work.

[Hyskoa]

- First paint what you see, then add emphasis with what you know.
- Know what you're trying to paint.