Hints to (re)start in the Art's World?
By
Darkjedi,
Posted on: 2009-04-01 16:22 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
Honestly, the only way to restart is to put pencil to paper. The biggest thing for you to do is to get your hand working again (unless you draw with your foot).
That's my advice, at least. If you haven't exercised in a while, you should just start by stretching and getting your heart going again before you try to actually do something. Same here. Stretch those fingers out and try to draw something.
Drawing isn't like riding a bicycle. You *can* forget how to do it. Foo is right, pick up the pencil and DRAW. No matter what it is, no matter how small or large, you have to start moving your hand again. Drawing is many things, one of which is physical muscle control. Only drawing more will get your hand back into shape so you can ready yourself to learn effectively.
There's no trick, no loophole and no guide to picking it back up. Just pull out a pencil and paper and go to it.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
Yup. Gotta get those fingers used to drawing again. When you're limber, then you can start doing tricks like drawing something that's not crap.
Glad to announce I'm nearly finishing my first drawing in around 7 years 
Thanks to CoH/V, its Fanart Community, and its great artist inspiring me back into it.
Adding some ink and will post here shortly.
- Dual Blades Stalker Guide
- Mastermind guide to Pain Domination
I hope you're happy with the piece!
You Need To Learn To Draw First
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I hope you're happy with the piece!
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Well obviously not completely, I do notice the lack of a few things that come more naturaly when you're on a spin. Besides, its a very "movable", comic book-ish piece, a Widow doing a backflip thing... but the traces are kinda "still" too much.
But then there is the whole "first after 7 years break" so I'm glad. You have no idea. I hope I dont mess it terribly with the inking. Maybe I can try some photoshop for colors, I dunno.
Enough rant; after work I'll conclude and see how it goes.
- Dual Blades Stalker Guide
- Mastermind guide to Pain Domination
As those that posted before me have said, the only way to get back into it is to pick up a pencil and start. Don't expect wonders from your first bunch of pieces... you're just looking to work the muscles some.
Like all things, the more you do it, the better you'll get.
err.. if your looking for personal preferances or tips... I would say..
1. dont draw where your bed is.. its to tempting to take a "quick" nap between pencil breaks.. and oversleep for hours..
2. I find a nice quiet room with my favorite music helps (* course theirs no quiet rooms around by me, but I hope to find one and put music in it.. *)
3. personally... blue girded paper works well for me... its nicer to look at then the dreaded "blank paper" page.
4. DONT put wet painted artwork in your computer scanner
5. use referance shoots or get images from all the artists you love and use them for referances...
6. if your TOTALLY out of practice.. I would suggest getting a thick pad of tracing paper and tracing artists or art work you like... over and over and over and over again till your hand cramps up or your fingers start bleeding, till your drawing the shapes in your sleep.
7. find one style and stick to it .. dont jump around different styles (* im at fault for doing this *)
8. learn pencil first,,, then learn ink.. then learn color.. dont try to learn all at one time...
9. become a tutorial hoe (* its pretty much were im at now *) and do any tutorial or buy any book you can get your hands on and practice it over and over again...
10. draw what you DONT like or arnt good at first ... or for most people.. draw lots of hands and feet and other body parts you dont like.. then focus on the stuff you do like later.
11. NEVER trust a penguin with a radio
12. try to learn how to use guidelines in drawing a lot... like making simple shapes or stick figures for starting the drawing, then building UP from there.. dont start at one point like an eyeball or other body part and work outward from there.
13. keep a clean working area.. and make sure your soda cans arent in the area to spill on your artwork.
14. keep dates and times on your art work when its done so you can have a full progressive flow to see your improvements.
.. and thats all I can think of for now.. hope that helps 
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5. ...images from all the artists you love and use them for referances...
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No
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6. if your TOTALLY out of practice.. I would suggest getting a thick pad of tracing paper and tracing artists or art work you like... over and over and over and over again till your hand cramps up or your fingers start bleeding, till your drawing the shapes in your sleep.
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No.
ARRRGGHH.. that drawer just spoke to me!!!!!
...
..
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great.. now where am I gonna put my socks now :*(
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ARRRGGHH.. that drawer just spoke to me!!!!!
...
..
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great.. now where am I gonna put my socks now :*(
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I'd think socks would help keep drawers quiet...
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You Need To Learn To Draw First
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I am assuming these kind of comments are meant to uninspire people from drawing.
It may be faster if you learn how to ... but you would eventually get there (if not somewhere) even if you don't learn and just "do" (cuz yoda said not to try)
Char Site | My DeviantArt
Global=@Thornster
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You Need To Learn To Draw First
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When I was really young, I was interested enough in comics to take a drawing course. That was about 8-9 years ago. I was never awesome as I wanted, but I was satisfied with some fanart, RPG characters, or my own comic heroes.
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You Need To Learn To Read Before Replying.
Despite the attitude of one of the above posters, I have to agree that Tracing is a horrible idea. You don't really learn anything from it, other than how to copy. You don't learn about how or why things look like they do; their basic functions and construction. And while you may find you admire how other artists work, you have to be careful about referencing or emulation, because not all of them get it right. And many of them have years of practice and observation under their belts.
Try going out and sketching what you see; reference drawing from live subjects, whatever they may be. Do quick gesture drawings of people around you at the mall, the park, etc. Take some time to sketch your surrounding area or objects; trees, buildings, cars, whatever.
And just keep at it. Given time and effort, you will get there.
@Liz!
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There is a place for artwork referencing, though. Its more in technique. If you're learning a certain medium, it IS helpful to look up the top artists who work in that medium, and learn about what they do.
Ever walk around a museum and see students re-creating master works?
If you see things you like, research how its done, and try it for yourself.
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You Need To Learn To Draw First
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I am assuming these kind of comments are meant to uninspire people from drawing.
It may be faster if you learn how to ... but you would eventually get there (if not somewhere) even if you don't learn and just "do" (cuz yoda said not to try)
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Nah, Thornster. It's just that even the bridge can get tired of trolls.
The problem with copying other artists is that you not only learn their admirable techniques, but you also absorb their abysmal flaws.
In my early days, I tried to learn how to draw from anime sources because it was quick and promised instant gratification. I learned how to draw simple characters quickly in all manner of poses and expressions... but to this day, I have problems with drawing eyes too large. I have to consciously scale the eyes properly rather than being able to do it intuitively.
Furthermore, if you emulate another artist, you can only be as good as that person and never better.
If you produce works that are reminiscent of another artist, you're not offering anything new. To be noticed as an artist, you need to find your own voice and produce unique works. You may not impress yourself with your first few pieces, but you'll quickly find your own style.
Of course, you can trace from life, just to get the feel of objects and people down.
These don't all work for everyone, though. Some people will never learn a certain way, but may learn in another.
..guess when I said " tracing " I meant tracing, tracing... and then some... the tracing paper would look like one ball of graphite... repition of shapes by using underlying artwork to help build up muscles and learn spacial degrees ..ect ect... didnt mean to trace the image.. well,.. yes trace.. but then trace over the tracing and then trace over that tracing.. on the same paper.. over and over and over again till your wrists get used ta the effort... kinna like drawing a perfect circle over and over again... err.. dunno how to explain it...
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The problem with copying other artists is that you not only learn their admirable techniques, but you also absorb their abysmal flaws.
In my early days, I tried to learn how to draw from anime sources because it was quick and promised instant gratification. I learned how to draw simple characters quickly in all manner of poses and expressions... but to this day, I have problems with drawing eyes too large. I have to consciously scale the eyes properly rather than being able to do it intuitively.
Furthermore, if you emulate another artist, you can only be as good as that person and never better.
If you produce works that are reminiscent of another artist, you're not offering anything new. To be noticed as an artist, you need to find your own voice and produce unique works. You may not impress yourself with your first few pieces, but you'll quickly find your own style.
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We might be on different pages with this but... I can't grasp how a person is going to reach out to learn if they feel they shouldn't try to emulate any techniques they see in the art world. Also, when first being taught a medium... isn't one emulating their teacher?
I'm not really talking about drawing from life, here. I'm talking more like.... I love the hazy glow some watercolorists are able to achieve. So I'd like to learn the ways that's actually achieved. If I didn't want to try to emulate the way that's pulled off and try it for myself, I'm not going to learn many new things.
It just... seems counterintuitive. Which is why I think we're talking about different things. With how I took what people are saying about never referencing anyone's work, its coming off to me like people are almost saying its worthless to study the masters at all. Did everyone else really get through art school with zero art history or studying anyone else's techniques?
Style and technique are 2 different things.
Hiyas Lipe82 ,
Deebs here im the semi official lush and forum malcontent hereabouts and I was pretty much in your boat when I started playing CoH .
I had doodled alot as a kidlet but then lost intrest in it for other things <many years pass> then I started playing City of Heroes and loved the ability to create things ....If I could think it up chances are I could create it in game ....but then I wanted pictures of my characters and at the time being a starving student comissions were sorta outta the question .
So I started sketching
nothing fancy at first , I held lots of temp jobs and would draw while handling the phones at work on yellow note pads and post it notes , on the dry erase board in the break room , on the back of invoices for customers .
then at some point my squiggles started looking more and more like what they were supposed to .
I drew things id see at work , id try new styles that I saw in books or online , I never traced but id often have and still have pictures around my computer of artists I like or strange real life outfits or styles to prime my imagination .
Art is one of those skills that if you don't use , it will tend to atrophy a bit but if you work out your art muscles everyday it really will grow by leaps and bounds .
I think most folks here can show you art they did years ago that looks nothing like the art they do now .
Anyways thats the only advice I can really give you , Encouragement .
so get to it hoss , not everything you draw has to be a finished work of art . I have reams of photocopier paper covered in weird lil half finished ideas .
sketch every day
don't get discouraged
don't worry why person a is so much better or worse then you
do your own thing and move at your own pace
<3
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"... I can't grasp how a person is going to reach out to learn if they feel they shouldn't try to emulate any techniques they see in the art world..."
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We're talking about two different things.
It's good to say 'I like how Jim Lee crosshatches and will try to work that technique into my works.'
It's NOT good to say 'I like Jim Lee and I will copy him til I can replicate his works.'
The difference is pretty large. Absorbing different techniques you admire and working them into your work teaches you how to accomplish things other have already figured out, leaving you more time to advance beyond them. That's how art styles evolve. If you go too far and copy their works blindly, you risk losing the integration into your own works and fall into copy-cat mode.
We all use the same alphabet when we draw, but it's important to make your own words and stories.
I hope the artists out there can give me a hand on this little matter. Any kind of comment is welcome however.
When I was really young, I was interested enough in comics to take a drawing course. That was about 8-9 years ago. I was never awesome as I wanted, but I was satisfied with some fanart, RPG characters, or my own comic heroes. Life happened however; university, work, relationship, all making for a big lack of time and patience. I'd never be any comics professional anyways and I dropped drawing altogether. And trust me, I cant draw a decent smiley nowadays.
BTW, may this be an advice to all of you who are investing your time into any art whatsoever: dont quit, dont give up. You will regret. The more I play CoH/V, the more I want to return to it, even if only to make a few shots of my own characters, and I'm having kind of a block for it, even if now I have enough free time for some practice. And thats my question.
How to restart? Do you guys have any useful website, or book, guidelines, exercises, anything for someone who wants to return into it?
I'll post some scans of my old stuff here later.
- Dual Blades Stalker Guide
- Mastermind guide to Pain Domination