[ SECRET POST #1572 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1572 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

I've heard people say that they're not getting LJ notifications for new posts - there's an RSS feed right over here that you can use! Just a heads up for those unaware.

Secrets Left to Post: 12 pages, 276 secrets from Secret Submission Post #225.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 1 2 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeats ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Telling people that if they try hard enough at something they'll be good at it really annoys me. I understand where you're coming from, and that it's supposed to be helpful, and that it was true for you. But you're basically saying that if anyone can't master art then they're not trying hard enough. That's just not true. Some people really seriously are not talented or skilled at art (or music or dance or etc). And no amount of hard work or years of training will change that. They might get slightly less horrible, but they'll never be artists.

I don't mean to say OP can't be an artist if they try, but hard work will only get you so far. Just like raw talent will only get you so far. It's a combination of both, and you really can't have one without the other.

Sorry, just hit a nerve.

[ocelotish]

Well, to be frank, I get upset at people disregarding my hard work as "talent." I don't usually complain as it's meant as a compliment, but it couldn't be farther from the truth!

It's taken me years and years to get where I am. It wasn't talent, it was countless hours of practice. There is some innate ability to see things, but overall it's the work and training yourself to see things.

I'll never be a musical genius (to be frank, I suck at music), but I could certainly learn to play the piano decently if I put the work into it. Odds are, most people could learn how to draw or paint or sculpt to some degree, if they put in the years of practice.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I definitely didn't mean to dismiss your hard work! Sorry if it came off that way. But that's why I said it was a combo of talent and hard work. Like I said, I don't mean to dismiss your hard work, I'm just saying that you can't make something out of nothing. You need both hard work and at least a scrap of talent to start with.

[ocelotish]

Thanks, and I'm sorry too. The more prevalent attitude seems to be that it's just talent and only a very small percentage of the population has, and that if someone doesn't get a masterpiece with their first go then they're not artistic and should just give up. That's wrong. A lot of people can do something, but just haven't given it a strong go. I'm really sorry that it's not the case for you. For what it's worth I'm serious about the music thing, I just have no feel for music and sometimes I feel like I'm really missing out.

I hope you have found something that makes you happy.

[vafaill.livejournal.com]

I disagree. It's true that some people may stale because they get stuck and don't have the natural instinct to know where to go and what to do to improve, but anyone can become amazing with hard work (and perhaps someone to guide them). I have a friend who had absolutely NO talent for anything (as rude as it sounds), yet she tried and tried and ended up going to one of the top design schools and now she's doing a pretty good job at being a costume designer. I was amazed at how good she's become, knowing how crap her drawings used to be.

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe I'm just taking it too personally. I have tried really really hard all my life to be artistic, and it just didn't happen. So when people come in and say that it's not talent, it's just the fact that I haven't tried hard enough, it's pretty darn insulting and depressing to me.

Like I said above, I do think there's a lot of hard work involved, I just think that it has to be a combo of work+talent.

[vafaill.livejournal.com]

Talent simply means you'll understand things a bit faster, but it's far away from being everything. I'm sorry art didn't work out for you, have you tried getting help from forums and such? Sometimes one needs a good nudge in the right direction to make the first step towards improvement. It's a slow process, but I'm convinced anyone can do it.

[(Anonymous)]

I actually grew up in a family of artists. I've been really lucky and have been exposed to a lot of different techniques and talents. Believe me, I've tried everything. It's just not gonna happen for me. I've mostly accepted this about myself, I just get a little touchy about it now and then.

[citrinesunset.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I never know how to interpret it when people talk about how all it takes is hard work, because I have no idea if their idea of someone who's bad or inexperienced at art is the same as how bad and inexperienced I am.

Because here's the thing: when I see a piece of bad fanart decried as looking like a five-year-old drew it, and how embarrassing it is that the artist is 20 or something...usually it's still better than what I'm capable of. Even drawing simple polygons and doodles can be a challenge for me. I have reason to believe that, in general, I don't have very good hand-eye coordination. I have taken art classes, and occasionally I manage drawings that I don't think are completely horrible, but I'm not confident that practice will ever make me really good.

[ocelotish]

Not the anon, but one thing I'd say is see if there's improvement. Almost no artists are just fantastic when they start drawing, but the good ones are the ones that were able to get past not being able to draw.

My advice would be draw something from life or photo reference every day for a month, and use that as your litmus test? If you see improvement, then if you keep at it, odds are you'll still improve. It's unfortunately it's impossible to prove a negative, but that might be one test you might give yourself. The other thing to try is drawing a photo or a drawing upside down. It sounds stupid, but it'll stop your brain from getting in the way by saying "This is an eye! I draw it like this!" and it'll let you try to get a feel for the shapes of things.

[citrinesunset.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try. I haven't practiced recently, but would like to get back into the routine of it (I enjoy drawing, even if I suck).

[ocelotish]

I've found the best way to really get better is to do something every day. It kicks your brain into building on the knowledge it has (like if you practice a language for half an hour a day you're a lot better than doing 5 hours at once). It also helps if you make a checkmark on a calendar after you do it every day - that way you have all those little checkmarks pushing you on!

[citrinesunset.livejournal.com]

Do you have any advice when it comes to subjects for drawing? I like drawing people, and sometimes draw from pictures, but I've gotten the impression that that can be too complicated when you're inexperienced. So I was concerned I'd just develop bad habits or something if I did that (not that I have aspirations of becoming a great artist).

[ocelotish]

If you're not confident with people yet, try something simpler like a still-life. You could also try something like a doll or a mannequin. What I find makes the biggest difference is if you're drawing something you're interested in. A drawing of your favorite ring will always turn out better than a lamp you forced yourself to draw even though you hate it.

The crazy thing is that you'll notice an improvement no matter what subject you look at. I'd recommend looking at a doll or mannequin with joints so you can see the simple shapes of the body, then apply that to the real thing. :) If you look at Bridgman's or Hogarth's books, they talk about it a lot. This is kind of what I mean - just very general shapes, don't worry about details yet. Drawing an eye perfectly doesn't mean much if your figure looks like a flounder.