fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2153 ]

[ SECRET POST #2153 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2153 ⌋

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

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Notes:

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Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
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02. http://i50.tinypic.com/2bp85f.png

So... try learning or practicing.

Till then... CRY SOME MOAR

but not everyone can draw, no matter how hard they try. I've tried, I suck, I accept it. But it still sucks.

jsyk, I read CRY SOME MOAR in Heavy's voice, and I am perfectly okay with that.

YES, THIS WAS POINT.

BUT MY TEARS ARE SMUDGING ALL MY PICTURES

I...really got the impression that the picture was of OP's art skills and that is the best they've been able to do after years of trying. Art is a lot like music or sports: some people are naturally talented, some people can become good or even great, some people will always remain mediocre, and some people are never going to be more than tolerable.

/not OP

Easy for you to say. I've been practicing for a couple of years every single day, I've tried several different styles and gess what? My pictures are still mediocre and aren't likely to get better. Some people just lack talent.

But are you actually practicing the fundamentals? Are you actually looking at real life things and trying to draw them? Still-lifes? Figures? Copying photos even?

Anyone who thinks that they can become a good artist by just thinking about things and putting them down on paper... it doesn't work like that. You need to understand how to draw a real person or real animal or real object before you can draw it well stylized.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2012-11-26 21:44 (UTC) - Expand

I'm with you.

It's a craft. You learn it. If you've been practicing constantly for years--and note: PRACTICING. Not just drawing. Actual, conscious practice, which is hard and boring as often as it isn't--you'll see an improvement. But even more than that...

Yes. Some people have a knack that others don't. I will never, never draw like Bernie Wrightson. I suppose if I quit work and devoted myself to the task of drawing a single picture that looked good enough to be in his illustrated Frankenstein, and spent years sussing out the intricacies of the crow-quill pen and human anatomy and the precise play of light and shadow on every single surface, possibly I could come close.

But that's not really a very good idea. Because the world already has a Bernie Wrightson.

"Style" is the mistakes you make over and over again. Within reason. Actually, it's more like "style" is the mistakes you make that look natural within the whole. If your characters eyes are always slightly lopsided, that's a mistake--unless you decide to distill that mistake and exaggerate it just enough...and then it's a style. You can tell the difference because people stop saying: "The eyes are all wrong." When it's a style, it looks like it's supposed to be that way. It's not an excuse to get lazy and brush off every concrit with "but that's my style" (something life drawing professors are very tired of hearing, especially from otaku, but something they will hear every day until they retire).

Maybe you're too busy trying to draw like *Insert Names of All Your Favorite Artists Here.* Figure out how you draw, and perfect that.

Heck, you want an example of how absolutely varied the "talent" pool of fanart can be? Take DC comics. There are so many good artists, and very talented fanartists as well. Y'know one of the best bits of fanart online?

Batman and Sons

Doesn't exactly look van Sciver realistic. But it is glorious.

If you want to contribute art to fandom as well as your presence, just make art.

"Style" is the mistakes you make over and over again.

Yes, this!

What people often don't realise is that whether one has the talent or not, it's possible to become very good with enough practice, and practice doing the basics.

That's why so much "anime" style type of fanart/art made by westerners looks so bad; they think it's easy, but they've really only used some superficial characteristics of the style while knowing nothing of, say, basic anatomy. And one has to know anatomy, composition, and perspective in order to know when rules can be broken to enhance certain impressions and still make it look good.

Also, if one really wants to improve, having someone who points out one's mistakes is invaluable.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2012-11-25 08:40 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

sarnath - 2012-11-25 09:56 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2012-11-26 21:42 (UTC) - Expand

Well, my fandom is filled with skilled writers, so the subpar ones really stick out. Even so, I find myself enjoying what the less skilled ones put out, sometimes even more so. People can always pass over art they don't really like. But they can only find it to like it if you put it out there. Unless your fandom's full of assholes that will attack if you post your art, I'd say do it anyway. (And if there are assholes like that, you could post your art just to spite them.)

spite-fueled creativity is the most delicious creativity

it tastes like fire and rocks

sa

Unless, you're just upset that you can't draw. In which case, there's not really an instant cure. You could keep drawing, and end up as one of those awesome artists, probably in another fandom, some day in the future. But the jealousy does creep in. I curbed mine by enjoying the hobby, being happy with my art, and not comparing myself, but it took a while to adopt that mindset.

Oddly enough, I'm finding that very true in the Clint/Coulson fandom. When it's good, it's amazing, secret agents and action and depth and development. And when it's not, it's like...wait, is this even the same pairing?

Even more so was a much, much smaller fandom I was in. All the writers were pretty stellar and everyone was friendly. Then one day, a new kid showed up with terrible (and triggery) fic that she posted so often that...people just kind of stopped showing up.

I hear you, it's ridiculous. My fandom has so many talented writers, I read the fics, enjoy them, and get depressed because mine aren't that good.

I understand. There are so many talented artists and writers out there, and while I enjoy their creations and am happy for them I do tend to get a bit jealous of their talents. Not everyone can draw or write or vid no matter how many hours of practice they may put in.

Which fandom is this?

OP, we're really nice. We promise. Share your art with us. If you like we can tell you hints and tips that made art easier for us to understand?
The more artists in a fandom, no matter the skill level, the better!
(Although truthfully, most of it really is practice+time+thing of hows and whys things look the way they do)

(This character looks familiar, but I don't want to guess wrong. Your fandom?)

You're not the only one, OP. I can't draw faces to save my life, and I am insanely jealous of those who can. But I'm trying to find out how to, and I think you too can draw, at least to a certain extent, if you try.

Edited 2012-11-25 02:37 (UTC)

I used to think anyone could learn to draw with practice, but now I'm not so sure.
Maybe it's like music, you know? If you suddenly try to pick it up at age 25 or something, you're never going to be able to do it as well as someone who started as a kid.

No. Never say never, find a good mentor, practice. >:|

Yes and no.

You do need a shitload of practice, but it has to be the right kind of practice.

If you just draw the same things over and over without learning, you stagnate, because you're just repeating the same mistakes over and over.

You need to learn about perspective, lines of motion, hues balance, colors, how certain lines are used for which situation, anatomy, proportion, etc.

Your best bet is to start drawing simple objects: cubes, spheres, prisms, cones, etc., from different perspectives, with different illuminations and so on, until you get those down path (since those are the basic shapes that make up 3D objects), and then work on textures (wood, fabrics, hair, rock, metals, glass, plastics, etc.), then combine all the things learned until you can convincingly, say, draw a metal sphere, or a wooden box, and so on.

I'm a little iffy on the order here, but basically:

Then you move on to slightly more complex objects (think 'still lives'). Then backgrounds. Plants. Buildings. Mountains. Rocks. Gardens. Then things that actually move, like animals and humans. You need to learn anatomy for both.

Somewhere in-between you keep applying what you learn of color and motion and so on.

You basically need to work your way up. Some people can like, instinctively grasp complex stuff (which is innate talent), but that doesn't mean that you can't learn, even if you're old. You just have to play catch up until you learn those lessons and make them instinct too.

If it's something you really want, then don't give up.

(no subject)

astridv - 2012-11-25 10:31 (UTC) - Expand

I recommend How to Draw on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards and The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides (you can buy this used), just to help you get over the hurdle of changing your perception while drawing. I feel like these books are the closest to the path I took that helped my drawings get better. Practice still very much helps, though.

I've always been a doodler since I was a kid, but I never really got good at it until my mid 20's. And I've seen lots of people who are older and less trained than me pick up drawing and make good progress. They were really enthusiastic about it and eager to learn, so that could be the deciding factor in it all.

Start practicing then. So what if you're not instantly good at it. You have to start from somewhere. Contribute if it really means that much to you.

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