CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

The problem with my art is that I have no motivation. At all. Here's why.

1] No talent
I have no natural ability for art at all. None. Because I'm more left-brained, art does not come naturally to me, and it's depressing, because I want to be an artist. But even my stick figures are sad.

2] A late start
I'm 19. Obviously ~ it says on the left. I'm just getting into art, because it hasn't been an interest until recently. However, most artists in my peer group have been drawing since they could hold a pencil. Why? They're naturals. I'm not. So what I have to compare myself to is a bunch of naturals with years of experience, whereas I have no talent and little experience.

3] No support
I've looked around, and there aren't really any art classes in my area. I took one, but it was more of a baisc overview that's designed to see if you have an interest in drawing. It was slightly interesting, but mostly boring. I'm the kind of person who really needs someone to explain things in detail to me so that I understand how to apply the concepts. Hopefully, someone who understands what I'm eventually trying to do with art, and doesn't give me a "is it that Pokeman stuff" deer-in-the-headlights look, or pretend to know when they don't. "Yeah, my nephew watches some Yu-Gi-Oh."

Essentially, I'm in the worst possible position except for possibly losing the use of my arms. Please. Help.

.rai//

Don't stress over this; it's not worth it. There's really no reason to be upset, worried, or depressed over anything like this. Art is something that is supposed to be enjoyed, not something that frustrates you (although it can be frustrating at times).

First, you should be concerned most of all with what God wants you to do. If you feel that God has placed a calling on your life in this area, you should obey Him, even if you don't feel you have the talent. Nobody is judged for how much talent they have, but for what they do with their talent.

Don't get frustrated when you see people who are better than you. There is always someone better, and if we always took that perspective, nobody would do anything. You've mentioned natural talent, but there's a difference between talent and skill. A skill is something that you learn and develop, but talent is something that you are given. People can have talent, but no skill and vise versa. But when it comes down to it, you'll shoot yourself down time and time again if you compare how 'good' you are to people who have years of experience and perhaps a little talent as well. The times to compare yourself to others is when you are looking to improve your work. When you compare, you should be looking for things that you can add or take away from your work to make it better, no evaluating the 'goodness' of it. I hope that makes sense.

There are people who have taken a later start than 19. It's never too late, really. If you are motivated enough and practice faithfully and correctly, you will improve your skills. You're not in the worst possible position ever. I've looked at what you have on your DA and I see potential. It sounds like you're either just admitting defeat or looking for some encouragement.

Well, this is what I have to offer: if you want, you can contact me and I will do what I can to give you advice. I'm not incredibly skilled or talented, but I'm trying to develop what I have, which is what I recommend that you do as well.

Okay.

Art lesson number one: Don't compare yourself to others. There will always be people better than you, always. Except that and just try to be the best YOU can be at the moment, and not the best there ever was.

Art lesson number two: In order to draw what you see, you must be able to see what you draw. Sound confusing? Let me explain. You must understand how to properly look at an object and study it's spatial relationship to you and other objects on the ground plane in order to draw it correctly.

Art lesson number three: Don't try learning to draw with people. Artists always want to draw good people right away, but of all the 3-dimensional objects in this world, people are some of the most complex geometric shapes you'll ever come across. Start simple and work your way up.

If there is no one to teach you, and you wish to learn that badly, you're going to have to start teaching yourself until you find someone who can teach you.
Make yourself commit. Do at least nine drawings a week. Yes, that's more than one a day. Do this for no less than two months straight, and have someone keep you accountable. In these drawings, you should practice several different exercises including the following.

1. Draw an object from three different angles. Take a vase, a book, a candle holder...anything simple. Study it's geometery. Is it round? -rectangular? -triangular? Break it up into it's various geometric shapes and properly plot them on a ground grid. Am I looking up or down at it? -how does my perspective relate to this object?

2. Take a B/W photo or drawing and reproduce it without tracing. This will teach you about observing and rendering details. Practice reproducing the images upside-down as well as right side up, so that you pay less attention to what you think you see in the picture, and what is actually there.

3. Practice drawing people, but one little piece at a time. Look at your hand or your foot and draw it, use a mirror if necessary. Study the shapes and contours of the body...if they were broken up into geometric shapes, how would they look? Is this finger in front of that one, or behind it?...is it longer or shorter...by how much?

These exercises may seem boring, but just as one must learn to read one letter at a time, so must an artist learn one skill at a time. Training the mind to see properly and draw truly is a slow process. Lastly, if you don't have an art teacher to help you identify your problems, find a friend or even someone here on CAA who can help you identify specific problems in your drawings. When you begin to have problems repeatedly pointed out to you, you will begin learning how to see and correct them yourself.

Rai Rai....

First, please don't start off by saying that you have no talent. Don't you see you're psychologically undermining yourself? God gives each one of us natural talents, which come in different forms and sizes.

Now, look back and consider your personal motivation. Why do you want to draw so badly? What about you and God? "Does God want you to draw?" I wholeheartedly agree with Sy:

Syreth wrote:If you feel that God has placed a calling on your life in this area, you should obey Him, even if you don't feel you have the talent. Nobody is judged for how much talent they have, but for what they do with their talent.

If you don't feel this calling, it's perfectly OK too. God always give each one of us a special role and gifts in order to serve His Purposes. It would be sad if you kept stressing and grieving yourself when God never intended you to do so. It's like trying to build a house without any tools or raw material!

However, if you do feel this calling, be PATIENT. God works in His own timing, not yours or mine. It's not for us to decide "By the age of [insert numerical figure], I must be able to draw this or that.

Also, it's not for us to decide "I can only have any worth in drawing once I reach this level of skill."

Eso-san has some very good tips as well but before we continue on, I urge you to pray for peace of heart and to let go of your personal fears/feelings first. One of the greatest gifts God has given me is the freedom to be who I was created to be, freedom from being compared and judged by the rest of the world and freedom to choose to draw for Him.

In order to do that, you must stop comparing yourself with others on a regular and active basis. Even I feel awful after going through some DeviantArt accounts. Forget them! God can use you with what you already have. Have faith!

Thank you for all of your input. I'm afraid it will be all but impossible not to compare myself with others' art, but I should be able to relax about it. Right now, I'm going to try to fill a page with sketches and doodles every day, and wait for college to find an art class to take as an elective.

P.S. "Rai Rai"? Sounds like a panda. I rather like it. : : files that one back : :

.rai//