[heatherisadork]

Do you have to be any good at art on these forums? Meaning can beginners post their work here and get taken seriously and be given constructive critiques? I've been trying to find a good art thread but apparently I'm not good enough and I'm told to just kill myself...

So is this the case on this forum?

[Sumaleth]

Anyone can post their art.

Critiques might be hard to come by if you're in the really early stages of learning. You sort of need to have the rudiments of technique and composition in hand before critiques can be useful. Up until then all that can really be said is "keep practicing".

A good tip for a beginner is to use reference material at the start. Don't try to dive straight in and draw things that you don't yet know how to draw. So copy photographs and images that you like (be sure to credit the original source), and work hard on copying them as closely as possible.

Give yourself permission to spend weeks on one image. If you spend a few hours on each image and move onto the next one, you're not developing your own critiquing ability and technique, which is really want you want to be able to do much more than rely on someone else's feedback.

Having not seen your work I don't know if you fit into the "keep practicing" category, but that's really the best advice for anyone regardless of experience.
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Art Links Archive -- Artists and Tutorials

[mattvogt]

Ahhh sagely advice Dhabih!

In addition, I find breaking the process down in three easy steps works the best when approaching visual design challenges:

1.)Throw down creative sketches no matter how crappy. Find that inspiration that will fire you up to cross the finish line. Sketchbooks and "morning pages" (google it) help in this stage. Remember to get fired up on your initial proposal for yourself

2.)Look at your sketch... no matter how crappy.... and see what you don't know how to draw,, or what you can find around you (online too) in which you can bring into it through study of reference/life. Initially this stage will be separate, but over time you blend the lines between these steps. Nonetheless, study is just as important as working on your final piece - you'll find a balance in time.

3.)Take step one and step two and mash them together. It'll create a masterpiece every time! If not... go back and redo the steps.


Live by this process. I'm pretty dedicated it to it... could be a "fer life" thing

[Sumaleth]

[mattvogt]