Q&A!
Added 2019-02-17 18:03:01 +0000 UTCSince I had to put off the other lessons for now, I thought I would make a post where anyone can ask questions. Do you need advice on something, or are you just curious about what brushes I use? Maybe you just want suggestions on how to practice. If it is a personal question, you can always send me a private message too. I would love to help if I can.
You can ask several questions! I will either reply here, or make another post if I feel like the info can be useful for other artists. Ask away. 😊
Comments
You're very welcome! A lot of what you're saying are things that I have gone through or still struggle with myself, so I definitely want to help if I can. I don't think that's a lot to ask for. It is never too late to start and I believe age means nothing in art, speaking as someone in their early 30s. If this is truly a passion of yours, then I say don't let anything or anyone stop you, most of all yourself. Your inspirations are what help shape you and your style, and I think it is a very good idea to take a piece of all of those artists with you as you learn. I also think pins and charms are a very good idea! The designs have to be smaller and simplified like I mentioned before. And from everything you told me, I agree those those three are important to focus on. Have you ever subscribed to 'New Masters Academy'? It is pretty pricey, but you can actually get a 7 day free trial if you have never signed up for it, and if you have a free week you can try to watch as many of the lessons as you can. I learned A LOT of classical techniques there, and they have everything from novice courses up to intermediate-level. I loved Steve Houston's lessons personally, because he covers the basics and teaches using the Old Masters. He speaks in a way that is easy to understand as well. Here is a free NMA video with Steve on how to draw the head and face: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T7cDY7YDsg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T7cDY7YDsg</a> I suggest getting a pencil and some paper and either take notes while you watch, or draw along with him (or any of the New Masters lessons if you happen to sign up) there are also tons of figure drawing references there to practice gesture drawings or even long poses from! However, you can find those on other sites for free. Oh, I know that feeling! Like you said, not every study is a winner, and it can be very discouraging to not get it right. There IS always something to learn, and making mistakes is how you learn faster. Get those mistakes out now, keep pushing through them so you make less each time you study. Even the best artists have bad days, but they got better by failing over and over until they got it right. Don't be afraid to get things wrong but try not to repeat them, and be proud of yourself when you make improvements, however small they may seem.
kingcholera
2019-02-19 19:22:05 +0000 UTCOf course!!! I will make a separate post all about my brushes and the settings I use soon, but first I need to try to find the sources for them. I've been using mostly the same ones for like 6 years now and don't remember where they came from. 😅 I do use a few of Kyle Webster's brushes as well. Half of blending for me is just getting the correct values/colors to create transitions with, and the other half is a combination of hard and soft edge brushes, then the mixer tool! I will explain everything more thoroughly in the post!
kingcholera
2019-02-19 18:07:17 +0000 UTCThank you so so much for such a thoughtful answer. I gave some thought to your questions so here they are: I aspire to Howard Lyon level of mastery xD I know that's a lot to ask for, especially for such a novice as myself. But I've fallen in love with Alma-Tadema, John William Godward, Caravaggio, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Mucha, Pino Daeni, and J.C. Leyendecker have also inspired me. This seems a bit of a tangent: but I also like the idea of making sellable items like charms and pins. To me, that sounds like I need to focus on anatomy, portraits, and so much color haha; more complexity is added because I want to do things in watercolor, gouache, oils, and digital. I'm not looking to make a career out of this necessarily but I'm still yearning to improve as though I was. I really like the idea of taking something you like, and simplifying the study of it. I love looking at people and drawing portraits (just a pencil sketch for now) but I do get overwhelmed and discouraged because not every study is a winner lol. I understand there's always something to learn, and failures may teach more than successes. Thank you once again!
Anabel (latt)
2019-02-19 16:11:41 +0000 UTCI love the answer you just gave Anabel. Thank you for that! Honestly I'm constantly curious as to what brushes you use - when you use different ones, what settings you have them at, how you get your shades so smooth and soft. Especially when it comes to skin tons and hair. <3
Nikki Jeske
2019-02-19 04:50:58 +0000 UTCI could write a novel on this question since I struggled with a lot of the same things, so hopefully I can help! First off, can I ask what kind of art you do or what you would love to be able to do? Illustration? Realism? I can personalize my advice on studying for you a little further if I know more specifically the artist you see yourself becoming, because someone who would like to learn how to paint landscapes is going to need to focus less on human anatomy and more on perspective, right? There are a lot of skills that will always overlap for any artist, but it can be good to start by facing in the direction of your specific goals. For now let me give you some general tips: Since you get easily overwhelmed, I will always recommend starting small. I don't just mean to draw or paint small, though I suggest doing that too in the beginning, but take it step by step. Learning can be hard and there is so much TO learn that you will get overwhelmed by doing it all at the same time. Narrow your focus, and then you can add things back in as you gain confidence. You mentioned values, so I am going to use that as an example for this. Simplify how you study and also the study itself. Limit the amount of time spent on each study, maybe 20 minutes to start with until you are comfortable enough to do it in 10 minutes. Limit the palette you use, 2-5 values (think of it like shadow/light, or shadow/midtone/light) because it forces you to simplify whatever you are looking at. Same with the mediums you use! Pick a few that feel the most natural to you and do the studies with them. You can add all the other mediums back in later! I also think it's important to break up the boring studies with fun ones. You might need to experiment a little to find out what you consider 'fun', but even a study that feels relaxing will work. I always try to pick subject matter that I love to study from as well. I actually really like clothing, but it is overwhelming for me to study because I am just not very good at it yet. So I try to find ways to make it easier to learn, and gather reference that interests me like the drawings on vintage sewing patterns, pictures from Renaissance faires, even looking at how Mucha drew cloth. Anything to keep me studying and from getting frustrated. And remember not to compare yourself to others. Some people can practice for hours every day, but maybe you can only manage 10 minutes. Maybe some days you don't draw at all. That's okay, a little bit at a time is better than nothing, and you can work your way up to 30 minutes, or an hour. I had to do the same thing, and now I can study for hours instead of minutes, but there are also some days I have no attention span for studying. It can be slow, but you are trying and that's what matters. I can go into detail on any of these points if you have more questions!
kingcholera
2019-02-18 18:33:26 +0000 UTCHey! I would love to know your thoughts on the best possible path to improving your art, and avoiding overwhelm. To provide a bit of where I'm coming from, I've recommited to my art journey, and have been tentatively enjoying the process after *years* of crushing doubt and not a little bit of anxiety and tears lol. However, when faced with improvement I become petrified of say how best to study values, what if I'm reinforcing bad habits, how do I divide my time between all the mediums I want to explore?? This is a life-long venture but there are days I feel hopelessly lost. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Anabel (latt)
2019-02-18 03:20:44 +0000 UTC
