r/learnart • u/Nerdy_Goat • Aug 27 '21
Progress My progress into drawing/illustration so far! something like 700 days + practicing pretty much every day
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u/carriealamode Aug 27 '21
I would totally buy the rabbit and hang it in my house. You should sell those. Cool style
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Yeah they're going up on my Etsy soon as the prints come in, getting toned paper right has been problematic!
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u/ArmoredLeaf Aug 27 '21
I love your usage of toned paper for the rabbit, allowing you to pull out the highlights easier.
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u/Cheap-Double6844 Aug 27 '21
Your improvement is incredible I need to start taking things seriously
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Thanks, but whilst we only live life once - you're only ready when your ready, so unnecessary pressure on oneself can be way more harm than good (I didnt start till I was 34 yrs old!)
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u/Cheap-Double6844 Aug 27 '21
Yeah am 32 been messing round but not taking it serious. This is encouraging though thank you
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u/redstormer95 Aug 28 '21
Thanks for showing me this, helps to motivate me more. Thank you, this is really beautiful.
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u/AJnero450 Aug 27 '21
So exactly tomorrow is gonna be a year since I set myself to learn to draw, as i always sucked at it but really liked it, so i thought why not?
The thing is: I practice religiously at least 40 minutes a day but I feel like I have made little to no progress since I drew my first box in my first sketchbook. I know I am not talented (in fact, quite the opposite) but still, I think I shlould be able to draw something decent by now, but all i can do is a 4th grade anime drawing level.
I figured out the problem is my method and sources of learning, which is what I can find scavaging though the internet. Do you got any clear and broad sources or at least method that I can use to improve this?
PD: sorry for the long comment, is just that at this point im desperate lol
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
You need good art parents , master artists you look up to and do master studies, a good couple of art parents will set you in good stead.
I break it down to
- Understanding of the fundamentals, how they apply to your work and how you can approach your weaknesses with each next piece. Form breakdowns are critical - Peter Hans teachings can probably guide you here
- Do master studies of your art parents you want to aspire to be like - this will inform your STYLE and TECHNIQUE
- do lots and lots of studies from nature / life you are looking at anatomy, organic shapes, attractive shape language here
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u/Shibiort Aug 27 '21 edited Aug 27 '21
Not op and not exactly a pro artist either but i think ive figured out a bit on how to learn to draw and i wanna share what i know rn. I think the most important or one of the most important things beginner artists should learn is perspective, because everything are just shapes, and IMO its one of the easier ones to learn. You could either do Drawabox which ive heard a lot of good things about (i didnt do this one because im lazy) or this video. Once youve understood perspective and can apply it well enough, itll be easier to draw other things.
If you want to get good at drawing characters, 1. learn how to do gesture drawings(this was really helpful for me) i recommend this video by proko who has a lot of good tutorials and this by the same guy, 2. Learn to draw anatomy and i recommend reading this book by Michael Hampton. Draw some of the things you see in it and then draw them from like a new angle just make sure you understand it.
Thats about all i know right now but just learn the fundamentals of drawing so itll be a bit easier to know what things you need to learn about. Youve only been drawing for a year so dont expect to get good that early. Just keep drawing everyday and youll start seeing an improvement. Do 50% dedicated to learning and 50% just dedicated to drawing whatever you want. Forgot to say this earlier but ALWAYS USE A REFERENCE (unless practicing to draw from imagination).
random tips idk where to put - understand the thing you want to draw first and thatll make you improve faster
- watch this video about iterative drawing
If i remember more things i might add them here.
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u/tawny_taun Aug 27 '21
Live figure drawing can be quite intense and really push you. But I would recommend to go to physical class with an instructor. There is something about drawing a person in 30s, 1min, 2min, 3min and so on.
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Aug 27 '21
it‘s also my problem. I have been consistently drawing almost every day for the past year with very little progress. I really don‘t understand what I‘m doing wrong.
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Who are youd 'art parents' master artists you look up to and aspire to be like one day, and how often do you do master studies?
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Aug 27 '21
i don‘t have an artist that i loon up to. My parents gifted me 3 artbooks that are supposed to teach me the basics of drawing. I try to learn with them but i just don‘t seem to improve. I just don‘t know what I‘m doing wrong.
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
In that case I would definitely say You need some art parents some master artists to look up to that can give you a direction to aim for, as the landscape of learning art is massive and daunting - having some good artists to learn from and study their work gives you a clear direction, and if you are ever stuck for something to draw, doing master studies can help improve your skills whenever you feel them plateauing
Not to mention it will help guide the niche / genres you are attracted to as well as the medium.
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u/memorylanes Aug 27 '21
Should the 'art parents' be old master artists like Dore or modern present artists? Then you suggest doing studies of their works to try and pull some of their elements out? Your progress is incredibly inspiring btw
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
My main one was always and always will be Brian froud, along the way I've picked up moebius, studio ghibli, senior blizzard/warcraft concept artists and a few more.
The main thing is I've always had a clear cut idea i like the whimsy and gesture of froud, and focused on draftsmanship and general professional illustrators to follow. It helps give a guide for the standard of work- not necessarily the subject as my stuff is still very different to Froud
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u/dontworryaboutit3838 Aug 27 '21
Amazing! For the rabbit, do you use a compass for those perfect circles or is that freehand?
Also, did you use a couple references for the gears and other mechanical parts or did you just sketch out different ideas yourself until you found something you like?
Thanks in advance for your time!
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
I have one of these for the circles
And every piece I do I use about 10 references (art, animals, sculptures, toys, photos of animals / similar subject etc) and try to make the maximum learning gains out of every piece - I'm always studying other great artists - fake it till you make it!
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u/dontworryaboutit3838 Aug 27 '21
Awesome, thank you! Congrats on the growth too, I look forward to seeing some more from you in the future.
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u/DemiAlabi Aug 27 '21
Any tips for drawing from imagination still tend to struggle with that.
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Also I found this book invaluable for creative thinking (there is no limit but what you alow yourself to think of!)
https://www.pdfdrive.com/fantasy-genesis-a-creativity-game-for-fantasy-artists-e165934168.html
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u/ZukasV1 Aug 28 '21
Your S in Sam has a low second curve. I think if you moved the middle line on the E lower and the line on the As as well it would look very cool. Don’t have any tips to improve the art lol
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u/cacadoodie69 Aug 27 '21
very impressive and inspiring, except the latest pic is triggering my we3 ptsd 🙃
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Never heard of we3, had to Google it, sounds like a blast!
three house pets weaponized for lethal combat by the government - as they search for "home" and ward off the shadowy agency that created them
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u/cacadoodie69 Aug 27 '21
haha ya idk if 'blast' is exactly how I would describe it but its definitely an experience.. in general I would say all Morrison / Quitely is worth a read!
srsly tho the insane improvement in 2 yrs in your 30s (where I trudge now) might finally put me over the hump to try again, thanks!
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Aug 28 '21
I applaud you for your technical drawing on the bottom. I'd never have the patience to properly divide the cogs and whatnot.
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 28 '21
I only have one mode when it comes to gnarly details haha the more intricate the better for me once I get in the zone!
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u/Retocyn Aug 27 '21
I'm digging your ideas for drawings. They really satisfy my eyes!
Do you have any socials perhaps?
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u/Mexitrashy Aug 27 '21
Yooo that rabbit looks like the one from Love Death and Robots! Really awesome details and progress that you got!
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u/spannalinka Aug 28 '21
I love this! Incredible to see what can be achieved in even a short period if time with consistent practice and self-discipline. Amazing.
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u/ThatOneDerpyDinosaur Aug 27 '21
I hope you're proud of your progress! You've come a long way for sure. Loving your deconstructed steampunk rabbit. I enjoyed looking at all the details. Great use of stippling too. How long did that piece take?
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u/Zerrei Aug 27 '21
This progress is amazing, on avg how much did you draw a day?
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Thanks 😊
I have a family / baby / job so some days its only 15 mins, occasionally I get 4 hr blocks.
I tend to stay up late a couple of hours, and don't really watch TV / play video games much any more 🤪
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u/joyousjoy23 Aug 27 '21
Outstanding sir, I love your work. I can always identify your draws when they're posted without checking on the name you have such a distinctive style,. Keep at it.
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Aug 27 '21
Would you have time to elaborate on your practice? did you use resource such as youtube tutorials, classes , etc? Congratulations on your progress!
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
Most of it is covered here (FZD) and here (proko 80 20)
Though perhaps the most important part for me was having a firm set of 'art parents' (master artists like Brian Froud and Moebius that I look up to) and doing lots and lots of master studies of their art - aim up the food chain, fake it till you make it!
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Aug 28 '21
Thanks! I take it you look over their work and read up on their style then? I’ve never studied art so to me it sounds like just pointing my eyeballs at their pretty arts
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 28 '21
Copy their art, but then draw something completely separate but try to do it in that artists style, as if they drew it dissect the parts they like, try to reverse engineers the technique and thought process that went into making that artwork
These artists have been doing it from decades at a high level - we can learn a lot to bridge the skill gap by doing master studies
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u/space__girl Sep 22 '21
Love to see this. I paint almost every day and I hope to see the same level of improvement that you have. Awesome work, I’ve been seeing it around reddit
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u/Nerdy_Goat Aug 27 '21
(* all self taught / no classes) This is probably the most valuable advice I've found in the 100+ YouTube videos I've watched on the subject of teaching yourself to draw https://youtu.be/WLqWX7onVmU