Mabelma's art questions, discussion and other things

[Ilaekae]

"...what should I draw to help me improve my skills? Should I do anatomy studies, or just draw whatever comes to my mind?"

Both. Anatomy is a major aid to anyone attempting to enter the field of art. Drawing what comes to mind, as with any other use of one's imagination, is definitely important to developing "creativity" or the ability to "see" that which doesn't exist.

"Should I make a sketchbook even if I not very good at drawing?"

You should make a sketchbook ESPECIALLY if you're not very good at drawing, and use it/post as often as possible. It's the proper way to solve problems, gain/improve hand skills, and get advice on any items that cause you a problem.

[Mabelma]

Thanks I will start making a sketchbook here and see if i can get some feedback. Yesterday I did a bit of gesture drawing I will post that too and see what I can get from you guys thanks for everything.Should I keep this topic open or close it? Thanks to everyone who posted in this topic, be sure to check out my sketchbook and post there too. Thanks!!

[Noah Bradley]

Does 3D help your 2D skills?

Yes! Yes, yes, yes.

I took a sculpture class earlier this year and saw a huge boost in my drawing confidence (and my ability to convey 3d form). Maybe not if you're just starting out (since nailing observational drawing and proportions is key early on), but sculpture can be hugely beneficial for 2d artists.

[Mabelma]

Wow thanks. I make take that later on my journey to be come an artist. Thanks for posting!

[Mabelma]

Hey guys I have had an artist block for several days now and I can't seem to draw anything this days. Anything you might want to suggest for me to stop this mental block?
Some other things I wanted to say:
Changed the tittle and bought some books but the books you guys suggested weren't on borders. I'll keep saving for them and buy them later. I bought how to draw comics, I got this book because it had some anatomy in it and some perspective too so I though it could help me in some way and I also bought The Basics of Drawing, I bought this one well because I need to learn the basics to be a good artist right?
I also wanted to ask something. How do I do proper art studies? I mean like what studies help me improve my art skills and why do they do that and how I need to do them to get the most out of them. Thanks in advance!

[Eugie]

Suck it up and keep drawing, even professionals have artist's block but they deal with it and finish the job. If you're going to stop drawing every time you get artist's block, then you're going to have a hard time becoming a professional artist.

[Mabelma]

Thanks I'm going to start drawing from the books I bought and see if I overcome it. Please anwser my other questions. Thanks in advace.

[Irishdrunk]

There is no right way to study art. You can sit down, with a library of 'how to' books, read all day and night. And learn nothing.

Study by looking at other art and real life, and try to understand/figure out how to create that.

My advice to you, is not to create a 'correct' picture. Create something that looks visually right. Do that, and you won't be disappointed. Be your biggest critic, and don't be afraid to erase.

[Mabelma]

Wow thanks. I'm going to try doing that. Thanks for your post Irishdrunk.

[Mabelma]

Hey guys. I was thinking about something, I was thinking of making my own webcomic. I feel I can do it but I don't know. What do you guys think? Should I start a webcomic or keep practicing my art skills? Thanks in advance! If anyone else is making a webcomic and has any tips for me please post it here. It will be greatly appreciated.

[alesoun]

I'd hold back on that webcomic and keep practising your art skills but if anybody posts advice on webcomics, take good note.

Write out your story for the webcomic first. Make sure that you know where you want the story to go. Then think how to tell that story in panels. Think about camera angles and drama. Give yourself at least six months, because if you keep drawing, your art is going to change so much.

After six months, think again and consider if another six months will make a difference to your art and writing skills.

[Mabelma]

Thank you. I'm going to plan the story for the first 50 episode on this 6 months and draw, draw, draw. I'm going to take note on everything. I'm looking around the internet for tips too. I was thinking of making an schedule for me to practice art. Maybe 3 - 4 hours of art studies daily. 1 hour for drawing from my mind, 30 minutes for gesture drawing and 30 minutes for figure drawing ( I think it's the same but I don't really know) 1 hour from the Loomis' books and 1 from the how to draw comics book I have. Is that a good schedule or should I add something to it? I'm going to try to keep that up for the 6 months of intense training. I'm going to post everything in my sketchbook when and if I get some spare time. I'm going to try to keep the schedule when school starts cause I really want to be a good artist. Let's see how that goes. Thanks for posting.

[Mabelma]

Hey guys is anyone going to post some tips or comment on my schedule could you tell me if figure drawing is the same thing as gesture drawing? I would like to know. If I could add something to the schedule to improve my art skills even more just tell me. I had a question does drawing without erasing the lines help me in some kind of way? Anything I should do to help me on my webcomic on the future? Thanks in advance!!

[Mabelma]

Hi guys. I bought an awesome scanner today. It's beautiful. It's black and it's a printer a copier and a scanner. It's plain beautiful. Please post and answer the questions on the post above^^^^^^. Thanks in advance!

[JParrilla]

your worrying too much.. you can ask all the questions in the world but to get better you need to just do it. Dont worry about schedules.. DRAW. draw from life, photos, masters, favorite artists... just draw and draw.. and then draw some more.

[CCThrom]

It's really up to you. Anything is better than nothing, but if you have the time available, 3-4 hours a day drawing seems plenty. I haven't been able to put that kind of time specifically into drawing since college. Your plan to mix things up like that is terrific IMO, but let yourself wander and play with your art too... it shouldn't end up seeming like a chore. Save that for when you've got a job ;P

If the detailed schedule works for you, go for it... not everyone works well that way.

Figure drawing and gesture drawing are NOT the same, although gesture is often used as a warm-up for figure. Essentially gesture drawing is anything you draw in say, 30 seconds or less. The idea is to loosen up your arm, get your eye and hand working quickly together, and lock in on the essential elements of your subject really fast. This approach is often used as a warm-up for longer figure studies, but it could be applied to anything.

Learning to draw without erasing is useful in some ways... mostly it teaches you concentration and line confidence. If you enjoy this exercise, by all means do it. I used to do a fair amount of my figure studies in pen. Of course, there's nothing wrong with erasing either, in fact many artists specifically use the eraser as another drawing tool. One of the big tricks to learning art is to try as many things as you can... retaining the good and useful parts of all those things.

Keep at it!

[Mabelma]

Thanks for the post guys. I found a kid that draws on my swimming team and I'm we're planning to share studies and critic each other. Let's see how that goes. I'm gonna show you guys the printer,scanner when I get time to take a photo of it. It looks amazing. Thanks for posting.

[Mabelma]

Hey guys. Sorry for having to say this but I haven't been able to pull the 4 hours a day schedule so I have to make it a bit shorter. Here's the newest schedule:
First Hour:
15min- gesture drawing
15min- figure drawing
30min- drawing from my mind

Second hour:
15min- Loomis' Books
15min- How to draw tutorials from deviantart
15min- How to draw comic book
15min- For any study that may help me on the long run when drawing cartoons.

Tell me if this is a better schedule and suggest something for the final 15min. Thanks in advance. Also if you have any kind of tips for any of the studies I will be doing post them up here and if you have any kinds of tips to help me make a good webcomic post them here too. I forgot to say that if you have any kind of tips to help on planning the dialogue of the webcomic post that here too. Post any tip or any link that may help me improve my art and make my drawing time fun and not a chore. I'm going to become a good artist even if it kills me and that's final. Thanks in advance.

[Black Spot]

I don't think any schedule should be writ in stone. An enthusiasm, like you're showing in abundance, and an eagerness to learn should be enough. Never make learning like a chore as you won't learn. It all depends on what elements you personally want to conquer and then you can take them on one at a time with determination. The best teachers can make learning fun and I'll always advocate fun first, learn second.

[Mabelma]

Thank you Black Spot. That was really encouraging. Thanks for posting and for the compliments but please Tell me if this is a better schedule and suggest something for the final 15min. Thanks in advance. Also if you have any kind of tips for any of the studies I will be doing post them up here and if you have any kinds of tips to help me make a good webcomic post them here too. I forgot to say that if you have any kind of tips to help on planning the dialogue of the webcomic post that here too. Post any tip or any link that may help me improve my art and make my drawing time fun and not a chore.

[Leonor]

I like your schedule. Maybe we could be schedule pals?
I have a hard time commiting to work, maybe it would help me too.

[Mabelma]

How would that work? Please tell me what to add on the final 15min of the schedule and please answer my other questions.

[Mabelma]

Hey Leonor if you could tell me how that would work or what it is I will be your schedule partner. It's always fun to improve and help someone in the process. Thanks in advance!

[Mabelma]

Hey guys. Today's a really great day for posting so I tough about something. I will buy myself some new tools so please suggest some good ones and if you could tell me where to get them please post that too. I need everything that may come in handy when drawing. I figured I need good tools to start the art schedule. I will post what I have an if you could tell me what's good on my arsenal and what's not even worth having tell me. Also yesterday I was washing a TV series called LA Ink and I saw how beautiful the tattoos where and I wanted to ask, is there a tattoo artist around here that could post his creations on this topic and if the tattoo artist could tell me how he has improve since he started tattooing please post. Thanks in advance. Wait for the images cause I'm watching Code Geass right now and when I finish this episode I will start taking the photos and posting them here.

[Black Spot]

Seriously, you don't any special tools to study - pencil and paper is perfect. You might to try out colour, as some people do learn better with it, but kids crayons are cheap and easy.

[Mabelma]

I know. I was going to get them for when I started drawing seriously. Thanks for posting, please post on the other thing in the post.

[Mabelma]

Leonor:

[Mabelma]

Leonor: Where you joking man? I really would want to know what that is.
Reminder:I will buy myself some new tools so please suggest some good ones and if you could tell me where to get them please post that too.I need everything that may come in handy when drawing. I figured I need good tools to start the art schedule. I will post what I have an if you could tell me what's good on my arsenal and what's not even worth having tell me.( I will post the images when I get the charger for my phone, I can't find it.) LOL
Also yesterday I was washing a TV series called LA Ink and I saw how beautiful the tattoos where and I wanted to ask, is there a tattoo artist around here that could post his creations on this topic and if the tattoo artist could tell me how he has improve since he started tattooing please post.

Tell me if this is a better schedule and suggest something for the final 15min. Thanks in advance. Also if you have any kind of tips for any of the studies I will be doing post them up here and if you have any kinds of tips to help me make a good webcomic post them here too. I forgot to say that if you have any kind of tips to help on planning the dialogue of the webcomic post that here too. Post any tip or any link that may help me improve my art and make my drawing time fun and not a chore. I'm going to become a good artist even if it kills me and that's final. Thanks in advance.

Could anyone tell me what they did when they came out of college? I mean what did they do whit there art and what kind of career did they pursue and thinks like that. Thanks in advance.

[Spirit]

Well for new art equipment, any art store will sell them in abundance although be careful as some can be very expensive! Also, it's not about how good your things are, especially for somebody at your (and my) level. A basic sketchbook and any pencils/pens will do fine, as its you who is making the art, not the equipment. You could have the best artist equipment in the world, and still produce the same artwork you did with the cheapest pencil. So don't worry about new and shiny equpiment fornow, at least!

One tip I can give you concerning your schedule is - don't burn yourself out or make art seem like a chore. This could seriously damage your artistic growth! Make sure you spend time drawing things which interest you, and remember to have fun with your art. Studies are fine, but make sure you balance it out and have fun with your art too!

I'm afraid I can't answer any of your other questions, having not started college yet myself, and having no knowledge of tattoos but I hope this helps!

[Jazz]

Hi, Mabelma! I looked at your SB and I read through this topic you made. I have some thoughts that I hope might be helpful. Before that, I'll just advise you TAKE YOUR TIME. Seriously, you will enjoy art more if you take your time and worry less about time or looks or anything:

First off, looking in your SB, you are improving with figures! Though it's hard for me to see your drawings because they're so small. Perhaps you can upload them in a larger size. Also try using the "Attachment Manager" to upload images. You can click the "Post Reply" button and find the little paper clip button to do that.

Now onto what you're up to, I noticed you mentioned tools to use. As others have said, pencils and paper are just fine. Regular HB pencils work wonders when you want to get some ideas on paper, at the very least. They can be powerful too, though!

Yoitisi made a thread about tools here, where people can show the tools they use and compare. You might find this useful:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...ighlight=tools

Thing is, to really get an idea of what different experiences people have with different tools, you need to do some good searching and try some tools that you have access to. All that being said, I know of some places where you can get more info and save it...keep it close:

Concept Art 101. Seedling made this one, with challenges and such to really help you think of ideas for your pictures and such:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81332

Idiot Apathy's Peer Project thread. You can do exercises here, mainly with lighting and colours. Check out some of the links, too:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76955

Fine Arts, Studies and Discovery section. That's where many of the above type of threads are sitting, waiting to be used:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Tutorials, Tips & Tricks section for some great tutorials on specific things...
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

My thought is, the more you show, the more you'll get help especially catered to your needs. That's what I'm learning, especially recently. I still don't post enough, but I've been trying and more people will likely say something when you got some things to show. So I suggest you draw at your own pace, and show whatever you got in your SB. Unfinished or finished, it doesn't matter!

Now, I can't help you with tattoos, but try the Search tool here on the forums. I could've sworn I saw some threads around here with tattoos in mind! Oh, and if you'd like a good push as far as webcomics are concerned (though I'm with alesoun on waiting to bother with 'em), go here to the Panels or the Week Challenge section:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=145

There's some great info about comics, story, etc. Also, outside of CA, I've gone here to see what some webcomic artists do to actually make their comics come to life and STAY alive: http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/forums/

And to agree with some advice, don't push yourself too hard with the scheduling. Believe me when I say it'll help you less if you do push too hard. One thing to make your experience more fun is to take time to draw something you WANT to draw, not only practice yourself into the ground (unless you have fun doing that). But just something you love drawing, all for yourself without worrying about critiques or anything. Also, you should take a guiltless break now and then from art. It'll be more fun when you have a refreshed mind!

I think this is as far as I should go. LOADS of answers. That's the fun part of your art endeavours though, searching for more and finding some of your own. XD Start looking around for even more answers, definitely look around CA. You'll find some very useful information pretty much everywhere!

Good luck!