Lost My Way

**BeckyHew** · October 23rd, 2006, 10:34 AM

Hi everyone,
I really need some advice. I have reached a point where I don't know in what way I should develop my art skills.
I have recently come back to drawing and painting after a long time away and I would like to do some kind of concept art. I have improved a lot over the last year, learning Photoshop and studying various techniques, but I feel I'm a long way off the stuff that's on this site. My art is not very realistic and I have no style of my own.
The question I want to ask is, should I stop trying for realism and take a more cartoony approach that is more within my grasp at the moment, or should I keep pushing for perfection even though it's a long way off? I just don't have any direction at the moment - I like cartoony styles, but admire realism a lot.

Please please help me!
Sorry to bore you all.........

**Seedling** · October 23rd, 2006, 11:36 AM

You could try doing an hour-long still-life a day. (I'm currently doing that, with really good results.)

Also, if you are not aware, concept art is a subset of illustration.

Also, if you are interested in concept art as it applies to the games industry, there is a link in my sig for you.

Cheers!

**Cthogua** · October 23rd, 2006, 11:40 AM

Keep pushing, but remember there is no finish line, so it doesn't matter how close or far off something might seem. Learning fundamentals like perspective, rendering form via light and shadow, human/animal anatomy, or color theory isn't going to hurt ANYONE, no matter what they want to do with their art. More knowledge = better person/artist

About the cartoony thing: I have a coworker who constandly uses the fact that he wants to draw "cartoony" stuff as a reason to not seriously study design, anatomy, realistic rendering, perspective...you name it. When in reality the best cartoon artists are often very good realistic artists. (ever seen a disney animators sketchbook?) Inorder to create believably or interestingly distorted forms you need to know those basic forms. If you have trouble drawing a cylinder in perspective how are you going to handle a "cartoony" tubular character receeding into the distance?

I guess my point is...If you are unsure about the direction of your art, stop worrying about it and get down on some fundamentals, you may very well find some direction in that study.