Art problems

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:04 am

I know many of you are either great writers, artists, editors, drawers, painters, the list goes on. However, I'm not so lucky. I end up with so many great ideas that I can't translate onto paper. I'm not too bad of a writer, but definatly not any near most of you. I have my flaws, I end up redundent. (I.E. She found a rock. The rock was red. She went on. She found another rock. It too was red. She went on some more, then she slept. That night, another rock was found.) However, for the most part I'm not horrible. However, I stopped writing because I felt that I could never improve and it would never match to anyone else.

Also, I cannot draw, sing, play an instrament, paint, or make flash movies or mess with photoshop. I'm just not artistic. It sucks, because all of my art is in my head, great stories, great ideas for movies, cartoons, short films, etc... yet I can never get them out onto something physically. I can't make flash movies, or make a picture of it. Usualy, I get no further than begginning a story of the idea and sometimes a basic script. Other times, I get no further than the very begginning of a story board, which is also hard because I can't, again, draw worth a damn.

Does anyone else suffer like this? Does anyone have tips I could use?

Post by **Erroneous** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:16 am

Draw, whenever you have spare time or just plain bored, pick up a pen (no pencil) and paper and just start drawing what you see. Your desk, outside, people walking around, whatever, just make a repition going in your life and you will gain skills. Drawing is no different that body workout, repition is the ONLY way you will get to where you want. So you may start out lousy and not to your expections, just keep doing it. I spent time with some great artists and some from major companies and even they still do these repitions daily. Best way to start off is to at least do 10-30 gestures of people in action a day. Gestures are to be less than a minute each so this would be no more than 10 minutes of your life each day.

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:32 am

Speaking of which, why pen? My favorite tool of choice is .5 mechanical lead pencil, and those eraser pencils.

Post by **Sonic#** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:43 am

Oh, if you read my first attempts at essays, my first attempts at journals, my first attempts at poems, they are horrible! Ghastly! I don't know many people who haven't suffered the harsh truth of looking at their work and realizing... well, it just stinks. I still do that sometimes. I feel better about my work now generally, but I know that the only way to improve is to keep writing.

It's not easy. I think that's part of the beauty in it. I can't scribble off Wordsworth or Millay. It takes lots of practice, and lots of revision. But it's like a cut jewel when it's done. Balanced. Honed. Oooo, or a SWORD!

I do know what you mean about feeling inept at things though. >_< As far as drawing goes, my skill is limited. With music, my knowledge is limited. But in either case, if I were to practice, I'm sure I'd improve. It's just not very instant.

Post by **Erroneous** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:50 am

phyco126 wrote:Speaking of which, why pen? My favorite tool of choice is .5 mechanical lead pencil, and those eraser pencils.

Pencils will just piss you off because with it you know you can erase, by erasing you're not learning anything. When its down in ink pernamently, you can look back and see where you went wrong while attempting to draw something you see. Erasing is not learning, and you can't look back on things when they fade in lead whereas in ink.

Pitch · Post by **Pitch** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:09 am

I'm not very artistically inclined either. But man have I come a long way since my days of drawing nothing but stick figures. My art still sucks, but I try and it shows. lol.

I'd say that the key is not to quit doing whatever you're doing until you're done. Things have a way of working out for themselves. Of course I'm a total hypocrite for saying this, what with all these stories I have on my hard drive that I stopped writing after 7, 10, or 60 pages. You really tend to learn as you go along when it comes to this sorta artistic stuff. I remember back in 7th grade I decided to write this massive scifi story, which I spent half a year on and had about 60 pages done, and plenty more to write(then my hard drive crapped out and it ALL was lost... <.<), then I went back to read it all and I was all like.. "My god, this sucks." Grammar errors, inconsistancies, not many spelling errors thanks to spell check, but there were a few, just stuff that seemed awkward and not very believeable(characterwise. scifi's not always the most believeable subject). But then as I got further into it I noticed things started getting tons better.

What I mean to say is that people aren't just born with msasive artistic talent. It's something you develop. You do get better, it just takes some time. Practice. You'll be fine.

And of course, feedback always always always helps. Post your stuff up, see what people suggest. Sometimes people may be a little harsher, but listen to 'em should they happen to say something you can use.

If all else fails, take a class or google some guides or something. lol

Post by **GhaleonOne** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:58 am

BTW, never compare yourself to someone else doing the same thing. If I had compared myself to Mike Salbato (RPGFan's graphics guy and http://chrono.lunar-net.com for more of his work) I would have quit LunarNET years ago and never bothered with this stuff. Use people that are better than you as examples of what to strive towards.

And you definately aren't the only one that gets frustrated. Everytime I do something in Photoshop, or design a website, or whatever, there's always something that I get frustrated with. In fact, I've been working on a design for a new site I'm doing for the past 4 days. I finally came up with the early stages of it tonight, and for those four days, I was extremely frustrated because everything in my head just didn't come out like I wanted when I got to it. That's just the way things are. In fact, many times, I'll design something and be at least somewhat okay with it at first, but after a while, I get sick of it's look and dislike it. Heh, half of my designs are like that. I like something for a while, then dislike it. I think the only design I've ever done that I really like is this current look of LunarNET and my portfolio. Both took me a month or more each just to design. So if you get frustrated, take a break and come back in an hour or so. Clearing your mind helps a LOT.

Pitch · Post by **Pitch** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:47 am

Yeah, DEFINITELY don't get discouraged when you see other people making really good stuff. Seriously that set me back for a long time. And shoot, my stuff still isn't even that good. Don't get discouraged. If it's something you want to do, do it. Ya know, like enjoy it and stuff. "Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans", props to anyone who knows where that's from. Alright?

Post by **Kizyr** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:02 am

Meh, you're not really suffering. Just you're trying to find some inborn talent or ability among only a handful you listed anyhow. I think the problem is with your comparison, not so much your actual abilities.

Most everything I can do well I worked at. I don't have much 'natural' talent, but I prefer to develop certain skills I want to have. I never took an interest in drawing, so I never got good at that. I do have an interest in calligraphy--Arabic and Japanese, specifically--so, I've worked on that skill. And, well, I'm still lousy at writing fiction, but that's largely because I just don't work on my fiction-writing abilities.

It's better to figure what you really have an interest in doing yourself, not what you see other people doing that you'd like to emulate. From there, well, you can work on it. It doesn't have to be something 'artistic' either, that's just one type of ability among a whole lot. KF

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:36 pm

Well, I'll keep it up, I always do, but it's disheartening. Glad to hear I'm not the only one though. I'll keep working on it, and I'll try to be reduntant to improve at least enough of my drawing to be, well, at least lookable.

SSSFan · Post by **SSSFan** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:10 pm

hmm, I never draw in my free time, just because I suck in drawing. maybe I should do it some more 'cause I often have ideas in my head and just cannot work them out on paper. In some sort of way reading this topic has encouraged me to draw more.

localflick · Post by **localflick** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 2:43 am

When I was taking drawing classes in college we all had to make something and put it up on a wall with everyone else's work for a critique. At first everyone compared themselves to everyone else. You're just going to get frustrated by doing that. Some people are further along than others. Instead of someone being "better" than you they're just ahead. If you keep at it you'll be at their ability level eventually. And don't think you're not artistic, it's more a matter of learning.

Think of it (it being drawing, painting, whatever you want to be good at) like tying your shoes. When you start out for the first time it's kind of difficult and frustrating. Now you don't even think about it. As long as you don't give up, and enjoy what you're doing you'll be fine.

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 4:45 am

I still can't tye my shoes though...

Hehe, joke

You know, it's just frustrating because there is so much I want to do but there is no way I can do it. Even if I get the writing skills, or the drawing skills, I still can't do any of the short films I want to make/have made for me. Of course, one short film will likely get me shot like that Van Gough (SP?) guy, this time from Christians or Catholics or some other branch of that

.

It also doesn't help that I don't have a scanner or knowledge of Photoshop. If I had both, then I could easily scan my pictures into the computer, then "ink" them, reprint, then trace to make story boarding a lot easier.

localflick · Post by **localflick** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 5:19 am

In time your visions will come to life. Your skills will grow until you create something you're happy with. I know someone who made an award-winning short film. There's also like 8 versions of the film over a period of six years. He spent a lot of time and effort, but was passionate about his work. He didn't rest until it paid off for him. That's what happens when you don't give up and abandon your ideas. Don't let go of them. Instead try to realize them -even if it doesn't come out the way you want. Eventually it will.

I went through college with two VERY outdated computers. I majored in Interactive Multimedia meaning that I worked with computers all the time. I MADE FLASH FILES I COULDN'T RUN. And as a result I was always a little behind on techincal skills. But I always had creative ideas, and that's what saved me every time. Eventually I got a blazin fast PC that can do everything the others couldn't, so out of curiosity I wanted to learn everything I couldn't do before. Now I can create nearly anything I can concieve. So don't give up!

...and learn to tie your shoes already. It'll get embarassing in a few years. :wink:

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:42 am

Maybe that's why girls won't date me anymore... I always wondered why they ran so fast after I asked them to tie my shoes for me, since I don't know how... hmmmm

Well, I will keep working on it. The thing is, making a short film, at least the one I really really really really would like made, well, those things often cost around $20,000. I just don't have that kind of money to spend. Well, I don't have any money period, hehe ^^;. Still

I don't want to be 50 before I have to money to hire a crew to film something that's only going to be 5 minutes long or something and cost me $20,000 unless I win the lottery or find a way to make it cheap, or get the money thru a grant (which is impossible

)

SSSFan · Post by **SSSFan** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:52 am

Well, I think talent says something too. Some people have a better feeling for it then others. When you get better in drawing by doing it more, you'll only get better in technique, but there's more then technique, like feeling. that's something you can't get better in. it's something you're born with.

phyco126 · Post by **phyco126** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:56 am

Well, speaking of being born with it, I agree with that as well. One guy in high school was the best artist in the school. He could draw a poster sized anime style picture with details and all in mere minutes. His hands just, it was like they had their own mind and the speed and accuracy was mind boggling. Even while watching him draw it, I had a hard time believing that he was doing it that good that fast. Of course, that doesn't include coloring, that takes considerably longer, but dang, he could draw.

Rego · Post by **Rego** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:27 am

Phyco trust me, I suck. There are still a ton of more people out there that are ten times better than I am.

Besides it took me years to even get where I am at today. Yeah, I can do different kinds of art, but it still takes a lot of time to come up with an idea. I screw up numerous times and end up redoing it three or four times.

Once you practice you'll get used to it. You'll get better and find new techniques that will enhance your abilities. No body is born with talent, but they are born with teh desire.

SSSFan · Post by **SSSFan** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:06 pm

so you're saying there is no such thing as talent?

Post by **drumlord** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:25 pm

What part of "nobody is born with talent" did you not understand?

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