Draw your Character

[Gramul]

Mozart would disagree. All have gifts, not all gifts are in all. Just watch American Idol auditions.

Mozart was born into a family that lived, breathed, and died in music.
He had a passion for it and the means and will to learn his craft, even at a young age. He may have had a natural sense for musical development, but his skill was not magic. He found his passion and pursued it to the best of his will, always learning, always honing his art. He was privileged to have a high jumping point, but that doesn't mean people without that jump start can't reach the same heights.

Note the difference between most Idol winners and hopefuls. The successful tend to be more humble, willing to hear out critique and grow where they are weak while pruning where they are strong. Those who fail are often either so self assured that they reject the idea that they are not already perfect, or crumble away when they discover they're not 'naturally gifted' enough and abandon the idea altogether. Then there's the fleeting fame gimmick junkies, but that's another thing altogether.

[Caoihmin]

He was privileged to have a high jumping point, but that doesn't mean people without that jump start can't reach the same heights.

Your original sentiment was that no one is innately born with the ability to create. This is simply not true. Mozart's means by which he attained excellence (as per your opinion) have no bearing on the original topic.

Not everyone has the same giftings. True, hard work and discipline are substantial factors in the pursuit or development of something, but to tell someone with tone deafness that they can be the next Andre Bocelli if they work hard enough is cruel and indicative of a culture that portrays humankind like the Special Olympics. Sorry, not everybody wins.

Pursue your passions, but always know that there is someone out there, somewhere, who has attained your level of excellence in a fraction of the time because they were BORN to do that.

[Ahmbor]

Pursue your passions, but always know that there is someone out there, somewhere, who has attained your level of excellence in a fraction of the time because they were BORN to do that.

Listen to his man. He understands the difference between a person who has talent and a person who need to work hard for art and to learn it (and never reach the level of a person with talent).

[Obysuca]

Pursue your passions, but always know that there is someone out there, somewhere, who has attained your level of excellence in a fraction of the time because they were BORN to do that.

^ This. I can't tell you how many times I've come across really great artists to find out they've only been drawing for 1/8th the time I have, yet they're 30 times better :/
It's actually kind of frustrating, especially when you see these people who go from crap to amazing in ~2 years, while you've been at it for about 16 years and aren't even half as good lol

but to tell someone with tone deafness that they can be the next Andre Bocelli if they work hard enough is cruel and indicative of a culture that portrays humankind like the Special Olympics. Sorry, not everybody wins.

>_> Not going to lie, part of me wants to be all negative and tell people the truth that chances are, even with hard work, they'll never be extremely good. But apparently telling people the truth and hurting their feelings / crushing their dreams is frowned upon lol

[Ahmbor]

^ This. I can't tell you how many times I've come across really great artists to find out they've only been drawing for 1/8th the time I have, yet they're 30 times better :/
It's actually kind of frustrating, especially when you see these people who go from crap to amazing in ~2 years, while you've been at it for about 16 years and aren't even half as good lol



>_> Not going to lie, part of me wants to be all negative and tell people the truth that chances are, even with hard work, they'll never be extremely good. But apparently telling people the truth and hurting their feelings / crushing their dreams is frowned upon lol

Listen to this woman!

[Gramul]

Your original sentiment was that no one is innately born with the ability to create.
[...].

And I will stand by the statement. No one pops out of the womb with the ability to craft masterpieces any more than they have the ability to dance Swan Lake.
Some people will have an easier road than others due to a wide variety of reasons, but we all start at level 1, and it's a wasted effort to compare your rate and direction of growth to others. And I seriously can not emphisize that enough so I'll say it again.

IT IS A WASTED EFFORT TO COMPARE YOUR RATE AND DIRECTION OF GROWTH TO OTHERS.

Even the handicapped can still grow and learn. They can find alternate routes. Strengthen their weaknesses while pruning their strengths.

Yes. Only the one in first will win the metal, but that doesn't invalidate everything below it. Especially in something as subjective as art. Not being 'the best' is a down right terrible excuse to not work.
I'm not saying that you will be the next Rembrandt van Rijn, or Johannes Vermeer. But you mustn't forget artists like Picasso and Dali are also renowned.

Find your imperfections and acknowledge what make them beautiful. Make them strong while developing the techniques, knowledge and methods to clearly and boldly relate your concepts.
There is no one route. No one single objective goal.
There are no rules. Only tools.

I don't think I'm totally clear on what you're trying to challenge or assert, but I hope I'm being clear enough on my meaning.
Your artistic development isn't a competition.

[Luua]

Make them strong while developing the techniques, knowledge and methods to clearly and boldly relate your concepts.

I don't focus much on techniques or stuff, I know how anatomie works and when it looks right it's okay.
You make art sound like it's science but to me it's just fun and I think having fun is more important,
even improvment is coming faster when you love what you do ^^

[Luua]

As someone who's been told time after time that she's talented when it comes to drawing, I can vouch that you definitely need to concentrate on "techniques, knowledge and methods" in order to improve and become a more well-rounded artist. This is on top of drawing a lot, oftentimes drawing things that look like absolute crap just in order to get that image out on paper and move on with your life. Someone with talent who never strives to improve is still going to wind up worse than someone who dedicates their time to improving themselves, whether it takes months or years for that time to come.

Think the tortoise and the hare.

Seems like I do art wrong then..
I wonder how I managed to improve without trying to do so :/

[Calami]

Seems like I do art wrong then..
I wonder how I managed to improve without trying to do so :/

I'd be willing to bet you've drawn a lot in your life, but if your art started out looking just like that from the first drawing you ever created then congratulations, you are talented! Must have been nice never having to work for it.

[Luua]

I'd be willing to bet you've drawn a lot in your life, but if your art started out looking just like that from the first drawing you ever created then congratulations, you are talented! Must have been nice never having to work for it.

No I never worked for it, you know why? Because I love to draw and it's not work if you do what you love ^^
I don't see art as science or work, it's relaxing for me and my way to express myself.

I bet if you compare your art now to when you started (whenever that was), you'll see a great difference.

Of course I have improved, this happens when you draw and keep drawing.
Still I never focused so much on some techniques I just did my thing.
If it looked right for me I continued and if not I tried to fix somehow ^^

Aaaah btw just finished a new commission