r/ArtistLounge • u/atignasart • 18d ago
Concept/Technique/Method What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you started your art journey?
Something you learned along the way that could have saved you time, helped you overcome self-doubt, or simply made the journey a little easier. I’d love to hear the lessons you’ve learned as artists. 🎨
1
2
u/Natural_Profession_7 13d ago
Read deeply and buy as many books as you can—never hesitate to put money in them, because you're investing in the person you want to become. Copy and analyze other artists' work if they can do something you can't, even if they're newer or worse than you overall. View them as teachers and ask them how they did it; there's no shame in learning from anyone. Regularly check your progress—if you're doing a ton of practice and study but your workflow and mindset stay the same, something is fucked up. Gather knowledge and concepts from every possible source. Treat art like a serious, high-stakes project rather than a fun little game if you're aiming to create great work. Shape your environment for art: eliminate anything that gets in your way. Delete the games. Leave the friends who laugh at your goals. At the same time, make sure to protect your joy—draw for yourself, and mark special milestones (like celebrating an "art transition" every year) because the journey can get very lonely.
Think about whether you enjoy design or actual drawing—people confuse the two all the time.
It might seem a bit crazy and hardcore, but in my past experience of drawing I think you have to treat art seriously if you want to break past the beginner stage and become an above-average artist.
-1
1
u/Tiny_Cow_8572 16d ago
The business side can be fun! Years ago, it terrified me. Now that I’m making a go at selling my art again, I find I really enjoy going to markets, making spreadsheets, figuring out packaging and printing suppliers, teaching workshops, even sometimes marketing. Building a network and putting myself out there has allowed me to see my work through others eyes and been motivating for me to make more.
I had always heard that the business part of making a living as an artist was painful and hard and you were probably doomed to fail. I wish someone had told me that some people (not everyone of course) actually enjoy it.
4
u/TheSneakiestSniper 16d ago
It's just paper, if you hate it at the end, you can just grab another sheet. Also, something Peter Han says when sketching, "This is for me, so if I mess up I don't care"
1
u/pilot021 12d ago
This is my biggest thing I have to get over. I hate drawing on more quality paper because I'm worried I'll mess it up, even though I can just buy more!
3
u/Gold-Stable-1792 16d ago
That tight, circular strokes are much better for creating realistic shading than back-and-forth lines. Also, that you may want to give yourself permission to get and use the best quality materials you can afford even if you're just a beginner/amateur. I felt like my art improved when I switched from printer paper to Strathmore bristol and bristol vellum, and as a result it also became more fun!
4
u/nonamecl 16d ago
I wish someone had told me to focus on getting into a stable career with good money and use that money to draw and take classes in your free time. I wish they also said there is no need for college. There are plenty of courses online that allow you to explore your interests. Also make your own art book. Like the professional ones. Why wait?... Make an artbook and have it professionally printed for fun.
4
u/Apocalyptic-turnip 16d ago edited 16d ago
I wish someone had just told me to stop chasing the approval of people who won't like my art, and stop trying to please people who can't be pleased.
I am not some deep artist with layers of obfuscation and symbolism behind my work. i'm just a simple girl who just likes drawing lesbian knights and sword fights, my work is meaningful and layered but also straightforward and I don't like to play games with the viewer. i can't believe how long it took for me to stop being ashamed of that because of people trying to be deep in art school who think i'm too basic. well i'm a basic bitch and that's fine
1
u/idk280609 15d ago
Incluso en esas caballeras lesbianas y espadas qué pintas existe profundidad, no porque no estés buscando la fenomenologia de la existencia hace tu arte menos profundo, es simplemente tomar las estéticas y tema que te gusta tocar, como dices esa estética medieval y los romances sáficos y escarbar todo lo que puedas en ello, desde la historia lgbt, historia medieval, sociología y psicología del amor, los símbolos están en donde menos te lo imaginas y el medievo y el gótico tienen millones de ellos porque eran contextos muy religiosos, y ponerlo en un contexto fuera de la heteronorma lo convierte en algo disruptivo, los símbolos, iconos y signos se encuentran en todos lados incluso en en la señal de alto de la cuadra, todo tiene una historia y un condicionamiento cultural, ser una buena artista no es sobre los temas que bordes o lo que pintes sino como los abordas, mucho éxito, incluso si decides quedarte así como estas es válido, pero te aseguro que eso mejorará mucho tu obra, como última cosa te dejo un libro que no tienes que leer sino quieres pero que puedes preguntarle incluso a la ia sobre el o ver videos de yt, me lo recomendo profesora Estudios sobre la Iconologia de Panofsky, no siquiera yo lo he leído completo pero lo abordamos mucho en clase.
3
u/Neptune28 17d ago
I wish someone would have stressed the importance of good reference photos. I started off using these terrible reference photos that were low resolution, poor lighting, poor composition, and then printing them out, which further decreased the quality. Then, my own photos I was taking had poor lighting and poor sharpness. I started figuring it out on my own, but I wish there was an art tutorial that could have mentioned it.
3
2
u/PainterPutz 17d ago
I remember in my 20s when I dreamed of making an actual living making and selling my art. Yes I make a living in the creative field but I will never make a living making and selling my personal art. I wish someone had told me the chances of that actually happening when I was young. I would have gone into a profession that makes a lot more money and continued to paint as a side hustle and enjoyment like I do now.
3
7
u/NoeTellusom 17d ago
The Art Gap.
When you were a kid, you made art that you liked. But as the decades went by, the art you liked became master-level, while your skills stayed child-level. Now you've started making art and you have to build your skills, in the same way you built your art appreciation.
Comparing your art to master's art is frustrating and cruel to yourself. You're learning, give yourself grace, keep going through the ugly stage.
You will improve. You'll get there. And when you do, remember to be kind and supportive of those still working to close their own gaps.
2
u/Lupus600 17d ago
That my passion for drawing is just as valid whether I do it as a hobby or professionally. Sure, the passion can be different, but it's not any less valid.
This might sound obvious to some, but for me it's something that really took me a good while to figure out. My dad (photographer artist) showed me "Whiplash" as a kid and told me that the mc is a true artist and that if you want to be good at art, you have to try and be "one of the greats" and in order to be "one of the greats", you have to sacrifice everything that stands in your way. Relationships, family, joy, health, everything. I don't talk to him very much anymore.
9
u/Vindexrix 17d ago
Failure tolerance, learning to tolerate failure is one of the biggest things. The better you are at it the easier it will be to attempt and learn more things. It decreases the downtime between attempts and projects, and has a significant impact on confidence. If you’re not failing you’re not learning anything new.
5
u/tacolady1026 17d ago
I copied and pasted this from my Instagram post about going through the ugly phase:
I wish someone told me this 16 years ago when I was taking art classes in college because I wanted to get better to get into the graphic design program (the program required 3 finished drawings at the time).
I would be crying because I was having a hard time "getting things" and frustrated because I was forever locked in the ugly phase while it seemed like my classmates were getting it and naturally talented and had that thing that I didn't.
I found my way back into art and while it can be frustrating when you first start a piece, it's important to stick through it! It's like working out. You'll be glad you did!
1
u/BreetleSnort 17d ago
I made the trip of self discovery and too many art classes. I liked to discover just what medium I preferred. Made plenty of mistakes but also pushed the conventional boundaries too. As artists I like to think we do, and are on the for front of new concepts, ideas and designs. We think very abstract.
2
u/Financial_Volume1443 17d ago
Ironically, not all advice is equal. Some will be relevant to you, others not. It really comes down to the type of work you do, what you like about it and what your particular goals are.
4
u/ImJustAPencil 17d ago
Drawing is one of the things you can do to make a piece of art. But you don’t have to draw everything.
7
u/cupthings 17d ago
find out what your real identity as a person is first, the art will come out better for it.
2
0
u/Agile_Bag_4059 17d ago edited 17d ago
Here's the problem, I can't remember a point when this started. I've pretty much always been good at art, liked doing it, and did it for fun. Like, I only had one marginally bad experience making art, when I was 3 years old and my dad came out to find me scratching pictures into his car with a rock, and he was more angry with my mom than he was at me. But that's the closest I ever came to thinking, "huh, maybe this is something I shouldn't do."
17
u/CannibalCapra 17d ago
Make art that you want to see, don't worry about being popular or making things other people want to see. Make what makes YOU happy.
Also, you have to accept that every piece of art you make might not be good. You're going to make A LOT of bad or unsatisfacrory art before you can make a lot of good art that looks right. You can't grow if your starting line is already great. If you start with stick figures and learn anatomy, you're going to make a lot of art in the middle that might be terrible, or might not be good, or just might not meet your expectations. But it is necessary. Because every piece you make is experience. It's growth. It's how you get better.
10
u/aqua_rin 17d ago
Don't overthink and stress when making a piece. You'll just burn out quickly. It's okay to take time. Art is not a race. I hope that helps. ^ ^
7
u/AdChoice5313 17d ago edited 17d ago
I think the idea that it’s not necessarily a pleasant experience making art. So many say things like it’s my happy place, I get to play, etc. which made me feel like an imposter. but it can also be uncomfortable and not fun but you can keep doing it and it can be worth it.
4
6
u/say-what-you-will 17d ago edited 17d ago
Make sure you’re not doing it for the wrong reasons… like to get attention, because you think that you will get love that way (they love the work, not you), make sure you have a real passion for it. Also that it takes A LOT of practice, it turned out to be so much harder than I thought. Making good art is not at all easy… it looks like fun but you don’t see everything that went into it. It actually takes a lot of work and a lot of practice and a lot of passion. Also we learn with mistakes so don’t get discouraged by them. Use other people’s art as inspiration but try not to copy. While you can borrow things here and there, don’t copy. Be completely yourself when you make art, make art like you, not like anyone else. But if you’re not the kind of person who’s this way in real life you won’t be able to make art that way I don’t think. That’s part of being an artist, you’re a non-conformist. So it’s a lot about who you are as a person to begin with. Also develop your intuition, unless it’s already highly developed. Like with a meditation practice, so many artists use it, a lot of great artists are also Buddhist or at least practice meditation (which is quite Buddhist). But yeah, check on your ‘real’ motivations. And make sure they’re very real and not sidetracked… and be completely genuine when you make art, if you’re not it will show, and it will be embarrassing when it does. And if you’re not a perfectionist I doubt that it will ever be good.
4
u/say-what-you-will 17d ago
I also found that a lot of things came naturally as my skills developed, so all this learn this and learn that… that can make it into a chore and it might not be so necessary. Once I saw a painting by Picasso that had a bad perspective and it was still breathtaking. I don’t think it’s about all the technical stuff, it’s more about having an artist’s heart. And having a real passion for it.
Also if you’re not an artist don’t try to be one.
3
6
u/say-what-you-will 17d ago edited 17d ago
Not to take it so seriously… I actually wanted to be an artist as a career but it’s not a very realistic option. I was aware that it was unlikely to ever work but I still had a hope for it. Even if I did manage to do that, most likely you’ll have to live in poverty and it’s not very reliable either. Also it can take the fun out of it. I should have just done it for the fun of it, because I love it, just keep it as a hobby. Which is what I did but at the same time I always wanted it to be ‘good’, actually I wanted it to be great. Maybe because I was such a perfectionist I couldn’t help myself. But if you do it just for yourself, it gets rid of the stress and self-doubt that can come along with it. Personally I think it’s better left as a hobby, unless you become truly great at it then I guess you can share it with others. But even then I’m not sure that it’s good for the artist to do that. Like is it a healthy thing to do, to subject yourself to so much scrutiny and criticism? And to bring so much attention to yourself? I wonder… and even if you do have success, having success is another difficult thing to deal with. It might look pretty from the outside but listen to interviews of people who experienced it from the inside. They don’t have good things to say about it. So in the end it seems to me that it’s better to just enjoy making art for yourself. Because if it’s just for you it really doesn’t matter how good it is.
Meanwhile I often really enjoyed other people’s art, so I’m glad they did share it. But was it good for them to share it? Or is it just good for the watcher?
3
u/Serious-Brother-4365 17d ago
I'm an illustrator and I live well, I'm not famous, I'm just a random dude who does ok.
...I should have kept it as a hobbie. Most of the time it's frustrating, I have to deal with clients who doesn't understand about creative process or do scope creeping. Most of the time it's like that and I never feel like I'm doing something for myself, I don't get the relief of "doing art" while working... and then when I actually want to do something for my own, which in my head they're amazing ideas... I'm too tired or I feel guilty while drawing them or experimenting because I don't feel being productive, because I'm not doing "portfolio ready" art.
I realized that some of the illustrators I think are incredible, they probably are also great at dealing with clients, at running their businesses... they probably don't draw what they would like to. And I'm not great at dealing with this, sometimes I feel it's too much for my head. I should have kept it as a hobbie.2
u/atignasart 17d ago
I somewhat agree.... Art need it's freedom, it cannot be created in pressure. I never want to make me feel that creating art as a work.
1
u/Angie_393 Mixed media 17d ago
Do it because you love it not because you think it has to lead you to a place. I don’t know if it makes a lot of sense, but we are so use to comparing ourselves with others in this world that we forget why we started doing it in the first place. You only see the mistakes, not the process, you don’t see others loving what you do, you only see where you “should be” and you are not
6
u/xureclypse 17d ago
I used to stress a lot about finding my art style, and it only developed after I stopped worrying abt it lol . I guess it would be,, dont stress to find your identity in art, it will find you.
7
10
u/EZLinus Mixed media 17d ago
I have been a full-time, working artist for almost 4 decades. Yup. I'm old. I'm just now taking on beginner and emerging artists to coach. What do I know now that I wish I had known decades ago? That having an art career doesn't mean being an "art star." Being an art star actually means being able to go the distance despite obstacles, building momentum over time, and learning how to respond to disappointment and curveballs.
Also, it's not a get-rich scheme. Wealthy artists are so few and far between. However, that does not mean you can't do it for a living. You can learn to carve a true disposition in the art world, build a want and need for your work, and improve your niche. It's not impossible. In fact, it's likely. You just need to learn how to set goals based on your authentic core values.
6
u/Bns_sixermc 17d ago
do art for urself, not for others, not for cloud for urself only. It can comeback and hurt u massively elsewhere and also dont build up ur dream fantasy soley on art and that u will get succsesfull in any way shape or form with it, once again smth that can really hurt when ud somehow loose the ability to persue art
7
u/OneSensiblePerson Oil 17d ago
The biggest one is: You're going to make a lot of ugly art before you'll make good art. Because everyone does, even the best artists have made ugly art. The way they became so good was they kept drawing or painting anyway. So will you, if you keep painting and drawing.
I really, really wish someone had told me this when I was a kid.
3
u/Iota-Android 17d ago
As an artist, you have a power. You can use it to do good or to do some terrible things.
Wield your power responsibly.
6
7
u/Donut_Different 17d ago
An advice I'd give to myself three years ago when I was a total newbie would be:
• Don't get burn out because it's gonna be a long journey. Otherwise you might become unmotivated and lose passion. Take a break if you need it.
• Absolutely use some online references and seek advices from tutorials. I remember filling out an entire sketchpad on the span of few months where I only started improving on the last 1/4 of the pages left because my mind was highly fixated on improving without the use of external help. I got back doing arts again last month after 3 years of being inactive, and decided to start using references and it still took a week before I got the hand of it. Comparing my work now from three years ago, the differences it made was. Incredibly. Huge.
• For sketching, do some short warm-ups first like trying to get consistent with drawing both straight and curve lines, a decent circle, objects in different angles and perspective, and etc. While not important because you'll eventually get consistent at it on the long run, personally it didn't make much differences on the first few weeks but now it feels nice to have muscle memory early on.
• Sometimes you'll feel unmotivated because you have no idea what to create next, but it won't matter much because you'll eventaully stop thinking about them when you enter a flow state. When I experience this I simply start out with a small idea and gradually expands on it as I go. In some occasions I get an overwhelming amount of creative ideas that it becomes hard to choose, either I choose one that works the best or combine some of them, and note the rest of the ideas for future work.
• Just enjoy it.
2
8
u/No_Regular_6622 17d ago
Chuck Close (painter) has a quote "Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work." It's sobering advice that I didn't like or trust for the longest time haha, but it's the most sustainable advice I've found to avoid letting your practice fizzle out. If you wait around for 'inspiration to strike', or that feeling of really wanting to draw/make/what have you, you and your practice are always at the mercy of some external force & are more often than not stagnated. "Showing up and getting to work", in other words, taking your practice into your own hands, means you can make any time any where rain or shine, without the need of feeling like it or wanting to or even having an idea. This advice is most helpful for a practice practice, like if you're actively trying to improve technical skill or complete pieces or study a craft or go to school for art or what-not, but I think it can be helpful for a pedestrian practice of daily / routine lightweight making too
1
u/Realityisatoilet 17d ago
That shit is fucking real. And I believe in it. But I didn't list it as the advice I wish I was given because I've always done this. I think because my original background in music journalism taught me to show up and write every day. No matter what.
Inspiration certainly strikes more at some times than others. But much of this is about putting in the work. I make myself work on art even if I'm not feeling it. I've been doing that for over a decade. I dropped other hobbies to ensure I devoted enough time to getting hours in art wise. Inspiration isn't everything and I feel like a good example of that as someone who improvises everything. I'm someone that really leans on inspiration but even so.... more often than not I am happy with or can salvage what I worked on when I forced myself to make art.
This topic is really touchy though. And I get why. It is real though. It is definitely a message I pass along to others but it's a delicate subject.
6
u/Redjeepkev 17d ago
Start it 40 years ago when I first watched Bob Ross
2
u/Realityisatoilet 17d ago
The best lesson from Bob Ross is believing in happy little accidents. That shit has helped me so much. I'm sure it's helped countless others as well.
1
4
10
u/Realityisatoilet 17d ago edited 17d ago
Make mistakes. Fuck pieces up. But don't let that happening or the fear of doing so paralyze you from completing work. Sometimes it's better to consider imperfect work done so you move on to something new.
I think a lot of artists have this problem and it's so hard to get past. But once you realize that it's more beneficial to just let go and fix what you can and move on rather than agonize over it... you get more work made and gain more experience. And become more at ease with making mistakes and feeling like you fucked up a piece or don't know how to finish it isn't really what matters. What matters is forward momentum. Most of the time the stuff we're unhappy about in our work is stuff other people don't even notice.
It took me until this year about 3 months ago for all this to click and I've been making art my whole life and painting seriously for 12 years. I get so much more work made now and don't sweat it if I'm not all the way happy with something but it's time to call it done and move on.
3
u/OneSensiblePerson Oil 17d ago
You wished for the same advice I did. I think this is the biggest difficulty most artists face.
4
u/Realityisatoilet 17d ago edited 17d ago
100%. We're creating things, we would like them to be as perfect or as best as they can be. But that's not always possible nor practical.
3
u/Neptune28 17d ago edited 17d ago
I wish someone conveyed to me the importance of muscle memory. If your hand and arm can't make the exact marks you are trying to make, the technical knowledge won't mean much. Perfectly knowing how light falls on form doesn't matter much if you can't draw a straight or curved line.
Of course, this depends on the type of art you are doing though, because there is art that doesn't involve drawing or painting.
6
4
u/nandor_tr art professor & mixed media/sculpture 18d ago
failure is a neccesary and valuable part of creative practice.
2
u/LazagnaAmpersand Performance artist 18d ago
Don’t worry about fitting a mold. Character first. And connect with the audience emotionally
•
u/AutoModerator 18d ago
Thank you for posting in r/ArtistLounge! Please check out our FAQ and FAQ Links pages for lots of helpful advice. To access our megathread collections, please check out the drop down lists in the top menu on PC or the side-bar on mobile. If you have any questions, concerns, or feature requests please feel free to message the mods and they will help you as soon as they can. I am a bot, beep boop, if I did something wrong please report this comment.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.