So You Wanna Be An Artist, Eh?......(A Tutorial).....

[nami438 90]

The whole reason I made this thread was because the thought of having to go to each and every thread here of artists who really need help to improve is just exhausting. It's really bad when you type out a massive post explaining everything wrong with a person's artwork and how to improve, when they either never respond or get hostile and cuss you out. I don't recall either happening here, but still, it can happen. It seems that too many people suffer from Dunning-Krueger and as a result can't see the flaws in their own work, so trying to give them criticism, even constructive, is pointless. They need to get over their Dunning-Krueger if they're ever going to improve.

 

Anyway, I thought it best just to make a big tutorial thread for people who actually want to become good artists, get it pinned, than leave it at that. Because I just can't do it, I can't take trying to critique people individually anymore. It's far too much for one person. And besides, just making a tutorial and getting it pinned is far better.

If that is the case, I think that the thread would be better off named "How to Improve Your Art" or something like that. That way you'll get less new artists, and more somewhat experienced artists who want to grow, the latter of whom I assume you want to speak to.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

If that is the case, I think that the thread would be better off named "How to Improve Your Art" or something like that. That way you'll get less new artists, and more somewhat experienced artists who want to grow, the latter of whom I assume you want to speak to.

 

Agreed. It's not for beginners.

 

Also, if you're looking to have a 'How To Art' thread pinned, it should be combed through and amended by some of the more experienced artists on this site. Arylett, Casey and Lucky Lass are the first three who come to mind. There's a large difference between having 'researched' how to create good art, and having the skill to actually create it. Some insight can only come from experience.

 

Where tutorials are concerned, experienced artists have a better idea of how they worked through or overcame their own struggles, and that knowledge informs the way they would go about teaching it to others. Having worked through the practical intricacies of each artistic element makes them far easier to break down and explain.

[Sir Wulfington 276]

If that is the case, I think that the thread would be better off named "How to Improve Your Art" or something like that. That way you'll get less new artists, and more somewhat experienced artists who want to grow, the latter of whom I assume you want to speak to.

 

Well I had regretted the thread title but I can't rename it now.

 

Agreed. It's not for beginners.

 

Also, if you're looking to have a 'How To Art' thread pinned, it should be combed through and amended by some of the more experienced artists on this site. Arylett, Casey and Lucky Lass are the first three who come to mind. There's a large difference between having 'researched' how to create good art, and having the skill to actually create it. Some insight can only come from experience.

 

Where tutorials are concerned, experienced artists have a better idea of how they worked through or overcame their own struggles, and that knowledge informs the way they would go about teaching it to others. Having worked through the practical intricacies of each artistic element makes them far easier to break down and explain.

 

You're implying that I don't have any experience whatsoever. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

@@Sir Wulfington, 

 

I remember you posting in another thread about how you'd not been drawing for long, but you'd 'researched' an enormous amount. Whereas I've been drawing as a hobby for nearly a decade. If you do have at least a few years of experience, I'd love for you to link to a DA. Until then, I'll assume what I saw earlier is the truth. It seems that way when reading through your explanations. Being able to properly explain something to others is the biggest test of whether you truly understand it yourself. That's why I have students explain answers to one another. If they can do that, I know they understand it.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't even have colour included in this at all. What you have written is still implying that a character with a primary design of 'red + green' or 'blue + orange' can't work, when in fact they can and do. The reasons certain palettes don't work has more to do with unbalanced saturation and gamma. If anything, just link to Purplekeckleon's old colour tutorial. It's several years old and it isn't perfect, but it's still one of my favourites. It explains an enormous and difficult topic clearly, simply and succinctly with good examples.

 

Regardless, if you're looking to get an art-help thread pinned, I would suggest spearheading a collaborative effort drawing on the input of some of the skilled artists around this site, and ensuring each section is focus-tested to ensure the explanations make sense to the people they're supposed to be helping.

[SweetJeans88 408]

 

 

@Sir Wulfington,    I remember you posting in another thread about how you'd not been drawing for long, but you'd 'researched' an enormous amount. Whereas I've been drawing as a hobby for nearly a decade. If you do have at least a few years of experience, I'd love for you to link to a DA. Until then, I'll assume what I saw earlier is the truth. It seems that way when reading through your explanations. Being able to properly explain something to others is the biggest test of whether you truly understand it yourself. That's why I have students explain answers to one another. If they can do that, I know they understand it.   If I were you, I wouldn't even have colour included in this at all. What you have written is still implying that a character with a primary design of 'red + green' or 'blue + orange' can't work, when in fact they can and do. The reasons certain palettes don't work has more to do with unbalanced saturation and gamma. If anything, just link to Purplekeckleon's old colour tutorial. It's several years old and it isn't perfect, but it's still one of my favourites. It explains an enormous and difficult topic clearly, simply and succinctly with good examples.   Regardless, if you're looking to get an art-help thread pinned, I would suggest spearheading a collaborative effort drawing on the input of some of the skilled artists around this site, and ensuring each section is focus-tested to ensure the explanations make sense to the people they're supposed to be helping.

theres a crap-ton of tutorials for very very beginners, but as you progress, the tutorials get more and more sparse.  especially if you get into a specific field of art:  illustration is different from animation, advertisement or web development.  teaching people to "see" is the hard part--beyond that its drawing what you see--not what you think you see.

however, a collaborative "critique" board of artists would be pretty friggin sweet! with tutorials and maybe even exercises? Owo <3

[Sir Wulfington 276]

@@Sir Wulfington, 

 

I remember you posting in another thread about how you'd not been drawing for long, but you'd 'researched' an enormous amount. Whereas I've been drawing as a hobby for nearly a decade. If you do have at least a few years of experience, I'd love for you to link to a DA. Until then, I'll assume what I saw earlier is the truth. It seems that way when reading through your explanations. Being able to properly explain something to others is the biggest test of whether you truly understand it yourself. That's why I have students explain answers to one another. If they can do that, I know they understand it.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't even have colour included in this at all. What you have written is still implying that a character with a primary design of 'red + green' or 'blue + orange' can't work, when in fact they can and do. The reasons certain palettes don't work has more to do with unbalanced saturation and gamma. If anything, just link to Purplekeckleon's old colour tutorial. It's several years old and it isn't perfect, but it's still one of my favourites. It explains an enormous and difficult topic clearly, simply and succinctly with good examples.

 

Regardless, if you're looking to get an art-help thread pinned, I would suggest spearheading a collaborative effort drawing on the input of some of the skilled artists around this site, and ensuring each section is focus-tested to ensure the explanations make sense to the people they're supposed to be helping.

What does my personal ability in art have to do with whether or not I know what I'm talking about? I could be completely inept, skill-wise, and still know all the important aspects of a good work of art. Attempting to poke holes in my tutorial by using my own art as a basis for whether or not anyone should take me seriously is just plain silly. You would then be saying that things like anatomy, light and shading, placement, etc. don't matter if I posted any of my art and it was inadequate. Also, I have LOTS of experience drawing, I've been doing it for 2 years now since I started doing it again, I used to do it as a kid but gave up. I admit I've only, in the past few months, learned everything I know now, slowly gaining the knowledge over the past 2 years since I began drawing again.

 

But all that matter is I do know what I'm talking about, and my personal skill does not make me any more or less reliable than any of the top tier artists. I actually am, for the record, competent at all the things I listed in my guide. I'm not going to link any of my art for reasons completely irrelevant to this thread. Also, I really dislike the fact that you assume I'm lacking in ability simply because I'm weak at explaining things. No, I'm bad at explanations because I have a limited vocabulary, so I frequently struggle to find the right words to describe things.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

What does my personal ability in art have to do with whether or not I know what I'm talking about? I could be completely inept, skill-wise, and still know all the important aspects of a good work of art. Attempting to poke holes in my tutorial by using my own art as a basis for whether or not anyone should take me seriously is just plain silly. You would then be saying that things like anatomy, light and shading, placement, etc. don't matter if I posted any of my art and it was inadequate. Also, I have LOTS of experience drawing, I've been doing it for 2 years now since I started doing it again, I used to do it as a kid but gave up. I admit I've only, in the past few months, learned everything I know now, slowly gaining the knowledge over the past 2 years since I began drawing again.

 

But all that matter is I do know what I'm talking about, and my personal skill does not make me any more or less reliable than any of the top tier artists. I actually am, for the record, competent at all the things I listed in my guide. I'm not going to link any of my art for reasons completely irrelevant to this thread. Also, I really dislike the fact that you assume I'm lacking in ability simply because I'm weak at explaining things. No, I'm bad at explanations because I have a limited vocabulary, so I frequently struggle to find the right words to describe things.

 

If you're weak at describing and explaining things that's another reason why it would be best for you to work in collaboration with some of the other artists here. If you're looking to create a thread worthy of being pinned, it follows that you would want it to be as good as possible.

 

I don't want to poke holes in your tutorial based on your artistic skills; the reason why I ask, however, is because experience counts a great deal toward ones ability to understand (and in relation, teach,) something. There's an insight gained through 'doing' that no amount of 'research' can come close to.

 

For example: I know how a piano works. I have an absolutely solid knowledge of the keyboard, which keys to press to create which chords, the intervalic relationships between the notes and so on. Can I play piano, though? No. (Well, yes for single line melodies, but I'm pretty dreadful.) Could I teach piano to someone? Well, I can teach them how it works, but I can't teach them how to go about playing it properly. Really, all I'd be doing is teaching them theory. Not 'how to play piano'. That's kinda what I see happening in this tutorial. It has a bunch of concepts, but no explanation of how to implement them.

 

If you are in fact experienced, good. (I find it odd that you don't wish to share, considering the degree to which you endorse the benefits of critique.) But your descriptions and explanations need a lot of work, and by collaborating with other artists you could overcome this.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Kay Dreamer

[Sir Wulfington 276]

If you're weak at describing and explaining things that's another reason why it would be best for you to work in collaboration with some of the other artists here. If you're looking to create a thread worthy of being pinned, it follows that you would want it to be as good as possible.

 

I don't want to poke holes in your tutorial based on your artistic skills; the reason why I ask, however, is because experience counts a great deal toward ones ability to understand (and in relation, teach,) something. There's an insight gained through 'doing' that no amount of 'research' can come close to.

 

For example: I know how a piano works. I have an absolutely solid knowledge of the keyboard, which keys to press to create which chords, the intervalic relationships between the notes and so on. Can I play piano, though? No. (Well, yes for single line melodies, but I'm pretty dreadful.) Could I teach piano to someone? Well, I can teach them how it works, but I can't teach them how to go about playing it properly. Really, all I'd be doing is teaching them theory. Not 'how to play piano'. That's kinda what I see happening in this tutorial. It has a bunch of concepts, but no explanation of how to implement them.

 

If you are in fact experienced, good. (I find it odd that you don't wish to share, considering the degree to which you endorse the benefits of critique.) But your descriptions and explanations need a lot of work, and by collaborating with other artists you could overcome this.

 

It has nothing to do with a lack of want for critique, trust me. I know how convenient it is to say I can't show my art here for reasons I can't explain but it's the truth. I shouldn't even be talking about it. And yes, I have experience, as I said. I know these things, I'm just not the best at explaining. And I don't know who these other so called skilled artists here are, but I sure don't recall seeing anyone else post a tutorial here. Well once, but as I recall it was only pony anatomy and I think it may have been done poorly too.