Does anyone wish they could draw or produce art but can't?
 

Ever since I was a kid I've never been able to draw. And when I mean that, I mean draw "good art" not just stuff that resembles a 7 year olds art.

I've always been a fan of comic book art as a kid, as well as seeing fanart for cartoons/anime/videogame characters on deviantart over there, yet I have no artistic talent whatsoever. I always wish I could draw my favorite characters from stuff I grew up watching yet I simply can't do it.

I also love looking at paintings. Especially at museums.

I guess being an artist is something you have to be born with? Its like having a musical talent, you just have to be born with this stuff. Anyone else here wish they could draw but never could?

For once you actually make since... I'm with you on this boat. I can kind of draw in wind waker toon style, but being a perfectionist, I always stop after a little while. If only I could draw some of the things I can imagine...

What you're describing is more copy or modify someone else's art...fan-art, basically. The, only, originality in fan-art is how the artist networks images that have already been imagined. So, if your complaint is about your ability to reproduce images, then it does require some kind of gifted skill. But, art is not limited to drawing and many of these gifted drawing artists struggle more in other art mediums. So, it's most likely that your more skilled in some other form of art, but, have been raised to appreciate art forms that are not within your skill level.

Nothing special about most artists, they just have something in them that makes them do it until they are good at it.

http://petitpotato.tumblr.com/post/9...mind-myself-of

You can do it too if you can devote the time to do so, but most won't because other things take priority for them. I feel that way about most things, especially art. Look at how fascinated people are by music. Most people could sing quite well with very little training, we see it ALL THE TIME in movies when huge movie stars decide they are going to do a musical. You just have to decide you are going to do it.

Everyone is their own worst critic.


I started drawing myself earlier this year.

http://i.imgur.com/kpZcpyA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GukG5rk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zGcjjtT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FUp7y1M.jpg


I'm trying to draw more but it can be hard to get started and get motivated to draw. I can give one bit of advice though: Always use references, some of the best artists I follow on Deviant Art and FA almost always use references.

Very nice :)

And Zatoitchi is right, try to use references whenever you get stuck.

One thing I will say though as someone who has been drawing ever since they were four (so about 30 years): You WILL mess up often, and many times you WILL be erasing a lot. This goes for long time artists as well as new. There is also an 'awkward stage' that many artists go through, often it's where the art isn't up to par to personal standards yet, which tends to make many people give up before they get better. Many people have this around age 10 or so, where either inner criticism or peers deem their attempts inadequate. If the person can push through this and keep practicing, they very often get better. But it does take time. It took me awhile, and I am self taught. I am also always learning.

My favorite er, medium is colored pencils and pens, and I tend to gravitate towards a 'realistic' style (no exaggerated features.) Exaggerated is pretty hard for me to do, and I struggled (and still do) with anime style quite a bit. I draw whatever I am most intensely interested in, and mostly for myself (although I don't mind if others want to look at it.) I tend to draw things that mean the most to me or for whimsey, so that tends to be my main motivation.

This. If I really wanna do something, I find a way. I've taught myself how to play numerous instruments, sing, rap, draw, paint, you name it. If you're truly invested, dedicated, you'll make it happen. Try & try again, they say, but of course you can't improve without studying, using references, etc.

I totally remember when Powder sucked at drawing! And now he doesn't! /backhandedcomplement <3

It's true! In like 3-4 years I went from doing stuff like this-

to stuff like this-

& I've even gotten to do some work with various Mirage TMNT artists (some of which paid!). So I say, just keep at it, find the right tools & resources, keep your expectations realistic, & take part in a community that can give you constructive criticism. I think interest in the arts can be natural, that doesn't necessarily mean the talent is. You just need an eye for things like perspective, lighting, etc, & it's not that hard to attain if you study.

I had a teacher once who said he'd never met someone who couldn't draw, except a guy who had no thumbs, and even he could do it once they made him a prosthetic.

I think the daunting thing for some people is visualisation. Some can copy images that they see in their mind onto paper, others don't seem to be able to. The cool thing is that you can learn other methods of drawing that are more structural; you don't necessarily have to be good at picturing things mentally, if that makes sense.

For once, I can relate to what CyberCubed says.

I've always sucked at drawing and struggled at art class. I can draw a Ninja Turtle, more or less, but they look kinda ridiculous and as id they had been drawn by an 8 year old. The only stuff that I can draw flawlessly are country flags(unless they have elaborate coat of arms, obviously), Nintendo's and Sega's logo, the Triforce and such. I can't even get my favorite sports team crest done right even though I do try it once in a while. Now that is embarrassing.

I do appreciate art, whether sculptures, paintings or just simple drawings. That's why I love animation so much. It's a great imaginative way to tell a story.

I'm sure I could improve if I practiced, but you always gotta have some talent. And besides, it's not like I need good art skills to survive, meaning it's tough to find motivation to do something about it. I find more important to improve my math, which is awful. I wish places like Khan Academy existed when I was a little kid.

I've been teaching myself German for about 2 years now. I've learnt more in a year than I did in 3 years of it in high school. Everyone is different, but I learn things better on my own than when taught by someone else.

I used to be that person, too. Like Powder, let me demonstrate:


Here's some old shame; if I had to take a guess, I'd say this was probably drawn in around 2009. Compare it to this, which I did just a few days ago:


Every artist starts with ******** that looks like what a kindergartener drew. This isn't something you're born with. It's a skill that's developed through practice; the reason why it SEEMS like art is an innate talent is because they don't post every single ****up they draw. You don't see the progression.

All a drawing is, is a series of connected lines. Start with basic shapes to give you an idea of where those lines are supposed to go.
http://i.imgur.com/6BPiwxq.png

Then fill in some details, remembering things like eyes and ears being at around the same level on a human face, and the nose being just below it.
http://i.imgur.com/vDO91Oy.png

Then holy ****, Layton here's gonna need Phoenix Wright's defense skills, because he's about to get accused of witchcraft: Magic starts happening all over the ****in place when you erase the guidelines.
http://i.imgur.com/Gwf5BjF.png

And the last part: draw over your sketch so it doesn't look like your arm spasmed all over the page.
http://i.imgur.com/y1D39QV.png

Congratulations, you can now draw something badly. Now draw it again. Then draw it again. And for some variation, draw it again. Eventually it won't look like ass.

I took a basic drawing class in college and I was amazed at what I could do while looking at things. That's how it starts until you get so good that you don't need to look at pictures anymore and can just do it from memory. I'm not to that skill level myself, but I loved that class and really loved how I drew things and did well at it.

I felt the same way about writing stories. I never really thought about it until high school when I just started making my own original stories. Sure, they were crappy, but I still liked what I had. Then I discovered the world of fan fiction in 2004, and I haven't looked back since then. You just have to keep practicing and you'll be good at it.

Believe me though, I feel you, Cubed. I feel that way about sports, but I'll never be good because of my visual impairment, and that's okay. It doesn't have to be about being good but just having fun.

Yes, exactly. It isn't about skill level -- it's about fun. And drawing really is a lot of fun.

If you're concerned about a lack of skill taking away from your enjoyment, my advice is to just keep going with it because after a while, you will learn to enjoy the art regardless of your own perceived skill level; I used to be SO self-conscious of my artwork and it kept me from having fun. I'm not sure when things changed, but I stuck with it and eventually I stopped caring because damn, ****'s fun.

Another tip: look at an artist's sketches. Looking at just the finished product can make trying to draw something very daunting and it can be difficult to mentally break it down into simple shapes for sketching. Don't fall into that trap. Go look for sketches, they make the whole process look much less intimidating.

I have a friend that I used to watch draw. I learned how to draw human faces by watching her do it. And if you want an artist to watch, a lot of them hold livestreams for their art nowadays. You just gotta find them.

I love drawing the Ninja Turtles, but that's about the only thing I'm good at. I've done a couple drawings of human characters like Superman and Captain America though, so I may try drawing more DC and Marvel stuff down the road.

http://jephael.deviantart.com/art/Su...hael-417432431
http://jephael.deviantart.com/art/Ca...hael-461519720

For all my TMNT art, here's my fan site: http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/jephael/art.htm

I used to make my grandmother draw my superman and turtle toys. Then I would copy them over and over. That's what got me started.

Anyone can draw but not everyone has fun with drawing up stuff simply because they can get too judgmental over their progression.

Try your hand at different art mediums: if drawing up artwork isn't your thing, then practice sculpting, painting, Photoshop, photography, ect. Art isn't limited to just a pencil, eraser, and paper.

That's very much the truth. I can draw decently - some say "amazingly", but I don't like to overdo it like that - and that's because I practically came out of the womb holding a pencil. I've been drawing my entire life and I'm constantly trying to better myself.

The thing is, as most people on here have said, it takes time and dedication. And lots of it. Which is why it's easier to maintain any talent that's been with you since you were young. Otherwise, you take a crack at it, compare your work to other people's work, and immediately assume your work is trash. So you stop trying. That's the unfortunate reality of it, but it doesn't mean you can't become good at it; it only means you're starting late.

I have no art skills, I'm pretty sh it at it in all truth. But I wouldn't particularly like to be better, no. I really enjoy looking at art made by talented people, but I have no desire to be good at drawing, painting etc myself. It's just not something I've ever had any interest in taking part in.

My talents lie more in academia than creativity or artistry. The singular exception to this is when I am playing soccer, I'm very creative there. But in all other places I'm more analytical and evaluative than creative.

Cubed, all you need to do if you wished you could draw, is practise. It may be a bit cliche for me to say this, but practise makes you better. Find something you want to draw, and draw it as best as you can. Then step back, look at what needs to improve, and then try to work on improving it.

Why does my brain go to this when I read the thread?

Being an artist is typically a skill you have to be born with. Its like the people who are great singers or talented musicians, they were simply "born that way" and that's why they have the talent.

Its the same with scientists, mathematicians, and the smartest people in the world, they were born with a gift of intelligence that most normal folk simply don't have, and that's why they're the smartest people on the planet.

Not all people were created equal, there's always some talent some will never have that others will, and vice versa.

No, a skill is not something you were born with, you have a misconception. Maybe you are referring to the predisposition for musical or artistic ability, but nobody is going to get somewhere without practice.

Now intelligence is another matter, nevertheless, recent studies have suggested that intelligence can be fluid and not as static as people think. However, the whole concept is just a construct, there are many types of intelligence.

No matter if you were born with a 150 IQ, if you don't have the motivation and effort to do something great, you probably wont.

Thank you. Artistic skill isn't something you're born with.

For me, the ambition to improve my skill was born out of necessity. I have art that I NEED to create, and nobody else is going to do it for me. Better get off my ass and get good.

I just started drawing a few days ago. It's very fun. I'm currently working on a big piece.

Having any skill, be it writing, acting, building, musical ect. is great, but if you wanna make profit on it, you gotta have the right attitude. You can't make it if you've got the personality of Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants!

Nobody is born with talent. It takes time and practice to get good. Any those people, mathemeticians, scientists..they studied hard to get where they're at today. We just don't hear about those years because they're long and boring. Some have better personalities to discipline themselves to study, but they are not born scientists, etc. Same with artists. It's practice, practice practice..and patience.

Watch these two videos:

http://vimeo.com/84022735

http://vimeo.com/87448006

The old nature vs nurture debate. It's true that people have to develop their skills, but there has to be a degree of talent or ability already there. If I started drawing a lot I might become acceptable at it, but there's no way I could ever become a really top artist. The natural talent must be there.

Agreed. Obviously people get better with practice, but if you don't have that latent talent to begin with you'll never get it. Some people are simply born with different talents.

Its the same way some people can't write a story to save their life, yet other people are experts in writing and characterisation and storytelling.

Yep, you can't go from being utter garbage at something to being good enough to be at the elite level of that field, it will simply never happen. But, someone who has 'good' talent can become the best at something through hard work, and outshine someone who is supremely gifted but lacks motivation.

It's like you people didn't even notice the artwork Powder and I posted. Improvements happen. I WAS utter garbage. You cannot pop out of the womb good at art. It is impossible.

If you don't want to put forth the effort and want to use "ur just born with it" as an excuse, go ahead, but if you actually have a desire to get good, you'll get good, regardless of "natural skill", which doesn't exist.

If I can get decent enough at art to feel comfortable showing it to people and putting it in my signature, and I have a million disorders and brain problems that make me as dumb as a rock, you can too.

Nah, that's not the argument. You might be good at it now, but there's a huge leap between being good and being top of the field. THAT was my argument. Many people can become good, or even very good, at something. However, if you don't have a good level of natural talent you will never be the cream of the crop.

I'm not even going to get into the 'natural skill doesn't exist' comment because that's just not true. You telling me that my mate next door could become the Jack Kirby of comic creation if he just perseveres? Or the Lionel Messi of soccer, the Lebron James of basketball? Come on now...

My comment wasn't about not being good at something - it's about not being able to be amongst the best. That's different to the thread title but I deviated.

How do you think those people got so good at what they do? They did it a whole lot, and went out of their way to learn as much as they could about it when they weren't doing the thing. I can bet you the top people in any sort of "talent" based field knew a TON about whatever it is they do.

And all of this can be acquired through time, effort, and dedication.

All of it.

All. Of it.

EDIT: Not that it matters too much, because someone's level of skill in these type of departments is usually subjective. One person may think [x] artist is better than [x] other artist. Comparing art to sports doesn't really work since there IS no "top dog".

You can't seriously believe this mate. Yes, people who are gifted have to maintain their level by putting in the prerequisite effort, but you can't just put in hard work and all of a sudden you can be the best. Some of the previously weaker players I play soccer with have really improved and it's commendable - but they're still never, ever, ever going to be Lionel Messi. They'll never even be close to as good as me as I'm simply the stronger player and have more natural ability than they do. That's not arrogance, it's just fact, I was born with more soccer talent than they were and as long as I maintain my level and play as often as they do I will always be better than they are. In fact, I could stop playing for five years whilst they play every week, then I could turn up at football again and I'd still be better than them - simply because my ability with a ball and spatial awareness is better than theirs. If I wasn't better on the first week the rustiness would vanish after a few games and then I would be. They would agree with every word, by the way. All of them.

Well, sport is relatively subjective as well, unless you're some sort of stats-obsessed weirdo who never watches basketball or soccer but judges players by their figures on Wikipedia.

Art is subjective, yes, but that's an easy get out clause really. Your stuff is good but are you as good as legendary artists?

I'm sorry, but when it comes to art, no, I can't believe that, because I can't allow myself to. For years I told myself "well I just wasn't born a good artist [protip: nobody is] so why should I bother trying to improve when I'll hit a peak and just never be able to get better than that"

Then I actually tried, despite that. And what happened? I improved. Because I kept at it, because nobody is born good at art. We ALL start out ******. I don't know jack **** about sports, so I cannot say the same for them. But my art became passable. That was all I wanted. If I WANTED "legendary artist" status, I could work harder and aim for it.

So again. If you want to use that same excuse that I did, go ahead, keep telling yourself that artistic talent is innate and natural.

You said it yourself. You can't allow yourself to believe that natural talent exists, because then you will have to accept that there are people out there who are more naturally gifted than you, and that means you can never be the best. The longer you hold on to the idea that anyone can become amazing at something if they put in tons of effort and learn, the longer you can tell yourself anyone can be the next brilliant comic book artist.

That sounds harsh, but it's the way I'm interpreting it. You could work as hard as you like but you'll never be able to be a legendary artist, because (by your own admission) you were rubbish to start with. You can't go from being poor at something to being amongst the best at it. I don't care who it is. The only exception might be if you're very poor at something as a young kid, but if you get to a certain age and you're not good, it isn't going to happen.

I talked about this the other night - I asked if there might be people out there who are better soccer players than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two guys considered to be the best players in world soccer (you hate soccer but bear with me, I'm using it as an example to illustrate the general point). I claimed that there will be people with the level of talent of these two players but - for one reason or another - they never made it into top class football. Perhaps they were poor (even poorer than many top soccer players start out), perhaps they died as teenagers, or perhaps they simply grew up in an area where soccer wasn't part of the culture. India and China have massive populations, but neither has created a single soccer superstar. Why is that? It's partly because some very talented soccer players have zero interest in playing soccer due to the lack of interest there and have probably never even tried. They have lots of people who do play soccer yet none of them are any good relative to most top class players. That goes to show that the guys with the world-class talent simply aren't getting into the sport. If they did develop an interest, European coaching would harness their natural talent to the extent that the'd be fvcking amazing in La Liga or the Premier League. That's nurture harnessing nature.

There will be someone out there who's as smart as Einstein, but he's wasting his time fluffing passes on a soccer park or missing hoops in basketball. Equally, there might be someone who would be the new Messi but he's wasting his time trying to solve equations which he doesn't have the ability to solve, no matter how much he is taught.

Much of who's the 'best in the world' is circumstance, luck and being in the right place at the right time. However, don't interpret that as meaning that anyone could be the best if they'd been in the right place at the right time. Think of it more as them having the top class ability that the currently recognised best do, but not having the application, desire or culture to develop and harness that unreal talent.

I know these feels too hard. I used to draw a ton. Cutesy little monster things mostly (lots of Neopets and Pokemon). And then I started dating an artist. Like a real artist. Like Rembrandt. Not kidding. And it kinda made me feel like I was wasting my time and I haven't done anything in at least five years save for little doodles.

Some stuff of mine:


And here's his stupidly-good stuff:




Its cool that there are a lot of talented people here. :) You guys rock. Don't quit.

What the ****? I never said I wanted to be the best. You CAN'T be the "best" at art. Did you even read my post? I wanted my art to be passable. And it is.

Go re-read my post.

His stuff is amazing! Also, don't discourage yourself. Do you still want to draw?

I'm referring to the following quote:

"That was all I wanted. If I WANTED "legendary artist" status, I could work harder and aim for it."

You're implying there that you could be a legendary artist if you worked even harder and aspired to reach that level. I'm not saying you're not good.