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How to enjoy art / drawing again?
I'm 20 years old, grew up drawing most of my life, just finished a 2 year foundation art course and quit doing any more because it has taught me nothing (other than endurance and some art teachers and colleges and courses suck, learned more life lessons than constructive practical ones, it was advertised as a learning experience, but I've been self taught all my life and there were no lessons with this, just deadlines and essays, not a total waste) but from being so busy in college I stopped creating art as a hobby and feel like I've just lost all heart, I always carry a sketchbook, but just end up doing a small doodle or town and have taken a year and a half to fill it (used to fill one per month) I really find it difficult to feel motivated or inspired (two very different things) I've got tones of art supplies left from college, and tones of free time between work, but I've began to hate my work and the process, I don't want to, I want to go back to the days where I would create hours on end. (wow real downer today huh? Sorry) I guess I'm just asking for personal advice from arties alike, plz don't say take another course, if I do it'll be in the future (already owe about 10thousand for the past 2 years, that being said, if any of my classmates going onto the 3rd year see this: "good luck suckers! Seriously you need it
4 Answers
- RWPossumLv 75 years ago
I am NOT saying you're going to make a living at this! Anyone who makes this claim is a con artist. The competition is incredibly tough. However, if you're content to do this as a hobby, I have a suggestion.
Doing good drawings is hard work. Doing lousy drawings is easy. Find people who want your lousy drawings, like people making videos.
Impossible, you say?
As you can see, there are skills involved in drawing story boards, but they're ugly. Nobody would sell them except as storyboards.
Look at some movies, pause and study the composition of the image. What was the artist trying to do with the composition? For example, objects and people arranged in a diagonal suggest action, conflict, whereas things arranged in a horizontal line, with heavy things in the middle suggest stability.
- Tim DLv 75 years ago
How about trying a different discipline? Sculpture, film-making or calligraphy for examples.
- Elaine MLv 75 years ago
Did the foundation art course also cover how to market your art? Where the opportunities are for niche market art? Networking?
Most of the artists I know are pretty much self taught, however they did take marketing and business classes, they ALL actively talk to other artists, in many different niches, and acquire all sorts of real world experience from the people who are doing it for a living.
I always took the opportunity to talk to the creators on the 'artist alley' at science fiction conventions. I learned where they went online to have books, portfolios and trading cards printed, the prices involved, and the way to submit the art (flash drives are common now). Pricing based on cost is always able to be discussed.
In the past few years I've talked to artists who work with pencil doing graphic novels, talked to pen and ink specialists, talked to people who do magazine art, people who have had art ripped off and now always use a watermark or have their own name embedded in the art on the picture (Godlenwolf, Robin Wood, etc.). I've learned about shipping and packaging. I've learned where to advertise your own specific art in a way to reach the people most likely to buy. I've tried 3-D art thanks to vendors at Ren Fairs who carry my stuff. I've discussed print on demand vs self publication as a whole vs real publishing houses. I've discussed contract info and money advances other artist have gotten from their publishers.
And I've learned that if a project tis fun for you, it usually HAS a market where it can be sold. Spot illustration. Rubber stamp images. Tarot deck art. Etc. etc. etc.
The point is, talk to the teachers you've got training you, expand on what they're trying to tell you -- and corner them AFTER class with specific questions. What field of art are they in? How do they sell their work? Do they still sell? What market was most lucrative for them, and which gave them the most SATISFACTION for the kind of work they did.
They're there for a reason. And it isn't just to have people sit in front of them in class listening to the lesson plans for the day. If 'foundation' means looking at and understanding the old Masters, then learn from that. Why did they do the portraiture the way they did, is it pertinent to today's world? How would that technique translate to doing record music cover art? Does Pop art still have a role for today's advertising? Etc. Ask the questions.