Jesus, I can relate to this painfully much. I delved so hard in the studying part of art for the past year or two, that I almost completely abandoned the idea of doing personal art. Of course I have to make a remark that this happened because I suffer from ocd, it completely twists the perception of reality, and at some point I was bascially too afraid and too crippled to do personal art, even just to feel something, so I clinged to the fundamentals because they were concrete, yes. Can't blame myself, it was really dark and painful times, the only intention was to survive and keep my sanity. But right now, when I finished and shared with others a first personal piece I've done in many, many months, in which I had put all my love, - I recieved so much feedback and positivity that I realized that's what's most important in art - the connection to other people, doing things from heart, not the bloody techicalities that I worshipped so hard. Yes, they are important to the certian degree ofc, but I was so obsessed by it, literally, that it really was over any reasonable border. And right now, with this single piece, even though it's merely a fanart with not the best technical execution, I can really feel this.. pride? Or connection, to other people and myself? It's hard to describe, but I certianly can say that feel happy. Enriched. And connected. So yeah, thanks for the video, it has really vibed with me)
That's great to read. Thanks for this, I'm so happy to hear that sharing that personal piece did so well for you. I'm crazy bout practice myself, I dumped years and years into training. Was similarly scared to share anything that didn't focus on its technical qualities. Looking back, I see how out of balance I was. How I was letting myself get tricked into thinking I knew what people wanted and how to give it to them. Nonsense. It wasn't until I started doing my own thing and sharing it that I found out what part of my practice energized people- and it was the last thing I expected.
@@StevenZapataArt Yes, being out of balance, this is a huge problem that we can't even see it most if the time. And I think it's not just the thing that all artist should go through eventually, but it's actually nourished by community in general, like "ah, you have troubles with this and that, you're bad artist" (especially in russian community), or some professionals are like "you should work at least 10 hours a day, or u wouldn't be a professional". Almost everything is unwittingly planting in us the thought that "we are not good enough", some schools are doing that, some teachers, other desperate artists, and mostly we ourselves. It's rarely a direct messages ofc, more like an implications, yet just few years ago that shit scared to blazes my 19-year old brain. Plus, we always seek for a simple solutions, and, as you said, we cling to something we can see, and the main difference between the artists we admire and us - is a technical skill. So the solution is simple - if we have skill - we are happy, and that's when we get soaked in this mentality even more. That's where the self-deprecating begins, lots of stress and straining, ridiculous amount of guilt, not being able to relax, you name it. And we are so concerned about our skills that we completely miss on everything else. But that's the thing, I posted that piece on reddit, and wow - nobody actually cared about a bit messed up proportions, unfinished rendering and little mistakes overall. They even called me a humblebrag because I put in a title that "my painting skills are a bit rough", and they're like "rough my ass, it's amazing", and I'm like "yeah shouldn't have said that" lol. I really was so insecure that it was my geniune feeling, like it's not that good. And then I realized that wow, we, artists, are doing all of this to ourselves. People actually don't give a shit when something is wrong, they only concerned when everything is wrong) So yeah, I think it's really the problem that should be addressed even more, and I'm really happy that you are one of those people) Jeez sorry for the wall of text, it's a fresh wound I guess)
Very relatable. A problem I have (and surely others do too) is that whenever I try to do personal stuff I hit roadblocks more often than not, and it's very hard to push through them because I'm "all alone" in it, I'm not following a tutorial or copying anything, and everytime a roadblock is met, the immediate thought that comes to mind is "I'm missing practice, if I had studied more this would be easier", and that usually turns into stopping the personal stuff to go and study more in the hopes that it gets easier. It's incredibly hard to accept the fact that it will become easier the more I do it, the more time I spend on it, and it's not strictly related to studying.
I go to a university in a rural state for art, I want to be an illustrator and though I've always wished I could have just cut to the chase and gone to a school that teaches with production design/animation etc in mind, there was no way I could afford it even if my family was able to help me. My school is Fine Arts-oriented, teaches little in the way of skills and has not been a welcoming environment to explore illustration until this last year so I've had to teach myself and seek out help online for basically everything I know about art. This video speaks to me because I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and listed out all of the fundamentals I need to work on and drafted up lesson plans and schedules, only to drop it within days because I give myself more work than is sustainable. Since I don't have mentors who are very knowledgeable about industry stuff I rely on advice from as many pros as I can and the resounding message I've gotten is "work on your fundamentals! Master perspective, draw boxes, do life drawing and learn to render!" Of course, all of this is important, but to a young self taught artist doing her best to get to a pro level from her bedroom, it can start to sound like "don't even try to make art until you've mastered these skills." I've seriously got a sense of guilt now when I'm not working on those things. Thankfully in the last 6 months I've woken up to how much I've neglected what I even loved about art in the first place. I have a better idea of the direction I want to go in that maybe doesn't require quite the insane level of skill on every fundamental that I've been attempting. I just wish I could figure out a better system for continuing to improve at home without it completely burning me out and sapping my energy for personal art. I listen to people who had excellent, rigorous training and try to emulate that, but it's a totally different experience trying to do it all alone. I feel pretty lost but your videos give me a lot to think about, thank you for what you do.
I'm happy I can help in some small way. The guilty feeling is really the stand out emotion- based on what you've written. That's the silly little core that has to get drilled out and tossed away. It doesn't help with anything or serve anyone. The "master your fundamentals!" soundbite gets blown way out of proportion online because it's the only universally applicable advice you can say to artists and most teachers are afraid to venture into the stuff that is less universal or niche. The online attention market control for that, of course, more niche=bad. But, it's just silly and ill considered. There are no great masters of art who are good at every part of it. Almost all are hyper specialized on the thing they like the most. That's the simple truth people don't like espousing online. Get good at the part you love the most and you'll be fine. That will only prevent you from getting jobs doing stuff you don't like. Hah!
Yeah I can relate to this I want to add kind of as a word of caution that even after you’ve ‘landed’ your first job as (in my case) a concept designer you will still probably not have mastered the ‘fundamentals’ for that particular studios needs, because that final push it has become apparent to me comes only from your ability to mentain interest, not pay your bills, I found out pretty rapidly even though they had taken me on, my skill level for characters was just not on par with what there clients expected of them, and that’s because they lived and beathed character art, I like drawing vehicles, being able to draw characters is important for whatever neich you go into as no doubt you will be asked to do them where ever you end up, but there is a difference with running it as your main and having it as an additional thing you can do. The ‘fundamentals’ required are different, probably worth noteing that fundaments are effectively all the stuff required to do the work that goes into your job but is not in fact the job itself, if your a portrait artist for example your fundermentals are different than a character artist, even though construction is shared by both of them. Seems simple but is easy to forget. Obviously I’m a junior artist so take this ramble with a pinch of salt but it feels relevant to the conversation. Hopefully it makes sense also writ this on a iPad so probably full of weird grammar.
I really really struggle with this, I often worry I'm not working hard enough and my technical skill is lacking too much to accomplish the art that I want to make. Thus, I focus in on studying and I think I burn out easily because of that. I fear I've dried up my creative well and find it difficult to both be creative and acknowledge the validity of my ideas; When I have an idea its really easy for me to dismiss it and say oh it's dumb or has been done before better. This video was really helpful, and I need to try and push to do less studies and actually develop the art that I want to see, regardless of how it may not be technically perfect right now.
That feeling that you talked about from 11:30-12:40 comes and goes for me I had it from 5-14 my heart thumps in excitement. I used to spend days creating with no care or worry having this obsession to get a masterpiece out... the idea that I have this unquenchable desire is enough, but then to think I create this art in complete silence for two days straight without any idea of the end result, it's amazing. then hit the rough road from 14-20 and from 20-24 I feel I've grown the most. The moment I was handed a pencil as a 3 year old that's when I became an artist and I will always be until the day I die, I couldn't even imagine an alternate reality me being any different. All my best ideas come out when I feel exhausted late at night through the witching hours. I've just subscribed and I'm digging your content. If you read this I appreciate your patience dealing with my rant lol.
I get it... and it's hard to articulate so you did a great job of it. Figuring out what that "thing" is, what that state is... Art flows from inside and seemingly outside at the same time. The images on the travertine wall in the bathroom that only show up when that state is present - and that desire to draw those images. That's roughly what the feeling is like, and is hard to explain without sounding slightly bonkers. Thanks for putting these reflections out there!
...I have so much I want to improve on in my artwork, despite the compliments I get. I have learned how to highlight my strengths and hide my weaknesses, mostly due to my college experience being a BFA program that made me absolutely miserable while simultaneously honing my cartooning style while airbrushing to make money at an amusement park. It was like I was a magician who was adored by the crowd and when learning how to do the tricks hated myself.... I literally had an audience to impress in one place and instructors to disappoint in the other. As soon as I graduated and the airbrush shop closed I stopped drawing regularly. ^Why am I mentioning all this crap that isn't in the video? Because it relates to how I try to approach my work now. If I just go outside with a sketchbook and start doing exercises because "it's good practice," it's so easy to just fall into my old habits. I'll cartoon instead, or I'll think of all the times that my teachers told me how bad my work was. I try to go out or work in my "studio" (a corner of my shared apartment) and ask "what do I WANT to get out of drawing today?" Just checking in with myself beforehand is great when, say, I have a pinched nerve that prevents me from using my dominant hand for long periods of time until it fully heals. It's a reminder that, yeah, my left-handed drawings ARE probably going to suck, but I'm making them because I need to draw anyway. There was a time where I could take a boring assignment prompt at school (like the infinite amount of color wheels I had to make) and adapt it into something that I loved -the spark of creation was always there. If I don't check in with myself, that spark just won't come.
I think that pit is exactly where I am now. I used to draw all the time. In class, at home, in bed, then I decided to stop doodling in my notebooks, so I could be a better, more successful student.I'm just trying to pick it up again, but the subject matter I loved as a highschool kid/young adult holds, well not zero, but less interest for me now, as I used to take my edgy/weeb ideas very seriously. I'll telll you straight that whether I got an B or a C in a class wouldn't have had any significant impact on where I am now. But after I stopped doodling, I eventually stopped drawing all together. Despite this I've tried to pick the craft back up again, but for lack of inspiration, and in forcing myself to practice anatomy and other technical skills, it all comes in brief starts and stops. The subject matter I'm now interested is... difficult, to find the time alone needed to explore and create.
Don't force anything, you can do that later once the joy is back. Dig in and don't be satisfied with anything less than pure giddy joy at the stuff you get to make. I have been drawing seriously and creating baggage for myself for something like 16 years and I still get so much energy from drawing that sometimes I have to throw my chair back and dance around the room.
I honestly can not recall the last comment I have made on youtube. Over the course of this last week I listened to you speak. It's profound to hear someone else view art the way I do. To me, Art has always been about healing, connecting and found the truest forms when I would go into a trance state and let this thing work through me. I can feel myself watching my hands create things I have never even dreamed of. Magic. Lightwork. Prayer. To me those are my practice. You really struck a strong cord through your videos! I have found many things through practicing art, you named them and then some. I feel encouraged that my "whacky"" concept of what art is shared and I am not alone. It brings hope and joy to my heart there are people like you who want to show that art is not about the end result. It's about what the process can do for your inner self. It will show you a path if you just let go of all the distractions. I have visions channeling through me when I am at my most peaceful state of being. Holding a pencil and being the Universes instrument.
Personal art is a great form of training. Take art tests and try and apply what you learn from each art test and work that knowledge into your next personal piece. That’s my experience anyway. I would also think overtraining at the expense of physical and mental well being is a huge issue. No matter how much a person loves art they need interests and hobbies outside of work be it running, martial arts, reading, history etc
This came up just as I was doing my daily 25 minutes of figure drawing and before the daily 25 minutes of quick portraits followed by 25 minutes of anatomy. It hit where it hurts.
@@StevenZapataArt The "drills" are very useful to improve, but I had forgotten what I was trying to improve at. I really like your videos, and this one in particular has probably changed how I look at my practice for the rest of my life, not just in art. Thanks a lot.
This video definitely resonated with me - a major contributor to my art block is that I feel like I should be training fundamentals at all times and looking for some objective “correct” part of the process. I had my first couple of actual drawing courses at college this past year and having an instructor to provide feedback was so much more fruitful and helped me to not focus too narrow-mindedly on a set of rules. I need to get back to having an in-person or online instructor again. 🤔
this is nice! i've been struggling to find a balance from study and personal art. I'm fairly new to this carreer path so i was just saying to myself that i dont do personal stuff because i dont have the skills, or dont like it when i make mistakes. But im finding that the better i get, the fear doesnt go away. So after some time of searching i realized my fear of art isn't actually of art, it's of myself. I don't do personal art, but i also dont dress how i'd like, don't talk how I want, i'm afraid of sharing my interests with people, i'm ashamed of my preferences, my body or my accent. It's a pervasive feeling all throughout my life. And it's born of many unresolved pains and frustrations from long ago. I'ts funny i thought i had an art problem, but it was completely an emotional one, and it's starting to resolve itself as I look inside and forgive, see and be compasionate of myself. Then i can make personal art without feeling like a failure, then i can do some scribbles and have fun and not care how technically impressive it is. Ironically though, thats when i make my best work also. It's like my brain is freed from having to spend energy masochistically flaying itself, so there's all the more juice left to spend in the moment.
Glad to see you back Steven!! You always talk about what is not talked about. I can perfectly relate to that stretch of time where you can't say "this is me". I'm in there now and I've been kinda obsessed trying to solve the puzzle. I discovered the great feeling that you mention of nailing something as "yours" in writing. I write almost everyday in the format of freewriting (this has lots of names). This writing focuses on speed and not editing/censoring and puts me in a state of mind that feels great and i dont control what is happening but it feels incredibly honest, vulnerable and true. So Im trying to replicate it in drawing. For those who might be interested, I can recommend a book called "Accidental Genius" by Mark Levy
Lately, the drawbacks of my non stop "learning" started to kick in; i cant pull 12nn to 4am schedules anymore (that of which became my regular since covid). My heart and chest in general starts to ache around 22:00 and i just cant draw anymore. Anyways, I just wanna extend my sincere thanks to your thoughts (your content). 24 hours started to feel lacking to me; i want to do more just because im so guilty of being so bad. But now that I'm being reminded of my frailty, having someone to "talk with" in the hours where all I can do is just to lie in bed, it comforts me. Really though, thank you so much. Thank you for giving me the time to think about the important things; that of which i could barely give myself anymore.
Since covid lockdown I've been soooooo sad that the only thing that I draw is a lot of gesture drawing and portrait lay ins, I have improved a lot and the other day I made some studies from Sargent and I'm surprised on how accurate it came out, but I just can't do anything personal, the deawings from my videos were the last pieces I made for myself, It started to feel like a job and I hate that, I'm a lawyer and drawing now feels like the job and the job like the scape jajaja a few weeks ago I lost my job and everything got worse, yesterday I made gesture for like six hours, I'm afraid of commit to anything that doesn't feel disposable :(
I'm very sorry to hear that, especially about your job. I find difficult times are the best times to let my art talk back to me. It always teaches me something about what's going on in my mind and in my life. This is utterly personal and I'm not sure it's something that can be communicated to others. To enter that relationship with practice, you must commit! Gestures are fine and good, but as you say they are disposable. You don't need to do anything that is by nature "non-disposable", nothing in art is like that. You just need to lock in and stick with something that gets your attention. It's all internal. A focused and concentrated mind is naturally happy, light, and unencumbered. It is a gift in stressful times. Journey well.
I spent my first few years as an artist only really caring about the technical skill improvements and once I stopped seeing them I just felt so lost, I had to develop my own style of drawing and start making abstract paintings to figure out that I wasn't meant to draw realistic roses for the rest of my life and this video is the only time I've heard this transformation be put into words and advice
It's funny, I didn't study art but have had art ideas all my life, that I just started committing to reality 5 years ago. And I'm always abundant in ideas, but I need to actual skills to properly depict them.
Im defnetly guilty of doing this... but its just so frustrating to see all the mistakes that im always falling back to doing studies & training instead of beeing creative
Yep. See, the frustration is the key problem there. It's very difficult to control our gut reactions, but if we don't we'll always be a slave to them. You don't have to live by every little thing you feel, you can let it just come and go. If, as you say, the frustration makes you stop being creative and sends you into a week of guilt-and-shame-studies then it has not served you well. It is not even the hard-as-nails bootcamp mindset that gets batted around online like it's a good thing. It's just a bad habit creeping in under the guise of diligence. Be ardent in your devotion to being creative, if you don't know what you love- FIND OUT- and let it guide your path always.
This seems very DaVinci-Esque! The interpersonal connection with your work. I am reading a great book Art and Fear that touches on your thought processes in this a lot!
You are a voice in the wilderness crying out the truth in this dark convoluted world of art and especially commercial art. I have been enjoying listening to you for the past few days as I draw and I look forward to more of this strange exchange of thoughts only possible in this day and age.
My problem is that I feel that I never have any ideas to draw, and whenever I start to freeform draw without a goal, it just turns out to be gibberish on the paper. When I look at some instruction video like from Glenn Vilppu, things make sense and I can do it. Same with drawing from life or reference. Often these drawings come out pretty good! But without any of that, I'm just a lost little boy.
I was told all the time that style comes after perfecting the fundamentals; like "be perfect, then you can be interesting." I don't think I wasted all of my time training, but being a style chameleon and a reference monger has made it so that even my personal projects don't feel like they're being made by the same person from set to set. I did everything people told me to do and I came out over-reliant on the rules, producing soulless art. Then there's the issue that a lot of studios LIKE soulless art, so if I want to stay afloat on art as a career, learning to unlearn some of that overreliance on training is always a backburner project.
“ How does the practice present to you before everything you can put a name on ? “ that’s a freaking quote ! Reminds me of Rilke in his letter to a young poet (this young guy who is struggling about his desir to be an artist or a soldier) a must read for every artist (and every one i think )
I am just starting out and learning to draw at 30, I think I get what your saying, but right now I am enjoying the learning and puzzle of drawing, the process of how to do it. I have idea/concepts I wanna do... I figured its better to learn to walk first then run. perhaps also what helps is to exercise your imagination, learn to build an image in your mind and break it down, where can you place it, change it or rotate it. there is not just one method to learning or growth, you take from everywhere, any perspective or approach to build your understanding. I know its gonna be a long road ahead with ups and downs, but I expect that and welcome it.
Absolutely. They keep us interested. The feeling that there's always something new to discover or understand about drawing competes with the feeling of doing well for top spot in the practice.
This was one of the most touching talks like this for me ever. You helped me overcome some of my mental obstacles and question them in the right way. It was eye-opening that there is this part after the training, which you absolutely need to start walking on to continue your jounrey at some point and if you don't you are stuck getting nowhere. The world after the training, after the practice. I feel it is so vast, I am still afraid of going there, even I think about it the whole time, long for it. It feels like suffering from home sickness but not allowing myself to return home. This video helps me so much and shows me that ther e is really no way around it and there is stuff to be afreid of, but it is inevatable. Thank you from the heart! (I also really deeply love this painting.)
Just wanted to add that the opposite can also be true. You can also waste years "just doing it" without any knowledge of the fundamentals. This can also get you stuck and I think it is still important to mention, because some people think they can skip out fundamentals and dive into this mindest of letting loose right way and this can cause the same depresssing effects. Studiying the fudnamentals raised my interest and passion for art and I stillthinkthey are essential. For an artist to know be able to express him/herself and what causes emotion in the audience and makes for a ""successful"" piece. But thatdoes not make it less true that being obessed only about the fundamentals andh iding behid them is a problem. I feel really weird right now, becauseit feels like, well, this is a thing I always thought is some personal ocd dilemma of mine or somehting, it feels very releiving to hear that it happens to others to. And it gives strength.
I have a question, Steven. Before I ask it, I apologize if you address it further in the video, I just don't want to forget so I'm asking now, at the 8:37 mark... You said that the teachable/technical aspect of skills that used to be rewarding to you became less rewarding, and (if I get where you're heading with it) the exploratory, inward looking stuff that can't be taught became the exciting, rewarding part. My question for you... (and, let me preface this with the fact that I'm a 34 year old artist who started making art in my late twenties so I've not had a lifetime of growing up and exploring my artistic tendencies)... anyway... my question for you is: Do you think that knowing that you had a solid understanding of the fundamentals ENABLED you to appreciate the more exploratory phase? The reason I ask is because I try to keep a balance of those two things, but often my frustration is that I can't put on canvas what I imagine in my head because I have some limitation of fundamental knowledge in my head. And, I recognize that the closer I get to having those fundamental understandings, the closer I am to being able to express myself through my artwork more accurately. So at what point does an artist release their tight grip on learning the fundamentals to enter a more exploratory phase? I wonder this often because I concern myself with finding the right balance in order to both enjoy making art and progress to the degree that satisfies me. Obviously, this isn't a one size fits all question, but I think it's an interesting one to ponder nonetheless. I've sort of drawn my conclusion already, but I would love to get your two cents.
I do think my knowledge of the fundamentals enabled me- but that doesn’t mean I think that needs to be true for everyone. I believe freer spirits than I can enjoy exploration without feeling the need to “earn” it with fundamentals- and I see nothing wrong with that.
@@StevenZapataArt Thanks for your reply. I was waiting with excitement. I'm sure you know the famous Ira Glass quote about taste, and to me that is what is the difference maker. Not that one person's taste is better than another person's, but if you make art that satisfies your taste in art, then you've "earned" the exploration by freeing yourself of being dissatisfied. Obviously, nobody is ever free of dissatisfaction in their art, but people get closer to producing more consistently satisfying pieces as they grow more skilled, as I'm sure you know.
I think it depends - the fundamentals are much like an instrument imo. You need to practice them in order to get the most out of it. Im not a professional artist or master but I reached a point were drawing comes fairly easy and is just part of my daily routine. And I remember it being super frustrating to have all those things you want to draw and paint but you cant visualize them properly - now I have the skill to draw most concepts I come up with and honestly its just super freeing. I also dont feel that pressure of getting better anymore because every drawing is just a relaxed experience and exploration. Sure there are a ton of things I still want to learn and im always striving towards growth. But I dont feel driven anymore - i decide what is fun to create and if im learning new things in the process all the better.
you speak about these things like i do, and i can feel the importance of this topic, but i am naturally analytical and haven't gotten to that understanding yet in art i dont think.
I guess the approach of the 50/50 Rule serves great here. Spend atleast 50 Percent of your time drawing for fun and personal reasons, just draw what you want to draw even if you can;t do it now. I started filling up everyday one page of my little sketchbook with whatever comes to my mind and even if its just words and it helped me a lot and gives a lot of inspiration because deep down there under all your fundies is your artistic self that wants to get out, give it room and it will show you your own creativity. Yesterday i doodled in my sketchbook and came up with a man/tauren cyberpunk hybrid it looked so cool and was technically so bad but i was proud of it and it will server my future self as a inspiration of personal projects. Just have fun guys, in the end this is what is all about :)
Do you sketch before starting these color images? Or is this how you sketch? I'm also wondering do you think of what you sketch before you start, or do you come up with the ideas once the pen hits the paper or tablet? Thanks!
Art tutorials can be a form of procrastination. Me personally use learning anatomy as entertainment in my spare time. My deep work time is all about sitting my ass down and drawing - Moving the pen on the paper, not copying muscles and taking notes
Im very guilty of this , but at the same time , I used to do more of personal stuff that i liked instead of studying , so i pivoted hard the other way .And while , as you said , I did lose a lot on enjoyment , I gained a lot in skill. Its obviously a balancing act , you are probably able to do stuff that you enjoy now because you are so skilled that every single fundamental isnt such a hard puzzle to complete when doing a personal piece. Im so much more proud of the last piece I did ,witch is only finished piece I did this year than all those churned out pieces I used to do out of enjoyment. There was a big sense in pride in the skill growth , finish quality , I guess the term is "level up" and I can only attribute that to the grind of the fundies. But its obviously not sustainable and at some point ill need to le learn what made me do art in the first place so I dont burn out. Its hard , chasing the "industry standard" when trying to break into the industry by gaining fundamental skill knowledge and doing what you love. I feel like its always one or the other and it comes in waves ,didnt yet find a way to merge the two in one singular process. Thanks for the video ,makes me rethink my approach !
Very thoughtful, glad to see that. I think you nailed the key concern when you brought up sustainability. That's really what we need to have in mind at all times. It's possible to do anything with your art for some period, but we can't let ourselves be hoodwinked by the delusion that what we're doing with it now is all we are.
Your art is soo inspirational! THANK YOU! I love your pencil drawings. They are soo detailed. Keep up the amazing work! I would like to get mentored by you but there is a waiting list :/
The picture in the thumbnail. I just can’t see anything in it. I see some black and some red but I have no idea what it is. It’s the same for all this type of “art” whatever it’s supposed to be an image of. Maybe nothing? Maybe it’s abstract and isn’t supposed to represent anything? I just don’t get it but there is a lot of it around.
@@StevenZapataArt please can you talkabout that in a video. About working in series and exploring themes.I am doing something like that currently and I feel like I should finish the pictures first before sharing it with the world but I constantly see people sharing stuff online and feel like I should just let loose even though I'm still at painting 2 out of 4. I appreciate how you seem to be holding back on sharing your works on the internet even though you have a lot that you create at the background. Thanks.
@@artofmorby Okay then, I added it to my little notepad of video ideas. In general, I would never worry much about doing things because of outside factors like what you see other artists doing. You are opening yourself up to a whole lot of subconscious decision making there that gets really tricky. If you want to share it in process because you really want to for YOURSELF, then do it. Ain't no rules to how you share your work. I will say, holding off on sharing until you have multiple finished things usually gets a bit more attention than just one thing- if you're trying to factor reach into your calculations. I would always advise taking your time so long as you're enjoying doing so.
but clients are paying for hard skills and quality work, especially if we're talking about illustration, not pure concept art. Basically, more training = more money.
Really late on this video but I wanted to say ty, Steve. This is something Im going to internalize and keep with me. My study/personal art balance isnt the greatest and I tend to do way more studying and not as much of my own art but I'm going to just trust myself and draw my own stuff regardless of my current skill. Ive been binging alot of your vids and theyve really helped me alot, I appreciate your being willing to help all of us who are on this journey as well
fun fact: we learn thinks true sleep not constatly working on it or reading. If you sleep to litel you will not learn to much and destory your senety. Most of overworking and burniout seen as good is mostly just from American culture
I.... don't understand. To be able to do what you want to do, to be able to do the piece you shown us in the video, to be able to paint those muscles, those hues variation, that composition. All of this is things you had to learn and practice, those are the fundamentals and objective stuff that you're saying aren't that important... But to be able to make a piece that is you, to make a piece that voices who you are and what you want to be doing with art, you need those fundamentals, you need those art skills. I know what I want to do as an artist. I know the character of my ideas, why I have those ideas and what I want to do with them. Doesn't change the fact that my skills, these hard objective "not that important" bootcampy skills, aren't nearly enough to be able to express myself the way I want. So what, I'm supposed to just throw it all off the window ? I honestly don't understand at all
Jesus, I can relate to this painfully much. I delved so hard in the studying part of art for the past year or two, that I almost completely abandoned the idea of doing personal art.
Of course I have to make a remark that this happened because I suffer from ocd, it completely twists the perception of reality, and at some point I was bascially too afraid and too crippled to do personal art, even just to feel something, so I clinged to the fundamentals because they were concrete, yes. Can't blame myself, it was really dark and painful times, the only intention was to survive and keep my sanity.
But right now, when I finished and shared with others a first personal piece I've done in many, many months, in which I had put all my love, - I recieved so much feedback and positivity that I realized that's what's most important in art - the connection to other people, doing things from heart, not the bloody techicalities that I worshipped so hard. Yes, they are important to the certian degree ofc, but I was so obsessed by it, literally, that it really was over any reasonable border.
And right now, with this single piece, even though it's merely a fanart with not the best technical execution, I can really feel this.. pride? Or connection, to other people and myself? It's hard to describe, but I certianly can say that feel happy. Enriched. And connected.
So yeah, thanks for the video, it has really vibed with me)
That's great to read. Thanks for this, I'm so happy to hear that sharing that personal piece did so well for you. I'm crazy bout practice myself, I dumped years and years into training. Was similarly scared to share anything that didn't focus on its technical qualities. Looking back, I see how out of balance I was. How I was letting myself get tricked into thinking I knew what people wanted and how to give it to them. Nonsense. It wasn't until I started doing my own thing and sharing it that I found out what part of my practice energized people- and it was the last thing I expected.
@@StevenZapataArt Yes, being out of balance, this is a huge problem that we can't even see it most if the time.
And I think it's not just the thing that all artist should go through eventually, but it's actually nourished by community in general, like "ah, you have troubles with this and that, you're bad artist" (especially in russian community), or some professionals are like "you should work at least 10 hours a day, or u wouldn't be a professional". Almost everything is unwittingly planting in us the thought that "we are not good enough", some schools are doing that, some teachers, other desperate artists, and mostly we ourselves. It's rarely a direct messages ofc, more like an implications, yet just few years ago that shit scared to blazes my 19-year old brain.
Plus, we always seek for a simple solutions, and, as you said, we cling to something we can see, and the main difference between the artists we admire and us - is a technical skill. So the solution is simple - if we have skill - we are happy, and that's when we get soaked in this mentality even more. That's where the self-deprecating begins, lots of stress and straining, ridiculous amount of guilt, not being able to relax, you name it. And we are so concerned about our skills that we completely miss on everything else.
But that's the thing, I posted that piece on reddit, and wow - nobody actually cared about a bit messed up proportions, unfinished rendering and little mistakes overall. They even called me a humblebrag because I put in a title that "my painting skills are a bit rough", and they're like "rough my ass, it's amazing", and I'm like "yeah shouldn't have said that" lol. I really was so insecure that it was my geniune feeling, like it's not that good. And then I realized that wow, we, artists, are doing all of this to ourselves.
People actually don't give a shit when something is wrong, they only concerned when everything is wrong)
So yeah, I think it's really the problem that should be addressed even more, and I'm really happy that you are one of those people)
Jeez sorry for the wall of text, it's a fresh wound I guess)
@@igorlavrukhin3408 No need to apologize, I enjoyed reading it. A good summation. Thank you.
wait, but ive been drawing only boxes for the last 4 years, you mean to tell me that's NOT USEFUL!?
but also on a serious note, I take full responsibility for contributing to this sentiment with my channel
thank you for breaking me out of box hell :D
Now do hexagons.
Very relatable. A problem I have (and surely others do too) is that whenever I try to do personal stuff I hit roadblocks more often than not, and it's very hard to push through them because I'm "all alone" in it, I'm not following a tutorial or copying anything, and everytime a roadblock is met, the immediate thought that comes to mind is "I'm missing practice, if I had studied more this would be easier", and that usually turns into stopping the personal stuff to go and study more in the hopes that it gets easier. It's incredibly hard to accept the fact that it will become easier the more I do it, the more time I spend on it, and it's not strictly related to studying.
You got it. Onward! Journey well.
this speaks to me on so many levels. I always hold back on personal art because I wait for it just becoming easier.
I go to a university in a rural state for art, I want to be an illustrator and though I've always wished I could have just cut to the chase and gone to a school that teaches with production design/animation etc in mind, there was no way I could afford it even if my family was able to help me. My school is Fine Arts-oriented, teaches little in the way of skills and has not been a welcoming environment to explore illustration until this last year so I've had to teach myself and seek out help online for basically everything I know about art. This video speaks to me because I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and listed out all of the fundamentals I need to work on and drafted up lesson plans and schedules, only to drop it within days because I give myself more work than is sustainable. Since I don't have mentors who are very knowledgeable about industry stuff I rely on advice from as many pros as I can and the resounding message I've gotten is "work on your fundamentals! Master perspective, draw boxes, do life drawing and learn to render!" Of course, all of this is important, but to a young self taught artist doing her best to get to a pro level from her bedroom, it can start to sound like "don't even try to make art until you've mastered these skills." I've seriously got a sense of guilt now when I'm not working on those things. Thankfully in the last 6 months I've woken up to how much I've neglected what I even loved about art in the first place. I have a better idea of the direction I want to go in that maybe doesn't require quite the insane level of skill on every fundamental that I've been attempting. I just wish I could figure out a better system for continuing to improve at home without it completely burning me out and sapping my energy for personal art. I listen to people who had excellent, rigorous training and try to emulate that, but it's a totally different experience trying to do it all alone. I feel pretty lost but your videos give me a lot to think about, thank you for what you do.
I'm happy I can help in some small way. The guilty feeling is really the stand out emotion- based on what you've written. That's the silly little core that has to get drilled out and tossed away. It doesn't help with anything or serve anyone. The "master your fundamentals!" soundbite gets blown way out of proportion online because it's the only universally applicable advice you can say to artists and most teachers are afraid to venture into the stuff that is less universal or niche. The online attention market control for that, of course, more niche=bad. But, it's just silly and ill considered. There are no great masters of art who are good at every part of it. Almost all are hyper specialized on the thing they like the most. That's the simple truth people don't like espousing online. Get good at the part you love the most and you'll be fine. That will only prevent you from getting jobs doing stuff you don't like. Hah!
Yeah I can relate to this I want to add kind of as a word of caution that even after you’ve ‘landed’ your first job as (in my case) a concept designer you will still probably not have mastered the ‘fundamentals’ for that particular studios needs, because that final push it has become apparent to me comes only from your ability to mentain interest, not pay your bills, I found out pretty rapidly even though they had taken me on, my skill level for characters was just not on par with what there clients expected of them, and that’s because they lived and beathed character art, I like drawing vehicles, being able to draw characters is important for whatever neich you go into as no doubt you will be asked to do them where ever you end up, but there is a difference with running it as your main and having it as an additional thing you can do. The ‘fundamentals’ required are different, probably worth noteing that fundaments are effectively all the stuff required to do the work that goes into your job but is not in fact the job itself, if your a portrait artist for example your fundermentals are different than a character artist, even though construction is shared by both of them. Seems simple but is easy to forget. Obviously I’m a junior artist so take this ramble with a pinch of salt but it feels relevant to the conversation. Hopefully it makes sense also writ this on a iPad so probably full of weird grammar.
I really really struggle with this, I often worry I'm not working hard enough and my technical skill is lacking too much to accomplish the art that I want to make. Thus, I focus in on studying and I think I burn out easily because of that. I fear I've dried up my creative well and find it difficult to both be creative and acknowledge the validity of my ideas; When I have an idea its really easy for me to dismiss it and say oh it's dumb or has been done before better. This video was really helpful, and I need to try and push to do less studies and actually develop the art that I want to see, regardless of how it may not be technically perfect right now.
That feeling that you talked about from 11:30-12:40 comes and goes for me I had it from 5-14 my heart thumps in excitement. I used to spend days creating with no care or worry having this obsession to get a masterpiece out... the idea that I have this unquenchable desire is enough, but then to think I create this art in complete silence for two days straight without any idea of the end result, it's amazing. then hit the rough road from 14-20 and from 20-24 I feel I've grown the most. The moment I was handed a pencil as a 3 year old that's when I became an artist and I will always be until the day I die, I couldn't even imagine an alternate reality me being any different. All my best ideas come out when I feel exhausted late at night through the witching hours. I've just subscribed and I'm digging your content. If you read this I appreciate your patience dealing with my rant lol.
Felt that.
I get it... and it's hard to articulate so you did a great job of it. Figuring out what that "thing" is, what that state is... Art flows from inside and seemingly outside at the same time. The images on the travertine wall in the bathroom that only show up when that state is present - and that desire to draw those images. That's roughly what the feeling is like, and is hard to explain without sounding slightly bonkers. Thanks for putting these reflections out there!
What an amazing balance of conscious activity and natural flow.
I'm just trying to get people to VIBE Magda!
...I have so much I want to improve on in my artwork, despite the compliments I get. I have learned how to highlight my strengths and hide my weaknesses, mostly due to my college experience being a BFA program that made me absolutely miserable while simultaneously honing my cartooning style while airbrushing to make money at an amusement park. It was like I was a magician who was adored by the crowd and when learning how to do the tricks hated myself.... I literally had an audience to impress in one place and instructors to disappoint in the other. As soon as I graduated and the airbrush shop closed I stopped drawing regularly.
^Why am I mentioning all this crap that isn't in the video? Because it relates to how I try to approach my work now. If I just go outside with a sketchbook and start doing exercises because "it's good practice," it's so easy to just fall into my old habits. I'll cartoon instead, or I'll think of all the times that my teachers told me how bad my work was. I try to go out or work in my "studio" (a corner of my shared apartment) and ask "what do I WANT to get out of drawing today?"
Just checking in with myself beforehand is great when, say, I have a pinched nerve that prevents me from using my dominant hand for long periods of time until it fully heals. It's a reminder that, yeah, my left-handed drawings ARE probably going to suck, but I'm making them because I need to draw anyway. There was a time where I could take a boring assignment prompt at school (like the infinite amount of color wheels I had to make) and adapt it into something that I loved -the spark of creation was always there. If I don't check in with myself, that spark just won't come.
I think that pit is exactly where I am now. I used to draw all the time. In class, at home, in bed, then I decided to stop doodling in my notebooks, so I could be a better, more successful student.I'm just trying to pick it up again, but the subject matter I loved as a highschool kid/young adult holds, well not zero, but less interest for me now, as I used to take my edgy/weeb ideas very seriously. I'll telll you straight that whether I got an B or a C in a class wouldn't have had any significant impact on where I am now. But after I stopped doodling, I eventually stopped drawing all together. Despite this I've tried to pick the craft back up again, but for lack of inspiration, and in forcing myself to practice anatomy and other technical skills, it all comes in brief starts and stops. The subject matter I'm now interested is... difficult, to find the time alone needed to explore and create.
Don't force anything, you can do that later once the joy is back. Dig in and don't be satisfied with anything less than pure giddy joy at the stuff you get to make. I have been drawing seriously and creating baggage for myself for something like 16 years and I still get so much energy from drawing that sometimes I have to throw my chair back and dance around the room.
@@StevenZapataArt Thanks, man. I've really come to enjoy your channel, always very inspiring and reassuring.
I honestly can not recall the last comment I have made on youtube. Over the course of this last week I listened to you speak. It's profound to hear someone else view art the way I do. To me, Art has always been about healing, connecting and found the truest forms when I would go into a trance state and let this thing work through me. I can feel myself watching my hands create things I have never even dreamed of. Magic. Lightwork. Prayer. To me those are my practice.
You really struck a strong cord through your videos! I have found many things through practicing art, you named them and then some. I feel encouraged that my "whacky"" concept of what art is shared and I am not alone. It brings hope and joy to my heart there are people like you who want to show that art is not about the end result. It's about what the process can do for your inner self. It will show you a path if you just let go of all the distractions. I have visions channeling through me when I am at my most peaceful state of being. Holding a pencil and being the Universes instrument.
u are like my old chinease martial arts mentor
Hah, too bad I'm none of those things!
Personal art is a great form of training. Take art tests and try and apply what you learn from each art test and work that knowledge into your next personal piece. That’s my experience anyway. I would also think overtraining at the expense of physical and mental well being is a huge issue. No matter how much a person loves art they need interests and hobbies outside of work be it running, martial arts, reading, history etc
This video made me realise how serious my focusing issue is
This came up just as I was doing my daily 25 minutes of figure drawing and before the daily 25 minutes of quick portraits followed by 25 minutes of anatomy. It hit where it hurts.
Hah! Sorry if I blew you off course at all. Just a nudge towards balance.
@@StevenZapataArt The "drills" are very useful to improve, but I had forgotten what I was trying to improve at. I really like your videos, and this one in particular has probably changed how I look at my practice for the rest of my life, not just in art. Thanks a lot.
This video definitely resonated with me - a major contributor to my art block is that I feel like I should be training fundamentals at all times and looking for some objective “correct” part of the process. I had my first couple of actual drawing courses at college this past year and having an instructor to provide feedback was so much more fruitful and helped me to not focus too narrow-mindedly on a set of rules. I need to get back to having an in-person or online instructor again. 🤔
this is nice! i've been struggling to find a balance from study and personal art. I'm fairly new to this carreer path so i was just saying to myself that i dont do personal stuff because i dont have the skills, or dont like it when i make mistakes. But im finding that the better i get, the fear doesnt go away. So after some time of searching i realized my fear of art isn't actually of art, it's of myself.
I don't do personal art, but i also dont dress how i'd like, don't talk how I want, i'm afraid of sharing my interests with people, i'm ashamed of my preferences, my body or my accent. It's a pervasive feeling all throughout my life. And it's born of many unresolved pains and frustrations from long ago.
I'ts funny i thought i had an art problem, but it was completely an emotional one, and it's starting to resolve itself as I look inside and forgive, see and be compasionate of myself. Then i can make personal art without feeling like a failure, then i can do some scribbles and have fun and not care how technically impressive it is. Ironically though, thats when i make my best work also. It's like my brain is freed from having to spend energy masochistically flaying itself, so there's all the more juice left to spend in the moment.
Glad to see you back Steven!! You always talk about what is not talked about.
I can perfectly relate to that stretch of time where you can't say "this is me". I'm in there now and I've been kinda obsessed trying to solve the puzzle.
I discovered the great feeling that you mention of nailing something as "yours" in writing. I write almost everyday in the format of freewriting (this has lots of names). This writing focuses on speed and not editing/censoring and puts me in a state of mind that feels great and i dont control what is happening but it feels incredibly honest, vulnerable and true. So Im trying to replicate it in drawing.
For those who might be interested, I can recommend a book called "Accidental Genius" by Mark Levy
Lately, the drawbacks of my non stop "learning" started to kick in; i cant pull 12nn to 4am schedules anymore (that of which became my regular since covid). My heart and chest in general starts to ache around 22:00 and i just cant draw anymore.
Anyways, I just wanna extend my sincere thanks to your thoughts (your content). 24 hours started to feel lacking to me; i want to do more just because im so guilty of being so bad. But now that I'm being reminded of my frailty, having someone to "talk with" in the hours where all I can do is just to lie in bed, it comforts me.
Really though, thank you so much. Thank you for giving me the time to think about the important things; that of which i could barely give myself anymore.
Since covid lockdown I've been soooooo sad that the only thing that I draw is a lot of gesture drawing and portrait lay ins, I have improved a lot and the other day I made some studies from Sargent and I'm surprised on how accurate it came out, but I just can't do anything personal, the deawings from my videos were the last pieces I made for myself, It started to feel like a job and I hate that, I'm a lawyer and drawing now feels like the job and the job like the scape jajaja a few weeks ago I lost my job and everything got worse, yesterday I made gesture for like six hours, I'm afraid of commit to anything that doesn't feel disposable :(
I'm very sorry to hear that, especially about your job. I find difficult times are the best times to let my art talk back to me. It always teaches me something about what's going on in my mind and in my life. This is utterly personal and I'm not sure it's something that can be communicated to others. To enter that relationship with practice, you must commit! Gestures are fine and good, but as you say they are disposable. You don't need to do anything that is by nature "non-disposable", nothing in art is like that. You just need to lock in and stick with something that gets your attention. It's all internal. A focused and concentrated mind is naturally happy, light, and unencumbered. It is a gift in stressful times. Journey well.
@@StevenZapataArt thank you so much for your advice ! i'll try to focus to get over this hard times.
I spent my first few years as an artist only really caring about the technical skill improvements and once I stopped seeing them I just felt so lost, I had to develop my own style of drawing and start making abstract paintings to figure out that I wasn't meant to draw realistic roses for the rest of my life and this video is the only time I've heard this transformation be put into words and advice
It's funny, I didn't study art but have had art ideas all my life, that I just started committing to reality 5 years ago. And I'm always abundant in ideas, but I need to actual skills to properly depict them.
This was somewhat reassuring to listen to.
As usual, thank you Steven.
My pleasure, happy to help.
Im defnetly guilty of doing this... but its just so frustrating to see all the mistakes that im always falling back to doing studies & training instead of beeing creative
Yep. See, the frustration is the key problem there. It's very difficult to control our gut reactions, but if we don't we'll always be a slave to them. You don't have to live by every little thing you feel, you can let it just come and go. If, as you say, the frustration makes you stop being creative and sends you into a week of guilt-and-shame-studies then it has not served you well. It is not even the hard-as-nails bootcamp mindset that gets batted around online like it's a good thing. It's just a bad habit creeping in under the guise of diligence. Be ardent in your devotion to being creative, if you don't know what you love- FIND OUT- and let it guide your path always.
This seems very DaVinci-Esque! The interpersonal connection with your work. I am reading a great book Art and Fear that touches on your thought processes in this a lot!
You are a voice in the wilderness crying out the truth in this dark convoluted world of art and especially commercial art. I have been enjoying listening to you for the past few days as I draw and I look forward to more of this strange exchange of thoughts only possible in this day and age.
My problem is that I feel that I never have any ideas to draw, and whenever I start to freeform draw without a goal, it just turns out to be gibberish on the paper. When I look at some instruction video like from Glenn Vilppu, things make sense and I can do it. Same with drawing from life or reference. Often these drawings come out pretty good! But without any of that, I'm just a lost little boy.
I was told all the time that style comes after perfecting the fundamentals; like "be perfect, then you can be interesting." I don't think I wasted all of my time training, but being a style chameleon and a reference monger has made it so that even my personal projects don't feel like they're being made by the same person from set to set. I did everything people told me to do and I came out over-reliant on the rules, producing soulless art. Then there's the issue that a lot of studios LIKE soulless art, so if I want to stay afloat on art as a career, learning to unlearn some of that overreliance on training is always a backburner project.
“ How does the practice present to you before everything you can put a name on ? “ that’s a freaking quote ! Reminds me of Rilke in his letter to a young poet (this young guy who is struggling about his desir to be an artist or a soldier) a must read for every artist (and every one i think )
I am just starting out and learning to draw at 30, I think I get what your saying, but right now I am enjoying the learning and puzzle of drawing, the process of how to do it. I have idea/concepts I wanna do... I figured its better to learn to walk first then run. perhaps also what helps is to exercise your imagination, learn to build an image in your mind and break it down, where can you place it, change it or rotate it. there is not just one method to learning or growth, you take from everywhere, any perspective or approach to build your understanding. I know its gonna be a long road ahead with ups and downs, but I expect that and welcome it.
The concrete skills are things you learn in order to forget it
This is something I've sort of concluded too after a while: Epiphanies are a must in order to progress in art.
Absolutely. They keep us interested. The feeling that there's always something new to discover or understand about drawing competes with the feeling of doing well for top spot in the practice.
This was one of the most touching talks like this for me ever. You helped me overcome some of my mental obstacles and question them in the right way. It was eye-opening that there is this part after the training, which you absolutely need to start walking on to continue your jounrey at some point and if you don't you are stuck getting nowhere. The world after the training, after the practice. I feel it is so vast, I am still afraid of going there, even I think about it the whole time, long for it. It feels like suffering from home sickness but not allowing myself to return home. This video helps me so much and shows me that ther e is really no way around it and there is stuff to be afreid of, but it is inevatable. Thank you from the heart! (I also really deeply love this painting.)
Just wanted to add that the opposite can also be true. You can also waste years "just doing it" without any knowledge of the fundamentals. This can also get you stuck and I think it is still important to mention, because some people think they can skip out fundamentals and dive into this mindest of letting loose right way and this can cause the same depresssing effects. Studiying the fudnamentals raised my interest and passion for art and I stillthinkthey are essential. For an artist to know be able to express him/herself and what causes emotion in the audience and makes for a ""successful"" piece. But thatdoes not make it less true that being obessed only about the fundamentals andh iding behid them is a problem. I feel really weird right now, becauseit feels like, well, this is a thing I always thought is some personal ocd dilemma of mine or somehting, it feels very releiving to hear that it happens to others to. And it gives strength.
your videos are eye opening thanks!
I have a question, Steven. Before I ask it, I apologize if you address it further in the video, I just don't want to forget so I'm asking now, at the 8:37 mark... You said that the teachable/technical aspect of skills that used to be rewarding to you became less rewarding, and (if I get where you're heading with it) the exploratory, inward looking stuff that can't be taught became the exciting, rewarding part. My question for you... (and, let me preface this with the fact that I'm a 34 year old artist who started making art in my late twenties so I've not had a lifetime of growing up and exploring my artistic tendencies)... anyway... my question for you is: Do you think that knowing that you had a solid understanding of the fundamentals ENABLED you to appreciate the more exploratory phase? The reason I ask is because I try to keep a balance of those two things, but often my frustration is that I can't put on canvas what I imagine in my head because I have some limitation of fundamental knowledge in my head. And, I recognize that the closer I get to having those fundamental understandings, the closer I am to being able to express myself through my artwork more accurately. So at what point does an artist release their tight grip on learning the fundamentals to enter a more exploratory phase? I wonder this often because I concern myself with finding the right balance in order to both enjoy making art and progress to the degree that satisfies me. Obviously, this isn't a one size fits all question, but I think it's an interesting one to ponder nonetheless. I've sort of drawn my conclusion already, but I would love to get your two cents.
I do think my knowledge of the fundamentals enabled me- but that doesn’t mean I think that needs to be true for everyone. I believe freer spirits than I can enjoy exploration without feeling the need to “earn” it with fundamentals- and I see nothing wrong with that.
@@StevenZapataArt Thanks for your reply. I was waiting with excitement. I'm sure you know the famous Ira Glass quote about taste, and to me that is what is the difference maker. Not that one person's taste is better than another person's, but if you make art that satisfies your taste in art, then you've "earned" the exploration by freeing yourself of being dissatisfied. Obviously, nobody is ever free of dissatisfaction in their art, but people get closer to producing more consistently satisfying pieces as they grow more skilled, as I'm sure you know.
I don't even remember when was the last time I did a personal piece was
Well, I've almost never practiced in my life so I think I'm good. I just do whatever I can and try to move forward, constantly learning.
I think it depends - the fundamentals are much like an instrument imo. You need to practice them in order to get the most out of it. Im not a professional artist or master but I reached a point were drawing comes fairly easy and is just part of my daily routine. And I remember it being super frustrating to have all those things you want to draw and paint but you cant visualize them properly - now I have the skill to draw most concepts I come up with and honestly its just super freeing. I also dont feel that pressure of getting better anymore because every drawing is just a relaxed experience and exploration. Sure there are a ton of things I still want to learn and im always striving towards growth. But I dont feel driven anymore - i decide what is fun to create and if im learning new things in the process all the better.
you speak about these things like i do, and i can feel the importance of this topic, but i am naturally analytical and haven't gotten to that understanding yet in art i dont think.
I guess the approach of the 50/50 Rule serves great here.
Spend atleast 50 Percent of your time drawing for fun and personal reasons, just draw what you want to draw even if you can;t do it now.
I started filling up everyday one page of my little sketchbook with whatever comes to my mind and even if its just words and it helped me a lot and gives a lot of inspiration because deep down there under all your fundies is your artistic self that wants to get out, give it room and it will show you your own creativity.
Yesterday i doodled in my sketchbook and came up with a man/tauren cyberpunk hybrid it looked so cool and was technically so bad but i was proud of it and it will server my future self as a inspiration of personal projects.
Just have fun guys, in the end this is what is all about :)
Do you sketch before starting these color images? Or is this how you sketch? I'm also wondering do you think of what you sketch before you start, or do you come up with the ideas once the pen hits the paper or tablet? Thanks!
Yes this is how I sketch color ideas, no pre sketching for this one. It’s mostly reacting to what’s already happening on screen
Art tutorials can be a form of procrastination. Me personally use learning anatomy as entertainment in my spare time. My deep work time is all about sitting my ass down and drawing - Moving the pen on the paper, not copying muscles and taking notes
I really like the art but I add that your talks are the best from the Art Channel that I follow
Im very guilty of this , but at the same time , I used to do more of personal stuff that i liked instead of studying , so i pivoted hard the other way .And while , as you said , I did lose a lot on enjoyment , I gained a lot in skill. Its obviously a balancing act , you are probably able to do stuff that you enjoy now because you are so skilled that every single fundamental isnt such a hard puzzle to complete when doing a personal piece. Im so much more proud of the last piece I did ,witch is only finished piece I did this year than all those churned out pieces I used to do out of enjoyment. There was a big sense in pride in the skill growth , finish quality , I guess the term is "level up" and I can only attribute that to the grind of the fundies. But its obviously not sustainable and at some point ill need to le learn what made me do art in the first place so I dont burn out. Its hard , chasing the "industry standard" when trying to break into the industry by gaining fundamental skill knowledge and doing what you love. I feel like its always one or the other and it comes in waves ,didnt yet find a way to merge the two in one singular process. Thanks for the video ,makes me rethink my approach !
Very thoughtful, glad to see that. I think you nailed the key concern when you brought up sustainability. That's really what we need to have in mind at all times. It's possible to do anything with your art for some period, but we can't let ourselves be hoodwinked by the delusion that what we're doing with it now is all we are.
Your art is soo inspirational! THANK YOU! I love your pencil drawings. They are soo detailed. Keep up the amazing work! I would like to get mentored by you but there is a waiting list :/
Awesome video, really needed to hear this
my sister is a physiotherapist; overtraining is very much a thing
The picture in the thumbnail. I just can’t see anything in it. I see some black and some red but I have no idea what it is. It’s the same for all this type of “art” whatever it’s supposed to be an image of. Maybe nothing? Maybe it’s abstract and isn’t supposed to represent anything? I just don’t get it but there is a lot of it around.
Hi Steve, love your work. This painting seems to be similar to the one in the last video. Is it a series?
Thank you! Nope, not a series. But I usually play around with similar themes in my art.
@@StevenZapataArt please can you talkabout that in a video. About working in series and exploring themes.I am doing something like that currently and I feel like I should finish the pictures first before sharing it with the world but I constantly see people sharing stuff online and feel like I should just let loose even though I'm still at painting 2 out of 4. I appreciate how you seem to be holding back on sharing your works on the internet even though you have a lot that you create at the background. Thanks.
@@artofmorby Okay then, I added it to my little notepad of video ideas. In general, I would never worry much about doing things because of outside factors like what you see other artists doing. You are opening yourself up to a whole lot of subconscious decision making there that gets really tricky. If you want to share it in process because you really want to for YOURSELF, then do it. Ain't no rules to how you share your work. I will say, holding off on sharing until you have multiple finished things usually gets a bit more attention than just one thing- if you're trying to factor reach into your calculations. I would always advise taking your time so long as you're enjoying doing so.
@@StevenZapataArt Thanks a lot, Steven. I look forward to when you do a full video on this topic.
I see your upload, I click
Thank you!
But I am really stupid and don’t even know the beginner stuff.
Newest beginner cope, along with aphantasia.
but clients are paying for hard skills and quality work, especially if we're talking about illustration, not pure concept art. Basically, more training = more money.
i agree with you but your comment and this video is both right :)
Is it me or does it seem like there’s not really many good art tutorials
I was stuck in boot camp for 30 years. I am 34
Really late on this video but I wanted to say ty, Steve. This is something Im going to internalize and keep with me. My study/personal art balance isnt the greatest and I tend to do way more studying and not as much of my own art but I'm going to just trust myself and draw my own stuff regardless of my current skill. Ive been binging alot of your vids and theyve really helped me alot, I appreciate your being willing to help all of us who are on this journey as well
fun fact: we learn thinks true sleep not constatly working on it or reading. If you sleep to litel you will not learn to much and destory your senety. Most of overworking and burniout seen as good is mostly just from American culture
Floating head perma-beg sketchers (me) on suicide watch
I.... don't understand.
To be able to do what you want to do, to be able to do the piece you shown us in the video, to be able to paint those muscles, those hues variation, that composition. All of this is things you had to learn and practice, those are the fundamentals and objective stuff that you're saying aren't that important...
But to be able to make a piece that is you, to make a piece that voices who you are and what you want to be doing with art, you need those fundamentals, you need those art skills.
I know what I want to do as an artist. I know the character of my ideas, why I have those ideas and what I want to do with them. Doesn't change the fact that my skills, these hard objective "not that important" bootcampy skills, aren't nearly enough to be able to express myself the way I want.
So what, I'm supposed to just throw it all off the window ? I honestly don't understand at all