The WORST Mistake Young Artists Make
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ม.ค. 2025
- (Its not practice or studying your fundamentals)
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The main reference I used is by @zhonglin_ (Zhong Lin) on Instagram btw!
Does this goes for traditional art too?abt the reference and drawing from imagination
@@bibixoxo008 yes. Im a traditional artist and this helps. You really cnat draw anything, digital or traditional, withouta reference, so yes!
i'm just at the start of this video but god it's a godsend. i've been artblocked since 2019 and haven't finished a single drawing for 3 years. i'm really afraid of failing and spending a lot of time on something that will turn out bad. this was really an eye-opener, thank you! i'll practice going with the flow a little more
You'll always fail at the drawing you never drew. However if you draw you have a chance to draw something cool new or unique. I don't get art block. I like all forms of art there's unlimited supply of art in the world take a few things you like combine them and there you go new peace. But don't not draw for three years.
hey, i'm in the exact same spot. i'm glad this video helped you out!! it's nice knowing there are people in similar situations, and i know we'll be able to start drawing freely again if we take this advice to heart
@@claireverse best of luck 👍 if you ever get stuck draw some characters you like. Or what I do is relearn drawing anatomy or faces if I don't know what I want to draw the key is to always draw.
I try to think of it like this: Mistakes are just 'not yets', and then you realise there is no such thing as failure, there is only experience. If you find joy in drawing, do it just for you and keep going until you nail it. Someday you will create something that doesn't feel like failure to you at all, but you have to keep trying to get there. Just put the pencil on the page with no plans and reconnect with the feeling it brings to get yourself started letting go of any and all expectations. You can do it!
Going with the flow is where I feel most comfortable creatively I love to be spontaneous with art I'm less nervous of errors when working more freely but I'm realizing that some structure is necessary if I want to improve my skills hence I should be more intentional in terms of my practices but this is where I struggle most, specifically while applying structured practice, I lose focus easily & become slightly frustrated. I didn't use references often during my early artistic development as a child I drew almost entirely from imagination thus when it's necessary to practice with intention & focus on specific areas of anatomy I have a bit of difficulty maintaining my concentration & staying motivated as I'm use to a more relaxed method of creative work, I also feel a bit of insecurity around accuracy & making mistakes even if it's simply a practice, this topic refreshing & relatable I'm glad it helped you✨
I'm not even a beginner artist, I graduated from art school a couple years ago now, but I still really needed to hear this. I constantly feel stuck thinking "I can't wait until I'm better so I draw what I want" but you're right, I shouldn't have to wait, in fact I *can't* wait or else it will never happen. Thank you so much for this video
Wow, I never knew this was an unhealthy mindset. I have the same idea too.
amazing way to put it. 👏
Too relatable
Fr I get stuck in the same mindset, even though I know I can always re draw it in a year if I want to
Wow, I feel the similar to this. I wish you luck.
I've never heard any artist talk about this weird phenomenon before. Waiting to draw something until you feel you've reached a level where you won't stain the brand or name of whatever you're drawing, like if you draw it now while you're inexperienced, you'd offend the art gods or something. I've been so stuck with this mindset, even the few times i broke this thought, i'd still dislike what i've made bc it wouldn't look how i envisioned it too.
I would spend a whole day in the middle of drawing just to find that *perfect reference* so i wouldn't have a hand look off by a margin and other ridiculous moments like that. This video was a big comfort. I feel like i can relax a bit more now after watching this.
I think it’s because we get stuck on an idea in our heads that something will work, but it doesn’t always so it’s hard to accept it didn’t work and move on too.
I'm kinda curious, did you draw your profile picture?
@@mistyonyx No sadly, i got it from the Genshin Impact comic. Quite the fun read if you're interested in the art style alone!
I strive to make sm like it someday tho
It was the opposite for me growing up, I was always told by those around me “largely not artist crowd” that it’s cheating to use references. Now I use reference more, and it has made my skill more well rounded. It’s helped me especially nailing motion in animation.
One of the greatest tools in our arsenal as artists is the ability to know when to take advice and when to say thank you but ignore the advice and do it anyway. Also one of the hardest to master.
It's crazy how firm people's beliefs can be despite the lack of experience that unlearning biases becomes a learning process on its own.
same
Same, those idiots should keep their mouth shut on things they don't know much.
art thieves they said, stealing artstyle they said. thanks for the paranoia 2017
It's actually really reassuring when you mentioned how long it takes you to create an artwork. I always feel bad that some of my work takes 10 hours to draw over a course of a few days. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. So thank you, thank you so much.
this
Ikr then I see other artists post so often and I think to myself how tf did u make that so fast
@@chichi5985 exactlyyyy!!
this has been my biggest concern lately. seeing artists work fast makes me feel bad for spending literally 12 hours drawing a stained glass window. i'm *very* particular lmao. i'm glad i'm not the only one who takes a while to make art !
exact same. actually thats most of the reason i usually go for something very simple. Because just seeing my time reach 20 hours makes me want to cry, brain just goes "damn youll never get a job/sell anything/make money enough at this speed". But it's reassuring to know im actually allowed to take my time.
It can go both ways. When you try to push yourself too far beyond your limits too often, it can get extremely frustrating to see yourself fail all the time. That’s what I struggled and continue to struggle with. I had a bad art block for a year because of this dissatisfaction and couldn’t break it until I took a step back and deliberately only drew simple things for a while. It’s helped me find joy in the process again until I found the heart to tackle an ambitious piece again.
i also resorted to only drawing relatively simple things for a while after a 2-3 year art block / break, and i found so much joy in the process (as you said) again, that i ALSO found the motivation to attempt a more advanced piece! it's so cool to see someone who thought the same.
@@ideksams I'm so happy to hear you also managed to break out of your art block this way!! :) It feels great being able to create again.
The timing of this is insane! I've literally felt this "fear" for months, maybe even a year or so and you've summed it up so well. I literally tell myself "oh I want to make fanart of this but, maybe im not good enough to do it so ill do it when im better" or "oh I have this cool drawing idea but im not skilled to execute it". Anyways great video! Made me feel less alone thinking this way :) we should just draw whatever initial ideas we have! Improvement always comes gradually no matter what, if you wanna draw something, do it!
you’ve 100% changed my perspective on drawing or digital painting as a whole. allowing myself to get comfortable with failure is a tough task to endure. but this realization of “not shooting for the stars” which is literally limiting myself to only small failures and not big ones is the downfall of my self improvement.
i have to get comfortable with the ALL of the uncomfortable. while the things i want to do now won’t be the epitome of what i want, how in the hell am i supposed to do it even better later without any past attempts?
very well put together piece, both video and art work 🤗
Great advice. It takes a lot of study from reference in order to deviate from it. Working from imagination can be scary because of the pains of failure that you mentioned, but ultimately it's an important skill for every artist to develop. You don't need to see things perfectly in your minds' eye, you just need a process and solid fundamentals to start working with the marks you're making-- turning them into something cohesive and appealing. Put in everything you like. Even if you suck at it at first. Repetition and iteration can breed tons of improvement over the years.
Couldn't agree more regarding shooting for what you actually want to make too. Now being 31, I've put off my projects for freelance for a long time, which killed a lot of my drive to improve. Now that I'm turning down offers and working on other income streams, my drive has shot back upward, and my art reflects that.
His words sound like literal poetry. I’ve been doubting my skills and my want to be an artist like “I’m not right for this I’m not good like everyone else I didn’t get into this school or whatever” I picked up a pencil with confidence for the first time in a while today. I need this for my massive art block
One of the things I realized when I thought about how I was as an artist when I was a kid, was that I was fearless.
If I saw something done artistically, and I liked it, I’d try to replicate it, regardless of success level. I’d try to do anything.
Now? Years later, I’m so caught up with making sure I do things “right”, that I feel like I’ve boxed myself in and forced myself to “stick with what I know” in order to produce “quality content”, so I experiment less, and I don’t “breathe” or “stretch” as an artist, and I kinda think a lot of we artists sorta fall into this trap (maybe it’s just me though, lol).
I also think that maybe many of us become dissatisfied with our “styles” because it’s what WE see MOST. So when we see another artist’s work that blows us away, it’s because it isn’t something we’re used to seeing as much as our own art. It’s different, it’s exotic and it’s appealing.
So perhaps it isn’t so much that our personal styles are “turrible”, so much as it is that we’re over exposed to our own works, so we’re sorta “immune” or “blind” to what others may find appealing in our work.
13:23 saving this for myself. "What would you try if you couldn't fail" good quote
I look at my older art and realize how much safer I tend to be now, A recent example was from a few days ago when I was doing a drawing for a character and I had a Idea to design a coat for them to wear, I did a few rough sketches of cloaks and stuff on the side, but I didn't bother to try putting it on the character I was working on, I thought that I'll just do it "when I can" Also that 50+ hour painting was stunning, I had to take a good 5 minutes to take it all in.
for the longest time I never did any kind of dynamic poses or perspectives because I was afraid I wouldn't be good at it. Something I didn't think about was, not practicing isn't going to make me better. I still struggle with wanting to default to poses I'm better at, but I've gotten better at drawing (and posting) different poses even when I think "this looks so bad, I should just draw [pose I can do better]."
I remember as a kid, I used to draw pretty much every single day, for hours, and it was 90% fanart, because that's what I loved to do. Then one day my mother told me to stop doing these "pointless things", and it honestly broke me. I've never been able to make it a constant practice again, all because I have that little voice in me telling, "well that's just pointless, isn't it?" and no matter what, this sense of guilt that I'm wasting precious skills (like they're a limited resource) on something "pointless" keeps eating at me.
Whoever told you that they probably also had a hobby that was “pointless” but in the end everything is pointless so spend your time doing something you enjoy. To some people if you have a hobby that can’t help them or become a career it’s but it isn’t pointless if it makes you happy
if it makes you happy, and you’re learning and improving at the same time, thats not a waste of time at all. even if its not financially helpful (which art can absolutely be a career nowadays if u can sell urself well), u have a good hobby and it probably helps u a lot more than it doesnt. it can boost confidence in ur capabilities in general. keep doin what makes u happy :)
If you like doing it and your having fun it's not pointless
I did the same as a child but when I got to highschool I just wasnt into drawing as much as I was growing up. Then after graduating, I wanted to get back into drawing, but it was hard to free again, and I was very critical of myself when trying. Ended up drawing portraits for years until most recently I've tried free handing more.
i felt that honestly, my father literally said to me one day something very similar when i was a kid and i can just hear his voice in my head sometimes when i practice
that ending sums it all up perfectly "regardless, this video is all about not limiting yourself." watching this entire video definitely changed my way of thinking, thank you
This transparency is always appreciated and just at the right time. Definitely feel you on the bargaining. It’s funny how we think we’re the only ones to have a thought or hope for something, just to find out there’s an entire community riding that struggle bus too. Reminds me of this quote: “Sometimes what you’re most afraid of doing is the very thing that will set you free.” - Robert Tew
This is how Im feeling exactly right now, I wanna make complex animations / animatics but I feel like my anatomy is not good enough for it yet
Every time I start a new project and I start to draw the first frame, I give up. Thank you I needed this
Okay the part about being afraid to do fan art of the things you love because you think you won't do it justice felt like such a call out to me lmao. I've said like the same thing verbatim. God I really need to allow myself to sit tf down and watch more videos like this, because they let me know that everything I'm feeling is normal and that I'm not (I hope) some lazy indecisive sham that can't commit to the things he says he wants to do. But for as much as I say I gotta have things figured out and "GO, GO, GO", I simultaneously have no idea about anything. I know what my grand goals and dreams are, but the uncertainty of the course of action, motivation, and discipline to get there is a constant debilitating weight on my mind. Should something you know love and always have, something you were born to do, feel so taxing and complicated? I feel like I already know the answer to that, but yeesh...And it doesn't help me when people say to "Relax" or "Don't think so hard about it". How?! How do you NOT think about and ponder extensively about something you're so certain you want to accomplish and see through that it feels like a need? It can even feel like a punch in the face when you hear advice from already successful people (Success is subjective, I know) talking about "Don't care so much". "Easy for you to say" is what my mind thinks, "All you have to worry about is MAINTAINING success". Meanwhile I'm sitting here having an existential/mental crisis about how to find it in the first place, wondering if I ever will with that very mindset. But in the end, the only person who can do anything about it all is yourself, an even scarier thought, because the world owes you nothing but common decency frankly. So what are YOU gonna do about it? I have yet to figure that out, but I just long for the time where these shackles can be removed and I can soar with ease. Even in that however, am I wrong to long? Because being hyperfocused on what you don't have will only bring suffering, whereas having no focus and/or intention at all...I can't live a like that, it's just not me. But we all want things we don't have, isn't that just life?
...
Okay I think the video hit a nerve-
I felt called out too. That was really the biggest fear I had growing up and drawing. I used to do MLP and Sonic characters even though it wasn't as good as I thought it was back then, after that I barely did any fanart after I started learning how to draw anatomy (using references, both anime and modeling photos) was in the 5th grade. I started getting into more anime and TV shows and I always wanted to do fanart for my favorite shows but I was too scared that I'd mess it up. Like I, a measly preteen in the vast fan content world, would dishonor the reputation of my favorite characters and series.
But then the pandemic hit and I was scrolling thru Tumblr and I found roleplay blog of characters from BSD (Bungou Stray Dogs, its a good anime/manga; I definitely recommend) and I decided I wanted to join in on the fun. So I did and I chose to do a supporting character that I didn't really care about all that much, after getting to know the other roleplayers and their blogs for the characters, I noticed one who used art to answer prompts and questions and I was inspired. So I decided to implement my art in answering anons too, then I slowly grew to love the character I was roleplaying as and eventually I noticed I drew so much fanart for BSD, especially my newest favorite character.
Then, I realized "Hey, I'm not so bad at the fanart thing after all". I still don't do much fanart now but that experience helped me realize that I have more potential than I thought I did. So I hope something similar (not exactly the same, but similar in the "Oh shit, I can actually do this" moment) can happen to you too.
This bought tears to my eyes man. I have all these comic ideas that I haven't created yet because I'm afraid of failure. Because I lack the fundamentals of drawing and storytelling. But after this, I'm going to try to create one.
Relate to this sm, good luck gnome!
@@VegadaOne thank you. I'll try my best.
Damn dude, you're always so spot on. Also, for those of us (myself included) telling ourselves we need to perfect our x, y, or z before doing that piece we want to be Good Enough™ to do... Why not do it now & look at it as a rough draft? A practice run?? We don't have to show people everything we do, it's not all content (despite what apps and algorithms tell us) and it's okay to have drafts. Writers do it; why can't we, as artists??
This is me rn 😭
the thing about fear of not making justice twhen drawing something you like really resonated with me. I can't draw fanart for the stuff I like the most because the pressure is too much, but if I try doing it for a subject I don't like as much they turn out pretty good
The fact that even when you're talking about art, you seem to talk about life: I learned a lot with this video and I'll return to think about my life
This is very eye opening, Josh. The urge to simply finish a drawing just so I can have something that I made is hard to resist.
Being satisfied with the end result takes many hours to accomplish. I feel sometimes that I've spent too much time on one thing to not like it at the end but usually it hasn't been nearly 10 hours
This is just what I needed to hear. Recently, I've been questioning if I'll ever be "good enough" as an artist, especially since my passion and skill level always seems to be lower than those who are younger than me. But I realized that's because I'm always drawing what I think I should draw or what have to draw. I put my more favorable ideas to the side because I think I'm not skilled enough to do them yet. Your advice has shifted my mindset. Thank you for making this video.
I needed this… I’ve been having a hard time drawing what I feel of feeling like my art work doesn’t express or look the way I want. Some where in high school I lost sight of this and I became so focus on getting it perfect and making it look like the reference. Largely it was due to people constantly asking me to draw this for them exactly like this or people just not getting my art and what I was drawing. I also was so envious of my friends that could draw these amazing anime characters while I struggles for years trying to draw the perfect “anime” character. When actually I should of just embraces my poor full body image and in lean into it. I have to say digital art is helping me a lot
Josh, you're one of the few artists that has valuable lessons while being relatable AND making amazing improvements that we literally can see in real time. I've been following you for 2/3 years now and your art evolved so much it inspired me to keep going. I almost gave up on art because my family told me I would be a starving artist and I wasn't good enough to make a good living. You're working very hard to let your fears go and just do what you feel like doing and it shows! Your art shows you're more confident
This reassured me that the best artists I know are still afraid of themselves and their potential, but the difference between them and others is that no matter how scared they are, the love in their hearts always pulls them out and tells them “Fear is a warning, but it’s not a warning you shouldn’t listen to.”
4:35-4:50. You may have done this to avoid failure, but I've been doing this for the past couple of years and it's where I've seen the biggest leaps in improvement. One problem I've always had was having ideas that were too big. Improving things in isolation gave me more confidence to try doing more. I feel like I improved at other things that I wasn't, specifically, practicing
I'd love to hear more about how you improved things in isolation
I'm trying my best to stop comparing my skills to my taste in drawings. I end up thinking my own isn't enough or as good as what I'm inspired by and that is what stops me from doing better. Thank you.
I mainly do fan art, but i did a concept art that a few ( barely no one in my audience cared too boot) which took almost a month to complete. Its probably considered a failure by normal standards but i sid enjoy the process in making it( made me almost quit too) but it made me learn something too which i think is the most important take away
A good synopsis of your growth in this life we call art. We’re loving the process of creating the work and seeing where your creative journey take you. This is what it feels like, Bro!! Thanks for drawing session.
I’m literally at this point of my art journey so this is hitting at a super important point in time for me. Thank you for this
I really needed this the first thing that he started talking about is exactly what I’m doing now, I always feel like I can be doing more with not even being an artist that can just do static colors when I fill in my line art i’ve realized that every single time I want to do a reference or even do anatomy if it ends up being a struggle for me so I go straight back to using a reference and things like that even though I wanted to make something my own I know deep down that it’s truly not mine. I really needed this because there are a lot of ideas that I have an I end up either coming up with a writing down that just never get fulfilled, and I know that there’s a lot more in store for me if I just tried but in order to try and make my art look good I avoid doing it. Thank you Josh I really needed to hear this. I may not pick up my sketchbook immediately because it’s 5:18 AM in the morning and I know I want to do some thing, but I’m going to sit and think for a little bit and reflect and let an idea come to me. And when that idea comes I will write it down and immediately try my hardest just to be free with what I’m doing.
Thank you so much for this video, Josh!
I get those really "precious" ideas from time to time and tend to put them off for later, until I get better, and still struggle to just stop doing that.
And thank you for saying that it's fine to spend longer hours on our works, as social media algorithms these days just want you to pump out content all the time to stay remotely relevant. I personally love to invest time into paintings and sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable when I don't have anything to show for days...
So glad you made a video of this. I didn't know I was actually doing this until I looked at some of my artwork and I actually see my progression. I am blown away each drawing I do manage to finish and I go "Holy crap I made that??" Yes I can always improve and I hope to always continue improving. I have been exploring other venues I never thought before. I am actually making fan art of friends characters and Vtubers I follow when here I used to be deathly afraid of doing any fan art because I never wanted to misrepresent them. I keep pushing myself to limits I never would have thought before and I don't second guess myself like I did before. I just do. This pose looks impossible in my head but looks cool I am gonna go for it. This idea just sounds plain but I draw in detail since it is what I enjoy. It is a journey I feel as I grow as an artist and also learning about myself. So Bless and thank you for this video because it does encourage me to continue on my path even as I struggle with motivation at times. Although me finishing art and posting it is far and few inbetween right now, I love seeing my growth and where I am going from here.
I thought the title was gonna be clickbaity but just hearing the first few sentences was so real. I have been limiting myself from doing challenging fantasy landscapes for so long or city art because I felt like I could barely do perspective or nature and needed to start smaller. This was advice I genuinely needed, thank you
this video helped me so much. i'm 16 and i've been in a sort of "art block" for over 2 years now and what you said really felt like you were calling me out. but, it motivated me to draw just for the experience, without worrying about how it turns out. so thank you
What a great message! Thanks for that!!
I've been working on a grayscale picture for my daughter. She loves the movie "The Lighthouse" and asked for a drawing of one of the production photos - with the two characters standing in front of the lighthouse. It's all value - no color - and with the haze/mist, the detail of their faces is somewhat obscured. So by all accounts, should be an easy piece, even though I struggle with figures/likeness and am a noob in digital medium.
It's taking me forever to get this piece done and it dawned on me, after watching this video and an older one from your channel where you're just drawing, that I'm avoiding it out of fear ...that it won't be good enough.
So, with the inspiration of your message here, I'm getting back on it. If I goof it up, I'll just fix it.
Thanks again!
To find your uniqueness & be yourself is something that I struggled with because I was worried that maybe who I am is not something "good enough" according to others. But hearing you say that you should just go for it & let yourself draw the piece that you want is something really comforting. I usually combine 2-3 studies into one painting, so that takes me a lot more time to complete an artwork than other artists. So, I'm glad that you addressed the issue about Time taken for an artwork as well. It's not a competition, and it's not a race. It's just You being Yourself & being on this incredible journey to learn art. Thank you
Great video! you pin point my fear that I've been struggling for years now.
Although I have been drawing most of my life as an hobbyist, this struggle is really pushing me back and slowing me down into working towards becoming an illustrator or concept artist. The perfectionist side of art can be really hard to let go and becoming more true to yourself by discovering through ''mistake'' new ways to create art.
ive been in a cycle of hating my art since the beginning of this year and slowly began to realize im having a massive burn out after a huge year of making art and a whole webtoon. Ive realized lately social media is not going anywhere for me and just focusing on my comic for a while will be my best option for the time being. Although even looking back at my webtoon episodes made me realize how much better I can do this. Im so anxious about restarting the series from scratch and the anxiety of getting featured is kinda eating at me, but watching your videos help keep me grounded and feel human again as i realize that these emotions are normal human experiences and taking my own pace to grow is very important and I wish I could always remember that and not feel so bad about my art and progress.
I've been scared to make bad art for so long that I completely dropped drawing, I'm coming back to it but I'm just only using reference because I still don't want to make bad art. This is so weird and annoying but I'm hoping as I get more experience I'll grow
Honestly, try switching back and forth between using references and drawing from your brain.
I'm an art student now after taking a 5 year break from drawing and something that I think helps me improve is using references to figure out how things work w/ respect to shapes and forms, and then working without reference helps me translate what I've learned into my style.
Idk if it works for everybody (nothing ever does!) but it might help if you're trying to come back to it.
James Baxter got so good at horses and by extension visualizing perfectly in 3D is that horses is his favourite animal, so he probably started drawing them early on in life. They’re perhaps one of the hardest animals to draw as it emphasizes seeing from all sides, and now he’s regarded as one of the best in the world of animation even among his Disney Renaissance veteran peers. Guest animating on various modern animated films and series.
He atarted by drawing what he wanted and you should too.
this video started off amazing and got better. genuinely gave me inspiration to keep going as an artist. the advice doubles for many other aspects of life as well. thank you ♡
I honestly think every artist needs to hear this once in a while, I definitely needed to hear this
I still remember the time when u started posting on yt and you were one of the first artists I followed on twitch too ,your words just like your works are gold I really enjoy your content ! your determination and your passion about art inspire me so much thank you 💖
Wow I really needed this. I feel so stifled, especially being self taught. As much as I tell myself differently, I know I’m waiting for this magical moment where I feel good enough to start trying to create original and dynamic art.
what you said about writing off art as a career, i relate to exactly. now starting much later in life and finally realizing that creating art is what fills the void that i have been living with for so long.
This topic is very relatable! I' can definitely relate to what you addressed regarding artistic limitations such as only drawing this or that specific section or style & avoiding areas of anatomy while drawing or painting due to fear of making errors which can stunt artistic development. being an artist can be difficult depending on what stage one is in as we may experience creative blocks connected to restrictive practices that we place on ourselves around simply trying to improve in a perticuler area of art this something I need to work on. thanks for addressing this topic & by the way awesome work! 🎨✨❤️
This is something I just realized last month about my art. The amount of time it's been since I've drawn without reference, drawn one of my ideas.
You sound almost exactly like me at your younger years, love your videos!!
I learn art by not thinking about it- if I just kinda do it, it turns out way better then if I were to study and really think about all the technical stuff.
I've always been inspired by you, samdoesart and Ethan Becker. and i would always be terrified to do things because it'll turn out bad, so i would limit my ideas and sooner or later that slowed me down. and my doubts got worse. Not having to do these ideas would make it harder for my future self. telling myself ill be better in the future. but THIS. opened my eyes. im always trying to be perfect, but i should start doing what ive always enjoy doing, even if im not good at it yet. Thank you ergo josh
Thank you for this video, man. You have no idea how many beginner artists (including me) need to hear this!
It hit home
I think many of us have pipelines in our head and it's as if we follow instructions
However what we all have as artists is our artistic intuition
And i believe we don't like our works exactly when we follow the pipeline and silence the intuition
I've recently tried to listen to it and omg that piese of artwork just made so much more sence
Just the visual sence and i felt it was a lot like me
i avoided this video because i knew you would say things that would be a tough pill to swallow, but now im done with holding myself back, and this is motivation, thank you
This just a gift or say a slap in the face to me for struggling and stop improving for so long. Thanks, Josh.
Thank you so so much for making this video! I watched it a few days ago and today I finished a piece after a long year of not being able to draw. I had an art account I used to post my works on, but abandoned it because the only thing that drove me to draw was pressure. I was so scared to step out of my perception of my own skill, and stuck to art that I believed matched my abilities. I was so bent on perfecting it and it felt suffocating. Looking back, I should've just went with ideas I really wanted to pursue. That way I could have improved in the year I dropped drawing altogether.
But I have no regrets, there's still plenty of time to draw the way you taught us to! With no fear of failure. I haven't been loving art the way I was supposed to, but you helped with correcting that. Your messages are so impactful and I've been binging your videos as I draw :) I'm sorry if this comment is soo long lol, I'm just really grateful and I want you to know that you've helped so many of us struggling with art
Sometimes i look at my older art where i would try prespective and backgrounds and looking at it now... they look bad and i would feel bad as an artist and feel discouraged, but then i remember how much effort it took me to do it and i feel better about it, it reminds me that i tried instead of just giving up
This is such great advice. For years I've stopped working on anything I want to work on because I need to practice more. Practice with drawing exercises, model studies, shading studies, etc. Recently someone said I should spend 50% of my art time practicing and the other 50% working on projects I enjoy. And that was mind blowing. Now I split my drawing time and I'm growing so much quicker as an artist. I've been stuck for so long, and it feels really good to move past it.
how do you do that exactly, do you schedule your week some special way?
What I've learned from this video...
Fear of failure
Will set you back
A lifetime
It prevents you
From learning
& if you can't learn
You can't grow
Don't limit yourself
To your current abilities.
Fail, learn, & grow.
Thanks for this one Josh, unlocked some 'crazy' ideas I didn't even realise I had locked away until now!
when i clicked on this video i figured it would be another tips and tricks video with a bold title, but as i watched this is something that REALLY is important to teach, learn, and remember.
this is a great video. im inspired! keep it up!
This is so so important, I've been saying this for so long. I got stuck in the loop of constantly needing to 'study' before i allowed myself to actually create anything
Just recently, I had a great idea for an original character, but since I hadn't drawn for a year or so, I pulled up a few reference images and even traced one of them. Not only does that defeat the purpose of the original character I was trying to make (since I was using pre-existing artwork that wasn't unique to my character), but I used to not pull up any references and just have at it with my drawings. Comparing one of my finished pieces from a year ago to some of my half-hearted sketches now, I've realized that I've become a lot less sure of my art style and technique. This video truly has great timing; I'm fully out of my art slump but I'm almost learning how to draw again, if that makes sense. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I'm not a beginner but I have always been inconsistent w my drawings and practice. This video made me feel truly understood. I tried to deny it but I think deep down I do have a fear of failure when trying to draw. Thank you for this video. I really needed it. It was inspiring, I will allow myself to challenge and fail from now on
The fact this is told and explained like a mystery story video is amazing
Man, I really needed to hear this, I graduated recently and I have all these crazy ideas but I am afraid because these would go into my first professional portfolio and I don't feel like I have the ability to translate it perfectly from my head to page. So I constantly put them on the back burner and focused on trying to make what I thought would help me improve my skills. But now I'm absolutely gonna work on the crazy ideas.
Thanks man, great video!
I always liked your videos where you'd deconstruct an image, and then recreated the image from the way you deconstructed it. I think this helps a **** ton in art. The more you understand the way something is put together the easier it is to draw. I've seen a lot of other artists do the same thing.
The first video struck a nail that has been in my head for the last month or so. GOSH DARN YOU! NOW I FEEL CALLED OUT! .... thanks
Dw im just calling myself out with these vids lol
Ouch
This video hit me so hard. It's hard to hear the truth.
I'm stuck in almost every situation you mentioned. I needed to hear this video, and from now on, every time I try to self-sabotage to do anything besides study something that I love, I'm going to come here and hear you say it all over again.
Thank you. ♥
THIS! This is EXACTLY where I'm struggling the most right now. Being too scared to fail to the point I don't even try anymore. Thus, losing the opportunity to learn from mistakes or discover something new...
This really helped me a lot , Im a young artist but I've been a young artist for like 5 years and I never felt improvement, right now Im stuck , each time I try to draw something its the same thing as the last cause thats the thing "I know how to draw". I thought I had to learn everything by itself and this inspired me to do otherwise. Thank you so much Im so glad I found your art!
thank you for this video! i actually learned something myself while drawing and it is that you can't always "trust the process" and go along with it. sometimes you need to redraw the eyes or the whole body over and over to make it look the way you attended to. or even take risks.
This video is incredible, thank you so much. The points you make are very accurate and feel familiar, even for me as a hobbyist who isn't aspiring to work in art. I would also add that the feeling of getting the 'vibe' of what you envisioned across just right, even if what you made isn't perfect technical-skill-wise, it's a really great feeling.
Also, it was super refreshing to hear the catch from the title at the start of the video instead of the end, with a bunch of "stick around til the end to hear our grand solution to all your problems!" thrown in the middle- this kept me way more engaged! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos :)
Some time ago I left a comment on one of my favorite artist's Instagram posts; something along the lines of "I love this, I've been struggling to bring myself to make a piece with this and that thing on it"
Their response was simple but really hit this obsessive worried part of me , they said "Go for it, do it! You can always do more!"
You can always do more, you can always revisit, re-imagine, re-do if needed so.
Sometimes it’s so shocking how similar your videos are to what I’m hesitating on. I’ve been thinking about drawing a webtoon but I think I’m gonna go for it!
I graduated about the same time you did from college and also took some similar patterns and bad learned behaviors from it. I stunted my growth for years because of fear of failure and I feel like school and society punishes so so much if we make a mistake, especially now when everything is so easily broadcasted across different platforms. And as you said, we pour our souls into it so for it to be ripped down is hard to take.
I avoided drawing people for the longest time because I failed at rendering them, but my foundation skills and understanding of anatomy was lacking. I’d also avoid backgrounds for a similar reason, but I’ve been incorporating both, even if it’s a simple background. I still try to put my own style on it too so I stress less, I have the habit of putting demon or animal horns on people and piercings or tattoos, it makes it fun and takes away from the stress.
The good news is that you work digitally (it’s why I do too), so you can always make copies to experiment. I stayed away from traditional for a while because I’d ruin pieces I’d spend hours on.
I have been going through a big art block the last couple days and been putting of studying an artist work I like since I felt I wasn't good enough. Especially as self taught artist, it can become a major issue for me being too hard on myself when I can't do something. I started with the study after watching this vid and surprisingly enough, its going a lot better than I thought it would. Thanks for the great video as always.👍
this got recomended to me at such a perfect time. Im a traditional artist. I make flat 2D art. I had an idea for a sculpture- and it was an extremely difficult idea to execute. I am now 5 days into my first attempt at sculpting and loving it. its coming out way better than what i thought I could do.
this was really helpful to listen to! i have often just deleted drawings i was working on because i havent touched since months or even years, and recently i had a huge art block. i'm working on an short animated film right now, but after this video i'll be doing some warm up stuff to get these cool thoughts in my head on screen haha
thank you so much for this video, it helped me beat art block and start making paintings that I've been loving throughout the summer !!
You're so wholesome ok-
And one of my favourite artists in general. Your videos are always so motivating. Thank you.
I am 32 and I struggle with this. I used to draw a lot when I was younger and it was so fun and I was proud of my work. Now I am so afraid to draw because I know it won't look good. It will look alright but it won't be what I want it to look like. But I know I need to practice to actually get better. I am letting my fear of failure stop me form getting better. I need to change the definition of failure for myself. Failure isn't drawing something bad! Failure is not drawing at all! It's hard. I am still struggling. But I want to keep going because I miss the feeling of making art and having fun and being proud of what I make.
your advice is so principally sound, i wish artists of all mediums & channels would see this video. the explanation of the importance of combining the fundamentals as a fundamental on its own, and using genuine passionate projects as a vehicle for that is paramount to improvement!! thanks for your content friendo
I have been doing my art for my whole life so I'm drawing for 14 years now and I still haven't found my art style, because I just feel so scared to even try, I am so strict and harsh on myself whenever I see my result I feel so bad because I can't do digital nor realistic drawing, I don't feel great because I don't feel confident drawing without a grid method, even a thought of being judged makes me sick, I want to show so much but I don't feel confident. I really want to improve so much but even one small wrong mistake makes me quit my art, Idk how to leave this cycle of never-ending quitting your work, sometimes when I take a long break I forget how to draw, I don't have a motivation for drawing anymore, it's so hard and I'm really grateful for your video it gives me motivation and now I know its okay to screw up, I will try my best to improve ty again
i just wanted to let you know that i have legitimately shared this with every artist i know, this stuff is seriously life-changing.
I really appreciate your thoughts in this video! you put something I've been thinking about for myself for a very long time into words, the idea that I don't think of myself as valuable. which I would add on to with the idea then that increases, for me, the fear of failure. if my idea isn't valuable then my work has to be technically valuable or there's no value at all.
There are so many different art channels on TH-cam and they all say a lot of things. Whether it’s about one thing or the other. Sometimes it’s like your hearing the same thing but just with different wording or like they are all speaking in different fonts but regardless it’s the same thing. I feel like this video is really gonna help me get out of my art block. I have so many ideas from time to time and just like a bunch and I mean just a bunch of other people, we don’t do it cause we are afraid. I don’t know why it took me so long until this video to really just draw what I want and not be afraid of failing. Thank you.
This is just a very relatable video overall.
This helped me a lot I’ve always had so many ideas but never felt like I could execute them properly but honestly I always felt sill for it bc whenever I would just chill and not really pay much attention to how my art looks I could always make it look really cute and just how I want it to be honest but I still struggle with intentionally trying this really inspired me to finally work on a project I’ve been putting off for so long, thank you
13:20 this blow my mind so much because i have so many ideas written and saved for "most talented future me" and this video change my mind really quick i never thought of doing that great ideas now. I know that maybe it could be banal but for me it's like a big discovery hahaha. thanks a lot
0:15 bro literally described me as an artist in one sentence, and I think I’m on the verge of tears 😭
this is a fantastic video! for me along side this the reason why i feel like im not improving and am constantly in an art block is my own style. im still trying to figure it out but so far not a single thing ive drawn makes me happy. i just feel uncomfortable having something i dont relate to be made by me and called my artwork, and i just end up deleting the artwork. people say oh youll find your style if you just draw and draw. ive been drawing for my whole life (around 17 years) yet i still struggle making something that feels like i made it and not the people i look up to ): its truly a struggle when you both wanna do something that makes you happy but also wanna be original especially when you want to do art as a full time job. i take commissions of realistic portraits and scenery paintings because i find them enjoyable but when i try to draw for myself and not others i just end up getting frustrated.
This made me get up and start designing the characters for a project I’ve been wanting to work on for a year now
Thank you!
that's a valuable tip
most of my unfinished works are because i haven't found the right reference or failed on using 3D models correctly
I remember I left a comment in here about being focused on anatomy but also working towards making comics. The thing is, I was already working towards the comic, in roughly these steps, over the course of years:
1. A brief, unfinished game project in 2018 where I got distracted by the programming(following a previous decade+ of game projects, both paid and not, which built up a creative philosophy)
2. A short story for a storytelling class the next year that consolidated the game's character and added a new direction
3. Gradual iterations of a character design sheet, starting in 2020, on a day when I was trapped in by summer wildfire smoke, to visualize it. I made a bunch of scribbly designs in ink that day, and then months later I started doing a new version with pixel art. Finally I started applying references and photobashing them, mirror drawing, etc. Working through front and side views.
4. Another round of thinking I could do a game project. Again, programming got in the way, but I set some goals for a prototype and did succeed at building it.
5. Two illustrations built by using as many shortcuts as possible(tracing basically everything and applying transforms to the character design to figure out how it operated in perspective, since it has some unrealistic elements) - which came about by doing an daily theme challenge last October and getting comfortable with CSP, and thinking that I could apply this to explore the character more.
6. "I want to get faster" - thus actually sitting myself down and doing some grinding after decades of not really doing that, but also challenging myself to do one illustration a month, and letting it go out even if it was a bit ragged. I allowed my output to get worse so that I could get better. *This was roughly when I had the idea that I could turn the story into a comic. I sketched thumbnails, then set it aside, then went back to it as I emptied my queue of illustration ideas.*
7. Actually making the comic, which has dragged on for over a month, because I suddenly went from doing one illustration in that month to doing four pages with about 3 of them per page, with some pretty complicated scenes in there. But building on the previous works, I've learned a process, and it's getting me through it.
This is really something I call the "skill of gripping and then letting go". Between 2017 and 2018, at the same time that I started that game project, I also took a judo class. In both the stand-up and ground parts of the game(which are shared with BJJ) you're looking for openings by taking grips on your opponent's gi - some of the best spots for throwing are around the lapel and sleeve. If you take the right grip, you get a lot of leverage. But the wrong grip will pit you against your own strength, so you can't make any progress. But as a beginner what tends to happen is that you take the wrong grip, see that it's not working, but panic and grab on even tighter, until you burn yourself out. And it's the same in art or anything else: You have to take a grip on *something* and be able to put force into it. But you also have to be able to let go of it. Doing this over and over develops both the skillset and the creative output.
And it's really hard to do that at the beginning, because it comes with being extremely aware of yourself and dealing with negative thoughts about wasting effort or being a tryhard or whatever, because when you throw yourself at something for weeks or months it becomes wound up in identity. To fully let go you have to also take off the identity, like it's a costume. I did this in a literal sense. The comic project is tied to a specific online identity, and it doesn't overlap with this one. Different timelines, different avatars, etc. This is probably the healthiest thing I did for myself, because it lets me step away.
Thanks Josh! I've been holding back on drawing and I realize I need to just... Draw. I use to jump in with no plan, so I should just do it. Of course actually sit down and study, but I still need to do it...
Thank you, i was struggling with "I'll wait to get better at art so i can draw the things i like" i never did it. I tried to improve about 2 or 3 years but i wasn't enough for myself i always felt like I'm not drawing good or wasn't good enough to be an artist. I'll try my best from now on 💕
It's really interesting, because the most important advice i got in another sphere, gamedev, was exact opposite of yours, it was "Your dream game shouldn't be your first game", the point is that failure in making your dream project would be crashing to your mental, to the point some ppl will likely give up at their hobby entirely. Happy to hear it doesn't apply to drawing :D
Same here when I looked into comics. I dont know if I agree with it anymore. I didn’t have more than 1 idea and then later I had another one I thought was cool. Why would you ever put in the effort for something as difficult as a comic or videogame if you aren’t extremely excited about it? Idk doesnt make sense for me.