Author Topic: General Discussion Thread  (Read 2410880 times)

urbicande

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15630 on: June 02, 2016, 12:53:59 PM »
I fervently hope that everyone avoids shootings.

Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!
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Emil

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15631 on: June 03, 2016, 05:01:38 AM »
It's day three of my drawing marathon and I find myself losing motivation as soon as I make one mistake.

I can drag myself through it just fine but most of the fun of drawing is lost at that point and I feel I've kinda bricked my progress to a halt at that point.

Anyone of you know of neat tricks to regaining motivation, aswell as handy drawing guides? I'm already following one on Youtube which is helpful to refresh my memory on most of the techniques I learned in the past, but I'd love to see if there's a consistent guide that's reportedly helped a lot of people in the same situation.

Róisín

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15632 on: June 03, 2016, 05:53:48 AM »
Emil, while I don't have the art skill myself, I can pass on a piece of advice I've heard an artist relative give to students: choose some object in your immediate surroundings, something that can be drawn very simply, but to which you can add increasing levels of complexity. One example I saw him use was a dead gum leaf curled around a little tuft of moss in his garden. Sketch it, concentrating on the shapes and lines. Do a very simple sketch of the object from several angles. Try to really understand the object, its texture, colour, shape and shading. Then add little touches of colour, trying to suggest the shape. Do several versions in different media. (He did versions in oils, watercolours and acrylics as well as pastel and pencil, one of which later wound up as part of a much larger work.) the different media and increasing complexity are enough to keep it from becoming totally boring, and repetitive practice steadies the hand and improves the confidence.

Don't know if the method would work with digital art, but it seems to work with physical art of many kinds. I guess with art having also an element of craftsmanship, the practice can't hurt.
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Emil

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15633 on: June 03, 2016, 07:02:50 AM »
I'll give it a shot, Róisín, thanks!

Tr

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15634 on: June 03, 2016, 07:18:15 AM »
What I like to do whenever I feel myself losing motivation is to just draw something without worrying about the mistakes I'm making, or how it will look in the end. The results usually aren't pretty, but it feels nice to let go and just draw. After that, I can go back to focusing on actual improvement.
Alternatively, I'll find something really pretty to draw. (Try Google Image searching for Iceland ;))
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urbicande

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15635 on: June 03, 2016, 09:24:42 AM »
I'm a big believer in making mistake. They can often add something nice to a piece.

To quote Ms. Frizzle:  Take chances!  Make mistakes!  Get messy!

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Kiraly

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15636 on: June 03, 2016, 10:52:19 AM »
It's day three of my drawing marathon and I find myself losing motivation as soon as I make one mistake.

I can drag myself through it just fine but most of the fun of drawing is lost at that point and I feel I've kinda bricked my progress to a halt at that point.

Anyone of you know of neat tricks to regaining motivation, aswell as handy drawing guides? I'm already following one on Youtube which is helpful to refresh my memory on most of the techniques I learned in the past, but I'd love to see if there's a consistent guide that's reportedly helped a lot of people in the same situation.



Okay, I know that's kind of a silly response, but hear me out. I...have actually done this.
I'm not sure what materials you're using for your drawing marathon (Digital? Pencil? Ink? Something else?) but I know all too well that some forms of media are more forgiving than others. Pencil can be erased or drawn over, digital has that handy ctrl+z, and ink...well, yeah, sometimes you just have to incorporate that unintentional line and make it look intentional, because there's no getting rid of it.

Anyway, a few years ago when I was first getting back into watercolors (which are not at all forgiving, once you start moving into the darker or more staining colors) I was playing around and painted a tiny little face with some really interesting leafy hair around it.
Spoiler: Here is a picture of it (face redacted for being too wonky) • show



I liked the hair. I hated the face, which was too small and too crudely painted for me to finesse into something that would be worthy of the hair. Plus, it was in an awkward place on the paper, and I just couldn't figure out what to do with it. So I left it sitting on the floor (do not do this, watercolor paper deserves better) and a few weeks later I happened to glance at it upside-down and realized: I could keep the hair, and turn the face into something else:

Spoiler: guess what I turned the face into? • show


That's right, I literally turned that mistake of a face into a BIRD. Which led to one of my favorite watercolors I've ever done:



So...I don't know if this helps, but I encourage you not to let your mistakes mean too much. Especially if what you're doing is trying to draw to get better at drawing, because even if you make a mistake you are still improving your skills. And sometimes, mistakes can actually turn your drawing into something better than it was going to be originally, or it can give you an idea for a future drawing. If nothing else, mistakes can teach us what we'd like to avoid doing next time.

Oh, also...I may be able to dig up some art tutorials, but it depends on what media you're working in and what kinds of things you're trying to draw? Drawing from life or from photo references is also really helpful, as others have suggested.
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urbicande

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15637 on: June 03, 2016, 11:46:59 AM »
Hey, all of our Forum members in the environs of Paris, are you OK?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36441322
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Mélusine

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15638 on: June 03, 2016, 12:03:21 PM »
Hey, all of our Forum members in the environs of Paris, are you OK?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36441322
I'm in Meaux, and our part of the area is okay, but some others are rather less fine :-\
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urbicande

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15639 on: June 03, 2016, 02:16:02 PM »
I'm in Meaux, and our part of the area is okay, but some others are rather less fine :-\

So that's upstream of the Seine?
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Hrollo

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15640 on: June 03, 2016, 03:49:36 PM »
Fine too; my departement, although close, is not directly affected by the floods (and even if it was the house is on a hill and nowhere near a significant river).
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Unlos

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15641 on: June 03, 2016, 04:26:21 PM »
It's day three of my drawing marathon and I find myself losing motivation as soon as I make one mistake.

I can drag myself through it just fine but most of the fun of drawing is lost at that point and I feel I've kinda bricked my progress to a halt at that point.

Anyone of you know of neat tricks to regaining motivation, aswell as handy drawing guides? I'm already following one on Youtube which is helpful to refresh my memory on most of the techniques I learned in the past, but I'd love to see if there's a consistent guide that's reportedly helped a lot of people in the same situation.
Whispers about the summer artist improvement support group thing that will start july 2nd (check out the thread here in the gdb) Still some time away, but joooin uuuus!

urbicande

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15642 on: June 03, 2016, 05:47:29 PM »
Fine too; my departement, although close, is not directly affected by the floods (and even if it was the house is on a hill and nowhere near a significant river).

Glad to hear!
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Double H

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15643 on: June 04, 2016, 09:02:53 PM »
lol

Pretentious? Moi?

Emil

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Re: General Discussion Thread
« Reply #15644 on: June 04, 2016, 09:09:26 PM »
Thanks for the drawing tips everyone! I'll be sure to put in real effort the coming week.

20th of July seems so far away... That's when I'll get a response on my uni application and I sure hope I get accepted, and that this time it'll go better. It's been almost a year and a half since I dropped out and I feel motivated to try again. Benefits is that I move out for myself, aswell as having an opportunity to integrate with the community as I have friends attending said university.