I can't.

[Anonymous No.6699868]

I suppose I'm making this thread, to hopefully gain a new perspective or change my mind. The artwork in the picture is not mine, for clarification. Although this will become abundantly clear with what I am going to say in the rest of this thread, lol

I've wanted to be good at drawing my whole life. Infact, I wouldn't say I wanted to be good at drawing in the beginning of my life because I thought I already was good. Obviously it's just because I was a kid, so I could handle looking at any monstrosity I made however mediocre it may be. I wanted to take my art further, and all my teachers advised me to not let my 'talent go to waste' as I left school. I chose to pursue further art education, and it was absolute hell. I'm something of a perfectionist, so I was really slow at doing anything in class. I fell behind alot, and as such I lost motivation massively, and stopped doing homework. Eventually during covid, I stopped attending classes. I mean, I still conceivably improved during my time there, but I left being much worse of an artist than I couldve been. Its been 3 years since then, and I'm nearing turning 19, and I just feel like shit. I haven't really touched art for more than a stray week since then.

I just feel like, I have to put in so much effort, every single day, for such a long time to see any results - and I feel like I'm never going to make it to that point. And if I ever did, I wouldn't see any improvement.

I'd show some of my artwork, but really I have nothing to show. I can't ever bring myself to finish a drawing because it'll never turn out in a way I'm happy for. Nor will it turn out in a way I'm not disgusted at. I know I need to get over that, but I just can't shake the fear that it'll be all for nothing; I'll see no improvement.

I want to draw. I love drawing, and my entire timeline on whatever socials, twitter or the likes, is filled constantly with such amazing art that I feel emotions I couldn't any other way. I'm out of characters.

[Anonymous No.6699874]

just draw

[Anonymous No.6699878]

>>6699874
every time I draw it feels like a punch to the gut with how ugly it comes out, with how much time I've put into art before and how little I've become

[Anonymous No.6699883]

Use references and trace you motherfucking retard that's what everyone's doing.

[Anonymous No.6699887]

>>6699883
I use reference all the time when I draw. I've traced for years so much that I just don't see its usefulness anymore.

[Anonymous No.6699889]

>>6699868
It's ok to take a break. It's ok to burn out. It's ok to feel like giving up and give up in the moment if your situation isn't conducive to work out an art career. It's ok to be inexperienced in working out your "dream project". But it's not ok to feel unhappy when you draw, that'll only backfire on you in the long run.

[Anonymous No.6699890]

>the fate of a permabeg who didn't Copy Bridgman Twice
sucks to suck

[Anonymous No.6699898]

>>6699889
There are times when I'm happy when I'm drawing, but the result always ruins it in a way. I suppose my biggest problem is with dedication to it.
>>6699890
I've never heard of Bridgman Twice. Thanks, I'll go read one of his books.

[Anonymous No.6699903]

>>6699898
He meant you have to copy bridgman 2 times.

[Anonymous No.6699904]

>>6699903
Twice is a weird last name. Not as odd as 2 times though.

[Anonymous No.6699906]

>>6699898
Tbh you've fallen to the trap of comparison since social media makes it so easy to look like you're having an amazing art career- it always takes time. You'll encounter unhappy moments, terrible clients, horrible deadlines more often than you'd think. However often it takes those experiences and the drive to >>6699874 /continue to actually git gud. So if you can't be happy doing it (the process), it's not gonna work out. Your expectations and outcomes will get in the way of each other.

[Anonymous No.6699909]

>>6699906
I don't think my art will look as great as theirs, I don't think it'll even come close, really... but I do doubt my potential to ever reach their level of skill.

[Anonymous No.6699912]

>>6699868
post your work

[Anonymous No.6699913]

just draw

[Anonymous No.6699916]

>>6699909
>I don't think my art will look as great as theirs
That's not for you to judge, that's for your audience.

>but I do doubt my potential to ever reach their level of skill.
Yea so it's better to give up instead of just continuing to draw and improve.

I'm gonna revert to be a 4channer so

>Faggot and retard

[Anonymous No.6699919]

>>6699868
Everyone who has approached drawing and wanted to get better has experienced what you're feeling and continues to do so. It's up to you to break through it and continue on regardless because it really is hard. It's understated how hard it is to learn to draw but that's what drawing is, constantly matching up to the walls and obstacles and being able to overcome them.

[Anonymous No.6699922]

>>6699868
bro why would I give a shit at all, boo hoo. who cares get over it youre nineteen youre still a child

[Anonymous No.6699929]

>>6699912
I have nothing to post. I'd have to go looking around my house to try and find something from 2-3 years ago to post.
>>6699916
I suppose, but when I have no audience I must be the judge of my own work.
>>6699919
I've been reading some books on building habits so I can try and turn it into something I just compulsively do. I think you're right in the regard that everyone has gone through that in a way.
>>6699922
Fortunately, I didn't summon specifically you to this thread. Nor did I summon literally anyone here.

[Anonymous No.6699932]

>>6699878
You don’t get into art to be happy with what you draw. No artist is ever happy with their art. It’s just how it works.

[Anonymous No.6699939]

>>6699932
all except bob ross who was a drill sergeant

[Anonymous No.6699944]

>>6699868
You need to rationalize your failures. You need to understand what went right, what went wrong, and build on that. And keep at it for as long as it take.

I'm getting close to having draw maybe a hundred hands in the past few days. Nothing fancy, just basic sketches. Do they still suck? Yes, but they're not that awful either, and they're getting better. Will I keep drawing more? Yes. Until it's second nature.

The alternative is: get a coach.

I've self-taught myself a few complex stuff already (I'm >30), so I know where to go at all time. But by 19, it's not surprising you haven't, let alone the fact that self-teaching isn't something everyone is able to develop on their own.

[Anonymous No.6699950]

>>6699932
What else does one draw for?
>>6699944
I have some resources to learn from that are quite in depth. I'm trying to make using them into habit as I said earlier. I do think you're right though, I think rationalizing failure is a big step in improving at anything. I just think its alot harder to do for art.

[Anonymous No.6699953]

>>6699950
>I just think its alot harder to do for art.
Maybe: we have high visual sensitivity, and there are historical example of high-self-criticism (Leonardo). Being alone in front of your work can play against an accurate evaluation too.

Having a coach is different from in-depth ressources. You have someone who can tailor the learning process and provide you accurate and fair judgment.

[Anonymous No.6700006]

getting good involves doing shitty work, and then analyzing it objectively for ways to improve.
You need to rid yourself of that perfectionist mentality, just do the work and expect to fail a lot, it's part of the process.
Maybe look into some books about mastery and learning.

[Anonymous No.6700021]

>>6699868
kys

[Anonymous No.6700039]

>Waaaah waaah wahhh
Shut the fuck up
Draw or don't draw

[Anonymous No.6700053]

>>6699868
It's a terrible thing but I think what you're experiencing is quite common among people who were told they had "talent" and were praised a lot for their art as children. Art is deeply personal and intimate, this kind of thing results in it being tied to self worth in a really negative way that I think often results in the artist becoming paralysed by fear of failure and eventually fear of making art entirely.

It takes time to recover from something like this but it is possible. The goal is essentially to try and recapture the innate enjoyment you felt drawing before it became something that involved other people and the weight of their judgement and expectations. The pleasure being in the process of creation for its own sake instead of being praised for the result.
The hard bit is you've effectively been trained into having a bad relationship with drawing now. You're going to have to nudge yourself into a healthier mindset over time.

[Anonymous No.6700073]

>>6699868
this isn’t your blog

[Anonymous No.6700077]

Just prompt

[Anonymous No.6700108]

>>6699868
You will always be the best at drawing the exact way you are drawing. No one else can catch up to you in your own style.

Rest is just detail and time to make a thing and your audience.

Many great artists dislike their own work, regardless how much you or I love their output. How are they any different from you? Audience.

[Anonymous No.6700118]

>>6699868
>I just feel like, I have to put in so much effort, every single day, for such a long time to see any results
this is where you are going wrong. You know the time will pass anyway, right? Why not invest it in a skill?

[Anonymous No.6700157]

>>6700053
Interesting that you brought up upbringing kek

If anon self reflects enough maybe they can get over themselves.

[Anonymous No.6700264]

>>6699932
nta but damn thats actually true
i was punching air lately because of how dogshit my staff turns out, but remembering that almost everyone hates their drawings actually helps a bit

[Anonymous No.6700351]

>>6699868
The name of the game is Suck or Die.
You either suck, or you die.
The reward if you endure the sucking, is getting good. If you don't suck, then you'll just die. But you won't get good any other way.

[Anonymous No.6700379]

You can enjoy things even if you aren't good at them. I don't need to be competitive to enjoy playing vidya either.

[Anonymous No.6700384]

>>6699868
OP do you have a discord?

[Anonymous No.6700414]

You are only 19. You literally have whole life ahead. I started when I was 16, gave up, and now I'm 28 and I started 2 years ago from the very beginning. You will get better. Just don't push yourself too hard. Get a half-time job and the draw free time 1-3 hours. I promise you will get better

[Anonymous No.6700416]

>>6700384
So you can groom the fucker?

[Anonymous No.6700417]

>>6700416
it is his decision

[Anonymous No.6700422]

I think most people have days, sometimes every day, that they can’t draw, either because they think it looks bad or because they just can’t even start
When that happens to me I open up a book, art book or whatever, and copy copy copy
Reading a book also helps, or trying something new
you’re not gonna improve if you stop and be sad about it

[Anonymous No.6700458]

>>6700416
>groom
>19
lmao

[Anonymous No.6700487]

I just woke up and didn't expect the thread to still be alive. Thank you all for your encouraging words, I'll try to re-evaluate my relationship with art as a whole. Its true that time will pass anyway, so I should use that time to force myself to draw atleast a bit, instead of being sad about said drawings. I don't have discord, but maybe sometime down the line I'll come back here and share my work. Although by then I will have undoubtedly been forgotten lol

[Anonymous No.6700499]

I'm one step from becoming the wojak on the right. I have the tools yet can't stand looking at the toddler shit I produce. I can't do anything I wasn't already doing with my mouse over the shitty tablet. How the fuck do people improve? I don't fucking get it.
>just draw bro
I am. This shit doesn't flow like osmosis. I have to put a conscious effort towards improving but I'm not and it's the most frustrating shit ever.

[Anonymous No.6700502]

you have way too much fucking ego. stop overthinking shit and just get to drawing.

[Anonymous No.6701460]

>>6699868
throw your shitty pride in the toilet and flush then go do art , faggot.
Your life is misery because you let that stupid pride turn you into a pathetic crybaby

[Anonymous No.6701484]

>>6700499
Have you studied in school? Just do same thing for art

[Anonymous No.6701489]

>>6699868
>19
stopped reading right there.
you are retarded and dramatic. unless you have cancer or live in brazil, i do not feel bad for you

[Anonymous No.6701519]

>>6699868
When I'm in this type of slump usually I'd focus on improving my art and finding ways it could be better

[Anonymous No.6701627]

>>6699868
I know you're probably here to get encouraged and find a reason to draw, but I simply don't care about your life story. This is Artwork/Critique, not Blog/Therapy. Give me something to critique, as well as a small description of the kind of art you want to create in concrete terms, and I (and hopefully other anons) will help you with that.

[Anonymous No.6701789]

>>6699868
>>6699874
fpbp

>>6699868
listen here you fat fucking retard, you need to get over yourself
you're fucking 18, you don't know what you're doing, you don't know the end destination and every step you take is demoralizing because you're not where you want to be

>I just feel like, I have to put in so much effort, every single day, for such a long time to see any results - and I feel like I'm never going to make it to that point
focus on what you can do

do timed gesture drawings first. 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 5 minutes then 15 minutes. this is to make you understand you can't fret over every single detail or mistake you do.
this is also to build your problem solving skills. you're going to try and find out how to best represent the figure you're looking at.
should i spend some time drawing the folds or should i draw an outline of the skirt first? can i finish this sleeve in 5 seconds? am i capturing the movement of the subject?
you're going to understand what you need to do in order to finish something

then, finish a personal project or get to a point where it looks presentable
give yourself a time limit for every step of the process and plan it out
who's the character, what's his story, how do i portray that in visual form, what kind of pose will suit him, what's his costume, are my values and colors good, etc etc etc. give yourself 5 minutes at most for this type of brainstorming
make a 2 minute thumbnail and start sketching for 30 minutes afterwards. give yourself a goal and do your best to complete it (i'm going to have a mannequin done in 30 minutes; i'm doing to have his costume done in 30 minutes, i'm going to finish this lineart in 45 minutes)
if you make a mistake, think about how much time it'll take you to fix it before erasing it and what steps to complete in order. do this enough time, and you'll gain confidence over the imperfections you see in your work. they won't be personal attack on your ego, it'll just be another problem to solve.

[Anonymous No.6701799]

>>6699868
>>6701789
>I'm something of a perfectionist
you're being a fucking faggot, OP
you're being a massive fucking faggot who can't see the forest for the trees
finish the fucking step, look at your mistake, think about how much time that'll take and what else you have to do instead. then you'll realize that mistake isn't that fucking bad comapred to the other shit you have to draw.
>oh nooooiiooooooooo, the fingers bend wrong, the eye looks weird :(((((
the legs aren't even drawn yet

[Anonymous No.6701811]

>>6699939
you say that but his personal life and relationships was a trainwreck he might have been better off and happier if he wasn't so successful an artist

[Anonymous No.6701904]

>>6699868
>>6699874
>>6701789
>>6701799
Best posts in the thread.
OP, you need to stop thinking and start doing.
You are allowed to think once you're done doing your shit.

If you're actually serious about this art shit, then you have to become insane and DO WHATEVER IT FUCKING TAKES!
How can you even *think* about giving up and feeling like a failure when you haven't even tried yet?
>I want to draw. I love drawing
If you had actually tried to become an artist, you'd either be one now or changed your dream to become a janitor or some shit.
Stop being a bitch and commit.
Show me you actually love drawing by truly committing.
It's do or die now.

Read the book "Do The Work" by Steven Pressfield.
It really helped me when I felt helpless like you.
It's a short read at around 90 pages.

[Anonymous No.6702335]

>>6699874
fippy bippy
OP = Faggot
/thread

[Anonymous No.6702425]

>>6701811
Oh well life cant be perfect. He made a living off what he liked to do and that's better than what most people can achieve with their lives.

[Anonymous No.6704175]

>>6699868
https://youtu.be/sZOiXiyR3VY

[Anonymous No.6706067]

>>6699890
nose?

[Anonymous No.6706077]

>>6699868
You're 19yo I think this happens to a lot of 19-year-olds who enrolled in art education.
But it's not fair to generalize so coarsely, but the message I'm trying to convey to you is that you're 19, and I think that most 19-year-olds aren't the epitome of competence because they're literally teenagers.
They're young individuals who make mistakes and lack insight precisely because they're young and don't have a lot of experience. Right now you seem to be running into some problems, now, that's where the ball gets rolling and if you can tackle and overcome this situation that's the key insight/experience to becoming a more competent, more self-sufficient and more reliable adult.

This is one of your first adolescent setbacks, I don't think it'll be the last.
They are the characteristic challenges most people face when they grow into adulthood.

https://youtu.be/SL9ukUSX3Dg

[Anonymous No.6706166]

>>6706077
ew, corporate gaymer music

[Anonymous No.6706383]

>>6699868
I kinda understand what happened to you. Your eye probably developed faster than your technique so you know what you want to draw but can't back it up with skills and that leads to extreme frustration. Sorry but there's only one way to "cure" it. Do this >>6699874