# Motivation and Direction



## Shaino123 (Nov 23, 2014)

Hey, I'm brand new to this forum; I just wanted to find a place to post this question and hear real-world opinions. This certainly seemed like a good place to start. I'm really sorry if this is very long. I want to explain my situation completely. 

I am currently a senior in high school, and I have a clear set goal: I want to pursue a career in animation, and possibly illustration. The only problem is that I have only moderate experience in art and a decent portfolio as of now. I have been doodling since I was around 10, but I never tried to learn much, and only now, in my junior and senior year am I really grasping concepts such as human anatomy, shadowing, and other things at a beginner's level. I am not saying I am in any way a beginner, I do have experience and I learn very quickly when I'm given a direction, but that's my problem. I don't know where to go. 

I go around and see multiple people, who are my age, with insanely more skill than me. I Understand everyone is talented in their own way, but I just want to know what would be a good plan for me to learn at a pace that they do. Let me get down to the details. 

What I specifically want to know is, what are the steps I should take if I want to learn to draw something? I am committed and ready to do my own independent studies, but, for example: if I wanted to learn to better draw human bodies, would I simply do a google search of the human body and just practice drawing what I see? 

I also want to know, when I create scenes and complicated drawings, and I don't know how to draw... Say, a car: do I just google search an image of a car and refer to it? This is the problem I face, I don't know where to move onto. 

I checked out the YouTuber Sycra, who makes very useful videos about drawing a lot of things. I looked at his human face proportions video, practiced what he said for a while, and gained some knowledge. However, all I learned how to do was draw the front angle of a human face. I couldn't draw it in 3/4 view or from behind, and I didn't understand how I was going to learn these things. It's not like he had a video for every single angle. Also, I couldn't just simply copy his style, because I need to be original and find my own, but how? 

I also wanted to learn how to draw manga. But the thing is I don't know where to start. Do I just copy several different manga artists' styles, then merge them to create my own? What do I do?

There's just so much to learn, and I don't know how to approach it without simply tracing and copying. I'd really appreciate some help and opinions, thanks.


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## DLeeG (Oct 20, 2010)

Great first post. I can tell that you are depending on videos too much. The right art class will help. You should learn forshrortening, one point and two point perspectives. I started at 3 drawing comic book covers. That's how I started drawing. The Beatles on my album page were drawn when I was your age. You have to start drawing what you see without directions and then rotate it in your imagination and draw it from another angle.


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## Shaino123 (Nov 23, 2014)

so it's alright to start by drawing already created work, then kind of input my imagination later? 

Thanks for the help by the way.


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## DLeeG (Oct 20, 2010)

You should always use you're imagination to some extent.


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## Shaino123 (Nov 23, 2014)

That's what I thought, I just don't know how much I should use at a time while still learning something.


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## DLeeG (Oct 20, 2010)

You are over thinking this. Post your art work on an album on your profile page. After I see your work, I will be better able to help.


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## artbase (Nov 28, 2014)

The thing I hear is that you want to get good at drawing. Well-- I play music. When I started I sucked. So I practiced.....for years! Same thing with art. You just draw your ass off all time. You've no doubt heard this before. Evenyually you will get good or you won't. Don't worry about other peoples talent. Look at how Picasso draws. What's up with that? Even if you think you aren't that good at drawing- if you have the fire to keep doing it- keep doing it. Take one thing at a time. What else can I say?


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## artbase (Nov 28, 2014)

It's okay to think you are great at art . That may just keep you in it long enough to really be good someday. Musicians do that all the time. Just beware that along the way someone might say you suck. It's how you react to that - that counts. Someone (genius art snob) told me once that my paintings looked like anything you could buy at Wal Mart. WELL??????????? It was meant as a slur but hey we're talking WAL MART ! It's not like it's some little store is it?? HA!!!


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## JohanMalm (Dec 2, 2014)

Shaino123 said:


> if I wanted to learn to better draw human bodies, would I simply do a google search of the human body and just practice drawing what I see?
> 
> I also want to know, when I create scenes and complicated drawings, and I don't know how to draw... Say, a car: do I just google search an image of a car and refer to it? This is the problem I face, I don't know where to move onto.


I would say there are some different ways to do it. 
One way is simply that you make up your own reality. 

Then I guess there is rules that you can lean against when you draw human bodies. 

As I'm not schooled in anyway I would simply google stuff and use images as reference pics. If you tell someone that you used their pic as reference is a question of moral i guess. I use allot of reference pics, sometimes I contact the photographer and tell them. But it depends on how much of the pic you can see in my drawing. Sometimes I make my own reference pictures in photoshop. Let's say you wan't a guy riding a polar bear on the beach. That kind of image might be hard to find on google, so I'll cut and paste in photoshop and then I don't give anyone else credit.

When I lack motivation or ideas to draw something unique. I just practice drawing pics, trying to do them as realistic as possible, If i just copied a motive and an arrangement I often contact the people behind it. Specially if it's an amateur photographer. As they often are a bit more insecure about where to draw the line for what's ok to borrow and not. So it's good to have a dialog with them, rather than to have them finding your work and see their work in it. Mostly they just think it's fun. 

One good way to work around this is to take allot of photos yourself. Build an bank of images. 

When it comes to animations I often end up with my self as a reference as It's always easier to make my self do things than asking someone else to do it. 

I hope my answer helps you in some way.


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## Toffeeman (Dec 3, 2014)

*Motivation*

Motivation is a nightmare. I am also struggling to get going and I have no excuses. I am in a very lucky position. I have set myself up to get back into Art after 25 years away. I did A level Art at school and had a place at a very good foundation course. I however got distracted by cash and took the easy option of taking a job at 19 in the public sector. I saw art very much as a gamble career wise as many often struggle to pay the bills. I always wondered what if I had taken that gamble. As it turns out my job allows me to retire early in a few years time. I have converted my loft a small but very functional studio and I won't need to work. 
My massive problem is getting back started. I am very much a perfectionist and I hold back in case people think my work is poor as I am very rusty. I fancy doing a few portraits, and still life pics but need to develop. Art groups seem to be a social thing, local courses minimal, degree courses too in depth. Am probably looking at things in too much depth but very lost at the min. So I have the venue, the means to paint but no direction. I know I could be good without meaning to sound cocky. Any ideas anyone?


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## priyakhan (Dec 6, 2014)

*IndianArtIdeas*

Thanks for sharing your with us,  I am also an artist and I would like to tell you that, from an Artist perspective you have to be a good imagination power to express your feeling, ideas though an art, It doesn't matter which artwork you would love to implement in art. you just express your ideas clearly, like a singer who sing a song in front of audience -if he sing in clear lyrics everyone prefer this but a song doesn't have clear lyrics and sound no one would like it. so have to be express with clarity media a doesn't matter.

would you like to show your artwork, by which I can help you very well. (Y)


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## Jim (Dec 16, 2014)

Toffeeman said:


> Motivation is a nightmare. I am also struggling to get going and I have no excuses. I am in a very lucky position. I have set myself up to get back into Art after 25 years away. I did A level Art at school and had a place at a very good foundation course. I however got distracted by cash and took the easy option of taking a job at 19 in the public sector. I saw art very much as a gamble career wise as many often struggle to pay the bills. I always wondered what if I had taken that gamble. As it turns out my job allows me to retire early in a few years time. I have converted my loft a small but very functional studio and I won't need to work.
> My massive problem is getting back started. I am very much a perfectionist and I hold back in case people think my work is poor as I am very rusty. I fancy doing a few portraits, and still life pics but need to develop. Art groups seem to be a social thing, local courses minimal, degree courses too in depth. Am probably looking at things in too much depth but very lost at the min. So I have the venue, the means to paint but no direction. I know I could be good without meaning to sound cocky. Any ideas anyone?


Paint for your self and care less what other people think. You are your own best critic. Don't be dependent or have to live up to other peoples expectations of who you are or what you are doing. Paint what you see or do abstracts - doesn't matter as long as you are doing what you want to do - paint. When your ready and when you stop being critical of your self (perfection) you will know when to present yourself to the world. There are no straight lines in the universe and perfection is b.s..
Paint.


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## Shaino123 (Nov 23, 2014)

Hey, I know this is so late, but thank you everyone for the wonderful responses. I didn't think there was really such a good community out there as this one. You guys helped a lot, thank you.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Don't be a stranger. Keep in touch and let us see some of your drawings when you feel like it. If you need help in how to load them I should be able to help you.


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