The worst mindset to get in is being disappointed in your drawing *before* you've even started it, like you can't even envision yourself creating something 'good' and just end up doing nothing. Its a pitfall I find myself in often especially when I want to do fanart as I'm even harder on myself when it comes to other peoples characters (hence not sharing art anywhere).
in my case, it actually sometimes helps it to first accept "this is going to be bad, and people wont care about it" because it removes having to make it good, if its going to be bad anyway, and you accept youre just making it for yourself and not for others.
@0percentImagination bro i am you literally i feel the same way as you but i am trying to change myself that my art gonna be bad because i am not experienced as much as those who are in this field for decades so i decided to ser realistic expectations and practicing the art more
I posted a separate comment about this, but one thing that helped me was to remind myself that I can always redraw something in the future! There's no rules that say you can't draw a character or idea more than once! This helped me go from saying, "I'm not good enough to draw this idea at my current skill level," to being willing to accept my mistakes, full knowing I can try again later!
That is even why I NEVER allow myself fanart from other characters except what comes in my head. I would love to draw the characters of my favorite shows but for me it feels like I am insulting the original artist😅
idk what's more impressive: Marc's teaching skills, his drawing skills, or his ability to regularly come up with seemingly endless engaging and meaningful lesson topics
i half bet these are thoughts he had jotted down in old journals as he was going through his own art journey... and now he's making sure we dont suffer the same fate
I stopped sharing my drawings to social media for months. I wasn't going anywhere with it, and the more I attempted, the more stressed I got. I felt like it wasn't worth sharing anymore. Traveling has helped me see and try new things. Especially taking my own photos, and referencing from those. My skills still improve as I take in new things. I'm slow and take my time when drawing. I'm not usually concerned with speed, but it is very intimidating when everyone around you is pushing out several works a week. I can't work under that pressure, which is why I've distanced myself from social media.
I’ve been stuck in a cycle of trying to start drawing, feeling terrible that it’s so bad, giving up, then coming back and repeating the process a few weeks later. I can’t get out. And I can’t convince myself that I can learn. Idk what to do about it anymore
drawing is not about making something that looks good, if that were the case you would never be happy with anything you make ironically, when you start focussing on how bad you art looks and be okay with making crap, its easier to make progress and make good art breaking the perfectionism cycle is hard, its a journey, i recommend you focus on that more than just drawing. Maybe spend a few minutes a day just doodling whatever dumb ideas come to mind, maybe incorporate some drawing excersizes as well, the crappier they look the better (gesture is good for this) then, be happy with it! or at least dont beat yourself up, you are seperate from your art, and bad art is the foundation that skill and passion is built on
I just finished doing the “draw faces in 7 days” exercise from his last video, and I would recommended it. The amount I improved in one week wasn’t _crazy_ , but it was definitely noticeable, and it helped boost my confidence. For me the worse feeling is not only disliking my art, but also not understanding why I don’t like it. When you don’t know how to improve, drawing starts to feel pointless. But following the exercise helped me understand what I was doing wrong: I’m bad at drawing basic circles, I wasn’t flipping my art often enough, I draw ears too high, etc. Once I understood those mistakes I felt motivated to fix them, and by the end my appetite for drawing was better than it had been in years. Anyway, that helped me, hopefully it helps you.
Rather than defining progress as whether or not your art turns out good, define your progress by your dedication to drawing regularly. (Read that again and let it sink in). Every beginner artist will make horrible art. It’s part of the process. It’s natural, expected, and it provides a great opportunity to rewire your thinking about your drawing journey. I had to do this when I started drawing a year and a half ago - now my art is incomparable to when I first started. Visualize where you’d like to be in your drawing journey (in my case, a character designer) and make a list of baby steps you can take each day toward that goal. Completing these baby steps will send out the feel good hormones that motivate you to keep going. We want small, minuscule steps at first that keep the fire lit, especially if you’re prone to giving up. After you’re more confident in yourself and you feel like your motivation is higher, move up to slightly bigger steps. You’ve got this! Sometimes you have to hack that brain of yours and switch up your approach. Your motivation isn’t just a fleeting feeling, it’s a concoction of chemicals in your brain. You can train yourself to keep going despite not having desirable outcomes on the paper just yet. Like I said, your sense of accomplishment should be your consistency and not how your art turns out just yet. Baby steps. You can do it!
No. 4 is something I am finally starting to understand. I look back at all my drawings and remember the mood I was in, and I realized I never planned any of my top 10 drawings, I was just sketching and decided to keep going, then they come out great. So my solution when I actually have a big end goal is to put myself in that mindset, so my movement is fluid and I'm not thinking too hard.
you keep reminding me to how it should be done. indeed. I absolutely agree with you. I grew to hate social media and certain fandoms so badly, because it is just an endless race, comparison of followers and likes...it's not just demotivating. it's DEPRESSING.
A video that I relate to a bit. I usually say the same about my work. But not think it’s bad. It’s more of “I’m not doing good enough, I can do better” from a professional standpoint.
Thats a way I am trying to start thinking about my work, afterall I am a beginner still so of course I wont be able to draw like my inspirations just yet
I say the same about my art too. I know fundamentally Im nearer the top side of artists. But at the same time, I can self analyze that it is indeed still bad. Because I personally wouldnt not pay for the quality I put out currently.
@@drakey2000 I’m not the same for this, for me, I underestimate myself. Sometimes I don’t. It’s normal for an artist to struggle to finalize their work because you want it to be perfect.
@@drakey2000 always take breaks when that happens, because most of the times it’s because you stared at it too long and needs some times for you brain to recalculate information and it should look great. I had time when I thought my work wasn’t the part then I took time away and it looks great.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." I heard this somewhere and now I live by it. It made working on and looking at my own stuff, just life in general significantly easier.
My thing though, is that I almost have the opposite issue when it comes to growth and comparing myself to my old art. I see so many people say something to the tune of "if you just compare yourself to your old art then you can feel proud about what you accomplished", but that doesn't work for me. Instead I look at my old art, see how much I've improved, and then start hating myself even more because of the thought of "If I can draw this well now; there's no reason I shouldn't have been able to draw to this level back then. So if I couldn't draw well then, I shouldn't be able to draw any better now; so clearly something somewhere has gone wrong because it shouldn't be possible for me to be better than I was years ago." Annoyingly no-one ever seems to talk about what to do in that situation....
You’ve gotten caught in something illogical. You improved because of time, effort and knowledge . The reason you couldn’t draw as well before is because enough practice had not been put in because there’s only so much time in a day. But also, if looking back at your art is upsetting you…then don’t do that. There’s no requirement to do it. Just keep making art, as long as it makes you happy, and at some point you’ll be more comfortable looking back at your old work. 😊
and what if you couldnt draw like that back then? nobody is just born good, skill happenes with time, even if its less time for some. is there something/ someone thats putting you down for this? Why do you feel bad about being worse in the past? find why you draw the way you draw now. Was it practice? knowledge? inspiration? maybe something just clicked?
Personally, my eyes either refuse to let me funny acknowledge that I got better, or if I can see it, I just get mad that it's not better ENOUGH. I followed some "10 years of art" template that went around on Twitter recently, and instead of feeling happy, I'm just upset because I don't think I improved that much in 10 years despite my efforts.
@@bovinleephann Usually artists have a hard time seeing changes in their work. That is obvious, you know yourself, and so all of your effort and learning process. The thing is: We force ourselves to SEE results, rather than to just accept them. Pretty naive if i may say, but that's how it works. Unfortunately we have to just accept that we're improving. Your brain is a machine, it works just like any other one. Time + effort = Results. So I don't see why it would be different for you. If it helps, compare your work with only 2 people: Your VERY old self, and the guy with the level that you want to achieve.
@@harrietjameson - I think his issue is that, he doesn't know what made him improve. Which is usually my case sometimes but it doesn't affect me much.
The feeling of ‘I suck’ is like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide for me. Some days it’s a tsunami and other days it’s the regular calm wave. Once I learned that this feeling will be there forever I stopped fighting it, just flow. You know what it is- be like water friends.
I think knowing that I'm not good enough and wanting to get much, much better is what drives me forward. I go through some really bad spots, but wanting more keeps me going. Feeling satisfied with one's work sounds like the end of... Everything, really.
I hate when artists way more skilled than me trash on their own art, because it makes me feel bad about my own art. It’s the most obnoxious thing ever.
I think something you should keep in mind, is that ALL artist struggle with their own work. Just because an artist is ‘better’ or more skilled than you doesn’t mean that they have no feelings of self doubt or inadequacy about their own art. They are probably doing the same thing you are, comparing themselves to artists who they see as ‘better’. There is no cut off where suddenly someone is not allowed to complain or suddenly become impervious to their own mental struggles with art. All artists are humans too.
my motivation on drawing,just look my friend old art and compare it to now,because i realize it takes time to become like now,so i dont rushing my progress
Honestly i really need this advice even though i am getting better at my art i do feel like I'm not that creative enough and i get upset with my art and stop for while but hearing this type of advice especially fueling the fire it got me a little more confident to be happy with my art even though sometimes it can hard be hard to keep the motivating, but If I keep going and fueling the spark i know I can keeping getting better.
I really like to self sabotage myself. I've been avoiding your videos because I know your tasty art speedpaints would get me wanting to get up and draw and practise and all that. But i fixed it now ;DD idk why i even did that
I joined a painting class last autumn where we test out different art styles and painting methods. There I learned that instead of trying to stick to the assignment 100%, I should take bits of the styles and methods and incorporate them into my personal style. First style we explored was pointillism and I made the main subject (2 lemons) very ethereal (teacher's words) by using a fluffier brush and then for the background I did very clear dots with a much smaller brush. When we did cubism the teacher said that we're not allowed to use bright colours, and as soon as she went to eat I slapped some purple and hot pink on my canvas and I went for a very clean look with outlined edges + added some holo glitter on the smaller details. For surrealism I just let my hung over brain do its thing and I used some effect paints to get some 3D things going on. For the black painting I added a window to the background and made the scene look like it's night time. For the Baroque style horn of plenty though.. well, I was listening to black metal while painting the background, and then when it was time to start adding things my adhd brain got overwhelmed because there were like 50+ items on the tables to choose from, so I just painted this slightly melted doll head I had brought (I found it while camping one year) and made the background more fire-y. Now I'm just doing pop art as my style. My first pop art painting is like 97% done, still gotta add some finishing touches and paint over 2 parts where I had used a wrong purple at one point and it's still showing through, but oh my lord I like this style so much! I like the very clean look, the clear colours, the even surfaces. The rest of the students will be exploring different art styles during the course when it starts up again, and I'll just work on my Rammstein-themed pop art style paintings. Atm I'm planning out the second one on my computer, and then I'll just transfer the line art onto a canvas with the help of my little projector, and then it's time to paint. With my game art ventures I'm a bit stuck though.. I hate what I created last year, so I want to just scrap the whole project and make something simpler and faster. It was supposed to be a fast and simple project, but the adhd goblin in my brain took over and made it too complicated once again >:(
I'm in the process of making a list of the shows/media that inspired me to draw. In an effort to model my art on it and have solid notion on what to improve. Instead of chasing art gods only to feel crushed. Good point on the comfort zone. All this hustle culture about getting out of the comfort zone. 80%/20% seems like a good balance. Great advice on moving the goal post! I'm going to start using that.
this is the 3rd video I seen this week from one of my fav UA-cam artist and I think it’s a good thing for other artist to relate too. I started drawing in my sketch book again and didn’t realize how much I improved until I finished just a couple of anatomy sketches it gave me a boost of motivation in a way - I ended up drawing 3 pages of sketches I was so happy because I just drawn just because it also showed me where I needed polishing in - I think sometimes the apps I use , social media , can give me art block faster in a way or never seeing a change in my work because of how fancy I think it should look. So sometimes I think revisiting old ways of doing things helps.
I have been going through a horrible pit for a few years. I felt like i struggled with my art. I did traditional, so i never felt it was as pretty as digital art. I loved it, i did it for 10 years, but i felt like no one really cared and that stumped me. After saving for a long time for a tablet, i tried digital art, and then realized that i had nothing to account for those 10 years anymore. All that progress was gone. Im in my 30s and i feel like it's too late to relearn and make a living out of it. I feel hopeless, and i know that when i look at other people's art, who are younger and more popular, i shouldnt feel bad, but i do, and i cant stand it anymore. Art now kinda feels like a part of me that is rotting away and i have to amputate off.
amazing stuff you're saying and it's clear that you practice what you preach. tho i can't help myself not to feel that it's only a happy man talk. nothing just works, there should be a hidden switch or a special technique that makes people do good stuff. i don't have that. i've tried to learn [not only how] to draw, i've spent many years practicing my skills, and yet nothing works and in the end many just tend to say that i'm at fault and that i should try something else. but they don't know that the "else" ain't working too
What I can say is that between the hundreds of students I’ve mentored personally, not one had insignificant growth. I think it always has to do with the approach- like regular school didn’t work for me, but it didn’t mean learning this stuff was out of reach. I just had to find what worked for me, which is what I do with each students. Not trying to sell anything here, I can’t take on any new student anyway, but all to say- the student in my experience is never the problem. It’s the approach that usually is.
I took a long break from drawing recently…(to play video games) and when I came back to it yesterday I had somehow forgotten to draw my own characters and lost my mojo. But I’m kind of slowly easing myself into doing doodles and practice shapes until I can feel it again
I think that the advice of avoiding others artist maybe helpful, which I do myself sometimes. But I also like to look at others art too. It inspires me to try better, because I think I would like to do that stuff.
Exactly the reason why I stopped drawing Seeing how far better others are, also so much younger than me with way more time spent on it (not only online but my way younger cousin too), just takes away the motivation to even try becoming better. No point, if you won't reach that level, and by then the others are way better anyway.
@@nexusserc you'll never reach a good level if you keep putting yourself down for mistakes, i only made progress after i started beating down my perfectionism
@@nexusserc Same mentality could be applied to working out, learning an instrument, writing, and many other skills. Doesn't mean it's not worth doing at any age.
I agree with Marc's 4th advice. Just keep your work simple and easy to digest for the viewer's eyes and to the artists' as well. It doesnt have to be fully rendered, highly detailed or complicated, sometimes keeping the piece simple is the best
My sentiment towards my art was always “Eh, it may not be the best but it’s better than nothing.” But as I become better and take it more serious, it’s become harder and harder to retain it :( But, I am thinking to start sketching for fun (almost) everyday and being the fun back in art :)
remeber this, getting serious doesnt mean letting your mistakes beat you down being okay with the flaws doesnt mean you give up on improvimg, its the first to improving
I always hated my art but its a conflicting feeling of wanting to finish what I started vs shtting on anything I produce. I suck at keeping a social media presence because posting and seeing it over and over again just made me hate my art more. This video didn't help but I do hope this helps anyone else.
Easy for you to say it, you have already reached what I would say is the pinnacle of art in my eyes, for people like me who are still strugling, I either have to give up or go through the struggle and unfortunately I am on the verge of giving up. Must be nice being that good, keep up the good work! 👍
Great tips! especially the 4th one (aim smaller) which I would definitely make sure to try and implement next time I draw, I always aim for something big and get disappointed from the result
*When my draws don't go the way I want, the Impostor Syndrome hits me hard and I start to doubt myself but lately I identified why I feel in that kind of way and I notice is that some of my skill levels of some fundaments are not sharply enough .* *If someone have this issue lately I recommend you try to reflect on yourself and your current skills in some fundaments that you're not good enough .*
For me I definetly know that comparing myself to others is what causes me to feel like "I'm not good enough", but to be fair that's not fair to anyone. Every person has a different art style, a different skill level and that's why we shouldn't compare ourselfes to others, because we don't have the same circumstances. I try to find inspiration by other artists but I also try to not say to myself like "they are so much better than me" that's what causes my lack of motviation all the time. For me cosistency is the key, even If I just do a 10 min doodle every day, challenges like Inktober helped me be more motivated and being creative by just having one word.
Thank you so much for this! This really hit on so many struggles I've felt so isolated in. Almost every feeling you described in this video has resonated with me at some point in my life -- especially the crushing feeling of seeing the skill gap between yourself and others, and the "their 4 hours vs my 40 hours" comparison. The title actually made me think of a related struggle where I'll think of an idea and go, "I'm not good enough to draw that." I'm a perfectionist, and it's taken me years to try and control that with my art. One thing I've learned to keep in mind is that you can *always redraw something in the future.* There's no rules that say you can't go back to an idea a second time! In fact, it's very common to see artists re-draw stuff they did years ago. This helped take pressure off myself; I don't need to worry about getting it "just right" the first time.
Drawing is my Hobby, I´m doing this for fun, and even i constantly think "I´m not good enough".... doesnt even make sense to think that over somethin I am doing just for enjoying the process of doing it
I recently tried to get back into drawing but was immensely disappointed by what I ended up coming up with. I know I'm far from where I want to be but it does suck when you think you've reached a certain level of proficiency only to find it's not as built-in to you as you'd like. I am going to try again though, it's all we really can do. What I defo need is more focus, to fixate on a topic at a time and optimise that way. Here's hoping that everyone who watches this is able to progress in their art journeys🤞
yeah I have this "I'm not good enought" feeling since I seriously started 2 years ago, turn out I have an extreme case of perfectionism. I'm getting better, but I know it won't ever reach "I'm good enought". I have bought in your art program, wich I haphazardly follow just being on my own. My technique is very different. I look at an extensive amount of art, using my perfectionism, to identify "what's perfect" to me, then analyse that only. so per day I can look at a few thousand image to compare myself to. And that amount of observation, really help my creativity, it's like imprinting afterimage in my mind ( I probably learn different than normal people too, that's just self exploration)
For me personally I avoid looking at other artists who are better than me if not leagues away besides from learning, at the start it felt amazing what people can do but then I found that I begin to look back on my own work and couldn't help but just sigh, so while I do look at art I tend to focus on other artists who are worse than me (a way for me to help them), artists who are around the same skill level as me (To compare styles and just see what others draw who are on my level) and lastly artists who are somewhat better than me (to view them as what I could improve like a stepping stone.) So instead of looking at good artists and see them as mountains away from me I opt in to look for artists who are somewhat better than myself and use them as a stepping stone for what I could do better.
funny how these types of videos appear precisely when i need it the most. I've been struggling with motivation for a while now, but with this i feel like i can steer towards the right path again. thank you!
I really needed this video. I was overwhelmed by comparing my art to the 'art gods' online. As much as I love the rush of motivation after that, all of it is crushed when I can't meet those impossible goals I set for myself. Thank you so much for the video as always, so helpful!
I think Your lesson helped me to spot two main reasons for "my art sucking". First is the scope. I probably have to learn how to be fine with what I can do and accept what I can't without hating the result. This one even before working more on improvement, because how can you improve - if you have a negative bias towards your creations. And the second - partially caused by the first one - is constant extinguishing of "the fire". Keeping self motivation is really hard and also - I need to learn how to do this. So. Thanks again for great art lessons.
What helped me a lot to improve was switching to sketching with a non-erasable pen instead of a pencil. With a pencil, or digitally, you can push and prod on your drawing until all the errors are knocked out, which is great for production, but you're lying to yourself about your actual skill level. Drawing with a fine-point pen keeps you honest, if you fuck up perspective, anatomy, etc., there is nowhere to hide. Once you screw up a drawing, try again, until you manage to get it right. Then you actually learned the skill. There is nothing wrong with liquify, erasing etc. if you want to finish a piece for presentation, but for STUDY, use something permanent, so your errors are highlighted, to you, not hidden.
After 9 almost 10 months of drawing and it feels like i have not gotten better. In fact my head tells me i have not gotten better. Yet i can see i clearly have. I just have a hard time focusing on the thing i really need to work on. Anatomy and perspective i am looking at you...
Man, I can't tell you how much and how often I think like this when it comes to starting commissions or making a portfolio. I AM good enough, and I'll let my actions speak. idk who i'm talking to lmao, I'm just pumped after this vid. I'ma do it. Thanks Marc 💙
I'd like to add nuance about "draw faster". Because maybe the reason why some people aren't satisfied with their art is because they actually don't take enough time. If you try to make things fast without knowing how to or because of some pressure you put on yourself, then it will be rushed art. So specially if you are still learning, it's okay to take your time too. Focusing on the process can feel very good and be very fulfilling (and I think this joins with the 4th point of the video). It also avoids leaving mistakes in the drawing and by that, making it unsatisfying. If you actually take time to correct the mistake, maybe it will take a bit longer, but at least at the end you're way more likely to like what you did. One of my teachers had tought me to draw fast, I was like 10yo. This + speedpaints on social media slowed me down a lot rather than help me. Now 9 years later and I'm learning to take my time with what I do. And I've never been more motivated to draw (Also I find that in the end by taking my time I'm faster because I don't repeatedly start over and abandon projects lol) So yeah, maybe working fast is the thing for you, but maybe not, and maybe in this case you need to learn how to take your time, and it's also totally fine! By focusing on the process, the rest will come by it's own. The result is something that you just keep in mind as a guide line and motivation
Definitely a great video! It's funny because I just had a case of "aim smaller" last night. I was working on a piece with a sole intention of making a better pose closer to the study I wanted, then I ended up liking it, so I inked it, ended up liking that, and colored it! So each step ended up leading me to be more satisfied and interested in the next step of the process.
I've got an analogy for creativity. It's like building a house. You need bricks to work with, and you get those bricks in this case by continuing to experience and explore new stuff.
This kind of videos hit hard for me. I know I am not good enough and I try really hard to do it good enough but it is soo deep programmed in my mind (since I was 5, I am 25 now) that everyone is allowed to do mistakes. I am not allowed so I have to do it perfectly right away but... nope. Can't do it perfectly and that makes me sad. I have so many unfinished pictures I like but... I can't finish them because they are filled with so many negative thoughts...
I keep going back and forth with wanting to do art. Like spark, spark, sizzle and then stop doing it for months. At this point I don't know why I still have the urge for creativity
Right, a few points on this one - 1) there is no ‘skill gap’ between you and the other art gods on the internet 2) you need to open a clothing brand, I want what your characters are wearing and 3) this illustration is absolutely beautiful!
Thanks Mark, I've been having a lot of doubts about my own art. I want to become a concept artist and go to art school, so the idea of being rejected really hurts
I've been working on something since January that has been 80% learning and 20% things I knew already. So quite the opposite from Marc's tips. It's my biggest piece so far and it has taught me a LOT. I've wanted to rage quit with it so many times but I've managed to march through. I've been prone to quitting whenever I faced the first struggle. How does that teach anything? 😵 I'm almost done with my piece and can't wait to move on to easier pieces for a bit!
This is I think something always relevant. Amazing points as usual, Sensei! I'd like to add my own take on point 4 [Aim Smaller] in particular. The way I do it needs some context first. Hindsight is the result of taking action and messing-up and it's I think one of the main building-blocks of skill. It's basically error-correction which is the main mode of learning something new. So what I aim at during practice is pushing my current skill just to the point of failure within the parameters, recommended in the video "one thing at a time, 80% comfort zone, 20% discomfort zone etc." and when said failure occurs, I make a conscious effort to celebrate getting to that landmark. This detaches the emotional load of the sub-par results from the point of the practice which is to improve the skills that would then lead to desirable results. Having that happen once is what I aim at as a minimum viable goal of any exercise session. Everything else after is just bonus points. And because I try my best to celebrate it instead of beating myself up about it, getting to the point of failure is a lot less draining so I can handle doing it more times in a row in a single session which is mad stonks. This is one of the best mindset shifts I've had the privilege of experiencing this year and I thought it worth sharing. All that being said, I know it's just the finishing touches that do this sort of thing but I love how shiny the finished piece turned-out!
I had to learn again after a long school exam…I lost my skill because no daily/consistent drawing but now I already on college so I had chance to drawing again.
Yeah i for sure set goals a little too high for my current level. I think I'll take some of this advice and use more references and practice some of my weaker points. Amazing tips
I remember your brother's art from back when he used to post on facebook groups. I was always wondering about the "sibling rivalry" /if there is any/ of you two, since I have two brothers as well. Im the only one who took the artist path, secretly wanted at least one of my bros to do the same. :D
My only way to improve is to actually draw what I like to draw. I've been forced to draw stuff for others all the time that I felt that I wasn't improving at all. Then I looked back to try to draw what I like and inspires me (even if it's brainrot fandom stuff) and just experiment with that. I learnt a lot by doing that and I'm applying that new experience and skills I acquired by doing just that. Now I have friends telling me that I should increase my commission prices because of these improvements 🦐 Just get time for yourself only. Being a bit selfish now and then to treat yourself to what you love to draw is actually healthier than what it looks like (even if it's brainrot, just ride the muse and see where it will lead you without looking back).
I agree with all of these, and they are most helpful. However, the first point mentioning other artists I think is subjective. I reinvigorated my passion for art when I saw what my (now mentor) was creating. Eventually, it is also what’s lead to me wanting to study abroad in South Korea as a character artist (among other ventures). I will admit that for the past year, it was a struggle when I would always see people’s art and the skill gap was enormous between I and them. Now, though, I see it not as competition or an impossible task, but as a goalpost and inspiration behind why I am practicing art. I want to be a professional, but not only that, I want to be a master of my craft.
The worst mindset to get in is being disappointed in your drawing *before* you've even started it, like you can't even envision yourself creating something 'good' and just end up doing nothing. Its a pitfall I find myself in often especially when I want to do fanart as I'm even harder on myself when it comes to other peoples characters (hence not sharing art anywhere).
in my case, it actually sometimes helps it to first accept "this is going to be bad, and people wont care about it" because it removes having to make it good, if its going to be bad anyway, and you accept youre just making it for yourself and not for others.
@0percentImagination bro i am you literally i feel the same way as you but i am trying to change myself that my art gonna be bad because i am not experienced as much as those who are in this field for decades so i decided to ser realistic expectations and practicing the art more
I posted a separate comment about this, but one thing that helped me was to remind myself that I can always redraw something in the future! There's no rules that say you can't draw a character or idea more than once! This helped me go from saying, "I'm not good enough to draw this idea at my current skill level," to being willing to accept my mistakes, full knowing I can try again later!
That is even why I NEVER allow myself fanart from other characters except what comes in my head. I would love to draw the characters of my favorite shows but for me it feels like I am insulting the original artist😅
idk what's more impressive: Marc's teaching skills, his drawing skills, or his ability to regularly come up with seemingly endless engaging and meaningful lesson topics
i read engaging as edging and i was excited for his endless edging session
Exactly my thoughts
i half bet these are thoughts he had jotted down in old journals as he was going through his own art journey... and now he's making sure we dont suffer the same fate
I stopped sharing my drawings to social media for months. I wasn't going anywhere with it, and the more I attempted, the more stressed I got. I felt like it wasn't worth sharing anymore.
Traveling has helped me see and try new things. Especially taking my own photos, and referencing from those. My skills still improve as I take in new things.
I'm slow and take my time when drawing. I'm not usually concerned with speed, but it is very intimidating when everyone around you is pushing out several works a week. I can't work under that pressure, which is why I've distanced myself from social media.
Make a new account for your art, don't follow any other artists, just post and log off. Check in once a week or something.
Draw cus you want to not cus ppl want to
@renslo689 I've been doing exactly that. :)
Alright bro are you professor Xavier? cuz you are definitely reading my mind
He's bald so very suspicious!
He looks so much like him…..
cuz you are definitely bald
No, he's cannonball
Right? I literally was telling my friend yesterday how terrible at art I am..
"it's easy to beat yourself"
ahah funny
i feel like i didn't improved in ANY way lol
If I beat myself am I strong or weak?
@@attila0323 if you beat your past self, you are strong
if you beat your future self... what?
Same.
how long have you been drawing?
@@akane7429 me? a couple years, maybe three? not much i get it but... come on 🥲
I’ve been stuck in a cycle of trying to start drawing, feeling terrible that it’s so bad, giving up, then coming back and repeating the process a few weeks later. I can’t get out. And I can’t convince myself that I can learn. Idk what to do about it anymore
drawing is not about making something that looks good, if that were the case you would never be happy with anything you make
ironically, when you start focussing on how bad you art looks and be okay with making crap, its easier to make progress and make good art
breaking the perfectionism cycle is hard, its a journey, i recommend you focus on that more than just drawing. Maybe spend a few minutes a day just doodling whatever dumb ideas come to mind, maybe incorporate some drawing excersizes as well, the crappier they look the better (gesture is good for this)
then, be happy with it! or at least dont beat yourself up, you are seperate from your art, and bad art is the foundation that skill and passion is built on
Go to psychotherapy, I had that too and I have depression
Therapy is the only way out of it
I just finished doing the “draw faces in 7 days” exercise from his last video, and I would recommended it. The amount I improved in one week wasn’t _crazy_ , but it was definitely noticeable, and it helped boost my confidence.
For me the worse feeling is not only disliking my art, but also not understanding why I don’t like it. When you don’t know how to improve, drawing starts to feel pointless. But following the exercise helped me understand what I was doing wrong: I’m bad at drawing basic circles, I wasn’t flipping my art often enough, I draw ears too high, etc. Once I understood those mistakes I felt motivated to fix them, and by the end my appetite for drawing was better than it had been in years.
Anyway, that helped me, hopefully it helps you.
Rather than defining progress as whether or not your art turns out good, define your progress by your dedication to drawing regularly. (Read that again and let it sink in). Every beginner artist will make horrible art. It’s part of the process. It’s natural, expected, and it provides a great opportunity to rewire your thinking about your drawing journey. I had to do this when I started drawing a year and a half ago - now my art is incomparable to when I first started. Visualize where you’d like to be in your drawing journey (in my case, a character designer) and make a list of baby steps you can take each day toward that goal. Completing these baby steps will send out the feel good hormones that motivate you to keep going. We want small, minuscule steps at first that keep the fire lit, especially if you’re prone to giving up. After you’re more confident in yourself and you feel like your motivation is higher, move up to slightly bigger steps. You’ve got this! Sometimes you have to hack that brain of yours and switch up your approach. Your motivation isn’t just a fleeting feeling, it’s a concoction of chemicals in your brain. You can train yourself to keep going despite not having desirable outcomes on the paper just yet. Like I said, your sense of accomplishment should be your consistency and not how your art turns out just yet. Baby steps. You can do it!
@@user-10021 ehm, no?
No. 4 is something I am finally starting to understand. I look back at all my drawings and remember the mood I was in, and I realized I never planned any of my top 10 drawings, I was just sketching and decided to keep going, then they come out great.
So my solution when I actually have a big end goal is to put myself in that mindset, so my movement is fluid and I'm not thinking too hard.
the sibiling rivarly must be crazy
?
In an inspiring and motivational kind if way yeah. Its amazing
Marc’s brothers art style is like the exact opposite of his
Muted colors and more sinister characters interesting 🤔
What's his name?
@@milesdevine1161 Francis Brunet
It's not just with art. It's with all disciplines of life
you keep reminding me to how it should be done. indeed. I absolutely agree with you.
I grew to hate social media and certain fandoms so badly, because it is just an endless race, comparison of followers and likes...it's not just demotivating. it's DEPRESSING.
I truly took to heart to stop comparing myself to others as best as I can, and compare myself to myself. To art for me first and foremost.
How did you accomplish that? I don't think I can do that. I always compare myself to the artists I am even kinda friends with.
i've never said i'm not good enough,
i say i'm not good at all
A video that I relate to a bit. I usually say the same about my work. But not think it’s bad. It’s more of “I’m not doing good enough, I can do better” from a professional standpoint.
Thats a way I am trying to start thinking about my work, afterall I am a beginner still so of course I wont be able to draw like my inspirations just yet
I say the same about my art too. I know fundamentally Im nearer the top side of artists. But at the same time, I can self analyze that it is indeed still bad. Because I personally wouldnt not pay for the quality I put out currently.
@@drakey2000 I’m not the same for this, for me, I underestimate myself. Sometimes I don’t. It’s normal for an artist to struggle to finalize their work because you want it to be perfect.
@mrosy4782 I think I do good when I finalize. And then do the old wake up and look at it and think man. It's not good
@@drakey2000 always take breaks when that happens, because most of the times it’s because you stared at it too long and needs some times for you brain to recalculate information and it should look great. I had time when I thought my work wasn’t the part then I took time away and it looks great.
"Comparison is the thief of joy."
I heard this somewhere and now I live by it.
It made working on and looking at my own stuff, just life in general significantly easier.
My thing though, is that I almost have the opposite issue when it comes to growth and comparing myself to my old art.
I see so many people say something to the tune of "if you just compare yourself to your old art then you can feel proud about what you accomplished", but that doesn't work for me.
Instead I look at my old art, see how much I've improved, and then start hating myself even more because of the thought of "If I can draw this well now; there's no reason I shouldn't have been able to draw to this level back then. So if I couldn't draw well then, I shouldn't be able to draw any better now; so clearly something somewhere has gone wrong because it shouldn't be possible for me to be better than I was years ago."
Annoyingly no-one ever seems to talk about what to do in that situation....
You’ve gotten caught in something illogical. You improved because of time, effort and knowledge . The reason you couldn’t draw as well before is because enough practice had not been put in because there’s only so much time in a day. But also, if looking back at your art is upsetting you…then don’t do that. There’s no requirement to do it. Just keep making art, as long as it makes you happy, and at some point you’ll be more comfortable looking back at your old work. 😊
and what if you couldnt draw like that back then? nobody is just born good, skill happenes with time, even if its less time for some.
is there something/ someone thats putting you down for this? Why do you feel bad about being worse in the past?
find why you draw the way you draw now. Was it practice? knowledge? inspiration? maybe something just clicked?
Personally, my eyes either refuse to let me funny acknowledge that I got better, or if I can see it, I just get mad that it's not better ENOUGH. I followed some "10 years of art" template that went around on Twitter recently, and instead of feeling happy, I'm just upset because I don't think I improved that much in 10 years despite my efforts.
@@bovinleephann Usually artists have a hard time seeing changes in their work. That is obvious, you know yourself, and so all of your effort and learning process.
The thing is: We force ourselves to SEE results, rather than to just accept them. Pretty naive if i may say, but that's how it works.
Unfortunately we have to just accept that we're improving. Your brain is a machine, it works just like any other one. Time + effort = Results. So I don't see why it would be different for you.
If it helps, compare your work with only 2 people: Your VERY old self, and the guy with the level that you want to achieve.
@@harrietjameson - I think his issue is that, he doesn't know what made him improve. Which is usually my case sometimes but it doesn't affect me much.
The feeling of ‘I suck’ is like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide for me. Some days it’s a tsunami and other days it’s the regular calm wave. Once I learned that this feeling will be there forever I stopped fighting it, just flow. You know what it is- be like water friends.
I think knowing that I'm not good enough and wanting to get much, much better is what drives me forward. I go through some really bad spots, but wanting more keeps me going. Feeling satisfied with one's work sounds like the end of... Everything, really.
I hate when artists way more skilled than me trash on their own art, because it makes me feel bad about my own art. It’s the most obnoxious thing ever.
I think something you should keep in mind, is that ALL artist struggle with their own work. Just because an artist is ‘better’ or more skilled than you doesn’t mean that they have no feelings of self doubt or inadequacy about their own art. They are probably doing the same thing you are, comparing themselves to artists who they see as ‘better’. There is no cut off where suddenly someone is not allowed to complain or suddenly become impervious to their own mental struggles with art. All artists are humans too.
6:43 this hit me like a truck! damn!!!
my motivation on drawing,just look my friend old art and compare it to now,because i realize it takes time to become like now,so i dont rushing my progress
Honestly i really need this advice even though i am getting better at my art i do feel like I'm not that creative enough and i get upset with my art and stop for while but hearing this type of advice especially fueling the fire it got me a little more confident to be happy with my art even though sometimes it can hard be hard to keep the motivating, but If I keep going and fueling the spark i know I can keeping getting better.
I really like to self sabotage myself. I've been avoiding your videos because I know your tasty art speedpaints would get me wanting to get up and draw and practise and all that. But i fixed it now ;DD idk why i even did that
I joined a painting class last autumn where we test out different art styles and painting methods. There I learned that instead of trying to stick to the assignment 100%, I should take bits of the styles and methods and incorporate them into my personal style. First style we explored was pointillism and I made the main subject (2 lemons) very ethereal (teacher's words) by using a fluffier brush and then for the background I did very clear dots with a much smaller brush. When we did cubism the teacher said that we're not allowed to use bright colours, and as soon as she went to eat I slapped some purple and hot pink on my canvas and I went for a very clean look with outlined edges + added some holo glitter on the smaller details. For surrealism I just let my hung over brain do its thing and I used some effect paints to get some 3D things going on. For the black painting I added a window to the background and made the scene look like it's night time. For the Baroque style horn of plenty though.. well, I was listening to black metal while painting the background, and then when it was time to start adding things my adhd brain got overwhelmed because there were like 50+ items on the tables to choose from, so I just painted this slightly melted doll head I had brought (I found it while camping one year) and made the background more fire-y.
Now I'm just doing pop art as my style. My first pop art painting is like 97% done, still gotta add some finishing touches and paint over 2 parts where I had used a wrong purple at one point and it's still showing through, but oh my lord I like this style so much! I like the very clean look, the clear colours, the even surfaces. The rest of the students will be exploring different art styles during the course when it starts up again, and I'll just work on my Rammstein-themed pop art style paintings. Atm I'm planning out the second one on my computer, and then I'll just transfer the line art onto a canvas with the help of my little projector, and then it's time to paint.
With my game art ventures I'm a bit stuck though.. I hate what I created last year, so I want to just scrap the whole project and make something simpler and faster. It was supposed to be a fast and simple project, but the adhd goblin in my brain took over and made it too complicated once again >:(
I'm in the process of making a list of the shows/media that inspired me to draw. In an effort to model my art on it and have solid notion on what to improve. Instead of chasing art gods only to feel crushed.
Good point on the comfort zone. All this hustle culture about getting out of the comfort zone. 80%/20% seems like a good balance. Great advice on moving the goal post! I'm going to start using that.
this is the 3rd video I seen this week from one of my fav UA-cam artist and I think it’s a good thing for other artist to relate too.
I started drawing in my sketch book again and didn’t realize how much I improved until I finished just a couple of anatomy sketches it gave me a boost of motivation in a way - I ended up drawing 3 pages of sketches I was so happy because I just drawn just because it also showed me where I needed polishing in - I think sometimes the apps I use , social media , can give me art block faster in a way or never seeing a change in my work because of how fancy I think it should look. So sometimes I think revisiting old ways of doing things helps.
I have been going through a horrible pit for a few years. I felt like i struggled with my art. I did traditional, so i never felt it was as pretty as digital art. I loved it, i did it for 10 years, but i felt like no one really cared and that stumped me. After saving for a long time for a tablet, i tried digital art, and then realized that i had nothing to account for those 10 years anymore. All that progress was gone. Im in my 30s and i feel like it's too late to relearn and make a living out of it. I feel hopeless, and i know that when i look at other people's art, who are younger and more popular, i shouldnt feel bad, but i do, and i cant stand it anymore. Art now kinda feels like a part of me that is rotting away and i have to amputate off.
amazing stuff you're saying
and it's clear that you practice what you preach. tho i can't help myself not to feel that it's only a happy man talk. nothing just works, there should be a hidden switch or a special technique that makes people do good stuff. i don't have that. i've tried to learn [not only how] to draw, i've spent many years practicing my skills, and yet nothing works and in the end many just tend to say that i'm at fault and that i should try something else. but they don't know that the "else" ain't working too
What I can say is that between the hundreds of students I’ve mentored personally, not one had insignificant growth. I think it always has to do with the approach- like regular school didn’t work for me, but it didn’t mean learning this stuff was out of reach. I just had to find what worked for me, which is what I do with each students. Not trying to sell anything here, I can’t take on any new student anyway, but all to say- the student in my experience is never the problem. It’s the approach that usually is.
I took a long break from drawing recently…(to play video games) and when I came back to it yesterday I had somehow forgotten to draw my own characters and lost my mojo. But I’m kind of slowly easing myself into doing doodles and practice shapes until I can feel it again
Hey that's my favorite phrase!
"I'm gonna make myself f***ing good enough!"
Stay hard my fellow Artists.
I think that the advice of avoiding others artist maybe helpful, which I do myself sometimes. But I also like to look at others art too. It inspires me to try better, because I think I would like to do that stuff.
I look at other peoples shitty art to make me feel better, it is evil i know but it works 😭
Exactly the reason why I stopped drawing
Seeing how far better others are, also so much younger than me with way more time spent on it (not only online but my way younger cousin too), just takes away the motivation to even try becoming better. No point, if you won't reach that level, and by then the others are way better anyway.
theres more to art than just "looking better", even that is subjective
@@harrietjameson if I won’t reach such a level, in a reasonable time, these hobbies seem like a waste to me
@@nexusserc you'll never reach a good level if you keep putting yourself down for mistakes, i only made progress after i started beating down my perfectionism
@@nexusserc Same mentality could be applied to working out, learning an instrument, writing, and many other skills. Doesn't mean it's not worth doing at any age.
@@torchlight1785 working out is completely different.
I agree with Marc's 4th advice. Just keep your work simple and easy to digest for the viewer's eyes and to the artists' as well. It doesnt have to be fully rendered, highly detailed or complicated, sometimes keeping the piece simple is the best
New music is cool, so relaxing
Thank you Marc, it's definitely reassuring to hear a seasoned pro say these things. Also please make more anime art lol I love it in your style.
My sentiment towards my art was always “Eh, it may not be the best but it’s better than nothing.” But as I become better and take it more serious, it’s become harder and harder to retain it :(
But, I am thinking to start sketching for fun (almost) everyday and being the fun back in art :)
remeber this, getting serious doesnt mean letting your mistakes beat you down
being okay with the flaws doesnt mean you give up on improvimg, its the first to improving
I always hated my art but its a conflicting feeling of wanting to finish what I started vs shtting on anything I produce. I suck at keeping a social media presence because posting and seeing it over and over again just made me hate my art more. This video didn't help but I do hope this helps anyone else.
Thank you! Definitely needed to hear this now! 😇
❤ thank you Marc
Very Relatable and Now i feel That Feelings Right Now
Easy for you to say it, you have already reached what I would say is the pinnacle of art in my eyes, for people like me who are still strugling, I either have to give up or go through the struggle and unfortunately I am on the verge of giving up. Must be nice being that good, keep up the good work! 👍
Great tips! especially the 4th one (aim smaller) which I would definitely make sure to try and implement next time I draw, I always aim for something big and get disappointed from the result
not only are the tips great but this art piece came out lovely!!
*When my draws don't go the way I want, the Impostor Syndrome hits me hard and I start to doubt myself but lately I identified why I feel in that kind of way and I notice is that some of my skill levels of some fundaments are not sharply enough .*
*If someone have this issue lately I recommend you try to reflect on yourself and your current skills in some fundaments that you're not good enough .*
Thanks a lot for this video. It is always great to listen how an artist like you fight they way on their career.
For me I definetly know that comparing myself to others is what causes me to feel like "I'm not good enough", but to be fair that's not fair to anyone. Every person has a different art style, a different skill level and that's why we shouldn't compare ourselfes to others, because we don't have the same circumstances.
I try to find inspiration by other artists but I also try to not say to myself like "they are so much better than me" that's what causes my lack of motviation all the time.
For me cosistency is the key, even If I just do a 10 min doodle every day, challenges like Inktober helped me be more motivated and being creative by just having one word.
Thank you so much for this! This really hit on so many struggles I've felt so isolated in. Almost every feeling you described in this video has resonated with me at some point in my life -- especially the crushing feeling of seeing the skill gap between yourself and others, and the "their 4 hours vs my 40 hours" comparison. The title actually made me think of a related struggle where I'll think of an idea and go, "I'm not good enough to draw that." I'm a perfectionist, and it's taken me years to try and control that with my art. One thing I've learned to keep in mind is that you can *always redraw something in the future.* There's no rules that say you can't go back to an idea a second time! In fact, it's very common to see artists re-draw stuff they did years ago. This helped take pressure off myself; I don't need to worry about getting it "just right" the first time.
Drawing is my Hobby, I´m doing this for fun, and even i constantly think "I´m not good enough".... doesnt even make sense to think that over somethin I am doing just for enjoying the process of doing it
I recently tried to get back into drawing but was immensely disappointed by what I ended up coming up with. I know I'm far from where I want to be but it does suck when you think you've reached a certain level of proficiency only to find it's not as built-in to you as you'd like. I am going to try again though, it's all we really can do. What I defo need is more focus, to fixate on a topic at a time and optimise that way. Here's hoping that everyone who watches this is able to progress in their art journeys🤞
mistakes and weaknesses are the foundation of good art, embrace them and work on them
yeah I have this "I'm not good enought" feeling since I seriously started 2 years ago, turn out I have an extreme case of perfectionism. I'm getting better, but I know it won't ever reach "I'm good enought". I have bought in your art program, wich I haphazardly follow just being on my own.
My technique is very different. I look at an extensive amount of art, using my perfectionism, to identify "what's perfect" to me, then analyse that only. so per day I can look at a few thousand image to compare myself to. And that amount of observation, really help my creativity, it's like imprinting afterimage in my mind ( I probably learn different than normal people too, that's just self exploration)
The not looking at other people's art tip is what I've been doing for a while now and yesss it's so good. Works wonders
Thank you very much for your advice, master. I really love the explosions that appear in your videos.
For me personally I avoid looking at other artists who are better than me if not leagues away besides from learning, at the start it felt amazing what people can do but then I found that I begin to look back on my own work and couldn't help but just sigh, so while I do look at art I tend to focus on other artists who are worse than me (a way for me to help them), artists who are around the same skill level as me (To compare styles and just see what others draw who are on my level) and lastly artists who are somewhat better than me (to view them as what I could improve like a stepping stone.)
So instead of looking at good artists and see them as mountains away from me I opt in to look for artists who are somewhat better than myself and use them as a stepping stone for what I could do better.
funny how these types of videos appear precisely when i need it the most. I've been struggling with motivation for a while now, but with this i feel like i can steer towards the right path again. thank you!
idk the "I’m not good enough" isn't a bad thing for me, i know where i want my art to go and what i want to achieve so i use it as fuel to keep going
I really needed this video. I was overwhelmed by comparing my art to the 'art gods' online. As much as I love the rush of motivation after that, all of it is crushed when I can't meet those impossible goals I set for myself.
Thank you so much for the video as always, so helpful!
when I see "I'm not good at art" I click xDD
It's so crazy how everything he says is so relatable 😂
Thanks for the help😊
I think Your lesson helped me to spot two main reasons for "my art sucking".
First is the scope. I probably have to learn how to be fine with what I can do and accept what I can't without hating the result. This one even before working more on improvement, because how can you improve - if you have a negative bias towards your creations.
And the second - partially caused by the first one - is constant extinguishing of "the fire". Keeping self motivation is really hard and also - I need to learn how to do this.
So. Thanks again for great art lessons.
What helped me a lot to improve was switching to sketching with a non-erasable pen instead of a pencil. With a pencil, or digitally, you can push and prod on your drawing until all the errors are knocked out, which is great for production, but you're lying to yourself about your actual skill level. Drawing with a fine-point pen keeps you honest, if you fuck up perspective, anatomy, etc., there is nowhere to hide. Once you screw up a drawing, try again, until you manage to get it right. Then you actually learned the skill.
There is nothing wrong with liquify, erasing etc. if you want to finish a piece for presentation, but for STUDY, use something permanent, so your errors are highlighted, to you, not hidden.
One Art Man
I can agree with that statement.
You and Sam are into something for sure
How come I’ve seen almost no one else talk about these things? I swear this guy knows exactly how my brain works or something.
After 9 almost 10 months of drawing and it feels like i have not gotten better. In fact my head tells me i have not gotten better. Yet i can see i clearly have. I just have a hard time focusing on the thing i really need to work on. Anatomy and perspective i am looking at you...
Man, I can't tell you how much and how often I think like this when it comes to starting commissions or making a portfolio. I AM good enough, and I'll let my actions speak.
idk who i'm talking to lmao, I'm just pumped after this vid.
I'ma do it.
Thanks Marc 💙
I'd like to add nuance about "draw faster". Because maybe the reason why some people aren't satisfied with their art is because they actually don't take enough time. If you try to make things fast without knowing how to or because of some pressure you put on yourself, then it will be rushed art. So specially if you are still learning, it's okay to take your time too. Focusing on the process can feel very good and be very fulfilling (and I think this joins with the 4th point of the video). It also avoids leaving mistakes in the drawing and by that, making it unsatisfying. If you actually take time to correct the mistake, maybe it will take a bit longer, but at least at the end you're way more likely to like what you did. One of my teachers had tought me to draw fast, I was like 10yo. This + speedpaints on social media slowed me down a lot rather than help me. Now 9 years later and I'm learning to take my time with what I do. And I've never been more motivated to draw
(Also I find that in the end by taking my time I'm faster because I don't repeatedly start over and abandon projects lol)
So yeah, maybe working fast is the thing for you, but maybe not, and maybe in this case you need to learn how to take your time, and it's also totally fine!
By focusing on the process, the rest will come by it's own. The result is something that you just keep in mind as a guide line and motivation
Definitely a great video! It's funny because I just had a case of "aim smaller" last night. I was working on a piece with a sole intention of making a better pose closer to the study I wanted, then I ended up liking it, so I inked it, ended up liking that, and colored it! So each step ended up leading me to be more satisfied and interested in the next step of the process.
I've got an analogy for creativity. It's like building a house. You need bricks to work with, and you get those bricks in this case by continuing to experience and explore new stuff.
Thank you, Marc! I really needed this today not just for drawing but for work also. 🤧
This kind of videos hit hard for me. I know I am not good enough and I try really hard to do it good enough but it is soo deep programmed in my mind (since I was 5, I am 25 now) that everyone is allowed to do mistakes. I am not allowed so I have to do it perfectly right away but... nope. Can't do it perfectly and that makes me sad. I have so many unfinished pictures I like but... I can't finish them because they are filled with so many negative thoughts...
I keep going back and forth with wanting to do art. Like spark, spark, sizzle and then stop doing it for months. At this point I don't know why I still have the urge for creativity
Right, a few points on this one - 1) there is no ‘skill gap’ between you and the other art gods on the internet 2) you need to open a clothing brand, I want what your characters are wearing and 3) this illustration is absolutely beautiful!
Thanks sir , you always support whenever I need help
Thanks Mark, I've been having a lot of doubts about my own art. I want to become a concept artist and go to art school, so the idea of being rejected really hurts
Art just isn't for everyone. Some people work for years without getting results and it's okay just to let it go.
I've been working on something since January that has been 80% learning and 20% things I knew already. So quite the opposite from Marc's tips. It's my biggest piece so far and it has taught me a LOT. I've wanted to rage quit with it so many times but I've managed to march through. I've been prone to quitting whenever I faced the first struggle. How does that teach anything? 😵 I'm almost done with my piece and can't wait to move on to easier pieces for a bit!
This is I think something always relevant. Amazing points as usual, Sensei! I'd like to add my own take on point 4 [Aim Smaller] in particular. The way I do it needs some context first. Hindsight is the result of taking action and messing-up and it's I think one of the main building-blocks of skill. It's basically error-correction which is the main mode of learning something new. So what I aim at during practice is pushing my current skill just to the point of failure within the parameters, recommended in the video "one thing at a time, 80% comfort zone, 20% discomfort zone etc." and when said failure occurs, I make a conscious effort to celebrate getting to that landmark. This detaches the emotional load of the sub-par results from the point of the practice which is to improve the skills that would then lead to desirable results. Having that happen once is what I aim at as a minimum viable goal of any exercise session. Everything else after is just bonus points. And because I try my best to celebrate it instead of beating myself up about it, getting to the point of failure is a lot less draining so I can handle doing it more times in a row in a single session which is mad stonks. This is one of the best mindset shifts I've had the privilege of experiencing this year and I thought it worth sharing. All that being said, I know it's just the finishing touches that do this sort of thing but I love how shiny the finished piece turned-out!
keeping this in my list so I'll watch it again when I feel down
I’ve suggested you to a lot of people and I always enjoy your videos
Thank you 🙏
This is why his the best teacher.
Sensei, ty.
I had to learn again after a long school exam…I lost my skill because no daily/consistent drawing but now I already on college so I had chance to drawing again.
Yeah i for sure set goals a little too high for my current level. I think I'll take some of this advice and use more references and practice some of my weaker points. Amazing tips
Oh yes, I need to keep these in mind!
I remember your brother's art from back when he used to post on facebook groups. I was always wondering about the "sibling rivalry" /if there is any/ of you two, since I have two brothers as well. Im the only one who took the artist path, secretly wanted at least one of my bros to do the same. :D
Thank you for the class, Mr. Mark. Here's my payment of a comment and a like! Let's stay strong!
Te quiero mucho Don Marc, ojala algún día exista una IA que doble al español sus videos :'D
My only way to improve is to actually draw what I like to draw. I've been forced to draw stuff for others all the time that I felt that I wasn't improving at all. Then I looked back to try to draw what I like and inspires me (even if it's brainrot fandom stuff) and just experiment with that. I learnt a lot by doing that and I'm applying that new experience and skills I acquired by doing just that. Now I have friends telling me that I should increase my commission prices because of these improvements 🦐
Just get time for yourself only. Being a bit selfish now and then to treat yourself to what you love to draw is actually healthier than what it looks like (even if it's brainrot, just ride the muse and see where it will lead you without looking back).
Can i suggest that the two of you do some similar art challenges? i'd love to see how different you two are.
she looks so cute
Thank you!!!
.... I swear it feels like you were reading my mind because this is precisely what I've been struggling with as of late-
thank you, this honestly helped me so much marc ❤
"Limit/eliminate the occasions when you can feel discouraged."
me: stops drawing forever
I agree with all of these, and they are most helpful. However, the first point mentioning other artists I think is subjective. I reinvigorated my passion for art when I saw what my (now mentor) was creating. Eventually, it is also what’s lead to me wanting to study abroad in South Korea as a character artist (among other ventures).
I will admit that for the past year, it was a struggle when I would always see people’s art and the skill gap was enormous between I and them. Now, though, I see it not as competition or an impossible task, but as a goalpost and inspiration behind why I am practicing art. I want to be a professional, but not only that, I want to be a master of my craft.
Thank you
Not gonna lie, Every time I struggle with something regarding my artwork, Marc magically appears with a video the next day related to it