Your art skill has never been that important
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2022
- The art community grossly overvalues artistic skill.
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Well thank you for the shoutout my friend
Not focusing on skill chasing can be hard when you know what "good" is and that you're not at that level yet. For me personally, it's more about having the tools to express myself as freely as possible and to reach the level of quality I've set for myself. I know that most people don't care as long as you can create appealing work, but I want skill and the appeal.
That’s a fair comment, however, please be careful not to fall into the perfectionism trap. I spent a few years in that trap and it can be depressing to not be where you want to be with your skills. I’ve since learned to appreciate my own art for what it is, and to know that my skills will increase with practice regardless. When you enjoy your work it often filters through into the final result, which makes others appreciate it more as well, somehow many people can see when an artist enjoyed the work they’ve made, leaving both you and the viewer satisfied with the art even if the skill level is not quite where you want it to be yet.
Do that, but create all the time, even if it's not perfect. Don't wait to express yourself until you have the perfect skills you seek. There was an advice I saw on draw a box a long time ago: spend half of your time practicing and the other half freely creating. It will help you with anxiety and to use the skills you're learning in a more sustainable way. If you wait to do the pieces you like until you feel technically good you will probably won't like the first results, cause it's very different to draw in practice session and drawing with narrative and creativity. You also will find cues about your personal style during these creative times.
God yes, getting the tools is basically my whole thing lol. I really need to do some actual pieces lol.
I think you have a higher level healthier understanding than many of the artists I see today, along with everyone else in this thread so thats great! To everyone else, hopefully its a reminder to never forget your real goals, humble aspiraitons, etc. It took me forever to even allow myself to consider what I'd make when I get the skills I wanted so badly in the first place.
This 1000000000%
Man did this video make the wheels in my head turn
This is what I’ve experienced in my growth I’ve the years, relating to what you’re sharing…
- I was a passionate art and animation geek, binging on animated films and designs
- I drew everything, everywhere, developed a reputation for being “the artist” in school
- I decided to take it to the next level and pursued it in college and university, surrounded by crazy talented fellow art students
- I got lost in the technical because I was surrounded by technically strong students and teachers
- after 15 years of technical focus, I realized one day that I had completely lost sight of the most important thing; being a passionate art geek
And it was at that moment that I was reintroduced to the kid inside me. I became an artist with a strong focus on the heartbeat of my audience - where the theme and narrative became everything - but I now had a skill far more able to express it
Sounds like the full circle haha. I really wonder if we all have no choice but to take this route, in our own unique way. I just wish more of us could chill out and look forward to the end goal rather than thinking it was always all about the skills only and getting frustrated.
Both of your art talks have helped me think a lot, and get through tough moments of my journey. Many thanks to you both, Adam and Josh. :)
There's nothing crazier than creating something and it making people react in multiple ways. Art is a form of language. And what is language if you can't use to communicate with others? With your audience?
I see a few people draw in a style literally like Neko Sugar Girls that get thousands of likes, but those arts tend to be funny and relatable comics or pieces.
Not halfway done with the video yet, but so far it makes me feel better about my art and I'll try to add more of a message and storys to it. I do have a lot of emotions and feelings in my mind, so I'll try to make art that i and others can relate too.
Wait?! Did you draw the character on your profile picture?
@@dark_nightwing_xl2797 I'm pretty sure Teamili's profile picture is Noodle from Gorillaz
hey i seen you in the art in a different career in comments in another video just yesterday
If you get stucked creatively, try talking to other people, your followers maybe and see what they have to say. Than take that and add your perspective and feelings.
I try to ask myself “what are you trying to say with this?” Or “what story are you trying to tell?” It makes me have another dimension, more than just a “picture of” something.
Nailing a narrative... IS an art skill. Art skill is not limited to rendering and form.
Very good art attracts other artists a lot but yeah it’s the stories that attract people. Sometimes non artists don’t put much thought on the quality except for realism.
Next time you see somebody say this -"I have NO IDEA why X is SOOO popular when their artstyle is SOOOO bad/basic." Just say: "Leme stop you right there." and show them this video.
Amen
And this is the whole point right here, isn't it?
@niggette That's so true with me too. Overcoming the initial impression of One Piece's art is the main barrier that has to be passed before you get to truly enjoy the series, haha.
"artists don't buy art" is a ridiculous blanket statement to make, depending on the community you're a part of, the vast majority of your income can be from other artists. Any artist who has original characters, especially furries, will drop THOUSANDS on art of their characters!
Nearly every single person that has ever commissioned me is also an artist who has their own characters, and I absolutely love buying art from people with different style to me!
Its like a mix of wanting to support other artists and also enjoying collecting lots of different kinds of art of the characters that mean something to you, and it's not nearly as uncommon as you make it seem
Skills are great and give us choices we wouldn't have without them, but over-focusing on skills can inhibit an artist while they're creating, or it can become the goal of the artwork itself. Both of these problems can result in dull art.
But thats why the years of practice is important - when that skill is developed, you dont end up with a bunch of dull art. Thats only people who want to be artists quickly, without going thru the process of refining the skill
I really needed this right now
The best response I've ever got from friends looking at my artwork was a relatively low-effort comic about a funny moment that occurred in our D&D game. They loved it, and couldn't stop raving about it.
The best response I've ever got from a stranger was sending them a simple black-and white lineart comic I did of a particularly emotional moment from their fanfiction story. They cried.
Another time I tentatively posted to my social media a piece that is objectively the *best*, most technically impressive thing I've ever done.
Crickets.
For some reason I never quite made the connection until watching your video, but of course. The emotion, the *story*, is what matters to people. Technical skill only helps insofar as it can elevate the emotion, and even then it's really not that necessary.
For a lot of artists early in their journeys, it's all about self-identity, the "I am an *artist* " part of art. Identity is weak as a way of knowing your goals, though, because it's set relative to others. If you say "I'm an artist", other people say, "oh, so you *think* you're an artist." And in trying to claim it, we're prone to doing the same thing to others and look for ways to take away their identity, so that we can be relatively the better artist.
And that's the thing that gets people into these very technical skill grinds, at least initially, especially in young people. Because they're trying to establish that identity, they do whatever people say they "need" to be doing. Or, if they're frustrated, they go into comment threads and dunk on other people's art. And this happens with all sorts of pursuits - you can see it in music, sports, programming, gaming, etc. If we were back in the 1970's, maybe we'd want to "be a rock star", so we'd all be picking up guitars and trying to learn "Smoke on the Water". Now we want to "draw anime", so it's all about trying to draw One Piece characters or whatever. And it's natural to want that stuff, to play the famous song or draw the famous character. That's a craving for self-expression.
But then you get into the professional realm of turning art skills into media that communicates something in a more intentional way, and suddenly, your identity can really get in the way and torture you. Because the end of the road for that "artist identity" is often something like "work at a famous game studio". Well, the game studio knows that they're famous and that they get all kinds of hotshot "real artist" types sending in applications, and because the bottom line of profit/loss is what they're really looking at, if they see a chance to turn your identity into free labor, they'll do it. As long as it's about your identity, it can be held hostage. And you do get intensely technical works from that kind of competitive tug-of-war, but it's something that you have to also be able to let go of so that you can be a complete person. Since mostly, it's not important, in a grand-scheme-of-things sense.
Often art movements come in waves where a new generation comes up by deliberately not pursuing the same identity as the previous generations. Doing that frees them up to not get caught in the grind, and instead focus on the moment - of making the best work they can with what they have nearby, and on paying attention to the business, and not worrying too much about being "unskilled". But it can only be like that for brief moments, because if you don't have an assigned identity, people will always make up one for you, try to rank you, and so on. It takes a lot of self-control to concentrate your study and practice on the parts that are logically most relevant, and not just the ones you feel are "normal" to care about.
God, the programming world can get so mean, especially if you're a woman. It kept me away from it as a kid even though it was something I loved (and still do). Even today I share nothing I make or do, even with a man's face and name. It's hard.
I agree with many of the points you make but the small artist trying not to get their work stollen because of insecurity I think is a little different. Sometimes big artist have made so much work or have such a big platform that reposting doesn’t effect them but it can have a big effect on small artist. I also think that being protective of the art u made isnt always insecure sometimes you just love a piece so much that you’d rather have that one thing to yourself, great video as usual!
This is basically what I said too, then scrolled down and saw your comment. Right on.
Exactly. It's like how rich people are barely affected if some of their money got stolen but poor people might become homeless in such case
And there is a lot of art theft. And when you are small you don't have the people to support you, and the thief takes all your social points and you end up not growing and even potentially be treated as the thief.
There is thiefs that get more popular than the original artist all the time. Putting your name on the art and such doesn't make you instantly forget the rest of the piece, since it is what you do at the very end when all is said and done.
I think ergojosh is right to an extent, like when you pay more attention to the signature and such (as the viewer) then its a sign its too much, but not at all crediting yourself is only hurting your growth on social medias, which is essential if you want to grow as an artist online. I've seen a lot of artist lately add to their signature on the art "do not repost" in the middle of the art slightly transparent. They still get thousands of likes for some reason, but its honestly not pleasing to the eye at all and it wont stop thiefs to repost.
I am in art school rn and I have thought about this a lot recently. I was thinking about Pokemon and how their characters are pretty simple to draw and just overall it doesnt take much to make your own "Pokemon" as well. But the series is one of the most selling and lucrative series of all time, then I look at someones work who took probably a week to develop or more and people just brush over it and what the difference is. What I came down to was, nostalga and emotional connection to the Pokemon, the world building, and most of all marketing.
Nostalga and emotional connection to the POkemon in comparision to someones weeks project. Is people just arnt connected to your piece until they are givin a reason to, so telling a small story behind your piece may be best. I also think, making a character fit into your piece and giving a description of the character is a great thing as well.
The world building in Pokemon is decades old at this point, but basically every Pokemon has some connection to the Pokemon world. Weather it be through legendaries be the foundations of the world itself or normal Pokemon being helpers for people in the world. To apply this for your artwork, maybe instead of posting a lot of different studies. Try and group studies or cimalar artworks into a small world and maybe have them interact with each other like a comic or something. Words can be used to further enhace your artwork.
Now marketing is a pretty iffy topic hear cause out of the gate Pokemon had Nintendo's money to back the project. But I think this can apply to an average artist as well. Instead of thinking of your art as your buesniess, I think it may be better to look at the potential that you have with your art. In other words, dont look at art piece but look at it as a portfolio that can tell a story to people. For instance when you are scrolling through reels of peoples concept art, what is the difference between their drawings and Ash Ketchum or Naruto. What truely makes their art less valuable than the characters everyone knows. Marketing. One is just a character, but the other is a character with a back story a furture story, supporting characters, has emotions, has a family, has goals, etc.
It sounds like im saying to literally write a small story around your characters and honestly that may not be a bad idea. But what I what I can say is, your concept art is what draws people in but the story is what makes people stay (most of the time).
Especially when you remember that the original games were made by a team of less than ten people and were turned down many times before finally being accepted. The art's diceyness was secondary only to the coding and they didn't intend to go beyond a sequel or even know what direction they were going. But now look at the series, raking in countless tons of cash and touching the hearts and sometimes even shaping the lives of millions and millions of people, current iterations be damned. And at the heart of it all was a man with autism. It's a really cool story.
Simple doesn’t mean low skill tho, Pokémon has some of the best character design of all time- that’s whys it’s so successful. Imitations pop up all the time but none come close to the real thing imo. Even people with no connection to Pokémon can be shown a picture of one of these critters and immediately ‘get it’
@@ItsAnGoose I agree, but simple does mean that you can recreate and make new sketchs very quickly when designing the Pokemon. The skill of determaining what design is good enough for the franchise is needed as well. But the art itself is still easy to do if you understand how to break things down in art terms.
i dont believe that mentioning the artists who use watermarks to protect their work did any justice. i know several artists online who got their work stolen by some random company from china that made thousands by selling it. its not a joke. shit like this destroys people
I strongly believe we should seek a skill level that allows us to put our ideas down in paper/digital as accurately as possible.
I think there is a certain degree of enjoyment when we are able to show what we see in our heads clearly; I'm sure there's plenty of people that keep honing their skills because they love the feeling of chasing and achieving something new.
Like you said, skill is not a *requirement* we have plenty of examples that pre-date the digital era.
It can all be about the ideas, the feeling and the stories.
I read someone saying in the comments that going too hard on skill can lead to a dull result; the same is true for things that do not require that much skill either, it only takes going into a museum--or even less, we have the internet after all-- and you can clearly see who did what and what was the intention behind it be that invoking some sort of personal story or for the sake of gallery art trends.
Most of the time art has a context, the fact that social media pushes for art without context is a different issue; it's a cultural issue at this point I dare say and I'm sure like everything with it's ebbs and flows will eventually change into a different thing.
Personally, I buy art being also an artist; art prints are affordable for the most part and I'm also a collector.
A thing I like collecting is Movie Posters, both vintage and new as long as I like them they are worth it to me.
On that note when you see a video tour of Superani's studio in Korea you see plenty of collected art, they surrounded themselves with those objects they love and gifts from other artists and friends.
I really believe that this fascination some artists have with the works of others is what pushes all of us forward;
I think I would probably still draw if I was the only person in the planet; cavemen did it for posterity and without knowing what came next in a rather harsh world. I think it's a pretty good practice to say ' I was here too'.
Great thoughts on this topic. I feel like alot of artists (me especially) tend to want a polished strong art style so that we have the ability to express our selves properly. Art as a profession is a tricky game as I've come across many artists who are technically sound and incredible but have no marketability, whereas someone with the opposite skillset is thriving (Not to say their art is bad, but objectively, it's not as technically correct)
In response to the question “if there were no other people would I still make art?” My answer is yes. I make a lot of pieces that I don’t show people as well as the pieces I do show. And this is because I was given a pencil and paper the second I was old enough to grip one in my tiny little baby hand lol I learned from a young age that art can be an emotional outlet, it can be a way to work through my thoughts, it can also be a way to deal with loneliness, it helps with fine motor skills, and more. There are so many practical uses for drawing and creating any type of art in general, and for me, wanting to and learning how to sell it actually came last. As a young girl I was offered money for some of my artworks and could have begun an art career way back then (I was 15, and I am now 40) but I loved what I created and decided not to part with it. I was offered money for many pieces over the years, and looking back I could have created an excellent side hustle but instead chose not to, and this is purely because I was creating for the joy of the creating and the peace of mind it gave me. Now I am working through the selling side of things, but would I still create if there were no other people? Most definitely ❤️
When I was younger I used to think it was all about the skill. But once you’re an adult you realize that it’s all about how you market and pitch yourself. Even in non-art scenarios like at jobs or job interviews. Sometimes you wonder how that one person even got the job. Ofc there could be a variety of reasons but many times it’s because they were just good at the interview.
"If there wasn't a single other person on the planet, would you still draw?" It sort of depends on if that means every other persons art made up until this point still exists. Like, if I'd NEVER interacted with other artists, because they never existed, I'd probably do art in a different way. But if my theoretical life was the same just with no people to share my art with, I'd still draw.
The thing about this question is that I don't really have a big social media following or many friends that I share art with. I've drawn alone and kept it to myself for months at a time before, it doesn't change much about why I make art in the first place. I share art more these days because it's fun but it's not the main reason I draw.
Now, if my favourite artists never existed, maybe I wouldn't be so inspired or I wouldn't be drawing anime bullshit.
Yeah thats an interesting part I didn't think about, the artists that came before you.
Omg, I do the same lol.
Forget anime, I want to reach classic masters artist level
I draw because there's feelings and something within me that needs to come out.
Speaking to others and myself through art.
That's more important to me than getting likes and retweets. I want to use my art as legacy that others can find helpful and inspiring, even long after I'm dead and gone.
Is it just me or does anybody get the feeling that they might never improve no matter how hard they try? It's like when I see some advanced artwork specifically animated style since that is what I love the most, I always get this feeling that it's unreachable. I'm gonna continue to practice but these feelings can be annoying.
Yeah, I get it. As a guy who is not on the art path (forced into business by parents) I think slow progress sucks.
I think the most important thing is to get on projects of your own. You'll learn some stuff, and learn what you can make. Then work with that. You'll get more creative.
Yeah, I get you. Sometimes it’s hard to look up a and see how far there is to go- but when that happens, look back and remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Leafing through old sketch books helps me when I’m feeling down about my art.
I definitely feel like that sometimes but when I look at how far I’ve come it gives me hope. Something that helped me was to slow down and use lighter “free-er” strokes. I can be heavy handed so I need to use less pressure
I get those feelings too sometimes and it sucks, but you just have to try your best to push through those feelings and have confidence in yourself. I like to tell myself it's better to use the time you spend comparing yourself to others to instead keep practicing and bettering your own artwork.
I've been there before, there was once a time that even though I would spend more than 10h a day ( still do that even now but that's based on my own choice ) drawing, I was still convinced that I would never improve, but here I am +2 years later, and i improved astronomically, my art is pretty much unrecognizable, so please take it from someone who already passed through this experience and trust me, no mater what, You're. *ALWAYS*. improving, if you keep drawing you WILL become better, even if you don't see it, just please, remember to not beat yourself up, thats very important
as a small time hobbyist artist/storywriter, this really inspired me... i hope one day i can create something that can be relatable in at least a few ways -- even though i'm extremely self-conscious about my skill level, i think you're absolutely right about an art piece speaking to people. thank you for this wisdom!
I stick around for skill. That's the truth. My favorite artists are very, very detailed. S/N: I realized that I need to edit this just to explain that I'm not saying making money isn't important or shouldn't be a goal, it's just not what got me into a majority of the artists I look up to. I look at the talent first, and there are plenty of seasoned, successful artists that do the same. Rob Liefeld was actually talking about something similar a few days ago on Facebook. I agreed with him though because he was saying how everybody is only in it for money nowadays and doesn't want to listen to people who've been doing it much longer, refusing to accept guidance and expecting immediate results. There is a stark disconnect between older artists and younger ones, especially as far as comic books go.
Yeah but artists makes the most money from non-artist and artist enthusiasts. Not from fellow artists (like what this video pointed out).
@@meia1855 I get that. It's not about money for me. Although, the ones I love have made and continue to make their coin, it's not why I'm a fan. These are mostly comic book artists, but a few are pretty renown. Like Alex Ross and Riccardo Federici to name two. They both make their money from those you listed, as well as from other artists.
Agreed. You gotta choose between always having "fun" and "expressing yourself" and remaining mediocre most of your life or soften your creative urge just for a bit so you can become more competent and give rise to even more complex creative ideas in the future.
@@prafullvilas1931 Yepz. None of this is extremely fun for me, but it is still enjoyable. I wouldn't draw if it was something I didn't love or like to do. For me, improving is the goal. I've been doing it little by little. Right now though, I'm less into poses and more into profiles. Getting specific details right are what drive me currently. On the other side, my writing in my stories has gotten stronger, so I just need to bring my art up to the same level.
@@TheCreatorNFE that's how it should be. Can't weigh one thing over another as the things he mentions in the video can't completely compensate for one another. Recently, you can see newbie "artists" who are surely passionate but they're literally copying someone else's artstyle (name starts with W, yknow). They're not skilled, they're not working on basic boring stuff that's important to improve. They're stuck in one place and unless they work on their skills, they can't truly activate their creative mind because they're gonna continue struggling with the basics. A lot of times, the knowledge you gain through practicing basics and improving upon skills can give you the right pathway to completion of a creative idea. Sometimes great ideas are just dropped by people because even starting of it is too exhausting cuz of their lack of skills. When you gain skills, you can stack skills on top of one another and give rise to more complex ideas. If you're always focused on "having fun" and "expressing yourself" while avoiding the objective lack of competence, mediocrity will become your most probable future. Positive emotions and fun aren't the only thing that can be portrayed through art.
for me personally achieving skill and bettering my techniques is overall more satisfying than pleasing other people or trying to be relatable. It just feels more natural. I want to make so that the art I create speak for themselves. I do understand the importance of being relatable and creating a story, but idk, I feel like it's even harder doing things with intention if you're not really sure what you're doing or where you're going in the first place. Art for me means trying new things and discovering stuff, and idk how to balance that craving for experimentation with creating a specific look and aesthetic, at least for now.
I'm really small (less than 50 followers on instagram) and what you said is true, the need for color and clean lines and a narrative. My fanart usually does the best, along with the ones that I color in. I can't go digital yet so it's frustrating because I haven't developed the skill needed to color in a drawing and not have it take 10+ hours
Art skill is absolutely important, it’s just that drawing/painting skill isn’t the only part of art that matters. Narrative is part of art, in my opinion.
Storytelling and purpose has always been key to good artwork in my eyes. Glad it was touched on in this vid. That's one of the reasons I've switched up my goals for this year and I've had fun with it.
Poses are fun and dynamic characters are super cool but sometimes I try to look further into the story of the art and allow it to resonate with me. Now doing this with Ai art is going to be fun.
It's always easy for an expert to say "X doesn't matter" when they themselves already made it to the top.
Some really great points my dude...in tattooing we seem to have levels...and it is always evolving. That is what I love about art...it is ever changing and ever giving.
An artist can really be the hero. We follow their journey and their progression. Not just the stories they tell. I think it is like watching flowers grow, each is beautiful, unique, and have a period to bloom. There's that ethereal nature of the temporary as you have one life to live, and you are the only you. So what do you have to give? Where's the spark? What drives you? Do you have something to say? I think the biggest selling point to art is and will always be emotion. Especially pain. We're driven to each other because we need to heal. Or to converse in ways that words fail. Also importantly, art that isn't perfect always can improve. The continued growth is very special and something to look forward to. And as someone masters a skill you get to see very interesting displays of ideas. Show me what you got.
tysm for bringing this up i can relate especially when it comes to my artstyle and how i express myself
Started drawing then saw this notification to tell me to stop , so I started crying
Telling a story, tugging at people's heartstrings. You cannot do that without your art skills being on point, they are really not secondary. Now of course you don't have to be a master at anatomy or a god at rendering, but you do need to know your stuff, otherwise it's just not gonna work.
Being a beginner or somewhat adept and struggling at fundamentals and even beyond leaves you less time to worry about emotion and narrative.
Also the reason why artist compare themselves to others based on their art skills is because this is the only thing in art that is somewhat objective. What unlocks emotion in other people is subjective, different for everyone so you're unable to compare yourself in this way.
i was just about to comment how conveying, telling a story and putting something down that HAS to let the viewer feel a specific emotion definetely needs skill the opening of the video sounding kinda like bull...
Yeah. If your art focuses on emotions, you need to have a decent story telling skill. You can't just expect to make everyone to like your work with a poor quality. Not only that but you need to know how to draw out those emotions and composition to make it has feelings. It takes years to have a good fundamental skill and it takes even longer to simplify it.
Ofc, it also depends on what your goal is. If your art is a hobby, then do whatever you like. If you want to be a professional and want people to see your work, you have to improve your fundamental skills.
I believe the point of the video was that the only purpose we learn technique in art is to express our unique ideas and story. But the technique itself should never be the final goal.
That being said, the technique serves the idea not the other way around so in those terms it will always come second to it.
You always drop at the perfect timing! 🔥🔥🔥 thank you as always!🙏
easy for you to say now that you're one of the effing best artists 😭
you really gave me a new perspective on things, thanks josh
it comes at a good time too, a few years into my art journey, basically having done 95% sketch posts on my accounts
I really should pick up that tablet i got and learn color and get into storytelling with my art.
best wishes man appreciate you
🎨🖼🖌 Got inspire to draw again, put everything aside and recover some crafty tissue, finding there is so much to learn and dig with. Thank you.
LOVE LOVE your videos man
I see a few people draw in a style literally like Neko Sugar Girls that get thousands of likes (not exaggerating, but, no offense either), but those arts tend to be funny and relatable comics or pieces.
Not halfway done with the video yet, but so far it makes me feel better about my art and I'll try to add more of a message and storys to it. I do have a lot of emotions and feelings in my mind, so I'll try to make art that i and others can relate too.
Bruh, this is the most inspirational video I've seen ALL WEEK. You're so right and I needed to hear this so much!
I love how you are showing the correct way to use reference photos here! I agree with all that you're saying here.
OMG, this is so incredible ... it really distracted me from the topic at hand about artistic skill but I agree with you find your niche and create for it.
I'm going to be honest; I actually dont find much interest in your art.
I'm not saying it's bad. On the contrary, it is phenomenal. The lines all work well together, and form is impeccable in ways I've seen few people ever capable of doing. But it goes back to that thing about *_why_* someone would like your art.
I follow you because, though your art and style does not really resonate with me, it paints a story and is very interesting because it tells about who you are and what you are doing. It shows that you are in a completely different league than 99.9% of artists, and you have a mastery of art because you have put in so much work, and it shows me volumes that I can learn from you every time I see you or your stuff.
As time goes on your art shows how even a master can grow and change, ever-so-slightly, as they continue to learn.
That is why I always was strictly against how many artists value artstyle development over conceptual development. Always ask yourself, is what you are drawing understandable rather than good looking.
100% agree, good point!
Thank you for the wisdom the tips and the overall input on art
I feel like skill is a good thing to motivate yourself to continue practicing.
I like art over any other endeavour I did because I feel tangible progress
Really good👍🏽👍🏻👍🏿thank you 4 sharing your valuable and helpful perspective🌞💞
Very good video mate!
My main goal with my art is to share stories through comics. I've seen many highly successful webcomics that started out with very... "bad" art, but the story was good, and with time the art got better.
Great video, thank you so much for sharing! Very interesting process, i got an inspiration.
About the end of video, it gives me a lot of things to think about. Geneally, I have an opposit situation - whole my life I was drawing almost for myself, and now I am starting to share with people and it's literally amazing feeling (to get a feedback). Planning to explore myself more as an artist and also create a You-tube channal to share my stories.
It's interesting to be not only focused on skills. Much more exiting is at the same time try to make your art with soul, but also to develop yourself in both of this directions.
Thank you so much for your work, art and thoughts! And respect for being focused on practice, I am following you for a long time and you inspiring me to be brave and think more about using references smartly and to search different angles and variety of color.
I wish to became a part of art-community and to discover my art together with other people during changes, which may happened.
Love from Ukraine 🧡
I also love that shot in Tomboy aaa
Me too
Is this what freedom feels like? I've avoided making stuff I wanted to make because I didn't feel skilled enough to bring it to life. This and your last video are really helping me break out of that mindset, so thanks a ton!
Another banger, as always.
So true, I always appreciate your insights, as there is a overlooming notion in most art streams and channels abouot focusing towards game or entertainment industries with art, but that's exactly why I got out of art over a decade ago, because I couldn't stand behind doing fantasy art that doesn't mean anything to me, so instead I went heavy into graphic design which destroyed my soul even worse doing boxy minimalist shapes. Now that I am getting back into art, marrying the two is my focus, making an object more beautiful and attractive than it can be naturally, and being able to take any diverse item and do the same effect is a skill I am working towards. I lean more into propaganda education ontop of traditional art concept, as it provides an in depth perspective of the audience. You essentially want to make it completely relatable, simple to understand fast, with a level of mystery to keep them guessing, with thousands of subcategories of cause and reaction effects behind each stage
I do agree on what this video message, and I also having this mindset for a long time but I was afraid to do it, the "criticisms" are hard, if show to a audiences that not in the art community. If artist don't prepare for criticisms well we can get a big slap/hates from the audiences, misunderstanding the artist as "rude". But I also realize if being scare all the time won't get me anywhere so I going to do my best to showcase my own illustration/animation or anything I do in the future as well building up my courage to face criticisms! good luck to everyone in their journey!
As for the last voice clip on the video, I think art is first and for most is always for artist, when the artist want to shout out a expression or story they can reach out to the audiences that willing to stay, willing to listen, to feel relatable, to feel not alone, to feel inspires. Then the artwork become something more of a community, a piece that made everyone gather up together.
1000 percent, totally agree with you. I've been doing art for a long time, gone to art school, and my skills could definitely still improve. But that's not what drives me to keep going. I think if it was just purely chasing skill, I couldn't even last a day, my stamina is that low for it. But what I get much more pleasure from, and I think what drives me to create work now, is bringing pleasure to everyday people. Basic skills are important to achieve this, but you don't have to be an art god to get the job done. I feel like the most important thing is how strong a person's heart is, and if you are able to channel that into your work. I don't even feel that it necessarily needs to be a fully fleshed story, it could be a simple exercise of an object, but with a quality that makes people FEEL something, whether it's through energetic brushstrokes, intentional color choice, etc.. While you work on your projects, you can start to think of yourself as a channel for a message, and in my experience, people really feel that in your work when it's complete. They may not be able to articulate it in words, but in person especially, you can really see it in their faces as they look at your work. It's addicting! That's really something thats difficult to get through social media alone.
Awesome video Josh! You hit on some amazing key points that often are not talked about enough in the art community. It also seems to be very easy for artists to form a bit a "cult complex" where they become too obsessed with what exactly their favorite artists are doing to where they start to have a bit of tunnel vision and lose focus that the point of art was personal expression.
As for AI, I have seen enough examples of what it can do and I personally do not feel that artists have anything to worry about in regards of their hard earned skills being replaced by a souless machine. The graphic images it creates are useful tools and resources that can help to brain storm ideas for incoming art projects. The creation of art itself is produced by the individual of a living thing as a form of self expression.
Thank You, finally someone that validates my views. There are so many art styles people enjoy without thinking about the art style.
i totally agree with this video you made about "Your art skill has never been that important", when we artists generally talk about art, we tend to narrow it down over something like "art fundamentals" but a lot has changed and is changing about the definition of art constantly, like imagine how much people would've looked down and criticized on artstyle of someone like samdoesarts if he was doing it like 20-30 years ago on a canvas... the whole art genre doesn't have that stability, it keeps on evolving around new trends and artstyles, for example the whole spiderverse animation inspired a lot of modern aesthetics in new artworks...their isnt any pipeline you need to follow to succeed or get that recognition for your work, in fact when we scroll down our feeds and see someone with really weak "art fundamentals" but a really really appealing art it kinda feels like a sting, like how his/her art is working soo smoothly on socials despite of me putting hours into learning how to get the best proportions or how to render realistic. Hence the line stating "Your art skill has never been that important" makes a lot of sense.
personally even i used to think the same, being in a bubble thinking the more my skills would improve the better my art socials would grow accordingly, following a certain roadmap i created by practicing art fundamentals, improving my rendering process and what not, consumed by that artistic ego/mindset completely BUT nothing really changed, I do agree that my art got improved a lot in these 3-4 years but it lacked that charm or personality to it and for me being obsessed with getting more skilled i totally ignored a lot of other aspects that are equally more important like storytelling or mood for art.
You made me realize something very important. I pretty much gave up on art after graduating from art school because I’m not very skilled and it’s going to take me my entire lifetime to get to the level many young artists are already at. I’m better at writing, so I’ve been writing instead of painting, but I still have the urge to paint sometimes, even though it’s a struggle. I think the problem I should be solving to unstuck myself from my art block has to do with the purpose and message of a painting, that’s what I’ve neglected the most, and focusing so much on skill was only a distraction.
for the final question, if i was the only one alive, would i still be making art; absolutely. i'm just now branching into fanart but i'm also bringing my own style and themes into it. i've always had the mindset that artist comes before the art, and specific ideas are for commissions and other paid work exclusively.
My problem now is trying to figure out where I want to go with my artwork. Like I'm lucky to be very adaptable when it comes to learning as a whole, but my biggest issue is patience. I see the finished piece long before I make anywhere close in the process, and I begin to feel rushed, which is the best way I can put it into words.
i really resonate with you! having issue with patience, when u see the end result before u even started is frustrating.
@@nishikata3827 exactly, then you find out artist who work on splash for video games can take a few days to around 2 weeks to finish one illustration. Makes me anxious just thinking bout it.
I'm just getting into digital art. So, I think my lack of skill is a pretty big deal. At least right now, anyway.
same! digital is sooo hard after learning traditional!
Technically... If you have your erase hotkey an instant memory click, than you can keep going until you get the right perfect confident looking line. It might take you 100x longer but I reckon it's mostly about your visual library and ability to understand perspective with and without reference.
RIGHT NOW YOU MAKE ME CLICK SOMETHING IN MY HEAD, THE WHY I LOVE THE THING I LIKE AND LOVE THANKS MANNNNNNNNNN
I've been thinking this lately myself. I have focused so much on polishing and making everything look "show room ready" that I lose the emotion behind what I wanted to convey. Even if it's just someone looking happy because I'm super focused on the detail the only thing it looks like at the end of the day is "pretty." When what I truly want is the viewer to see the happiness...the emotion. There are times when I want to just secretly create another profile and work on the skill of conveying emotions through my art and slowly telling those who already follow me to "come over here" if you wish lol
A lot of my favorite artists are the ones who take me on journey's through their art and I admire them so much. Even if the rendering is simple or there is no background or crazy perspective, or *they draw the same type of facial structure* the fact that I can look at their artwork and just feel the emotion they were trying to convey keeps me sticking around much longer than someone who does what I do...and that is the sad truth I'm now only realizing lol
Thank you for this video. I really love hearing your thoughts on different subject matters and you are always blunt but in a kind manner. Have a wonderful day/night!
Art and our skills are only as good as the story we tell. We are all essentially story tellers, from painters to digital arts/animation.
When did people start looking at themselves as a product to be consumed? High value? Low value? Emotion like you said pushes the story. We all telling a story with our work, but we are humans not products. I wish people would see the value in connection. Great work as always.🥰🥰
thank you now im inspired to continue my uniqueness
Listening to this as a musician. Thanks
Me as a very young artist has learnt so much from this. Thank you
i've never been able to shake the idea that my art has less value because it doesn't check any of the boxes of being relatable, emotional, narrative driven, or functional. try as I might, I cant seem to muster up any story or background to what I create, nor do i have the slightest clue on how to create "emotional" artwork. apparently it's what people want the most, but I'm stuck in the trap of simply making 'pretty pictures.' I don't think my art really has any meaning.
To be fair, this is probably because a lot of the art i admire the most also doesn't check any of these boxes. i tend to get drawn to new artists by their technique, and the ones that catch my eye the most seldom express any emotional scenes or tell any stories. in fact, skill alone draws me to lots of successful artists that i keep coming back to. i guess I'm trying to cope with not being able to make "meaningful" art by citing those who mainly create art for technique & aesthetic's sake. Maybe someday I'll mature and grow out of this mindset?
I admire your thoughts even more than your art 💙
Great Video 👏
Thanks sharing this. It really clicked for me.
Such a true message that is so often overlooked, Ethan Becker has some great videos on story and character depth
beautifully and wisely said Ergo, a lot to think about.
You still need skill to get shit done, tho... But you shouldn't rely 100% on it. Creativity comes from knowledge and many other things, that is the core of "creation".
Even ourselves didn't just came out of nowhere. We are different versions of our parents and those who came before.
Instead of being "creative", try being "transformative". Take knowledge or concepts from other art and use it in a different way, your way.
Also yes. I've seen pretty basic artists with huge followings just becuz their art is extremely refined in storytelling and transmitting an idea instead of making the most detailed hair ever painted. Becuz I've seen a lot of amazingly skilled artists with very small following.
ALSO is more efficient to post a lot of interesting ideas instead of a single overdeveloped overdetailed image. Becuz most viewers don't even care about the details, they prefer thought provoking content. A random person in the internet will treasure a simple black and white drawing of Itachi Uchiha than the Mona Lisa itself if it makes them feel a certain way or makes them remember of something iconic.
ALSOOOOOO... making more small work pieces in bunch is going to give you more progress and developmenta as creative person.
It just amazes me how you used the reference in this video
Never seen someone put in ''don't reference my artwork'' tho, ''don't try to copy it'' is a bit more about ''don't steal my stuff I don't wanna see it being used without my consent''
That one is rare, but it happens!
You have just liberated me from one of the deepest insecurities about my art. Thank you.
Great watch
I'm on the spectrum and the only thing I can do to connect with my family and friends is through art.
My heart fell when I read the title of this video. I don't know if I will come back to view more videos...
.
But your right.
The story means so much.
Im gonna try making more narrative heavy pieces, hopefully that will help.
I consider it part of being an artist, to collect works by other artists. You’ve got to give as well as “take.” Obviously I can’t afford to completely indulge myself, but even if it’s only a print or a card, or a sticker, it all helps to build and maintain depth in being a living part of the art world. (Edit to replace a word)
It’s good tht your reinforcing my thoughts on skill level and story telling. The creator of one punch man opened my eyes to the new age of art anybody can make it
I just love listning to you talk about your thoughts. I can relate to about 90% of your ideas, and you put them to words right on the money for me. So cool. Thanks. *waiting for that ai art video....
Kinda late, but this is something I've been thinking about
Once I've seen an artist here on UA-cam, it's one of the "one prompt 4 artist" video where one of the artist just loosely paint and let the forms become a draw
I don't draw nothing at all, but I have a drawing tablet and I've seen tutorials to teach how to paint pearls and things like that on Pinterest
And the thing that came to my mind was "what if I just start with the painting instead of the sketch?" "what if I just loosely start painting a donut instead of doing a sketch of it and then painting?"
I didn't end up doing anything because there was this feeling of cheating instead of learning how to draw properly, that I would be fooling people into think that I know how to draw when I actually don't. I still don't know what to do about this
I understand that feeling of feeling who would listen to me …imposter syndrome…that’s a sneaky demon that paralyzed the best of us…just try to find the way to be more comfortable with teaching people …if you really want to take it serious…
@@CircleofPharaohs I don't wanna teach anyone... I think you replied the wrong person haha
Being able to tell a story with your art piece is a skill in itself. It may not be a technical skill but it is still an important skill. I get what you are saying though, and i absolutely agree with it.
You know I never thought of it this way. I always saw things based on skill and experience. Too analytical and stiff, I always feared I wasn’t good enough. Thanks man this is definitely something that found it’s way to me at the right time.
I mean like I totally get the point of the video like describing the importance of storytelling and having depth in work. The thing is like telling a story or like knowing how to express an emotion in a piece is an "art skill" within itself. I mean nice message! just seems a bit like redundant...
Not only is it still a skill, it's arguably harder to learn because it isn't concrete.
Thats the problem. I think viewing those core ideas as art skills is making people not take it seriously. Its always been about the final product of your skills. You wont get there if you don't have it in mind as the goal. If everyone's goal is just to make a great looking piece, they'll easily fall short of being useful in many industries, and get frustrated easily.
I've been paying less attention to what others do and working on improving my skills,still early on but I'm getting there
I’m so glad that you are amazing. Art isn’t just for making money, but to be something that gives a feeling , and or a story. I have a story I’m writing, I’m gonna finish writing it before I draw it.
I’ve read your comment and I have to agree. If people vibe with your art, they want you to continue
That's my dream, to write and draw something by me but I constantly get in my own way feeling like my writing isn't advanced enough for a comic or screenplay or that my art isn't where I wanted to be so that usually stops me. But I'm taking small steps to push myself further. I hope your project turns out amazing and that I get to read it somewhere one day.
For me, the skill is what matters most. The story behind it is always secondary for me. I look at how detailed my favorite artists are all of the time. People like Alex Ross, Riccardo Federici and Artgerm just to name a few amaze me with how much time and effort they put into what they do. I'm primarily a writer, but art was my thing before, back when I was younger (I'm 34 now, just for reference). I quit to focus on music, now I'm back drawing, playing catch-up. There's a drawing I made two years ago of a character in one of my stories which I loathe since it was the first concept and didn't go how I imagined, but my friend calls it a vibe. Lol, I'm glad he feels that way. I really detest it and can't wait to finish the new version of it. My skills are not where I want them to be though, and that's what has me taking so long. If it takes me two more years to complete, then it just will. As long as my talent is refined to do what I want, I'll take my time.
Really like your videos
btw can you please make a video about how to efficiently use a 3d model for reference or even tracing?
this was a hard pill for me to swallow but it made sense the more i thought about it. there's a reason famous artists are famous, regardless of their skill level. it's because they also have other skills besides the technical aspect of art. some are good at being consistent. some are good at teaching. some are good at marketing. some are good at exploring the emotional aspects of being an artist. some are good at making relatable and funny content. and it's the combination of all these other skills that made them connect with a community and made people interested in them as an artist/brand.
i guess i really need to stop obsessing over my art skills for once because the question of "why am i not there yet when i think i'm already decent" was really crushing me even when i knew art skill isn't the only thing you need to be successful in the art world.
notification goo brrrr anyway thank you for this video it was very helpful 😊
After watching this video, it does make me feel better that I don't have to beat myself up over not having the same Skill Level as other professional artists. I usually try to put a narrative or a story in my artworks to express certain emotions or dynamics of my subject. And of course, Instagram algorithm has been screwing over with my engagement rate lately, but my close friends who give honest feedback on my work really do help me to identify my strengths & mostly it lies in the details of the artworks I make. Skill isn't completely necessary, but it's good to improve on it & have them in hand to create something new with that "Wow factor"
eh it is pretty important though. terrible/stiff gesture & poses, no understanding of lighting & values, wacky perspective, shitty & unconfident line/brushwork are quite immediately recognizable. and the AI stuff isn't that important really - AI "art" is also immediately recognizable and honestly very bad, and with an understanding of AI and how it works it's easy to guess that it's hard to see it actually replacing the human touch.
Imagine the quality of AI art in 10 or 20 years tho. The leaps it’s made in such a short time is insanely impressive. Similarly look at how insanely far the internet has come in just 20 years.
Agreed. Though, the AI part is a bit spooky for me still. It could potentially replace us. I signed up for this new AI generator coming out called DALL•E 2. The promotional images blew me away. I can only imagine what it will be able to make with more refinement. I want to keep believing that nothing beats the human mind and hand, but society is showing me otherwise.
@@TheCreatorNFE Well, to be fair, human minds created the AI in the first place. It still has to be created and programmed by humans...for now.
@@LadyAstarionAncunin Yeah, that is true, but they're consistently working on ways to make it independent. Even with people having to maintain it, it still could get to a point where a lazier generation would prefer art by a AI over something hand-drawn. That's my only fear, which is also a fear of some other artists that claim it's already here.
I agree. People react to art differently. Technical skill is not always the factor that draws people, but how what you create conveys the story.
I still feel I struggle so much making my art have that wow factor. I like to draw details and creative concepts but for some reason they hardly get many hits. The most I get is 123 on one drawing and less then 100 on the rest. IG does stress me out when it comes to making my art have that appealing look. 🤔
You are so right Ergojosh that people do compliment on style, poses, color study and contrast of the artwork that keeps them coming back for more. That's some of the areas I still need to work on. It just takes a little longer for some artists to master those skills and techniques.