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I always say to myself that 9 times out of 10 they are or were feeling the exact way you are now. This video itself shows that statement is true. Just because an artist (or really anyone) is skilled and motivated now doesn't mean they're above that feeling, and will see you as lower for feeling it; if they do they're assholes. :) Another good example of this is a big guy who wants to start to go to the gym, but feels everyone in there will make fun of him and/or feels discouraged by his weight and determination. When nearly every gym regular had their moments of struggle the begining and later parts of their gym lifestyle. Hell even the rare people who are naturally gifted at their talent/skill will struggle at some point, because that's part of being human.
What holds me back a lot is comparing myself to artists that I admire and feeling frustrated when my art is not at that level. That doesn't happen as often anymore and it is because I understood a few things: First is that every piece of artwork I see on the web is "the good stuff", artists don't show their bad work, and that is usually 90% of what every artist do. It takes a lot of work and failure to make a great piece. Second is that it is not a competition, the only one I need to compare my artwork is with myself and the piece I made before the last one. I can only evolve and grow at my own pace and I can't try to force myself by comparing my artwork with people that have very different processes than my own. Great Video Proko! :D
Artists certainly tend not to show their failures, but at the same time... the point of learning is that you should be able to be better more consistently. If only 1/10 things you produce is good, you're not a good artist, you're just trying to luck into what you don't understand how to do consistently.
seigeengine that is not true. Working on a piece is not a straightforward process. It involves a lot of tests, trial and error, changes and decisions that might mean that you end up with a piece you like but that looks nothing like the image you originally intended to create. Every creative process involves making a lot of mistakes. What matters is knowing how to work through them and finish the piece.
Yes, it is. Those two statements are not related. Tests are not pieces you are actually attempting to complete, they are exactly that: tests. Frankly, too many artists use editing techniques as a crutch to avoid improving their actual skills.
I'm not a comic artist, more of a sculptor and painter, but what used to hold me back was overthinking. I get lots of ideas and most of the time the ideas are just average, but I learned that you have to go through average ideas and actually make them to be able to get good and great ideas. So basically, do you ideas and don't judge them intellectually before you actually work on them.
But I believe art is like sculpting. The shape is already there on the canvas. You just need to look carefully, erase the wrong strokes and add the correct ones.
I have the same problem, I often get stuck that way trying to figure out just what I want to do, and then I'll nitpick everything wrong with it once I get started
I feel like Peter Han explained it best. That's exactly what held/holds me back, a lack of a foundation. Anatomy, drawing at a perspective, etc. I'm working on fixing that, though lol
Impatience holds me back a lot, I find that when I'm practicing strokes and shapes I get easily frustrated when the lines don't come out the way I want them to. But over time I've developed a bit more patience and with that I took my time more with my work and my work improved
Peter Han hit it home for me. Simplicity. Shape. Proportions. I'm in my first year of taking art and drawing seriously and I more and more realize how important it is to get these basics right before drifting off to making things look shiny and pretty. This video is so great. Thanks, Proko!!
The last guy nailed it. Don't focus on the rendering or the details at the start, focus on form and the line art. Actually, try drawing with pens for a while. They definitely helped me to improve by forcing me to draw without an eraser and showing that fairly complex shapes can be conveyed through few lines
But did he really do? I doubt it because he didn't know the opposite: Everyone who loves all the details and go through this learning of "ok i have to pay attention to the overall pictural structure, too", can come back to the details in the end. And that always makes the most impressive pictures for the majority. - Instead of those, i'm an artist who loves the "understanding" and the "structural thinking" more than the details and maybe too much, which leads to a restless search with dropping unfinished art on the way. For my head it feels boring to detail and finish all the ideas into an outstanding finished artwork. - So in the end it really depends on your own character. For me the last guy didn't nailed it, maybe for you. ;)
I hate how reliant I am on erasers. Pencils without them are pure torture and I try to avoid pens as much as possible (I even psyche myself out with official papers and will often make errors).
I've been doing that in sketchbooks and the backs of envelopes lately. No pencils, no initial hashing out, I just start drawing a face, a tree, a rock, a small scene. I've been doing that mostly to try to simplify and streamline my hatching technique, as well as to limit myself to essentials to speed up my drawing, and it's been a rather liberating experience. The main thing the exercise does is to alter your usual decisionmaking and to teach you to see in new ways. It's also helping me to learn how not to ruin a drawing by over-rendering it. Knowing when to stop is every bit as important as knowing when to start.
Hey Stan. What holds me back is myself, for many of the same reasons so many others feel held back. Procrastination, laziness, self doubt, thinking I am not good enough, feeling like I am not getting anywhere, the brilliant works of others in comparison to my work because I often work on a piece and I think to myself that its crap! I always put other artists before me because I can see how mind blowing their work is... the list is long. However, there is a flip side, I have to admit that even though I know I am not (yet) at the level I would like to be at, I still really love and enjoy drawing and sketching and creating art, I get a great sense of joy out of it. What inspires me is learning from others.. and when people like what I do, it humbles me and I feel grateful, knowing that if I can make others feel happy through my art, then that inspires me to press on, to move forward with a much more positive frame of mind and to improve as best as I can. I still have big dreams and I hope to get my art noticed in the world on a large scale, but I personally would not like to be famous, but I want my art to be EVERYWHERE.. (can I have my cake and eat it too? : )
Maybe see it more like, if you don't try, then you're already a failure. And maybe just care more about producing stuff than actually do something "successful".
I lack confidence because I can't stop comparing myself to my favorite artists. I don't get out of my comfort zone nearly enough because I know I may be disappointed by the results, which is quite counterproductive. That's all that needs fixing, and with some time I think I can get better... This video made me feel like drawing though. Love what you do, keep up the great work!
Sir, I draw everyday. At least I try to. I feel like I'm getting no where! it feels like repetition isn't working... why? right now I'm working on drawing the human face. I can't draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. I'm really trying. I'm not excited about getting to the body... I wonder how hard that's gonna be. Maybe I'm doing too little, or I'm doing too much. I DON'T KNOW! I'm bad at shading, I don't get perspective, I just can't draw. I can't do it. Even though I'm not terribly bad, I feel like giving up sometimes.
I think my main issue is distractions since I'll be on UA-cam learning to draw and then I'll see a video that interest me and then just fall into a huge hole of that and then I've wasted a day when I could've been practicing
^^^^^^ SAME. I know you're not supposed to compare yourself to other artists, but it's difficult not to. Especially if it's a person you really admire. That's like your benchmark, you're measure of what "good" art looks like. And you get it in your head that, "Whoa, if I can get my art to look THAT good, I'll have made it. I'll finally be able to make 'good' art."
i watch too many how-to & motivational art youtube videos when i should be taking action and painting/drawing. I feel like I know so much but when I get to the canvas a lot of it goes out the window because I lack milage. UA-cam instructional videos have made me very aware of this fault, but it's a hard habit to break nonetheless.
just draw/paint right now!! haha or make sure to draw/paint for a good time BEFORE you watch art videos. If I watch youtube first, ill always be telling myself "just one more video" and ill never get to practicing. UA-cam is a real addiction!!
Dear Martin: I feel your pain, dude. Keep smiling! Keep drawing and doing what makes you happy!!! I have very little talent, I'm sorry to report, but drawing makes me happy, dammit, and so I continue to do that! The important thing is, is that you continue and don't be discouraged. Keep drawing, painting, and day by day, the only person you need to worry about pleasing is yourself! Have fun and don't worry about anything else!!! Peace and love to you!
The best way to combat this is to wait until you can't find anything on TV or when you fail a boss battle for the third time in a row, or when you're hungry, but not really hungry enough to eat right now; whenever you can't think of anything to do, go and draw a picture of whatever comes to mind.
@@arcofprado I had the same problem, but what I started to do instead of just sitting and watching the videos I would draw whilst watching. Pausing the video or jumping back to a point I missed or needed to hear again as needed. Draw along! :)
Timothy Messer same here but I'm now forcing myself to draw anything no matter how big or small in my sketchbook. It's been 2 weeks. My goal is to draw everyday for a year c:
Methods work for their prescribed intent. Usually the method is too narrow to apply to a general field of applications. Its a "trick" to create an effect. Instead of using tricks, understand how the trick causes the effect and you will understand the mechanics of the effect, which will apply to many unique situations.
So a trick people use is under glow in the shadows. It works for certain situations, but it doesn't for all. Well, if you understand how under glow is reflected light, you will modify how underglow looks based on the environment. Its not about learning how to do the trick, its about understanding how the trick works. But that is just to fool the eye... The purpose behind the work is what drives the quality. If you have a powerful message to share, it will likely come through even with moderate skill... or at least thats what I believe. The more we learn, the less we accept as "good"... but we dont truly know what good is. One thing we can feel is quality, even though we cant define it.
I think Peter gave the best and most well-explained answer to this. Not that anything was wrong with what held other people back, we're all different, but his was so precise and he knew exactly what was wrong, but also how to fix it for others!
What is holding me back? Pretty much everything these awesome people mentioned, plus my own personal struggles... But I will make it. Maybe not this year, maybe not the next... But maybe in 5 or 10 years? Who knows. But in the end, I will succeed. Period.
ismene 🛸 Oh well, the sad truth is that I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome since I was 17. That means I am pretty tired and powerless, every day of my life. I am slower than others, I have problems to concentrate, I have to take breaks more often... Every day is a fight against myself. And that may sound a little depressing right now, but actually it helps me to calm down, to plan ahead and to focus on long term goals. Before my disease I never really asked myself what I want from life. But now it is crystal clear for me. And if I want to get anywhere, I have to be persistent. My body may be weak, but my will is certainly not! :)
Great ambition and courage my man! Mind over matter is the biggest thing to me don’t ever let anything hold you back! I have ADD and slow auditory processing. So same thing I’m a little slower than others but drawing and just art in general is something where I’ve always felt comfortable and a place where I don’t let my learning disabilities get in the way of what I can do! Keep your head up and stay positive and with your attitude you’ll definitely get somewhere!
@@xXSoralinkXx or you might as well give up, that would be the most natural course of things when they don't go the way they should go. If it was only by will, death wouldn't be an issue, plants wouldn't wither. It's natural if you say it's over. Just takes bravery to finally accept your imperfection and no future fruition.
When I started drawing in my early teens I just drew, no expectations. I just 'designed' and enjoyed the act of it. Then into my mid teens I started to see Hildebrandnt stuff and realized I wasn't as good as I 'thought' and started to emulate. My late teens and early 20's I was crippled by "I"ll never be good enough! Or as good as THEM!" But I still kept trying. I set my stylus/pencils down for different periods as life trials came through but I picked it up again and some days I'm so tired but I force myself to draw SOMETHING anything. It's so easy to let it slide. I'm past the "I'll never be good enough. Or as good as them." Stage. In fact I see errors in 'master's work' now. So now I get inspired instead of envious and just keep trying. If I get art block I go watch anime, or try a different subject matter. To anyone who is still a beginner and in that stage, don't put your pencil or stylus down. Keep doing it. IF you lay awake at night seeing images in your mind you are probably an artist. :)
#1 Thing that held me back: Caring more about how my art looked than how well I was implementing the mechanic that I was practicing on that particular piece.
Im a beginner artist from Nigeria and My greatest challenge is being afraid that I won't be able to get my ideas down on my paper.. fear of not getting it right each time I try. that's what's holding me back the most...
Kenneth it sounds like you are putting too much pressure on yourself to be "perfect." Yes, we all do that, to some extent, but please don't let it cripple you. Even the great Masters had things they would have changed or improved. Edgar Degas didn't think his drawing was good enough, yet he painted some of the most amazing paintings. Good Luck!
I'm kind of a perfectionist too. It got easier for me when I got it through my head that "quantity" matters more than "quality" or perfection. Now the only real "failure" I face is the failure to take action - everything else is just an experience to learn from.
Just keep going! Fear becomes reality so long as you hold too much space for it. Use that fear to take action. Just draw. Everyday or as much as possible. And eventually you will suprise yourself!😁
what's held me back was growing up and feeling like dream to work and be as an artist was a "childish" dream and that I needed to pursue a degree that would get me a job and money. My family was very much against the idea of me wanting to go to an art college, so I spent nearly 8 years at a univeristy going from a business major to a teaching major to only realize that at the end of the day I was denying myself of what I really wanted to do and that was to become an artist. I feel like now that I'm at the point where I'm finally like," I'm gonna do what I want and not what my parents want", I'm behind compared to other younger artists in terms of skills, knowledge, and networks.
Primarily consistency and discipline. Haveing difficulty studying and properly figuring out how to convert something from a reffrence into a consistent thing i can reuse in the future
What held me back in high school, now I am in collage studying art, was my lack of fundamental understanding and how small my visual library was. As a kid i never looked up anything, did research or just look at different mediums of art or different artists in general. I liked the same few online artists and never pushed to read anything new or draw anything new until I got mentors who taught me to contently study, and thatch what I did. I got mangas, comics, art books, I went to the met and drew the paintings, I studied different forms and now I strive to make my art even better. I think one thing young artists should do more is study and don't be afraid of failure.
What held you back the most in becoming a professional artist? 0:31 Ross Draws "I wish I could just do me ... Just draw what you want to draw." 1:26 Patrick Ballesteros "Fearing the inability to do what I wanted to do in my head; so making mistakes." 2:43 Marshall Vandruff "A lack of training." 3:09 "Self-doubt. Comparing myself to others." 3:58 Peter Han "Having the confidence of simplicity." Focusing on shape, form and proportion rather than details and rendering. 6:06 Victor Olazaba "No internet." 7:02 Ron Lemen "Not knowing where to go to learn." 7:49 Stephen Silver "The concept of drawing through your shapes" and "construction and form." 8:19 Chrissie Zullo Being shy. You need to put yourself out there in order to network. 8:43 Sanford Greene "That it would take a lot of hard work just to make it in this industry." 10:36 Howard Shum "No formal training." 11:49 Marcelo Matere "I wish I had more mentors." 12:41 Eliza Ivanova "Trying to hide my art too much." 14:51 Hai-Na-Nu Saulque "Yourself." Second guessing yourself, fear of putting yourself out there, self-doubt, etc. 16:33 Bobby Chiu "I didn't think about trying to be a professional until I already was." 16:54 Mike Hayes "Not pursuing what I actually wanted to do instead of what I thought was cool." 18:08 Caleb Cleveland "Self assessment of your own talent." 19:55 James Douglas "I focused way too intensely on details rather than the overall composition or the overall picture."
Proko... Thanks for the perspective from successful artists. As an amateur artist that never aspires to professional status, the perspective about what holds others back hits home.
I'd say the biggest factor holding people back is twofold: They don't do enough art/aren't actually trying to improve, and not getting criticisms from other artists, because sometimes you won't know what's wrong or what you need to do to improve.
I've always been interested in art, but have almost always been convinced that I just wasn't talented in that direction. None of the people that I felt were naturally artists (I was surrounded by many of those) mentioned that I just needed to learn the skills and practice, practice, practice. Until relatively recently. Thanks Proko, and the others, who have helped me see the error I was living with.
I think that’s why you need to grab a book. Every art book is a lamp, it lights up your path even you only achieved quarter of it , you still learned from it If you only watch vids , make sure you’re watching tutorials, or a series of drawing process that involves the style you’ve been working on . not the art ones as they will really make you to draw what it shows you
Lacking a proper study plan is holding me back at this moment. I watched Proko tutorials, read books, experiment, and self-encouragement, but I’m not sure what I need to focus on at this moment to move forward.
I think what held me back in highschool was confidence, I had next to no confidence that not only could I do something but also doubt my ability to learn stuff. Uni has been so good for me to improve cus I developed a healthy relationship between me and my art cus my teachers made me feel like I had potential to improve and thus I had the motivation and confidence that I am getting better at art
What held me back the most when I got REALLY serious about improving in 2017 was the idea that there is a "right way" to draw, and construct characters and scenes, and look at things. And I struggle with really bad eyesight, so I've had to work around that, and things like the "right way" to draw heads or whatever never clicked for me. I learned best with paintsketching and focusing on proportion + light and shadow over contours because that makes the most sense for my eyes. And I felt like, "I'm a bad artist, I have weaknesses I can't overcome" because I don't really draw the art-class way. When I let go of that, when I stopped caring whether or not what I made was the "right way", not only did I draw more and actually improve, but I also found that the ways I organically learned to construct characters are also actually valid and advised ways by other really good artists. A huge part of it, I think, is "what do you want to draw characters for?" And that determines a lot what you prioritize. For me, it's their pose, and their action, more than how anatomically sound they are, although I do try to make sure their proportions make sense and a huge struggle has just been getting to the point where I can feasibly recreate a character that doesn't look like its art style changed between poses. I don't have a defense for if someone tells me I have ingrained bad habits from the way that I sketch, all I can say is that it works for me and it's the difference in drawing something that can now look passable to me vs not drawing at all because I get frustrated, and letting perfect be the enemy of good is a surefire momentum killer. I have a Newgrounds account under the same username, as well as a couple timelapses on my youtube channel, if anyone would like to see my work and offer me advice. Especially with characters, I could always use it.
Impatience. Wanting to be as good as I want to be NOW, not five years from now. Comparisons. Fear of being judged terrible or boring and ignored. But, one weird thing I noticed a while ago was that the art I did that I basically "gave up" on, and just did what felt good with the idea that I was going to throw it out-- it was the art people seemed to like the best. The art I meticulously tried to get every detail right? Yeah, not that well liked. So, I'm trying to practice basics, forgive my mistakes, and relax into the art.
What holds me back is confidence and skill. Your videos and Marshal’s videos help me the most. I practice and do studies. Then create art work. All the artist gave great advice. Ross resonates with me the most. “Do you” , “Do what you like”. Thanks for this video, I loved seeing the artists and their booths. 😍 Gratitude Proko! 😎
what holds me back every time is that when i try to draw i feel that im weak or i just cant do it im not nor ever going to give up i will continue to push my self until i become better and finally accept myself in the animation and art industry.
What held/holds me back the most, is me. Limiting beliefs, a lot of which are nothing to do with art. So I've found it good to focus on my mindset first, get the foundations of my mind in place first :) Really enjoyed this video. Thank you for creating it.
I would say that what definitely held me back in improving my artstyle was being afraid of using references. I was suffered of believing in that stupid stereotype that "PRO and TRU artists can draw everything they want from their imagination!!!1 They don't use photos, that's cheating!!1" It sounds completely weird and funny, but many young beginners - including me in back days - are seeing all that cool arts and all that cool speedarts or live drawing and all they see is how artist is easily drawing something. They think that someone is drawing so beautiful just like that, because they can draw whatever they want from their imagination. And that's a completely bullshit - 1 minute of drawing beautiful sketch usually costs 1 year of practicing. And using references isn't a cheating at all! It really helps, especially if you don't know how to draw something. Trusting your imagination and memory is really risky, so why you have to suffer with "oh god why it doesn't look good?", try to find good photo references and look what did you do wrong. I think the fear of using references is caused by the fear of being accused of plagiarism - if someone calls you a plagiator, you're actually dead artist in their eyes. And because young people usually don't know what plagiarism actually means - they're scared of using references because they think that's cheating and stealing. Now I'm using references on every arts and they look much better than before. I really wish I would know this before.
I really hate plagiarism, so of course, I feel bad using reference. But, all my favorite artists use reference. They aren't copying it/plagiarizing it, instead, they are meshing these references together. But I have this stubborn way of thinking that I can't use reference even though I logically know that I won't copy them. Yet I feel weird using it when actually creating more polished "original" pieces. In fact, I don't think I've created polished pieces using reference unless I took my own pictures.
I loved every one of the answers, but the Caleb Cleveland answer resonates so much with me.Every step that i have took so far is just a scroll of mistakes and rights, and that's just give me that confirmation that i need not just keep trying, but always working better my work.
First I want to do all the things at the same time, and ha now days i am start learning anatomy because it is holding me back to make a batter believable Character Design
I feel kind of lost with my training because I watch a bunch of videos talking about learning the basics and focusing on that the most but right now I am learning something else (anatomy and perfecting my shading skills) so I don't want to keep jumping back and forth on learning. I also always get compliments about my art so I constantly think my art is flawless which results in my inability to take constructive criticism.
3:48 shape and proportions.. that's one of the best answers. Learning to understand 3d forms and shapes changes everything.... proportions comes more smoothly once you understand 3D forms and objects.
Proco I would love a video about how to get good at drawing poses from the imagination. As in how to do pose studies in a way which helps you retain the information efficiently.
It's usually a good idea to get good at mannequenization from reference. Then you can take that knowledge and apply it to drawing from imagination. He's got a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/nRHfcqjbPq8/v-deo.html but it's pretty advanced. You may need to watch some of the earlier Figure Course videos to work your way up to it.
Impatience is what holds me back the most right now: maybe it's just because I have a lot of stress from other studies I'm doing, but I can't seem to be able to practice on the same drawing for much time without feeling like I should do something else or like the drawing I'm doing is not worth it because it's not good enough.
What holds me back the most, and I know it's gonna sound stupid, when I'm showing my progress to someone and they're like "woah, that looks so good dude!" and I decide that's good enough. I need the criticism to continue working, otherwise if someone tells me my halfway point already looks super awesome, I don't have any motivation to continue working on it. Please don't tell me I'm the only one that feels that way.
I just watched this again. This is full of such great advice, and is so inspirational! I get a spirit of the art community helping each other in this video, which is great. I'd love to see you revisit these artists and others in a round-table type fashion, maybe on the podcast, from time to time. I hope you do more vids and maybe some longer vids w/selected artists while at future cons. Right now what's holding me back is scheduling the time to consistently create art and share art, so that I can take a fulfilling leap into paid professional artist. I've worked w/computers since childhood and pro software design and marketing for over 20 years, meaning I'm not making my living in a "pure" art sense. But finally just this past Inktober 2017 I posted a very few things to Instagram & Facebook, stuff filled w/mistakes because I was trying direct-to-ink w/no erasing, and I got inquiries about whether I did commissions. I felt I just didn't have the time, so I foolishly said no. Related is freeing the emotional bandwidth needed to pour into the art. Stan, you're producing some of the most valuable, interesting, useful, well-communicated, inspirational teaching available; keep up the excellent work!
Things that held / hold me back... Lack of access to a decent art education. Most art teachers I had didn't know how to draw, and art education was focussed too much on being abstract and experimental rather than building a foundation based on the fundamentals. I've learnt much more via UA-cam than I ever did through formal education and school. The other thing that held me back was an understanding of the fundamentals, shape and understanding that drawing an object means you're understanding a form in 3D space. The biggest thing that held me back though was lack of practice and expecting too much from myself too quickly. I used to draw something 3-5 times and expect myself to be good. I didn't appreciate that getting good requires deliberate practice and that you really have to put in the mileage. Now I draw something 200 + times over and over to make sure I really understand it. Recently I drew the bucket for the pelvis 400 times because that's what I needed to do to figure it out. It's hard work and takes time but it's worth it.
I feel foolish at my age wanting to spend so much time doing art and wanting to learn so much more. Im too old and my time to do this has passed but I cant just quit it. The mixed feeling are paralyzing.
I've had the exact same feelings, of being too old to start a career in art. Thinking of where I would like to be in 5-10 years has really helped me. I realized that, no matter what, I want to work at improving my skills. I can't imagine anything nicer than creating art well into my old age.
Making sure I learn the rules before trying to break them. I had a knack for art for a long time, and I was often ahead of my peers when it came to my work. But, as I got older, I noticed my skill was REALLY starting to stagnate skill-wise. I always figured, if I just kept practicing, I would have it figured out, but it's not really that simple. I'm spending a lot of time learning the rules of art that I wish I'd learned way young, from color theory and simple forms and shapes, to how to hold my arm when drawing. I realize now, that I have no foundation to my art, and I'm struggling to grow because of it. I've been dismantling a lot of MY rules and trying very hard to understand the proper ones before I break them again. At times it's disheartening, because as a teenager, I always figured I would be making professional level artwork and I'd reach the basic skill level to draw, at least, hands. But, I don't have these skills yet. I'm working from square one and I try to be okay with that, but sometimes I look at my art and know there's a lot of work to be done. I'm keeping my chin up, and I'm never going to stop working to get to the level I want to be.
Thanks man I also feel the same problems. I am also a self taught artist. The problem in the beginning for me was that I got quickly discouraged by publics criticism and also because I couldn't draw to my satisfaction . So initially I gave up drawing a hell lot of times and after two days my urge got me drawing on the table. Thank you. U helped a lot understanding to the basics. I thank you heartily 🙂.
Hi, that was an inspiring comment. I too am trying to self teach myself. But the problem is I don't know what basics I should learn. Can you help me out on where to focus first?
AAAAh I so needed this. I think a lot of what holds me back is the fear of not being good enough, and not getting that feedback of "hey you did a very nice drawing it looks hella cool!" and also the fear of not knowing how to approach things in terms of how to make it as an artist or who to ask for help and things like that. Sometimes I even lack the energy to do something because i dont feel motivated and the lack of feedback does get to me sometimes
Depression. My mom passed away a few weeks ago. And she was a huge encouraging factor in my art. I still try to draw tho. It's just alot more harder because I always think about how happy she was when she saw my drawings.
I've been held back by self-discipline for the most part, thinking i'm at a good spot in my skill level when every time I do something new, I realize I get better. The problem is not doing enough of it at all, despite enjoying art and wanting to be better than I am.
My 15 yr old daughter turned me on to Proko videos when she was 10-11 yrs old. I’m a professional tattoo artist of 18 years , I love to refer back to these lessons. They keep me sharp & inspired. Keep up the good work
To me, it was and still is a mix of everything the artists said on the video: lack of technique, lack of focus, perfeccionism, fear of not being good enough, not making enough connections, not realizing how much work it takes, not knowing where and whom to study with, and even not acknowledging my weak spots and what I needed to improve. I think the first step to growth is becoming aware of where you’re at, where you wanna go and what you need to do to get there - that’s what I’ve been working on lately, not rushing, but steadily, and it has been a challenging and rewarding process. :) Thanks for doing this video, Stan, I think it’s really helpful!
I feel so paralyzed with drawing, starting seems so overwhelming, and what you wrote might actually help me get going. This first step to growth - it is so simple, yet sometimes so hard do realize by yourself. This gave me much needed clarity where to start... And that is - right where I am, just consciously facing all my weaknesses without letting them to get me down. Thank you so much :)
Typically overthinking about what I'm doing holds me back A LOT instead of using intuition and general knowledge. The details of an object distracts me more than the underlying shapes.
I think it's just the overwhelming sense of direction about planning your passion, while still managing your job but, really wanting your career of creativity to kick off and, your in such a rush that you forget success comes with patience.
I know this video is 2+ years old now, but I've gone back to this video over and over to listen to these guys. Particularly I've listened to Peter Han's answer multiple times. It hit me pretty dang hard. Everything he said has exactly been my problem. I've drawn things and rendered them not really knowing my fundamentals. People would say "oh wow that looks great" but I was still disappointed with my work for exactly his answer. Many mistakes I made and general lack of fundamental knowledge was covered up by fancy rendering...and because my foundational knowledge was very weak I couldn't create anything to truly communicate and I wasn't retaining anything worthwhile even though sometimes I produce a nice, rendered drawing that people like (while adding details and rendering to hide my shortcomings). I realized after listening to him that I utterly lacked the foundational knowledge and it was for the exact reasons he stated. Bored of learning it, wanting to jump to the "fun stuff", not thinking I needed it, or thinking I already "knew" enough it.. ...Anyway, I decided to start fixing my shortcomings. Just like him I returned to the basics. I've been studying fundamentals very much and have amassed several resources (including purchasing Proko's premium content). And at first it sucked, but I got into the mindset of accepting that "hey, I'm learning these things because I really don't know these things like I thought I did." And that feeling of 'knowing that you don't know' is actually pretty freeing because it got me in the mindset to start soaking up everything I can, without ego. I know this video is old now and maybe I should have made this comment around the time I saw it the first time but I just wanted to leave this comment anyway as a thank you to Peter Han for that statement making me truly go back to the grindstone learning fundamentals, as well as all the other folks that gave some solid information. Just, thanks.
I've never understood the idea of what people meant when they said "hardwork". Been drawing for 4 years for a good 4 - 8 hours a day (sometimes more, but I make sure to draw every day even on days im heavily exhausted), and I could never find someone else who shared the same issues I've had. Everyone in the video explains they wish they had the knowledge of form, anatomy, perspective, etc, yet for me it was like that from the start. Sadly, in my case, these fundamental aspects didn't really help with my drawing endeavor and I wasn't sure how to approach the subject. So when I hear hard work, I really wish the artists were more specific. I believe it's better to understand the direction you're going, and with proper direction, you can make progress. Without that direction, it's possible to make 0 progress like I have, even though you worked really, really hard for it.
That's the problem, the knowledge obtained here was through teachers and even from famous mentors viewed within this video. So unfortunately, what is suggested here is one of the cause of this issue.
You're really right about that "having a specific direction" thing. I've been taking free lessons via drawabox.com and r/artfundamentals and I'd say they're the reason I'm actually able to make progress at all
Biggest thing that held me back was dedication/procrastination. I would draw a lot, but take long breaks in-between. I didn't have the grind mentality. I never stopped drawing, but I didn't draw as much as I wanted to. I think I was still finding my way in this world and I still am, and by no means a professional, but ever since I adopted a good work ethic and kicked myself in my but to actually draw whenever I have the chance, I am finding I am getting somewhere. It was sitting down to draw and the fear of failure.
The educational system in every country in the world is different because of their aspect, reason, there. mentality and community are also designed on their own targets for growing their ability to make it different in some cases technology is also affected by their mentally physically and emotionally. So many changes come up to now in the process of artists and Arts since Stone Age to this nowadays. Thanks for sharing artist review and their activities. As per concerns of us.
Pretty much all of these apply to me, but the way Patrick worded his stands out. I long for the day where I can actually do the things that I imagine, but my current skill level is just nowhere near that and it discourages me greatly. My relationship with drawing often feels like an if/then statement. "If: drawing skill is insufficient, Then: drawing is not fun". I don't even want to bother drawing an idea unless i feel that I can pull it of, so that leaves me with very few things I'm actually willing to draw. If I had to sum up what holds me back the most, it might be setting weird, arbitrary rules like that for myself. "Don't draw it unless it's going to look good." "You must do studies and things to improve your skill before engaging in what's actually fun to draw" "Even though you love drawing digitally, you must draw traditionally because..." blah blah blah, basically a self-set trap to constantly ensnare my own ego with. Comfort zones are good too, exactly because it's comfortable. If you're sucking the joy out of drawing because you're forcing yourself to step out of it too much, too soon, you may be doing more harm than good. I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone and practice new subject matter, and I've been hesitant to draw at all for half a year now. The other day I just decided to go ahead and have at my comfort zone stuff again freely, and in the span of a week I've probably done more drawing than I have the rest of the year. Be more gentle with yourself, and less forceful with your progress if you find you're not ready for that level of dedication to improvement yet.
I honestly don't understand why somebody would only be willing to work digitally. It's like saying "I love cake, but only red cakes. I do not want to eat a cake of any other colour."
See, I disagree. if you were comparing two specific means of producing art, I'd agree it's more like a flavour, but digital vs tradition is a pretty arbitrary division in terms of the creative process. It's far more like colour.
Such a great video Idea, it's interesting to see all the artists opinions and advises, I could see myself in most if them. Keep at it guys! What holds me back now mostly is myself, the selfdoubt of your skill and the lack of ability you have and therefore not posting enough or anything at all. Another thing is procrastination and distractions. It's good to have the endless opportunities, but you have to have a goal or guide to get further.
Lack of time, since I have a full time job, family to take care of, etc. I started late, when all my life was already organised, so time is a limitation I have
Perfectionism. I really want to draw cityscape backgrounds with a lot of buildings and character models, however I get so caught up with making sure everything accurate that I never finish anything. I don't want to have any regrets.
Shout out to the (uncredited) woman who tried to casually call out Marshall Vandruff's b.s. "I think it's a great answer too, that's why it came out of my mouth!" I see you. I see someone else taking your answers and your spotlight.
1. Comparing my work to others too much. 2. Fearing that people won't like my work. 3. Feeling like I'm not meeting the right people to help me move forward. 4. Making so many mistakes that I nearly burn a hole in my paper lol. 5. (This is kinda like 4), worrying about people noticing my mistakes. 6. Being compared to other pros. I'm going to watch this video like everyday, loved it and it's opening my eyes, thank you for this Proko!
Over detailing and being a perfectionist is holding me back. I try to stop myself, keep it in my mind when working but it's a struggle to break through that mentality.
I have wanted to be a comic book artist for a long time. But I still haven't mastered perspective drawing, so that is holding me back. I am 45, and that is another thing, that I may be too old to start in the comic book industry. A very inspirational video, and one that keeps me going!
Thank you for making this video Stan. It's really nice to know that even professionals were once the ones scared of showing of their works, and the ones that didn't know what they were doing. Whats holding me back is still just being worried of what other people think about my stuff, people comparing my stuff to others, and people pointing out that i'm still a very new, young, and ambitious artist that doesn't have all of the training, teachings, and mentorships others have had. I really appreciate this video. Its helped boost my confidence as a artist still starting out.
Fantastic video. Thanks for doing it. I'm a beginner and draw every day for me, it's the discipline to try and start with basic construction in terms of shape. Stopping the concentration on details and doing the hard work are the toughies.
Gosh, what a great question! I feel like I have so many answers. The number one thing that held me back until recently is not putting in the mileage on the fundamentals. I always wanted to create the cool, finished work that I saw online, but would get frustrated when the sketching stage alone took many many hours. My advice to any young artists reading this is to put in the work on the fundamentals (shapes, values, composition), return to them often, and don't be afraid to make ugly art. Concert pianists learn to play incredibly difficult pieces eventually, but they had to learn to play scales first!
It's cool how you made us feel like we were walking around with you getting to meet all these artists, getting great insight. For me, I just didn't realize how much there is to learn and grow from having put one's work actually out there...showing & listening
Fear of failing if I don't follow steps exactly. Like when watching your videos I'll be trying to learn and it will be going well for abit but then I become frustrated and feel like I am going too slowly and I want to do other things. Then I think I have a bad mentality and I'll never produce anything good otherwise. Then I spiral into blame and not bother drawing for abit. Also I feel constantly like I'm too far from my goal and the obstacles are too big and I curse that I didn't start younger in something I was obviously endeared towards. Then I seriously wonder if I am going to be a professional. I also fear my art looks crap and derivative and I have no real understanding of what I'm doing.
I've learnt a whole lot from you Stan, and also other artists like Ross Tran and Steven Oakley. But the main thing that holds me back is self doubt. I get it alot when I start a new painting, and it's a real tough thing to push through. I tend to start something, and then my head starts telling me I'm not good enough, or my anatomy is wrong. But I learnt a few years ago to deal with it and persevere with that little voice in my head. It also taught me that making mistakes is a good thing, and you can learn alot from making mistakes. One other thing that was holding me back is being too precious about my art. I used to be really precious over every little line and detail, but I discovered that it was holding me back. So I started to become a bit more relaxed with my lines and marks, and it payed off. I feel my art has improved alot from learning to become more relaxed and enjoy drawing for the sake of drawing.
After 25 years, returning to my art and love of comics. Battling self-doubt and hesitation considering I was so good when I was a kid but feel like I lost the skill. This was super helpful to hear. Thank you!
+1 for perfectionism. When younger, I discovered I had a talent for hyperrealism. That pathway ended up being a career killer for me. Look forward to discovering my true art.
What holds me back even now.. watching the people in this video lol. Dayum they are all great artist who manage to make a name for themselves, meanwhile I am just a nobody who doesn't even dare to upload his own work :/ End of the day the answer is, myself :(
asd asdas You are not 'just a nobody'. And you have just answered with what it takes most people a lifetime to realize...if they ever realize it at all..that "What holds me back even now"? Answer: "End of the day the answer is, myself''. Remember, self conquest is the greatest of all victories.
asd asdas Those bright shiny people in the video were all "nobodies " when they started, too. 🐪 ( I hate all of the smiley face emojis on this phone, so I gave you a happy looking camel.) Keep going, sunshine!
Great video Stan. Fear of failure which lends to me helping others achieve their goal is holding me back. I am perpetually reading and studying and not enough “doing.” I need to explore, make mistakes, and have fun with the process and stop doubting myself or only wanting to present a “finished” piece. I need to spend more time doing what I was born to do: draw.
If you're a beginner or intermediate artist check out my new Drawing Basics course! You’ll learn the most important foundational concepts for drawing anything including from imagination or from reference - proko.com/drawing
Overwhelmed by not being good enough while being surrounded by too many people who are more motivated and skilled.
Damn same dude. I just see all these artists way more motivated and skilled than me. Gets you a little worried. But you gotta push through.
YESSSSSSS! This is me!!
Any ideas on how to ignore that overwhelming feeling?
I'm trying as much as I can when I can, it's just that feelings always in the back of my head.
I always say to myself that 9 times out of 10 they are or were feeling the exact way you are now.
This video itself shows that statement is true. Just because an artist (or really anyone) is skilled and motivated now doesn't mean they're above that feeling, and will see you as lower for feeling it; if they do they're assholes. :)
Another good example of this is a big guy who wants to start to go to the gym, but feels everyone in there will make fun of him and/or feels discouraged by his weight and determination.
When nearly every gym regular had their moments of struggle the begining and later parts of their gym lifestyle.
Hell even the rare people who are naturally gifted at their talent/skill will struggle at some point, because that's part of being human.
What holds me back a lot is comparing myself to artists that I admire and feeling frustrated when my art is not at that level. That doesn't happen as often anymore and it is because I understood a few things: First is that every piece of artwork I see on the web is "the good stuff", artists don't show their bad work, and that is usually 90% of what every artist do. It takes a lot of work and failure to make a great piece. Second is that it is not a competition, the only one I need to compare my artwork is with myself and the piece I made before the last one. I can only evolve and grow at my own pace and I can't try to force myself by comparing my artwork with people that have very different processes than my own. Great Video Proko! :D
Artists certainly tend not to show their failures, but at the same time... the point of learning is that you should be able to be better more consistently. If only 1/10 things you produce is good, you're not a good artist, you're just trying to luck into what you don't understand how to do consistently.
seigeengine that is not true. Working on a piece is not a straightforward process. It involves a lot of tests, trial and error, changes and decisions that might mean that you end up with a piece you like but that looks nothing like the image you originally intended to create. Every creative process involves making a lot of mistakes. What matters is knowing how to work through them and finish the piece.
Yes, it is. Those two statements are not related. Tests are not pieces you are actually attempting to complete, they are exactly that: tests.
Frankly, too many artists use editing techniques as a crutch to avoid improving their actual skills.
I love your work Javi :) You're also so inspiring!
thanks rachel!
I'm not a comic artist, more of a sculptor and painter, but what used to hold me back was overthinking.
I get lots of ideas and most of the time the ideas are just average, but I learned that you have to go through average ideas and actually make them to be able to get good and great ideas.
So basically, do you ideas and don't judge them intellectually before you actually work on them.
But I believe art is like sculpting. The shape is already there on the canvas. You just need to look carefully, erase the wrong strokes and add the correct ones.
Sunit Chattoraj the hell you saying
Stephanie Kilgast well said. Well said. I often experience the situation you mentioned before too.
I have the same problem, I often get stuck that way trying to figure out just what I want to do, and then I'll nitpick everything wrong with it once I get started
I've been going through this a lot.
I feel like Peter Han explained it best. That's exactly what held/holds me back, a lack of a foundation. Anatomy, drawing at a perspective, etc. I'm working on fixing that, though lol
"Fail your way upward" YES.
I will write this on my forehead until I get over my fear of failure xD
Rachel B Whatever it takes! XD I wish you well on your journey! :D
Fail is just suck, leaving your body. Embrace it!
Final Space boi
Words of wisdom.
Impatience holds me back a lot, I find that when I'm practicing strokes and shapes I get easily frustrated when the lines don't come out the way I want them to. But over time I've developed a bit more patience and with that I took my time more with my work and my work improved
any good tips for practicing strokes?
Thanks so much for having me on :D
moderndayjames if you time traveled to the future, would you still be moderndayjames? Hmm.....
If u time travelled to the fu- ouh no wait someone already asked that
If I was there in that time period, then yes, I would be moderndayjames. We tackle the paradox of multiple universes over on my channel :D
BIG MANN
💪
Peter Han hit it home for me. Simplicity. Shape. Proportions. I'm in my first year of taking art and drawing seriously and I more and more realize how important it is to get these basics right before drifting off to making things look shiny and pretty. This video is so great. Thanks, Proko!!
The last guy nailed it. Don't focus on the rendering or the details at the start, focus on form and the line art. Actually, try drawing with pens for a while. They definitely helped me to improve by forcing me to draw without an eraser and showing that fairly complex shapes can be conveyed through few lines
But did he really do? I doubt it because he didn't know the opposite:
Everyone who loves all the details and go through this learning of "ok i have to pay attention to the overall pictural structure, too", can come back to the details in the end. And that always makes the most impressive pictures for the majority. - Instead of those, i'm an artist who loves the "understanding" and the "structural thinking" more than the details and maybe too much, which leads to a restless search with dropping unfinished art on the way. For my head it feels boring to detail and finish all the ideas into an outstanding finished artwork. - So in the end it really depends on your own character. For me the last guy didn't nailed it, maybe for you. ;)
I hate how reliant I am on erasers. Pencils without them are pure torture and I try to avoid pens as much as possible (I even psyche myself out with official papers and will often make errors).
+Savannah B
If you draw with just pens for 1 month straight, then moving back to pencils/digital will feel so easy in comparison
I've been doing that in sketchbooks and the backs of envelopes lately. No pencils, no initial hashing out, I just start drawing a face, a tree, a rock, a small scene. I've been doing that mostly to try to simplify and streamline my hatching technique, as well as to limit myself to essentials to speed up my drawing, and it's been a rather liberating experience. The main thing the exercise does is to alter your usual decisionmaking and to teach you to see in new ways. It's also helping me to learn how not to ruin a drawing by over-rendering it. Knowing when to stop is every bit as important as knowing when to start.
That's a really good tip! Maybe I'll try that
Fear of producing bad work, and not sharing my art
This is me!
Exactly
ismene 🛸 I’m workin on it ;)
Same here! We should all here share it with each other!
My niggas, can I hug y'all.......... Lmao it's been a hard years of practicin but not showin even one of dem arts lol rip
Hey Stan. What holds me back is myself, for many of the same reasons so many others feel held back. Procrastination, laziness, self doubt, thinking I am not good enough, feeling like I am not getting anywhere, the brilliant works of others in comparison to my work because I often work on a piece and I think to myself that its crap! I always put other artists before me because I can see how mind blowing their work is... the list is long. However, there is a flip side, I have to admit that even though I know I am not (yet) at the level I would like to be at, I still really love and enjoy drawing and sketching and creating art, I get a great sense of joy out of it.
What inspires me is learning from others.. and when people like what I do, it humbles me and I feel grateful, knowing that if I can make others feel happy through my art, then that inspires me to press on, to move forward with a much more positive frame of mind and to improve as best as I can. I still have big dreams and I hope to get my art noticed in the world on a large scale, but I personally would not like to be famous, but I want my art to be EVERYWHERE.. (can I have my cake and eat it too? : )
I think what is holding me back is that mind thinks a lot “if you don’t try you never fail” when I should think if I don’t try I never succeed
SylenDraws i see you everywhere...
@Nina Colada Dude I saw you on Iste's stream today! Heyyy
I can relate
SylenDraws
A quote from Wayne Gretzky might help. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
(I need to remind myself of this, too.)
Maybe see it more like, if you don't try, then you're already a failure. And maybe just care more about producing stuff than actually do something "successful".
Let me know what is holding you back that you need to change
I lack confidence because I can't stop comparing myself to my favorite artists. I don't get out of my comfort zone nearly enough because I know I may be disappointed by the results, which is quite counterproductive. That's all that needs fixing, and with some time I think I can get better...
This video made me feel like drawing though. Love what you do, keep up the great work!
Sir, I draw everyday. At least I try to. I feel like I'm getting no where! it feels like repetition isn't working... why? right now I'm working on drawing the human face. I can't draw the eyes, nose, and mouth. I'm really trying. I'm not excited about getting to the body... I wonder how hard that's gonna be. Maybe I'm doing too little, or I'm doing too much. I DON'T KNOW! I'm bad at shading, I don't get perspective, I just can't draw. I can't do it. Even though I'm not terribly bad, I feel like giving up sometimes.
Being shit, duh
I think my main issue is distractions since I'll be on UA-cam learning to draw and then I'll see a video that interest me and then just fall into a huge hole of that and then I've wasted a day when I could've been practicing
^^^^^^ SAME. I know you're not supposed to compare yourself to other artists, but it's difficult not to. Especially if it's a person you really admire. That's like your benchmark, you're measure of what "good" art looks like. And you get it in your head that, "Whoa, if I can get my art to look THAT good, I'll have made it. I'll finally be able to make 'good' art."
What I got out of this:
Different people really have different problems. I gotta watch myself closely to find out my unique problem.
And find a solution to it
What's really holding me back is perfectionism and the fear of making mistakes
the definition of perfection will really kind of help clear that up for you. look it up
i watch too many how-to & motivational art youtube videos when i should be taking action and painting/drawing. I feel like I know so much but when I get to the canvas a lot of it goes out the window because I lack milage. UA-cam instructional videos have made me very aware of this fault, but it's a hard habit to break nonetheless.
just draw/paint right now!! haha or make sure to draw/paint for a good time BEFORE you watch art videos. If I watch youtube first, ill always be telling myself "just one more video" and ill never get to practicing. UA-cam is a real addiction!!
Dear Martin: I feel your pain, dude. Keep smiling! Keep drawing and doing what makes you happy!!! I have very little talent, I'm sorry to report, but drawing makes me happy, dammit, and so I continue to do that! The important thing is, is that you continue and don't be discouraged. Keep drawing, painting, and day by day, the only person you need to worry about pleasing is yourself! Have fun and don't worry about anything else!!! Peace and love to you!
The best way to combat this is to wait until you can't find anything on TV or when you fail a boss battle for the third time in a row, or when you're hungry, but not really hungry enough to eat right now; whenever you can't think of anything to do, go and draw a picture of whatever comes to mind.
@@arcofprado I had the same problem, but what I started to do instead of just sitting and watching the videos I would draw whilst watching. Pausing the video or jumping back to a point I missed or needed to hear again as needed. Draw along! :)
Even Van Gogh said the blank canvas is the most intimidating thing in the world but it's having to courage to face it that counts.
Holding me back... Not being consistent, and not being able to figure out why a method used works a few time, but then not again for a while.
Timothy Messer same here but I'm now forcing myself to draw anything no matter how big or small in my sketchbook. It's been 2 weeks. My goal is to draw everyday for a year c:
Timothy Messer that is on point what I be experiencing too
Same
Methods work for their prescribed intent. Usually the method is too narrow to apply to a general field of applications. Its a "trick" to create an effect. Instead of using tricks, understand how the trick causes the effect and you will understand the mechanics of the effect, which will apply to many unique situations.
So a trick people use is under glow in the shadows. It works for certain situations, but it doesn't for all.
Well, if you understand how under glow is reflected light, you will modify how underglow looks based on the environment.
Its not about learning how to do the trick, its about understanding how the trick works.
But that is just to fool the eye...
The purpose behind the work is what drives the quality. If you have a powerful message to share, it will likely come through even with moderate skill... or at least thats what I believe.
The more we learn, the less we accept as "good"... but we dont truly know what good is. One thing we can feel is quality, even though we cant define it.
I think Peter gave the best and most well-explained answer to this. Not that anything was wrong with what held other people back, we're all different, but his was so precise and he knew exactly what was wrong, but also how to fix it for others!
What is holding me back? Pretty much everything these awesome people mentioned, plus my own personal struggles... But I will make it. Maybe not this year, maybe not the next... But maybe in 5 or 10 years? Who knows. But in the end, I will succeed. Period.
ismene 🛸 Oh well, the sad truth is that I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome since I was 17. That means I am pretty tired and powerless, every day of my life. I am slower than others, I have problems to concentrate, I have to take breaks more often... Every day is a fight against myself. And that may sound a little depressing right now, but actually it helps me to calm down, to plan ahead and to focus on long term goals. Before my disease I never really asked myself what I want from life. But now it is crystal clear for me. And if I want to get anywhere, I have to be persistent. My body may be weak, but my will is certainly not! :)
Great ambition and courage my man! Mind over matter is the biggest thing to me don’t ever let anything hold you back! I have ADD and slow auditory processing. So same thing I’m a little slower than others but drawing and just art in general is something where I’ve always felt comfortable and a place where I don’t let my learning disabilities get in the way of what I can do! Keep your head up and stay positive and with your attitude you’ll definitely get somewhere!
Well done, keep it up!
How are you doing now? Do you still draw??
@@xXSoralinkXx or you might as well give up, that would be the most natural course of things when they don't go the way they should go.
If it was only by will, death wouldn't be an issue, plants wouldn't wither.
It's natural if you say it's over.
Just takes bravery to finally accept your imperfection and no future fruition.
When I started drawing in my early teens I just drew, no expectations. I just 'designed' and enjoyed the act of it. Then into my mid teens I started to see Hildebrandnt stuff and realized I wasn't as good as I 'thought' and started to emulate. My late teens and early 20's I was crippled by "I"ll never be good enough! Or as good as THEM!" But I still kept trying. I set my stylus/pencils down for different periods as life trials came through but I picked it up again and some days I'm so tired but I force myself to draw SOMETHING anything. It's so easy to let it slide.
I'm past the "I'll never be good enough. Or as good as them." Stage. In fact I see errors in 'master's work' now. So now I get inspired instead of envious and just keep trying. If I get art block I go watch anime, or try a different subject matter. To anyone who is still a beginner and in that stage, don't put your pencil or stylus down. Keep doing it. IF you lay awake at night seeing images in your mind you are probably an artist. :)
#1 Thing that held me back: Caring more about how my art looked than how well I was implementing the mechanic that I was practicing on that particular piece.
Im a beginner artist from Nigeria and My greatest challenge is being afraid that I won't be able to get my ideas down on my paper.. fear of not getting it right each time I try. that's what's holding me back the most...
Kenneth it sounds like you are putting too much pressure on yourself to be "perfect." Yes, we all do that, to some extent, but please don't let it cripple you. Even the great Masters had things they would have changed or improved. Edgar Degas didn't think his drawing was good enough, yet he painted some of the most amazing paintings.
Good Luck!
I'm kind of a perfectionist too. It got easier for me when I got it through my head that "quantity" matters more than "quality" or perfection.
Now the only real "failure" I face is the failure to take action - everything else is just an experience to learn from.
Just keep going! Fear becomes reality so long as you hold too much space for it. Use that fear to take action. Just draw. Everyday or as much as possible. And eventually you will suprise yourself!😁
I'm a prospecting artist from Naija too, and the 80th like of your comment. Want to know how far you've gone on your artistic journey.
what's held me back was growing up and feeling like dream to work and be as an artist was a "childish" dream and that I needed to pursue a degree that would get me a job and money. My family was very much against the idea of me wanting to go to an art college, so I spent nearly 8 years at a univeristy going from a business major to a teaching major to only realize that at the end of the day I was denying myself of what I really wanted to do and that was to become an artist. I feel like now that I'm at the point where I'm finally like," I'm gonna do what I want and not what my parents want", I'm behind compared to other younger artists in terms of skills, knowledge, and networks.
Primarily consistency and discipline. Haveing difficulty studying and properly figuring out how to convert something from a reffrence into a consistent thing i can reuse in the future
What held me back in high school, now I am in collage studying art, was my lack of fundamental understanding and how small my visual library was. As a kid i never looked up anything, did research or just look at different mediums of art or different artists in general. I liked the same few online artists and never pushed to read anything new or draw anything new until I got mentors who taught me to contently study, and thatch what I did. I got mangas, comics, art books, I went to the met and drew the paintings, I studied different forms and now I strive to make my art even better. I think one thing young artists should do more is study and don't be afraid of failure.
What held you back the most in becoming a professional artist?
0:31 Ross Draws "I wish I could just do me ... Just draw what you want to draw."
1:26 Patrick Ballesteros "Fearing the inability to do what I wanted to do in my head; so making mistakes."
2:43 Marshall Vandruff "A lack of training."
3:09 "Self-doubt. Comparing myself to others."
3:58 Peter Han "Having the confidence of simplicity." Focusing on shape, form and proportion rather than details and rendering.
6:06 Victor Olazaba "No internet."
7:02 Ron Lemen "Not knowing where to go to learn."
7:49 Stephen Silver "The concept of drawing through your shapes" and "construction and form."
8:19 Chrissie Zullo Being shy. You need to put yourself out there in order to network.
8:43 Sanford Greene "That it would take a lot of hard work just to make it in this industry."
10:36 Howard Shum "No formal training."
11:49 Marcelo Matere "I wish I had more mentors."
12:41 Eliza Ivanova "Trying to hide my art too much."
14:51 Hai-Na-Nu Saulque "Yourself." Second guessing yourself, fear of putting yourself out there, self-doubt, etc.
16:33 Bobby Chiu "I didn't think about trying to be a professional until I already was."
16:54 Mike Hayes "Not pursuing what I actually wanted to do instead of what I thought was cool."
18:08 Caleb Cleveland "Self assessment of your own talent."
19:55 James Douglas "I focused way too intensely on details rather than the overall composition or the overall picture."
Proko... Thanks for the perspective from successful artists. As an amateur artist that never aspires to professional status, the perspective about what holds others back hits home.
I'd say the biggest factor holding people back is twofold: They don't do enough art/aren't actually trying to improve, and not getting criticisms from other artists, because sometimes you won't know what's wrong or what you need to do to improve.
perfection and the need to learn everything first before actually doing anything _at all_
I've been active for about five years now, and I'm still watching videos like this.
Mattias Karlsson always will remain a problem
10 years and still watching videos like this. 10 years! Hmmmmm
I've always been interested in art, but have almost always been convinced that I just wasn't talented in that direction. None of the people that I felt were naturally artists (I was surrounded by many of those) mentioned that I just needed to learn the skills and practice, practice, practice. Until relatively recently. Thanks Proko, and the others, who have helped me see the error I was living with.
->no mentors...
.you dont need any mentor
.just do it yourself. its just a matter of time to succeed in drawing
just do it
I think that’s why you need to grab a book.
Every art book is a lamp, it lights up your path even you only achieved quarter of it , you still learned from it
If you only watch vids , make sure you’re watching tutorials, or a series of drawing process that involves the style you’ve been working on .
not the art ones as they will really make you to draw what it shows you
Before learning how to draw, you have to learn how to see. Nobody teaches that.
Lacking a proper study plan is holding me back at this moment. I watched Proko tutorials, read books, experiment, and self-encouragement, but I’m not sure what I need to focus on at this moment to move forward.
I think what held me back in highschool was confidence, I had next to no confidence that not only could I do something but also doubt my ability to learn stuff. Uni has been so good for me to improve cus I developed a healthy relationship between me and my art cus my teachers made me feel like I had potential to improve and thus I had the motivation and confidence that I am getting better at art
What held me back the most when I got REALLY serious about improving in 2017 was the idea that there is a "right way" to draw, and construct characters and scenes, and look at things. And I struggle with really bad eyesight, so I've had to work around that, and things like the "right way" to draw heads or whatever never clicked for me. I learned best with paintsketching and focusing on proportion + light and shadow over contours because that makes the most sense for my eyes. And I felt like, "I'm a bad artist, I have weaknesses I can't overcome" because I don't really draw the art-class way.
When I let go of that, when I stopped caring whether or not what I made was the "right way", not only did I draw more and actually improve, but I also found that the ways I organically learned to construct characters are also actually valid and advised ways by other really good artists. A huge part of it, I think, is "what do you want to draw characters for?" And that determines a lot what you prioritize. For me, it's their pose, and their action, more than how anatomically sound they are, although I do try to make sure their proportions make sense and a huge struggle has just been getting to the point where I can feasibly recreate a character that doesn't look like its art style changed between poses.
I don't have a defense for if someone tells me I have ingrained bad habits from the way that I sketch, all I can say is that it works for me and it's the difference in drawing something that can now look passable to me vs not drawing at all because I get frustrated, and letting perfect be the enemy of good is a surefire momentum killer.
I have a Newgrounds account under the same username, as well as a couple timelapses on my youtube channel, if anyone would like to see my work and offer me advice. Especially with characters, I could always use it.
Impatience. Wanting to be as good as I want to be NOW, not five years from now. Comparisons. Fear of being judged terrible or boring and ignored. But, one weird thing I noticed a while ago was that the art I did that I basically "gave up" on, and just did what felt good with the idea that I was going to throw it out-- it was the art people seemed to like the best. The art I meticulously tried to get every detail right? Yeah, not that well liked. So, I'm trying to practice basics, forgive my mistakes, and relax into the art.
What holds me back is confidence and skill. Your videos and Marshal’s videos help me the most. I practice and do studies. Then create art work.
All the artist gave great advice. Ross resonates with me the most. “Do you” , “Do what you like”.
Thanks for this video, I loved seeing the artists and their booths. 😍
Gratitude Proko! 😎
"talent is a very-very poor gauge of what somebody's ability as an artist really is"
i really like this quote
What Caleb said at the end was a major boost in confidence, knowing mistakes are necessary and actually immensely valuable feels so freeing
what holds me back every time is that when i try to draw i feel that im weak or i just cant do it im not nor ever going to give up i will continue to push my self until i become better and finally accept myself in the animation and art industry.
What held/holds me back the most, is me. Limiting beliefs, a lot of which are nothing to do with art. So I've found it good to focus on my mindset first, get the foundations of my mind in place first :) Really enjoyed this video. Thank you for creating it.
I would say that what definitely held me back in improving my artstyle was being afraid of using references. I was suffered of believing in that stupid stereotype that "PRO and TRU artists can draw everything they want from their imagination!!!1 They don't use photos, that's cheating!!1" It sounds completely weird and funny, but many young beginners - including me in back days - are seeing all that cool arts and all that cool speedarts or live drawing and all they see is how artist is easily drawing something. They think that someone is drawing so beautiful just like that, because they can draw whatever they want from their imagination. And that's a completely bullshit - 1 minute of drawing beautiful sketch usually costs 1 year of practicing.
And using references isn't a cheating at all! It really helps, especially if you don't know how to draw something. Trusting your imagination and memory is really risky, so why you have to suffer with "oh god why it doesn't look good?", try to find good photo references and look what did you do wrong. I think the fear of using references is caused by the fear of being accused of plagiarism - if someone calls you a plagiator, you're actually dead artist in their eyes. And because young people usually don't know what plagiarism actually means - they're scared of using references because they think that's cheating and stealing.
Now I'm using references on every arts and they look much better than before. I really wish I would know this before.
I really hate plagiarism, so of course, I feel bad using reference. But, all my favorite artists use reference. They aren't copying it/plagiarizing it, instead, they are meshing these references together. But I have this stubborn way of thinking that I can't use reference even though I logically know that I won't copy them. Yet I feel weird using it when actually creating more polished "original" pieces. In fact, I don't think I've created polished pieces using reference unless I took my own pictures.
God bless you real good. You just help save a life, well a prospecting artist's life. Thanks all the way from Nigeria.
I loved every one of the answers, but the Caleb Cleveland answer resonates so much with me.Every step that i have took so far is just a scroll of mistakes and rights, and that's just give me that confirmation that i need not just keep trying, but always working better my work.
First I want to do all the things at the same time, and ha now days i am start learning anatomy because it is holding me back to make a batter believable Character Design
Similar - I need to narrow down my skill and what i enjoy creating most and work on it. Better to be great at one thing than ok at several...
A lack of fear, formal training and time.
I don't let that stop me anymore and these videos help a lot.
I feel kind of lost with my training because I watch a bunch of videos talking about learning the basics and focusing on that the most but right now I am learning something else (anatomy and perfecting my shading skills) so I don't want to keep jumping back and forth on learning. I also always get compliments about my art so I constantly think my art is flawless which results in my inability to take constructive criticism.
3:48 shape and proportions.. that's one of the best answers.
Learning to understand 3d forms and shapes changes everything.... proportions comes more smoothly once you understand 3D forms and objects.
Proco I would love a video about how to get good at drawing poses from the imagination. As in how to do pose studies in a way which helps you retain the information efficiently.
It's usually a good idea to get good at mannequenization from reference. Then you can take that knowledge and apply it to drawing from imagination. He's got a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/nRHfcqjbPq8/v-deo.html but it's pretty advanced. You may need to watch some of the earlier Figure Course videos to work your way up to it.
Sean Ramsey interesting, so you mean breaking down the reference into mannequins?
Impatience is what holds me back the most right now: maybe it's just because I have a lot of stress from other studies I'm doing, but I can't seem to be able to practice on the same drawing for much time without feeling like I should do something else or like the drawing I'm doing is not worth it because it's not good enough.
What holds me back the most, and I know it's gonna sound stupid, when I'm showing my progress to someone and they're like "woah, that looks so good dude!" and I decide that's good enough. I need the criticism to continue working, otherwise if someone tells me my halfway point already looks super awesome, I don't have any motivation to continue working on it.
Please don't tell me I'm the only one that feels that way.
I just watched this again. This is full of such great advice, and is so inspirational! I get a spirit of the art community helping each other in this video, which is great. I'd love to see you revisit these artists and others in a round-table type fashion, maybe on the podcast, from time to time. I hope you do more vids and maybe some longer vids w/selected artists while at future cons.
Right now what's holding me back is scheduling the time to consistently create art and share art, so that I can take a fulfilling leap into paid professional artist. I've worked w/computers since childhood and pro software design and marketing for over 20 years, meaning I'm not making my living in a "pure" art sense. But finally just this past Inktober 2017 I posted a very few things to Instagram & Facebook, stuff filled w/mistakes because I was trying direct-to-ink w/no erasing, and I got inquiries about whether I did commissions. I felt I just didn't have the time, so I foolishly said no. Related is freeing the emotional bandwidth needed to pour into the art.
Stan, you're producing some of the most valuable, interesting, useful, well-communicated, inspirational teaching available; keep up the excellent work!
I love how articulate peter han is in his break down. I can't wait to get over to america and take his class at CDA
Things that held / hold me back... Lack of access to a decent art education. Most art teachers I had didn't know how to draw, and art education was focussed too much on being abstract and experimental rather than building a foundation based on the fundamentals. I've learnt much more via UA-cam than I ever did through formal education and school.
The other thing that held me back was an understanding of the fundamentals, shape and understanding that drawing an object means you're understanding a form in 3D space.
The biggest thing that held me back though was lack of practice and expecting too much from myself too quickly. I used to draw something 3-5 times and expect myself to be good. I didn't appreciate that getting good requires deliberate practice and that you really have to put in the mileage. Now I draw something 200 + times over and over to make sure I really understand it. Recently I drew the bucket for the pelvis 400 times because that's what I needed to do to figure it out. It's hard work and takes time but it's worth it.
I feel foolish at my age wanting to spend so much time doing art and wanting to learn so much more. Im too old and my time to do this has passed but I cant just quit it. The mixed feeling are paralyzing.
You don’t look too old. Unless you used your granddaughter’s profile picture.
You're very kind. And your videos are amazing. Even from the "library" Ive learned more than in years of art school.
I've had the exact same feelings, of being too old to start a career in art. Thinking of where I would like to be in 5-10 years has really helped me. I realized that, no matter what, I want to work at improving my skills. I can't imagine anything nicer than creating art well into my old age.
Making sure I learn the rules before trying to break them.
I had a knack for art for a long time, and I was often ahead of my peers when it came to my work. But, as I got older, I noticed my skill was REALLY starting to stagnate skill-wise. I always figured, if I just kept practicing, I would have it figured out, but it's not really that simple.
I'm spending a lot of time learning the rules of art that I wish I'd learned way young, from color theory and simple forms and shapes, to how to hold my arm when drawing. I realize now, that I have no foundation to my art, and I'm struggling to grow because of it. I've been dismantling a lot of MY rules and trying very hard to understand the proper ones before I break them again.
At times it's disheartening, because as a teenager, I always figured I would be making professional level artwork and I'd reach the basic skill level to draw, at least, hands. But, I don't have these skills yet. I'm working from square one and I try to be okay with that, but sometimes I look at my art and know there's a lot of work to be done.
I'm keeping my chin up, and I'm never going to stop working to get to the level I want to be.
I hope you are doing great mate , i am trying to draw everyday as well
Thanks man I also feel the same problems.
I am also a self taught artist.
The problem in the beginning for me was that I got quickly discouraged by publics criticism and also because I couldn't draw to my satisfaction .
So initially I gave up drawing a hell lot of times and after two days my urge got me drawing on the table.
Thank you. U helped a lot understanding to the basics.
I thank you heartily 🙂.
Hi, that was an inspiring comment. I too am trying to self teach myself. But the problem is I don't know what basics I should learn. Can you help me out on where to focus first?
3:35 this man smiles so nicely, he made my day
Im just happy this whole video will be filled with artist struggling looking for a hand or some advice so we can all be great together. I love y'all
AAAAh I so needed this. I think a lot of what holds me back is the fear of not being good enough, and not getting that feedback of "hey you did a very nice drawing it looks hella cool!" and also the fear of not knowing how to approach things in terms of how to make it as an artist or who to ask for help and things like that. Sometimes I even lack the energy to do something because i dont feel motivated and the lack of feedback does get to me sometimes
IT's amazing how i've been struggling exactly with the whole "just do you" thing, and somehow it's everywhere
Depression. My mom passed away a few weeks ago. And she was a huge encouraging factor in my art. I still try to draw tho. It's just alot more harder because I always think about how happy she was when she saw my drawings.
I've been held back by self-discipline for the most part, thinking i'm at a good spot in my skill level when every time I do something new, I realize I get better. The problem is not doing enough of it at all, despite enjoying art and wanting to be better than I am.
My 15 yr old daughter turned me on to Proko videos when she was 10-11 yrs old. I’m a professional tattoo artist of 18 years , I love to refer back to these lessons. They keep me sharp & inspired. Keep up the good work
Great video thanks for the advice
To me, it was and still is a mix of everything the artists said on the video: lack of technique, lack of focus, perfeccionism, fear of not being good enough, not making enough connections, not realizing how much work it takes, not knowing where and whom to study with, and even not acknowledging my weak spots and what I needed to improve. I think the first step to growth is becoming aware of where you’re at, where you wanna go and what you need to do to get there - that’s what I’ve been working on lately, not rushing, but steadily, and it has been a challenging and rewarding process. :) Thanks for doing this video, Stan, I think it’s really helpful!
I feel so paralyzed with drawing, starting seems so overwhelming, and what you wrote might actually help me get going. This first step to growth - it is so simple, yet sometimes so hard do realize by yourself. This gave me much needed clarity where to start... And that is - right where I am, just consciously facing all my weaknesses without letting them to get me down. Thank you so much :)
punchek I’m really glad it helped you somehow! Best of luck! Keep moving 🙂👍🏻
Typically overthinking about what I'm doing holds me back A LOT instead of using intuition and general knowledge. The details of an object distracts me more than the underlying shapes.
I think it's just the overwhelming sense of direction about planning your passion, while still managing your job but, really wanting your career of creativity to kick off and, your in such a rush that you forget success comes with patience.
"MarshallArt" is the best wordplay I've seen in a while!
I know this video is 2+ years old now, but I've gone back to this video over and over to listen to these guys. Particularly I've listened to Peter Han's answer multiple times. It hit me pretty dang hard. Everything he said has exactly been my problem. I've drawn things and rendered them not really knowing my fundamentals. People would say "oh wow that looks great" but I was still disappointed with my work for exactly his answer. Many mistakes I made and general lack of fundamental knowledge was covered up by fancy rendering...and because my foundational knowledge was very weak I couldn't create anything to truly communicate and I wasn't retaining anything worthwhile even though sometimes I produce a nice, rendered drawing that people like (while adding details and rendering to hide my shortcomings). I realized after listening to him that I utterly lacked the foundational knowledge and it was for the exact reasons he stated. Bored of learning it, wanting to jump to the "fun stuff", not thinking I needed it, or thinking I already "knew" enough it..
...Anyway, I decided to start fixing my shortcomings. Just like him I returned to the basics. I've been studying fundamentals very much and have amassed several resources (including purchasing Proko's premium content). And at first it sucked, but I got into the mindset of accepting that "hey, I'm learning these things because I really don't know these things like I thought I did." And that feeling of 'knowing that you don't know' is actually pretty freeing because it got me in the mindset to start soaking up everything I can, without ego.
I know this video is old now and maybe I should have made this comment around the time I saw it the first time but I just wanted to leave this comment anyway as a thank you to Peter Han for that statement making me truly go back to the grindstone learning fundamentals, as well as all the other folks that gave some solid information. Just, thanks.
I've never understood the idea of what people meant when they said "hardwork".
Been drawing for 4 years for a good 4 - 8 hours a day (sometimes more, but I make sure to draw every day even on days im heavily exhausted), and I could never find someone else who shared the same issues I've had. Everyone in the video explains they wish they had the knowledge of form, anatomy, perspective, etc, yet for me it was like that from the start. Sadly, in my case, these fundamental aspects didn't really help with my drawing endeavor and I wasn't sure how to approach the subject.
So when I hear hard work, I really wish the artists were more specific. I believe it's better to understand the direction you're going, and with proper direction, you can make progress. Without that direction, it's possible to make 0 progress like I have, even though you worked really, really hard for it.
That's the problem, the knowledge obtained here was through teachers and even from famous mentors viewed within this video. So unfortunately, what is suggested here is one of the cause of this issue.
you got trapped in concepts, and boxed urself instead of letting your imagination flow :/
Make a silly line, and then blow it up from your imagination. Try that.
You're really right about that "having a specific direction" thing. I've been taking free lessons via drawabox.com and r/artfundamentals and I'd say they're the reason I'm actually able to make progress at all
4 to 8 hrs a day is a lot unless it’s work related otherwise, maybe you are to worry about being successful rather than enjoy your time drawing.
Biggest thing that held me back was dedication/procrastination.
I would draw a lot, but take long breaks in-between. I didn't have the grind mentality. I never stopped drawing, but I didn't draw as much as I wanted to. I think I was still finding my way in this world and I still am, and by no means a professional, but ever since I adopted a good work ethic and kicked myself in my but to actually draw whenever I have the chance, I am finding I am getting somewhere.
It was sitting down to draw and the fear of failure.
The advice that resonated with me the most are:
12:35
18:00
The educational system in every country in the world is different because of their aspect, reason, there. mentality and community are also designed on their own targets for growing their ability to make it different in some cases technology is also affected by their mentally physically and emotionally. So many changes come up to now in the process of artists and Arts since Stone Age to this nowadays.
Thanks for sharing artist review and their activities. As per concerns of us.
Pretty much all of these apply to me, but the way Patrick worded his stands out. I long for the day where I can actually do the things that I imagine, but my current skill level is just nowhere near that and it discourages me greatly. My relationship with drawing often feels like an if/then statement. "If: drawing skill is insufficient, Then: drawing is not fun". I don't even want to bother drawing an idea unless i feel that I can pull it of, so that leaves me with very few things I'm actually willing to draw.
If I had to sum up what holds me back the most, it might be setting weird, arbitrary rules like that for myself. "Don't draw it unless it's going to look good." "You must do studies and things to improve your skill before engaging in what's actually fun to draw" "Even though you love drawing digitally, you must draw traditionally because..." blah blah blah, basically a self-set trap to constantly ensnare my own ego with.
Comfort zones are good too, exactly because it's comfortable. If you're sucking the joy out of drawing because you're forcing yourself to step out of it too much, too soon, you may be doing more harm than good. I've been trying to get out of my comfort zone and practice new subject matter, and I've been hesitant to draw at all for half a year now. The other day I just decided to go ahead and have at my comfort zone stuff again freely, and in the span of a week I've probably done more drawing than I have the rest of the year. Be more gentle with yourself, and less forceful with your progress if you find you're not ready for that level of dedication to improvement yet.
I honestly don't understand why somebody would only be willing to work digitally. It's like saying "I love cake, but only red cakes. I do not want to eat a cake of any other colour."
@@seigeengine it's more like "i like vanilla cakes, but I don't like lemon cakes."
See, I disagree. if you were comparing two specific means of producing art, I'd agree it's more like a flavour, but digital vs tradition is a pretty arbitrary division in terms of the creative process. It's far more like colour.
Such a great video Idea, it's interesting to see all the artists opinions and advises, I could see myself in most if them. Keep at it guys!
What holds me back now mostly is myself, the selfdoubt of your skill and the lack of ability you have and therefore not posting enough or anything at all.
Another thing is procrastination and distractions. It's good to have the endless opportunities, but you have to have a goal or guide to get further.
Lack of time, since I have a full time job, family to take care of, etc. I started late, when all my life was already organised, so time is a limitation I have
Perfectionism. I really want to draw cityscape backgrounds with a lot of buildings and character models, however I get so caught up with making sure everything accurate that I never finish anything. I don't want to have any regrets.
Shout out to the (uncredited) woman who tried to casually call out Marshall Vandruff's b.s.
"I think it's a great answer too, that's why it came out of my mouth!"
I see you. I see someone else taking your answers and your spotlight.
^^^^^ this ^^^^^
Christopher Hendrix Yes! 💙
bump for justice
It's not a competition tho.
Yeah what the hell was up with that lol
1. Comparing my work to others too much.
2. Fearing that people won't like my work.
3. Feeling like I'm not meeting the right people to help me move forward.
4. Making so many mistakes that I nearly burn a hole in my paper lol.
5. (This is kinda like 4), worrying about people noticing my mistakes.
6. Being compared to other pros.
I'm going to watch this video like everyday, loved it and it's opening my eyes, thank you for this Proko!
This was really motivating.
Over detailing and being a perfectionist is holding me back. I try to stop myself, keep it in my mind when working but it's a struggle to break through that mentality.
Interview that Scooby Doo gang.
I was looking for someone to mention them cuz I was too lazy😂
I have wanted to be a comic book artist for a long time. But I still haven't mastered perspective drawing, so that is holding me back. I am 45, and that is another thing, that I may be too old to start in the comic book industry. A very inspirational video, and one that keeps me going!
commitment
Thank you for making this video Stan. It's really nice to know that even professionals were once the ones scared of showing of their works, and the ones that didn't know what they were doing. Whats holding me back is still just being worried of what other people think about my stuff, people comparing my stuff to others, and people pointing out that i'm still a very new, young, and ambitious artist that doesn't have all of the training, teachings, and mentorships others have had. I really appreciate this video. Its helped boost my confidence as a artist still starting out.
Self doubt screws me up veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery.... hard.-.
Fantastic video. Thanks for doing it. I'm a beginner and draw every day for me, it's the discipline to try and start with basic construction in terms of shape. Stopping the concentration on details and doing the hard work are the toughies.
SECOND (also was that your baby cause it’s beautiful)
Yup. That’s my boy!
Didn't know you were a family guy too! Congrats! :D
Gosh, what a great question! I feel like I have so many answers. The number one thing that held me back until recently is not putting in the mileage on the fundamentals. I always wanted to create the cool, finished work that I saw online, but would get frustrated when the sketching stage alone took many many hours. My advice to any young artists reading this is to put in the work on the fundamentals (shapes, values, composition), return to them often, and don't be afraid to make ugly art. Concert pianists learn to play incredibly difficult pieces eventually, but they had to learn to play scales first!
19:23 that Scooby Doo gang there tho xD
It's cool how you made us feel like we were walking around with you getting to meet all these artists, getting great insight. For me, I just didn't realize how much there is to learn and grow from having put one's work actually out there...showing & listening
My evil twin is holding me back...
Uh you okay?
😂😂🤣
Amazing how Peter Han goes directly to the point.
Fear of failing if I don't follow steps exactly. Like when watching your videos I'll be trying to learn and it will be going well for abit but then I become frustrated and feel like I am going too slowly and I want to do other things. Then I think I have a bad mentality and I'll never produce anything good otherwise. Then I spiral into blame and not bother drawing for abit.
Also I feel constantly like I'm too far from my goal and the obstacles are too big and I curse that I didn't start younger in something I was obviously endeared towards. Then I seriously wonder if I am going to be a professional.
I also fear my art looks crap and derivative and I have no real understanding of what I'm doing.
I've learnt a whole lot from you Stan, and also other artists like Ross Tran and Steven Oakley. But the main thing that holds me back is self doubt. I get it alot when I start a new painting, and it's a real tough thing to push through. I tend to start something, and then my head starts telling me I'm not good enough, or my anatomy is wrong. But I learnt a few years ago to deal with it and persevere with that little voice in my head. It also taught me that making mistakes is a good thing, and you can learn alot from making mistakes. One other thing that was holding me back is being too precious about my art. I used to be really precious over every little line and detail, but I discovered that it was holding me back. So I started to become a bit more relaxed with my lines and marks, and it payed off. I feel my art has improved alot from learning to become more relaxed and enjoy drawing for the sake of drawing.
compliments from non-artists. they're like candy. eat too much and get art-diabetes. idk what that means, but you know what I mean.
After 25 years, returning to my art and love of comics. Battling self-doubt and hesitation considering I was so good when I was a kid but feel like I lost the skill. This was super helpful to hear. Thank you!
+1 for perfectionism. When younger, I discovered I had a talent for hyperrealism. That pathway ended up being a career killer for me. Look forward to discovering my true art.
What holds me back even now.. watching the people in this video lol. Dayum they are all great artist who manage to make a name for themselves, meanwhile I am just a nobody who doesn't even dare to upload his own work :/
End of the day the answer is, myself :(
asd asdas How you gonna change that? C: you can do it !!
asd asdas You are not 'just a nobody'. And you have just answered with what it takes most people a lifetime to realize...if they ever realize it at all..that "What holds me back even now"? Answer: "End of the day the answer is, myself''. Remember, self conquest is the greatest of all victories.
Self conquest is the greatest of all victories. Wise words :) Very true.
As long as you look at yourself as nobody, you're gonna be like this.
asd asdas
Those bright shiny people in the video were all "nobodies " when they started, too. 🐪
( I hate all of the smiley face emojis on this phone, so I gave you a happy looking camel.)
Keep going, sunshine!
Great video Stan. Fear of failure which lends to me helping others achieve their goal is holding me back. I am perpetually reading and studying and not enough “doing.” I need to explore, make mistakes, and have fun with the process and stop doubting myself or only wanting to present a “finished” piece. I need to spend more time doing what I was born to do: draw.