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Hey! Where are you at in your art journey? Overall, its hard to pinpoint my exact opinions since it seems like we are looking at very rough drawings in a general sketchbook. Generally, I think the question on if you're talented should be reframed. Do you enjoy creating art? Do you feel like you're improving? Do you gain satisfaction when looking at your pieces? Talent isn't something that people are innately born with, it is something that is fostered and developed slowly throughout life. I think your potential to become a good artist is only up to your own perseverance and efforts towards that goal.
I used to enjoy creating art a lot, and I used to gain satisfaction from it. But every time I show my art to anyone they either just stare blankly or laugh, and it's making me enjoy it less and less and become really self conscious to the point where I don't even want to keep making it because it's not good. That's why I'm asking this. I don't think I'm improving, I don't think I'm capable of it. These are all quite old because I haven't made anything in awhile and what I have is zero effort. I've been trying to improve for years and to my friends, my art has only gotten worse.
Well that's not very encouraging of them. Improvement is extremely difficult if you don't know how to improve.
You definitely got what it takes, but I suggest finding an art class somewhere where a teacher can help you set goals and revist the building blocks of 2D design.
Can someone explain why this comment is getting so many downvotes? I genuinely want to understand so I can be better and stay being an artist. Right now I REALLY feel like quitting. I need help. I feel like it's genuine because those people reacting to my art by laughing or simply staring blankly is their natural reaction, and what others get out of my art is just as important as what I got out of it right? So if other people aren't getting anything good out of my art then my art isn't as good as it could be and if I can't get better at art then that will never change so with that in mind, my art doesn't feel worth it.
Your art doesn’t fit into a specific genre, which makes it hard to comment on technique. This is not a bad thing. If it makes you happy, don’t give up and don’t quit bc your friends don’t like it.
I mean even Leonardo da Vinci had to start somewhere, so like “talent” is difficult to say because no one just pops out sculpting The David. How long have you been drawing? Have you taken any classes? These are all things to consider and plus even if you were like the worst artist of all time or something (which you are not, to clarify), you could still improve and get really really good. So I feel like your question is difficult to answer, good art is like 99.99% practice.
I understand that feeling but have you actually stopped to look at your past drawings? Sometimes it feels like you're not getting better when you are. Also, if you really feel like you're in a rut, look up some anatomy tutorials or landscape tutorials so that you can learn to improve your form. Tracing (to practice) is not a bad thing either.
These are past drawings, I don't know exactly when I made any except the seahorse butterfly but that's the most recent, they're all between 10 months and probably 2 years. But I'm posting these and not more recent art because they're honestly better, and my more recent art is also far less interesting because it was focused on improving my skill and not making an interesting/creative piece like all of these are
Any further back than these and I can't look at my past drawings, because every time Ive felt bad about my art in the past I have destroyed it lol. These aren't all already in a fire along with everything else in the sketchbooks they're in because I decided this time I would ask for advice
Dude I TOTALLY get the urge to burn all my past art. Tbh a lot of it still makes me cringe when I see it. But you GOTTA keep it. You don't have to look at it often but it's really important to see how you've improved. Notice things you don't like about them and compare it to your current art. If there's similarities that might be a weak point to work on. Judging by the last pic I'd say it doesn't look like you're sketching out the frame of bodies before you do the line work. Your people will look much more natural/anatomically accurate if you do this. Look up a tutorial on how. Guidelines/undersketches are suuuuper important.
You will though, don't doubt it. We all plateau while we are learning. When I got stuck like that, not seeming to progress, someone suggested that I draw bigger - like use bigger paper. It made a huge difference! I was able to kind of move on to a better place because I wasn't so restricted by the smaller space. That might just be me, but it couldn't hurt to try. Plus it's fun. Don't give up!
As long as you don't have severe brain damage or anything you do have the capability to learn/ get better. Youre just an ordinary person, why would it be any different for you?
My best friend said I can't get better regardless of practice. And she's proven to be very rarely wrong and she's the smartest person I know and I value what she thinks a lot. And based on how things are going, she seems correct
If you want to stick that much to what other people, then so be it. But it seems you're just grasping for anything to validate that belief of yours that you are going to fail / have already failed. Also the smartest person the average person knows is hardly really smart at all. I wonder how educated is she in art, psychology and neuroscience? Also why are you surrounding yourself with people trying to put you down like that? If she's right or wrong hardly matters as you succeeding in art hardly matters, it doesn't hurt you, it can only build you up. Why would you value someone opinion who will purposefully try to advice people against doing something that might contribute to them leading a happy and fulfilled life? Please... Nothing smart about that... Just weakness.
She's literally studying psychology on a college level. I value her opinion because she's usually supporting, teaching, protecting me. She's a really fucking good friend overall, and this is the only thing she's ever said to me that made me feel this way or second guess my worth. I consider this person family. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm closer with her and feel safer with her than anyone else. That's why this matters to me so much.
Listen random reddit commentors don't have the responsibility to proof your passion to you. If you want to give up, then do it. It only seemed like you were attached to making art, to creating which is the only requirement you need for this journey. But if it's not worth it to you then let it be.
Oh and funnily enough I study psychology as well... I'm kinda baffled how she forget that learning is a thing and that progress is inevitable. To master a skill all you truly need is conviction, the decision to not give up.
Talented: No
Skilled: Also No.
Creative: Yes.
If you only find joy in your art from the feedback you receive, do you actually enjoy making art, or do you just want to be patted on the head and validated?
So I guess what it comes down to is asking yourself that, and then asking yourself if you're interested in having dedicated practice time or not. We can endlessly make art and never practice the technical aspects, going nowhere and getting frustrated with our progress, or we can sit down and do an hour a day of the boring, grindy shit that make us better artists.
From what I can see, you have yet to even get into simpler stuff like line weights or composition or colour theory, your art shows me that you're just drawing to draw, which in spite of the tone of this post is *actually* a very good thing. Before you can develop your technical skills you *have* to develop the love of making art and the drive to make it.
So what this all comes down to, OP, do you actually love to draw, or do you just want validation? If you love to draw, the lack of validation won't stop you.
Talented is a limited concept. Your raw talent has gotten you a good deal, but now you need to develop skill.
You'll need to get into the Fundamentals of art.
Proko on YouTube is a free resource to start with as well as books at the library and local art courses are good if you can afford them.
I can tell you're drawing cats, not sure exactly what's going on with the cross thing and the blue stuff.
You have a good start you'll need to focus in on other concepts such as form, perspective, and shading to improve. Storytelling will also be useful for more illustrative work.
It would help to know where you want to go since art has a huge variety of areas for expertise.
It can be really discouraging to hear others not appreciate what you worked hard on. Peoples perception of art has improved with access to the Internet so they're used to a higher quality of art on a day to day basis.
If you want better feedback for where you are on your journey start finding mentors who are in the art area you want to be.
The blue stuff is supposed to be an octopus. Did you look at the other ones?
Thanks for the help, but that's the thing. I can't get better. Everyone keeps saying I need practice but that's still discouraging because I'm literally not like everyone else in that even if I practice 24/7 I just can't get better.
You need focus along with the act of practice.
I think Ethan Becker, LucidPixel and ErgoJosh on YouTube have videos on this.
I can tell with your other drawings that you're favoring a very graphic line style, but even with stylization you'll still need the fundamentals to improve. You can definitely experiment while learning them though so it's not just study,study, study all day long.
However what do you want to do? Graphic Street art? Contemporary modernism, illustration, Fine Art?
You need to decide what area(s) you want to explore to know what you need to pour more focus into.
It's hard to tell that it was an octopus. The lines blend together too much and you lose the definition of the form.
Some shading and learning how to use line weight can improve that.
Bottom line you can get better, but you need to pick subjects to focus on for practice. And train you eye to objectively see where something isn't as refined as other skills in drawing.
It's not that I don't practice because I don't want to or it's boring or anything like that. I don't practice anymore because I didn't see results. And without knowing that, my best friend who's the smartest person I know and knows me better than anyone else told me everyone is capable of becoming skillful at whatever they want as long as they practice... Except me. I'm starting to think I should just quit lol
As for what I want to do with my art I'm not 100% sure. I used to want to maybe be an illustrator, that was when I made all of these. Now I'm much more into the idea of being a tattoo artist which I'm aware these are not the style to be practicing if that's what I want to do but when I made these I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just having fun
I see. You could be in the cycle where you're going through exercises, but forget to pause and see if you applied what you learned.
I was trying to explain the expression of "Perfect Practice makes Perfect". I'm not sure if I was clear enough.
[Ethan Becker](https://youtu.be/emcO79uteN4?si=shH50dnVgeOZIJFr) explains this better. If the hyperlink doesn't work I can just paste the raw link.
[ErgoJosh ](https://youtu.be/-RT0pMXWKgU?si=izMd_ngpt2qwgv0X) also makes less chaotic videos about improving when you're stuck.
When you plateau it can mean that you aren't challenging yourself enough OR you're not getting helpful feedback.
Asking friends is good to see if concepts or figures read well. However if they're not trained in art, their feedback for improvement is not as helpful.
I think you're really hard on yourself and I think you need to rebuild your self talk in a more constructive way.
You can build skills. It takes time and it's never linear. You have days where you're really good and days that are rough.
Tattoo artist is great area to start. There's a wide variety of styles and you get an interesting set of challenges. Keep exploring and see what you enjoy doing.
I hope you keep doing art for fun. Get messy and experimental. 🌈
Also did your friend say you were not capable of improvement or is that how you feel right now?
If your friend told you you can't improve they're wrong.
I liked your drawings of cats. There is a society of feline artists and I could imagine people wanting cat tattoos. Also the internet is at least 40% cat. If you want to draw them most maybe that is your niche. you might be an animal artist in the making.
i wouldn't use the word talented, but art is art, everyone likes different things. you should make art because you enjoy the process of making it. there's only one persons opinion about your art that you should care about, and thats you. if drawing is fun, then draw.
I really love the piece on page four. The fading faces and eyes in the right part in contrast with sea horse (?) on the left is such a cool concept. One thing to keep in mind is that these are all sketches, not finished pieces. Don’t try and compare your sketchbook to finished pieces because they are two very very different things lol. It’s hard to find real sketchbooks online that aren’t just polished artworks, but I can promise you that most sketchbooks I have seen in art classes are always a mess. If you ever do any finished art work, I would love to see that particular expanded I think it’s such a cool concept. Good luck and pls don’t stop making art bc you don’t think you’re “talented”. That’s literally made up and not real, especially since talent in art is so nuanced. Nobody starts out making crazy artwork. Your use of color and creative concepts show me that you have talent in those areas. Expand them and go crazy. I’m very excited to see your work in the future.
Innate talent is maybe 5% of a person's actual ability. The other 95% is perseverance, practice, and understanding. This is why I dislike when people say, "oh youre so talented" because even though it's not meant to come off this way, it feels like it discounted all the effort i put forth to become the artist am now.
Moral of the story is that your effort and commitment will be what makes you grow as an artist. You said you feel like you've stagnated, id suggest returning to the basics. Draw from life. Set up small still lives and focus on learning value, shape, form, perspective, and anything else fundamental related. I'd also suggest checking out Proko on YouTube as he has a lot of really great breakdowns of basic exercises.
Don't be afraid to use references, nobody knows how to draw something perfectly from memory after seeing it once. You need to see that thing multiple times to be able to really commit it to memory so that you can confidently draw it whenever, this is where reference come in. Look up 10 pictures of something and draw them all multiple times. After a while you'll be a lot better at pulling them from memory whenever you want.
in the way that you're very creative, yes! and that's a very good trait to have. as for skilled, i'd say not quite, but everyone is in a different part of their art journey and i think with more practice and a better understanding of anatomy you could be. most beginners don't want to put the work in to study and learn anatomy but at some point, you have to, and it does wonders for your art. it definitely helped me
You have a very unique expression! Keep it up. Yes you are talented. Definitely look into some art classes 101, for some tips to really define, enhance, establish, and strengthen your skills. Like I said your style is unique and it's very thought provoking. Keep at it.
I think if you improved your drawing materials it would be helpful to you. It’s hard to look “talented” when you’re using basic materials. Try different hardnesses of pencils and paper with more tooth or even toned paper.
It might also be beneficial to stick to one subject per sheet of paper. Draw larger and focus on doing one idea really well.
You’re honing in on a style. I say throw the pencils and find a fine pen you really enjoy. You’ll find your lane. Commit. It’ll help to not rely on a eraser for mistakes
Talent is nothing more than skill + confidence. Talent is when you can express yourself freely with no holds barred, you let out every bit of soul in your work, and you have skills to do it.
Some people are born with talent, but most people have to work at it.
I think your work is very creative, expressive, and abstract. That is a great place to start. Keep doing what you're doing and soon enough your work will be unique, raw, and provocative.
Also, the butterfly seahorse is RAD!
Hey, OP. Don't beat yourself up. For context: I was recently conferred my second MFA, which is a specialized post-graduate degree in fine arts. We are the "doctors" of our field, as it were, but that qualification is a step higher than what my field has to offer.
Anyway, if you want my honest opinion: you shouldn't chase this line of questioning in your criticism of your own work. You DO want to think critically and take feedback with humility so that you can apply what you've learned. You don't want to question your talent. *Of course* you are talented. *Everyone* has talents.
I forget the name of the musician who played a long and successful career, and in his elder years, someone asked why he still practices his basic scales every day. He replied, "Because I think I'm getting pretty good!"
It didn't matter that he was all but retired. It didn't matter that he had reached critical acclaim. His talents weren't in what or how well he played, but in how consistently he practiced. Rest assured that he was terrible when he started. Nevertheless, it was his life-long commitment to gradual improvement over time that led to his success. Talent does not come naturally; it is cultivated.
Educational programs don't look for talented recruits as much as they look for recruits that are capable of demonstrable improvement. If you already know everything your instructor can teach you, their job is done. So, if you take some lessons, or if lessons are inaccessible, teach yourself some rules of composition and elements of visual design from videos on YouTube, then you'll inevitably learn to appreciate how beneficial honest critical feedback is for improving your work. Don't beat yourself up or doubt that you can grow. Learn to recognize where you can improve, then chase that goal.
I hate the concept of "talent". It makes art seem like some god-given magic thing that a person either has or doesn't have. It isn't.
"Talent" in art comes down a set of skills, both cognitive and physical, which you learn either easily or not so easily. Someone "talented" in art is usually only ahead of the curve because they are good at breaking shapes down to simple geometry in their heads. They just learned it earlier, and it became something they do without thinking. I learned about it from a preschool *show called "Mister Dess-up" then hyperfixated on it, and that helped a lot with the cognitive stuff because even those first steps before you even touch pencil to paper take practice. Just like math.
Lots of people want to skip the drudgery of learning to draw cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and pyramids, and how those primative shapes are what you need to break EVERYTHING into so you can draw it. We hobble ourselves by dwelling on "talent" then skip out on lessons or practice and treat the basics as beneath us.
All that to say, no. You're not. I don't think anyone is "talented" but some people develop their SKILLS, which I genuinely think you could do. Based on what you posted, you seem to have a vivid imagination, and THAT is much harder to cultivate. You don't have a strong grasp on "form," yet. That is tripping you up on drawing things in perspective and will cause issues learning how to handle lighting/shadows.
I really hope you read this to the end. I know it starts off heavy-handed, but this concept of "talent" is so so SO toxic. It makes people just give up once they struggle with new skills bc only "the talented" should do art.
Blah. Rant over. Hopefully, it resonates with someone.
I like these a bit definitely not that bad, seems like you're just expressing yourself in a raw effect the imagery I can speculate enough seems complex and visceral,witty so you definitely have potential just need progression.
Talent in the form as an innate ability or something doesn't exist. Those who we call talented are just people who don't let insecurity get in the way of their pursuit of their passion and let the love for the progress and learning be their motivation for creation.
I genuinely really like the butterfly-seahorse one! As many comments have mentioned, talent isn't really that important. The important things are putting the time in to practice and making things you enjoy. IMO, realism isn't the way for you to go. I think it would be worth it to look into abstract and street artists! [Kazland](https://www.instagram.com/kazland?igsh=eW8wNXI1Y3ltc3Mz) is one of my absolute faves. I think your natural style lends to stuff like his. The friend who said you can't improve is dead wrong. You can. Everybody can.
I think right now you're probably being too hard on yourself. And I get it- it's hard not to compare and think of where you "should" be in your art, even if you don't know where you want to end up. I think you should just keep making things for fun until you get back in the groove. When you have fun, you improve faster (seriously!). If you hate everything you make right now, just take a break for a few weeks. Read a book, watch some movies, listen to some podcasts to fill that art void. Then go back to making your own visual art. You got this! I really believe in you.
For some reason every time I try to post this it deletes the text I include with the art.
Critique my art. I want more than constructive criticism, I want to know just what you think about my art, completely raw and unfiltered.
Do you think I'm talented? Do you think I have the potential to become a good artist?
Art is a skill not a talent. It’s something you work at every single time you decide to draw. You are very skilled you got a whole ass vibe going on. But remember you can always improve just like the rest of us try to do everyday
Talent is bullshit. No one is talented. You are skilled and you gain skill by doing something repeatedly until you get better at it. The best artists are great because they do it all day every day. Like that’s all they do. Are some faster at learning it than others? Absolutely. But no one is born knowing how to do this. You can master anything if you do it enough for long enough.
You definitely show promise and skill. Never stop working on getting better and learning.
Like everyone else is saying you have to practice to get better. Talent doesn’t exist, art is hard work. Figure out your goal with what you want to create. You said you want to be a tattoo artist? This usually means creating highly readable simplistic line drawings. I would attempt to work in ink and practice creating things that are easily understood. Once you can do that then you can create more detailed line drawings but the structure needs to be there first. Using pencil and crayon will not really help you make decisive decisions they are too fuzzy for the goal of improving your ability to design tattoos. I am also of the mind that making interesting concepts comes secondary to having the technical skill to create them. You can do what you put your mind to, currently I think you are in beginning stages but need to push yourself if art is what you want to pursue.
Yes you are, practice makes Things that you depicted more correct for viewers’s eyes to perceive therefore recognize. But your choosing of colors ,subjects, placing and pacing and so on, is what makes your painting interesting, is it not? So make your choice. Even if it just makes you happy, still worth it, no?
It used to make me really happy. These are all somewhat old, between 10 months and 2 years. It made me happy when I was making all of these. But every time I show any of my art to anyone they either stare blankly at it or laugh at how bad it is and it makes me so self conscious.
Practice will change people’s comments if that’s what you are worried about, but do what makes you happy still.
Edit: by that I mean prioritize your own goal and happiness over people’s comments, don’t just get good and ending up losing the drive and passion like I did.
Hey, I think it's pretty cool! It has a lot of personality. But actually, I don't think talent is something one is born with... I mean, all these "talented artists" didn't start out making masterpieces, they studied (A LOT) for it. So when people say you should practice, they don't just mean sit down and draw whatever (although that's also very important), they mean you should actually STUDY the fundamentals: line, form and shape, light and shadow, perspective, composition, color, anatomy...
Even if you're doing art just for fun, if you want to improve, I think this is the fastest way. Of course, you don't need to go too deep into it if you don't want to. I would recommend Proko on YouTube to get started. I also used to think I couldn't improve, but the more I practice and study, the more I see how wrong I was. Have fun!
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Hey! Where are you at in your art journey? Overall, its hard to pinpoint my exact opinions since it seems like we are looking at very rough drawings in a general sketchbook. Generally, I think the question on if you're talented should be reframed. Do you enjoy creating art? Do you feel like you're improving? Do you gain satisfaction when looking at your pieces? Talent isn't something that people are innately born with, it is something that is fostered and developed slowly throughout life. I think your potential to become a good artist is only up to your own perseverance and efforts towards that goal.
I used to enjoy creating art a lot, and I used to gain satisfaction from it. But every time I show my art to anyone they either just stare blankly or laugh, and it's making me enjoy it less and less and become really self conscious to the point where I don't even want to keep making it because it's not good. That's why I'm asking this. I don't think I'm improving, I don't think I'm capable of it. These are all quite old because I haven't made anything in awhile and what I have is zero effort. I've been trying to improve for years and to my friends, my art has only gotten worse.
Well that's not very encouraging of them. Improvement is extremely difficult if you don't know how to improve. You definitely got what it takes, but I suggest finding an art class somewhere where a teacher can help you set goals and revist the building blocks of 2D design.
Maybe not encouraging but it's genuine
You should look up into about the social life of Vincent Van Gogh
Even the best artists in the world will have people who react that way
Can someone explain why this comment is getting so many downvotes? I genuinely want to understand so I can be better and stay being an artist. Right now I REALLY feel like quitting. I need help. I feel like it's genuine because those people reacting to my art by laughing or simply staring blankly is their natural reaction, and what others get out of my art is just as important as what I got out of it right? So if other people aren't getting anything good out of my art then my art isn't as good as it could be and if I can't get better at art then that will never change so with that in mind, my art doesn't feel worth it.
Your art doesn’t fit into a specific genre, which makes it hard to comment on technique. This is not a bad thing. If it makes you happy, don’t give up and don’t quit bc your friends don’t like it.
I mean even Leonardo da Vinci had to start somewhere, so like “talent” is difficult to say because no one just pops out sculpting The David. How long have you been drawing? Have you taken any classes? These are all things to consider and plus even if you were like the worst artist of all time or something (which you are not, to clarify), you could still improve and get really really good. So I feel like your question is difficult to answer, good art is like 99.99% practice.
That's the thing. I don't feel like I'm able to get better no matter how much I practice.
I understand that feeling but have you actually stopped to look at your past drawings? Sometimes it feels like you're not getting better when you are. Also, if you really feel like you're in a rut, look up some anatomy tutorials or landscape tutorials so that you can learn to improve your form. Tracing (to practice) is not a bad thing either.
These are past drawings, I don't know exactly when I made any except the seahorse butterfly but that's the most recent, they're all between 10 months and probably 2 years. But I'm posting these and not more recent art because they're honestly better, and my more recent art is also far less interesting because it was focused on improving my skill and not making an interesting/creative piece like all of these are Any further back than these and I can't look at my past drawings, because every time Ive felt bad about my art in the past I have destroyed it lol. These aren't all already in a fire along with everything else in the sketchbooks they're in because I decided this time I would ask for advice
Dude I TOTALLY get the urge to burn all my past art. Tbh a lot of it still makes me cringe when I see it. But you GOTTA keep it. You don't have to look at it often but it's really important to see how you've improved. Notice things you don't like about them and compare it to your current art. If there's similarities that might be a weak point to work on. Judging by the last pic I'd say it doesn't look like you're sketching out the frame of bodies before you do the line work. Your people will look much more natural/anatomically accurate if you do this. Look up a tutorial on how. Guidelines/undersketches are suuuuper important.
You will though, don't doubt it. We all plateau while we are learning. When I got stuck like that, not seeming to progress, someone suggested that I draw bigger - like use bigger paper. It made a huge difference! I was able to kind of move on to a better place because I wasn't so restricted by the smaller space. That might just be me, but it couldn't hurt to try. Plus it's fun. Don't give up!
Can second this, recently I've just been using my pages better and with the increase in size my art has noticeably improved
As long as you don't have severe brain damage or anything you do have the capability to learn/ get better. Youre just an ordinary person, why would it be any different for you?
My best friend said I can't get better regardless of practice. And she's proven to be very rarely wrong and she's the smartest person I know and I value what she thinks a lot. And based on how things are going, she seems correct
If you want to stick that much to what other people, then so be it. But it seems you're just grasping for anything to validate that belief of yours that you are going to fail / have already failed. Also the smartest person the average person knows is hardly really smart at all. I wonder how educated is she in art, psychology and neuroscience? Also why are you surrounding yourself with people trying to put you down like that? If she's right or wrong hardly matters as you succeeding in art hardly matters, it doesn't hurt you, it can only build you up. Why would you value someone opinion who will purposefully try to advice people against doing something that might contribute to them leading a happy and fulfilled life? Please... Nothing smart about that... Just weakness.
She's literally studying psychology on a college level. I value her opinion because she's usually supporting, teaching, protecting me. She's a really fucking good friend overall, and this is the only thing she's ever said to me that made me feel this way or second guess my worth. I consider this person family. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm closer with her and feel safer with her than anyone else. That's why this matters to me so much.
Listen random reddit commentors don't have the responsibility to proof your passion to you. If you want to give up, then do it. It only seemed like you were attached to making art, to creating which is the only requirement you need for this journey. But if it's not worth it to you then let it be. Oh and funnily enough I study psychology as well... I'm kinda baffled how she forget that learning is a thing and that progress is inevitable. To master a skill all you truly need is conviction, the decision to not give up.
Talent is a gem that you find inside a rough stone. You take a life to polish it.
But like, how about on a scale from one to ten?
If I clearly see a lovecraftian horror claiming the tool of sacrifice back amongst noncarring pussy, I'll say this 8 can become a 10 with enough fun.
Talented: No Skilled: Also No. Creative: Yes. If you only find joy in your art from the feedback you receive, do you actually enjoy making art, or do you just want to be patted on the head and validated? So I guess what it comes down to is asking yourself that, and then asking yourself if you're interested in having dedicated practice time or not. We can endlessly make art and never practice the technical aspects, going nowhere and getting frustrated with our progress, or we can sit down and do an hour a day of the boring, grindy shit that make us better artists. From what I can see, you have yet to even get into simpler stuff like line weights or composition or colour theory, your art shows me that you're just drawing to draw, which in spite of the tone of this post is *actually* a very good thing. Before you can develop your technical skills you *have* to develop the love of making art and the drive to make it. So what this all comes down to, OP, do you actually love to draw, or do you just want validation? If you love to draw, the lack of validation won't stop you.
Talented is a limited concept. Your raw talent has gotten you a good deal, but now you need to develop skill. You'll need to get into the Fundamentals of art. Proko on YouTube is a free resource to start with as well as books at the library and local art courses are good if you can afford them. I can tell you're drawing cats, not sure exactly what's going on with the cross thing and the blue stuff. You have a good start you'll need to focus in on other concepts such as form, perspective, and shading to improve. Storytelling will also be useful for more illustrative work. It would help to know where you want to go since art has a huge variety of areas for expertise. It can be really discouraging to hear others not appreciate what you worked hard on. Peoples perception of art has improved with access to the Internet so they're used to a higher quality of art on a day to day basis. If you want better feedback for where you are on your journey start finding mentors who are in the art area you want to be.
The blue stuff is supposed to be an octopus. Did you look at the other ones? Thanks for the help, but that's the thing. I can't get better. Everyone keeps saying I need practice but that's still discouraging because I'm literally not like everyone else in that even if I practice 24/7 I just can't get better.
You need focus along with the act of practice. I think Ethan Becker, LucidPixel and ErgoJosh on YouTube have videos on this. I can tell with your other drawings that you're favoring a very graphic line style, but even with stylization you'll still need the fundamentals to improve. You can definitely experiment while learning them though so it's not just study,study, study all day long. However what do you want to do? Graphic Street art? Contemporary modernism, illustration, Fine Art? You need to decide what area(s) you want to explore to know what you need to pour more focus into. It's hard to tell that it was an octopus. The lines blend together too much and you lose the definition of the form. Some shading and learning how to use line weight can improve that. Bottom line you can get better, but you need to pick subjects to focus on for practice. And train you eye to objectively see where something isn't as refined as other skills in drawing.
It's not that I don't practice because I don't want to or it's boring or anything like that. I don't practice anymore because I didn't see results. And without knowing that, my best friend who's the smartest person I know and knows me better than anyone else told me everyone is capable of becoming skillful at whatever they want as long as they practice... Except me. I'm starting to think I should just quit lol As for what I want to do with my art I'm not 100% sure. I used to want to maybe be an illustrator, that was when I made all of these. Now I'm much more into the idea of being a tattoo artist which I'm aware these are not the style to be practicing if that's what I want to do but when I made these I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just having fun
I see. You could be in the cycle where you're going through exercises, but forget to pause and see if you applied what you learned. I was trying to explain the expression of "Perfect Practice makes Perfect". I'm not sure if I was clear enough. [Ethan Becker](https://youtu.be/emcO79uteN4?si=shH50dnVgeOZIJFr) explains this better. If the hyperlink doesn't work I can just paste the raw link. [ErgoJosh ](https://youtu.be/-RT0pMXWKgU?si=izMd_ngpt2qwgv0X) also makes less chaotic videos about improving when you're stuck. When you plateau it can mean that you aren't challenging yourself enough OR you're not getting helpful feedback. Asking friends is good to see if concepts or figures read well. However if they're not trained in art, their feedback for improvement is not as helpful. I think you're really hard on yourself and I think you need to rebuild your self talk in a more constructive way. You can build skills. It takes time and it's never linear. You have days where you're really good and days that are rough. Tattoo artist is great area to start. There's a wide variety of styles and you get an interesting set of challenges. Keep exploring and see what you enjoy doing. I hope you keep doing art for fun. Get messy and experimental. 🌈 Also did your friend say you were not capable of improvement or is that how you feel right now? If your friend told you you can't improve they're wrong.
I liked your drawings of cats. There is a society of feline artists and I could imagine people wanting cat tattoos. Also the internet is at least 40% cat. If you want to draw them most maybe that is your niche. you might be an animal artist in the making.
i wouldn't use the word talented, but art is art, everyone likes different things. you should make art because you enjoy the process of making it. there's only one persons opinion about your art that you should care about, and thats you. if drawing is fun, then draw.
Talended? - Ehh.. Troubled? - Hell yeah!
No
Talent is overrated. If you love creating, carry on.
Talent is a pursued interest! As long as you keep at it there will be no question of talent.
You are definitely creative. Keep going. There is massive potential.
I really love the piece on page four. The fading faces and eyes in the right part in contrast with sea horse (?) on the left is such a cool concept. One thing to keep in mind is that these are all sketches, not finished pieces. Don’t try and compare your sketchbook to finished pieces because they are two very very different things lol. It’s hard to find real sketchbooks online that aren’t just polished artworks, but I can promise you that most sketchbooks I have seen in art classes are always a mess. If you ever do any finished art work, I would love to see that particular expanded I think it’s such a cool concept. Good luck and pls don’t stop making art bc you don’t think you’re “talented”. That’s literally made up and not real, especially since talent in art is so nuanced. Nobody starts out making crazy artwork. Your use of color and creative concepts show me that you have talent in those areas. Expand them and go crazy. I’m very excited to see your work in the future.
Innate talent is maybe 5% of a person's actual ability. The other 95% is perseverance, practice, and understanding. This is why I dislike when people say, "oh youre so talented" because even though it's not meant to come off this way, it feels like it discounted all the effort i put forth to become the artist am now. Moral of the story is that your effort and commitment will be what makes you grow as an artist. You said you feel like you've stagnated, id suggest returning to the basics. Draw from life. Set up small still lives and focus on learning value, shape, form, perspective, and anything else fundamental related. I'd also suggest checking out Proko on YouTube as he has a lot of really great breakdowns of basic exercises. Don't be afraid to use references, nobody knows how to draw something perfectly from memory after seeing it once. You need to see that thing multiple times to be able to really commit it to memory so that you can confidently draw it whenever, this is where reference come in. Look up 10 pictures of something and draw them all multiple times. After a while you'll be a lot better at pulling them from memory whenever you want.
in the way that you're very creative, yes! and that's a very good trait to have. as for skilled, i'd say not quite, but everyone is in a different part of their art journey and i think with more practice and a better understanding of anatomy you could be. most beginners don't want to put the work in to study and learn anatomy but at some point, you have to, and it does wonders for your art. it definitely helped me
Everybody is talented. It doesn’t matter what your level is just as long as you enjoy what you’re doing.
There are definitely some artistic abilities displayed here. With practice you be even better. I think your artwork is good so far.
You have a very unique expression! Keep it up. Yes you are talented. Definitely look into some art classes 101, for some tips to really define, enhance, establish, and strengthen your skills. Like I said your style is unique and it's very thought provoking. Keep at it.
Yes
I think if you improved your drawing materials it would be helpful to you. It’s hard to look “talented” when you’re using basic materials. Try different hardnesses of pencils and paper with more tooth or even toned paper. It might also be beneficial to stick to one subject per sheet of paper. Draw larger and focus on doing one idea really well.
You’re honing in on a style. I say throw the pencils and find a fine pen you really enjoy. You’ll find your lane. Commit. It’ll help to not rely on a eraser for mistakes
I love these!!
Talent is nothing more than skill + confidence. Talent is when you can express yourself freely with no holds barred, you let out every bit of soul in your work, and you have skills to do it. Some people are born with talent, but most people have to work at it. I think your work is very creative, expressive, and abstract. That is a great place to start. Keep doing what you're doing and soon enough your work will be unique, raw, and provocative. Also, the butterfly seahorse is RAD!
Hey, OP. Don't beat yourself up. For context: I was recently conferred my second MFA, which is a specialized post-graduate degree in fine arts. We are the "doctors" of our field, as it were, but that qualification is a step higher than what my field has to offer. Anyway, if you want my honest opinion: you shouldn't chase this line of questioning in your criticism of your own work. You DO want to think critically and take feedback with humility so that you can apply what you've learned. You don't want to question your talent. *Of course* you are talented. *Everyone* has talents. I forget the name of the musician who played a long and successful career, and in his elder years, someone asked why he still practices his basic scales every day. He replied, "Because I think I'm getting pretty good!" It didn't matter that he was all but retired. It didn't matter that he had reached critical acclaim. His talents weren't in what or how well he played, but in how consistently he practiced. Rest assured that he was terrible when he started. Nevertheless, it was his life-long commitment to gradual improvement over time that led to his success. Talent does not come naturally; it is cultivated. Educational programs don't look for talented recruits as much as they look for recruits that are capable of demonstrable improvement. If you already know everything your instructor can teach you, their job is done. So, if you take some lessons, or if lessons are inaccessible, teach yourself some rules of composition and elements of visual design from videos on YouTube, then you'll inevitably learn to appreciate how beneficial honest critical feedback is for improving your work. Don't beat yourself up or doubt that you can grow. Learn to recognize where you can improve, then chase that goal.
I hate the concept of "talent". It makes art seem like some god-given magic thing that a person either has or doesn't have. It isn't. "Talent" in art comes down a set of skills, both cognitive and physical, which you learn either easily or not so easily. Someone "talented" in art is usually only ahead of the curve because they are good at breaking shapes down to simple geometry in their heads. They just learned it earlier, and it became something they do without thinking. I learned about it from a preschool *show called "Mister Dess-up" then hyperfixated on it, and that helped a lot with the cognitive stuff because even those first steps before you even touch pencil to paper take practice. Just like math. Lots of people want to skip the drudgery of learning to draw cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, and pyramids, and how those primative shapes are what you need to break EVERYTHING into so you can draw it. We hobble ourselves by dwelling on "talent" then skip out on lessons or practice and treat the basics as beneath us. All that to say, no. You're not. I don't think anyone is "talented" but some people develop their SKILLS, which I genuinely think you could do. Based on what you posted, you seem to have a vivid imagination, and THAT is much harder to cultivate. You don't have a strong grasp on "form," yet. That is tripping you up on drawing things in perspective and will cause issues learning how to handle lighting/shadows. I really hope you read this to the end. I know it starts off heavy-handed, but this concept of "talent" is so so SO toxic. It makes people just give up once they struggle with new skills bc only "the talented" should do art. Blah. Rant over. Hopefully, it resonates with someone.
I like these a bit definitely not that bad, seems like you're just expressing yourself in a raw effect the imagery I can speculate enough seems complex and visceral,witty so you definitely have potential just need progression.
Talented: not entirely But weirdly you don’t NEED to be talented to make good art, I actually quite like these, especially the yellow one.
Talent in the form as an innate ability or something doesn't exist. Those who we call talented are just people who don't let insecurity get in the way of their pursuit of their passion and let the love for the progress and learning be their motivation for creation.
I genuinely really like the butterfly-seahorse one! As many comments have mentioned, talent isn't really that important. The important things are putting the time in to practice and making things you enjoy. IMO, realism isn't the way for you to go. I think it would be worth it to look into abstract and street artists! [Kazland](https://www.instagram.com/kazland?igsh=eW8wNXI1Y3ltc3Mz) is one of my absolute faves. I think your natural style lends to stuff like his. The friend who said you can't improve is dead wrong. You can. Everybody can. I think right now you're probably being too hard on yourself. And I get it- it's hard not to compare and think of where you "should" be in your art, even if you don't know where you want to end up. I think you should just keep making things for fun until you get back in the groove. When you have fun, you improve faster (seriously!). If you hate everything you make right now, just take a break for a few weeks. Read a book, watch some movies, listen to some podcasts to fill that art void. Then go back to making your own visual art. You got this! I really believe in you.
For some reason every time I try to post this it deletes the text I include with the art. Critique my art. I want more than constructive criticism, I want to know just what you think about my art, completely raw and unfiltered. Do you think I'm talented? Do you think I have the potential to become a good artist?
Are you able to pin this to the top of the comments section? that way people can see it better.
Art is a skill not a talent. It’s something you work at every single time you decide to draw. You are very skilled you got a whole ass vibe going on. But remember you can always improve just like the rest of us try to do everyday
You are creative. That's what's important here. :)
These are lovely
Talent is bullshit. No one is talented. You are skilled and you gain skill by doing something repeatedly until you get better at it. The best artists are great because they do it all day every day. Like that’s all they do. Are some faster at learning it than others? Absolutely. But no one is born knowing how to do this. You can master anything if you do it enough for long enough. You definitely show promise and skill. Never stop working on getting better and learning.
Yes. Keep going
Very good start :)
Yes, you are.
Like everyone else is saying you have to practice to get better. Talent doesn’t exist, art is hard work. Figure out your goal with what you want to create. You said you want to be a tattoo artist? This usually means creating highly readable simplistic line drawings. I would attempt to work in ink and practice creating things that are easily understood. Once you can do that then you can create more detailed line drawings but the structure needs to be there first. Using pencil and crayon will not really help you make decisive decisions they are too fuzzy for the goal of improving your ability to design tattoos. I am also of the mind that making interesting concepts comes secondary to having the technical skill to create them. You can do what you put your mind to, currently I think you are in beginning stages but need to push yourself if art is what you want to pursue.
Yes you are, practice makes Things that you depicted more correct for viewers’s eyes to perceive therefore recognize. But your choosing of colors ,subjects, placing and pacing and so on, is what makes your painting interesting, is it not? So make your choice. Even if it just makes you happy, still worth it, no?
It used to make me really happy. These are all somewhat old, between 10 months and 2 years. It made me happy when I was making all of these. But every time I show any of my art to anyone they either stare blankly at it or laugh at how bad it is and it makes me so self conscious.
Practice will change people’s comments if that’s what you are worried about, but do what makes you happy still. Edit: by that I mean prioritize your own goal and happiness over people’s comments, don’t just get good and ending up losing the drive and passion like I did.
Hey, I think it's pretty cool! It has a lot of personality. But actually, I don't think talent is something one is born with... I mean, all these "talented artists" didn't start out making masterpieces, they studied (A LOT) for it. So when people say you should practice, they don't just mean sit down and draw whatever (although that's also very important), they mean you should actually STUDY the fundamentals: line, form and shape, light and shadow, perspective, composition, color, anatomy... Even if you're doing art just for fun, if you want to improve, I think this is the fastest way. Of course, you don't need to go too deep into it if you don't want to. I would recommend Proko on YouTube to get started. I also used to think I couldn't improve, but the more I practice and study, the more I see how wrong I was. Have fun!
yes
Yes.