Discussion: Art skill development

[mekare]

Since we are in between challenges atm, I’d be interested in what you are all working on. Do you have a specific skill you are trying to learn? A technique or new medium? A subject matter you haven’t portrayed a lot? Is making time for your art a challenge right now?

What are your personal challenges right now or your successes?

Comments

[mific]

Yes, I struggle with likenesses too - have to stick closely to a reference which maybe reduces spontaneity?

[mekare]

Yes I find that too! I'd love to be more free but often feel I need to copy the ref to egt the likeness....

[goss]

Same here.

Since it doesn't come naturally, for me I figure that in large part it probably comes down to practice, or lack thereof. In early days, I remember getting quite good at certain faces, when I was making art exclusively for one fandom.

I think in the last 10 years or so I keep flitting around from one subject matter to another, and haven't really produced multiple pieces of any one particular face. Maybe I should take time to do that!

[goss]

Yeah, and it kind of takes the wind out of my sails when I'm on a roll and have to slow right down and backtrack and work on technical stuff.

Because I have perfectionist tendencies, this is the part where I can sometimes become discouraged, frustrated and generally speaking it just reduces my confidence levels as I'm creating, which is the opposite of how I like to feel with I'm doing something for fun. :b