OH NO, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL
and i do not have the skills to teach other people how to draw but sometimes people ask me for art advice anyway, as if i know what i'm doing. so, i present to you, in NO order, my Art Advice. i know maybe a few things. but also nothing.
EVERY DIGITAL ARTIST SHOULD BE USING CLOUD BACKUP AND I WILL NEVER STOP SCREAMING THIS
DO IT. choose a service with file versioning-- i like dropbox. save all your art in it, or at least things you're actively working on, and pair it with a paranoid save-button-mashing habit and you will never lose a whole piece to a crash, power outage, file corruption, or simple absentmindedness ever again. merged some stuff you didn't mean to? reload an old version. corrupted file? retrieve the pre-corruption version from the abyss. you can straight up walk into Hades and pull your dead art out of there like goddamn Hercules. if you're bad at remembering to save, set up Big Stretch Reminder to yell at you to save periodically. (does your tablet have customizable buttons? make one of them ctrl + s. MASH THAT FUCKER.)
IT'S FINE TO DRAW JUST FOR FUN
unless you're trying to make a career, you absolutely do not have to make improvement your #1 priority. you can do art just for fun. you can take it slow. as a wise tumblr user once said, "don't let anyone piss on your good mood amigo".
IT'S FINE TO GOOF OFF
do not guilt trip yourself for having fun. play a video game. watch some animes. go outside and find some cool rocks. have fun and recharge. this is FOOD for your artistic growth. what made you want to draw? what good would would depriving yourself of more of it do? indulge yourself often and generously in everything that you love and that inspires you.
SUPPRESS SELF-CRITICISM WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO WORK
if music isn't cutting it, try putting on podcasts, video essays, documentaries, tv shows that are easy to just listen to, etc. on in the background. it may not work for everyone, but i find that when i give my brain a chew toy, it doesn't interfere as much with my art.
KIDS, DOES YOUR TEACHER HATE YOUR ANIME ART?
if you have an Art Teacher Who Vehemently Hates Anime For Some Reason, absorb their knowledge and use it to draw better anime. it's the best revenge.
TALK LESS SHIT ABOUT YOURSELF
sometimes self-deprecating humor is a great release for the frustration that comes with not being as skilled as you want to be. but try to be nice, ok? drawing is hard. make a dedicated effort to complimenting yourself, and avoid disparaging your own art when you post it online. it's fine to have these feelings, but indulging them too much can turn into real self-hatred.
EXHAUSTION IS NOT A VIRTUE
exhaustion and overwork are bad, not glamorous. be wary of people who glorify them. take care of your body. don't ignore aches and pains. stretch often and try to develop good posture habits.
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
it is not a failure to not be a prodigy or a genius. prodigies and geniuses are outliers. you do not have to be a statistical anomaly to make art. time is arbitrary and age is irrelevant. there will always be people more skilled than you at earlier ages. be happy for them, learn what you can from every artist you admire, and keep forging your own path. your art will never be exactly like anyone else's, and that's wonderful!!
KEEP YOUR OLD ART
keep as much of it as you can. when you feel like you aren't making progress, or you just feel despair about your art in general, look back on your old art and see how far you've come. if it makes you cringe, that means you've grown. someday, the stuff that makes you cringe will make you smile.
DO IT. choose a service with file versioning-- i like dropbox. save all your art in it, or at least things you're actively working on, and pair it with a paranoid save-button-mashing habit and you will never lose a whole piece to a crash, power outage, file corruption, or simple absentmindedness ever again. merged some stuff you didn't mean to? reload an old version. corrupted file? retrieve the pre-corruption version from the abyss. you can straight up walk into Hades and pull your dead art out of there like goddamn Hercules. if you're bad at remembering to save, set up Big Stretch Reminder to yell at you to save periodically. (does your tablet have customizable buttons? make one of them ctrl + s. MASH THAT FUCKER.)
IT'S FINE TO DRAW JUST FOR FUN
unless you're trying to make a career, you absolutely do not have to make improvement your #1 priority. you can do art just for fun. you can take it slow. as a wise tumblr user once said, "don't let anyone piss on your good mood amigo".
IT'S FINE TO GOOF OFF
do not guilt trip yourself for having fun. play a video game. watch some animes. go outside and find some cool rocks. have fun and recharge. this is FOOD for your artistic growth. what made you want to draw? what good would would depriving yourself of more of it do? indulge yourself often and generously in everything that you love and that inspires you.
SUPPRESS SELF-CRITICISM WHILE YOU'RE TRYING TO WORK
if music isn't cutting it, try putting on podcasts, video essays, documentaries, tv shows that are easy to just listen to, etc. on in the background. it may not work for everyone, but i find that when i give my brain a chew toy, it doesn't interfere as much with my art.
KIDS, DOES YOUR TEACHER HATE YOUR ANIME ART?
if you have an Art Teacher Who Vehemently Hates Anime For Some Reason, absorb their knowledge and use it to draw better anime. it's the best revenge.
TALK LESS SHIT ABOUT YOURSELF
sometimes self-deprecating humor is a great release for the frustration that comes with not being as skilled as you want to be. but try to be nice, ok? drawing is hard. make a dedicated effort to complimenting yourself, and avoid disparaging your own art when you post it online. it's fine to have these feelings, but indulging them too much can turn into real self-hatred.
EXHAUSTION IS NOT A VIRTUE
exhaustion and overwork are bad, not glamorous. be wary of people who glorify them. take care of your body. don't ignore aches and pains. stretch often and try to develop good posture habits.
DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
it is not a failure to not be a prodigy or a genius. prodigies and geniuses are outliers. you do not have to be a statistical anomaly to make art. time is arbitrary and age is irrelevant. there will always be people more skilled than you at earlier ages. be happy for them, learn what you can from every artist you admire, and keep forging your own path. your art will never be exactly like anyone else's, and that's wonderful!!
KEEP YOUR OLD ART
keep as much of it as you can. when you feel like you aren't making progress, or you just feel despair about your art in general, look back on your old art and see how far you've come. if it makes you cringe, that means you've grown. someday, the stuff that makes you cringe will make you smile.