Practice doing a lot of drawings, it's something basic that will help you in the future. The computer is a marvelous and exciting medium, but you must have experience in the traditional mediums in order to have the necessary background to create digital images. When I was a kid, my friend Herb Schiebold, and I would always go out and do pencil sketches and watercolor paintings on the spot. This helped us greatly when we entered the commercial art field. Even just painting abstract color designs at home will help you develop as an artist. Also, have a few heroes, Visit museums and art galleries and read art magazines. You will find a few artists that you really enjoy and this will influence some of the work that you will be doing. It's all part of the growing process that artists must go through.
5 comments:
Hi Harry,
Thanks for the great advice. I have a few of your books and regularly reference them when practicing. Any suggestions on the best way to tackle figure drawing, anatomy, etc?
Hi Kevin,
Drawing actual models would be a great way to learn about anatomy and sketching in general. Check to see if there might be an art school nearby that would have classes with live models. Ask other artists about where there might be classes with live models. I used to go to an art class which was held on Saturdays which had live models. Perhaps you can get some of your friends to pose for you. There are also some books available that have photographs of models which you can use to draw from.
Thanks, Harry, I really appreciate your input. I've been having my daughters pose for some gestures and loose sketching. That has helped a bit. I also keep a bit of reference, but for some reason figure drawing is a struggle for me. Best thing to do is keep plugging at, I'm guessing. I love your blog, btw. Very inspirational.
Hi Kevin,
You are right, art is a struggle, but one has to come to gripes with it. It is not easy by any means, but can be very rewarding as you progress. This will go on for the rest of your life. To grow you must challenge yourself as you develop. It is a most unique occupation that can be very rewarding. The fine art field is very difficult and to make a living I decided to go into the commercial art business, which I enjoyed in spite of the brutal deadlines. I still always pursued my fine art endeavors throughout my career. Not everyone will follow a dual career, but that's something that I happened to do. I am 83 and am still growing and enjoying what I am doing.
I absolutely agree with you, Harry. I was drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. I stopped drawing in my early twenties due to family commitments and over the past few years have gotten back into it. I have some commercial art training and plan on going that route eventually. It's truly great that you continue to grow as an artist. Gives people like me hope.
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