This might be a dumb question, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway! I'm really interested in learning how to create art, and skill-wise I'm currently right where you were at the start. If I were to follow your exact path, it would take me many years to get anywhere near your level, and while I'm up to the challenge, I don't have four solid years to devote to a new college run at the moment. However, looking back on my computer science education (which forms the basis of my professional career), I can definitely see how I could have acquired the skills to get me where I am today in far less time had I known exactly which areas to focus on ahead of time. Same with my music education; in my music courses, we covered what I had been studying (half-heartedly) for most of my childhood in about a semeseter. Art-wise, do you have any suggestions for specific areas to focus on that might substantially accelerate my education?
Anyway, thanks for the great article! This might just be the kick I need to start taking art seriously. :)
I was in a similar situation about 8 months ago—You just have to pick up a pencil and go for it.
I had just finished college and found a great job. With all the free time I didn't have in school, I decided to buckle down and start taking art seriously (instead of doodling cartoon figures). I knew I need to start out by building a solid foundation, which meant that I have to really familiarize myself with the basics and maintain a daily habit of learning+practicing (even if my brain no longer wants to operate after 7-9 hour of work). That's what I have been doing in the past 8 months.
It takes quite a bit of self-discipline and sometimes it's just hard to get yourself to commit to it, but it the end it's all worthwhile. I have made (small) decent progress... It's a wonderful feeling, to know that you are able to confidently produce something that you would've not been able to do so several months ago. Here are some of my recent practice sketches: https://i.imgur.com/gtR8T2t.jpg
Proko has several tutorial series that I strongly recommend for beginners that are looking for somewhere to start: http://www.proko.com/
I wonder, is art only about education? I used to be pretty good at sketching in general, But i feel i do not have the imagination to create such wildly out of the world landscapes. Is there a way to learn how to imagine? Or would one say art isnt for everyone?
When I was younger, I was really worried about learning how to imagine, specifically in regards to music. So many musicians seemed to have started out at ridiculously young ages, and despite the fact that I had been plunking away at piano lessons for many years, I still couldn't hear any original music in my head. Then, when I got to college, I decided to do a side-major in music, just for fun. As I was doing my listening exercises (hours of analytical listening) and diving into the depths of music theory, I started noticing something in my head opening up. I could hear snippets of music... recombined from others I had heard recently, perhaps, but with definite original streaks to them. I was not actively playing an instrument at the time. I was not even composing. All I was doing was building a solid musical foundation. And just like that, after a couple of "aha!" moments, music was no longer a formless mist. It had structure. It had rules (that you could elect to break). Now that I could see the walls of my room, I could finally start to build on my own.
Anyway, my hunch (and reading between the lines of the article) is that something similar happens with art. Once you learn to intuitively visualize shapes in three dimensions, and once you develop a large mental "reference library" of architecture/landscape/characters/etc., you'll be able to create imaginitive new worlds without much effort. But without having that foundation, you're still stumbling around in the dark.
Anyway, thanks for the great article! This might just be the kick I need to start taking art seriously. :)