Anonymous asked: So... I have something to ask. I'm aspiring to be an artist once I can attend art college, but for now I'm still quite young. Lately, I've been doubtful of my current style, as I was told just the other day that "all (my) characters look the same". I'd like for my style to be a tad more realistic, but... I can't seem to make anything work that way. I know I have time to keep learning and developing, but I'm impatient; I can't help it. What should I do?
Ooooh do I feel you there- unfortunately you’re going to be like that, forever. Yup. Artists, no matter what their age, nearly always feel this way- I certainly do! Right now, as it happens. The funny thing is the when you feel that you’re really in a rut and not improving or going too slowly etc. that is usually the time that you are learning the most. It doesn’t show because your brain is always 5 years ahead of your hands, but the connections are being made, and that sense of self analysis (barring being too overly self critical) is vital to improving.
I’m sorry I can’t help get rid of that impatient feeling, but you really do just have to be… patient! And not with ‘waiting until you’re better at stuff’ I mean just, patient. With yourself and with others and with the world and how you fit into it, or not! Patience is not about doing nothing, it is active; it is about diligence and coping with frustration by observing. So, observe what is frustrating you: if you have a real weakness, like say hands or feet or backgrounds, make it your focus for a while. Just do studies of real hands and feet, or colour studies of nice landscapes, or try imitating a style that you like and then apply it to something new. Give yourself little challenges in the form of games and art lessons, and don’t feel obliged to post the results; the majority of the ‘learning’ work I do is never seen by other people because in itself it is not especially valuable, it is the process of doing it that is.
If you want to push your style in particular, studying the real thing super helps with that. Don’t worry about it looking ‘realistic’, just drive yourself to understand what you are looking at. Be intimate- try to know what you are drawing inside out, because when you are at that level of understanding then you can start pulling it to pieces and exaggerating different parts of it in an effective way (which is basically how you stylize). Try breaking yourself out of your comfort zone, too; try using different media than usual, or even draw with your none dominant hand for a while! Allow yourself to play and get things wrong, because both of those things are how you learn to get better.