So, I have had a great deal with this topic before and I would like to explain myself a little before getting to the actual subject of this post,
so please read EVERYTHING before going any further.
When I was younger, probably around 11 or 12, I found myself constantly depressed and angry at my lack of progressing skills. I was always under the shadow of my Dad, who is a fantastic artist. He isnt cocky, in fact he is incredibly modest about all his artwork. However, I was always compelled to compare my work to his, and at that age, it was no comparison. I was depressed to the point of throwing all of my drawings, yes ALL of them, into the trash can and swearing of art forever.
My Dad salvaged all my work (thankfully) and still has it to this day. But that is not the point of this post. What always escaped my mind is the fact that he had been drawing 30+ years longer than I had, and for some reason, I always expected my work to compare to his. But of course that wass not the case. The same thing happened when I joined this forum in early 2004. I saw work by guys like Canay and was demoralized. Sure, by then I could hold my own fairly well in the art world, but it was still no comparison to the ungodly work that can be found here.
That being said, with the recent influx of younger people that we have coming in lately, I wanted to make a post emphasizing the fact that the experienced artists on this site did not start off drawing like we do now. We all started off with lopsided wheels and funny perspective.
I also want to emphasize that you should not compare your beginner work to the work of Canay, or anyone else, like Lemorris or myself. It does no good, and only creates frustration. We are always here to help you along the way with anything you ever need. Someone may be born with talent, but it takes years of practice to hone that talent. In my experience, the art world is very hard on the self. It can be hard on your emotion, stamina, and others around you. My art has cost me a relationship, and more good grades than I can count. But it is what I love. It involves a great deal of dedication, and practice.
Which brings me to my next point. For anyone who has ever sat down and scribbled out a car design, or anything for that matter, and compared it to a professional's artwork only to become frustrated at the lack of similarity, it is all about practice. I am sure that I sound like a broken record in this section, but I know from experience, that practice is the key to all good art. I cant emphasize that enough.
I am a very visual learner, and I figure many of you may be too. So I thought this might help as an example of what I mean by "practice", so here we go. Its not automotive, but it bears the same point...
Three months ago, I decided that the skulls I was used to drawing werent good enough anymore. So I decided to get better.
Here is what my skulls looked like at this point (yes, this as of February, 2006):
Pretty sad, isn't it. I drew this one day in my 3D-art class at CU-Denver. It made me sick to look at it. So I decided that I wanted more out of my skullwork. For the next 3 months, I gave myself intense drilling and training on skulls, plain and simple.
-I studied a replica human skull in one of the Science departments at my school. I took notes, drew sketches, and noted important distinctions.
-I googled images of real human skulls
-I googled images of cartoon skulls. From artwork, religion, logos, stickers, patches, jewelry, clothing, band logos, everything I could find. I noted patterns, emphases, and uniformity between literally hundreds of styles of skulls.
-I studied the work of numerous artists who do skullwork. In fact, my biggest influence on my work is a man by the name of Jime Litwalk. Easily my favorite artist.
-Finally, I used all of this knowledge intermitently with practice. Hundreds of sketches, I have literally filled 2 sketchbooks with sketches of skulls. I just bought my 3rd last week. I have drawn more skulls in the past 3 months than I can even count. I draw in class, at home, when I cant sleep, when I should be studying, and even on the train to school. I sketch out on one of the lawns at my school during an off period, out on my back porch when Im with friends smoking a hookah, during lectures. I can not emphasize enough how important this is.
And the moral of my rant? Hopefully I can let the pictures sum it up for you. Remember, this is after
three months of study and practice. Thats it. Please refer to my pic posted above before viewing the pictures below...
Three months.
I hope this little article can help some of you. If anyone has anything to add, please, feel free. I want this section to be a place for learning, as well as a place to show off work.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me as well.