Art Takes Time!

I saw someone on the Internet getting a lot of negative comments about their art work, and it was making them question their worth and value as an artist. It made me both really sad and quite angry. The art world gets enough flak as it is, you know? When I see kids online getting spit on for showing off what they're proud of, despite their current level of development, it just hurts me.

So I contacted this kid and had a little chat with them. I really liked what I said, and they were really appreciative, too. I want to share it on my blog for that off chance someone who needs it stumbles across it.

This is essentially how it went:

"You were worrying about your work earlier, and the way people were reacting to it. Well, let me tell you that those people are wrong and just mean. Here, let me show you some things."

I proceeded to show them some of the first pieces of art I ever uploaded to a website. For example:

    

"I was eleven and twelve years old when I created these. They were masterpieces, to me; I was so proud. Honestly, even now, when I look back, they're not terrible for that age range. I was at a pretty decent level of development at the time, but in comparison to what I was capable of a few years ago and what I am capable of now, they're terrible! When I look back at stuff like this, I both laugh and cringe for the aforementioned reasons, as do most artists when they recall their ancient work.

"I've come a long way, you know, and it's all because of practice, hard work, and the aid of educators."

All of this began more visuals of my growth as time went on, for this kid was in such a low place, they sincerely thought that growth was impossible.

    

The above are examples of my first time creating digital art. I had explained that I am currently pursuing graphic design and that it all started with my fascination with this type of art. It was extremely difficult using and becoming comfortable with a graphics tablet, but I got the hang of it eventually. As you can already see, I was becoming better at drawing. These images are just a couple of years newer than the original drawings further up. I was probably fourteen when I started experimenting with this.

It goes on, though! When I got into high school, I discovered a club about digital art. I figured I would check it out and maybe learn a few things considering I was truly interested and very inexperienced. This began my more formalized journey into learning art and becoming the artist I am still discovering today! It was in these classes that I was introduced to a new type of digital art called vectors. (Vectors are pretty much the coolest things since they are completely scalable! No pixelation here!) It was probably the hardest thing for me to learn. I sincerely hated Adobe Illustrator (the program used to make said vectors) during the first few projects; however, the more I used it, the more I fell in love with it. Vectors make up the majority of my current art, however I have not given up digital drawings.

    

These are some of my first vectors. Can you see the progression still? Perhaps another two to three years has passed since the last set of examples. Allow me to show some of my recent work–some of my favorite pieces that I've done lately, about five or so years later and in no particular order.

  

    

The above are recent examples of my digital work, both vector and digital drawing. I love these pieces so much, and I know that in a few years, I will have better things that I love even more. This past summer, I took a still life drawing class for my degree, and I am currently in a life drawing class for my degree. These classes were my first formal traditional drawing classes to ever take. I was afraid of them, and I was so worried that my skills with a computer may not translate well with merely pencil and paper. I was wrong. However, despite that wrongness, I still learned so much. I am slowly changing as an artist. I am becoming skilled in ways I never thought I would ever be skilled.

    

    

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, and that has definitely played a role in my development. These images showcase roughly seven to eight years of growth, development, and experience as I continued to practice and learn in multiple environments and with multiple mediums. Every day I continue to draw, and I continue to surprise myself with my progress. I surprise myself by doing what I never thought I could. 

Art takes time, practice, and dedication. If you love it, pursue it. It will be a long, grueling process, but as time goes on, your growth will literally be visible to your naked eye and to those who watch and encourage you. Take the time to draw at least a little something every day, make a habit of learning something new and practicing it until you feel like you have it down. Listen to the advice people who are at a higher skill level have, because they were once where you are. Art is hard work. Everyone who is "great," and "amazing," and any other fantastic adjective you can think of will tell you; every artist you admire will say the same thing, too. 

Remember, there is no such thing as "bad art," there is merely "inexperience."