[tbone28]

I have been drawing since I was 5 years old. And I have been getting really serious about drawing. I know I have a talent for it, because when I was five I was doing things that other kids my age could not do. (like look at any picture and draw a good copy of it just by looking). But now I am serious about making really GOOD digital art. And I have learned from others who have gone to art school how to develop a good picture. Planning, thumbnails, composition etc. There is more to learn.
What I have found though is I become very impatient when trying to do this. I have found that my style of drawing is RAW and when I make a picture if it is not coming out a certain way I just trash it. Sitting down and planning out a picture seems so heavy to me and hard. I know I can do it. I know I do not lack any ability to draw what I want to draw. I have drawn many really good pictures that I would consider complete.
Any advice on dealing with this frustration? Has anyone else experienced this frustration? I have 12 pictures I am planning on making. They are cool ideas but I fear that I will not have the resolve of things not coming out the way I want. Perhaps what I need to do is use these awesome resources that people have put together like http://www.sumaleth.com/links/ Things that will keep me going and learning how to put my ideas together.

Any advice?

Tone
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Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

[Mon]

That kind of energy and impatience you're describing can be both a blessing and a curse. I don't think I can help you without looking at anything you've done though, to get a sense of where you stand today. If you would post something I'll take a look, for whatever that's worth

/mon
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www.mattiassnygg.com
Blog!

[tbone28]

Here is an example of some of my work. Some of it is old. This first one is a work in progress I started over a year ago. Hope this helps








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Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

[Mon]

sorry for taking so long to reply...

I think what you need to do is just to make a lot of pictures. If you have ideas you want to develop into paintings, that's great, but don't be afraid to play around. Paint from life. Take a close look at color, and try to get it as close to life as possible. Draw everything you see, quick sketches and carefully rendered studies. Draw people, from life if possible.

good luck!

/mon
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www.mattiassnygg.com
Blog!

[AndyT]

Well obviously you can draw!
Now you want to know how to make better digital images?

Well it's important that the concept works.
Try to think around the objects you draw.
The faces you drew for example are better when they are viewed from the side.
You should practice more difficult/interesting views now.

I think you already understand how proper perspective works ... you just should practice more as Mon said.
But you also need to know some theoretical stuff.

If the pencil images should be more than just sketches you should study images by other artists.
I think the images there are good examples:
http://www.blancfonce.com/galleries.html

There's a thread about composition at Conceptart.org
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6398

Learn more about tone and values.
www.fineart.sk/anat
Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis:
http://www.fineart.sk/loomis/page_04.htm

Make studies from photos. You'll need reference images as long as you are learning IMO.

Look at tutorials in the Link Archive to learn approaches.
http://www.robertocampus.com/n_tutorial_digital_portrait.shtml?type=tutorialdp
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/arth/artisticprocess.htm
(for example)

Hope that helps.
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http://www.conceptworld.org

[lafolli]

I know what you mean by having a hard time sitting and planning a picture. That is hard for me too. I guess the thing that helps me the most is sometimes to just sit down and do free-form drawings, not planning too much but just sketching. Making a bunch of smaller, lower resolution thumbnail sketch can help formulate the ideas as you go along without getting yourself too committed to doing things one way or another. It frees you up so your imagination and your logic can work together better. At least that helps me a lot. Maybe you should try that and see if it helps you. You should also study the fundamentals of composition but honestly when it comes time to sit down and plan a picture sometimes you have to step out of the "rules" and just let your imagination go. That will give your images much more power. And if you already know enough about the basics of composition, color theory and such, those things will work themselves out naturally.

[tbone28]

Thanks for all your suggestions. They have been really helpful. I will have to post my progress. It is funny but I found this site last night that talks about thinking your better than you are,

"There are a lot of artists that overestimate their abilities. This happened to me in high school, and could have been a result of general teenage cockiness. Luckily, there is also a point in drawing when these artists wake up and realistically appreciated their strengths with a newfound respect for how much more there is to learn." - Alan tew

I think that is what happened to me. I thought I was really good and realized just how raw I am. I don't feel like I am starting out with nothing, I just realize how much I don't know. This is a good thing. I look forward to learning much more.

Again thanks for all your help!

I look forward to sharing more with you and seeing all your work.

Tone
_________________
Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.