[Lunatique]

What don't you like about your own art, and what are you doing about it?

Me:

Someone in another thread commented that he hasn't seen my work since the Melancholic Princess piece, and that I've gotten really good since then. I think I haven't improved much at all. In fact, I feel like I've been walking on a plateau for the past couple of years. My brushwork is still very sterile, and my color sense too conventional. In general, I don't have enough balls when I paint. Not enough spontaneity. It was like that when I painted traditionally, and it's still like that in digital. I know and have heard all the advice on using bigger brushes, allow less time, paint like you don't care...etc. Trust me, if I could do it, I'd have done it by now. I used to paint traditionally from life models when I ran a weekly life drawing workshop at a game company, and although those were a lot more spontaneous, they sure the hell don't seem to help my non-life drawing/painting pieces be any more spontaneous. I'm kinda at my wit's end about this and it's become the bane of my painting existence. Should I switch to my left hand or paint while I'm drunk to break this cycle? Maybe I should spend a year just aping styles like Schmid, Sorolla, Pino, Sargent...etc? Wait, what am I saying? That's what I've WANTED to do but couldn't.

Anyway, what about you?

[Alan]

i would say my situation is about the opposite of Lunatique. I am too spontaneous and don't plan enough. So, i am just trying to work on planning stuff out more.

oh, and i also stopped painting left handed while drunk

-Alan

[ceenda]

I'm terrible at planning, mostly because I'm ashamed of my sketching work (and I need to get the hammer and tongs out on that one). I'm also dissapointed with the washed-out colours I seem to come up with on my own (and thank goodness for level adjustment or we wouldn't see anything at all). I wish I could work in oil colour too. In fact. I will. I shall! Haha!

I've decided for the next year or so to abandon digi-art and concentrate on my drawing and painting skills. Especially as I'll need the portfolio if I want to study again.

Also, there's always the fear we'll have an EMP war some day and we'll all be made to use paints again...

[Lionel]

The thing I hate most about my art is the way I find it so dificult to start doing a piece of art where as when I have started I enjoy it so much whereas I find it so easy to start watching t.v but I find it so unsatisfying. The other thing I hate is when I started doing art I got a real buzz out of doing art I feel my paintings come together and felt satisfied with the results. Now when I do a painting I just feel disatisfied with my work (I still enjoy doing it though). I call it arogance but no matter how hard I try I can't lower my expectations.

Lunatique:

If you really want to improve your brush work try copying some Lucian Freud paintings (not his early paintings but his older ones like
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/freud/freud.reflection.jpg ). I think you would have a lot more success than trying to copy a sargent Schmid etc. The reason is that you just fail to put brush strokes into a Lucian Freud copy and it will also help you be much more daring with colour choices (look at the way he puts plains of colours next to each other and when you have understoad that a large part of your battle has been won). Anyway it will not take that long to do a copy (I recomend doing the one I linked to) and after you finish I bet you start to feel the difference and after you have done a few I bet you will see the difference.

[o0katz0o]

omg Lunatique, I LOVE Your work! *dies of envy* You know how much I'd give to paint like you!! well a LOT! haha
Well I think I suck and need to work on everything, i just started doing it properly though. I seem to have this false assumption that I'll be good at trhings the first time I try, it's terrible because then I do it, find out I truly suck and want to give up, then the experience has this bad feeling attached to it and it is hard to go back and try again later. Err, I'm trying to stop thinking this way but it's hard, cos I'm not consciously aware of it.
_________________
Katie
LUVED.ORG
CREATEDIGITAL.NET

[neff]

i think the only thing i dont like about my art. are the anatomical errors
_________________
*

[spyroteknik]

i hate how much i use black, and how much it ends up dominating and dulling down shadows, i have been trying to avoid it, but its like i switch off and it selects itself, and wish i had the balls to use colour the way it should be used, my muted nature coming out, low contrast images seem to be what i go for in the beginning, i hate how i resort to the smallest brushes in the world and noodle all over, and my speedpaints look like arse, only after 5rs rendering do they look ok (:spoogequote:polished turd syndrome:/endspoogequote:, that has improved to some extent but it's time and practise i need to improve my base drawing skills), i think it'd help if i knew exactly what direction i was going in, i learn something every day so i havent found a concrete method of doing things (suppose that's a good thing), but one day i'll sketch an outline, paint over it, the other i'll work on planes and forms, confuses me, enjoying the ride though, and i haven't been on it very long, feel like the kid getting to sit in the cockpit of a fighter

[Lunatique]

Lionel - You know what, I can see the pinks, greens, yellows..etc in that piece, and I'm sure that I can make a nice copy of it--but whether or not the experience will stay with me is another matter. At this point, I'm not even sure copying something will really help. I can understand the structure, technique, style..etc of the artists I admire, but to be able to implement them into my own work is something I haven't been able to do. I guess this is one of the main goals of every artist--to implement all your influences and maybe come up with something that's uniquely your own.

o0katz0o - Thanks. I think this is one of the positive things about art school. You have to do it for the grade, and the more you do it, the better you become. When you do it on your own, no one forces you and you run the other way the moment you start to have negative feelings. I wonder how differently I would've turned out if I had gone to art school.

spyroteknik - What if you make a color layer, then alter your blacks that way--so you don' thave to think about it while using your black. It's kind of cheating, but then again, that's the beauty of digital. Hell, even old masters use to do monochrome underneath, then glaze the color on top.

[eyewoo]

I don't like that I love doing it as much as I do - that I get so focused on doing it. That it has such a hold on me, that at times it seems more important to me than family or friends. I don't like the amount of time I spend on it. I don't like that it makes me fear losing my eyesight or the use of my hands.

That last one is only an occasional fear - not obsessive, but the former stuff is very real for me - the internal preasure to stop and spend time with the family, when I'd rather just keep going. That I don't like.
_________________
HonePie.com
tumblr blog
digtal art

[Max]

I hate that my art sucks though I am 17, I should be better at my age.
I don't have a own style. I change my style with every new image I start. Like Lionel said, it's absolutely difficult for me to start doing a painting though when it's getting good I can't stop..which is a good feeling actually. I too often feel disatisfied with my stuff, normally when I look at other guys stuff, not to mention spooge, oh, I did...I just see how bad I am.
I break up painting a pice too early, if the first three strokes don't look like the ones of master I ran out of motivation and turn on the TV. Actually the few images I made are okay, but they are just a few, that's what I hate most. I just never finish anything, and I don't mean like rendering 5 hours, just a simple sketch...nope,.. imposible for me...arggg
I quess I feel that way because I am sourounded by some of the best artists ever. At least better than sitting at home thinking you are good when you actually aren't. There is so much I want to learn about art but I am just too freaking lazy to start. I am afraid of starting a new pice because I will see again how bad I am. Dude, I need to practise now...let's go

eyewoo: that's what makes you an real artist I quess.

[DJorgensen]

eyewoo--> Losing my left hand (as I am left-handed) or eyesight are probably my greatest fears. The thought crosses my mind all of the time. But I tend to be too laid back to really stress myself over it...


I have pretty much the same problem as Max. I mean I can draw pretty good sometimes, but when I go to finish a piece, somewhere along the way I'll lose track of the goal and I change my plan. So often this changes the style of the picture, and the result just isn't satisfying anymore.

But seeing everyone elses work here consistently inspires me to try again. I just think I need experience that's all. I have a few years to catch up though since I am only 19.

In terms of a specific problem. I cannot paint clouds. Everything I have seen, all the tutorials I have looked at - I still can't get it. I've spent a whole bunch of time trying too. They just never turn out.
_________________

[Malachi Maloney]

I hate how slow I paint. I need to speed things up.

I'm trying to do more drawing from life, hopefully that, combined with constant practice, will eventually speed things up.

Oh, and I also hate that I over analyze everything, which also throws most spontaneity out the window.
_________________
l i q u i d w e r x

[oDD]

i hate the dumbass that makes it

seriously tho Max, you think too low of your self. Youre just 17, damn i started drawing when i was like 19, and it was like an hour a week.
_________________
portfolio | art blog

[Tomasis]

Max, dont talk so dont compare you with big masters here they are much older than you and I hardly believe that they can be so good as you at 17 years age. your art is just amazing comparing with my.. no I dont have any . im too lazy . ah .he hee

[riq]

Hi People.

Personally I can seldom realize in a painting the vision that I have in my head; mostly from lack of skill. So I just keep practicing trying to overcome my weaknesses.

I hate to chime in all of a sudden; I've been a member for a while now, but I post about once every two month, but I'm familiar with a lot of you guys' artwork. Especially Lunatique( actually your's was one of the first pictures that sold me that digital art would look beautiful) Ceenda, Lionel(I remember your work from the Self portrait thread), and Spyroteknik; you all made comments about problems with color.

I hear the problem of using colors from a lot of people, and I notice on a lot of boards where artists post that color theory seems to be a big challenge for many.

Luckily I was introduced to color theory a long time ago, just as I got interested in painting. And the person that taught me is an amazing professional artist just as well.

There are a lot of books on color theory, and most of them I've found are shite! But one book that really gets to the point is "Oil Painting Step by Step by Ted Smuskeiwicz" http://www.washingtonbookcenter.com/Oil-Painting-Step-by-Step-by-Ted-Smuskiewicz--1992-,i4201916639,c41518.html. Another amazing fine/portrait artist is David Leffel http://www.gilcrease.org/2004Leffel/LeffelGallery2.html

And this is his amazing book. After reading this, you will totally redefine what you consider "painting", and you'll find a new approach to painting that can give meaning to anything you paint.
http://www.fetchbook.info/showImage.do?search=0823032795

And of course you have Loomis and Creative Illustration that has a great section on color theory, although I think it's better suited if you altready have a pretty strong sense of color theory.

I'm adding all of this because I feel very lucky to have had a great intro to color theory early on, and it's not many who understand it and fewer who are able to really teach it.

I hope these books and artist might help( both book are also amazing sources of how to structure paintings and how to use all the tools and effects you have at your disposal when you paint.

I personally only use "black" when I'm doing a commercial illustration, and never on my personal stuff. Here's some "painterly" stuff I really love to do( wish it were full time). I just sharing because I love to use color, and it might give you some insight( I'm always looking at other peoples stuff to get insight in my own paintings) Andand the colors I use are very deliberate and "chosen"
http://www.creativeion.com/riq/works/show.php

http://www.creativeion.com/riq/v2/traditional.html

I hope some of this might be helpful.
I know I've learned a lot from roaming the sijun boards and being blown away from the amazing artists that post here.

later,

Riq.

[Phil]

If there is one thing that I really need to do.
1.
I really need to finish more pieces.
I can sketch up a storm and create entire worlds with creature sets and enviroments, but I really need to take the time and finalize each concept or illustration.

It's strange because I am a very patient person.

Next would be to work at a larger scale and provide separation.

2.
I tend to do about 25-100 drawings on a 8.5x11 sheet. I'd like to again focus on one idea at a time. I don't have any hang ups about drawing on a larger surface, but it's another thing I don't do enough of.

3.
Work on my freaking painting technique. I have been color correcting movies for 5 years and know a lot about color and how light works. However, because I don't take my work to that next level very often my painting techniques has suffered.

What this all equals to is: Focus, draw more, and paint more.

Advice?

Phil
_________________
www.phfx.com

[Max]

Well, thanks oDD and Tomasis. That's kinda the motivation I needed.
I wanna get a job in this industry some time, that's why I need to be better.
I don't wanna fail because of lazzyness. Keep it up guys!!!

[Spunkmeyer]

This is interesting. I also have a mild fear of losing my eyesight. I see a lot of you feel you're not spontaneous enough-me too. I'm totally envious of artists who can just sit down and draw some wonderful figure out of their heads. It also bothers me sometimes that I never developed a really distinctive 'style'. On the other hand, there are a lot of artists who get comfortable with a certain way of doing things and turn out the same stuff over and over. To me that would be kind of boring.

[dzou]

hello

i have not enough experience on painting (i'm learning)
i'm drawing right now. and i think if i master drawing (with tones etc....)
painting will come.
But i think it's too early to think about his own style.

What i hate about my drawing: i have to be in a special mode (like a computer) to do good drawing with less time.
i want draw without too much plan (or without plan, planning should be done in micro second with an experienced eye)

hope it will come

bye

[math]

i cant shade. thats what i hate.
_________________
quit pro quo

[Warhead82]

I dont know if this is on topic, but the hardest part for me, is getting off the bloody couch and doing it, i pick games over painting. Or drawing, just because its a bad habbit. Lazyness is taking over, how can i get rid of it?
_________________
When you look at a blank canvas or drawing paper, it stares you in the eyes and thinks it can beat you.~ Justin Beckett

[Dekard]

I don't like my art because I can't seem to draw anymore..
I don't like my art because I'm color blind.

My greatest ability is to say for a hack that has double vision, no depth perception and is colorblind that's not too bad.

Although I did just purchase a Tablet PC and plan on doing alot more art again. I need to re-read that drawing on the right brain book.