10 ways to become a better artist

10 min read

Deviation Actions

snowmarite's avatar
By
Published:
52.2K Views

How to become better at art? How to gain necessary skill and how to stay motivated and inspired?

There are no right, or wrong answers to these questions, as we all are different and we have our own creative journeys - but here are some of my thoughts about the topic and I hope that they might be helpful.  :) (Smile) 



1. Make art with your heart 
    Make the art that you enjoy to create. Make what resonates with you, put your heart in it (not literally) and it will show through your artworks. 

2. Be consistent
Commit to yourself. Do something daily, even if it's just a sketch. Perhaps, do a study every morning or make speedpaintings. You may not see the progress at first, but you shouldn't get discouraged by that. Not every single one of your artworks has to be a masterpiece and it's totally okay to have a bad drawing every once in a while, just get over it and move on. 
    
3. Learn fundamentals
    Color, light, composition, anatomy, perspective, values etc. I wish I would have started with learning all those things. Do some research - there are so many books and tutorials to learn from. Take a look at this lovely video by Sycra (and other of his art related videos), also Proko art channel, and there is also a great pinterest board or check some of these lovely resources:

What Ruins A Painting?
What Ruins A Painting?
(or makes it better)

            We all had those kind of paintings at some point, looking at which we felt something is not right – something is not right – But could not find it. What went wrong? We have put every finest details and all our patience in it. Then?
Art has its own science. Science that makes a successful art – something that comes out exactly you thought of and leaves the same impact on your audience. That science is known as composition in art and music. Where your eyes will go at first, how you will draw attention, how much attention you will draw – these are not luck, but pure science. A well thought designed piece is always successful. So mastering the brushes are not enough, we have to learn about the basics that make a successful art!
Hence, today, we will talk about the 'bad' elements which are solemnly responsible for rui
Anatomy Lessons: How to improve faster in 6 steps!
'Life Drawing 5' by algaegoblin
Do you know how to sketch human figures but do you want to refine your anatomy skills? Or do you not know anatomy at all and you are tired to trust your imagination? Did you notice you create disproportions in your drawings?
If you are aspiring artists and you already have your own style, you might as well believe you have no need of a guide, but you are wrong. Before exaggerating human proportions and begin to have your own style, you first have to know the basics. 
This little guide is the result of an accurate research and 5 years of high school of art, and it's created for all those who want to learn something new or just make a useful review.
For those who have already studied art, my suggestion is to go to step 6 or trying to repeat all steps in Digital format. 
STEP 1
First of all, if you want to learn faster you should draw using traditional tools.  
Get Better At Drawing (Without Drawing Anything)Art is a process.
Like that of the scientific method and philosophical alchemy, art can be refined and improved through process. From observation, to experiment, to reflection and conclusion, art is improved by the steps we make towards change, not solidification and stagnation. Much of the advice out there for drawing is simply “practice” or “avoid distractions”. This advice is good, but there is more to creation than just throwing yourself mindlessly into a task and avoiding bad habits along the way. Good habits and knowledge will help to excel your learning process faster, and from that, improve faster and more effectively.
Look at it
As an artist, observation is key. The skill we develop is not just seeing, but interpreting what we see, remembering what we have seen and recording it in the form of visual art. This is a skill that, aside from blindness or vision degradation, you will be able to improve during your entire life. The way of seeing from an art


4. Have a certain goal

    Think about the main reason - what you want to achieve as an artist? Succesful career? Having astonishing skills or being able to inspire and make others happy? Write that down. Or write that on your wall. Remind yourself of that goal. Remind why it is important and look at it every single time you feel unmotivated. 

5. Be social..
It's so easy to stay away from anyone, to avoid any means of contact with people. As an introvert I totally understand you, BUT you also have to communicate with others and upload your art online. Yes, there might be the judgement and not everyone may like what you do.. but you have to remind yourself, that what you do matters. Learn from others and help those who need advice. Go to art conventions if you can, do some livestreams or watch them and chat with the artists, leave some meaningful comments etc.
    
6. ..but don't waste all your time online
   Would absolutely reccomend to not check your e-mail, social websites as soon as you wake up. As it's the start of the day and you do something productive, you will feel more fullfiled and motivated for the rest of the day...So often do we tend to spend time looking on blogs and new stuff, and news and cute images.. but why do we procrastinate instead of doing what we love to do? It's so tempting to seek distractions and yes, there is need to socialize, but you have to be also cautious about how you plan your time. As we all have such a limited amount of it. 

7. Seek for improvement
There is always so much to learn. The most effective way, in my opinion, would be challenging yourself with every new artwork, so you could study things about what you want to paint/draw and learn along the way. Ask others for opinions, seek for meaningful critique and don't be afraid to ask questions. 

8. Let go of negativity
   Not all people have a positive attitude and not all of them will support others. 
For example, as I was drawing on livestream yesterday, there was a one viewer, who said that I hold the pen the wrong way. Simple as that. That my parents never taught me how to hold it "the right way". Well, I explained that is just the way how I hold it (in fact, one of my first childhood memories was when I held the pencil for the first time and I was told that I should do that differently, but as a rebel I have always been, I've been holding it the way I wanted ever since)... why would it bother anyone else? 
People sometimes are just ignorant or jealous and It's known that one bad comment will have bigger impact on artist than 10 good ones... so if you ever meet such a person, who without any reason wants to ruin your day to make themselves feel better - ignore them, block them. Spread the positivity instead - if you admire other artists work, simply tell them - fave their work, leave a nice comment. 

9. Study from life
Observe things. How shadow works, how light shines in the sunset, how different textures look. You will notice small things and see the beauty in them. Sketch what you see around, go and do some en plein air studies, gather some photo references from your local place. Travel around, experience life and be inspired.

10. Believe in yourself
    Not as easy as it may sound. Like, there are so many motivational books, speeches, posts about it, but only you know the answer. Who else will believe in you, who else will know that you are going to make things happen?  
You and only you are in charge of your life. 
You'll know what are the best choices, as you'll follow the feeling of what feels right.
You are the one who can make things happen.
So.. go ahead and make the best of every single day. 
..because you know that you can.

So, how about you - what are your thoughts about becoming a better artist? 

This week I found some lovely resources - this inspiring article - advice for emerging artists, amazing Nathan Fowkes artworks on his blog (the use of light and colours are just so stunning), this great video about building your art career, cool reference and anatomy images by Paolo Siega, inspirational interview with juliedillon by kirileonard, this awesome tumblr post with huge list of movies and tv series with links to watch them online for free and a TED talk "Embrace the shake" by incredible artist - Phil Hansen, about how limitations can unleash creativity. :) 


PARTY HARD


P.S. I quite frequently post some sketches and artworks in my art tumblr - snowmarite.tumblr.com/. and I have a weekly Music Sunday post on aerismade.blogspot.com/  and weekly 8 songs playlist. 
and a youtube art channel. :) 

Have a wonderful week!

"If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint", than by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."      /Vincent Van Gogh
© 2014 - 2024 snowmarite
Comments248
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
mariiasv's avatar

This is inspiring!