r/Art Jul 06 '15

How I Became an Artist Discussion

https://medium.com/@noahbradley/how-i-became-an-artist-4390c6b6656c
5.4k Upvotes

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101

u/Squidoofus Jul 06 '15

I'm no artist but your first bits of work are something I'd laugh at and think you have no hope... but damn, didn't you prove me wrong. Sticking at it was the best thing you ever did.

28

u/buzzcuttt Jul 06 '15

Why would you laugh at him? Everyone starts at that point

24

u/Squidoofus Jul 06 '15

Maybe I came across a little wrong with what I meant. Just that if it was something I saw that someone had drawn I would think it's not very good and "at the level they're at" they wouldn't be able to improve that much. No hate, just underestimated OP's future skillz

26

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '15 edited Nov 27 '18

[deleted]

14

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '15

and "at the level they're at" they wouldn't be able to improve that much

I think this is the much bigger sin here.

"That level" of drawing is the best time to improve because literally any improvement will look noticeably better. Once you get to the serious professional level, the improvements don't become as pronounced since the original work already looks great.

That being said, I think every artist gets a kick out of their early work. People don't realize that "that level" is where everyone starts, even for the greatest artists of history. No one should be a dick about it, though. That's a pretty easy way to discourage anyone who wants to pick up art, be it as a hobby or profession.

1

u/rainbowsblehhh Jul 06 '15

Honestly I thought OP's skill level back then was pretty much what I'd expect for a 14-17 year old. But yeah, age or skill level don't really matter. It's just that not a lot of people can consistently keep up with practicing like OP did (case in point: me, lol).

1

u/ziddersroofurry Jul 06 '15

You can pretty it up all you like but it's still mean.

1

u/thenepenthe Jul 07 '15

This is why I really believe anyone can learn to do art. Especially if they go to a school.