Uncomfortable's Advice from /r/ArtFundamentals

So you've decided to go back to the basics. We're here to help.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtFundamentals/comments/2dqq00/so_youve_decided_to_go_back_to_the_basics_were/

2014-08-16 19:15

Uncomfortable

Self-teaching art is tough, to say the least. I did it for ten years and progress was grueling and slow. I'm sure a lot of you have felt the same way, that you are constantly drawing and painting but you just don't feel that you're improving quickly enough. That's normal. It's not because you'll never make it, but it is because you're probably practicing in a far less efficient manner than you could be.

Drawing is maybe 15% about motor skills. You've got to be able to control your hand and arm to get the lines that are in your head onto the paper as you mean them to be. It's really friggin' tough, and most of us fall back on chicken-scratch sketching techniques because drawing a single line accurately is too difficult. That's one thing we're going to deal with on this subreddit.

But I only said it was 15%. Was that a typo? No, it wasn't. Drawing is 85% about how you see the world around you. Everything we see is quite frankly overwhelming. So many details, so much going on, it's just way too much. Because of that, in order to survive, our brains are naturally inclined to simplify everything into an icon. Our brains need to be rewired, just as every successful artist has rewired theirs.

But we'll start with that first 15%. I'll warn you now, those first exercises are not fun, they're a pain in the ass, they're repetitive and tedious and they just plain suck. I'm guessing at least half of the people reading this post will think to themselves, "oh well I've got that down, I'll just wait for the better exercises." Chances are that you're full of shit. Even if you're Jaime Jones or Craig Mullins, you should do all the exercises in this subreddit, in the order they are prescribed. I will let you know if you're ready to move on.

If you have any general questions or suggestions pertaining to the subreddit in general, please post them to this thread.

Art Czar out.

MyinnerGoddes

2014-08-16 22:02

Maybe it's an idea to have people post their homework in the comments otherwise the sub could become flooded with everyone's homework. But looks like a fun sub.

Uncomfortable

2014-08-16 22:37

That's.. probably a good idea. I'll make that change.

FreedomCow

2015-01-20 11:42

on that note, where are the posting rules listed?

Uncomfortable

2015-01-20 13:57

At the top of the side bar, before the lesson breakdown. There aren't many all-encompassing rules but each lesson has its own "lesson notes" in the comments section. There are extra lesson-specific requirements in there.

pludrpladr

2014-08-17 10:30

Is there any deadline for the homework? As in, lesson 1 homework will be accepted for a week, then you move on?

I could imagine you'd need to employ some more work as this grows in popularity, along with the number of lessons.

Uncomfortable

2014-08-17 17:02

Since I imagine others will stumble upon this subreddit a while from now, there isn't going to be any deadline for homework acceptance of any one lesson. Ultimately, it's best to give yourself one week to complete the work, but that is up to the student. I'll critique any homework that is submitted at any time.

As for the lessons, I'll be adding a new one every week until I run out of material, so whoever does keep up with the recommended pace should receive regular material to work on.

MTaylorific

2014-08-17 15:04

Thank you for doing this.

Uncomfortable

2014-08-17 17:02

Thank you for joining us!

SteamyTomato

2014-08-17 17:12

Im happy that im living my life with people like you. Seriously, thank you for this!

Uncomfortable

2014-08-17 17:35

I'm glad to have you with us.

mihachris

2014-08-17 19:09

I can't thank you enough about what you are doing! I've been following you over to /r/DigitalPainting and I love your work. This is just amazing. I know that's a lot to ask, but it would be amazing if you actually keep up posting a lesson every week and guiding us through the fundamentals.

I'm so excited about this!

Uncomfortable

2014-08-17 19:17

I think I should be able to keep up with it for a good while. Since I'm more or less following the curriculum that I was taught, it's just a matter of flipping through my own sketchbook and writing notes on what exactly I was doing. If anything, revisiting those exercises myself will also help me along, since I've probably slacked off on my fundamentals in the past few months.

mihachris

2014-08-17 20:06

Still putting the time and effort to share your knowledge with people is something to admire. Thank you again :)

Rwandrall

2014-09-03 18:16

This post read like it was written for me. Thank you.

Uncomfortable

2014-09-03 18:26

Hah, it's a pretty common issue among self-taught artists. You are not alone!

[deleted]

2014-09-08 10:02

Holy shit I've been looking for something like this for eight months and I find it just when I'm starting to feel like I need to focus on the basics more. This is seriously pretty freaky right now.

Subscribed and I'm starting from the beginning.

Uncomfortable

2014-09-08 15:34

Haha, I'm glad to hear that! Welcome!

[deleted]

2014-09-13 06:35

So this looks like a really cool idea. I've always liked drawing, but stop because what I get onto the page is so bad compared to what is in my head. Which is normal, I understand that. But it is still super frustrating. But I think I'm finally in a place where I can commit time to getting better and also accept that I wont be great for a long time, if ever.

For people new to the subreddit, obviously catching up on and doing the older lessons is optimal. But do you want us to also submit the older homeworks? And if so, do we wait for feedback before moving on to the next one?

Uncomfortable

2014-09-13 16:41

Yes to both of those questions, but of course I'm not going to stop you if you decide you want to jump ahead. I will however judge you quietly, and possibly have one of those snarky "i-told-you-so-but-i-wont-explicitly-say-so" tones while critiquing and telling you to go back to earlier lessons if it just so happens that you do need to.

Ultimately, each lesson builds on top of the one before it, even if it doesn't seem entirely related. Furthermore, most artists (especially self-taught, but not limited to it) have not approached learning to draw in this particular fashion, and as such they may have a solid knowledge of some concepts, with holes in various places. If those holes do not get filled, the artist will stumble and get frustrated.

When I took the course whose curriculum I've been following for these lessons, I had already been drawing at least semi-seriously (and moreso in the later years) for a decade. I found that I had to leave everything I thought I knew at the door and approach the lessons with an entirely blank mind, with no preconceptions of "oh I know how to do THAAT, obviously". It's difficult, and I wasn't always successful in that, but it definitely helped me digest the material and put it all to good use.

It is your decision, but frankly I do think there's a right and wrong answer here.

Fisgig

2014-09-22 15:00

You're doing the Art God's work here man. I've taken Dynamic Sketching 1 through CGMA and I think I'll re-do it all here anyways. Keep it up.

waltztheplank

2014-11-06 00:27

We talked in PM.

Going to start next monday!

Hope to see more from this place.

[deleted]

2014-11-16 21:33

[deleted]

Uncomfortable

2014-11-16 21:59

Technically, you're free to do the exercises however you see fit, and while it's easier for me to critique when they're done as I recommend, I'll still do my best to help you along.

That said, someone else asked the same question and I gave them a very elaborate answer. I just dug it out of my inbox and posted it to the subreddit here, so check it out.

firststatejake

2014-11-23 07:50

You should give yourself some Pro Flair, since you are making art and getting paid for it. It's kinda inspirational seeing someone who's succeeding commit to such a personal level with random internet people.

Uncomfortable

2014-11-23 17:21

Ehh, "succeeding". I haven't started work yet, and my nerves are pretty wracked with the thought of it. All the self-doubt and worries and whatnot. I definitely don't feel like a professional, so it'd be weird to mark myself as that. Maybe that'll change in a few months.

For now, I think I'm happy with my totalitarian art-czar flair.

firststatejake

2014-11-23 18:23

I mean they picked you man just go in and do your best. All hail Uncomfortable

dullblaze

2014-11-28 06:03

Hi! I joined Reddit today just because of this. I would love it if you could take me on as a student if you have any extra space.

Uncomfortable

2014-11-28 08:55

There's always room for more. Feel free to submit the work for lesson 1 when you're ready.

[deleted]

2014-12-11 06:07

I'm so happy this sub exist. I'm the kind of person who is comfortable when there's a clear list. The program looks great, thank you. It makes learning to draw seem much less daunting.

[deleted]

2014-12-18 18:30

Thank you so much for dedicating to this subreddit, I definitely need to improve, so I'll be jumping into the exercises post-haste!

ronchieboy

2014-12-25 22:10

this is awesome

[deleted]

2015-01-04 16:22

[deleted]

Uncomfortable

2015-01-04 16:56

Generally once lesson 1 is completed, I remind the petson to continue doing exetcises 1 and 2 from it as a regular warmup whenever they sit down to draw.

[deleted]

2015-01-07 02:45

Having worked through those tedious homework assignments one thing I regret not doing is taking a baseline before I started. Maybe in the future suggest that before people start they draw a series of things like plants and cars so they can go back and see marked improvement. Or for people like me who have zero classroom training (and have been unabashedly winging-it for their whole lives) to see their practice paying off.

Either way, this is the best and thanks for doing this - I dunno how you find the time but I'm glad you do

Uncomfortable

2015-01-07 03:16

That's a really good idea. I think I'll incorporate that when I start consolidating/rewriting/clarifying my lessons and structure. My instructor actually started off the course by having us draw something random - I got a shark. And boy what an ugly shark it was.