Uncomfortable's Advice from /r/ArtFundamentals
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General_McQuack in the post "Any other traditional painters in here (oil, acrylic, pastels)? What do you do with your 50% rule?"

2022-10-05 21:39

Ill go back to what I said about you misunderstanding what DaB is for. Its not a shortcut, Id say its the opposite. When I first started, I couldnt even conceive of how to draw a line properly. Now, I havent had a formal artistic education but I dont think that art classes in community college start that far back. (if they do, that is great, but then I dont see the difference)

DaB taught me that it wasnt just change or luck that told artists how to draw a line properly, it was exercise and practice, consciously or unconsciously. That alone was a huge stepping stone from which Ive made a lot of progress. Should purely representational artists get more out of pure reference study, that is great for them, and I would recommend them to do that! But Id wager the reason you only get those people complaining is because most people who want to learn art do so out of a desire to make that which is in their imagination real, for which the exercises in DaB are supremely helpful.

General_McQuack in the post "Any other traditional painters in here (oil, acrylic, pastels)? What do you do with your 50% rule?"

2022-10-05 17:14

Yeah thats not what I said.

General_McQuack in the post "Any other traditional painters in here (oil, acrylic, pastels)? What do you do with your 50% rule?"

2022-10-05 15:59

Then you fundamentally misunderstand DaB. It starts at way more of a fundamental level than traditional modes of study start at which is useful for people who havent grown up drawing and believe it is all talent.

General_McQuack in the post "Any other traditional painters in here (oil, acrylic, pastels)? What do you do with your 50% rule?"

2022-10-05 15:37

If you have been painting for 50+ years and cant paint most things without reference, dont you think thats an advocation for the 50% rule? I dont always want to be stuck painting what I can find a reference for, so painting from imagination and honing your creativity seems like a worthwhile thing to practice.

General_McQuack in the post "Any other traditional painters in here (oil, acrylic, pastels)? What do you do with your 50% rule?"

2022-10-05 15:35

What do you consider traditional fundamentals that DaB doesnt teach?

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 15:47

It is literally not allowed though lmao, its the whole point of the rule.

No, you said copy/tracing other artists artwork to learn from them. That is a study.

Its totally fine to draw characters you like for the 50% rule. Just dont copy a drawing. Draw them in a position you made up, in a style you made up, in a scenario you made up. As long as youre not exactly reproducing official art you are fine.

Other things you can do is look for drawing prompts and try those. Or just draw whatever comes out of your head that you think hey that would be cool to draw. The best thing to do is draw whatever you plan on drawing when youre really good even if you dont think youre ready for it. You can even use reference as long as you use multiple references and combine them in your own unique way.

The entire point is exploring YOUR art and no one elses. Youre not learning to draw just so you could draw something someone already has, right? You have things that you like and that you want to create and you plan on drawing when youre the greatest artist ever. Draw that stuff, even if it wont be good yet.

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 15:29

I am done arguing with you, youre being purposefully obtuse. At 4:03 he literally outlines that tutorials, studies, and exercises are part of the work 50%. Referencing another artists work is a study and gesture drawing is an exercise and YouTube tutorials explain themselves. Goodbye

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 14:53

Dude, I dont know what to tell you. Youre arguing against a wall. I dont disagree with you but thats not what we are talking about. Youre just wrong about the 50% rule, watch this video, he goes into specifics and specifically disproves what you said about it. https://youtu.be/n2Px_OAuXlI

EDIT: and what youre describing isnt a form of play by the definition you provided because tutorials, reproducing artists, and gesture drawings are all done with the intention of getting better. You have to learn to draw WITHOUT that intention to get better.

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 07:31

I know. Im not disagreeing with you. But that very explicitly is not part of the 50% rule. He specifically mentions it, and theres a good reason for it. Youre not just drawing to draw youre drawing to get better. Even if its to hone your creativity, its still exercise and not play.

Ive been drawing for a year and a half, and Ive neglected the 50% rule the whole time, but Ive done everything youve mentioned. Point me to a drawing someone else made, I can recreate it pretty damn well. But when presented with a blank canvas and tell me to draw something from my brain I am at a loss. If what I should be doing isnt shown/told to me I am too scared and too unconfident to do it. So I am back to DaB and this time not neglecting the 50% rule. It is there for a reason and it is outlined as it is for a reason.

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 07:16

I wish sketch daily had more specific prompts. The ones I see are so vague theyre not of much help. I like the ones in the DaB discord, do you know of any more like that?

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 07:12

Im struggling with it too. I joined the discord to make use of the drawing prompts channel over there, thats been going okay. Today I thought what if I drew a house without reference and I did. It wasnt amazing but it was something! Think of what you like to see in art, and try drawing THAT, even if you dont think you are good enough. I am partly telling myself because I also need to do that lol.

Also no, you dont need to use a pen.

General_McQuack in the post "Concerning the 50% Rule"

2022-02-07 07:07

Uncomfortable specifically mentions doing tutorials, studies of other artists, and probably gesture drawing too (as that is a study too) as being part of the work 50%. You are still being told what to draw. The 50% is for exploring what YOU want to draw. Its harder than it sounds. Im struggling with it too