#artistic progress

2022

2024

Painting progress a few years apart

I keep seeing artists berate themselves for not constantly churning out perfect sketches or for making mistakes in their art. And... everyone is imperfect. That’s not just a “you” problem. It’s not reasonable to expect yourself to be good at everything all the time. It’s unfair to yourself. 

By expecting your art to be perfect every time, by expecting yourself to improve without fumbles or mistakes along the way, you’re holding yourself to an unachievable standard. You’re expecting yourself to be better than every other artist on earth. You’re expecting to surpass human limits and then berating yourself when you fail. But, guess what? What you’re expecting is not possible. What you’re doing not healthy.

Even the best artists can’t make perfect art every time. Heck, even Da Vinci didn’t crank out Mona Lisas with every sketch. Just because he made good paintings doesn’t mean every painting was his best. He had good art days and bad art days just like you and me; made good sketches and bad sketches just like you and me.

Getting frustrated is absolutely normal. I still have issues with my art. And, I don’t think I’ll stop having issues with my art. I think most, if not all, of my fellow mods have that same problem. What’s not healthy is expecting yourself to never get frustrated, never make mistakes, never create anything less than perfect. Frustration, mistakes... they don’t make you any less of an artist. They’re just an indication that you’re human. Your body is not a machine - expecting perfection every time is only going to lead to burnout and exhaustion.

When you get frustrated, it’s important to step back. Step back and remember that the only way to becoming a better artist is by making more art. Heck, make bad art. Make silly art. Every time you make art is a time that you learn. Even if you hate what you produced, making it still improved you as an artist.

So, remember that bad art is a necessary precursor to better art. And, remember that all art, even bad art, helps you to get to better art.

Also... Look who’s been revisiting an old project (ᴗ ͜ʖ ᴗ)

I’ve only redrawn 4 panels for now (they need adjusting of course), but I plan on re-doing this project in more than 2 and a half days, this time 😅. There’s no longer the creative fury I had when I first conceived it, so I’ll take it slow and give each panel more love.

2012-2018