#onenis

Draw tons.  Try different styles, incorporate bits from artists you like.  Maybe you like the color palettes one uses, the way another draws eyes, and the way another draws knees.  Do little studies.  Observe real life and do studies of that as well.  Take an open sketch class at a local community school where you can draw nude models.  If you can’t do that, draw organic-shaped things like pets, fruit, plants, bones, drapery.  Everything informs the way you draw.  You’ll rarely, if ever, be 100% satisfied with something you make.  That’s the point.  You grow so that you can see where you should grow next.  Make peace with this and use it to motivate yourself and get excited for a lifetime of reaching ever higher heights.  Don’t fixate on having one style.  In fact, trying out a bunch of different “styles” often reveals your style, which has more to do with your line quality, how you shape things, and what you find aesthetically pleasing.  Don’t be afraid of your style changing.  Don’t be afraid of the rough in betweens that come with growth and exploration.  It’s messy and frustrating, but it’s natural and will most likely lead to something beautiful.  And even when you feel like you’re going no where, you’re still improving, just less rapidly at the moment.  And that’s okay.  But mostly DRAW TONS.  Draw what you’re interested in, even if you’re not good at it.  Because if you’re interested in it and keep drawing it, you’ll get better at it.  And if you can’t enjoy the end result, try at least to enjoy the process.  It’s okay if it didn’t turn out the way you want, because you learned something, and next time you’ll be that much more knowledgable about what works and what doesn’t.

I’m constantly growing.  I’m constantly looking at things and thinking “that’s not good enough.”  But I love being in the process making things, even though my anxiety disorder tries to stop me from starting.  And I love when something clicks and improves.  I love when I learn something new and get to the point of it not being cringe-worthy.  I love my characters and seeing them come to life.  Everyone has people that they think are so much better than them, that they want to be like.  Which in turn means that there is always someone in the world who thinks, or would think, the same of you.

I hope you don’t mind me publishing this instead of answering privately this time.  If you’re uncomfortable with it, shoot me an ask and I’ll make a post of this that doesn’t use your name and delete this one.