so you want to start arting

be excited to be drawing/creating

you are creating something no one else has

you’re gonna suck for a long time, embrace this truth

KEEP GOING, PUSH THROUGH YOUR FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY

I would start with getting a semi-descent pad of drawing paper & a pack of artist pencils that contain the standard 2H, 2B, blah blah blah.  Don’t worry about the exact specifications, these pencils are literally sold in every art aisle and they’re cheap. If you have any questions, most sales people who work in arts and crafts stores are more than happy to help since they’re probably artists and crafters too.

Getting a wacom/cintiq drawing pad for your pc can be expensive, so if you’re worried about money, it might be better for you to start with paper & pencils.

what you want to practice is getting your hand-eye coordination better, and getting your muscle memory used to drawing and understanding what you see.

you can find some figure drawings through google or websites, or you can splurge and buy some art books.

practice drawing - drawing poses, drawing faces, drawing hands (friggin hands man…), draw crappy fanart of your fave shows or video games.

keep drawing crappy art

you’re going to want to give up because you think it’s garbage, but it’s a new skill you’re picking up just like any other.  You’re not going to be fluent in Russian in 3 weeks.  You’re not going to be DaVinci in 3 weeks.

Maybe take some nice pics and try drawing what you see.  Do studies of leaves or flowers.  See how much detail you can see and translate to paper.

You might even want to buy a cheap watercolor kit and try your hand at watercolors.  You don’t even need to buy expensive watercolor paints, even kiddie watercolors are fine.  

EXPERIMENT  <——  i can’t stress this enough

Draw things for the heck of it.  Paint for the heck of it.  Every time you get a bit better and you find out something new.

keep drawing crappy art

You learn with every drawing or doodle, no matter how much you hate it.

Plus, no matter how much you might be discouraged and no matter how much artists and hobby artists complain about art, it really is enjoyable to create something and take your mind off other matters.  

Just put on some fave music and just draw!

if you want to get semi-serious about it, there are LOTS and LOTS of art tutorials online or you can take an art class at a local college.

I took quite a few night classes at a community college and I loved learning how to paint with oils and watercolors!  I don’t paint right now because I don’t have the room to set up everything or properly take care of cleaning up afterwards.  But what you learn from the physical mediums transfers to understanding what your drawing in digital mediums - ie: light and shadows: how they work, how to create them, DON’T USE BLACK, blending, etc..

Also, what’s nice about classes is you have a teacher there to help you with every step, you get tips and critiques, and it’s really nice to have that interaction and group collective. You can see how other students interpret a drawing project and it’s nice to be with other people interested in creating art.  Also with night classes, it’s ALL AGES.  I’ve had kids fresh from high school, twenty-somethings, 40/50 moms, and grandmas & grandpas in classes.  It’s so great to see people from all walks of life enjoying something and coming together to create something new and beautiful.

BUT DON’T GET DISCOURAGED IF THEY DO SOMETHING BETTER THAN YOU, EVERYONE IS GOOD AT SOMETHING AND EVERYONE SUCKS AT SOMETHING. IT’S OK.

As for digital drawing, it’s the same principles, but it’s a little different as now you’re working with layers and opacity and using digital tools to create what you learned as a physical medium.  There are also lots and lots of tutorials on how to do something in an art program.

There are also quite a few FREE digital art programs or you can use trial periods of the most expensive.  So if you do buy a wacom/cintiq there are options you can do to save money there.  I personally really like Paint Tool Sai and I have an old expired Photoshop version that’s now offered free since it’s so old.  Photoshop is nice for typesetting and some small things that I can’t do in Sai.

Find what you like and keep trying to draw that!

you want to keep your enthusiasm like an eternal flame.  You’re going to burn out and quit if you keep drawing something you hate.

If you like fanart, try doing that.  If you like classical art, try doing that.  If you like landscapes, try doing that.  If you like animals, try doing that.

Don’t give up!

And if you have any questions about something don’t be afraid to ask.  I can try to help or at least point you in the right direction.  Or even if you just post it on tumblr asking fellow artists, most of the time they’ll be more than happy to help and give you tips!

If you do buy wacom/cintiq let me know and I can reblog some art program links and helpful posts.

With some of my favorite childhood series coming back to life, like: Star Fox Zero, Yoshi's Woolly World, The Last Guardian (sequel to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus), Kingdom Hearts III, and last but not least, Final Fantasy VII's Remake, that childlike wonder is really coming out. Makes me realize now that all that time playing these games was absolutely not a waste of my time.