Feeling a lack of progress..
1yr
Canyon Braff
Hello everybody! So, i have been practicing drawing just about every single day for almost a year now. I usually spend 4-6 hours a day just drawing (i have a lot of time on my hands). I've bought the figure drawing course and the fundamentals course and watch youtube tutorials, too. After putting in a lot of time i'm just not seeing as much progress :( ill usually draw along with Stan and take some notes diagrams etc.. I feel like i should be a lot further than i am.
I still struggle to get nice figure drawings (some times i'll get a few i am proud of) but 6-7 out of 10 times i'm not content with them).
Today i saw some drawings from several months ago and got wigged out cause my studies looked similar and i noticed figures i am drawing now I have been leaving out what i studied said months ago. i'm worried i'm working with old habits and forgetting to integrate what i have gone over in the past.
I know one year isn't very long in the artists journey but the amount of hours i have put in should show more progress.. ugh maybe i am being to hard on myself but over all need some advice for studying smarter instead of harder or at least commiserate with others who have had similar experiences or some wisdom to share.
thank you for reading this looong post and i hope to hear from someone out there <3
11mo
Hey, @Canyon Braff! It’s been a while since you posted this, and I’m curious to know if this “lack of progress” perception changed in the last couple of months or if the feeling has stayed roughly the same.
If it helps at all, whenever I feel stuck regarding my art, I like to remind myself that my own perception is subjective and biased, and just because I’m not feeling so great about what I’m making at that moment, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m not evolving in some way. It can also help to remind ourselves that growing in art is not a straight, steady line, but a wavy roller coaster with alternating periods of growth boost and stagnation. I’m attaching a couple of images that sum up this idea, maybe you’ve even seen them before.
One more thing that has helped me unstuck in the past is to vary up the focus. In your case, since you’ve been staying consistent with figure drawing for such a long time, perhaps you might like to dedicate a few weeks to studying something else entirely, such as lighting, or storyboarding, or perspective. This change in focus could help clear the mind and freshen things up a bit.
Above all, I’d encourage you to try to be kind to yourself as much as possible. Sometimes, it’s almost automatic for us to create a lot of expectations (“achieve this”, “optimize that” etc.), then self-pressure and anxiety can arise at the smallest sign of falling short to those expectations. Making art is a lifetime experience. Try to enjoy the process in each drawing, embrace your own journey as it is, in your own time, and know that simply keeping a consistent pace over the long run (a.k.a. not giving up) is the most important (and often most challenging) achievement.
Hope this helps!
1yr
Mate, I feel exactly the same and I've been learning for a few years. Glad I'm not the only one.
Maybe, and I'm sure you've heard this before, we need to just enjoy the journey.
What are you learning for? Because you have to or because you enjoy it?
If you approach it with a frame of mind of 'play' and looseness and joy as opposed to rigid drill style practice ironically you're art would come out of you easier and be more beautiful.
That said, I TOTALLY get how you feel and I also struggle to take the above advice.
If you watch artists like Rembert Montale or Ian Mccaig sketch you'll note how they seem to do so joyfully and with a 'no pressure' attitude. Maybe we should do the same
1yr
Hey, I'm in a similar boat where extreme diligence and countless hours practicing drawing daily is showing little to no return. I'm currently taking a step back and drawing as a habit, rather than "because I should," and trying to learn more from observation. Watching another artist draw (traditionally, digital is much less helpful) with the video on mute, or reading an art book for a few days before picking up a pencil again, can help a lot. I've seen people get better quickly despite not drawing for months at a time simply because they were digesting information and knowledge during that time. Give it a try, I am too.
Godspeed and good luck.
Canyon Braff
1yr
Hello again, Thanks for stopping by!
Ooh thats something i haven't thought to do.. very good insight thank you! i'll try watching some traditional process videos.
I have stumbled upon this guy Ian Roberts on youtube that i enjoy. maybe it will bring you some insight too?
https://www.youtube.com/@IanRobertsMasteringComposition
keep me posted on your journey friend, and keep fighting the good fight! 💪