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Strands

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Post: 96500141_1 created on Thu, 02 Apr 2015 16:24:32 +0000
Posted: Thu, 02 Apr 2015 16:24:32 +0000

I feel like the more I draw, the less people likes it.
My friend just told me that my 14-year old drawing looks better than the current ones. This makes me concern about what I'm working on and persuade me to come up with this topic.

Firstly, someone suggest me to major-improve my art because I lack the basics , such as anatomy, color choosing, and shading. I decided to give an intense practice on it.

This is the old style art before the practice

After 2-3 months of daily practice. I've made a noticeable change of my style. At first I must say I like it, I really do. At least I drew faster than before.

Edit: I had no idea I marked the wrong date at the last two pictures.

But when I showed it to my friends I received worse feedback about it. Most of them disapprove my new style. I also ask them why , mostly , they say
- It's not pretty nor cute. It's weird.
- It's doesn't look anime-ish. (Not sure if this is the essential factor , because I live in the country that has a major anime influence. Anime and anime drawings (and chibis) as well are very popular here. However there are several popular non-aniime artists here also.)
- They don't know why, but the old style is better.

I don't know what to do next sad , even if I like the new style but most people I asked don't. Should I continue working on this style, searching for a new style , or go back to the same one ? Also, is there something I could do to improve my art ? If you have an opinion on my style and/or critiques please tell me!

JunkFoodForZombies

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Post: 96500141_2 created on Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:38:17 +0000
Posted: Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:38:17 +0000

Strands

After 2-3 months of daily practice. I've made a noticeable change of my style. At first I must say I like it, I really do. At least I drew faster than before.

1. NEVER let anyone else influence your art style. If it makes you happy then draw it. Everyone likes different things.
2. You have improved on anatomy and how bodies move so be proud!
3...You might what to get some more open-minded friends.

Also, i think the new style is cute and I like it. Keep at it! You're improving so be happy!

Eizoryu

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Post: 96500141_3 created on Fri, 03 Apr 2015 04:21:00 +0000
Posted: Fri, 03 Apr 2015 04:21:00 +0000

I think I've commented in a previous thread of yours before, where you were questioning a style change. *checks* Yeah, I have.
And boy howdy have you made WONDERFUL strides! biggrin I'm loving the life in that sketchdump of poses of the girl (who, by the way, is bloody cute enough, in my opinion). 3nodding So much more interesting to look at than a character who's just standing there.

But hun, you might need some new friends. sweatdrop Artsy friends who understand evolution of style is a thing and it's good for you as an artist. Or your current friends can just get over it, if this is the only aspect of your friendships they're not supporting you in. What your friends' opinions are standing on is purely subjective preferences, not objective observations. They like and prefer the anime aesthetics. Okay, fine. But you don't change your art for them unless they are paying you to do so.
Don't let their opinions change your style. After all, is it them you're drawing for? Or are you drawing for yourself?

I think you just need a good round of encouragement. You like the way your style's going, right? Then screw the opinions of your friends on your art, and keep going for your own sake! emotion_yatta

I apologize if I come off as a little brusque and blunt. ^^; But I firmly believe in improving oneself and one's art, the opinions of others (who don't see the improvement because it's not drawn in their preferred aesthetics) be damned.

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Post: 96500141_4 created on Fri, 03 Apr 2015 04:49:56 +0000
Posted: Fri, 03 Apr 2015 04:49:56 +0000

Oh dear. Anybody who dislikes your current style over your old one is really just wrong.

Not only do I personally think it's much more accurate and consistent and just looks better in general, it's also more unique than the anime style you had before. Your art style is evolving and improving and that's natural and great. Don't let them ruin it!

The only thing I would say is that your colouring needs some work, I find it a bit... distracting? Or something? The style looks a bit different than the sketches, I'm not entirely sure. Thhhhaaat being said, I can't colour anything to save my life. So don't listen to my advice ._.

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Post: 96500141_5 created on Fri, 03 Apr 2015 13:00:06 +0000
Posted: Fri, 03 Apr 2015 13:00:06 +0000

What kind of friends do you have that make you feel so bad about your improvements? These are amazing! In just a few months you've accomplished a lot. The elements that make this your style have become better.

Don't doubt yourself because of something your friends say. They should be supporting you. I come from a group of artist where we all had our own styles. Never did any of us say "I don't like how that's changed."

Keep striving forward. This is your art, not theirs.

Strands

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Post: 96500141_6 created on Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:30:10 +0000
Posted: Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:30:10 +0000

JunkFoodForZombies

Ah, thank you very much for the tips! I totally agree with the first sentence you brought. It would have been better if people around me also agree with this point. A lot of close friends usually suggest me to change styles / change back styles. I would say they're 'open-minded' , at some rate. But if something dramatically diverged from the tradition, they would still say no.
Thanks! I'm glad someone also pointed out the improvements, it's fun and challenging to draw various poses.

Eizoryu

I'm glad to hear that, thank you ^_^ I'm still working on the poses and still new to it , including minor perspectives as well.
Some of my friends I discussed about art also draw. They are a skilled artist with way lot more drawing experience than myself, they're an anime illustrator . And some of them , I assume that they prefer anime and disney-inspired style. (And man! , I also love disney style! I've also found an anime style cute and beautiful, but I've found some of the other style more expressive, with means attractive to me ^_^' .) But I don't discuss about art with them much anymore, because of that reason.

Yes, I must admit I really needed that. Showing art to the people and receive a rather negative feedback feels kinda lost and hopeless. Thank you very much for giving me such a priceless suggestion, twice! I really appreciate it emotion_bigheart Your kind encouragement is something I will not forget!

Emily235

Thank you very much! I'm really glad to hear that =) I'll remember your encouragement!
And thank you very much for the tips. Honestly , I haven't take a proper coloring study , light and dark shading, for example. I'm glad you point that out so it could make a different in the next artwork.

Chris_chris

Friends at my school, some of them also draw. They weren't trying to be mean , it's just when I showed my work to them they said they liked the old ones better and convince me to get back to the old style. Some of them said it's too weird for their taste, they were just saying what they think. And one of them dropped a big bomb when I posted old and new artwork (something close to an improvement meme on deviantart) and they the old one(I drew when I was 14) is very cute.

Thank you very much! I've never had the intense practice like this before, about 2 months and I already finished a sketchbook. (In average, I used to finish one in around 6-12 months.) And I'm glad someone sees the improvement in it. It's good to hear that you belong to a great drawing group with encouraging people. Thank you once again for the kind and encouraging suggestion!

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Post: 96500141_7 created on Sat, 04 Apr 2015 18:03:08 +0000
Posted: Sat, 04 Apr 2015 18:03:08 +0000

Strands

Eizoryu

The styles of artists in Disney's employ are fan-freakin'-tastic~ I follow a few animation blogs on Tumblr that showcase clips of artists' work on various movies from multiple studios.
You might like James Baxter, stylistically, for inspiration! Amazing animator, not only for Disney, but I believe for cartoons like Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls for sure. Even as a non-animation artist, I find that looking at his work is educational. biggrin And really, studying the work of animators is, in my opinion, great for stylized expression learning. But I just may be an animation enthusiast. lol

Well, you keep on workin' hard on your artwork, and eventually you'll probably be able to switch between a couple of styles' aesthetics. emotion_yatta Right now you're doing great, and at the rate you've been pushing it, you'll keep improving dramatically. 3nodding

Strands

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Post: 96500141_8 created on Tue, 07 Apr 2015 02:22:32 +0000
Posted: Tue, 07 Apr 2015 02:22:32 +0000

Eizoryu"The styles of artists in Disney's employ are fan-freakin'-tastic~ I follow a few animation blogs on Tumblr that showcase clips of artists' work on various movies from multiple studios.
You might like [url=http://jbaxteranimator.tumblr.com/]James Baxter, stylistically, for inspiration! Amazing animator, not only for Disney, but I believe for cartoons like Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls for sure. Even as a non-animation artist, I find that looking at his work is educational. biggrin And really, studying the work of animators is, in my opinion, great for stylized expression learning. But I just may be an animation enthusiast. lol

Well, you keep on workin' hard on your artwork, and eventually you'll probably be able to switch between a couple of styles' aesthetics. emotion_yatta Right now you're doing great, and at the rate you've been pushing it, you'll keep improving dramatically. :

cfuftx60:0="Eizoryu"The styles of artists in Disney's employ are fan-freakin'-tastic~ I follow a few animation blogs on Tumblr that showcase clips of artists' work on various movies from multiple studios.
You might like [url=http://jbaxteranimator.tumblr.com/]James Baxter, stylistically, for inspiration! Amazing animator, not only for Disney, but I believe for cartoons like Adventure Time, and Gravity Falls for sure. Even as a non-animation artist, I find that looking at his work is educational. biggrin And really, studying the work of animators is, in my opinion, great for stylized expression learning. But I just may be an animation enthusiast. lol

Well, you keep on workin' hard on your artwork, and eventually you'll probably be able to switch between a couple of styles' aesthetics. emotion_yatta Right now you're doing great, and at the rate you've been pushing it, you'll keep improving dramatically. 3nodding

Indeed! I browsed the link you provided and man! That person is really good with animations. It sounds like a great idea to study from the animations , I agree. Even I can't do animated stuffs (Excepted for the animated pixels, haha.) but I think it will make the style looks more 'real'.

I will treasure and remember your comment and tips!
Thank you very much once again ^_^

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Post: 96500141_9 created on Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:40:06 +0000
Posted: Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:40:06 +0000

Well, I see two problems in your story. One, how much value you're giving their opinions. It's hard, but your art progress has to be very much your own, so if you like it better, then you don't need to change anything! Yeah, it can be frustrating to be told otherwise, but I myself had to start ignoring other people's comments once I realized they were throwing me back and forth between tons of options and I stopped enjoying my own art. It's a hard process, but maybe ask feedback from different people if you realize theirs is biased or non-constructive.

The second problem I see is that you feel lost after 2-3 months. Don't worry!! This is so early on in your art journey. You'll look back and realize it's practically nothing.

Most people say a real improvement bump starts after your first 2 years. Becoming a professional, they give it about 5-10 (I've seen people say at least 20 though I think that's a bit of an exaggeration myself!). So yeah, you're going to be lost! That's the point! Find your way around, try new paths, see what you like and what just plain sucks. Make lots of mistakes, fall down and get up tons and tons of times. It's very much worth it. But do be patient with yourself! No one's going to jump into an art style and be nice and comfy with it, especially not that quickly.

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Post: 96500141_10 created on Sat, 11 Apr 2015 18:46:24 +0000
Posted: Sat, 11 Apr 2015 18:46:24 +0000

Noses look too much like the noses.

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