Improvement does not come easy without hard work. I also learnt that to improve, I need a focus. In art, it was easy to forget about learning skills when you have so many new tools to try. I cannot count how many times I almost buy new markers, new brushes, new acrylics, new watercolor just because I heard good reviews about it on Youtube.
However, art is not about tools. Sure, tools helped make good art that can last long and have professional look. But there was no need to get all the tools in the world in order to create a good art. Also, buying and wanting to try so many tools can become an obstacle for real improvement.
Before I started taking art seriously, I was just drawing for the sake of drawing. It was not even making art for the sake of art. I didn't think too much about composition, color theory, anatomy, background, all of that. I just sketch, color, and upload, and hope that people would like my art. Not many thoughts went into my pieces. I got serious about it after I learned about the history properly, and also because I admired the level of discipline an artist has in order to become really good at their craft.
So, for this year, I shall be grateful for my complete collection of Micron pens and one Kuretake brush pen. Just with 8 pens I can already create full blown, complete illustrations. I will master inking with these pens and brush pen, and only focus on little bits of other tools. My main drive will be to draw as much as I can with pen.
What about you, aspiring artists? What tools are you going to be good at and what aspect of your art are you going to improve this year?
Very good looking Ink art! 🙂
About your last paragraph question, well I will do more digital since it's cheaper in the long run xD, although I don't want to abandon traditional art...I will definitively try to get better in all aspects
Thank you very much @melooo182
I also think digital art is cheaper than traditional, and only needed small spaces for set up. However, digital art is very tough for me especially when i need to choose the desired color. Traditional art is more of a hassle, but the satisfaction that comes from finishing a traditional piece is incomparable...
Indeed, there is something about traditional art that makes it more satisfying...not sure what but I've felt that too, I've found that for digital is better to start with a limited pallet en then you expand it if needed, the best of digital is being able to work in layers and "undo" hahaha
I agree strongly on the undo hahaha. I once spent too much time on digital art that when i got back to traditional, my fingers kept trying to find the ctrl-z whenever I made a mistake..
Lol It has happened to me a well and the otherway around too, while in digital forgetting I could just undo something instead of trying to fix it redrawing on top of it xD
Although It reminds me a teacher who always said do not erase while sketching otherwise you won't see what you did wrong...I suppose that has kinda stuck with me hehe
Good advice. I tried not to erase too much and just go with the flow. And i constantly thinks about what could have been done and what should i do to make it better next time.