(01-22-2021, 08:45 AM)Artloader Wrote: Hey let me add my welcome to you as well Dominicque!Hi, thanks for the warm welcome Artloader :).
Great to have you aboard :).
Your intro resonated with me in so many ways!
'Drawing from imagination, is just drawing from memory' - this is so true but seldom have I heard it stated so effectively!
I too have fallen into the trap of being afraid - I am afraid of inventing my own stuff - I'm so used to copying and studying that the thought of inventing a piece of art myself fills me with fear. However I realised last year that this was one of my weaknesses so I am forcing myself to to more invented stuff - even when I study.
Also - if you need admin help - you could Private Message a guy called DK - he's the owner and admin of this forum - a great guy :).
Anyway - all the best with everything :).
I heard this earlier from a previous websearch and then saw other artists saying the same if similar things. Recently heard Kim Jung Gi say via Proko 'Don't draw what you see, draw what you have seen'. I just really wish this was a common refrain from decades ago, so that my 13 year old self didn't freak out about doing studies, remembering poses (turns out not copyrightable. Which is a good thing.) and actually being influenced by my favourite artists. Surely, that's the main reason people decided to pick up a pencil and draw themselves, anyway! When I was younger I saw people make fun of young and/or inexperienced artists (still do), and bashing on 'art thieves'. My young self got very freaked out all in a bid to safeguard themselves from criticism, so I tried not looking at other artists, references, tutorials, nothing. I would never trace, but that doesn't mean the guilt still wasn't there. (Of course, now I know people trace as a drawing exercise.) And, of course when my art still wasn't what I wanted it to be, I got even more stressed. It really took the joy out of creating. I just wanted to create stories. Someone who was around the same age as me started a CA thread and is now a super successful artist, because he was unafraid of doing what I was afraid of doing. I try not to compare myself to him, but it's hard. 'What Ifs' keep on floating around my head. Some time I feel so behind.
The fear won't just go away, but I'm making steps away from it, but it is difficult. I made this thread to link with other like-minded individuals to ask questions/get guidance and for hopefully some sense of direction.
Always try to put what you're doing context. I drew a picture of a girl looking up, for example and it's only when drawing a similar picture from imagination that that knowledge actually started seeping into my head and it helped me fill out the neck. Try to picture what you want to draw and at least map in out, then look for reference to complete it.
Thanks, I will contact DK, if my quiry isn't resolved by the forum.