Back to the basics

[RicardoDio]

Sua arte é como sua historia! Persista não desista! Ótimos trabalhos espero ver mais futuramente!

[cgmythology]

Nice updates with your two latest, very well drawn and professional looking. Are you planning on coloring them or are you strictly focusing on drawing for now?

[dkdelicious]

There are really fun shapes in these, especially the second one.  There's a lot of potential here!!!

I love art, it's like breathing, but I also have a difficult relationship with it because frankly I'm not talented at all.

"Talent" is an interesting thing - colloquially, it describes some perceived innate ability.  But I always stress that in actuality, talent is the time spent on one's craft - the mileage you put in to get better.  Yes, someone could have more of an affinity, positive reinforcement, fire, or inspiration for something, but that just fuels how much you put into it.  It all kinda boils down to your mindset about everything.

-One film that really inspired me as a kid, that really showed that talent is training was King Gimp (1999).  It's a documentary about artist Dan Keplinger, who has severe cerebral palsy.  He paints pretty incredible painting with a brush attached to a helmet - he paints with his head.
-Another inspiration is Francis Tsai (April 14, 1967 – April 23, 2015), who was an accomplished comic book, and concept artist.  When he got ALS and lost the ability to use his whole body, he was still able to make amazing digital illustrations with just his eyes.
-One person I follow that continues to inspire is The Mouth Ninja, Henry Salas, who is a 90% paralyzed paraplegic artist that creates incredible pieces with just his mouth.
-Chuck Close is another artist that's thrived despite his circumstances.

Now you can see these examples of incredible feats of artistry, and be inspired or just chalk it up to something innate that we don't have.  It's a choice.  Choose to stay curious.

A lot of great art comes from interesting lives lived.  You seem to have a lot to offer from your experiences.  Maybe that can fuel your creativity.  If not, create new ones!  Seek out the stuff that keeps your fire burning.

Back to talent, Greg Manchess has a good post about it on Muddy Colors.  I've talked to him in person about it at the first Spectrum Fantastic Art Live convention back in 2012.  He really stressed not just training/practicing your craft, but informed practice.

[calebartist]

Loose sketches from this morning, gotta stay in the habit of doing traditional art! Still feel a bit heavy handed, love these small sketchbooks though, feel more confident with pen tbh than pencil these days. 

Also I really appreciate the encouragement and advice, it's a lot to digest but genuinely thank you,

[cgmythology]

Nice sketches with your latest. The first one has some really great linework in particular and a great style overall. Keep it up!

[cgmythology]

Awesome pixel art! Those look deceptively simple but are actually quite complex, and you did a fantastic job of pulling them off. Very impressive!

[calebartist]

Since I'm unable to post animations or videos here, https://youtu.be/W0dtcEAibzc an Earth Elemental I'm working on in Aseprite.

[darktiste]

It possible only in ''full edit mode'' or when posting a new reply since it open the more extended option at the same height of ''your message'' there is a control bar...

You need to copy the URL(THE URL IS LINK OF THE VIDEO IN THE SEARCH BAR) select the website it originate from and then press the insert button. Voila

[calebartist]

15 minute morning warmup from imagination

[calebartist]

update

[cgmythology]

These all look great, really admire the pixel art and you seem to be great with it. Keep it up!

[cgmythology]

Your latest WIP look quite solid, loving the general color and lighting scheme!

[calebartist]

Thanks man, just some bad Dynamic Sketching practice from today, definitely more challenging than it appears to be! Drawing in pen without underdrawing or rulers

Will continue to do this for my overall drawing ability alongside more painterly/pixelly things. Just gotta make sure I stick with everything! Hopefully this next year I'll see some real growth, both in my traditional and digital skills. Had a computer die since my last post, but it's no biggie! My laptop is decently' powerful enough for the programs I use. Gotta push each day so I can become a real artist again. Honestly might be a bit old now at 31 to be taking this so seriously but, gotta do what i gotta do.

[cgmythology]

Nice updates, glad to see you practicing and improving your techniques. Lots of fun doodles there too from what I can see, looks like you had a blast drawing them. Keep it up!

[Crowbit]

Awesome to see the pen sketches. I to have started really enjoying sketchbook drawing of late. Hope the laptop works alright for ya but naaaaaa I've seen people pick up art uber late and make a living from it ^^

[calebartist]

Thank you for the kind words, and advice they give me courage. Very sick past few days but hopefully will update with more artwork soon. 

I think for me, being an artist means working in the face of uncertainty. Living with doubt & contradiction. Doing something which most won't care whether I do it, and there may be neither audience or reward. It means setting these doubts aside so I may see it clearly , and finding meaning in the work itself.

[calebartist]

Some practice. If it wasn't for Crimson Daggers, I doubt I'd have started taken art seriously again.

Currently recovering from Pneumonia after visiting the ER for having difficulty breathing

[darktiste]

I really like the contrast and luminosity achieve in that.

[cgmythology]

Looking great, very strong composition, colors, and use of light on your latest. Hope to see it developed further and I'm hoping you're feeling better as well!

[darktiste]

This one could use stronger silhouette i feel like that the problem sometime when there overlap shape it start to get confusing as to what we are look at specially at such a early state when i am trying to give feed back i want to understand the intention sometime it better to just post even earlier a quick lineart pass this way you can really determine if you have a strong silhouette value is for me something that more commitment and somewhat of a trap when trying to move away from piece that are not necessary working yet. Also it truely seem like there is a hate for thumbnailling now a day and this it a shame because it so much of the problem solving before problem persist...

This one as look like a dragon but there is no leg so i feel it even more important to get that wyvern look maybe have a longer neck. The wing are so big and the value and edge control is to soft that they turn into something like a cloud on the left side.

One other thing is description when presenting what you have done. I feel like saying it a practice/wip is just not enough there doesn't give us any of the intention behind what your are looking to achieve if you are looking to grow as an artist you have to start to be more intentional and vocal about your direction.

Take care .Hope to see more soon.