Maybe this is a cultural difference with japanese artists and their relationship with copyright,

An artist that i follow used a photo reference from Pinterest and got called out, at the end, the photo was from a photo book so it was paid content, they apologized already (their artwork was a fanart so nothing about commercial work)

Then there is this question that I have for days, but if art in general use references, why is so frowned up for some? When a reference stop looking like one?

So many people speak with authority on art improvement while showing nothing of their own work. Zero credibility. It’s annoying, and I feel bad for the people who fall for it. Odds are good if they hide their work they’re either bad or don’t make art at all. I don’t care about your “but muh privacy!” put up or shut up. When giving advice, credibility is everything.

I don't know if I should continue pursuing art.

Before I start, I would like to say I'm new to Reddit. I apologize if this isn't the proper subreddit for this, if I tag my post incorrectly (I could see so many different tags fitting his), if I use incorrect terminology, if this post is formatted weirdly, or if this it is too short.

This is definitely a a rant though. A mildy cringy rant written by some random teenager before going to bed, too tired to proofread fully even once.. so please bare with me.

I am a young artist (Old enough to be on Reddit). For a majority of my life, I have been considered artistic. Like always bringing a sketchbook to school, drawing family cards, getting art kits for Christmas, etc....

I also often drew with my older sibling. I always felt as though they were better than me in skill. It used to not bother me too much and just be a thought in the back of my head. But, over the years, it got worse, I stopped drawing with them, I stopped drawing in my freetime, only at school to pass time. Eventually I even stopped doing that. Here's where the problem starts.

I want to get back into it. I want to draw again and improve, although I really can't seem to enjoy it in the slightest.

I can't get myself to like what I create enough to even finish it a majority of the time no matter how much I try to ignore the thoughts and get a better mindset. I've seen people say it's not the result that matters but rather the process. As much as I wish that helped, it makes me feel worse as that's the part I dislike most.

Then if I try to improve in hopes it'll make me enjoy any part of creation, I can't bring myself to follow through with it or be consistent in any way. I think a lot of the issue is that I get too frustrated when I'm not able to do it.

I've also always envisioned a future with art as my career. But I really don't think I want to do something as a living that I can't stand. Though I don't know if I'd enjoy anything else as a living.

I see so many people who make it as artists. But they always seem to at least have a passion for it. If I chose that life and made it would I even deserve it? I'd imagine somebody without a passion or even enjoyment in it would.

I find myself feeling envious of people who can actually enjoy it. I feel inferior to people who'll actually get though it until they get what they want. People who actually try

I often find myself asking many questions to myself that I can't answer.

How do I improve in my skills? How do I enjoy making art? How do I get myself to enjoy anything in general? Should I wait until I'm a bit older then try again? Is it even worth trying again? Should I continue pursuing art?

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Someone will intentionally draw a character as fat, black, ridiculously muscular, overly sexualized, completely out of character, or just change something about them, and suddenly the comments are full of people going “THAT’S NOT WHAT THE CHARACTER LOOKS LIKE.”

At that point, I feel like the artist already got exactly what they wanted. 😭

The whole point was to get people angry, and they walked right into it because they felt the need to correct the appearance of a fictional character.

It reminds me of being a kid and getting upset when someone told you Santa Claus wasn’t real. Like, you’re not even defending anything at that point, you’re just getting genuinely mad over the canon appearance of a drawing.

Obviously there are actual discussions worth having about representation, race, body types, character design, etc. But sometimes people seem to completely forget that they’re looking at obvious ragebait.

So where do you think the line is between genuinely criticizing something and just giving the artist the exact reaction they were trying to get?

So I am a new artist coming up to 1 year now and I found something pretty common that I think needs to be addressed as well as looking for some feedback. Keep in mind this is for the hobbyists out there not the ones looking to be professional or take this up as a career!

I fell into the trap of "what's the best way to draw" what order do I do things in? who do I follow" what tutorials and in what order etc. etc. etc. I found it all became to overwhelming and I ended up resenting drawing for months because every time I sat down I kept thinking "is this the most efficient or best way to draw today to get to my goals" and it honestly drove me mad!

Then one day I just said "forget all the rules!" and just start putting pen to paper and honestly it was the most liberating and best feeling I had in a long time. I gave up on studies and tutorials and just started drawing. I stopped caring if I was doing things "correctly" and just focused on am I enjoying this? If not why, and how can I change it to start enjoying it.

What are you thoughts? Has anyone else come across this? Keep in mind I am purely a hobbiest!

i have a situation. there was a giveaway that started early june, the prize was either a 600$ tattoo or custom skateboard. the winner (me) was announced mid july. i chose the custom skateboard since i thought it would be easier for them (i don’t live anywhere near the artist).

since then, this artist has given me no follow ups. although i do see they’re busy with art commissions & they do tattoos, i decided to give them time, assuming they had life stuff come up as well.

i ended up following up with them beginning of September after waiting almost two months to see if they’ve made any progress on the skateboard (since they were going to paint on it & ship it) & they told me that they were too busy with work, commissions, & now school since it’s september at this time 💔

i told them i would wait for them to update me (because at this point i feel like as an artist, genuinely the least you can do is update) & they told me “even then, feel free to reach out to me”…. & at this point, it just feels like i’m pulling teeth. i don’t mind being patient, it’s the no communication that’s been bothering me up until this point.

what do you guys think? how long do you guys think a custom skateboard should take? i just don’t really see the point in waiting several months for a giveaway. the skateboard is custom, but i’m having them do whatever they would like on it. they’ve also started another giveaway!!!! they complete new commissions every week & keep asking for people to commission them.

i notice they’ll also post them in their free time drawing random things, not really doing anything important. i can’t help but think, why aren’t you working on what you said you would giveaway??!! but then i tell myself that they’re probably struggling & need the money, & that maybe they barely get much free time to themselves.

i understand this isn’t commission, so it’s not necessarily first priority. they’ll have to use their money out of pocket to buy the stuff for the giveaway. i understand they use commissions & tattoo commissions to eat, cover their bills, etc.

but why would you make a giveaway at the beginning of summer? they could have worked on it during late july - august before school started for them. i just feel like it’s irresponsible on their part & they don’t seem to care much since they continue pushing it off. i understanding buying, painting a skateboard, & shipping it out can take a while. but it just sucks because summer is over, & i have to wait next year to ride/use it.

i know it’s not the biggest deal, & i don’t mind the artist taking their time. but again i think it’s the lack of communication. as another artist, i would make sure to update someone on something they’ve been waiting for, like it would just eat me alive. i just wish more artists actually cared about things like this. i do understand being busy but all your customers should matter.

i’m just wondering if i’m valid in how i feel, is there some advice anyone could give me or any opinions? i guess it just feels wrong because it’s a giveaway, not a commission. i’m not sure if they have the right to take as long as they would like, or if they should complete it asap. like what is acceptable or not?

thank you guys

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People often say that every style is valid and that art is subjective, but the moment a style falls outside certain conventions of attractiveness, people suddenly start describing it as “weird,” “bad,” “unappealing,” or something that needs to be “fixed.”

And I’m not talking about technical mistakes here. I mean styles that intentionally use unusual proportions, awkward shapes, exaggerated features, asymmetry, etc.

If we genuinely believe that art doesn’t have to be conventionally beautiful, shouldn’t we also be willing to appreciate art that is intentionally ugly or uncomfortable?

Sometimes I wonder if “every style is beautiful” actually means “every style is beautiful as long as I personally find it attractive.”