"What is the drawing process like for you?" - Drawing Tips -
"I'm trying to learn how to draw. I've tried several times in my past, but I usually end up frustrated and give up. This time I'm trying something different by first trying to understand how expert and professional artists approach drawing, and then try to keep that in mind when I draw, myself." - Tekky
Tekky was introduced to me by a fellow artist friend who asked me if I was available for an interview. I'm all for passing on life experiences, so I said, "Yeah! Why not?" Hopefully my answers to the Tekky's following questions will help some of you with your artistic journey too.
What is the drawing process like for you? Do you plan out what you will draw ahead of time? How do you go about building your illustration?
I am still refining my drawing process and how to best optimize my time and skill to illustrate, but I am beginning to start all my illustrations with what I consider the most important element of all--the PURPOSE. I need to have a reason for creating the illustration in the first place. I ask myself questions like: What particular message do I want to get across to my audience? Who is this for? What kind of emotions do I want to elicit? Do I want my audience to reflect on my illustration? Do I want this illustration to hang on the walls of a room or is it more for commercial use? etc. What comes as a result of my purpose is my VISION. The clearer my purpose, the clearer my vision for the drawing, and it's in the vision that I can finally illustrate.
For the image you pointed out, my purpose was to remind others that letting things go that weigh you down will allow happiness in. My audience is around early teens and older so I wanted to draw something that would appeal to that age group. If you noticed my previous work in progress, I played around with the idea of "dropping your emotional baggage." I found the ball and chains to be more interesting visually, though, and still get the message I want across. I have to admit, I lost my reason and motive to complete this image (which is why you should always draw or sketch things down as soon as an idea hits you), but after explaining to you why I drew it, I feel the need to finish it again. =) After visualizing, I sketch what is in my mind down on my paper/canvas, making sure all the important objects and subjects are in there and determine the best the position of objects, lighting, colors, etc. that would best portray my vision and get my message across.
When learning to draw, was there something you struggled with a lot to master? How did you end up overcoming that hurdle?
I am still working to improve a lot of areas of my drawings, including body proportions, color, consistent lighting, shading, perspective. etc. (Then again, which artist isn't?) One thing that I do believe I've improved on quite drastically are my figure drawings. I used to draw how I see figures--as accurately as possible, but that only makes for a stiff, normal, okay drawing. It's the feeling and motion in your figure drawing that will give it life and interest. I learned this concept by watching Youtube videos and practiced many hours in and outside figure drawing class. Daily sketches is very important to my improvement and knowing it's okay to make mistakes because I will improve with every line I make.
What's something that you feel like you NEED to improve at regarding your drawing ability? Like you won't be able to make your next ideal illustration without it?
I have room to improve in many technical areas of drawing, which can be developed through constant practice and learning from others, but the most important I NEED for me is to craft a clearer vision in my mind of what I WANT to portray. Sure, sometimes your image does change and should be allowed to change as you draw, but the core purpose of the drawing should not. Once I know what I want to draw, I start pushing other areas of improvement to get to the image I want (as I explain in my next answer).
What's your favorite drawing that you've done? Why is it your favorite?
Goodness, I have a lot of favorite drawings, but as of late, it would be Kousei's Image (above) because I spent quite a lot of time visualizing this image in my head. I actually knew exactly how I wanted it to look but had difficulty executing it because of my foundation in perspective is fairly weak. Still, that's when I looked up as many perspective tutorials as I possibly could and asked my fellow artists in a Facebook group and my dad (a retired artist) for critiques. I collected a lot of references online and they were all incredibly helpful, and I'm happy to say that this drawing turned out just the way I imagined it, maybe even a little better. So even though I still have much to improve, I was willing to learn and learned more in the process when I had a mission and purpose for using a particular concept. And what's best, this image came from the heart. <3
When creating an illustration, is there any step that you spend extra amount of time on? Like you feel spending that little bit of extra time on it improves the illustration immensely?
Taking the time to accurately set up the basic shapes, positions, perspective, proportions, and lighting will improve an illustration IMMENSELY. It's always about the plan. You can be very technically skilled in many areas, but if you don't plan what and where to put things in you illustration, all your skill will be for naught.
Have you looked over drawings from beginner and novice artists? If so, is there anything you feel novice artists tend to do that make the drawing process more frustrating or unproductive for them?
Yes, I believe novice artists tend to focus too much on the details and not the overall look and feel of a drawing. I've been there too, so I know. Zoom back and imagine the entire drawing. If you want to illustrate on Photoshop, view and draw on the ENTIRE canvas before getting into the details. Also, I dread this tip on occasions but it's true: drawing from life is a lot more useful than drawing from other people's drawings. Life drawing will give you the foundation you need to push your drawings stylistically without it looking strange or out of proportion.
In your initial drawings, did you try to mimic other artists and styles, or just free-handed?
For my first drawings, I free-handed. When I liked a series or the artwork of a series, I usually drew fanart of the characters or a parts of the styles I liked, like eyes and face structure. Eventually, I developed my own preference in style, but still try new things as I learn and discover more.
If I could turn back time, though, I would draw more from real-life first. After years of drawing stylized images, I am finding it difficult to draw realistically when I want to. I believe that transitioning from realistic to stylized drawings would be easier than the other way around.
As you progressed as an artist, was there ever a moment where you realized that drawing was something more than just a pastime for you? Was there ever a watershed moment like that for you? And if so what was it?
OH YES, ABSOLUTELY. My watershed moment was when I decided to share a table to sell my work at a convention (SacAnime Winter 2015) with a friend. I was quite hesitant at first, since I only had a few drawings ready (5 prints, to be exact), but she insisted I had always wanted to table, so I dropped the ball, took a risk, and went for it. I'm so glad I took the chance, because I was so floored by people's reactions to my work and the incredible demand for my skills. I had never imagined how much people would love my work. The most rewarding part was interacting face-to-face with people, learning about them, building connections, and the immediate feedback from my creations. That's when I knew I had to focus all my energy into drawing and creating artwork. I had been teaching and tutoring science part-time at that time, but I knew I would be doing the world a great disservice if I didn't develop my artistic abilities further or keep my artwork and passion to myself. I HAD to share it. So here I am today. ^_^
Questions? Thoughts? Experiences? Please share them in the comments below or email me: snowgem1@gmail.com! I'd love to hear them! If you'd like to reach Tekky, email him: TekkyArtNovice@gmail.com. Maybe even give him a little encouragement to keep drawing. ^_^
