4 answers
Maryann
Student
Augusta, Georgia
1
Question
4 answers
Ellen Rosenthal
Retired Art Teacher
239
Answers
Woodbridge, Virginia
Updated
Ellen’s Answer
Hi Maryann
The best way to improve your art is to practice your art. Creating art involves skill, and like any other skill, if you want to improve, you need to practice. If you know anyone who plays a musical instrument with a band or an orchestra, you probably know that they have to practice on a daily basis to learn their musical pieces for a concert or a performance. Same with athletes, they have to practice before a game; rarely does a team or an individual athlete go into a tournament without having some practice! I could go on and on, but it is the same with art, you need to practice to improve. Some young artists who have art talent don't think they have to work at their art or practice, but they do; talent will only take you so far. So commit to make art on a daily basis, even if it just doing some quick sketches in a sketchbook. In fact, having a small sketchbook with you to do some daily art practice is a good idea!
The other way to improve your art is to get feedback from other experienced artists and art teachers. Remember your art teachers are all artists in their own right, and sharing their experience in art is what they do. They have valuable lessons, insights, and techniques to teach you. So, if you are not taking art classes, please do so. Also, show your art teacher the artwork you do outside of class, they would love to see it (trust me!)
Another way to improve your art is to look at the work of other artists. You can learn so much from looking at other artists' work; how they use color and light, how they draw figures, how they compose an artwork, how they show emotion and so on. If there are any galleries or museums near you live, visit! This may be old fashioned, but go to your school or local library, go to the section where they have art books, and just start looking at art. Artwork in books will be easier to see than on a computer screen, and the library book section will have a selection that should not overwhelm you. Many museums publish books that have a sampling of their collections and are a good place to start. You could also look at museum websites. If you know you like a particular artist, then google them. If you have no idea of what artists to look at, again, ask your art teacher for some suggestions, or you could also ask the library staff for some general suggestions.
My final suggestion is to be patient with yourself. Art is a skill that takes time to master, whether it is drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking or whatever. One of the joys of being an artist is that you will always be learning and improving your artwork.
Best wishes!
The best way to improve your art is to practice your art. Creating art involves skill, and like any other skill, if you want to improve, you need to practice. If you know anyone who plays a musical instrument with a band or an orchestra, you probably know that they have to practice on a daily basis to learn their musical pieces for a concert or a performance. Same with athletes, they have to practice before a game; rarely does a team or an individual athlete go into a tournament without having some practice! I could go on and on, but it is the same with art, you need to practice to improve. Some young artists who have art talent don't think they have to work at their art or practice, but they do; talent will only take you so far. So commit to make art on a daily basis, even if it just doing some quick sketches in a sketchbook. In fact, having a small sketchbook with you to do some daily art practice is a good idea!
The other way to improve your art is to get feedback from other experienced artists and art teachers. Remember your art teachers are all artists in their own right, and sharing their experience in art is what they do. They have valuable lessons, insights, and techniques to teach you. So, if you are not taking art classes, please do so. Also, show your art teacher the artwork you do outside of class, they would love to see it (trust me!)
Another way to improve your art is to look at the work of other artists. You can learn so much from looking at other artists' work; how they use color and light, how they draw figures, how they compose an artwork, how they show emotion and so on. If there are any galleries or museums near you live, visit! This may be old fashioned, but go to your school or local library, go to the section where they have art books, and just start looking at art. Artwork in books will be easier to see than on a computer screen, and the library book section will have a selection that should not overwhelm you. Many museums publish books that have a sampling of their collections and are a good place to start. You could also look at museum websites. If you know you like a particular artist, then google them. If you have no idea of what artists to look at, again, ask your art teacher for some suggestions, or you could also ask the library staff for some general suggestions.
My final suggestion is to be patient with yourself. Art is a skill that takes time to master, whether it is drawing, painting, sculpting, printmaking or whatever. One of the joys of being an artist is that you will always be learning and improving your artwork.
Best wishes!
Samuel Vojtech
Medical Assistant
19
Answers
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Updated
Samuel’s Answer
Practice, practice, & experimentation. Get comfortable with the fact that no one is the best. But if you hang it up, you are not going to get better. Just asking the question is profound because you want to get better. Use that! Copy & learn from the masters because they were once amateurs who figured some stuff out. Lastly, have fun!
Brittany Brevard
traditional and digital visual arts instruction (illustration, life drawing, animation)
1
Answer
Woodbridge, Virginia
Updated
Brittany’s Answer
If you haven't already made the decision to commit to daily practice, go to a trade school or university program, and/or you've only just now decided you'd like to take the first steps in your journey towards being an artist, you'll have to ask yourself exactly "why" you want to be an artist in the first place. Do you want to take up a relaxing hobby or make a career change? Do you think of art skill as a useful asset or an esteem boost? Is for fun? I can answer for you that yes, doing art professionally or casually is very fun but a lot of work and understanding your motivations and feelings towards art fully will help point you in the right direction when you take that first step down this path.
When you understand your why, think about the "what;" what kind of art do you want to make? Fantasy book illustrations? Watercolor greeting cards? Concept art for a game dev studio? Pet portraits? There are many base kills all visual artists need to have to do much of anything but as your path narrows to more specific types of art, you'll find you need to study different things so make sure you know what most tickles your fancy and do some research by looking at great examples of those things you want to do and study the artists who made them; many have social media accounts they use to reach out to fans, communities, and potential clients and might be willing to answer questions about what they do!
Finally, if you're going to seriously practice and develop your skills and grow your interest you'll want a plan to commit! If you only want to do this as a hobby, set aside some time each day or maybe each week if that's better for your schedule and find a relaxing and quiet space where you can spend time practicing your drawing, painting, ink printing, or whatever you'd like to do! Make it something you look forward to and treat as something for you. If you're going in the serious-pro direction, you'll have to fit it into your schedule and while it can also be fun and relaxing, you'll want to try to do it consistently. Keep a sketchbook or log of your work and do practice exercises designed to improve your skills, muscle memory, and artist vocabulary. Be warned however; no amount of practice will get you anywhere unless you do so mindfully! If you want to study how lighting works in a painting on shiny and dull surfaces, learning how to draw animals in graphite is not going to make you better at painting shiny and dull surfaces! When you know what kind of art you'd like to do, research and write down the kinds of things you'll need to know how to do and devote your study and studio time to them. Want to illustrate landscapes? You'll need to understand point perspective, depth of field, volume in shapes found in either nature or buildings, how shapes and colors are less pronounced the further away they are and how they're more detailed the closer they are, etc. Keep track of the things you want to study and take care to take your time with maybe one or two at once so you don't feel overwhelmed.
I hope this advice helps and inspires you but no matter what you, I HIGHLY suggest, above all else, finding a community! There's forums around with niche interests or galleries and community centers if you'd like to go out, apps like discord where you can research and join servers centered around art in a few button clicks... The world really is your canvas and there's a lot of people out that that would like to see what you're putting on it!
When you understand your why, think about the "what;" what kind of art do you want to make? Fantasy book illustrations? Watercolor greeting cards? Concept art for a game dev studio? Pet portraits? There are many base kills all visual artists need to have to do much of anything but as your path narrows to more specific types of art, you'll find you need to study different things so make sure you know what most tickles your fancy and do some research by looking at great examples of those things you want to do and study the artists who made them; many have social media accounts they use to reach out to fans, communities, and potential clients and might be willing to answer questions about what they do!
Finally, if you're going to seriously practice and develop your skills and grow your interest you'll want a plan to commit! If you only want to do this as a hobby, set aside some time each day or maybe each week if that's better for your schedule and find a relaxing and quiet space where you can spend time practicing your drawing, painting, ink printing, or whatever you'd like to do! Make it something you look forward to and treat as something for you. If you're going in the serious-pro direction, you'll have to fit it into your schedule and while it can also be fun and relaxing, you'll want to try to do it consistently. Keep a sketchbook or log of your work and do practice exercises designed to improve your skills, muscle memory, and artist vocabulary. Be warned however; no amount of practice will get you anywhere unless you do so mindfully! If you want to study how lighting works in a painting on shiny and dull surfaces, learning how to draw animals in graphite is not going to make you better at painting shiny and dull surfaces! When you know what kind of art you'd like to do, research and write down the kinds of things you'll need to know how to do and devote your study and studio time to them. Want to illustrate landscapes? You'll need to understand point perspective, depth of field, volume in shapes found in either nature or buildings, how shapes and colors are less pronounced the further away they are and how they're more detailed the closer they are, etc. Keep track of the things you want to study and take care to take your time with maybe one or two at once so you don't feel overwhelmed.
I hope this advice helps and inspires you but no matter what you, I HIGHLY suggest, above all else, finding a community! There's forums around with niche interests or galleries and community centers if you'd like to go out, apps like discord where you can research and join servers centered around art in a few button clicks... The world really is your canvas and there's a lot of people out that that would like to see what you're putting on it!
Cynthia Nicholson
3
Answers
Holbrook, Arizona
Updated
Cynthia’s Answer
Here is a good way to begin, whether you are wanting to paint an object, person, scene or anything else. Take a moment to look at whatever it is you are wanting to paint or draw. The medium does not matter. Focus on it for a moment so you see it clearly. Close your eyes and picture it in you mind. Then, gaze at your canvas (or whatever surface) for a moment. Visualize your end result on that surface as if it's finished. In your mind's eye you can see it appear. Begin and keep that image focused in you mind while you work.
The result may be different than what you originally intended, but there is no doubt it will be good. Even if when you're finished you seem disappointed that is did not necessarily turn out the way you originally planned, when you walk away from it (and perhaps begin another piece of work) when you come back and look at it I'm willing to bet that you'll like what you've done.
It's a good way to get a project going. Hopefully, over and over again.. :) You get the idea.
The result may be different than what you originally intended, but there is no doubt it will be good. Even if when you're finished you seem disappointed that is did not necessarily turn out the way you originally planned, when you walk away from it (and perhaps begin another piece of work) when you come back and look at it I'm willing to bet that you'll like what you've done.
It's a good way to get a project going. Hopefully, over and over again.. :) You get the idea.