Ever taken a drawing class?

[Psiogen]

The very first thing, and the most important thing I learned in all of my art education was something very simple.

A pile of oily rags can burst into flame all by itself.

The first thing we were taught in my first class in art school was, "If you graduate from the Cooper Union, your ability to earn a living will be permanently impaired."

[Jaster!]

In the past year I have taken several art classes, only two that actually pertain to drawing, however. If you're taking a good and proper course they help a LOT, I plan on taking more, and I highly recommend them.

Uh oh... wait, I feel something... yep, here it comes.

[RANT]

I don't get why everyone wants to say "oooooh, I was self-taught! I have ventured into the proverbial forest as the loin-clothed hermit to study life, the universe, and everything. Upon emmense reflction towards my bellybutton which has transversed for the previous decade or two, the golden miracle of artistic genius was bestowed upon me from the heavens! My only classroom was founded in Hard Knocks, and yet I have emerged, an Art GOD! Worship me!"

No.

Screw you.

You're the guy who goes to Harvard only so you can say you went to Haaaaah-vard. You're the guy who learns a new word, then intentionally steers conversations into letting you use it in context so you can then obnoxiously ask "Hey, do you know what that word means, dumb-dumb?" in that stupid Gazoo voice. That's not a good deed! They're never going to let you back on your planet!

Jebus! Why are you so high and mighty? You suck at art. Cry me a river, build me a bridge, get over it, but mostly just take a class or two! It's not like you're in a vacuum learning stuff on your own, you're on the internet, looking at other people's artwork for references and browsing articles where other people are talking about how to draw stuff! You're kidding yourself, and wasting a lot of time doing so.

[/RANT]

[Sortelli]

Start taking classes. Start trying to learn.

Bail out only if you have a burned out fraud for an art teacher who wants to convert you into spewing out bad agit-prop. Just because some art classes are total wastes of time does not mean there isn't anything to learn.

[FunnyCozItsTrue]

i dont think im getting a good vibe twards the whole "art classes" thing ... correct me if im wrong.
but as you can see from my (crappy , riped off other people) style , i havent had ne lessons.

[McDuffies]

Now, Toxic, if you want me to be frank, your art skills need lots of lots of work. I'd say (without much accuracy) a year or two with classes, 5-10 years without them. Which one would you choose?

*Gives McDuffies a cross look*

I can actually draw much better than my art shows, if I spent more time on it, give me a sec to scan some stuff...

Heh. No need for cross looks, I've seen both your comic and your flashs before. Plus, no matter how stylised art of someone is, you can see his skills behind it. My personal preferation is good stylisation anyway, so I prefere Watterguy style to, for instance, the one from the flash movie.
So, no need for scanning your drawing. (Oh, btw, not a single human figure in those scans?)
Now when I say your skills need work, I'm presuming your ambitions. Let's say one day you decide to write a script that requires realistic drawing - or at least semi-realistic. Is your art capable to support such story? Your art is good enough for what you're doing now, but do your ambitions as a comic author limit to that? My guess is not.

Now, don't get me wrong, I, as well, could use some art teaching. Only less.

[JexKerome]

I took some art classes back at the high school level, right when the dinosaurs were dying off. I was doing okay, then at the end-of-year show I presented a full color drawing of a donkey dressed as Hitler. I flunked. My teacher musta been either incredibly dense, or a Nazi, or both.

Apart from that, I avidly read any tutorial I come across (even McDuffies'), and take from them whatever I feel I can use.

[Yeahduff]

Yeah Toxic, your drawings aren't bad (McDuffies mentioned the suspiciously missing humans), but everyone needs improvement, and usually art professors know how to make you improve. If nothing else, you're forced into concentrated drawing for at least ten hours a week. Even if your prof is a bitter no-talent git, at least you have that. And nothing compares to life drawing.

You're self taught. Big deal. Do you draw well? I'm impressed when War says it, because he's really good. And the fact that Faub's trained doesn't make his images less good. Bottom line: Do you draw well?

You're on the verge of entering college, though, so you're attitude is understandable. You're at the top of the world now, not quite aware at how large and vast the ocean will suddenly get. Listen to the old folks, though: If you take drawing seriously, take every opportunity to get better at it.

[Orion]

Listen to me Toxic, College is evil, run from it. If you don't run now it will surely devour your living soul!

Don't listen to me by the, college has been pretty good for the 2 years I've taken it, up until this semester which I very honestly wish I could erase from my memory and my life. One thing though, until you go to college you have no idea how stressful life can be.


oh, and on the actual subject we were all talking about...no I've taken no classes, although every semester I try to work one in I just never have the time. So I've pretty much taught myself, using a fair number of internet tutorials and trail and error.

[Fullcircle]

Start taking classes. Start trying to learn.

Bail out only if you have a burned out fraud for an art teacher who wants to convert you into spewing out bad agit-prop. Just because some art classes are total wastes of time does not mean there isn't anything to learn.

Yes, exactly. While my art degree has left me poor and without a use for it, it has done wonders for my art and I still feel like I'm improving all the time. Life drawing was a massive boon, because it is art and it's anatomy. And even when you're drawing stuff that's stylized, you do it better when you know what you're stylizing. Design, movement, color theory, etc etc... Good stuff. If my rabbit hadn't eaten my color wheel, I'd be using it for reference all the time.
*Note to self, get a new color wheel*

I took a comic drawing class in Highschool as an extra, and was the only girl there. I got zip to nothing from it, but got to stay after, looked at funny, and draw so why not. Highschool art classes were basically just for fun, because the teachers spend most of their time catering to bored teenagers and babysitting than actually getting a chance to teach art.

Art school... All depends on the teacher. I was lucky enough to have some kick ass teachers who know how to tell you what to work on without going 'You suck, and should never draw again' even though I'm sure they must have been tempted from time to time. And others... (a certain photoshop teacher, who shall go unnamed) who, if you were not her own personal clone, thought you were crap every project and provided no encouragement whatsoever. It was all worth it though, and you just apply your own style to what you take from it. Good stuff.

~SR

[LAGtheNoggin]

No, never taken art classes and it shows.

At my point in the academic ladder (very low) they're practically useless so it's best I draw on my own terms. Now if only my own terms didn't involve so much procrastination...

[War]

No art classes here either, I just struggle on working things out as I go.

[Sippan]

I did...once... didn't help me improve at all.

[Stinkywigfiddle]

I'd say, overall art classes are a good thing. They make you draw things you might not have tried drawing otherwise

And I suppose no one is really self-taught. At the very least we read books on how to draw.

[Asarea]

Mhh ... I always drew in class ...but have never taken any classes in drawing *smiles* actually my marks and results in 'art' at school were just horrible - I can't paint or do any pottery or work with wood and a saw or anything like that.

[Gage Kronos]

I've taken a few, though they were never figure drawing, it was more still life, basic stuff. Most of what I know I've taught myself to do by looking at other people's work and things that I see everyday.

I think the strangest assignment I had in my Drawing 101 class was to be given this enormous 5' x 3' sheet of newspaper print/butcher paper, be pointed towards this odd arrangement of various items in the center of the room, and then told to "draw what you see, but not WHAT you see".

I think I spent the first 15 minutes of class being confused.

[ZOMBIE USER 16849]

I was just going to let my first reply be that, and move on. But I've noticed a few people who claim "art classes didn't help."

Maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but I get the impression that's the same thing as "I rule because never took art classes," only this time it's "I rule because I never took HELPFUL art classes."

Suck up your damn pride, people. I completely understand if Art Classes are too expensive for you, and that's why you're art-classless. If art isn't really your main focus in life, and improvement isn't any nearby goal of yours, then I understand that too. But when you go through the trouble of taking a class and you don't get anything out of it, the fault lies with both the teachers AND yourself.

Every teacher, no matter how awful, has at least one thing to teach; and every student ought to make sure they absorb it. I've only been able to take one drawing class so far (it's been a slow major >_>; ), and I can't stress the vast improvement I've made. The teacher was pretty mediocre, and it was really an "easy A" for even the worst students. But I learned a great deal.

I used to feel pretty darn good in highschool for not ever taking a drawing class. But now, I wish someone had slapped me into taking anything -- even pottery. I wouldn't be so far behind at this point and time. ...Okay, so pottery wouldn't have necessarily helped.

[Mr Ekshin]

All goofing around aside....

I have a serious question: If I switch over from actually drawing my comic to using 3D Studio to do it, is that considered being an artist?

Or just a mechanic?

[Jaster!]

You're still an artist, but only if you actually create original stuff with it. I've seen comics done in 3D comics and most of them had terrible models with barely moving facial features. It looks craptastic. If you can use a 3D program and make it look as good as if you were drawing it, more power to you, but it's deceptively tricky, and don't be surprised if a lot of people aren't impressed.

[RPin]

Hmmm... I think I took my last art class when I was 16. Maybe in the future I'll restart them.

[Toxic]

Okay, I'm getting two distinct camps when it comes to drawing classes:

Pro-classes: "You are never too good to improve", "Classes help you practice, at the very least", "Toxic, you don't have much to lose"

Anti-classes: "College is evil", "Classes provide no help", "There are bad teachers and good teachers, mostly bad teachers"

Hmm...maybe I should flip a coin.

And I have to say Yeahduff does have a very good point, I'm 17, I think I know everything about the world, maybe I should get more instruction. (are you happy now mcduffies?!?! I admitted it!)



On a completely off topic note, all of you will never believe who I got to be in my newest comic. Remember the guy who lived in the library at NYU? Yep. He'll be appearing as 'Bobst Boy'. Another thing I never know about him, he's a big fan of "Something Positive".

Even more shocking: He was a reader of my comic when it began, but lost interest when I would go monthes without updating.