Honing Oil

Self-taught artists, how did you hone your skills?

I would hardly call myself an artist, but I’m learning and I’d like to grow.
I paint (portraits using oils/acrylics), but my skills are very limited and all self-taught. I’ve never been able to afford to pay for art lessons… and art supplies are so freaking expensive!

Sorry to hear about your frustration. Trust me, I went through the same period when I swore I would probably never get better.

There’s no real secret to it (which tends to disappoint most people). It’s all about practice. The phrase “practice makes perfect” hasn’t stuck around for so long because it’s BS. It’s proven. The more you do something the better you get. It’s takes artists years to get good. And I mean hardcore, drawing everyday years.

What I did a lot was find an artist whose work I liked. I’d study it, really think about how each little detail was created, and try to recreate that style. When I finally did, I’d move on to someone else. And after I while I found that I could use all the little tricks I picked up in copying these style together in a combination to create a style that was uniquely mine.

If you’re looking for inspiration, go to DeviantArt.com. I can’t say enough good things about this site. It’s basically facebook for artists of every kind where you can post your art, get critiques, view hundreds tutorials, and look at professional grade work. Get an account (it’s free) and start putting your stuff up. Get some opinions of other artists. Don’t be shy. We all started out bad at some point.

That’s the best advice I can offer. And hey, if you do end up getting an account on DA, I’ll even give you some feedback on your work.

http://mattymj.deviantart.com

SUNNEN HORIZONTAL HONE #2559