☆ ASK VICKI ☆: How do I improve as an artist? (Patreon)

A patron (hi Cat!) recently asked me some questions about art and I thought the answers might be helpful for other patrons as well! I feel like these questions are fairly universal and are often questions that I find myself asking on a regular basis. I also wanted to turn this into a regular question/answer post (perhaps monthly) where I compile any questions I receive into a handy dandy post for you to reference (let's be honest I'll be referencing it too I also need help lol). Without further ado, let's share some advice! ^^

1. What resources have you used that you feel have best helped you improve as an artist? 

• `References are sooo important and have been revolutionary to my art education! I think there’s misinformation out there about using references, that it’s equivalent to copying or tracing. What really matters is how you use references. They’re not intended to be something you create a carbon copy of and claim as your own. Rather they’re meant to be used as a starting point to better understand a subject, to see it from different angles, to learn its shapes and forms so that you can recreate it in your own way and style. Use references and enjoy the learning process! ^^ 

 2. Advice for confronting anatomy, body diversity, and complex poses?  

• Again, I’m gonna have to answer with references. There’s so many photos and resources widely available now that we have the internet that can properly inform you of how to approach different subjects. And it really does come down to practice. It’s not gonna look the way you want it to the first time or even the 500th time. Rather, I think it’s all about getting closer and closer to what you see in your head.  

 3. Your pieces are always so colorful— how do you pick out what color palettes to use for your pieces? how do you experiment? 

• At the risk of sounding overconfident, I think color is one of my strongest suits. I naturally seek it out in everyday life. Anywhere I go, any media I consume, I’m always thinking about and looking for the colors and noticing which ones strike my interest and why certain combinations work. It also helps to keep a visual folder of images/artwork that have colors you enjoy. My interest in color is mainly observational, but having a basic understanding of color theory is incredibly helpful as well. Experiment and see what combinations work for you! I’ve created just as many pieces that have terrible color palettes. xD  

 4. I’m currently in a state in my art where i feel i’m making little to no progress. How do you, personally, best escape this? 

• I find usually one of two solutions work: take a break or push myself in a meaningful way. Sometimes you need to take a break to step back, see the bigger picture and understand why you’re feeling stuck. Are you having trouble with a particular aspect of art? Is there something specific you want to improve? Going off of the answers I find, I’ll pursue improvement in a specific area (for example practicing drawing hair) and hone in on that and just practice drawing hair. It also helps during either of these phases to consume artwork and media that you love and figure out why you love those things. In turn, you can try it out in your own art and see if it sparks anything new. :) 

 5. As an artist, what’s something you initially struggled with and eventually improved (or even excelled) upon?  

• Honestly...I feel like I’m always struggling/could stand to improve on? I mean there are things that I do think I’ve gotten better at/can visibly see improvement compared to several years ago (poses and anatomy are big ones). I don’t particularly think I excel at them though. I feel like, the moment I say I excel at something is the moment I stop wanting to learn. And that’s entirely a personal thing, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with claiming excellence in one’s work or feeling proud of something you’ve done. I just know that I’ll always be looking for areas I can improve upon. :) 

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If you have any questions of your own, I'd love for you to comment it on this post and I'll answer in the next roundup! Or if you have any answers of your own to these questions please share your insight as well! I think it's a good opportunity for others to offer their solutions/advice. I believe everyone has something to offer and that we can all learn something from one another. ^u^<3

Have a great weekend friends!

Vicki