All my childhood people were amazed by how well I draw. I was in gifted and Talented for art and I was asked to represent our high school for the state art show but I declined. I've always felt that what I done was worthless pieces of wasted paper and I don't know why when I've had so many tell me how talented I truly am. Do any of you feel this way?


Here recently I've been thinking about trying to get back into drawing. I think that even at my age now (19) that I could get back into it and still be amazingly well at drawing. Just need practice... practice... practice. Do you think its too late to start back up on something that I was once amazing at when I was young... say up until I was about 14 years old then I stopped permanently.

Here is a painting that I done when I was 11 years old. I wouldn't call it amazing but some people thought it was. Not sure why...

[attachmentid=7577]

Sorry about the poor image quality... all I had to take the picture with is my web cam. My girlfriend has our digital camera.

ok..here is my opinion.......If you really want to draw again and you love to draw...you have nothing to loose and just go for it.....I don't think it matters weather your good or not as long as its something you love doing....I myself am in my teens ....sometimes I hate my artwork...other times I really like it....but just try to stay possitive...and obviously you are good if everyone says so!!!


Morgan

Yeah I understand what you are telling me. Secondly I have this disorder that keeps me from being in that great mood for drawing as I used to be when I was a child. I hate how I am now... I can never stay focused on one thing long enough to finish it. Then I end up rushing through and it looks like crap in the end or looks as if I could have done a lot more to it and made it a work of art. Do you know where I'm coming from with that said?

yes......I know exactly where you are coming from....I have been in a similar situation....It must be really hard....I always found art as a sort of releif from everything.....If you do decide to stick with art I would love to see your progress as you start up again.....

morgan

Well there is a pencil in front of me sitting below my keyboard. I keep looking at it thinking I should pick it up and draw something on some paper no matter what it is. Just to relieve some stress that has built up on my mind today over losing my job =[

Here is something I doodle a while back while I was in the Army National Guard.

[attachmentid=7579]

sorry about the whole job situation......that must suck.....well know I know you aren't exagerating when you said everyone loved your art work.....it GREAT...you are aperently gifted....

Welcome to Drawspace Hawtskater.. I love the doodle. It really has depth..

As for art, I have never liked much of my stuff. I have been drawing about a year and I love it, but I am impatient with it and rush too much. I need to learn how to slow down and pace myself..

Well I hate my art all the time, but its not bad because if you like your art all the time you would probably think there would be no room for improvement, but you have to like some of your work aswell. That I hate my work disease is permanent because as you grow and even when you start to draw well you see all the little flaws and hate your work . Just practice practice and if you think that doesnt work check this thread out. http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870 most inspirational thing ever. just look at the first page and move on to about the 35th or something and youll see! We are alowd to post other websites right? If not ill take it off.

You know, you just wrote out how I feel about much of my art. I'm constantly doodling and sketching, and even now I've got a few pieces for some forum challenges that I simply can't focus on completing. I've got a Snoopy 101, a weekly challenge and a colored pencil study in various states of completeness. I probably won't finish them, but it doesn't really matter. I still drew, even if I didn't complete.

Through practice I've gained much more patience, but it's still a long road. Don't worry about not completing a piece. Everything you do is working toward helping you learn. Don't worry about rushing. You'll learn patience.

We're our own worse critics at times. If we never saw anything bad with our work then we wouldn't strive to become better.

Dear Hawtskater:

I think you are very brave to be so honest and tell us how you really feel. I hope you feel encouraged by us and keep drawing. We all feel bad about our work at times. I have been drawing for ten years now and sometimes want to just throw it all away. But, then I do something really great and am proud of it. Drawing is a type of meditation that can calm you and help you forget your problems for a time. You are not too old to learn more. You are already talented, not you must try to trust that and keep on going.

Judyvan

In my opinion I say you should get back to drawing if you feel you are more mature now then you were then. Cause seriously. A person who likes to draw but hates his/hers art is just really childish and naive.

Drawer 32.........thats a little harsh

Well drawer32 if you like your art all the time that isnt good... You have to hate it so you could improve on it honestly until i reach the level of pros and maybe even then i will never be satisfied if you are an aspiring artist you must always want to get better to see your work "evolve" you must always go on the journey because it never ends. Just like i stated above you have to also like some of your art but as odd as it is you have to hate it to!

Hawt ....I have been drawing a very long time .. I am much older then you lol ... but many times even now I do not like what I have drawn ...at times I have even tore it up and tossed it away ...what everyone is saying is supportive and friendly and I thank them for it cause thats what we are here for to help you in anyway we can .

so thanks to : ID, Cyn, Sparkyy, and Miss Judy for being encouraging to Hawt .

Drawer 32 ...some people and most I should say are not real confident all the time with their work ..in my opinion I think it's a part of growing into your talent.

Yeah, but you got to admit that it is kinda childish to give up on art just because you think you don't have what it takes.

Hawtskater there is nothing wrong starting drawing agean later in life . I use to draw lot's when i was young . Then stoped drawing for close years I'm not sure really why i did most i think i didin't have time . Now i have dine drawing agean less then a year, I have came a long why in this last year . I dosen't really matter that het your or love your art just that you inporove your self.

This how i use draw a year ago when stated

[attachmentid=7584]

and this how i can draw now

[attachmentid=7585]


all this way in less then a year I is till feel like can inprove my art .

Hawtskater: I think that it would perhaps be helpful to think a little about why you want to get back into art. Does it help you relax? Is it an outlet for emotion building up inside you? Is it something that brings you joy? Or something completely different..
Getting acknowledgement from others is a very nice thing, and can help further your interest in drawing, because it can be a lonely hobby sometimes as you sit there and draw by yourself. But critique, good or bad, should not, I think, have the ultimate importance in whether we continue drawing or painting. In the end, you should do it because it makes YOU happy. I aspire to become much better than I am at the moment, but I can't honestly say I hate my art even if I can see the mistakes very clearly. Drawing and painting gives me peace of mind and a creative outlet, that I haven't found anywhere else, and then it is really irrelevant if people think that it's garbage or that I'm a new Dali.
You are never too old to start something new, and certainly not when you are 19. Go for it, if you want to!

Hi Hawtskater,

welcome to Drawspace.....I have to agree with all and very much with Marie (Hrymafaxe) I have been drawing now just under 3 years and wish I would have started as a child..I draw because I want to ....not because I have to...I find it very stress relieving... peaceful and relaxing and very rewarding at times ..I also find it full of challenges and I am always trying to improve my skills ....I too tend never to be happy with my drawings.....Also a bit like Cyn I tend to rush some times and don't always have the time...though in my eyes I love Cyn's drawings...We seem to be our own worst critique. You should do a search on one of my favorite artists...The works of Jim Warren....he started painting at age ONE and now most of his works are a big part of Disney...Hope you pick up your pencils and brushes again and don't let your talent go to waste.

Best of luck, Brian.

How can it be too late at 19? I'm 30 years older than that and have just recently started picking up a pencil and learning how to draw. My drawings are horrid. I hate them, but I keep drawing because I want to get better. There are things in my mind that want to come out. I get so frustrated when what I see in my mind's eye and what apprears on the paper do not look the same. In fact a lot of times, what the drawings look like is something drawn by somebody who can't draw. Obviously, you can draw, so in that you are ahead of me. Artists are their own worst critic. Pick up that pencil that's calling to you and draw. You may hate it, but it's obvious that you need to draw anyway. Just go for it.

Debby

Draw 32 please Kepp the remarks to yourself . Thank you in advance .

I think you should definitely start drawing if you like to draw. I'm not an expert on disorders, but perhaps you'll stay focused if you draw little by little. Just draw a little bit of a drawing then take a break, then go back to it when you're ready. Sometimes I rush through my art and it looks horrible, but if I think about it a lot first then start it when I am calm and know what I want to do, it helps.

I'd say start drawing again, I stoped and started back so many times I can't count them. And the crazy thing is I think I get better each time, can't figure that out. Grand Ma Moses didn't start painting until she was in her 70's!! So I think you'll be okay starting back at 19. Don't compare what you do to someone else, just draw what you want to, the way you want to. I know alot of people want to draw "PHOTO REALISM" all I have ask is why? Draw something that comes from you personally and I think you'll be happy with it. But they will always be things you like about your drawing and things you don't, everybody is like that.
You don't have to start and finish a drawing all at once, unless that's all it takes, I call that a sketch. I don't think there is a time limit on how long it takes to draw a picture. But more complex things take longer to draw. Work on it a few minutes a day, an hour, what ever your attention will let you and stop, come back to it later do some more to it, and you'll sooner or later get done with it.
But if it's something you want to do then do it.

I have Attention Deficit Disorder.... Easily distracted and inattentive. I'm also a chronic procrastinator. I can relate to any issue you might have.

Tony

I think everyone stalls out every now and then .. no one that I know draws beautifuly continuiously

I loved to read this topic, it was like read that part of you that loves to draw, and every body have similar thoughts/feelings , i coun't tell better how it feels to me...
draw when ever you want, i am always doing it, not art pieces just few lines sketches that express how i am that moment, how i feel, what i whish to be doing, i can't help it...
Now what i really call "a draw" isn't that spontaneous, i must be with that feeling lol and a lot of patience,
sometimes is stays ok, others i just want to send it right to the trash...
When my friends see my draws they say "thats wonderful", but i can see mistakes every where, and wish it could be better, cant understand why they think like that, people just say i should have followed art studies instead of science, but "drawing" and "job" just couldn't fit together in the same bag... Drawing can be anything but not work, not a routine, is the really opposite, is an escape from it, from reality, is to dream awake, give life to a peace of paper, like hear a song, it feels well, is a relief, take a breath before go down again... although i wonder if it wouldn be good to have a job like that...
i see i've writtren too much i get enthusiasted... sorry

Mitamy ...you have not written too much lol is there such a thing is to write too much ..lol

glad to see you here

My two-cents on the subject: If you can look at a drawing and find one thing, just one thing that you like about, chalk it up as a job well done and move on to the next piece. If you can't, try to do better on the next piece. If you can teach yourself the dedication to finish a piece regardless what you think about it, then patience will come in time. All thing happen in their own time, it just takes perserverance to get there. Once again, just my two-cents.

Drawing is so much like playing the cello! I started cello as an older adult and have been playing for eight years, gradually working myself up to the "mediocre" level of cello playing. It is very difficult to get each note in tune, each phrase expressive, each bowing correct. I was probably happier with my cello playing when I just started--because I didn't know then how much I had to learn, and it all sounded good to me. But I absolutely love playing the cello, flaws and all.

As you grow and learn, your ear (in music) and your eye (in art) grows too, and then you may be dissatisfied even with your improved playing. So you improve some more.

Even as imperfect as I draw or play, though, I don't hate my art. I am actually quite fond of it and tend to surround myself with it, flawed as it may be. And I love to play the cello for hours too, imperfect notes and all.

I think Minion#12 expressed it very well. If you can find one thing in a drawing you like, enjoy that one thing, rather than berate yourself for not getting everything right. Enjoy the journey, as they say.

Marilyn (Marisolcello)

Hi Hawtskater, welcome to our place.
You sig says it all man. Allow your emotions to flow through your art. It will show depth to the viewer and can be therapy for you. Imagine each drawing representing your frustrations, and realise that they are now out of you and trapped in your art. The catharsis may suprise you. When I was a teen I knew my art was bad, but in the end it was an outlet that lead to better feelings. Think about all those tortured souls who became world famous for their works. You can feel them radiating through the paper.

Dont get down on yourself for being away from the pencil for a few years. I have had a tremendous gap between then and my reawakening. Now I just look back and wished I stuck with it. My skills have been stagnant for some time. Just hanging around here with these nice folks here is enough to motivate me. I browse for a few minutes and the next thing I know, I am sketching something I found on google image.

Stick around and show us some more stuff.

SW

I strongly disagree with this statement... someone who loves his art all the time is incapable or unwilling to see the flaws in his work


thank you for your invaluable "copper" I fully agree with you, although it is a bit hard to remember that sometimes

We are our own worst critic... if its something you enjoy, dont give up... go with it and have fun! Thats what its all about.

I think you should start drawing already if you haven't picked it up again, me personally I usually think my art is bad, but isn't terrible other people tell me other wise. I can also feel about the not being able to focus very long, eve on this thread i read abotu the first 5 post completly then started readign abotu half the post for the next 10 and then read like every three lines for the rest, so I can relate to the not beign able to focus.

But like others have been saying, just give it a try. The worst that can come out is that you used up some paper and pencils (which are usually cheap if you use jsut the regualr school pencil liek I do XD )

So I say just go for it man.

Hi Hawtskater, welcome to drawspace I just know you will like it here.
I don't think age has much to do with drawing really, I loved art when I was at school.
But it is only in my later yrs that I have been able to pick it up again, it helps me relax after a hard day at work and here ppl are very helpful if you want help on your drawings, I know I will never be a great artist lol but I know I will have fun trying to be a good artist, [ still long way to go lol ]
so I hope to see lots of your drawings posted.
best wishes

There's only one reason I keep on drawing. It's because I learned to play guitar. After one year of guitar, I completely stank. After two years, I stank even more. But I kept playing and working, year after year, and now after nine years, I can finally say, with all due modesty, that I still completely stink.

So now I'm comfortable with stinking.

SOON TO BE A HEARTWARMING FILM FROM PARAMOUNT.