no really..how does one know???

when do you know you are an artist..my husband (god love him) is so supportive of me and anything i do that it comes to mind this question often..i feel as though he just loves me so loves what ever i do..he will tell his friends that he thinks his wife is an artist which makes me feel 2 things..first EMBARRASSED, then so happy that he thinks of me so positively..but mostly embarrassed..

i dont consider myself an artist at all..i just say "i like to try to draw" cause to me an artist is a whole nother ball game than what i do..to me an artist is someone who dreams and can translate it with images to paper..they create from nothing..( a process i cant seem to do just yet) someone like barmakalikhani, wayneo, shillan to name a few here that pop immediatley into mind when i think of the word artist.

then there are master copiers, those who use images and diligently transfer the image to paper, requiring incredible observation skills and of course all the tech skills too

then there are the drawers, ..ppl like me who draw from images but not as finely detailed as the master copiers, but sufficient enough to get a credible likeness..

so are we all artist?

perhaps like most we never know ..the art becomes famous after you are no longer around and all the work you did goes unnoticed while you were alive..

..hmm anyway..i just would like to know how do you know when you can call yourself an artist..

I think you can call yourself an artist if you have the urge to create images, and follow through on that urge in some sort of sustained fashion - because you enjoy the process, or enjoy the product, or wish to evoke some of the beauty you see around you and get others to look closer and think about it, or create a message which moves people in some way.

thats what he (hubby says)..if you can put an image to paper that pleases those around you, you can call yourself an artist..

I feel like you Kay, I do not consider myself an artist eigther, and my husband also keeps telling everyone, you know Clara is an artist, she paints and she draws and I feel so embarrassed too, I also say I just like to TRY to draw, but I'm no artist, and if someone comes to our home he keeps saying, come on show them your work...blablabla. and usualy they like my work, but they are my friends so i guess its normal they would like it, or maybe they say they do just to please me

I know that I am an artist because my Mom says so

lol..

that is way too cute mr. hill..

Self-doubt often goes with the territory.

Those of you on broadband might like to have a look at a video of a talk by a nervous and modest man called John Howe - its here:

http://www.john-howe.com/misc/ideacity/

and he has lots of profound and moving things to say about drawing.

If you're unfamiliar with his name, he was one of the lead conceptual designers on the three "Lord of the Rings" movies.


Dave

Wow, Dave thank you so much for that link to that amazing video. He kind of say it all about art and why we do it plus he is one of my favorite artist.

My take on the subject is that when anyone calls me an artist (especially Mags my other half) I feel very and proud and happy that they feel that way about me. Most people when they see my drawing say "oh I wish I could draw like that I can'nt draw to save my life" or something along thoughs lines. And I think it is strange that most people can not draw because it is something I have always done from an early age. To me an artist is some one who takes the time to look at the world around them and see what is really there and is able to put that beauty down on paper.
So next time some one say you are an artist be proud of the fact not embarrassed (Kay, Clara ) because you have a gift that very few people have

aw..that was sweet..thank you..i will try harder to not be so embarrassed..(that is a challenge)

and yes dave , that video was awesome..he sure was a nervous guy too ..i actually felt for him..i couldnt speak in front of others like that either..his work is amazing too..thanks for posting that

This is what I did in watercolor 12 years ago only because i had to illustrate my book for children. All the illustrations of that book are from imagination.
Do I call myself an artist? No.
I have what it takes to see and feel the world in artistic ways, I might have a artistic soul and sensitivity but an artist is one that has a career, achievements, fame is not important here, but quality and originality above all.
My husband too is very admirative of my talent but I like to think that this is family supposed to be.Today he made me happy with more art supplies and now I can play with charcoal and watercolor and watercolor pencils . It's a hobby. Just that!

wow..i cant get over you doing that at 12 (and still having it) and from imagination ..that is really good for that age range

Dear Elena,
I love this watercolor painting! It is so natural, so very good. I love the colors and the whole composition of it. You have a very broad range of talent in many media. Whether you call yourself an artist or not, your results say otherwise.

Trish

Thank you Kay and Trish, (Kay that was 12 years ago i.e in 1996) no schooling necessary when you do it with passion

lol..DOH! well that makes ME feel a lil better...i was like wow..at twelve i was still drawing them mushroom ladies bending over...remember those?

mushrooms are fun to draw at any age
Now, honestly this is what i did at school during drawing classes at 12, in 1966, a watercolor of a stuffed bird.We used to have art classes twice a week for an hour, with a manual(textbook) with illustrations black and white for most of the material. We studied drawing for 2 years and the 7th grade we studied technical drawing(design).This was communist school, the art supplies were cheap and poor in quality but artists could buy good stuff and not expensive. There were art schools in which you were trained to become an artist for 12 years and then you could go to the academy of Arts. My teacher suggested I should go to an art school, but I never told my parents about this because I wanted to study all subjects, languages, history, humanities not just or mostly art. At that age I used to spend all my time drawing and had fans at school and also used to sell my drawings to buy books from a boy who was selling them for buying chewing gum(from Imports).I guess he sold all his father's library this way. I could buy cheap and antique books from him and simply devouring them mostly about history of France and England.What a time to be 12!

Thank you Dave, for sharing this wonderful video, it made me think, wow I'm one of the 5% of the population that draws maybe it does mean something, I still don't consider myself an artist but I know I'm on the right track

Kev, Thanks for your encouragment, I will try to have this conversation in mind next time someone calls me an artist

Elena now look what you did, first Kay thinks your watercolour painting was when you where 12, then she is releifed that it isn't, and then you show her your 12 year old work,
love your water painting, and I certainly love your 12year old work and your life story at that age, wow, all I wanted at that time was to play and make theather (that was play as well at the time for me)

wow elena.. that is incredible..you drew that picture the year i was born..it is beautiful and even more beautiful is the fact that you still have it..i too loved your story..

Thanks Clara and Kay. To tell the truth I didn't go to the art school because i felt i did not have enough imagination. I used to do watercolors from my garden and house, the sky, but in my culture imagination is very much praised and artists usually come up with their original worlds out of their head, this gives authenticity and unique style to your portfolio, and not the reference stuff. people who remain at the reference level are usually teachers of art not artistsin Romania. Just these days i visited another web gallery and i found a young Romanian artist with splendid paintings all from imagination.Evertything in this sense is interpreted in a personal way even if old motives and shapes are used. I lived among artists and many of my friends were painters and they really had work of particular style, here and there a still life but never from pictures.

yes that is what i call artist..they create from their own thoughts and somehow put these images to the paper to share with us..i can not do that..i have tried and have many wonderful ideas that i simply dont know how to illustrate..a dream that has always haunted me in particular i would love to be able to draw..but i cant do it..it is extremely frustrating to me..you were blessed to be raised among such ppl.

I know what you all meen!!! I love drawing... but I have know clue if I'm any good! My mom thinks I am... but.. hey, she's my mom, she's my supporter. Its just realy hard to tell sometimes!

victoria

I too agree with u here. I too just draw by reference images, have not been able to draw from imagination much. I too I am not much good as I just copy from other images or from others drawings. I don't think I can call myself an artist. I would like to draw on my own that is to say to draw n paint from nature or from life, but have never got the chance to do that till now.

i love art when i am 5 years old...my family call me artest but the problam in my country,in fact no one care about anything it's call art...but i really love art so i will take lessons from you and you will resolve about me

how about when we draw from life..for instance a statue..is it then an original drawing?..can you claim it as your own?
its not the same as drawing from a photo. or is it?

Kay - you'll send yourself crazy with questions like that I'd suggest its not really a productive thing to worry about.

While you're learning to draw/paint, ANY reference is OK (you just need to give credit where it's due) - the issue of "is it an original artwork?" only kicks in meaningfully, I'd suggest, when you're in a position to be selling the work. (Originality isn't all-or-nothing, if you are working from some sort of reference, anyway - its what you bring to it, how you use it, the interpretation you make of it).

This idea that stuff's only "original" (and that its the only thing thats "worthy") if you can somehow pull it full-blown, ready-formed completely out of imagination is frankly corrosive for a learner - sorry, but its a really wrongheaded, unproductive, in fact counterproductive way of thinking about it - being able to create good, convincing-looking stuff from imagination is an end-result stage of training, its something you can only do once you have a considerable degree of artistic maturity.

For training, concentrate first on understanding why things look the way they do, study and draw them from life, or from other reference.

Most people really don't look at stuff, they take visual appearances for granted. One of the things that learning to draw/paint should be doing is opening ones eyes to all sorts of things about the visual world that you may never have noticed before. The answers are not inside your head unless you've put them there. The answers are out there, in the world around you, and need to be paid attention to. One has to get appearances, and the understanding of them, into ones head, first.

Dave

well put dave..and you know i cant look at a face now without looking at the way shadows fall on it..or a particular feature..things i never did before.i do it with almost every thing i see now...not deliberately trying to do so, it just happens..

Click to view attachment
Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them." - -- Buckminster Fuller

At what point do become a mathamatician? mechanic? cook?

If you get joy from drawing, painting sculpting etc... call yourself an artist!

This attached painting was done by my 5 year old grand daughter the other night. In my mind it is art and she is an artist. Only time and negative thoughts and discouragements will change that.

that is so sweet..

thanks for the input mr. jim

well...i wonder the same..
i draw and paint...they are nice but not clear..
sometimes i don't like my own painting..
and passing by this site.. it came to my mind like a poor me shouting...Who said am an artist...?
well maybe but beginner. lol
i know it has nothing to do with ur post..but liked to share ^^

Kay,
I think the word "artist" brings up preconcieved notions for most of us, of grand and sometimes ridiculous (yet oddly expensive) paintings and "works of art". It's intimidating. I also have a difficult time concidering myself an artist, as I'm still a beginner and so far only working in graphite. When my husband tells friends & family I can draw, I also feel all embarassed. Not sure why. But I suppose it doesn't change the fact that we're all artists, as previous posters have said, just to varying degrees of skill. You might finally ADMIT you're an artist when you personally feel that you've reached the level of skill you've been striving for.

P.S. Jimm, I love your daughter's painting!

Kay thanks for the interesting topics you post on the forums. It makes my day in the cubicle farm a little more tolerable.

In answer to the question "are you an artist?", I would have to say "yep, sure am", but usually only to myself! I don't go out of my way to tell people that I like drawing and photography, although people who see my work seem to like it. Most of the work I've seen on the gallery here show a lot of talent and accomplishment, but if I were a betting person (I am) I would bet that 99% of the people posting would not refer to themselves as artists.

Reason? I have to agree with Melinda's posting - there's a lot of preconceived notions surrounding art and artists. What qualifies one as an artist? Selling work? Most of my work I won't part with, I'm sure others feel the same way. (I've given one piece away and every time I visit the recipient, I try to talk her out of it.) Does a college degree? Can't support that either - some of the greatest artists of all time never stepped into an art class. The "thing" that defines us as artists is ephemeral (ok ok I found my dictionary), but I think the common thread is the urge to create and the drive to follow through. I don't distinguish too much between the use of reference vs. imagination, either requires skill and desire and talent. Good enough for this ol' girl!

Oops time to get back to work!

thanks for the drop in ncgirl. i would say that says it very well...

Hey there...I'm new, well...at least new in that I realize there's actually forums attached to the drawspace website.

Anyhow, I'd like to chime in with my ten cents...

I think words and titles can be really powerful. And for a long time I kept saying I *wanted* to be an artist, like it was something outside of myself out there in the world that I could get. I think accepting the word and title of "artist" is less intimidating when you just accept you already are one...whatever your skill level. I know I was a bit disillusioned when I found out an artist I greatly admired from childhood was using projector to produce her photorealistic paintings. Then the more I learned the more I saw just how many artists use a variety of references for painting, drawing, sculpting etc.

What I'm trying to say and failing...is that there are many ways to be an artist...and if you can accept that you already are an artist...just keep working towards being the kind of artist you want to be.

there you go..well said

My thoughts on this are ....I feel each one of us is born with a gift ... what that gift is well we fine tune it as we grow ...I do know people who can pick up a guitar and play it beautifuly without a lesson they just feel it ....same with art i think some are born with it and they just draw very well .. i think you can go to school and learn to do anything ..our minds have no boundries ...I also think some think that playing a guitar is their gift when maybe its is just a passion they have for playing ...maybe their gift is eleswhere and they are too focused on their passion ....I have seen many artist come through here and say they have just begun to pick up a colored pencil or brush and their work is amazing ..this tells me they have found their gift or one of them .

I call my self an artist because I produce art. I am confident in my skill and in my creative abilities. If I didn't have confidence enough to call my self an artist I believe I would be discouraging my abilities and that would be like joining sides with my enemy.

I agree with the comments that if we create art, we are artists. It is our natural insecurity and self-doubt that stops us calling ourselves artists. All through our lives the government, educationalists and society in general feed us negative about ourselves to the extent that we are afraid to stand up and declare our abilities in case someone knocks us down.

So - we are all artists and proud of it, or so we should be!!!

John

Exactly.

I think everyone is an artist at heart. Most people just don't realize it, and unfortunately never try.

You have to enjoy yourself and keep striving to improve. Practice, practice, practice. Then practice more. Draw what you see.

Make it fun and challenge yourself. Make yourself practice the things that make you say "I'm not good at drawing those"

Creativity comes from the heart and soul not from a wallet. Being an artist isn't about getting paid, it's about doing something you enjoy and love.

P.S. When my fiance was a young girl, she said she wanted to marry a starving artist. She got her wish.

I agree John,

Also, I've heard that some gallery owners think it's only art if they say it is art.

Bob

after reading all of these responses i would then have to say:

I AM TOO AN ARTIST

Most of the members contributing to this site are artists, but many seem to not recognise it in their work.

Photo Realism as a style is very technically polished, but thats all it is, is has no more merit artistically than any other style. I get the impression that with some contributors, if it isnt realistic its just not good enough and cant be good art.

When I look at of the gallery I see art everywhere, ranging in style from realistic to neo-primitive, and much of it could fall into the category of fine art.

Take a look at Larionovs "Soldier in the Woods" to see an example of fine art neo-primitivism.

Brian

Very few people, if asked, say they are artists because of preconceived ideas of what that entails and if their egos will live up to those expectations. Yes everyone can create art which takes many forms from naieve drawings to photorealism. It really is subjective as to who likes what and why.

I have to disagree Brian with your comment about some contributors on this site thinking one type of art is 'better' than another. I don't think that is the case. There is no right or wrong in art, simply a matter of taste.

In a learning environment, there are traditional techniques for applying mediums, seeing subjects and drawing accurate representations, which, to be honest, is what many learners want at this stage and is a tried and true method of learning and teaching drawing over centuries. If a class for instance were on abstract painting, would you still think that would be pushed as 'better' than another style? Its all about the process, not the product at this point for many.

Creativity and movement into other aspects of art such as painting, colour application, abstract, surreal, multimedia, etc etc are separate areas, though still strongly connected to each other. No matter what your medium of choice or what type of art you are interested in producing, the majority of people do not feel comfortable calling themselves 'artist' until they have a good understanding of how to apply that medium or create that particular style of drawing or painting.

I always thought the drawers, like you Oliver, are still considered artists. Its just there are different kind of artists. There aren't really categories its just every artist is different that I don't see how you can say a drawer is not an artist. So, what if you are copying, as long as you are not getting credit for it, but I feel like everybody does it for the same fundamental reasons.