Does it make me a bad or worse artist if I need visiual aids for most things when I draw or paint? I can come up with layouts and what I want to do, but if I'm drawing like a window, I'll use a picture from the internet or something for reference. I especially do this when drawing people, I cant draw them straight from my head. Does it make me a worse artist if I need to look at something for help?
2007-08-22 08:57:55 · 15 answers · asked by Bianca D 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Drawing & Illustration
NO! Do you know exactly what an elephant looks like? Of course not! I'm an illustrator/designer. All of us save what is called a "swipe file". You cannot draw something acurately unless you know exactly what it looks like. Sometimes you need a particular pose or a lighting effect. What does it look like? A swipe file is acollection of images the artist has saved over the years because each image saved provides information needed to produce a realistic image. They are reference pictures. Illustrators often have a cabinet full of pictures gleaned from magazines and other printed sources all categorized for easy reference. We no longer need the filing cabinet now because of computers, but we still have swipe files. It's just that they are now in electronic format. Let's see....I need to know what an alligator looks like. Did I file that under "animals", "amphibians" or "reptiles"...........
2007-08-22 12:30:35 · answer #1 · answered by otterkins2 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That doesn't make you a bad artist. The only way it might affect you negatively is if you are SUPER dependent on pictures for everything you draw. There are some generic things that shouldn't be a problem for someone to invent and draw from their head, like jar or a lamp. Just use your imagination!
Some other tips to help improve your skills...
Doodle, a LOT. The more you practice, no matter how silly the subject matter is, or how unrealistic a result you are going for, the better you'll get. I speak from personal experience - heck, mom once threatened to reduce the grades of my papers if I didn't stop doodling on them :D (I'm homeschooled.)
Basically all you need to do is practice, practice, practice. Draw anything and everything you can think of. No one gets better at anything unless they work hard on it. Sure, people start out with varying amounts of talent, but we can all use some improvement!
One thing I like to do is look at other peoples' artwork. Note what they did in various situations, or how they approached drawing a subject. You can also learn a LOT about technique by reading books on drawing from the library. Look up websites of peoples' art, there's some really amazing stuff out there.
It's totally acceptable to use a reference if you're trying to draw a specific person or something like that. I like to draw portraits, so when I come up with someone I want to draw (like Liv Tyler, or Ronald Reagan for example) I search for a picture of them online and print it out. The good thing about this is you can make the picture black and white if you want, which makes it easier to pick out the values. If you do this, you should be sure and choose a large picture with a high resolution, so you can print it as big as possible - the more detail, the better!
Or, if you wanted to draw, say, a monarch butterfly. Who could do the pattern of their wings without a reference? References are amazing resources for artists. EVERYONE uses them, so don't feel bad!
Have fun!! :)
2007-08-24 21:39:44 · answer #2 · answered by queenbee0889 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A real artist studies form and function for YEARS before they get good enough to draw accurate pictures from memory. You can only learn this by looking at your subject. Say I want to draw horses. I will probably have stacks of horse photos, horse magazines, and horse books to refer to. I will also go out and take pictures of the real deal, and maybe even bring my sketch pad out to the barn with me and use the living thing as my model. If you take art lessons that is how they will teach you to draw, in fact many art teachers will not even let you look at your paper at first, they will want to see your eyes on the subject.
So in conclusion, no matter how good the artist is, I think they need to learn to draw from an object (or picture), thus teaching the hand and arm how to draw an accurate representation of the subject before ever relying on memory. I just don’t know how anyone could draw anything accurate otherwise if they didn't really know their subject first! Good luck.
2007-08-22 09:15:46 · answer #3 · answered by Celesse 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, it doesn't make you a bad artist. I have a degree in studio art and all we did in college was draw & paint still life set-ups. I have a difficult time drawing things that I imagine in my head.
2007-08-22 09:07:52 · answer #4 · answered by BethS 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Most artist do not draw exactly what they see. There is a little of the artist soul in each painting.
2007-08-22 09:02:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it makes you a good artist drawing what you visually see. I find it easier looking at what I'm drawing and concentrating on it. Every one has their own style working the way that suits them. Keep it up and I hope to see your work in a gallery soon!! :P
2007-08-22 09:14:16 · answer #6 · answered by tongo86 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No-just keep drawing your favorite things & you'll be able to draw them by memory, draw everyday, carry your paper & pencils where ever you go, so you can draw anytime you get bored-I wear a "fanny pack" & carry a small pad of paper along with a portpholio & art supplies so I can practice when having coffee in the cafe's, etc. & I'll show my art to those who ask.-(but the more you draw, the better you'll get-start buying "how to draw" books, & make it a good habbit)-good luck.
2007-08-22 22:59:02 · answer #7 · answered by strange-artist 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
U think t.i. has a classic album wow lol j/k hmmm the worst i think as of now it would have to be 50 only because u look at his music now and its like ''this couldmnt have been thre same guy who made grodt'' EDIT=prepare to be bashed for even mentioning t.i may have a classic even if this is a worst thread lol it means claasic as in classic period son it has nothing to do with sales edit=who ever said mike jones had a classic albums i dont even think HE believes that kings of crunk who considers that album classic the south dont even consider that album classic
2016-04-01 09:06:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it doesnt mean your a bad artist. drawing accuratly from the mind is very difficult and takes years of practise. the best thing you can do to learn is to draw from life, try not to draw from pictures. the more you draw from life the easy it is to figure out how objects work, I say work as in its easyer to figure out how to break objects down to its basic forms and flesh them out from there.
Anthony Pittarelli
2007-08-22 13:39:03 · answer #9 · answered by Anthony Pittarelli 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My Mom was an experienced artist, and she often laid out her work before she started painting. Sometimes she would place two-three photos in front of her for a composition. I prefer to work from my imagination. But either way, the work will get done!!!
Good luck and may God bless you.
2007-08-22 09:03:36 · answer #10 · answered by kathleen m 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋