What made you become interested in art and being an artist? What was the defining moment for you that made you put all your effort into art? Did you had a realization moment that this is what you like the most at some point in your life?
I have been interested in art on and off starting from my teen years, starting from when I decided to try and draw a character from a magazine and it was the first time I thought to myself "Hey, its not that bad". I then would continue to draw until I hit a difficult learning curve and allowed it to discourage me. 10 years later I decide to try again on a whim and it was the exact same pattern of "Hey, I am not that bad!" to "this is awful who am I kidding?" and I quit for a year or two again.
I am currently on my longest streak since august of last year of teaching myself how to draw and understanding that it is a skill like any other skill and takes PRACTICE, PATIENCE, and DEDICATION.
These are things I understand should be obvious but when you grew up thinking that art was something that is a talent given from birth and you either have it or don't, it is very difficult to reverse your thinking from so long ago.
What keeps me coming back is that I have a very vivid imagination and I would love to be able to accurately express it through art and I think it is something that others could possibly enjoy as well.
Through art I can express my inner thoughts, feelings, and interests through a picture that could never be fully translated with words alone.
As a child I loved cartoons. I always wanted to have pictures of my favourites up in my room. When I got very sick as a child and could not physically do much, art was a way of passing the time doing something that completely engrossed me.
My defining moment came while I tediously worked as an executive assistant. I hated my job, and in my spare time I'd escape to a pottery house and spend hours elaborately painting plates. So random, I know! But I truly enjoyed the mental journey of telling a visual story. Each plate had been inspired by different things: symbolism, experiences, pets, travels. By plate number seven, the proverbial light bulb clicked on, and I decided right then and there to pursue a career in art with the goal of illustrating childrens picture books. I joined SCBWI, went back to school for graphic design and illustration and spent years honing my paper and digital collage skills. I never reached my picture book goal, but other paths opened, and now I write in the childrens young adult genre. For my art fix, I dabble in book cover design and create blackout poems.
I don’t know if it’s what I want to do in life but I definitely love art! It’s kind of my place out of the world where I can just draw and be in the moment. I think that and reading. I love those things so so much but I think that I also have other things I might want to do. I still love art wholeheartedly though.
I've been drawing since I was really young. My love for drawing seemed so natural and I never stopped. I love cartoons and I've been so inspired by what I watched as a kid. My drive and my passion for drawing comes from wanting to create. I love creating characters and bringing them to life. A connection is made when I create a character and I want to share that connection with others. I want people to connect with my creations and I hope my characters can inspire others to be kind, to be proud of who they are, and to work together.
Like a couple of folks here I suppose the cartoons (and the anime especially) that I watched as a kid drove my fascination and eventual love for all things art-related. If I didn't have a toy/action figure of a particular cartoon character I was fond of when I was growing up, I drew a picture of them for company instead. Eventually that led me into fan art, creating my own characters in the style of whatever I was into at the time, and then finally into my own original style which I continue to explore to this day. In my teen years and my 20s much of the music I listen to shapes things, that and my childhood influences. I'm pushing 30, so that next decade of my life and whatever shapes my art come that time of my life should be interesting :)
My earliest memory of drawing is from when I was transitioning into teenage years.
I was born and raised in an Indian military family. My father's job as a fighter pilot would frequently take us to far-flung destinations in the Indian subcontinent. Looking back, there was plenty of artistic and craft tradition that I was introduced to because of these experiences. However, lack of structured resources meant that I could only have "access" to a formal art/drawing class when I made my way with my family to the big city during summer breaks. It became a ritual to go to Raina Aunty's drawing class in the neighborhood where my maternal grandparents lived in New Delhi, India. The classes would be held on aunty's terrace, the scorching heat tempered down by the water cooler blowing out lightly sprinkles of air into the makeshift art room. If I had an idea of my own about what I would draw, Raina Aunty would give me complete freedom to execute it. If I didn't, she'd coach me into coming up with one. What an excellent teacher! As I grew into adulthood, I didn't pick up colors and craft as much as I picked up the pen (I'm a writer and journalist by training and profession). But now nearing my 30th year, I am beginning to draw and receive inspiration to draw again. There's been a shift in willingness. The discomfort with picking up something that had long been abandoned is diminishing. I'm doodling, pencil coloring and drying flowers to make art out of them.
my defining moment was when i realized It helped my well-being.I use it as a form of meditation now.
drawing is like keeping me sane...doodling in class...drawing every where I go
I didn't really love drawing until. I realized how relaxing it was. And how I smiled when I finished a project. lol That feeling you get when you give your drawing to someone that really likes it. I was a young child when I started. Totally self taught. I have tried art classes . But they never worked for me. Weird right!
@tigger I can relate to that! In me teenage years, drawing in classes actually helped me focus on the materials that were taught, and helped me express my emotional state of being.
@SketchyHowl I feel that there is nothing more satisfying then seeing someone receive your art and see them have an instant connection with it. It is so heartwarming!
I love how many people really end up sticking with art because it's free therapy. That's me, too! Growing up, my home life was pretty grim and crushing, and art was pretty much the only thing that I ever got much attention or praise for. I was constantly in trouble for drawing in my non-art classes, but it was because my life at home was more like a second job, and I needed some kind of mental escape of my very own, something that I had control over. It's soothing and meditative, and one of the only healthy ways I've found to diffuse lots of anger and rage without dumping it onto someone else. I always think that hopefully, someone will connect for a moment with my work, and take something for themselves away from it, and that's what makes me feel successful. I almost stopped working completely when I got myself stuck in a dead-end job, my inspiration was just gone for a while and I couldn't make my hand stay steady. It was awful, I felt like I wasn't myself, like I was missing a limb. I think people who are drawn to express themselves visually are just deep-down drawn to do so. Feels good, man.
@inkpaperstring Such an excellent response. I can feel so much of what you described. Especially the "not being myself" when I am not creating statement. Art is a personal outlet for me. It always has been. Create for yourself first. If people can connect, amazing, but that shouldn't be the driving force.
I drew on and off during my childhood, but I never really considered it as my future until one night I was just sitting around and decided to draw something. The picture I drew sparked something and I wanted to keep pushing myself to make my art better and inspire other people.
@BillieXLove I know you feel badly about this but... I think it's so wonderful and pure! The intention is there, after all: wanting so badly to be better at something = the first step in being better at something.
I have found, when teaching young learners in any area of academics, tapping into their artistic imagination....really looking at details, experimenting with colors, texture, medium, their senses, and their observations of the world....these skills add to their curiosity, ability to visualize, experiment and open their imagination to even more possibilities - integrations of what they've experienced....not only in problem solutions but in the beauty of simply doing something because they enjoy creating/designing and experimenting! I feel, this mindset is what is needed for our world today....and ART is the key!
drawing and creating is fun more so to me now than back then. so i think i enjoy more now than back than .Just wish i can get some commissions or able to sell my art.
When we do things that are approved of by others, we continue to do those things because we like to be liked. It is like the likes we get on facebook that create endorphans when we get them. We do not have friends, we have "likers". Well, I was complimented often on my work at an early age. This fueled me to continue working. I was complimented for my stellar coloring of a gas stateion coloring book image of a lion. I was three. This fueled me to refine my skills on an etch-a-sketch. The compliments kept coming, and I kept drawing. So here I am - drawing and seeking compliments. :)
I have been drawing for a long time... It was apart of my childhood and helped me entertain myself during trying times. I haven't decided to put my whole effort into art because I have other plans, but I would like people to appreciate some of the things I create and receive feedback from time to time haha. This revelation hit me when I was deciding on a major before leaving for college, I didn't know whether to go into Art or the Medical field. In the end I went with the Medical field but I'm not giving up on art! UwU
I’ve been interested in art science I was a little kid; however, It was just recently that I started getting more enveloped in art. I had a friend a year ago, (FYI I’m in middle school) and she loved to draw just like me. I would only draw in class or for an assignment. But my friend had a sketchbook, she drew in it so often, she had fancy pencils and pens, cool markers, etc. But what intrigued me the most about all this is that they’re drawings were SO GOOD. I admired them for being so good, and I would watch them draw just to see how they did. I wished I was as good as them. Then one day, it clicked. I had the idea that if I just had a sketchbook, and practiced as often as they did; I would be just as good as them. So I just used a lined notebook. So yes… I was inspired to ‘get serious’ with my art just because my friend was better than me.
Well for me there was no purpose in making art just did it cuz of inspiration or for heck of it for small yrs and especially this yr i m delving into paranormal ,devils, ghost kinds of things and im drawing some of that and by me drawing these hoping somekind of curse or weird things happen or even posession happens to people and probably myself
@s785171 That happens haha! I think the most important thing is, if you like drawing at all or not, its ok to be competitive, like in sports! :)
My brother used to tell me my drawings are not of high quality when I was a kid and it also motivated me to keep going and be better. If taken in the right way, competition/critique can benefit heavily in being a better artist.
It started like, 2 years ago? Something like that. I drew on and off before but never seriously. About 2 years ago i got my first sketchbook. I started drawing because i watched Drawingwiffwaffles on a daily basis. So i bought ohuhu markers and started sketching. I basically just drew the same things as her. But now my preferred medium is gouache and i dont draw the same stuff anymore. I don’t really plan to do more with my art then just having it as a fun hobby. I guess that’s because i’m scared it will start feeling like a task. But now its like, my little happy place. I just don’t want to lose that feeling :].
I have a former friend in like the fifth grade who would draw all the time. She was like the popular kid. Everyone thought her art was sooo good. I wanted to do that. So then I started art and lemme tell ya, it was not good. I would see all these artists on social media and want to have a style like them. I practiced and practiced for five years until I got to where I am today. Now I am happy with my own art style and it feels like fun instead of a need to get this perfect and the way I want it.
I got into drawing for the first time in middle school. My best friend at the time was an amazing artist, and she inspired me so much. She taught me how to draw and encouraged me despite how horrible my first attempts were. I fell in love with it and became obsessed when I finally was able to bring my inner world to life. Unfortunately, my friend was killed when we were both 16. She was hit by a car while riding a bike. I've continued to draw ever since and now at 32, I still hope she's checking in every once in a while to see my progress
Actually I used to dislike drawing a lot! (still do to an extent) I never had patience to learn due to ADHD plus, school life made it impossible to develop any hobbies. Once I got patience and time (i.e is when I finished school) I started doodling/drawing for fun (whatever comes to my head) and I enjoy doing so ever since!
ive been drawing my whole life. my family says that everyone on my mothers' side has a creative streak. mom is dragons and flowers, grandma is animals, I'm people, my great great grandpa is architecture and wood since he built his own house. Drawing helps me through school and i hope to make a career with it through product design or interior design.
I started on deviantart with just my laptop and a mouse... with deviantart MURO. Tough times. What I wouldnt give to find some of my old mouse-drawn pieces XD But one day I was like "I really like this.... But there has to be an easier way-" and so I went to youtube to watch speed paints and tutorials and junk, and saw someone using a TABLET with their computer so I turned to my boyfriend at the time, (now my husband) and I was like "yo, babe. I want" and then one day he got me a wacom tablet. One of those without the screen. I WAS OBSESSED. drew anything and eveyrthing under the sun that came to mind. I wish I still had those drawings too... They're floating around somewhere. eventually he bought me a screen display tablet for my computer and ive been selling my art for digital download, as well as taking commissions and it's honestly what I want to do for the rest of my life, and i want to teach our daughter how to draw digitally as well when she's old enough :) its just so much more fun and challenging than traditional art. Which, i used to partake in once upon a time, but was never that good at it. It's both challenging and easy to maneuver and cheaper for me as all of what I need to create is at the tip of my nib
Ive been drawing for as long as i remember and began to take it seriously at age 14. The way i could express myself through art and draw whatever I wanted began m y journey to become an illustrator, painter, author, animator, etc. I'm 20 now and I still intend on following my dream.
Great question! I've been drawing, painting and engaging in art, etc., ever since I was little. It wasn't until I was older (mid-teens) that I began to seriously consider being an "artist" and 'illustrator" as a profession. Jesus Christ has allowed me to do so much with art, and has opened up so many cool opportunities I never thought were possible! He is also very, very involved with helping me create and churn out art. I'm nearing the end of my BA in Art, so pretty excited as to what else He's got in store!
I remember my father bringing home some comic books (Disney, I think). Only later did I realise how expensive comics were in the old country and how our family really could not afford such frivolous luxuries. He sat down with me and helped me draw the characters for hours on end. He took the time to explain to me the best ways to break down the complex shapes into simple forms. He told me later that he also wanted to be an artist, but poverty dictated a career in the practical trades. Also, my father being left-handed meant that he ran into my grandfathers’ irrational old-country bias/superstition against left handed people. Apparently left-handed people were considered ungodly (Jesus was seated at the right hand of God, not the left), so he was beaten mercilessly if grandfather ever saw him using his left hand to write or draw. Today, I'm always encouraging my father to take up drawing again. It saddens me that something so precious as his talent was taken from him. This is part of the reason why I tirelessly encourage other people who show an interest in drawing to take it up. I draw (and try to teach others to draw) to honour my father and everything he has given to me.
I've always felt the need to create with scribbles. I've never not wanted to create with paper and color. Even before I saw you could do this as a career I always wanted to draw and keep drawing. But I do have a vivid memory about art. I remember being very little (maybe 5 or 6) and hearing the adults in my house talking about me like I wasn't there. They were talking about how I was so talented for a small child. I remember looking at the drawing I was working on, a bird. I was drawing with a blue ball point pen on lined paper because I never seemed to have enough plain paper. I remember thinking "this is good?" and "other kids can't do this?" It made me feel special.
I just love drawing and scratching things into existence. Starting with nothing... literally nothing and just moving your hand and anything can appear!
When I was a little girl, probably 10 or 11. I hurt my ankle really bad riding a go-kart down a large hill in my neighborhood. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to stick my bare foot out while flying down the incline. I was always an antsy thing. I had to stay off of it for a week or so. The only thing that calmed my nerves during that time was a pencil and paper. I started drawing my surroundings. A ship on the wall, my fireplace, old Father Time. Soon I realized it wasn’t only calming my nerves but also raised excitement when all the lines fell into just the right place. From then on I realized I wasn’t so stupid after all. I actually could do some thing right.
Art has always been a hobby of mine for longer than I can remember... I remember that moment when I was just like: "hey, this looks pretty good" (news flash, IT WAS NOT) and then just.... kept going. I found that people were what I liked to draw, and a slightly anime-inspired art style, and just kept going and going. it's to the point where people don't realize they're looking at random ideas drawn by a thirteen-year-old!
@CarolineRenee awe sounds like from an unpleasant experience, you found a way to still stay busy and occupy yourself with something positive, I am glad you had that moment of realization that you liked drawing!
I seem to recall finger painting in Grade 1 or nursery school, being excited by the feel of it. A few years later I copied a cover of a monster magazine and was a little pleased. Colored pencils. I 'lifted' a small Modigliani book of nudes when I was about 12 that was very important to me. I was enchanted by my art teacher in Grade 8, and by high school, I began taking drawing seriously. After high school I went to an university for Fine Art but had to drop out due to technical/emotional difficulties. It's always been my nature to do what I do.
I am ashamed that I got back into it recently for all the wrong reasons. I have a pretty hefty dose of generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. I don't have agoraphobia, but I am homebound, which creates profound loneliness. I had these grand ideas that getting back into art and using online art communities would somehow cure the loneliness. Over the last couple of months, I realized this is wrong, and I have to make art for myself.
It hasn't been easy since I decided to hold myself to that fidelity. Because mental health takes so much mental and physical energy, it can be enormously hard to be creative. The moments of creativity and thought are there, but they go so fast and are so hard to recall. There have been countless moments in the last couple of months where I just put my head down and cried. Self-doubt is so toxic, but it's so hard to value yourself at the same time.
My most recent piece, a portrait of Bob the Drag Queen, helped a lot. It was all for me, and I didn't give a sh*t about what other people thought or if they wanted a print (no one looks at my stuff, so I've never sold a print) I wanted to focus on painting a black person with tons of respect to their skin tones and also use a very limited palette to finish the piece. Bob is such a beautiful soul and person, so I went with it.
P.s. I am on a waiting list for therapy here in town (we have to fund mental health more... this waiting could be deadly for some)
for me i dunno sometimes i just have to draw and create more so if i look at artist that i love that makes me really fired up that i habve to really create if it is not still there is time that i just need to draw or even looking at youtube in art urges u to draw those are pretty much summarizes me to create art well also creating art and u get paid is another motives and desire for you to create art also well for me
@artbykurtedwards I am sorry to hear that, mental health struggles are not fun for sure and can be draining. Have you ever tried to do abstract art as well where you just play with colors or just doodle around? I find it to be therapeutic at times as it is not work I need to think of finishing or make it look perfect. But I am sure what you work on now is therapeutic as well, art can be a great meditative practice to help deal with our emotions.
@David50Wilson That is what so lovely about art and creation is those cheerful memories from our childhood! I hope you still get to do finger painting at times beside your other creations!!
@sneezywheezy growing up that's how I learned to draw better, youtube and following other artists always brings you an inspiration to what you can do too and create, we all get inspired by one another!
@purplecomma oh definately some of illustrators and artist that gets me are glenn fabry, mark zug, david finch, jim lee, dale keown, brom, boris vallejo, frank frazetta, simin bisley, alex horley, N.C. wyeth, imwonder (artist youtuber)
As long as I can remember, I've always loved to do art. When I was a small kid, I'd ask my parents to make a drawing for me so I can color it. As I grew older, I used to redraw cartoon characters wherever I saw them. At that time I used to say that once I grow up I'll become an art teacher haha. Middle school was the time when I actually believed that I was really a good artist and I'd get compliments on my art all the time. In high school I couldn't give a lot of time to drawing and stuff because my dumb head chose medical as the field. That was the time I got to know about Digital art. It was something new to me and excited me so much. I started my learning more about digital art. I would say, that I'm not at my full potential as a digital artist yet. I don't own any fancy drawing tablets or anything like that. I've made up my mind that once I go to university I'll make art my priority and definitely ditching medical. Right now, I'm saving up for my fist drawing tablet as I continue to draw on my android phone with my finger hehe.
The day I realized how bad I was at word usage was when I decided to try and put what I wanted to express and say into images. That there was my starting point. I then dung into art because I wanted to make others smile; the reason for that is because when I see others smile I smile and that makes me feel good.
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57 Comments
Suzette (@Rayedrgn)
I have been interested in art on and off starting from my teen years, starting from when I decided to try and draw a character from a magazine and it was the first time I thought to myself "Hey, its not that bad". I then would continue to draw until I hit a difficult learning curve and allowed it to discourage me. 10 years later I decide to try again on a whim and it was the exact same pattern of "Hey, I am not that bad!" to "this is awful who am I kidding?" and I quit for a year or two again. I am currently on my longest streak since august of last year of teaching myself how to draw and understanding that it is a skill like any other skill and takes PRACTICE, PATIENCE, and DEDICATION. These are things I understand should be obvious but when you grew up thinking that art was something that is a talent given from birth and you either have it or don't, it is very difficult to reverse your thinking from so long ago. What keeps me coming back is that I have a very vivid imagination and I would love to be able to accurately express it through art and I think it is something that others could possibly enjoy as well. Through art I can express my inner thoughts, feelings, and interests through a picture that could never be fully translated with words alone.
kanaiyah ward (@jadewest)
the fact that drawing helps me with my anger managment
K.Stew. (@Stewnamie)
As a child I loved cartoons. I always wanted to have pictures of my favourites up in my room. When I got very sick as a child and could not physically do much, art was a way of passing the time doing something that completely engrossed me.
Stacia Leigh (@StaciaLeighAuthor)
My defining moment came while I tediously worked as an executive assistant. I hated my job, and in my spare time I'd escape to a pottery house and spend hours elaborately painting plates. So random, I know! But I truly enjoyed the mental journey of telling a visual story. Each plate had been inspired by different things: symbolism, experiences, pets, travels. By plate number seven, the proverbial light bulb clicked on, and I decided right then and there to pursue a career in art with the goal of illustrating childrens picture books. I joined SCBWI, went back to school for graphic design and illustration and spent years honing my paper and digital collage skills. I never reached my picture book goal, but other paths opened, and now I write in the childrens young adult genre. For my art fix, I dabble in book cover design and create blackout poems.
GLB (@GBsNightmare)
I don’t know if it’s what I want to do in life but I definitely love art! It’s kind of my place out of the world where I can just draw and be in the moment. I think that and reading. I love those things so so much but I think that I also have other things I might want to do. I still love art wholeheartedly though.
Claire Moore (@CMcreates)
I've been drawing since I was really young. My love for drawing seemed so natural and I never stopped. I love cartoons and I've been so inspired by what I watched as a kid. My drive and my passion for drawing comes from wanting to create. I love creating characters and bringing them to life. A connection is made when I create a character and I want to share that connection with others. I want people to connect with my creations and I hope my characters can inspire others to be kind, to be proud of who they are, and to work together.
Bleu Hope (@bleuhope)
Like a couple of folks here I suppose the cartoons (and the anime especially) that I watched as a kid drove my fascination and eventual love for all things art-related. If I didn't have a toy/action figure of a particular cartoon character I was fond of when I was growing up, I drew a picture of them for company instead. Eventually that led me into fan art, creating my own characters in the style of whatever I was into at the time, and then finally into my own original style which I continue to explore to this day. In my teen years and my 20s much of the music I listen to shapes things, that and my childhood influences. I'm pushing 30, so that next decade of my life and whatever shapes my art come that time of my life should be interesting :)
Aditi Malhotra (@A4iti)
My earliest memory of drawing is from when I was transitioning into teenage years. I was born and raised in an Indian military family. My father's job as a fighter pilot would frequently take us to far-flung destinations in the Indian subcontinent. Looking back, there was plenty of artistic and craft tradition that I was introduced to because of these experiences. However, lack of structured resources meant that I could only have "access" to a formal art/drawing class when I made my way with my family to the big city during summer breaks. It became a ritual to go to Raina Aunty's drawing class in the neighborhood where my maternal grandparents lived in New Delhi, India. The classes would be held on aunty's terrace, the scorching heat tempered down by the water cooler blowing out lightly sprinkles of air into the makeshift art room. If I had an idea of my own about what I would draw, Raina Aunty would give me complete freedom to execute it. If I didn't, she'd coach me into coming up with one. What an excellent teacher! As I grew into adulthood, I didn't pick up colors and craft as much as I picked up the pen (I'm a writer and journalist by training and profession). But now nearing my 30th year, I am beginning to draw and receive inspiration to draw again. There's been a shift in willingness. The discomfort with picking up something that had long been abandoned is diminishing. I'm doodling, pencil coloring and drying flowers to make art out of them.
kanaiyah ward (@jadewest)
my defining moment was when i realized It helped my well-being.I use it as a form of meditation now. drawing is like keeping me sane...doodling in class...drawing every where I go
Carrie (@SketchyHowl)
I didn't really love drawing until. I realized how relaxing it was. And how I smiled when I finished a project. lol That feeling you get when you give your drawing to someone that really likes it. I was a young child when I started. Totally self taught. I have tried art classes . But they never worked for me. Weird right!
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@tigger I can relate to that! In me teenage years, drawing in classes actually helped me focus on the materials that were taught, and helped me express my emotional state of being.
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@SketchyHowl I feel that there is nothing more satisfying then seeing someone receive your art and see them have an instant connection with it. It is so heartwarming!
kanaiyah ward (@jadewest)
yeah that's how I am -tigger
kanaiyah ward (@jadewest)
it really helps my emotions when I'm anxious paranoid or highly upset
Misti (@misti)
Sketching during lectures in school, and now work meetings, help me remember the material so much better. Otherwise I fall right asleep.
steven tu (@steventu)
I've been drawing all my life. It just feels natural.
Melissa Scheu (@inkpaperstring)
I love how many people really end up sticking with art because it's free therapy. That's me, too! Growing up, my home life was pretty grim and crushing, and art was pretty much the only thing that I ever got much attention or praise for. I was constantly in trouble for drawing in my non-art classes, but it was because my life at home was more like a second job, and I needed some kind of mental escape of my very own, something that I had control over. It's soothing and meditative, and one of the only healthy ways I've found to diffuse lots of anger and rage without dumping it onto someone else. I always think that hopefully, someone will connect for a moment with my work, and take something for themselves away from it, and that's what makes me feel successful. I almost stopped working completely when I got myself stuck in a dead-end job, my inspiration was just gone for a while and I couldn't make my hand stay steady. It was awful, I felt like I wasn't myself, like I was missing a limb. I think people who are drawn to express themselves visually are just deep-down drawn to do so. Feels good, man.
OKAT (@okat)
@inkpaperstring Such an excellent response. I can feel so much of what you described. Especially the "not being myself" when I am not creating statement. Art is a personal outlet for me. It always has been. Create for yourself first. If people can connect, amazing, but that shouldn't be the driving force.
Hannah (@DawnClouds69)
I drew on and off during my childhood, but I never really considered it as my future until one night I was just sitting around and decided to draw something. The picture I drew sparked something and I wanted to keep pushing myself to make my art better and inspire other people.
Melissa Scheu (@inkpaperstring)
@BillieXLove I know you feel badly about this but... I think it's so wonderful and pure! The intention is there, after all: wanting so badly to be better at something = the first step in being better at something.
Julie Mori (@jmori)
I have found, when teaching young learners in any area of academics, tapping into their artistic imagination....really looking at details, experimenting with colors, texture, medium, their senses, and their observations of the world....these skills add to their curiosity, ability to visualize, experiment and open their imagination to even more possibilities - integrations of what they've experienced....not only in problem solutions but in the beauty of simply doing something because they enjoy creating/designing and experimenting! I feel, this mindset is what is needed for our world today....and ART is the key!
jung (@jungmeister)
drawing and creating is fun more so to me now than back then. so i think i enjoy more now than back than .Just wish i can get some commissions or able to sell my art.
jung (@jungmeister)
@tigger lol ur bipolar?
Dean C. Graf (@DCGraf)
When we do things that are approved of by others, we continue to do those things because we like to be liked. It is like the likes we get on facebook that create endorphans when we get them. We do not have friends, we have "likers". Well, I was complimented often on my work at an early age. This fueled me to continue working. I was complimented for my stellar coloring of a gas stateion coloring book image of a lion. I was three. This fueled me to refine my skills on an etch-a-sketch. The compliments kept coming, and I kept drawing. So here I am - drawing and seeking compliments. :)
Zekiah Lansing (@TheBagHead)
I have been drawing for a long time... It was apart of my childhood and helped me entertain myself during trying times. I haven't decided to put my whole effort into art because I have other plans, but I would like people to appreciate some of the things I create and receive feedback from time to time haha. This revelation hit me when I was deciding on a major before leaving for college, I didn't know whether to go into Art or the Medical field. In the end I went with the Medical field but I'm not giving up on art! UwU
Zoey Hebert (@s785171)
I’ve been interested in art science I was a little kid; however, It was just recently that I started getting more enveloped in art. I had a friend a year ago, (FYI I’m in middle school) and she loved to draw just like me. I would only draw in class or for an assignment. But my friend had a sketchbook, she drew in it so often, she had fancy pencils and pens, cool markers, etc. But what intrigued me the most about all this is that they’re drawings were SO GOOD. I admired them for being so good, and I would watch them draw just to see how they did. I wished I was as good as them. Then one day, it clicked. I had the idea that if I just had a sketchbook, and practiced as often as they did; I would be just as good as them. So I just used a lined notebook. So yes… I was inspired to ‘get serious’ with my art just because my friend was better than me.
jung (@jungmeister)
Well for me there was no purpose in making art just did it cuz of inspiration or for heck of it for small yrs and especially this yr i m delving into paranormal ,devils, ghost kinds of things and im drawing some of that and by me drawing these hoping somekind of curse or weird things happen or even posession happens to people and probably myself
jung (@jungmeister)
@tigger ok than i would love to make you more angry
KAYE J. FOSTER (@Saffron)
I'M HAVING TROUBLE POSTING AGAIN ~ ASKING ME FOR PASSWORD OR WHATEVER....KAYE FOSTER THANK YOU
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@s785171 That happens haha! I think the most important thing is, if you like drawing at all or not, its ok to be competitive, like in sports! :) My brother used to tell me my drawings are not of high quality when I was a kid and it also motivated me to keep going and be better. If taken in the right way, competition/critique can benefit heavily in being a better artist.
solh (@mdsalah)
all members of my family said i can draw well ,so i drew more and more ,now i find my drawings not as good as i think and very disappointed
Melina (@Curryverslaafde)
It started like, 2 years ago? Something like that. I drew on and off before but never seriously. About 2 years ago i got my first sketchbook. I started drawing because i watched Drawingwiffwaffles on a daily basis. So i bought ohuhu markers and started sketching. I basically just drew the same things as her. But now my preferred medium is gouache and i dont draw the same stuff anymore. I don’t really plan to do more with my art then just having it as a fun hobby. I guess that’s because i’m scared it will start feeling like a task. But now its like, my little happy place. I just don’t want to lose that feeling :].
Indigo :] (@indigodraws7)
I have a former friend in like the fifth grade who would draw all the time. She was like the popular kid. Everyone thought her art was sooo good. I wanted to do that. So then I started art and lemme tell ya, it was not good. I would see all these artists on social media and want to have a style like them. I practiced and practiced for five years until I got to where I am today. Now I am happy with my own art style and it feels like fun instead of a need to get this perfect and the way I want it.
Kassara Johnson (@InkDragon)
Tbh it’s fun in my opinion so just drawing made me express my feelings! (I also just like drawing)
Shane Blackheart (@BlackheartEros)
I got into drawing for the first time in middle school. My best friend at the time was an amazing artist, and she inspired me so much. She taught me how to draw and encouraged me despite how horrible my first attempts were. I fell in love with it and became obsessed when I finally was able to bring my inner world to life. Unfortunately, my friend was killed when we were both 16. She was hit by a car while riding a bike. I've continued to draw ever since and now at 32, I still hope she's checking in every once in a while to see my progress
Smiley Ball (@Inkling)
Actually I used to dislike drawing a lot! (still do to an extent) I never had patience to learn due to ADHD plus, school life made it impossible to develop any hobbies. Once I got patience and time (i.e is when I finished school) I started doodling/drawing for fun (whatever comes to my head) and I enjoy doing so ever since!
Em (@UniOmen)
ive been drawing my whole life. my family says that everyone on my mothers' side has a creative streak. mom is dragons and flowers, grandma is animals, I'm people, my great great grandpa is architecture and wood since he built his own house. Drawing helps me through school and i hope to make a career with it through product design or interior design.
Thomas Fullard (@Vindaya)
I’ve been drawing since 2015 cause I use to have lucid dreams that were rare and surreal, they seem very special so I started to make those drawings
Mari Anna (@ManikMari)
I started on deviantart with just my laptop and a mouse... with deviantart MURO. Tough times. What I wouldnt give to find some of my old mouse-drawn pieces XD But one day I was like "I really like this.... But there has to be an easier way-" and so I went to youtube to watch speed paints and tutorials and junk, and saw someone using a TABLET with their computer so I turned to my boyfriend at the time, (now my husband) and I was like "yo, babe. I want" and then one day he got me a wacom tablet. One of those without the screen. I WAS OBSESSED. drew anything and eveyrthing under the sun that came to mind. I wish I still had those drawings too... They're floating around somewhere. eventually he bought me a screen display tablet for my computer and ive been selling my art for digital download, as well as taking commissions and it's honestly what I want to do for the rest of my life, and i want to teach our daughter how to draw digitally as well when she's old enough :) its just so much more fun and challenging than traditional art. Which, i used to partake in once upon a time, but was never that good at it. It's both challenging and easy to maneuver and cheaper for me as all of what I need to create is at the tip of my nib
Maliyah Gatewood (@theanimationfan)
Ive been drawing for as long as i remember and began to take it seriously at age 14. The way i could express myself through art and draw whatever I wanted began m y journey to become an illustrator, painter, author, animator, etc. I'm 20 now and I still intend on following my dream.
Callie Sullivan (@CallieMSullivanArt)
Great question! I've been drawing, painting and engaging in art, etc., ever since I was little. It wasn't until I was older (mid-teens) that I began to seriously consider being an "artist" and 'illustrator" as a profession. Jesus Christ has allowed me to do so much with art, and has opened up so many cool opportunities I never thought were possible! He is also very, very involved with helping me create and churn out art. I'm nearing the end of my BA in Art, so pretty excited as to what else He's got in store!
o0i9i (@univeige)
I'm interested 'cause I get to draw my characters (using dollmakers/paint 3d)
Joer_B (@JoerB)
I remember my father bringing home some comic books (Disney, I think). Only later did I realise how expensive comics were in the old country and how our family really could not afford such frivolous luxuries. He sat down with me and helped me draw the characters for hours on end. He took the time to explain to me the best ways to break down the complex shapes into simple forms. He told me later that he also wanted to be an artist, but poverty dictated a career in the practical trades. Also, my father being left-handed meant that he ran into my grandfathers’ irrational old-country bias/superstition against left handed people. Apparently left-handed people were considered ungodly (Jesus was seated at the right hand of God, not the left), so he was beaten mercilessly if grandfather ever saw him using his left hand to write or draw. Today, I'm always encouraging my father to take up drawing again. It saddens me that something so precious as his talent was taken from him. This is part of the reason why I tirelessly encourage other people who show an interest in drawing to take it up. I draw (and try to teach others to draw) to honour my father and everything he has given to me.
Erin Marie Relyea Flores (@RelyeaArts)
I've always felt the need to create with scribbles. I've never not wanted to create with paper and color. Even before I saw you could do this as a career I always wanted to draw and keep drawing. But I do have a vivid memory about art. I remember being very little (maybe 5 or 6) and hearing the adults in my house talking about me like I wasn't there. They were talking about how I was so talented for a small child. I remember looking at the drawing I was working on, a bird. I was drawing with a blue ball point pen on lined paper because I never seemed to have enough plain paper. I remember thinking "this is good?" and "other kids can't do this?" It made me feel special. I just love drawing and scratching things into existence. Starting with nothing... literally nothing and just moving your hand and anything can appear!
Caroline Renee (@CarolineRenee)
When I was a little girl, probably 10 or 11. I hurt my ankle really bad riding a go-kart down a large hill in my neighborhood. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to stick my bare foot out while flying down the incline. I was always an antsy thing. I had to stay off of it for a week or so. The only thing that calmed my nerves during that time was a pencil and paper. I started drawing my surroundings. A ship on the wall, my fireplace, old Father Time. Soon I realized it wasn’t only calming my nerves but also raised excitement when all the lines fell into just the right place. From then on I realized I wasn’t so stupid after all. I actually could do some thing right.
Glitch (@GlitchedSalvation)
Art has always been a hobby of mine for longer than I can remember... I remember that moment when I was just like: "hey, this looks pretty good" (news flash, IT WAS NOT) and then just.... kept going. I found that people were what I liked to draw, and a slightly anime-inspired art style, and just kept going and going. it's to the point where people don't realize they're looking at random ideas drawn by a thirteen-year-old!
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@CarolineRenee awe sounds like from an unpleasant experience, you found a way to still stay busy and occupy yourself with something positive, I am glad you had that moment of realization that you liked drawing!
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@GlitchedSalvation I hope you will keep that alive, I can relate a bit, I like drawing people as well and always have been, it's really fun.
David Wilson (@David50Wilson)
I seem to recall finger painting in Grade 1 or nursery school, being excited by the feel of it. A few years later I copied a cover of a monster magazine and was a little pleased. Colored pencils. I 'lifted' a small Modigliani book of nudes when I was about 12 that was very important to me. I was enchanted by my art teacher in Grade 8, and by high school, I began taking drawing seriously. After high school I went to an university for Fine Art but had to drop out due to technical/emotional difficulties. It's always been my nature to do what I do.
Kurtis D Edwards (@artbykurtedwards)
I am ashamed that I got back into it recently for all the wrong reasons. I have a pretty hefty dose of generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. I don't have agoraphobia, but I am homebound, which creates profound loneliness. I had these grand ideas that getting back into art and using online art communities would somehow cure the loneliness. Over the last couple of months, I realized this is wrong, and I have to make art for myself. It hasn't been easy since I decided to hold myself to that fidelity. Because mental health takes so much mental and physical energy, it can be enormously hard to be creative. The moments of creativity and thought are there, but they go so fast and are so hard to recall. There have been countless moments in the last couple of months where I just put my head down and cried. Self-doubt is so toxic, but it's so hard to value yourself at the same time. My most recent piece, a portrait of Bob the Drag Queen, helped a lot. It was all for me, and I didn't give a sh*t about what other people thought or if they wanted a print (no one looks at my stuff, so I've never sold a print) I wanted to focus on painting a black person with tons of respect to their skin tones and also use a very limited palette to finish the piece. Bob is such a beautiful soul and person, so I went with it. P.s. I am on a waiting list for therapy here in town (we have to fund mental health more... this waiting could be deadly for some)
Sneezy (@sneezywheezy)
for me i dunno sometimes i just have to draw and create more so if i look at artist that i love that makes me really fired up that i habve to really create if it is not still there is time that i just need to draw or even looking at youtube in art urges u to draw those are pretty much summarizes me to create art well also creating art and u get paid is another motives and desire for you to create art also well for me
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@artbykurtedwards I am sorry to hear that, mental health struggles are not fun for sure and can be draining. Have you ever tried to do abstract art as well where you just play with colors or just doodle around? I find it to be therapeutic at times as it is not work I need to think of finishing or make it look perfect. But I am sure what you work on now is therapeutic as well, art can be a great meditative practice to help deal with our emotions.
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@David50Wilson That is what so lovely about art and creation is those cheerful memories from our childhood! I hope you still get to do finger painting at times beside your other creations!!
Dani Evstratenko (@purplecomma)
@sneezywheezy growing up that's how I learned to draw better, youtube and following other artists always brings you an inspiration to what you can do too and create, we all get inspired by one another!
Sneezy (@sneezywheezy)
@purplecomma oh definately some of illustrators and artist that gets me are glenn fabry, mark zug, david finch, jim lee, dale keown, brom, boris vallejo, frank frazetta, simin bisley, alex horley, N.C. wyeth, imwonder (artist youtuber)
Dua Rasheed (@dua002)
As long as I can remember, I've always loved to do art. When I was a small kid, I'd ask my parents to make a drawing for me so I can color it. As I grew older, I used to redraw cartoon characters wherever I saw them. At that time I used to say that once I grow up I'll become an art teacher haha. Middle school was the time when I actually believed that I was really a good artist and I'd get compliments on my art all the time. In high school I couldn't give a lot of time to drawing and stuff because my dumb head chose medical as the field. That was the time I got to know about Digital art. It was something new to me and excited me so much. I started my learning more about digital art. I would say, that I'm not at my full potential as a digital artist yet. I don't own any fancy drawing tablets or anything like that. I've made up my mind that once I go to university I'll make art my priority and definitely ditching medical. Right now, I'm saving up for my fist drawing tablet as I continue to draw on my android phone with my finger hehe.
Lora Sager (@HappyWallz)
The day I realized how bad I was at word usage was when I decided to try and put what I wanted to express and say into images. That there was my starting point. I then dung into art because I wanted to make others smile; the reason for that is because when I see others smile I smile and that makes me feel good.