Stagnating, I need help

[spark drum]

I consider myself a beginner, its been like uh. two-three years? and so far I've experienced a pretty steady climb that is, until this year. after that everything i made felt pretty much the same in terms of quality and I'm not seeing the climb anymore. I'm still doing what I used to do, observing other people and trying to mimic them but lately i feel like I don't know which direction to take anymore. What do I focus on? what should I be doing now? what's the correct way to practice? I feel like I'm getting left behind so um. please, critique. Be harsh as possible, i hardly know what I'm doing anymore. These are in chronological order, the first being the oldest

[vocal quail]

I REALLY LOVE YOUR ART SO MUCH
And myself I don’t even know if I am allowed to say this since I am not on your level yet but I would try to sharpen it a little the shadows and highlights

Like on these two they look a little smudged

The smudging makes them look kinda unfinished

[sour compass]

You're definitely intermediate, if these are your own compositions

On stagnation:

• Have you tried exploring other styles and translating what you learn back to anime? It always helps me to do some semi-realism, then look at how my favorite artists are translating those same ideas into their more stylized art.

• In your case, I think doing some painterly studies (maybe even observational stuff, like copying photos realistically -- and looking into painting fundamentals like "edges" while you do so) could help your rendering of light/shadow a lot.

• Have you tried taking on a sequential project or trying to tell specific stories? These feel more like flashy splash screens than narrative work. Putting yourself in a position where you have to draw subtle changes in poses or evoke certain moods in lighting / expression might help. Like a short comic or something.

[spark drum]

ooh these are all really good points, i just realized I never tried looking at actual photos and stuff

thank you I'll make sure to try them out 🙇‍♀️

as for narrative things i quess I've mostly done them as little sketches mostly for self indulgence and I've been avoiding finishing them cause i thought they didn't count