#I dont know what to do or how to continue anymore.

33 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

hollow tulip
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Every time I start drawing i end up breaking down and crying. I just dont know what to do anymore. I try so hard. I try to give myself a break and come back to it but no matter what I break down and start crying. Sometimes I get so frustrated I punch my legs till I start bruising.

Its never good enough, I can't get the proportions right. I know anatomy. Ive gone over the fundamentals so many times over and been drawing for years. Why can't I get better. Why can't I get to where I want to be. Its the one thing in life I trully desire is to be good at art. I just can't. Im broke, I got nothing. Im not good at anything else. I just want this one thing. Please.

Please.

hollow tulip
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its so hard to want to draw if you just break down trying

hollow tulip
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What do I do?

proven salmon
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You're stressed

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that's what's going on

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let me see if i hopefully can find a video i saw that talked about it, if im lucky

dense sentinel
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I think it’s important to remember to separate your self worth from skill. Every artist, even professionals, makes “bad” drawings all the time, it’s part of the process, not proof that you’re failing.

In terms of improving, I would suggest reframing what ‘better’ means. You say you’ve studied anatomy and have learned the fundamentals, but feel stuck. Given this, it may be useful to recognize if this may be due to 1. Comparing yourself to others or ideals rather than your past self. 2. Being hyper focused on flaws to be unable to notice incremental progress. Or 3. Your expectations are sprint sized whereas the growth is marathon paced. You can try focusing honing in on specifics to improve on in given sessions, rather than trying to ‘fix’ everything at once.

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If you’re drawing sessions end in tears, I’d suggest limiting practice to manageable sections. Additionally, you can try changing the focus of the art; instead of regurgitating fundamentals, try fun, low stakes art (fanart, doodles, stuff you enjoy) to rekindle play.

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Breakdowns and self harm also indicate that you’re putting yourself under immense pressure. If it’s really bad, I’d also recommend talking to peers, mentors, even mental health professionals as needed.

oak canyon
proven salmon
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plus also i believe that people hate their own art cause they see flaws and mistakes that did not exist in the vision inside their head, but remember we cannot see inside your head so don't be too hard on yourself

oak canyon
hollow tulip
shy raven
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do you enjoy what you draw or do you only draw what you deem "necessary" to improve?

hollow tulip
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People say dont compare yourself to others, but how do you know what your doing wrong if you dont?

I try to draw what I enjoy to try to enjoy what im drawing. Every drawing is necessary to improve. Just the practice is necessary.

shy raven
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drawing should be for pleasure and enjoyment first and foremost
that should be your main focus
draw a hundred eyes or floating heads if that's what you do best and what brings you enjoyment out of the process
now, you should focus on going back to the childhood whimsy of drawing without the focus of getting better

hollow tulip
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Right. I guess that makes sense. I have always desired to make good art for the people I care about, and if I gave them what I thought was bad art it would be a reflection of how much I care about them. I dont want the people I care about to think I dont care enough to put enough effort into it to not make good work.

dense sentinel
# hollow tulip Sadly I end up breaking down no matter what I made, even if its of things I enjo...

If drawing makes you break down no matter what that makes me think that it’s not about skill; it’s about how much weight you’ve tied to art. If art rn is triggering, then no amount of anatomy drills will fix that. It might help to step back, draw only for fun when possible, or even talk it through with someone outside of art. Wanting to be good at art is a great and doable goal, but pushing yourself until you cry every time is only going to burn that desire out. You deserve to enjoy the process again and not just punish yourself with it.

dense sentinel
# hollow tulip People say dont compare yourself to others, but how do you know what your doing ...

Comparing to others can show you what’s possible and is great for inspiration, but it won’t show you what you are doing wrong necessarily; it usually just makes you feel smaller. A better way to spot mistakes is to compare your work to your own past drawings, or to the specific reference you’re studying. Every drawing is practice, but practice only helps if you let it be a step forward instead of a self-judgment

hollow tulip
shy raven
lament pelican
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^^^ I think the frustration with art is possibly part of a much larger struggle, not the whole issue.

hollow tulip
shy raven
knotty wasp
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if i'm being blunt i doubt you changed your approach much if at all, if that's the case, why not change your approach? it would be unwise of you to not change since you continue to struggle

oak canyon
oak canyon
oak canyon
hollow tulip
lament pelican
# hollow tulip What do you suggest i do then?

Seek mental health help. I feel like fixing what's "wrong" in your art experience is fixing a foot on a dying body. (Excuse my wording) in other terms, I think you need to address the much larger issue— the body. I don’t know you, nor your life, but ultimately I think you should step back from art for a while and focus on other things- it is clearly stressing you out. I did the same for about a year or two, and came back much healthier and passionate. Maybe try other hobbies, or other forms of art? Abstract painting, simple painting, doodles, etc. Give your mind time to refresh; you might be running on fumes.

warm willow
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Your burnt out It’s hard to keep going with burn out And art should never make you cry I recommend doodling instead of taking it seriously just doodle anything and Everything that comes to mind Sometimes the things you doodle wont come out right and then other times it will
Don’t stress to make art look perfect Even professional have hard days and majority of the time they hate there own art as well

Learning sucks but what I tend to do is learn one thing I hate and one thing I like
I fully hated learning perspective and anatomy soo I learnt something I liked along with it so example I learnt anatomy and colour theory And also Your mental health could be playing a factor im not a therapist but I’ve noticed if I’m having a bad mental health day I will struggle to art
Also watch a video by kuzillon called **do you Love or hate your art what it means ** majority of the time your standards have raised from what you doing like you’ve done something great but can’t get back there for some reason But that’s not the truth your still at that skill but your Standards have raised
** alsoooo make art friends friends are soo important to just relax really and also to get advice from **

knotty wasp