I am having angst! I am beginning to worry that I may not actually have what it takes to stand up in this art world…
Deep breathe… mentally slap myself… move forward…
One of the things that cause my self-doubt is when I look at other peoples’ work. Then my biggest enemy becomes “Comparison”.
Last night I went to my first Dr Sketchy life drawing session and it was the first life drawing session since, I don’t remember when.
It was fabulous – actual burlesque queens, 4 of them, in costume and stunningly beautiful hair and make-up! We were in a small room with a large bed in the middle – we were so close we could touch them!
When the drawing started I found that I was so out of practice that a 5 minute pose felt like 1 minute… and I realised the value of drawing exercises.
Looking around the room I saw a lot of seasoned life drawing artists – producing amazing pieces of art. Some of them were so quick they were able to capture minute details in their subjects, even adding things and making a comic-styled story out of a single image!
I began to feel inadequate… but then remembered that I have only been doing this for a short time, I haven’t done life drawing in months and these artists whose work I admired have probably been to university and studied graphic design and other artsy stuff.
Deep breathe… mentally slap myself… move forward…
I am pretty much self-taught and am proud of what I was able to capture in my 5 minute drawings.
So… I am still working hard at not comparing myself to other artists. I think it is inevitable that I will still do that every now and then, but I am getting better at recognising my own talents and appreciating others skills for what they are.
I’m Ok… and I’m ok with being ok.
Don’t be silly. You’re doing fine. Most of the crowd that go to Sketchy’s are graphic artists and designers. They draw professionally, and this is their little bit of fun. You’re being unfair to yourself to make comparisons. Also, that last picture of Vivian Mae is fantastic. So there.
Thank you lovely! I promise to try harder not to compare 🙂
The comparison thing is a killer. We all do it. We usually suffer for it. You are most definitely ‘ok’ … your nude line work is clever and the patience required to finish Parade of Planets would make more than a few artists crumble. Deep breath… move forward… : )
Thank you Anna, I am definately getting better at putting it all into perspective! Always moving forwards 🙂
Woo, I’d be thrilled if I could produce five minute sketches from life like this! Keep it up. You’re most definitely talented; don’t doubt that. Really enjoying your blog!
Thank you! And thank you for taking the time to read so many of my posts 🙂