Do you ever doubt yourself?

[grovylegirl]

So what I mean is like about art, like I've only really gotten in drawing in the past couple of months. I have improved. Just when I feel like i've made progress, somethings always reminds makes me feel like i'm not good enough. I often tend to compare myself to other artists. Which I know I shouldn't do b/c they probably have years of experience.

If you feel like this do you have any advice on how to overcome this feeling?

[Aetherwing]

Oh yeah all the time. The majority of my friends have been doing art all their lives (and are far ahead of me) and I didn't get into art until college. Even though I seem to improve rather quickly, I still doubt myself and compare myself to them and other artists. People tell you you shouldn't do it but a lot of times you can't help yourself. It's how you handle it that counts. You just have to tell yourself to keep practicing, and that you'll get there. Art is subjective and there is no one right way of doing it. Maybe you just go about things differently. The way I cope with it is by putting my nose to the grindstone and practicing. Another good way to cope is to compare your art now to when you started. It's a really good motivator.

If you've only been at it for a couple of months, then you haven't had a lot of practice yet. You'll get there!

[glennsong]

I remember when I was starting out I was comparing myself to other artists, but everyone began somewhere at some point. Look at those artists as inspiration not competition. Practice and enjoy making art in your own way. If you're not happy about something with your art, you can identify it and try to figure out what's lacking, and take steps towards getting better at it.

These days I don't feel as if I compare myself to other artists. I certainly know that there are people who are much, much better than I am or ever will be, but I am enjoying the art I produce and having fun with it, and I do continue to challenge myself to do perspective, foreshortening figures, and hard to draw angles, and I get better everytime.

[Choosybeggar]

This is mostly from fairly recent experience, but I've found one way to help myself not get too discouraged or doubt myself. I look at art that's just a little bit better than mine, and aspire to imitate it in its betterness. If I look at art that's too good, I can't pick out how I could possibly recreate it, but when there's only one or two things the artist did better than me, I can see it and steal it.

[Ringarune]

I think that feeling happens to every artist. I tend to get through those low points by thinking it's just a phase and that soon enough I'll be really happy with my art and I also usually go back to the foundations and just do a lot of anatomy studies whenever it happens.

A user named Sycra on youtube made a really good video about something similar to what you were talking about, although more having to do with art block, but if you wanna check it out I'll leave the link since I found it pretty helpful ^^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb0g_gWrNf8

[grovylegirl]

thank you so much for your guy's advice, I've actually been drawing pretty much all of my life. It's just that I recently got back into drawing.

this was what my art looked liked back in April

This is what it is now

( i have improved a bit since this picture but my style has stayed pretty much the same)

[demthorshie]

Oh yes, I always have doubts about my own art and I sometimes compare my art to other artists. I believe this is something that many artists do. We're our biggest critics after all! I still do this sort of thing from time to time, but hey, I think it's okay to compare your art sometimes, it's a way of learning and picking up on new techniques. Just don't beat yourself up about it when you do, use it as a learning experience instead! It shouldn't be discouraging to you. Improvement for an artist is always a good thing and it can take years of practice and patience to become very advanced.

There is literally no artists in the existence of man who has ever mastered art, it's just not something that can be done, since everyone's style is different! The only thing we can do as artists is continue to improve at what we do. There really isn't a standard for what any given artist should aim for. Just remember that all those artists you're comparing yourself to are probably comparing their art to someone else and trying to improve their own drawing techniques as well!

[Aetherwing]

Your anatomy definitely improved!

[demthorshie]

And I agree with Aetherwing, you're anatomy has literally improved 10-fold and you've developed a coloring technique since you started drawing! That's something to be proud of, for sure!

[joannekwan]

I did two little self motivation comics on this topic

Sorry the second one is just mostly text.

[carloswebcomic]

No, I never doubt myself.
I'm always fully aware that I'm a barely mediocre artist that will only make little to no impact in the world and I'll be quickly forgotten by the relentless passage of time.

[Raven_C]

Yeah i doubt myself all the time. If I ever get this feeling, I just look back at work I've done in the past couple of months or years and realize that I've improved more than I give myself credit for. Then I feel better again. It's a cycle. lol

[dizchuy]

That's the secret... I'm always doubting

[Shanny8]

Oh yeah...always. I think that's what makes me push myself to learn and get better than I have been. it's VERY normal for artists to have doubts about their drawing skills at times.

[Mharz]

Artists tend to be over-critical of their own selves. I doubt myself from time to time but it was even way worse a few years back. I was so frustrated at myself back then because other artists are so good and my drawings look so terrible and they're freaking younger than me! I compare my work to others back then and I tell you it caused a lot of stress.

So I hid from social media did my best to hone and improve my drawings. I'm fortunate enough to be taken in and trained by an animation studio. Then eventually, I became comfortable enough with my drawings to the point that I don't compare mine with others anymore. Now, whenever I see great art, I just admire them and use them as a source of inspiration/reference/study/goals so that I can improve my own style.

Just like you shouldn't compare yourself with others as a person, you shouldn't compare you art with others. They have their own style, you have your own. They have their set of methods, you have your own.

[monotone_ink]

I occasionally doubt myself, but I find that whenever I do, that it's best to start experimenting.
Every time time I do it, I usually discover something interesting that I can apply to my own work.

[Noglastiaa]

I like to think that a good artist is someone that doubts themselves. I remember a very short lived period when I didn't and honestly, that's when I made my worst stuff. I think doubting keeps us going and makes us want to improve and get better so we don't doubt anymore. Or I'm just thinking too philosophically. Ahahahhah... Sigh //doubts life//

[shazzbaa]

When I was much younger and first striving to learn to DRAW BETTER, I found that I sometimes had to avoid the internet.

That's a little less feasible now than it was then, but for me it mostly meant avoiding art websites, and not looking at the work of my art idols. Sometimes I'd be in a place where I could go "lol they're way better but they've also been drawing for 10 years more than me, I'm doing fine," but sometimes it would just... sap all my motivation to see how far behind I felt. And that's when I'd need to avoid those websites for a while, and focus on my own art, and find the inspiration inside me again.

[mg78]

every moment of my life.
advice? doubt it's healthy, so keep it on.

[AnnaLandin]

Pretty much all the time, yeah. I don't know if it's a mild Impostor Syndrome (which is quite common for creative types), but I walk around thinking "Well, sooner or later they'll figure out I'm making stuff up as I go along", and I am forever questioning myself. But I do my best to not let it get in my way.

One of those things is that I do my very best not to compare myself with other artists, which is a difficult thing to pull off sometimes. I try to make sure I only compare myself with myself. Like, I'm a better artist today than I was a year ago - and I was a better artist a year ago than I was two years ago. I can only ever improve myself, so that's the only person I should be comparing myself to.

Look to others for advice and inspiration, but look to yourself for someone to compete against.