Does drawing realistically improves an artist?

[keac]

I had a chat with a friend, then I showed him a photo of my character progress, he liked it by clicking the "like" button from chat.
Then, he writes back saying:

"But try on realistic"
"Research shows that people draw bad because their perception is low"
"You must have different perception on certain things"
"They say that artists are different from singers and other people has other way of seeing and perception"
"So we are special 😀"

I don't know, I felt guilty of myself for not trying to try other styles. Especially "realistic", according to what he said.

But I just really like of what I draw by now!

He's half-cartoonist and half-painter.

And I'm a cartoonist by now...

But I just don't know... I just like to draw comics, and he draws realistically, but I admit that he's really good at it.

[Jelw]

Drawing realistically absolutely helps.

[zelkats]

If you're able to draw something as complicated as realism, you can draw almost everything you want.

Even if you go back to a simpler comic style, people can pretty much tell how much you've improved judging by your art's composition, balance, fluidity, character proportion, perspective and sometimes depth. People can somehow tell the difference between a drawing of a cartoony man done by an experienced artist and a cartoony man done by someone with less experience.

So yes, drawing realistically definitely helps. If drawing is something you wanna do for a long time, experiment! Try it! Don't just stick to one style. That will only cripple your growth.

[AnnaLandin]

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: learning to draw "realistically" - that is, learning to draw something that looks exactly like what that object looks like in reality (people who look like real people, chairs that look like real chairs, trees that look like real trees) is a very, very healthy exercise. It will give you a solid knowledge of what things actually look like, so that you can draw more cartoon-y versions of them and still know what you're doing.

Practising drawing realistic-looking people, for example, will teach you how anatomy works - how elbows and knees bend, how to draw fingers that look like fingers and not like sticks, etc., - and drawing environments from life will help you when you set out to draw imaginary landscapes.

Learning how to draw realistically is hard, but it is definitely worth it! Learning something new is always useful, and you never know how much it will help you until you try. : )

[saracuervo]

You should definitely not feel guilty! As an artist, you have to do whatever the hell you want. But, on the other hand: yes, trying different styles and making realistic studies, life drawings and cast paintings does help a lot to raise your abilities. Even is you want to stick to a certain cartoony style of drawing. I'd say more, but... well, @zelkats said it best XD

[getsuart]

Also, know how to draw realistic at some point = you know the shapes, you know where the lights go, what to shade... you basically master the real basis.
I don't like doing realism, because it doesn't interest me. But I did some, to understand how everything works. Every artists do this : learn the basis, train with them, and after, play with them.

[keac]

I thought drawing realistically is... Drawing a realistic object by mind -_-. I think I've done a realistic drawing before, I just couldn't remember...

[hades]

Realism a style of art accomplished through intense study of life or in some cases how to grid photographs. [Emphasis on some] It is never bad to do studies for realism to gain a better understanding of not just your art but art in general.

There seems to be a huge misconception on what an art style is. An art style is simply your natural drawing ability. It is how you draw with your current understanding of art. It is why styles can become inconsistent or change over time. To be blunt: if your style does not change, you are not learning something new and/or not improving. This isn't necessarily a bad thing depending on the artist you are or what you wish to accomplish.

If you want to improve your art, then yes draw realistically.
If you don't, then do whatever.

[AnnaLandin]

@keac The only way to learn how to draw something that looks realistic is to look at what it looks like in real life! Either you look at the thing you want to draw (like a flower, maybe, or a teapot, or whatever), or you look at a photograph of it, and then try to draw it exactly how it looks. Using photographs as reference is not cheating - it's useful!

[getsuart]

You can do some model session too (i don't know how it should be really called, the sessions where a nude model come and pose for you)
Model sessions are interesting, because you have a timing, so you ahve to permanently switch with techniques to have the result you want. personally, i like doing it with watercolor or brush pen when the model have something interesting.

[zelkats]

Drawing from memory is definitely not enough. You gotta look at things in front of you while drawing. Your friend mentioned perception and it is something you gotta work on through observation. It's like training your eyes, brain and hand to work together. Can you translate what you see with your eyes unto paper with every detail? It's definitely not easy but it's never too late to start. Experienced artists can draw some good stuff from memory because of all the actual practice they went through. They have drawn a car before by observing a real one and with that experience, they can roughly remember what it looks like --- shape, composition and all.

[ToonDoctor]

You can try to draw a bit more realistically but don't feel obliged to do so. Yes, there is something about perception - more a way to observe things and to notice patterns that you then replicate. But by all means, you don't have to be realistic illustrator to do what you want. I say, be open to trying new things but your are still very young, so take your time. No rush and no reason to feel ashamed. No standards to uphold. Just enjoy yourself for now. If you pick up a new trick, here and there, incorporate it within your work. But take it easy and try to have fun first!

[keac]

Why is the artist life so complicated? My friend and I has the same age -_-

[AnnaLandin]

I'm guessing your friend has practised in a more focused, intent way than you have. You can catch up with him - he just has a head start. : )

[zelkats]

Everything has its complications. Sports, music, art, dancing, science... It's difficult to master something but you won't move forward unless you try and practice. It's probably good to do it at a pace you're comfortable with first if you want drawing to be enjoyable (but if you want art to be your career then it's gotta be a bit more intensive). Get into the groove. Try challenging yourself to draw simple objects around you. You won't know how you'll feel about it if you don't try

[keac]

I wish I was just like the old young me, looking forward to more styles while I draw...

[ghostnxs]

Drawing realistically will make your art look better. I'm talking about perspective and all the fundamentals, without these you're art will lack. And I think that is something artist tend to avoid...perspective.

[Kamikaze]

@keac The short answer is:Yes.

What will help:
Construction drawing. Life drawing (meaning go out there and very very quickly sketch out people on the street, in a park, cafe or anywhere). Gesture drawing. Drawing from reference AND life.

Why it will help:
If you're serious about being an artist you've got to learn anatomy, you've got to learn drawing the human and animal figure. You've got to understand how people are built and move. Even with cartooning this helps you get emotions, body language and communicate through image at a better rate. Plus, over time you get faster and can do more interesting angles and camera placements than just the straight on camera.

Resources:
1. Vilppu Drawing Manual - http://www.amazon.com/Vilppu-Drawing-Manual-Glenn/dp/1892053039
2. Lackadaisy on Construction Drawing - http://lackadaisy.foxprints.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=356
3. Find life drawing classes, drink and draw, or life drawing groups in your city. If you're under a certain age you're going to have to have a waiver signed by an adult if there are any nude models. Yes, nude. You'll learn to get the hell over it quickly. The last thing on your mind when you're struggling drawing a foot in forced perspective is whatever's between your models legs.
4. Use these programs for simple timed work for figure drawing exercises -> http://artists.pixelovely.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/ OR http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en/
5. Understand Gesture Drawing -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesture_drawing
6. And here's a video that explains gesture drawing really well! -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmiwGm32dXU

Additional Notes:
- Life drawing can be INCREDIBLY boring. Honestly it really can, but it's so so so worth it. Take a gulp, take a breath, hold your nose and just do it.
- Remember you're still learning. Just because it's frustrating when you start doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. Improvement means you begin to level up.
- It's okay to suck. You're allowed to not like what you're doing. You're not allowed to stop.

And remember:

-C

[nocuddletime]

It's the only thing that helps. You can't bend the rules until you know them. Everything I've ever tried to draw that's been surreal, weird, exaggerated and made up has been possible from having studied how real things actually look.

[blop]

As Kamikaze said, go draw outside. Have always a small sketchbook with you, and draw what you see when you have the time (in public transport, in cafe...etc).
But also, as gestuart said, model sessions are really important too. You have to learn real anatomy even if you want to draw very cartoony characters later.
Drawing with photo references can be useful, but I don't think you should copy photos, just use it as reference for inspiration. From my experience, when someone copy a photo, you can tell immediately by the look of his drawing/painting, it's often very static and cold.

When you draw outside, if you want to do color, watercolor can be handy, and you can find paintbrush with a water reservoir (kind of like a fountain pen), witch is really convenient. But if you can't buy one where you live, just carry a small plastic bottle and a common paintbrush.

Also it can be good to look at other people art, to keep an open mind, and try different styles, just for exercise yourself.
If I recall you are very young, and I think it's a bit early to say "oh it's ok I found my art style, and I will keep it forever".