Does drawing realistically improves an artist?

[dfujita67]

Don't beat yourself up. I have a friend who started out late drawing gag cartoons for a living. I don't think he ever tried to learn to draw realistically. However, my friend kept on drawing using his simple cartoon style which complemented his great sense of humor. He eventually ended up working for Hanna Barbera and I've seen his name in the credits of a couple of great animated movies at the theater.
So take heart and keep on doing what gives you the most pleasure. You may not end up in animation like my friend but if you keep on drawing and learn from the cartoonists you admire you will get better.

[keac]

beating myself up.

[punkarsenic]

honestly, theres a place in art for everything. realism is nice and really admirable and can be beautiful, but boring, really. surrealism? like, i dunno, picasso or anselm kiefer? effing awesome! theres a famous(ish) artist that just draws like, biro stuff around random objects like bows and sandwiches. art is whatever the hell you want it to be.

and then, youre making comics over here! if you do every panel in perfect realism, youll never finish! the most realistic comic art ive ever seen is ultimate spiderman (the new stuff) and really, the shading is simplistic, and its all about the lines (a lot of comic styles are line-focused) and most styles are unrealistic in every way except correct anatomy. and even that is optional to a degree.

[HVOICE]

Even if its something you really want to do in life, it's never going to be 100% fun and easy.
I love making comics, but trying to bust out a page every week is stressful as hell! (i can't even imagine what its like for the pros)
The only difference between doing something that you want to do and doing a job that you hate is that after going through all of that stress and effort, it will be much more worth it in the end.

[Redthic]

Honestly, Figure Drawing/Life drawing is an important thing to study. You don't have to master it but it would probably help you learn aspects to use for your characters. When I think of cartooning, I think of simplifying forms and trying to translate all of that into a form which the viewer sees as a "person", "item", etc. etc. It is an intimidating prospect but even if you never master it, you will grow as an artist. For example putting human qualities on an animal to make them a specific archetype.

As for age---I got bullied out of art until I was in my mid-20s and didn't make my first comic until I was 29. I'm 30 now. It's a scary prospect but anyone at any age can start and follow their dreams to at least do something they care about.

You can do it. Just try to grow and work at your skills. Most importantly, do your best to believe in yourself---which is the hardest thing for me at least.

[Alexandritea]

When i was younger i had the constant thought that i would never need to use references, or work with realistic styles. but when i had been drawing for about 2-3 years, and not noticing much of a change in the right direction in my drawings. i thought i might as well give it a shot. so as a beginning i looked up how (for example) the face was built up. also how and where shadows and light would hit. also along with this knowing how contrasting the shadows would be. for example the face would cast soft shadows while metallic surfaces will make it much sharper. i'm not really a teacher in this, so i have a hard time explaining myself professionally.

but since i looked these things up i've gotten much better at drawing than before, and all of the practicing really pays out in the end as you can deliver a much better result in the end.

sorry for my unprofessional answer, but i hope it helped a little bit c':

[yartzanaserenade]

learning how to draw ''realistically'' takes years of practice , but don't get overwhelmed , it doesn't have to be perfect, as long as you start understanding how things really work you'll improve at drawing that in no time. Just ask yourself why a particular thing looks and moves in a certain way, find the answer , move on to the next object

[keii4ii]

start understanding how things really work

This is the important part. Some people can produce photorealistic results by copying a photo without understanding a thing about what they're drawing. Those people cannot draw without relying on photos like that. Don't fall into that trap (unless photo reproduction is your ultimate goal as an artist, I guess).

[DynamoToon]

Here's my advice. If you practice enough in one art style, you will improve in that area. In addition, some techniques you learn in that style can help you in other styles. For example, if you specialize in realism and you draw great hands, drawing cartoon hands will come more easily to you because you have a base to start from. What I'm saying is every style is unique in its own way, and being diverse in different styles helps you improve in them.

[Zanreo]

It can probably help, but persoanlly I've seen improvement from just learning about proportions and stuff, and trying to incorporate that into my drawings. I still have a way to go, but at least I'm way better than just 3-4 years ago... So for me, I didn't actually have to sit down and draw a realistic drawing to improve, just learning about the basic proportions and stuff.

As for drawing realistically, it's honestly not something that interests me. I might do it just as an improvement thing, but drawing "realistic" in itself as a type of style you do just seems kind of... boring to me, personally? There's so much fun you can do with stylized and cartoony styles. Though i guess I could do it to improve if I got the time...

I admit, I kind of got burned out on trying "realistic" from art tutorials I read as a kid basically saying "look kids, if you want to ever not suck at art you have to COMPLETELY STOP DRAWING CARTOONY (also hint hint that ESPECIALLY means That Damn Manga Style) and only ONLY practise realism for years until you get decent at that, THEN you can go back to stylizing it". And I was just "well, why not both? Why not continue drawing the way you already do while also drawing realism on the side and incorporating some of those techniques?" Which I guess would be the best way to practise it, really, especially if you're not too interested in realism drawing. And well, I don't suck at drawing now, so I guess that got proven wrong.

[jonufele]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[Cairas]

I was told by a professional to do realism for a year then return to comic book style, and I fought it tooth and nail. But about four years ago I did it and my style improved immensely (things like proportions, hands and feet). That being said, each artist is different. just because some artists benefit from it doesn't mean others will.

[Zanreo]

True, what helps for one person might not help for another, and I guess some of it also comes down to motivation. If I had to only practise realism for a year, barely being allowed to do as much as a cartoony doodle, I'd probably have lost all my motivation for drawing. I'd rather just work on it on the side inbetween my comics and cartoony art.

And now I just imagine if my style could have looked much better if I had tried some realism as a younger kid who had more time and wasn't busy with an actual comic (not only did I find it boring, but the tutorials mentioned above completely put 11-12 year old me off EVERYTHING related to this for years to come, even just... proper proportions. At least I learned THAT one later) Now I barely draw anything aside from my comic (whether it be actual comics or character drawings) because there's not a lot of time...

[Cairas]

I was 17 when i did my realism year, and I did do some cartoony stuff while doing it (mostly commissions and such). But the realism was fun and has gotten to be useful later. It teaches you how to draw something by looking at it, not just people but objects too (which is something I use daily for my comic). and the art improvement was dramatic.

before:

Several years after:

[keac]

Thanks for all your replies. (But I rely on photos too! Haha). Are there any more?

[Lkn]

i do draw realistic sometimes. it doesn't help me at all for what i do.

[mg78]

imho try only 1 way dont help too much in other ways.
i mean, as every arts, drawing need skill... in every sector. realistic or not, if u try as unskilled... every1 can see how is it the situation.

maybe the best way is to draw everything...

[CWCHASE]

I'll let you in on a secret of mine. You see, drawing is nothing but lines and dots, real or cartoony. Drawing realism is okay, but really, you have to find a nitch kind of art, and improve on that. Draw every day when you have the chance, and experiment. I can draw many styles, but care to draw more simplistic because I'm able to produce more content. I don't have the time to sit around and work on one single page like some of the pro's do. I get in with an idea, doodle it, then make it pop. It's really all trial and error, I don't think there's really a true "book" on being an artist, just experience is your best teacher by doing it and finding your own "style".

[KSlinger]

Knowing how to draw realistically is an invaluable tool for any artist, and I massively encourage you to learn, but once you've got it sussed it out that doesn't mean you have to enforce realism on everything you create in future--- far from it! Learning how to draw realistically will only emphasise your unique style, and give it a sense of familiarity we can all recognise, making it easier for us as readers to see what you're trying to achieve.

If you want to start somewhere, try simply learning how to deconstruct the things around you and understand how they are put together. Learn how shapes interact with each other, as well as how things look from different angles and how they respond when pushed or pulled or bent. I draw a lot of hands in my stuff, so I had to learn the shape of each joint of the finger, the thumb and palm-- how each one look upside down, from above or below, and how they sit relative to each other. I had to recognise that fingers aren't sticks or squares, that they fit so well together as to hold water, and apply that knowledge to the skin covering bone.

Use the materials you have in front of you. Recognise that you are trying to figure out how they work-- tell yourself what you are seeing. Learning to draw is an active process and being able to drawing realistically when it is necessary is just another string to your bow. Plus, the better you can project what's in your head, the happier you will be. So do what makes you happy, and remember that how you use these tools is your choice. There are no rules. Just have fun and enjoy yourself.

[callmeshane]

Arguably, your drawing style and experience is determined by the limits of how far you push yourself and in what direction. Learning how to draw a glass bottle or every little detail of a tree branch can be a testing measure of your patience and dedication to the practice, however your improvement is dictated by what area you are really looking towards. Art in itself has many genres and styles, areas of focus. Realism is part of that, however subjectively, even abstract works are just as well received and applauded.

If realism is what you are trying to go for then push yourself just for the fun of it. If it's not your thing, keep walking your path. No matter what, the more you aim in an area, the more comfortable you become and the further you evolve. Never feel bad for what you enjoy crafting because eventually it will grow with you...you know...unless you chuck it out the window. Otherwise, simply pushing yourself to work with a style you neither feel comfortable or interested in will simply leave a bad taste in your mouth and not improve you.

I for one praise of your particular works now and while there is room for improvement ( There will always be room for improvement, DON'T YOU LIE TO ME! ) I can see the potential and see the progression of your work. If there is one area I think we can all benefit from, especially myself, It's being patient with ourselves and what we're working on. So chill and give yourself some breathing room. PEACE, BRUH! I'M OUT!