So how many of you guys here are self taught?

[joannekwan]

No formal art training until I went to college and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design. Took all the same fundamental courses as the studio art people. Still, everyone's level of talent is their own. I thought it was funny when my life drawing teacher quipped, "Ah, a graphic design major who can draw!"

Formal art education isn't necessary to become a successful artist, but it helps a good number of people get to that point faster.

[ArtistHan]

Just started making comics seriously this year (before that I just made my stick-figure-ish humor strips). Attended my first art classes last semester at a community college. I felt like the class was useful, but in unexpected ways. Expected to get a lot of critique and learn a lot of techniques but instead benefited more from resources, using different mediums, and simple tricks like step AWAY from your art and you'll be able to see it better haha Also, I loved meeting other people who were into art. It was fun to socialize~ But anyways, to answer your question: mainly self-taught haha

[gateofselidor]

I took art in high school, and didn't get along with my teachers at all. A lot of it was my fault because I had a lot of personal problems that must have made me a real pain to teach, but although my love for art was genuine and obvious, because it wasn't the right kind of art they never really tried to engage the interest I had. In any case, I wound up with a grade that was barely above failing, and I never wanted to take formal classes again. So I didn't, and I ended up taking a language degree instead. I carried on drawing in my free time, most of which was initially terrible because in my immaturity, my bad experiences with art classes made me shy away from the fundamentals. When I grew up enough to realise I needed them, I began teaching myself from books, tutorials, and from observing real life. With a lot of hard work, my art grew from badly-drawn 'anime'-style scribbles into what it is now, and hopefully I'll continue getting better.

So I'm mostly self-taught. At times I've regretted not taking an art course, or wondered how much better I would have been with it, and I've worked with artists and felt a bit envious when they shared art school experiences with one another. Still, in the end my language qualification has served me well in terms of getting a me job I love, and giving me some life experience I wouldn't have otherwise had, which has probably helped my growth as an artist in its own way.

[carloswebcomic]

And did you say you've been doing webcomics since 2003?! Feel like I'm talking to a seasoned pro.

Yeah, I was drawing comics before then (photocopied then sold at comic shops), but 2003 was when I did my first webcomic. Despite this, I still have no idea what I'm doing. I really don't!

[Spinester]

I've never taken any art classes but I've got a nice home library of art books, probably a lot of the same ones they'd use in the classes anyway.

[fighterxaos]

I've got some training but I'd say my "skills" are 75% self 25% trained. Unless you're counting logos and other graphic design stuff that's all trained. But straight up drawing is mostly self taught and a little bit of training.

[Alli]

I consider myself to be self-taught. I found tutorials online and basically just tried to replicate the art styles I liked. I hated art classes in middle school and high school aside from pottery and sculpting.

I had one art teacher in high school who gave us normal assignments that would go in the front of our sketch books and then a quota for drawings of whatever we wanted in the back. So I drew random characters with a slightly more manga-sh style than I have now and my teacher actually GOT MAD AT ME for it. He told me: "You'll never get a job drawing this kind of stuff." I never said I wanted to. That wasn't my goal back then. You told me to draw whatever the EFF I wanted and you're not happy with what I gave you? All we did in his classes were still lifes so he didn't have to teach us anything but 3 methods of shading.

I thought that college art classes would be just as bad so I said screw that and got a degree in advertising. Now I wish I had done art after all. <:(

[eagle1]

This x999999999

IMO, the term "self taught" is kind of weird anyway. You're not holing up in some cave, discovering how to improve your art with absolutely zero influence from the rest of the world. Ever look up tutorials? That's help from the people who made those tutorials. Ever get your work critiqued? That's also getting help.

There needs to be a better term that means "artists who learned their craft without formal education on the subject." Something that means exactly that, but shorter. XD

let's try Informally Educated, with the corresponding Informal Education. Seems to cover the bases you are looking for there.

Eagle
(Yes, I'm an informally educated artist)

[eagle1]

Yeah, I was drawing comics before then (photocopied then sold at comic shops), but 2003 was when I did my first webcomic. Despite this, I still have no idea what I'm doing. I really don't!

That's how I got my start too, doing ashcans as part of collaborations to try to get notice, then life got in the way, and I went a different direction, but never stopped doing art or writing. I just came back into the comics community a few months back, but have lot clearer picture what I want to do this time around.

Eagle
(Boy, I feel old)

[jessicasurline]

I consider myself mostly self taught but I learned how to expand and refine my drawing skills in college. While growing up I tried to mimic things I liked. A couple times I traced an image to learn how to do it right and then grew past that stage. In late elementary school, I discovered anime and ran with that style for many years. In middle school, a friend introduced me to the How to Draw Manga books. My lack of money prevented me from buying too many of those so I had to be more adaptive with my references. I built up my drawing muscles and started to build some confidence with my pictures, despite their fundamental flaws. When I went to college, I basically had to re learn how to draw the human form as it is in reality during life drawing classes. I still haven't been able to fully lose the anime influences in my art but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Overall, my biggest influences that have shaped my skills are: time, observations, deducing mistakes by comparing against references, and having someone else look at my work. I really can't state enough how important having a second pair of eyes can be to find weaknesses!

Old high school art:

New Visceral art:

[MylCreates]

I had taken a few typical art classes in middle school and highschool and had been privatley tutored when I was like 6 (but all I wanted to do at that time was draw cats). Other than that I just went to the library to look at drawing books or watched other artists online.

Does that count? <.<

[JigokuNeko]

Also self-taught all the (long, meandering) way!
I guess what art school does is give you a more streamlined progress and better foundations. Mine was totally random and all over the place, depending on what I fancied at the time. I first had my anime copycat phase and then some years later took to learning realism and had to undo all sorts of bad anatomy habits. Now it's been some years since I've fallen out of love with anime and most of its influences have dropped, to be supplemented with more european scene elements. I feel like I've finally settled into a style but still enjoy learning neat new things on my own. I really cannot stress how important learning realism is. No matter the style you want to adopt, you first have to observe real life in order to understand what goes where.

ps. I don't see anything odd about the "self-taught" terminology. It doesn't mean you invent the tools available, it just means that you teach them to yourself. Just like if I said "I'm learning a new language by myself, I'm self-taught" does not mean I am making up the language, just learning without a tutor.

[AlkseeyaKC]

I had high school and lower grades art classes. Witch were mostly arts and crafts. There was a local art center that gave art classes and I took as many as I could. Also mostly arts and crafts. Other then that I was self taught and doing digital art on the computer with ball mouse and oekaki board. XD I did that almost every night after school.

I then somehow got into art college. I think that really helped me with anatomy and shading. I also found I'm good at oil painting. I would do more oil painting but it's expensive and I don't like the chemicals. I need to paint like that digitally some time. Need to find the time.

Some mentioned people telling them to stop drawing anime. I got that in high school and college. I was like, "yeah, whatever..." I've never really known how to change my style anyway. What ever comes out is it. Lol

[goenn]

I've never been to art school, only the art club in my school hahaha. I've watched other artists draw and then kinda try to apply their techniques? AHhaah

[scythe]

Hmmm... tricky question. I did go to a design school, where we had an illustration and life drawing class, but I'd say pretty much 90% of the skills I use in making my comic I learned without formal training.

[marzial09]

Didn't go to art school but I looked at tutorials from others to study...and used other artists works as references I never had any training in making comics.Just self study and practice a lot.

This was the old way I drew.

This is how I draw now...Had some improvements I think.

[shaylafarley5]

Yes actually, many folks that draw webcomics are either in school, doing an internship for a production company, work for a game company, or a publishing company. 99% of them being self taught.
I myself can't afford art school yet, so I teach myself. To me it's always best to improve on your own so you can develop your own style in the process. And when you do start school the things you'll learn will just be added to your arsenal.

[zelkats]

.... 99% sounds like a rather big, hard-to-believe number. Unless that was meant to be some kind of joke? XD;

Though, I wouldn't be surprised that many webcomic artists are self-taught. They would either be studying or having a job that isn't entirely art-related, and would draw comics as a hobby/a form of escapism or for extra money (Of course there are those who are self-taught and draw comics full-time). Some art professionals would rather not do anything else art-related outside of work, and there's the chance they've studied art before getting into a video game or movie/animation industry that required long hours of work. There are skills that are probably more suited learning at art schools like SFX, 3D, graphic design and many other things alongside 2D art, which are hugely sought-after in medias these days. Not that they're impossible to learn by yourself, but that would require LOADS of tutorials and buckets of dedication. There are definitely exceptions.

I draw comics now for enjoyment because I haven't got much chance to do 2D art at work (previously).

[lazorchef]

Born and raised on internet art tutorials and years of critique! My mother got a degree in fine arts when I was young, and I got to sit in on some classes, but that was so long before I got into comics.

I would say it was 60% "self taught" and 40% "artistic environment exposure" lol.

[elixiadragmire]

let's try Informally Educated, with the corresponding Informal Education. Seems to cover the bases you are looking for there.

hehehehehehehehehe

I'm 'informally edcuated' and by that I was told 'h'ere's a room you can draw in, sorry I'm busy dealing with the others students bye' College had th ebest eductaion on the basics, that was a fine art course that covered a lot of subjects but uni was pants on head retarded and a waste of money for me. I didnt actually learn stuff until I got a job in the industry and it s a baptimsy of fire all the way.