Mithmeoi

I get A LOT of comments about what programs I use to draw with etc. For the last decade I basically have used some form of Photoshop to make my digital art. I have tried others and just didn’t like them, I’m hooked on Photoshop.

Many of the people who ask me are just curious, but I do get the random few who make comments like, “If I get your programs then I can draw just as good as you!!!” or “I will be able to make animations just like you!!!”
EEEEE Wrong!!!

Just because you have a program doesn’t mean you will have the skills to use it. It takes practice, and most of the time a TON of it. It annoys me but at the same time amuses me as well that people think if they get some particular program, pencils, paper etc that they will be able to do exactly what I or any other artist can make. I always tell them, it’s the person not the program (or fancy materials) that makes the art. Lots of hard work and effort, and I usually don’t even recommend a program when they are first starting out because they get so caught up in the ‘special effects’ that they lose site of good anatomy and composition. If you start out with sketching on paper, it’s dull maybe, but you can see all your errors better that way. Start small and work your way up, that’s how everything goes in life.

Another thing I try to steer people away from is using my art or anyone else’s for that matter as a reference. I mean sure I’m honored you find my art THAT good, but if you do ref it you will copy MY mistakes. It’s better to use photos and do real life studies than to run off of someone else’s art. You also prevent style theft and whatnot by doing this. When I was younger yes I reffed A TON of Disney, Don Bluth, and Dreamworks movies. I didn’t really know any better, but then I hit a brick wall and couldn’t improve anymore. I had copied movie stills for so long that my own original art suffered a lot. So around my last year of high school I switched to real life subjects and my art improved ten fold. Since then I have steadily improved over the years.

I always give this advice so people don’t get stuck in the same rut that I did. So now my question of the blog! Do you ever get stuck in a rut? Whether it be art, music, writing…or something else!