Pixelation

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: NaCl on March 30, 2007, 10:31:55 am

Title: Beginning pixel art
Post by: NaCl on March 30, 2007, 10:31:55 am
Hello folks,

Some of the stuff you guys have posted is jaw dropping. It got me thinking about what sort of time commitment getting to a reasonable skill level takes? Pretty much all of the artists I know have been drawing feverishly since they were young, and it makes me wonder if starting practicing an art is an uphill battle if you begin as an adult. I know some masters like Piccaso started later in life, but barring the type of genius/dedication someone such as he had, is it plausible to pick up this hobby?

I am a programmer right now, and while I picked that skill up fast and built it up pretty high, I fear art does not have the same, "positive feed-back" mechanism that programming has. What I mean, is that in programming, you are enticed by a string of small successes in making little programs, and defeating complicated bugs. In art, it seems, the learing curve is a constant sense of failure until your work resembles what you imagine it as. That kind of learning curve seems very difficult unless you got a head start while still a kid.

When did you start drawing?
How long have you been drawing/doing pixel art?
How good would you say you are at drawing/pixel art?
Title: Re: Beginning pixel art
Post by: ndchristie on March 30, 2007, 12:21:15 pm
art is much more about potential than it is about training, although training pays a huge part.  Many famous masters did not begin painting until they were in their twenties, thirties, forties, so yes i think it is perfectly plausible.

The learning curve is much steeper in art than in many things, because even the untrained eye can tell your mistakes.  Art is not the kind fo thing however that can be discouraged easily.  Typically, failure ican be just as inspiring as success.

In reality though you will never know if you can do something until you do it.  Also, if you want it bad enough, even the least talented can produce good work if they really work for it, and nowhere is that more clear than on this board, where people who havent even begun to study art can produce nice works and get a lot of useable feedback.

I hope you decide to take up art :P




also,


When did you start drawing?                                         before i remember
How long have you been drawing/doing pixel art?            always/4 years
How good would you say you are at drawing/pixel art?     not the worst, far from the best, with a lot of fun learning to come :P
Title: Re: Beginning pixel art
Post by: miascugh on March 30, 2007, 12:45:13 pm
If you're interested and feel an urge to, why would you not want to try it? Being realistic about one's expectations is important, though, yes. You won't create masterpieces within the first week of course, but depending on how committed you are and on your affinity with the whole matter, you will soon enough notice that you are improving. I think what is most important is to be clear about one's motives. Doing something like Pixel Art is probably most enjoyable if you do it for yourself, if you can get thrilled over trying out new things, and possibly also if it has some sort of nostalgic value. I occasionally have found myself in a position where I was trying to compete with other artists, or where I was trying to crave attention by following popular trends. I think these things can be misleading, and you'll eventually wind up in a lane that has nothing to do with what you wanted to achieve yourself.
I only started drawing (read pixeling) again when I was 15 (~5 years ago), which isn't exactly that sensible early age anymore either and, however self-conscious I may be at times, I am relatively satisfied with my progress. My main deficiency is my low productivity, my unrealistic expectations and unwillingness to make mistakes, which is vital to improvement, all of which are important points to negotiate if I ever wanted to be serious about it. But I do try to push myself at times, and while I might not be up to par with a lot of the talented artists of my age, I've reached a point where I'm satisfied with my ability to realize ideas relatively accurately, where basic technical questions don't hinder me in my execution of the actual idea anymore.


On a side not, I think you're mistaking Picasso with van Gogh, because Picasso was quite prodigious in his infancy as well; technique-wise at least, as to be expected from a child. Van Gogh started out in his mid or late twenties I think.
/edit: here's an early oil painting by Picasso, age 14 or 15 (http://picasso.tamu.edu/picasso/graphics/1895/opp95-004.jpg)


Anyway, I think you should know best if want to give it a stab. Just be sure to bring along patience and an open ear.
Title: Re: Beginning pixel art
Post by: NaCl on March 30, 2007, 08:55:28 pm
Thank you for the input.

I have to disagree, however, on the issue of potential. You obviously are seeing the issue in a different way then me(someone who has been drawing since you were young), but I do not believe in, "born potential". If by, "potential" you mean that the artist started young in an enviroment that could sort of foster the skill and drive to practice it, then I agree.

The thing is, I have taken a stab at art, but was driven away when I had difficulty getting over the first "hump" (read: everest). This post was to kind of judge wether it was plausible for me to learn this skill at this point in my life. So thanks for the encouragment, keep up the good work!

PS I guess that art history class is long gone from memory  :-\
Title: Re: Beginning pixel art
Post by: AdamAtomic on March 31, 2007, 01:19:58 am
I believe there is some actual brain wiring that goes into whether or not you can, even with training, be an artist.  Just the basic ability to recognize things that are pleasant, or aesthetically appealing - some set of preconditions in the way your mind is constructed that allow you to make artistic decisions.  Also, realistically speaking, you need to have the willpower and stamina to make bad art for a long time, and know that if you keep applying yourself and learning more that you will eventually create better art.  This isn't something that goes away, ever.  You will always find flaws in your work (or at least you should always try to - if you are trying, you WILL find them!), and you will always be unhappy with what you produce in some way or other.  Compromises, mistakes, bad design choices or ideas, etc.

If you are incapable of making the most basic aesthetic judgments, or lack the drive to continue doing something you love even though others do it better, then you lack the potential to be an artist.  That's that!

However, I believe that if you have the most basic artistic predisposition, and some level of reasonable motivation, there is no reason that you can't start doing great art in your 20s, 30s, or way past that.  My mom just started painting 5 or 6 years ago, and she has improved dramatically with regular practice and application, and has gone from simply copying flowers and still lifes to some intuitive grasp and understanding of some of the more important fundamentals, and she is (don't tell her i told you) well over 50!