It's okay, I understand it's scary to move into change. It sounds like your ready. You been ready, I look forward to your change and growth. It's okay to want change for yourself. Dont worry about what others see for you but just talk regardless if you dont want to be seen as negative. I'm not going anywhere tho. I feel like artists need change especially if they arent happy with the pieces they make. I have many changes for myself as well. And I support you. Keep going, you will be fine. You will be okay. I love the theres been some I invisible person you've been trying to please analogy for it. I understand what you mean full well.
I know art isn’t supposed to be “easy”, but it’s frustrating and discouraging to have your art turn out not how you imagined or just ok. I’m glad to know that other artists have similar feelings.
Honestly your work reminds me of a masters painting with a modern feel. I love how you use colour. And I love your work. Regardless of how it evolves and changes. Art is about making you happy. Art you make because you feel like you have to is never as good as the pieces you make filled with joy.
I’m going through something similar right now. A family member asked me to work on creating a game with them, and I told them I didn’t think I had the time. They got so sad and so I agreed to make it with them after all. Now I realise it’s taking me away from what I really want to do with my life, but they’re so excited and happy working on the game with me, I don’t know how to break it to them that this isn’t something I want to do. I know if I told them, they would be so incredibly upset and angry with me. We had already drifted apart before this, and making this game has been the only thing that brought us closer again. I feel so stuck.
Sancosity I’ve been trapped in creating a book I’ve repeatedly said I don’t want to illustrate for the past 5 to 6 years. Say it now and don’t put yourself in that position. It’s made me lose motivation several times to do things for myself because I felt guilty that I hadn’t finished th project for this other person that I NEVER wanted to do.
Can't a little politeness bridge the gap maybe? "I don't have the time" IS an upsetting answer. If you can't even make time for your friends then what can they even expect from your friendship anymore? But if you say "it's not where I want to go because my dreams/goals demand that I do this and this" then not only you gave them a reason; you confided in them. That's "us" time and also it gives them a template to come up with new ideas in how they can support you and join with you to do things together. I do get naive suggestions from well meaning relatives who don't quite know me or what I do too, but that comes from a good place and should be thanked for and properly explained why it won't work. There's nothing wrong with saying stuff like "I appreciate that you got me an illustration gig but my goal is to be a painter and I fear this may derail me" and such.
whade62000 nothing wrong with it. But some family just don’t care. I’m always nice about it. I tell them that I don’t have much time cause it’s true but that’s not mean.
@@whade62000 Not having time shouldn't be upsetting; it's just a fact. I spend family time with my family, and I illustrate/paint for a living inbetween family time. The only way I could do anything else is to sacrifice family time, which I'm not going to do. And like Killer Ghost13 said, you can be polite as you want, but it doesn't help with some family. My family try to make me feel guilty about anything.
@@Sancosity yeah i'm with you here, saying NO to friends and family shouldn't need to be a delicate process, it should just be no. As artists people tend to not see the value in the time we spend creating the artwork and therefore the tend to expect a lot more than is reasonable from us. We HAVE to be comfortable saying NO otherwise we would just turn into a bunch of doormats.
You expressing your honest thoughts about your art is really helpful (for me) because I often feel the same! I think it’s really healthy to question your work and where you want to take it. Thank you for sharing yourself!!
You are seriously AWESOME! I absolutely LOVE all your paintings, the lighting, the feel, the charm...just absolutely fabulous. Personally, I truly enjoy listening to your thoughts while watching you paint. Your thoughts keep your work "real" if you know what I mean. Your struggles and doubts, your self criticism it all helps me to know that I am NOT alone in this. So many times we viewers watch other artists put out work and never seem to struggle, it's always perfect, no...just a sketch to perfect and no frustrations. But the reality is...most of us DO struggle, we struggle with composition, back grounds, color..we get to the "ugly" stage and can't get past it...like it's just a ruined piece...but it's just not done yet. Also, you are a gouache master! I have learned soo much watching you "fix" watercolor pieces with gouache. I hope you don't stop using gouache...I am now exploring and learning this medium and am really enjoying it. I'm excited to see what direction you go...but am a little sad that these charming type pieces might become a past enjoyment. I always look forward to your new videos...sooo...I AM anxiously awaiting to see the new direction you take your art...but please don't stop using gouache. 😉😉💖 Thanks for all you do here on youtube. Happy painting! Toni
This hit real close to home for me as for the past few month's I've been wanting to get into making nfsw artworks rather than my current body of work which is rather cutesy and pure. Sometimes we hold ourselves back because of these mysterious standards we hold for ourselves. I found that making little baby steps towards our goals is the best way to approach these situations. For me, that would be dedicating a whole sketchbook to studies to get into creating the type of artwork I want to. Anyways, Thank you for opening up about your situation, it's always comforting to know i'm not the only one who goes through periods of hating my work. :D
You can always just maintain two portfolios. It's a good idea to do it for safety's sake anyway. If you ever want a job doing cutesy pure stuff after you've been doing lots of nsfw stuff, you might have trouble getting hired. That kind of stuff has a tendency to cause people to pigeon-hole you into a category- they hire you for your reputation as much as for your skills. My two cents.
You really have to maintain 2 portfolios & 2 social media pages if you want to do mainstream art as well as NSFW art. Otherwise, you'll lose your following bc typically people looking for NSFW art will not follow a "cutesy" art account, and those who do follow it will unfollow if they see images they find offensive (or maybe they don't care, but they can't have the images on their work phone or whatever). It's funny but some of those early Marvel artists maintained 100% separate fetish art careers, even back 50+ years ago
@@josephbrandenburg4373 Yeah, I was thinking about going under a separate alias so it'd be a lot easier to post nsfw artwork. Especially since my parents, family, and friends follow my current accounts. xD.
@@scarlet8078 That's actually really helpful to know. I didn't think that I could have multiple social media accounts with different bodies of work, but there's no rules saying I can't. xD. Thank you for the advice!
Whenever I am over critical of my work I take a step back and ask myself why. Everyone says it's great but it usually doesn't come out the way I envisioned. I take how I wanted it to look, and write down what I feel I need to work on to get it to what I wanted it to be. I'm currently going back to square one in relearning (again...I guess you can never do it too much) how to draw to see where the turning point for me was to move in the direction my art went to that I don't want it to go to. I hope that makes sense. Not saying that's your path but just letting you know I get what you mean. I say don't be scared to change. Such is life. ☺️ I'm excited to see your art going forward!
I think it’s important to be honest with who you are, where you are with your art and follow your own path. And it’s really courageous to share it with us.
I love your workflow so much Chris! And I feel exactly the same most of the time. I believe as we're constantly breaking barriers, learning and growing the most frustrated we can feel because of our own self imposed standards grow faster than we do. I believe you are amazing! and your work is really inspiring for me. Traditional work is very rare nowadays and it's really encouraging to see you thrive. Thank you for this video.
it's always important to anchor yourself to reality once in a while and KNOW what your best in that moment is. ive noticed as well that my expectation as well as what i THINK is my best tends to be better than it really is. doing some warm ups, or just finishing a piece tends to bum me out, but still lets me know where i am, and where i need to go.
Thanks for this video. I completely understand what you're talking about. As a beginner artist, "finding my style" was all I was obsessed about, and I thought once I found it, I could just effortlessly let it slowly evolve over time. But now that there is a way a drawing and rendering thing that somehow defines me and that I'm satisfied with, I realize my obsession with style was only visual, and I have no idea what kind of subject matters I'd like to draw about. Time for another long journey!
I think one of the most interesting pieces of art advice i've ever heard is that feeling so frustrated with your work at certain stages is a sign that your taste has grown faster your muscle memory can catch up to. I dunno, I think its amazing to feel contented with your work and enjoy the process but at the same time it's also important to not become complacent and always be willing to utilize critical thinking to analyze all the elements that make wonderful artwork so wonderful.
Make that change! You’re an amazing artist and person, changing something so that you’re heart and head are happy is important. I am also a freelance artist who has been bouncing back and forth from video game concept art to children’s book illustrations. You’re small business is an inspiration to me. It’s so powerful how much you care you put into everything, no matter what you do with your path, we’re here for you!
If you’re not happy with your work then you’re not happy with it. Don’t let other people tell you when to stop your artistic journey. I love your work, your illustrations, all of them but that’s bc I see it as a milestone I have yet to reach not bc I want you to stop here. Can’t wait to see what you’re gonna create next 🧡
I will like to hear you talking about the process of the painting instead of your opinion of the painting. Let us make our own opinion. I really admire your work. Take a compliment. keep growing as an artist
I resonate a lot with what you said here. I really enjoy the way you describe the aspects of your art and how you feel like something isn't quite right. I've been feeling like this more and more lately and I also hope I can find something that feels more true to what I want my art to be.
That little witch reminds me of myself, huddling into something warm as soon as the temperatures drop, but that fox tells us 'hey, look at the fun colours, feel the fresh air'.
❤ hello Chris. This brought me so much comfort to start my creative day. I so enjoyed listening to your thoughts. As a creator myself I can totally relate to what you are saying here. I do love this little piece along with many, many others and I also get what you are saying. I can produce a piece I’m not enthralled with and others tell me I’m my worst own enemy. But, that’s not it really is it! We all have a need for change, development, growth and it is that speaking to us. We are not self deprecated but our discomfort is an internal signal ‘time for change’. Much love and respect. I thoroughly enjoy sitting watching & listening in to your thoughts.
You have a keen eye for detail and are a hardworking young artist, and having created your own small business is no easy feat. Change is good for any artist, and exploring is an integral part of the experience! I hope that above all else, this change is a fun adventure for you. The blank page and a clean slate can seem intimidating, but remember the joy of when it all began. ☺️ You are actively advancing yourself instead of being a bystander and that is wonderful. I am looking forward to watching future videos, and listening to you speak more about your growth. ✌️❤️
This is exactly the video I needed because I kind of feel the same way. I think for me it has a lot to do with art school and teachers telling me what they think I would be a good fit for and I just stuck with it. And the part about trying to “impress yourself” hit so hard.
Thanks for sharing your thought process with us. I’ve followed many artists over the years and it’s fun to see their journey and how they grow in their art and sometimes drastically change directions! Bao Pham is someone that comes to mind. Wishing you well! 💚
this is exactly what i said, your art is always lovely but my god did it seem like you were unhappy doing them. im glad you're doing other things and experimenting again. your art will always look good, so its good to change things up without having to impress anyone.
I can totally relate to what you said about not seeing yourself in your art, for me it's the same. I love your art because it creates a magic atmosphere and I honestly would like to see it animated, but I know whatever you want to create will be beautiful
What I see in your shop is fabulous fun, intriguing art. I love every piece. I can't wait to see what you do next. I would like to say that the girl with the pumpkin spice drink is so adorable I would love to see a season series of her. I would hang the 4 seasons in my kitchen in a heartbeat. I have art all over my walls. I love what each piece brings to my home. I don't mean matching my couch either-LOL.
I am so grateful for this video!! Because right now I'm in the same place as you, re-evaluating what art I actually want to create. Hearing I'm not alone in this was really encouraging so thank you so much!
Hi Chris, thank you for another honest and beautiful video. I am halfway through it and wanted to stop and say this before I lose my words. I think that artists (and I don’t use this word lightly) that promote their work through RUclips videos tend to feel this pressure to stay consistent and stick with what they think their audience expects of them to create. It seems to me that you are simply evolving and growing out of a phase that has served you well and gave you many new skills and now you’re ready for new exciting things that can come. From my experience, they can ONLY come if you don’t feel like something’s wrong with your art or the path you took to get here. Many years down the line, whatever you envision yourself creating, maybe could be true with the experiments on the way. You’re doing good, girl. Let the change flowwww, we will be here to support you!
The honesty is very much appreciated. I do wonder what you want your own art to look like. I really like what you've made up till now and am interested in what this different direction will look like.
Hey I love your videos and can totally relate to alot of the things you're talking about. Thank you for voicing such an intimate thought to all of your followers! I really believe that people can offer more value to others than themselves- it's what makes communities great.
I’m sure you already know that, but there’s this thing that art development is a cycle and basically you go through art lows when you’re really not happy with where you are artistically and it stems from basically your perception and analytical skill developing ahead of your technical skill. Basically growing pains I guess? People think that one is just complaining but it’s just being critical of oneself and that’s not a bad thing. Just keep doing you!
Chris this piece is amazing! your ability to create textures and softness with watercolor/gouache is amazing and the way you paint skin is stunning. From artist to artist, I look at my work also and think it's not what represents my taste but honestly that's due to me looking at many artists and admiring their styles and wishing I could have their style but really your work is a reflection of your personality and you can be hard on yourself if your always comparing yourself to others, i'm guilty of that also. Embrace your difference and what makes you unique. 1.6k likes against 8 silly thumbs down goes to show your doing something right.
Im proud of you to acknowledge the way you fell about your art jorney. Its so scary to change up the things that work in a buisness kind of way to search for truer ways of expressing the art you wanna make, but I truly think its the right thing to do. Im so so excited to see whats coming from you in the future. I wish you all the best for your new discoveries! :)
You're amazing and super brave to decide and take the step forward. I'm in a "similar" place right now, because I started to follow this art path last year after I noticed that I was following a dream that wasn't mine, and I am still trying to see what I like the most to try and make a living out of it. At the moment I'm feeling a bit lost but I hope this fades soon and I can decide what other courses to take after I finish the one I'm in now. Lots of love and support for you
This is really a gorgeous piece. Her expression. The Fox. The light/steam flowing into the leaves. The gorgeous arch and trees in the background. Good luck with your new direction. Thank you for bringing us along. Art is hard, especially when you have good taste! Even when you have lots of talent and strong skills, you rarely meet your own expectations.
Just do it! I have been where you are now and it took me 10yrs to break out and do something different, but more in line with what I wanted to do. It is so different from my usual stuff that I have taken a second name and kept it to myself that I am being 2 different artists, it's double the commitment lol but worth it for the peace of mind if you don't want to lose followers that love this style.
I think it’s important to evaluate and go back to what you want to create. It’s easy to get influenced by others and not see whats right for yourself. 🙌🏻
I'm really happy for you that you're making a change that will fit your vision more closely. I noticed that you often say you struggled with this piece and it's amazing because it sure doesn't look like it in the time laps:) But I think it's important to listen to your feelings, too. It is true that many great artists hated their own work and wanted to destroy it as for them it was not good enough but it gave the rest of us so much value. But I think you can find a way where you will feel lighter and still give your awesome talent to the world. I'm looking forward to what kind of work you would really like to do and what would define you. Be kind to yourself - we're so used to be harsh to ourselves but it's a bad habit. Your strongest point is definitely characters so if you wish to do them more and less of backgrounds why not? Maybe you long for a looser/not so polished style (when you mentioned the joy of foxes tail) so give yourself permission to do that. If the viewers are the invisible voice - you have our blessing:). And it's ok to change perspective - we are living creatures and we change:). Just let yourself enjoy your successes (when people like your painting) and allow yourself to do your own thing - it's important that you enjoy doing what you do. I wish you all the best!
I fucking hate how the art community cant take any type of negativity. Ive seen it happen to another artist. Listen art youtubers aren't your puppets, their people with feelings and there allow to express them on there own damn channel. Just because you cant handle negative emotions doesnt mean you get to shame others into hiding their feelings. Sorry for a mini rant. I love your art, and to me, its kinda comforting that even an artist as great as you can still have the same problems as a meh artist like me.:)
Chris, I think it is fair that, as a highly intelligent artist, you see what you COULD do, and the bar is higher than others'. Personally, you are SUCH a phenomenally talented artist, it was hard to hear your dissatisfaction. Now, you do sound better, and happier, and I am excited to see what you do next. I know it will be my goals, no matter what it is. Best wishes for the future.
I love your work and I am sure your next phase will be just as wonderful. Thank you for sharing your process and your "baggage". We think a lot as artists and we are affected by so much outside of ourselves and within. I think we go through similar evolutions and changes. You are so inspiring!
We all grow and wanting to change things up is just logical progression. You want something that represents you. You've tackled really polished paintings. Maybe go into more loose work. Being loose with it is just as challenging if not more than anything else. Really you're just growing and changing it up to flow with you and your expectations is ok too. Whatever you do to me has always been awesome.
I really love this piece. But I totally understand the feeling of not being happy with a piece and feeling a need to change, regardless of how great other people feel about it. It's so different looking at your art as the creator of it vs. looking at it as an observer. Good luck with your change in direction!
i love how this one turned out!! i totally get where you're coming from though. I adore illustrations, but after working on a couple of them I have to switch into something more abstract - lately it's been more geometric abstraction pieces! I just need that break for my own insanity that allows me to work on pieces that are a little more personal to me. It gives me a bit more freedom. I can't wait to see what the changes are going to be!
I'm surprised to hear you aren't interested in making children's book illustration because it's the first thing that comes to mind when I look at your work. It reminds me a lot of the illustrations from old kid's books my mother passed down to me. Your style is very nostalgic, soft, and playful. Like Rockwell meets classic Disney. I don't think the length of time it takes for you to make your paintings or materials you use are the issue here. If you're not totally happy with the association or becoming a children's book illustrator you need to either change your style a bit or change the subject matter you're painting. Whatever you decide, you have the technical skills already so go explore!
Good luck with the new direction! I love all your works so far and I'm excited to see what kind of of changes happen because who doesn't love seeing new styles which challenges the artist in a different way.
I definitely like this piece 🤓 But I also understand what you mean. We as artists have our own view of our art and what we feel it could've been at times and what we want it to be. And when it comes to a point where we feel like it didn't meet the mark, we get kinda off about it. And as artists, we do tend to be more critical with ourselves and our art. It's a process of learning ; learning to be a little softer on ourselves as well as being productive and progressive, and learning what we need to improve our art.
While I absolutely love this piece, I fully understand where you're coming from. Sometimes we must walk back to the fork in the road and take another way forward. I beleive this new chapter will prove even better than you expect, simply because it will feel right. I'm excited to see what will happen in the future 💚 all the love
I think you're the only watercolor artist i watch, that use so many layers. Your work is beautiful, but i think you mentioned that you were in doubt if you used the right technique. You probably watch other watercolor artists, but if you don't i really think it could benefit you ^v^
You're right. She could take these illustrations way further in watercolor if she mixed paints to value scale rather than painting layer after layer. I agree 100% that if she watched Mind of Watercolor or some of those folks who've been doing this for 40 years, it would help her. Or she could just work digitally if she likes layers. I paint both traditional & digital & for this type of illustration I'd pick digital.
I love that you include a furry friend / familiar. How you feel about your work is important. You are the artist and your work should provide you with something before it brings something to your audience. Your feelings about your work should guide you, sometimes the frustration helps to let you know that something is missing that you need.
Really happy that you shared this with us! I have been going through this incredibly frustrating process of trying to decide where I want my art to go and it took a lot of introspection and experimentation for me to realize that although I was happy with some of the work I was producing, I had to physically force myself to start every time because it just required so much mental energy. I didn't enjoy the process, and I was solely pushing through it for the end product. And that's no way to live! I have been searching everywhere to see if it's normal to dislike the process and if we are just supposed to push past it or if I was crazy haha, so hearing your experiences have kind of validated my decision to change up my workflow. Don't worry about sharing your opinions of your work! I find it so encouraging that even someone at your level of skill is not an art-machine. Looking forward to seeing what you do next. (Love the painting, btw!!)
Paused at around 4 minutes - it's really unfortunate that you've been discouraged by people telling you not to self-critique in your videos. I understand why people might have a kneejerk response to a very skilled artist critiquing their own art, especially as a beginner, but i don't agree with it. The way you discuss clearly what you felt you did wrong, AND how you then fixed it, is really really helpful. You always end on a positive note and your self-critique never seems overly harsh or unfair, and i've learned a lot about how I can improve my process and my eye from watching your videos and listening to your commentary.
Hey Chris, I absolutely love your videos! I've never thought that you've come off as excessively negative. Your commentary is honest and when you talk about the struggles you have, I personally relate to it and I'm sure others do as well. When you push through the struggles and overcome them, it is inspiring and motivational. Looking forward to your next video and chapter in your art career!
Hey, yeah... i have the same feelings about my art currently.. (I've spent the last 3.5 years painting digitally and building up a fantasy portfolio to get freelance jobs for 'Magic:the Gathering' and 'DnD' etc..) .. for me, it's time for a style change .. i decided to make traditional art now, gouache... and just thinking about is sooo refreshing (colors/brushes delivery comes in a few days^^) high polished art is soo exhausting, takes way too much energy.. ( i will do nature/sea/animals gouache paintings now, in a fluid artsytle, not too much polished) .. your art is very lovley and i hope you will find your new way.. let it breath and be happy with it
Your feelings are valid and you have every right to have issues with your own work (I think all artists do to some level) regardless of how your community feels about it (like me, who thinks you are incredible). Thank you for talking about your struggle with where you want to be/what kind of work you want to be doing. Even though I know it must be difficult to put into words, it’s cathartic and inspiring for me personally to hear and think through my own life/work. So looking forward to what you have planned for the future, whatever direction that might be in. PS - I adore this painting. 🧡
Looking forward to your new adventure! I noticed a couple other artists Including myself are going through something similar to you. Change is good! Change is growth. Good luck!🍀
First off great painting, there is so much knowledge and skill put into every one of your illustrations it’s truly motivating. Second you should always feel free to express your opinion about your work even if it’s negative (especially if it’s negative). This is your chosen profession and you deserve to find enjoyment in your art, fuck the haters. But if you don’t want people to keep soliciting you for work you have no interest in you really need to be upfront with yourself, and probably your followers. Like what is your ideal job, you never said? I had an art assignment where I had to come up with my top 3 animation studios I would love to work for, figure out what their style/ perspective was, and what I needed to do with my work to get a job there. It was really informative for me and helped me set my goals (which I’m still struggling towards). Anyways, cheers to your future endeavors.
its crazy to think how much i love your art and style and its not really what you want, i really look through everything and every little thing is perfect to me. But its obviously different when its your own view, i will support you nl matter what!
By the way I don’t know if you realised it but your style I’ve changed , it has a touche of abstract art in it, mostly during the process of painting (watercolor). I’ve noticed it in this two past illustrations of yours. I like it✨
I can't wait to see what you do. It sounds like you are wanting to work more on fine art pieces? Instead of illustration? I like your emotional honesty, it is so helpful to hear how others struggle with what they are doing, as I do the same.
While I love your current style, I'm looking forward to see what you're coming up with next! I can relate very much to what you've been experiencing right now. Your talk gave me a little more courage to address this issue myself. Thank you! ☺️
Love your work, the clowns are so fun and well painted. Why not cards, calendars too, as this latest is an autumnal scene? Perhaps when you did the foxes tails simply, that was a new way to go instead of labouring the pieces? Freshness and spontaneous brushstrokes. Well done you are an excellent artis Chris.
People shouldnt critique how to critique your own artwork and how to feel about it, thet cant change how someone feels about their own artwork. Ican see where theyre coming from but still. Yes you have an audience but at the end of the day its your artwork you can make it for yourself even if you share it. There's only a few reasons why we complain about our artwork and its either because it needs stylistic change, we need to learn something new, or we need to not be so hard on how we see our artwork. And if you want to change it awesome there's people who enjoy seeing someone's art journey :3
It's very exciting that you are making a big change. You have to do work that is meaningful to you AND enjoyable. I think your dissatisfaction with this work may lay partly in that your mind has already moved on to the next thing making it seem like a bit of a chore. I'd walk away from it for a while and come back to have another look. You may find that you like it better than you think. (I think the fox is super cute).
It's okay, I understand it's scary to move into change. It sounds like your ready. You been ready, I look forward to your change and growth. It's okay to want change for yourself. Dont worry about what others see for you but just talk regardless if you dont want to be seen as negative. I'm not going anywhere tho. I feel like artists need change especially if they arent happy with the pieces they make.
I have many changes for myself as well. And I support you. Keep going, you will be fine. You will be okay. I love the theres been some I invisible person you've been trying to please analogy for it. I understand what you mean full well.
Thanks for “getting” it! Wish you the best on your journey as well!🙌
I know art isn’t supposed to be “easy”, but it’s frustrating and discouraging to have your art turn out not how you imagined or just ok. I’m glad to know that other artists have similar feelings.
Honestly your work reminds me of a masters painting with a modern feel. I love how you use colour. And I love your work. Regardless of how it evolves and changes. Art is about making you happy. Art you make because you feel like you have to is never as good as the pieces you make filled with joy.
I’m going through something similar right now. A family member asked me to work on creating a game with them, and I told them I didn’t think I had the time. They got so sad and so I agreed to make it with them after all. Now I realise it’s taking me away from what I really want to do with my life, but they’re so excited and happy working on the game with me, I don’t know how to break it to them that this isn’t something I want to do.
I know if I told them, they would be so incredibly upset and angry with me. We had already drifted apart before this, and making this game has been the only thing that brought us closer again. I feel so stuck.
Sancosity I’ve been trapped in creating a book I’ve repeatedly said I don’t want to illustrate for the past 5 to 6 years. Say it now and don’t put yourself in that position. It’s made me lose motivation several times to do things for myself because I felt guilty that I hadn’t finished th project for this other person that I NEVER wanted to do.
Can't a little politeness bridge the gap maybe? "I don't have the time" IS an upsetting answer. If you can't even make time for your friends then what can they even expect from your friendship anymore? But if you say "it's not where I want to go because my dreams/goals demand that I do this and this" then not only you gave them a reason; you confided in them. That's "us" time and also it gives them a template to come up with new ideas in how they can support you and join with you to do things together. I do get naive suggestions from well meaning relatives who don't quite know me or what I do too, but that comes from a good place and should be thanked for and properly explained why it won't work. There's nothing wrong with saying stuff like "I appreciate that you got me an illustration gig but my goal is to be a painter and I fear this may derail me" and such.
whade62000 nothing wrong with it. But some family just don’t care. I’m always nice about it. I tell them that I don’t have much time cause it’s true but that’s not mean.
@@whade62000 Not having time shouldn't be upsetting; it's just a fact. I spend family time with my family, and I illustrate/paint for a living inbetween family time. The only way I could do anything else is to sacrifice family time, which I'm not going to do. And like Killer Ghost13 said, you can be polite as you want, but it doesn't help with some family. My family try to make me feel guilty about anything.
@@Sancosity yeah i'm with you here, saying NO to friends and family shouldn't need to be a delicate process, it should just be no. As artists people tend to not see the value in the time we spend creating the artwork and therefore the tend to expect a lot more than is reasonable from us. We HAVE to be comfortable saying NO otherwise we would just turn into a bunch of doormats.
You expressing your honest thoughts about your art is really helpful (for me) because I often feel the same! I think it’s really healthy to question your work and where you want to take it. Thank you for sharing yourself!!
You are seriously AWESOME! I absolutely LOVE all your paintings, the lighting, the feel, the charm...just absolutely fabulous.
Personally, I truly enjoy listening to your thoughts while watching you paint. Your thoughts keep your work "real" if you know what I mean. Your struggles and doubts, your self criticism it all helps me to know that I am NOT alone in this.
So many times we viewers watch other artists put out work and never seem to struggle, it's always perfect, no...just a sketch to perfect and no frustrations.
But the reality is...most of us DO struggle, we struggle with composition, back grounds, color..we get to the "ugly" stage and can't get past it...like it's just a ruined piece...but it's just not done yet.
Also, you are a gouache master! I have learned soo much watching you "fix" watercolor pieces with gouache. I hope you don't stop using gouache...I am now exploring and learning this medium and am really enjoying it.
I'm excited to see what direction you go...but am a little sad that these charming type pieces might become a past enjoyment.
I always look forward to your new videos...sooo...I AM anxiously awaiting to see the new direction you take your art...but please don't stop using gouache. 😉😉💖
Thanks for all you do here on youtube.
Happy painting!
Toni
Nakiska Lynn thanks for your comment Toni, really appreciate your thoughts!🧡🧡
This hit real close to home for me as for the past few month's I've been wanting to get into making nfsw artworks rather than my current body of work which is rather cutesy and pure.
Sometimes we hold ourselves back because of these mysterious standards we hold for ourselves. I found that making little baby steps towards our goals is the best way to approach these situations. For me, that would be dedicating a whole sketchbook to studies to get into creating the type of artwork I want to.
Anyways, Thank you for opening up about your situation, it's always comforting to know i'm not the only one who goes through periods of hating my work. :D
You can always just maintain two portfolios. It's a good idea to do it for safety's sake anyway. If you ever want a job doing cutesy pure stuff after you've been doing lots of nsfw stuff, you might have trouble getting hired. That kind of stuff has a tendency to cause people to pigeon-hole you into a category- they hire you for your reputation as much as for your skills.
My two cents.
You really have to maintain 2 portfolios & 2 social media pages if you want to do mainstream art as well as NSFW art. Otherwise, you'll lose your following bc typically people looking for NSFW art will not follow a "cutesy" art account, and those who do follow it will unfollow if they see images they find offensive (or maybe they don't care, but they can't have the images on their work phone or whatever). It's funny but some of those early Marvel artists maintained 100% separate fetish art careers, even back 50+ years ago
@@josephbrandenburg4373 Yeah, I was thinking about going under a separate alias so it'd be a lot easier to post nsfw artwork. Especially since my parents, family, and friends follow my current accounts. xD.
@@scarlet8078 That's actually really helpful to know. I didn't think that I could have multiple social media accounts with different bodies of work, but there's no rules saying I can't. xD. Thank you for the advice!
Go forward without apology.
Whenever I am over critical of my work I take a step back and ask myself why. Everyone says it's great but it usually doesn't come out the way I envisioned.
I take how I wanted it to look, and write down what I feel I need to work on to get it to what I wanted it to be.
I'm currently going back to square one in relearning (again...I guess you can never do it too much) how to draw to see where the turning point for me was to move in the direction my art went to that I don't want it to go to. I hope that makes sense.
Not saying that's your path but just letting you know I get what you mean. I say don't be scared to change. Such is life. ☺️
I'm excited to see your art going forward!
I think it’s important to be honest with who you are, where you are with your art and follow your own path. And it’s really courageous to share it with us.
I love your workflow so much Chris! And I feel exactly the same most of the time. I believe as we're constantly breaking barriers, learning and growing the most frustrated we can feel because of our own self imposed standards grow faster than we do. I believe you are amazing! and your work is really inspiring for me. Traditional work is very rare nowadays and it's really encouraging to see you thrive. Thank you for this video.
it's always important to anchor yourself to reality once in a while and KNOW what your best in that moment is. ive noticed as well that my expectation as well as what i THINK is my best tends to be better than it really is. doing some warm ups, or just finishing a piece tends to bum me out, but still lets me know where i am, and where i need to go.
Thanks for this video. I completely understand what you're talking about. As a beginner artist, "finding my style" was all I was obsessed about, and I thought once I found it, I could just effortlessly let it slowly evolve over time.
But now that there is a way a drawing and rendering thing that somehow defines me and that I'm satisfied with, I realize my obsession with style was only visual, and I have no idea what kind of subject matters I'd like to draw about. Time for another long journey!
I think one of the most interesting pieces of art advice i've ever heard is that feeling so frustrated with your work at certain stages is a sign that your taste has grown faster your muscle memory can catch up to. I dunno, I think its amazing to feel contented with your work and enjoy the process but at the same time it's also important to not become complacent and always be willing to utilize critical thinking to analyze all the elements that make wonderful artwork so wonderful.
Make that change! You’re an amazing artist and person, changing something so that you’re heart and head are happy is important. I am also a freelance artist who has been bouncing back and forth from video game concept art to children’s book illustrations. You’re small business is an inspiration to me. It’s so powerful how much you care you put into everything, no matter what you do with your path, we’re here for you!
If you’re not happy with your work then you’re not happy with it. Don’t let other people tell you when to stop your artistic journey. I love your work, your illustrations, all of them but that’s bc I see it as a milestone I have yet to reach not bc I want you to stop here. Can’t wait to see what you’re gonna create next 🧡
I will like to hear you talking about the process of the painting instead of your opinion of the painting. Let us make our own opinion. I really admire your work. Take a compliment. keep growing as an artist
I resonate a lot with what you said here. I really enjoy the way you describe the aspects of your art and how you feel like something isn't quite right. I've been feeling like this more and more lately and I also hope I can find something that feels more true to what I want my art to be.
Love the vulnerability of this artist. There's something about what she says that I believe all artists well relate.
That little witch reminds me of myself, huddling into something warm as soon as the temperatures drop, but that fox tells us 'hey, look at the fun colours, feel the fresh air'.
This piece is so beautiful, I know it's not what you had in mind for yourself but gosh it has to be my favorite piece!
❤ hello Chris. This brought me so much comfort to start my creative day. I so enjoyed listening to your thoughts. As a creator myself I can totally relate to what you are saying here. I do love this little piece along with many, many others and I also get what you are saying. I can produce a piece I’m not enthralled with and others tell me I’m my worst own enemy. But, that’s not it really is it! We all have a need for change, development, growth and it is that speaking to us. We are not self deprecated but our discomfort is an internal signal ‘time for change’. Much love and respect. I thoroughly enjoy sitting watching & listening in to your thoughts.
You have a keen eye for detail and are a hardworking young artist, and having created your own small business is no easy feat. Change is good for any artist, and exploring is an integral part of the experience! I hope that above all else, this change is a fun adventure for you. The blank page and a clean slate can seem intimidating, but remember the joy of when it all began. ☺️ You are actively advancing yourself instead of being a bystander and that is wonderful. I am looking forward to watching future videos, and listening to you speak more about your growth. ✌️❤️
This is exactly the video I needed because I kind of feel the same way. I think for me it has a lot to do with art school and teachers telling me what they think I would be a good fit for and I just stuck with it. And the part about trying to “impress yourself” hit so hard.
Thanks for sharing your thought process with us. I’ve followed many artists over the years and it’s fun to see their journey and how they grow in their art and sometimes drastically change directions! Bao Pham is someone that comes to mind. Wishing you well! 💚
this is exactly what i said, your art is always lovely but my god did it seem like you were unhappy doing them. im glad you're doing other things and experimenting again. your art will always look good, so its good to change things up without having to impress anyone.
It's always such a treat when you post a video! Thank you so much for sharing so much of yourself.
I can totally relate to what you said about not seeing yourself in your art, for me it's the same. I love your art because it creates a magic atmosphere and I honestly would like to see it animated, but I know whatever you want to create will be beautiful
Whatever you feel is good for you will be GREAT for us!😀
What I see in your shop is fabulous fun, intriguing art. I love every piece. I can't wait to see what you do next. I would like to say that the girl with the pumpkin spice drink is so adorable I would love to see a season series of her. I would hang the 4 seasons in my kitchen in a heartbeat. I have art all over my walls. I love what each piece brings to my home. I don't mean matching my couch either-LOL.
I am so grateful for this video!! Because right now I'm in the same place as you, re-evaluating what art I actually want to create. Hearing I'm not alone in this was really encouraging so thank you so much!
Hi Chris, thank you for another honest and beautiful video. I am halfway through it and wanted to stop and say this before I lose my words. I think that artists (and I don’t use this word lightly) that promote their work through RUclips videos tend to feel this pressure to stay consistent and stick with what they think their audience expects of them to create. It seems to me that you are simply evolving and growing out of a phase that has served you well and gave you many new skills and now you’re ready for new exciting things that can come. From my experience, they can ONLY come if you don’t feel like something’s wrong with your art or the path you took to get here.
Many years down the line, whatever you envision yourself creating, maybe could be true with the experiments on the way. You’re doing good, girl. Let the change flowwww, we will be here to support you!
The honesty is very much appreciated. I do wonder what you want your own art to look like. I really like what you've made up till now and am interested in what this different direction will look like.
Hey I love your videos and can totally relate to alot of the things you're talking about. Thank you for voicing such an intimate thought to all of your followers! I really believe that people can offer more value to others than themselves- it's what makes communities great.
I’m sure you already know that, but there’s this thing that art development is a cycle and basically you go through art lows when you’re really not happy with where you are artistically and it stems from basically your perception and analytical skill developing ahead of your technical skill. Basically growing pains I guess? People think that one is just complaining but it’s just being critical of oneself and that’s not a bad thing.
Just keep doing you!
Chris this piece is amazing! your ability to create textures and softness with watercolor/gouache is amazing and the way you paint skin is stunning. From artist to artist, I look at my work also and think it's not what represents my taste but honestly that's due to me looking at many artists and admiring their styles and wishing I could have their style but really your work is a reflection of your personality and you can be hard on yourself if your always comparing yourself to others, i'm guilty of that also. Embrace your difference and what makes you unique. 1.6k likes against 8 silly thumbs down goes to show your doing something right.
Im proud of you to acknowledge the way you fell about your art jorney. Its so scary to change up the things that work in a buisness kind of way to search for truer ways of expressing the art you wanna make, but I truly think its the right thing to do. Im so so excited to see whats coming from you in the future. I wish you all the best for your new discoveries! :)
You're amazing and super brave to decide and take the step forward. I'm in a "similar" place right now, because I started to follow this art path last year after I noticed that I was following a dream that wasn't mine, and I am still trying to see what I like the most to try and make a living out of it. At the moment I'm feeling a bit lost but I hope this fades soon and I can decide what other courses to take after I finish the one I'm in now.
Lots of love and support for you
This is really a gorgeous piece. Her expression. The Fox. The light/steam flowing into the leaves. The gorgeous arch and trees in the background.
Good luck with your new direction. Thank you for bringing us along.
Art is hard, especially when you have good taste! Even when you have lots of talent and strong skills, you rarely meet your own expectations.
i just want to know that I love your art no matter what.Good luck for the change! whe support you!
Just do it! I have been where you are now and it took me 10yrs to break out and do something different, but more in line with what I wanted to do. It is so different from my usual stuff that I have taken a second name and kept it to myself that I am being 2 different artists, it's double the commitment lol but worth it for the peace of mind if you don't want to lose followers that love this style.
I think it’s important to evaluate and go back to what you want to create. It’s easy to get influenced by others and not see whats right for yourself. 🙌🏻
I'm really happy for you that you're making a change that will fit your vision more closely. I noticed that you often say you struggled with this piece and it's amazing because it sure doesn't look like it in the time laps:) But I think it's important to listen to your feelings, too. It is true that many great artists hated their own work and wanted to destroy it as for them it was not good enough but it gave the rest of us so much value.
But I think you can find a way where you will feel lighter and still give your awesome talent to the world. I'm looking forward to what kind of work you would really like to do and what would define you. Be kind to yourself - we're so used to be harsh to ourselves but it's a bad habit. Your strongest point is definitely characters so if you wish to do them more and less of backgrounds why not? Maybe you long for a looser/not so polished style (when you mentioned the joy of foxes tail) so give yourself permission to do that. If the viewers are the invisible voice - you have our blessing:).
And it's ok to change perspective - we are living creatures and we change:). Just let yourself enjoy your successes (when people like your painting) and allow yourself to do your own thing - it's important that you enjoy doing what you do. I wish you all the best!
I fucking hate how the art community cant take any type of negativity. Ive seen it happen to another artist. Listen art youtubers aren't your puppets, their people with feelings and there allow to express them on there own damn channel. Just because you cant handle negative emotions doesnt mean you get to shame others into hiding their feelings.
Sorry for a mini rant. I love your art, and to me, its kinda comforting that even an artist as great as you can still have the same problems as a meh artist like me.:)
Chris, I think it is fair that, as a highly intelligent artist, you see what you COULD do, and the bar is higher than others'. Personally, you are SUCH a phenomenally talented artist, it was hard to hear your dissatisfaction. Now, you do sound better, and happier, and I am excited to see what you do next. I know it will be my goals, no matter what it is. Best wishes for the future.
I love your work and I am sure your next phase will be just as wonderful. Thank you for sharing your process and your "baggage". We think a lot as artists and we are affected by so much outside of ourselves and within. I think we go through similar evolutions and changes. You are so inspiring!
Totally rooting for you!! 😃💕 You gotta do what you feel is right for yourself, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next part of your journey!
We all grow and wanting to change things up is just logical progression. You want something that represents you. You've tackled really polished paintings. Maybe go into more loose work. Being loose with it is just as challenging if not more than anything else. Really you're just growing and changing it up to flow with you and your expectations is ok too. Whatever you do to me has always been awesome.
This is indeed wonderful! I love foxes and autumn!
Enjoyed this one a lot! Can relate to your description of what work you make verse what you want to define you. Looking forward to the next piece!
You go girl! Follow your intuition ❤️
You are sooo good, is a pleasure watch your videos.
I really love this piece. But I totally understand the feeling of not being happy with a piece and feeling a need to change, regardless of how great other people feel about it. It's so different looking at your art as the creator of it vs. looking at it as an observer. Good luck with your change in direction!
I think this piece has lots of life and energy ☺ can't wait to see what these changes bring in your art. I'm excited
i love how this one turned out!! i totally get where you're coming from though. I adore illustrations, but after working on a couple of them I have to switch into something more abstract - lately it's been more geometric abstraction pieces! I just need that break for my own insanity that allows me to work on pieces that are a little more personal to me. It gives me a bit more freedom. I can't wait to see what the changes are going to be!
I'm surprised to hear you aren't interested in making children's book illustration because it's the first thing that comes to mind when I look at your work. It reminds me a lot of the illustrations from old kid's books my mother passed down to me. Your style is very nostalgic, soft, and playful. Like Rockwell meets classic Disney. I don't think the length of time it takes for you to make your paintings or materials you use are the issue here. If you're not totally happy with the association or becoming a children's book illustrator you need to either change your style a bit or change the subject matter you're painting. Whatever you decide, you have the technical skills already so go explore!
Good luck with the new direction! I love all your works so far and I'm excited to see what kind of of changes happen because who doesn't love seeing new styles which challenges the artist in a different way.
I definitely like this piece 🤓
But I also understand what you mean. We as artists have our own view of our art and what we feel it could've been at times and what we want it to be. And when it comes to a point where we feel like it didn't meet the mark, we get kinda off about it. And as artists, we do tend to be more critical with ourselves and our art. It's a process of learning ; learning to be a little softer on ourselves as well as being productive and progressive, and learning what we need to improve our art.
As soon as you started adding gouache it just pOpped!
trust your decisions. your awesome.
From Canada 🇨🇦 too. ❤️
can 100% relate to everything you say here. thanks for sharing these thoughts! continue to listen to yourself!! :)
While I absolutely love this piece, I fully understand where you're coming from. Sometimes we must walk back to the fork in the road and take another way forward. I beleive this new chapter will prove even better than you expect, simply because it will feel right. I'm excited to see what will happen in the future 💚 all the love
Dear Chris ,there is a real magic in your art ,same faerie and love of color,drawing i found when i saw the art of master Mr . René Hausman !❤
I think you're the only watercolor artist i watch, that use so many layers. Your work is beautiful, but i think you mentioned that you were in doubt if you used the right technique. You probably watch other watercolor artists, but if you don't i really think it could benefit you ^v^
You're right. She could take these illustrations way further in watercolor if she mixed paints to value scale rather than painting layer after layer. I agree 100% that if she watched Mind of Watercolor or some of those folks who've been doing this for 40 years, it would help her. Or she could just work digitally if she likes layers. I paint both traditional & digital & for this type of illustration I'd pick digital.
I love that you include a furry friend / familiar. How you feel about your work is important. You are the artist and your work should provide you with something before it brings something to your audience. Your feelings about your work should guide you, sometimes the frustration helps to let you know that something is missing that you need.
I'm super excited to see what new can you come up with! :)
Really happy that you shared this with us! I have been going through this incredibly frustrating process of trying to decide where I want my art to go and it took a lot of introspection and experimentation for me to realize that although I was happy with some of the work I was producing, I had to physically force myself to start every time because it just required so much mental energy. I didn't enjoy the process, and I was solely pushing through it for the end product. And that's no way to live! I have been searching everywhere to see if it's normal to dislike the process and if we are just supposed to push past it or if I was crazy haha, so hearing your experiences have kind of validated my decision to change up my workflow. Don't worry about sharing your opinions of your work! I find it so encouraging that even someone at your level of skill is not an art-machine. Looking forward to seeing what you do next. (Love the painting, btw!!)
Paused at around 4 minutes - it's really unfortunate that you've been discouraged by people telling you not to self-critique in your videos. I understand why people might have a kneejerk response to a very skilled artist critiquing their own art, especially as a beginner, but i don't agree with it. The way you discuss clearly what you felt you did wrong, AND how you then fixed it, is really really helpful. You always end on a positive note and your self-critique never seems overly harsh or unfair, and i've learned a lot about how I can improve my process and my eye from watching your videos and listening to your commentary.
Hey Chris, I absolutely love your videos! I've never thought that you've come off as excessively negative. Your commentary is honest and when you talk about the struggles you have, I personally relate to it and I'm sure others do as well. When you push through the struggles and overcome them, it is inspiring and motivational. Looking forward to your next video and chapter in your art career!
Coryn Briere thanks so much Coryn!🧡☺️
Hey, yeah... i have the same feelings about my art currently..
(I've spent the last 3.5 years painting digitally and building up a fantasy portfolio to get freelance jobs for 'Magic:the Gathering' and 'DnD' etc..)
.. for me, it's time for a style change .. i decided to make traditional art now, gouache... and just thinking about is sooo refreshing (colors/brushes delivery comes in a few days^^)
high polished art is soo exhausting, takes way too much energy.. ( i will do nature/sea/animals gouache paintings now, in a fluid artsytle, not too much polished)
.. your art is very lovley and i hope you will find your new way.. let it breath and be happy with it
Your feelings are valid and you have every right to have issues with your own work (I think all artists do to some level) regardless of how your community feels about it (like me, who thinks you are incredible). Thank you for talking about your struggle with where you want to be/what kind of work you want to be doing. Even though I know it must be difficult to put into words, it’s cathartic and inspiring for me personally to hear and think through my own life/work. So looking forward to what you have planned for the future, whatever direction that might be in.
PS - I adore this painting. 🧡
Kimberly Roberson thanks so much Kimberly, really appreciate your comment!🧡☺️
I love this piece so much!!!!! ♥️♥️♥️ Hope to see more fall stuff someday!
ive been absolutely adoring your 'storybook' artworks, but im so so excited to see where you take your art next!!
Thank You for all your shared experience and Your art. want to wish you good luck to achieve what you aspire
Looking forward to your new adventure! I noticed a couple other artists Including myself are going through something similar to you. Change is good! Change is growth. Good luck!🍀
First off great painting, there is so much knowledge and skill put into every one of your illustrations it’s truly motivating. Second you should always feel free to express your opinion about your work even if it’s negative (especially if it’s negative). This is your chosen profession and you deserve to find enjoyment in your art, fuck the haters. But if you don’t want people to keep soliciting you for work you have no interest in you really need to be upfront with yourself, and probably your followers. Like what is your ideal job, you never said? I had an art assignment where I had to come up with my top 3 animation studios I would love to work for, figure out what their style/ perspective was, and what I needed to do with my work to get a job there. It was really informative for me and helped me set my goals (which I’m still struggling towards). Anyways, cheers to your future endeavors.
ourabouras Yep, I’m here for those who are interested in following me on this journey!🙌 thanks for listening!🧡
You are one of my most favorite person ever ❤️
It's a beautiful and peaceful painting.
its crazy to think how much i love your art and style and its not really what you want, i really look through everything and every little thing is perfect to me.
But its obviously different when its your own view, i will support you nl matter what!
Diego Paolo thanks Diego🧡 but I think you’ll see that my “style” won’t really ever go away no matter what I end up doing, I think I’m stuck with it!😆
@@ChrisHongArt im glad lol it really is beautiful.
This is one of my most favorite pieces of yours! Love the cozy cute feeling ♥️🍁
Hello from Ottawa! Fall is officially here :) beautiful artwork!
I really understand not loving something you did, and finding out everyone else really loves it.
Love your drawings. They are so whimsical and well done.
YAAY! I just started watching you like a month ago and binged all your videos. So happy to get a new upload :))
Thanks for sharing. I sometimes feel and think the same way about my art
I love the glow your illustrations always have!
Love this piece! 🦊 💓 🍂 Also very excited to see what kind of work you will make next. Good luck on going in a new direction, you can do it! 🍀
I hate how people think everything should be "positive". As if just talking about your feelings is a negative thing. Don't feel bad about being real
By the way I don’t know if you realised it but your style I’ve changed , it has a touche of abstract art in it, mostly during the process of painting (watercolor). I’ve noticed it in this two past illustrations of yours. I like it✨
Yell Patzy I’m happy you noticed! I really did try to be a bit looser during the watercolour stage 😁 I need to try harder though it seems!😆
I relate so much!! Thank you for sharing, it made me feel like I'm not alone in this.
Great work and good for you to grow! You are still younggggggggggg so lots of time...... for.......
I love your work and I can’t wait to see where you’re going from here!
I adore your art! I’m excited to your next steps in your art journey ❤️
I can't wait to see what you do. It sounds like you are wanting to work more on fine art pieces? Instead of illustration? I like your emotional honesty, it is so helpful to hear how others struggle with what they are doing, as I do the same.
While I love your current style, I'm looking forward to see what you're coming up with next!
I can relate very much to what you've been experiencing right now. Your talk gave me a little more courage to address this issue myself. Thank you! ☺️
Really excited to see where you go next with your art. :)
Hell yeah, Chris! Good luck with this endeavor!
Love your work, the clowns are so fun and well painted. Why not cards, calendars too, as this latest is an autumnal scene? Perhaps when you did the foxes tails simply, that was a new way to go instead of labouring the pieces? Freshness and spontaneous brushstrokes. Well done you are an excellent artis Chris.
Hey, thats exciting! looking forward to see you changing, experimenting and learning
thank you for sharing your thoughts! im proud of you for reflecting on your process like this and i hope you have a good art journey going forward :)
People shouldnt critique how to critique your own artwork and how to feel about it, thet cant change how someone feels about their own artwork. Ican see where theyre coming from but still. Yes you have an audience but at the end of the day its your artwork you can make it for yourself even if you share it. There's only a few reasons why we complain about our artwork and its either because it needs stylistic change, we need to learn something new, or we need to not be so hard on how we see our artwork. And if you want to change it awesome there's people who enjoy seeing someone's art journey :3
well said!
It's very exciting that you are making a big change. You have to do work that is meaningful to you AND enjoyable. I think your dissatisfaction with this work may lay partly in that your mind has already moved on to the next thing making it seem like a bit of a chore. I'd walk away from it for a while and come back to have another look. You may find that you like it better than you think. (I think the fox is super cute).