Everything I Wish I'd Known About Drawing, Writing, Creativity & Artists

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 2 фев 2025

Комментарии • 113

  • @angiegrace7143
    @angiegrace7143 Год назад +92

    I’d tell my younger self to burn through paper with abandon, be willing to find the perfect line by drawing the perfect mess and stockpile enough notebooks and pencils to desensitize yourself to any beliefs about them being too precious to fill with mundane practice and half baked progress steps.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +11

      Spot on. A tremendous help for drawing.

  • @darianserrano2442
    @darianserrano2442 Год назад +29

    I’ve been drawing serious since 2018. It wasn’t until last year that I realized it really is changing the way you think and practice that will get the largest leaps in progress.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +2

      It's a game changer for sure

  • @dorothybrown9648
    @dorothybrown9648 Год назад +35

    I love how the tip where you talk about engaging with ancient philosophy and literature is immediately followed by a tip about what higher goods are and how stories reach for them. Plato would add that as a new section in the Republic if he heard it lol.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +4

      It takes restraint for me not to make all the tips about ancient literature and philosophy

  • @PilotGSPL
    @PilotGSPL Год назад +2

    As an extremely new artist this video is very helpful. When I started out my idea of learning was completely backwards. I was trying to figure out the best way to learn different subjects and the most efficient workflows to make what I wanted. To an extent that can be helpful, but I definitely went overboard to the point where I wasted more time and energy worrying about what and how to draw more than I spent on actually improving. I was spending all my time avoiding mistakes when I should have been actively seeking them.
    You saying "..make as many mistakes as you can as fast as you can to get them out of your system" is probably my favorite phrasing of the most important lesson I've learned so far.
    Thank you for making vids like this.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Glad you got something from it! Thank you!

  • @Dani_1012
    @Dani_1012 Год назад +10

    As someone who loves both art and literature and feels pressured to settle for one, I'm glad for this video and seeing someone dedicating time for both passions, I wouldn’t want to leave either behind

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +3

      They harmonize like good music

  • @Alfruna
    @Alfruna Год назад +29

    As a young comic artist I really appreciate your videos! Your channel has become one of my favorites. Thanks and keep it up!

  • @NoiseDay
    @NoiseDay Год назад +2

    The "artist as a brand" tip was really comforting. I find myself obsessing over creating a consistent brand identity. I get super insecure about having "too many" artistic interests. I see people who post on social media the same things over and over and I hate them because I'm jealous and I'm bored. I wish I knew how to utilize that convenient fiction while maintaining my artistic exploration.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      The hard truth I probably should've mentioned is that because natural artistic exploration requires venturing out, it will likely cost someone in the short term on social media (in terms of following). My way around it is creating a book and selling it at conferences, in person. Those fans are much more solid, and a trust is built that goes beyond a social media follower, who will unfollow as soon as you deviate from a pattern they like. I suggest finding something you can make to take to people in person, if you can find such a project.

  • @MarkAhlquist
    @MarkAhlquist Год назад +1

    I've probably watched thousands of this kind of video, this is the best. The most honest and useful.

  • @anthonyw2931
    @anthonyw2931 Год назад +9

    this was like seating with a much older brother telling me the secrets to life (you're much younger than I...) You are a gifted teacher and how i'd love to have been in your class. Your charcoal, illustration and sculptor are genuinely good! though i don't have the heaps of wisdom as you have, I'd tell my younger self not to rush being 'good'. I didn't really take my time to enjoy the process of learning and failing (I consider that part of the process) and that this stage of learning and failing is a life-long journey. Thank you, Mr. Holt, for all your hard work. Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +3

      Thank you! And also, yes, making failure part of the process is a tough, tough lesson, but it can help so much. I'm not totally there yet, but better than I once was.

  • @alcblk
    @alcblk Год назад +6

    Changing my thinking's something I unconsciously do as a younger artist, but your clear discussions and fresh wisdom widen my perspective quite noticably. thank you for the great videos.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +2

      Thank you! Glad you're getting something from it!

  • @jodanabright612
    @jodanabright612 Год назад +1

    I started early life immersed in art and then got the "life advice" from a respected elder that derailed me into a "real career." Yuck. I am now entering the final third of my life and committing the rest of my time here to creativity unleashed, passionate and fearless. You have shared valuable wisdom and inspiration here. Thank you,

  • @madness_mania
    @madness_mania Год назад +3

    I was drawing for other people for so long I forgot that I needed to draw for MYSELF, I was unhappy and it stunted me, having people constantly ask me for the next fanart or help them design and do things for them instead on focusing on what was most important, my own freedom and now I've made leaps and bounds from where I was a year ago, or even months ago, this has been the best art journey so far. Sure college is scary but art has been the best decision of my life and I can wait to see what it holds for me, to my younger self, simply "draw for you"

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      I understand what you mean, having been through similar things with client work, but I actually believe drawing for oneself has a similar...hmm... time limit on how long it provides satisfaction. It's extremely enjoyable for a while, but then tapers off. And sense I was drawing for "myself" whenever I didn't feel like drawing --I didn't. And that became more and more often. So I both agree with you and would encourage you to think of drawing, art, creativity, as something intrinsically good --good in of itself. And worth doing, even when you don't feel like doing it. That's the source of my productivity now, which is much higher than it was when I worked for pleasure or for clients.

  • @kjmav10135
    @kjmav10135 Год назад +1

    This is so danged profound! I am grateful for your wise words. This video is a tribute to the value of the humanities. Thank you.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Thank you! The humanities are utterly fundamental to rich life and creative work.

  • @ZOoM21
    @ZOoM21 Год назад +6

    I've always known I wanted to be an artist but unfortunately the culture I was born into didn't exactly look up to artists, especially when it's someone's career. But recently I gave up on trying to change who I am and I will soon go into animation school. I'm almost 24 now, so I'm older than the usual student at my level but this is my passion and I will do whatever it takes to keep going. Your videos are always helpful, but to answer your question, I'd probably tell my younger self to just draw, do what makes you happy. Don't listen to the people who actively drag you and your hobbies down just because of their outdated mindset.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +2

      I would agree with you in principle but modify some points (you're very welcome to disagree, no worries). On the note of changing who we are, I know modern culture views us as intractable inner selves (and our true self is identified by what we want most), but I have found that to be a shifting and constantly changing aspect of people --and an undependable foundation. So rather than seeking what makes us happy by fulfilling our desires, rather pursue things you believe are intrinsically good, even if not broadly recognized by your context. Art comes with many bad days as well as good ones. Often it's not fulfilling what I want, I do it because it's good. That sustains me when my passion for it does not.

    • @ZOoM21
      @ZOoM21 Год назад +1

      @@jholtillus Agreed, I don't expect life to be perfect now that I'm going after my passion but after years of blocking that huge part of me I do expect myself to be more "me" and that's essentially what I'm looking for, even if that changes over time. I want to work towards bettering myself and my skills, and adapt myself as I go through the challenges of life.

    • @lilom-ah
      @lilom-ah 8 месяцев назад +1

      Hey, I also turned 24 this year and I also am just starting to learn art on my own. I hear you on this, I don't think my family and friends even understand what I'm going through, wanting to pursue art but feeling stuck on the career path I initially chosen as a teenager, but now I'm letting go of all that and just focusing on learning even if I feel insecure sometimes for starting "late".

    • @ZOoM21
      @ZOoM21 8 месяцев назад

      @@lilom-ah I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I'm really glad you're going for it. At this point I've gotten past feeling insecure about it, because the more I practice, and the better I am at it, the more confident I am that this is what I want to do.

  • @roysama_gg
    @roysama_gg Год назад +1

    So much value here, thank you!

  • @aristidesulloa1901
    @aristidesulloa1901 Год назад +2

    Thank you for this. It’s crazy how you’ve been able to put into words what I’ve been experiencing over the past year. Feels like I’ve unlocked a new understanding of art and it’s process. I’m studying comics/cartooning and we’re in the process of adapting a book. In the penciling stages of it.
    The teachers I’ve had are great and some are amazingly great and make me want to go to class. I think you’d be one of the Amazingly great ones. You’ve got a way with words that makes me want to listen and learn. Thank you for deciding to start this channel. I’m glad I finally found someone in comics who talks about these things. Excited to see what you’ll do in the future! Happy holidays!

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      Thank you very much, and I'm glad you've found some value in my videos.

    • @aristidesulloa1901
      @aristidesulloa1901 8 месяцев назад

      Hey! I finished that comic j was adapting. Decided on the book called “the stars my destination” by Alfred Bester. Total of 8 pages plus front and back cover. I also printed them and it looks legit! Almost cried when I held the forts oficial copy.
      I would love for you to check it out or even send you a copy! Your videos have been helping me a lot so thank you!

  • @the_neutral_container
    @the_neutral_container Год назад +1

    Another great video sir! As someone who is currently getting better at _Ligne Claire_ , I would probably tell my younger self that advice #2 is complete gold - because until I saw a horribly messy page from the penciling stage of a Tintin novel on RUclips, I naively believed that that workflow, - while not unknown to me - couldn't possibly apply to that utterly clean style.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +2

      Deceived by the precision of finished work --that definitely was my case. Seeing in progress pencils from the BTS pages at the end of graphic novels, and then preliminary sketches by Renaissance artists was like a slow light going on in my foggy brain.

  • @Escherlife
    @Escherlife Год назад +1

    So eloquently and effectively explained. Thank you so much! 😊

  • @Thepeachlives
    @Thepeachlives Год назад +1

    This is the video that kept me interested and learning from 0:00 to the end. It was well thought out and clearly explained. Many of these ideas are a breakthrough for me. Thank you for excellent content.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Glad you found something valuable in it. Thank for watching!

  • @joshschroeder4582
    @joshschroeder4582 Год назад +2

    This is your best video. I really appreciate seasoned artist giving tips like this, it helps a lot. Thanks.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Hey thank you! I never know what's going to land right for people, so I'm glad it's helpful!

  • @claricek2653
    @claricek2653 Год назад +1

    Thank you. There are not a lot of artists I can listen to. However, you are dropping gems😊

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I'm glad you're finding value in it. Thank you!

  • @Oblunat
    @Oblunat Год назад +1

    Spectacular and insightful video. I hope youtube recommends me more videos like this

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I also highly recommend subscribing and annihilating that little bell. Thank you and thanks for watching!

  • @PedroLaraSalazar
    @PedroLaraSalazar Год назад +2

    Another great video! your students are really lucky to have you as a teacher.
    I would tell my younger self: Don't give up art, instead try harder. Put way more effort into becoming a freelancer dedicated full time to art.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      Good advice, hard advice. But the two often go together, don't they?

  • @aroset
    @aroset Год назад +1

    You've got a unique perspective that conveys a lesson really well. Thank you for these tips, they're amazing

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Thank you very much! Glad there's something decipherable in there!

  • @clumsyninja925
    @clumsyninja925 Год назад +1

    The "Don't worry about originality too much" hit me like a truck, dude 😅🤣
    Great video!

  • @franciscobello1519
    @franciscobello1519 Год назад +1

    Generally agree! There's a guy, Brandon Dayton, also a cartoonist, who posted to YT in a series called How To Be An Artist, covering similar topics. Of course it's all very personal. If not on your (or your subs) radar, u may find interesting.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I'll look into it! Thank you!

  • @BladRavenYey
    @BladRavenYey Год назад +1

    there are a lot of things about being an artist that i _know_ but i dont think i ever really listened to or apply as much as i should, even as i give that advice to other people, because deep down i still have that fear you speak of and has in turn made my progress in skill and breadth of knowledge slower than i would like and stagnate a bit but there is progress nonetheless which im glad for.
    currently i'm unfortunately going through a bit of a freeze as im in my final year doing my dissertation, that freeze might be happening because the last 3 or so years i have pent up too much fear for who knows what reasons, though i can probably point at some, and it seems to be hitting me like a brick right now at the most unfortunate time! in turn its made me be quite introspective and i hope to leave this freeze with more understanding of myself and why some things may happen to me in the future to hopefully minimize that impact? i know humans are very emotional beings and cant really filter robotically through our motions but i'd like things to be a bit less nebulous.
    thank you for this vid as it is a great set of reminders!

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      I completely understand. Creative production is full of ups and downs. I had serious burnout in grad school, and at various times professionally because of sustained stress. Taking creativity as a logical process does help me be more consistent and effective, but the human element is never eliminated --nor should it be.

  • @_Balanced_
    @_Balanced_ Год назад +1

    Best art video I've watched on youtube.

  • @killerwill
    @killerwill Год назад +1

    love that youtube is exposing me to more artists with a more thought provoking narrative. Subbed!

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      Glad to have you! Thank you!

  • @RoseDragoness
    @RoseDragoness Год назад +1

    This is very inspiring and humbling. I am glad that I do not fall to trap to some but I need to do more of other things :) .

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      We've each got a measure of the array of weaknesses --but our personal recipe of buffoonery is often quite unique. Mine is particularly rich, I think.

  • @nengelen
    @nengelen Год назад +1

    Great video, thanks for the info. "The hero with a thousand faces" by Joseph Campbell is a great book when it comes to basics/history of stories (the read old literature segment). I hope you and your moustache have a merry Christmas and a good 2024

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Joseph Campbell is a great resource. And thank you, and a merry Christmas to you as well.

  • @DieterPrivate
    @DieterPrivate Год назад +1

    Some great observations there 🎉

  • @mythorlegend
    @mythorlegend 8 месяцев назад

    11:45, that is so true...

  • @mols556
    @mols556 Год назад +1

    I would tell my younger self to begin by drawing and painting from life. I squashed my own artistic dreams several times when I was younger by thinking I was supposed to draw and paint from some kind of magical inner vision, but I was definitely putting the proverbial cart before the horse.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Absolutely. Rethinking the value of drawing from life made such a big difference for me.

  • @Holtzorthegrey
    @Holtzorthegrey Год назад +1

    I’d tell my younger self the same thing I tell my kids now. “Because you enjoy it”is a good enough reason to pursue something. Not everything you do needs to make you money.

  • @thechadshow6830
    @thechadshow6830 Год назад +1

    Thanks for the excellent content and advice! I would tell my younger self that all those stick figure type diagrams in all those drawing books were trying to teach me something important that i didn't actually know! Lol

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      You know, I drew the stick figures from the drawing books like a ritual but I had no idea what they were trying to do. Didn't click with me for years

  • @pilot-kfp5599
    @pilot-kfp5599 Год назад +1

    Very interesting topics. Subscribed

  • @mitchellsink2584
    @mitchellsink2584 Год назад +1

    I have been really enjoying the content. Thanks for the videos.

  • @robertstump7899
    @robertstump7899 Год назад +1

    Another banger. These videos just hit the right balance.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад +1

      That is genuinely a relief because I have no idea what I'm doing

    • @robertstump7899
      @robertstump7899 Год назад

      @@jholtillus Such is the human condition.

  • @kal-elmusic
    @kal-elmusic Год назад +1

    You are well on your way to being one of the greats! Thank you for your videos, please keep them coming

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Thank you very much and I'll keep them rolling

  • @drendelous
    @drendelous Год назад +1

    20:28 i am currently reading it 🌞

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I read it all the time. It's brilliant

  • @drendelous
    @drendelous Год назад +1

    6:18 i guess most of us just are simply putting it afraid of going out. that's why we have to draw from our imagination which as you say is not enough

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I tend to think of it more as a misconception that they are different things (drawing from life versus imagination). That makes it a lot more tempting to struggle with drawing from life and retreat into stylization (I did this and many students do, which is what I'm extrapolating from). In reality they're aspects of the same thing, and drawing from life populates the imagination

  • @Anonymouthful
    @Anonymouthful Год назад +1

    1. Pursue the thing you want no matter what, dont get stuck thinking its impossible so you might as well not even try 2. Be consistant but dont exhaust yourself, its a ridiculous standard to expect fully finished daily pieces as a practice.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I definitely made the mistake of thinking every time I sat down to draw had to produce a finished piece --that's a good one to remember.

  • @TheArtist808
    @TheArtist808 Год назад +1

    Great tips

  • @lucasstrople4767
    @lucasstrople4767 Год назад +1

    What you said about Tolkien is precisely my thinking about the current Worldbuilding craze. Needs to be internalized by more people.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      It's an easy error to make, because at a surface level that looks like all Tolkien was doing. But it means a lot of modern fantasy is untethered from myth and history and instead built on pop culture --something lacking the probable longevity of Tolkien

  • @trinec9320
    @trinec9320 Год назад +1

    1. Being self conscious is a waste of your energy.
    2. Fill your notebooks. Make things that don’t have a point or purpose.
    3. It’s enough that you enjoy it.

  • @YouTubeIsRunByMarxists
    @YouTubeIsRunByMarxists Год назад +1

    I agree with the point 'love the process, not the outcome.' I blacksmith. Plenty of young men want to forge a sword. I tell them three years of unremitting effort and you will be ready to begin sword-making. They never want to hear that. I tell them: if you want a sword, go buy one. If you want ot know how to make a sword, I shall teach to you make a nail. If you master the nail, you are 80 percent the way to mastering sword-making. No one wants to make a nail, but if you are as happy hammering a nail as you are hammering a sword blade, you love smithing and will last long enough to master the skills and acquire the knowledge it will take to make a sword.
    Besides, most of sword-making is grinding.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      That's awesome. I love hearing something that crosses media like that. Creativity is such a remarkable human phenomenon from comic drawing to blacksmithing and beyond. And yes, the desire for the juicy outcome made me so sloppy for years, and I still find myself fighting the urge from time to time.

  • @DTBluesreviews
    @DTBluesreviews 8 месяцев назад

    Not that I'm an artist but I'd tell my younger self to just start it's still my problem today I need to just start

  • @leviolson1979
    @leviolson1979 Год назад +1

    The ‘stache is working, bro.

  • @MikeRenouf
    @MikeRenouf Месяц назад

    Id tell my younger self to trade the nice high-quality sketchbooks i was gifted, for many cheaper ones - so i felt less precious and concerned about making bad drawings.

  • @SamLyn
    @SamLyn Год назад

    I don’t have an artistic career so I’d tell my younger self not to quit drawing for a decade and a half

  • @Seekingsophia00
    @Seekingsophia00 19 дней назад

    3:00 Thought it was a horse. No disrespect

  • @deromilly
    @deromilly Год назад +1

    It's ok if your art sucks at first. It will improve. Give yourself permission to be a beginner and to have awful results. I feel like if I'd done that I'd have actually drawn more before my late 40s.... Draw LOTS of bad drawings. Find the little points of good in them and build on that.

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      Absolutely. Integrate mistakes into the process, and not everything has to be a finished piece. Some things you draw to learn from, and that's enough.

  • @dillonshea4268
    @dillonshea4268 Год назад

    "I really like that thing you draw" "You're an artist"
    FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
    and the real life of an artist is a nightmare, after a nightmare! YAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

    • @jholtillus
      @jholtillus  Год назад

      I kinda enjoy it though

    • @dillonshea4268
      @dillonshea4268 Год назад +1

      @@jholtillus I get a lot of things in this video really
      I mean Really!!!

  • @ChereBlevins
    @ChereBlevins 7 месяцев назад

    I'd like my past self (and anyone considering trying something new) that previous failures don't prevent future success, but instead, they pave the way for them. Everything we try and fail is a building block for a future skill or understanding. And I second @angiegrace7143 use ALL the paper.

  • @armanigray9928
    @armanigray9928 Год назад +1

    What I would tell my younger self would be be more patient with yourself you will get better just put the time in