Contemporary art school curriculums are meant to instill a completely different set of values - a completely different didactic than the practical and tradition-oriented ateliers. Its products, ideas, and philosophical projections are entirely rooted in avant-garde preoccupations with radically differentiating one's work from other artists. But this is not ever really stated explicitly. So students either seem to recoil once they discover this, or they become seduced and swayed by its implicit injunction - if you do something in art that isn't weird and radically new, it will never be interesting or good. Any really interesting idea simply can't be safe. (Disclaimer: I'm not advocating for or against this ideology. Just think it needs to be stated more transparently by art school administrators - so people don't end up getting into them thinking they're getting goods and services that they will in fact NOT be getting).
Thank you so much for your video. I'm 68 yo. A year and 3 month ago I decided to draw. Until this time I learnd it by myself. Nowadays the possibilities are great! After one year, without evaluate myself, I was really impressed about what possible is. I also learned that was only a nice start. Therefore I will learning the next 2 years too. It's a bit like a computer game. A higher level is always before the next one. I'm addicted to draw. Thank you Steven for your work, especially the block in method. It's right up my street. I bought your head study app and will move on. Greetings from Hamburg Germany Marion
Thank you so much for these generous live streams, Stephen! Each live stream is like a lesson from a modern master for free. Please excuse my fangirling lol thank you so much.
Really informative, especially where you clarified that the bee doesn't really vomit up the pollen because it's not really digested, but it's the vasillation between the painting stomach and the drawing stomache that you become a painter : ) lol I joke, but even that was quite helpful to hear. Thanks for all you're great content, we're so lucky thesedays to have all this top quality teaching at our fingertips.
I'm a bit late watching this life. I'm someone who did art traditionally since 2014. I taught art to young students and am now, moving towards digital art. I realized my students thought they would be like sponges who will become great artists after talking to a few of my classes. I had to tell them to go over the fundamentals, draw and reflect over and over again to make it second nature. I told them they needed to be lifelong students, much like myself, when it comes to art. I didn't draw digital for the first month after getting my tablet, because I didn't understand my drawing software. 🤣😂 Now, I stop, ask myself what is my problem, find a solution and then move forward from that. In this case, I watched a lot of tutorials on how to use the software. BTW > Watching your videos has helped me become a better art teacher. Thank you for your valuable advice.
Practical value and income potential are low except for outlier cases and most don't enjoy it enough for its own sake to put in the time. There is no substitute for (well informed) practice. Even as someone who has drawn all of my life, I lose ground if I don't do it for awhile. Also drawing from life is very different than from a pic. Both are worthwhile to practice.
My hand motor skills have been garbage my whole life. Chicken scratch hand writing etc. I learned to create digitally because I could pull off magic in the the digital world. During the pandemic, my computer set up died, so I start to learn how to paint, it's like old school Photoshop 😂 layers, light and all that. I love your channel, you give me inspiration and all kinds of tools. Thanks
I wish people focus on value than line. value and line are all same at the end. But if beginners feel something from 1 value surrounded by 8 values, then they will put back concentrating lines later.
Most people don't learn to draw because they confuse drawing for the creation of a pretty picture; but rather it is the creation of an inner vision and the outer transcription of that vision. The vision has to be so strong that it supersedes the limits of one's physical ability to draw so that either the audience is still wowed by the lesser drawing because the idea is easy to unpack or the artist becomes a director and lets someone else do the technical work of unpacking his vision. Vision is number one, very few people have real vision and ideas.
Remember, the ancients at Lasceaux Cave never went to art school either. They didn't even have pens or pencils. But they managed by their imaginations to make the most enduring and longlasting works of beautiful art. Why do people think they can't draw? Even if they draw something that looks like a circle or a square, then they still drew something. The Celtic circles on Celtic Crosses are simply lines, but they are beautiful as well. I think people are confused about what drawing actually is. Drawing isn't something that can't do because you could when you were a little kid. To you, what you drew looked like something to you that represented what you were trying to express. Maybe you should ask why people are afraid of pencils. They have been told that they did't draw something nice, so they lose confidence and belief in doing something they were capable of doing as a child. No one sat down and showed a 2 year-old how to make a line, I saw a 1 year-old take a pencil and draw what looked relatively like a circle. We are born with the ability to draw something. Nobody learns to draw, you just draw. What people have trouble learning is what they are told is acceptable as drawing. Remember, it is not a pipe, it is a representation of your expression. And anyone can do that.
I wish I had seen this the day it went live! But I'm thankful to have found it now. I've been feeling discouraged in my art journey / progress, and this helped me a lot. Thank you so much, Stephen. The information here is invaluable. I have one question - you talked about seeing what your end goal is and what you focus on may differ (traditional vs digital, various mediums, etc) - what if you don't know yet? I know I want to do figurative art, but I still don't know if I want to focus on just pencil, pen and ink, watercolors, acrylic painting, etc. Do you recommend just practicing to see which I gravitate towards? (I also have a mood board of my favorite artists❤). I plan to do this but don't want to lose focus. I hope that makes sense. 😅
Stephan...I have multiple art interests like oils, gouache, watercolours, pastels. I have a regular day job. I have family. How could I manage so many interests. I m doing 30 minutes post dinner every day pastels as it's easiest to use...and on off days others as above. However I'm not progressing at all in anything. How should I be dealing multiple art interests?
People are lazy, the average person who wants to paint also wants to skip the training and years of improving the skill of drawing. Painting a picture or rendering a good drawing is like any other skill like music, writing, sport, it takes training and experience, yet somehow painting is skipped over as if it doesn't matter "as long as you can express yourself". I'd love to express myself on the piano, but I haven't a clue how to play, I wouldn't expect to be able to express myself to the full potential without years of training and education on the piano. Why should this be any different when it comes to drawing and painting?.
Contemporary art school curriculums are meant to instill a completely different set of values - a completely different didactic than the practical and tradition-oriented ateliers. Its products, ideas, and philosophical projections are entirely rooted in avant-garde preoccupations with radically differentiating one's work from other artists. But this is not ever really stated explicitly.
So students either seem to recoil once they discover this, or they become seduced and swayed by its implicit injunction - if you do something in art that isn't weird and radically new, it will never be interesting or good. Any really interesting idea simply can't be safe.
(Disclaimer: I'm not advocating for or against this ideology. Just think it needs to be stated more transparently by art school administrators - so people don't end up getting into them thinking they're getting goods and services that they will in fact NOT be getting).
Excellent point. Caveat emptor.
Thank you so much for your video. I'm 68 yo. A year and 3 month ago I decided to draw. Until this time I learnd it by myself. Nowadays the possibilities are great! After one year, without evaluate myself, I was really impressed about what possible is. I also learned that was only a nice start. Therefore I will learning the next 2 years too. It's a bit like a computer game. A higher level is always before the next one. I'm addicted to draw. Thank you Steven for your work, especially the block in method. It's right up my street. I bought your head study app and will move on. Greetings from Hamburg Germany Marion
Thank you so much for these generous live streams, Stephen! Each live stream is like a lesson from a modern master for free. Please excuse my fangirling lol thank you so much.
Lol no worries! Thanks for checking out the vid :)
I've just figured out Stephen is married to Cornelia Hernes. Jeez, so much talent in one family....amazing.
Really informative, especially where you clarified that the bee doesn't really vomit up the pollen because it's not really digested, but it's the vasillation between the painting stomach and the drawing stomache that you become a painter : ) lol
I joke, but even that was quite helpful to hear.
Thanks for all you're great content, we're so lucky thesedays to have all this top quality teaching at our fingertips.
Had to share this comment on Instagram- so good 😊
I'm a bit late watching this life. I'm someone who did art traditionally since 2014. I taught art to young students and am now, moving towards digital art. I realized my students thought they would be like sponges who will become great artists after talking to a few of my classes.
I had to tell them to go over the fundamentals, draw and reflect over and over again to make it second nature. I told them they needed to be lifelong students, much like myself, when it comes to art.
I didn't draw digital for the first month after getting my tablet, because I didn't understand my drawing software. 🤣😂
Now, I stop, ask myself what is my problem, find a solution and then move forward from that. In this case, I watched a lot of tutorials on how to use the software.
BTW > Watching your videos has helped me become a better art teacher. Thank you for your valuable advice.
As always, an excellent presentation. And thank you so much for showing your earlier drawing, I feel now a sense of hope for my progress!
Thanks for watching!
This is why I give you support on Patreon.
Practical value and income potential are low except for outlier cases and most don't enjoy it enough for its own sake to put in the time. There is no substitute for (well informed) practice. Even as someone who has drawn all of my life, I lose ground if I don't do it for awhile. Also drawing from life is very different than from a pic. Both are worthwhile to practice.
Thank you so much! This is definitely a big turn in my learning process. This is very generous of you!
Wow! This has been the most concise yet thorough and insightful information on moving forward with my art practice that I've ever heard. Thank you!
You're so welcome!
My hand motor skills have been garbage my whole life. Chicken scratch hand writing etc. I learned to create digitally because I could pull off magic in the the digital world.
During the pandemic, my computer set up died, so I start to learn how to paint, it's like old school Photoshop 😂 layers, light and all that. I love your channel, you give me inspiration and all kinds of tools. Thanks
This gave me a lot of hope and motivation to persevere! Thanks a lot, Stephen!
Glad to hear it!
So much to learn and so much fun with your guidance. Thanks so very much 🙏🏾
Thank you!!!
Thank you Sir.
Very nice👍
Thank you! Cheers!
great talk, thanks
Thank you, Stephen, for your videos.
You were recommended and referred to me by Zwick on Maunakea Street in Honolulu (Zwick Academy of Fine Art).
Wonderful!
I wish people focus on value than line. value and line are all same at the end. But if beginners feel something from 1 value surrounded by 8 values, then they will put back concentrating lines later.
Most people don't learn to draw because they confuse drawing for the creation of a pretty picture; but rather it is the creation of an inner vision and the outer transcription of that vision. The vision has to be so strong that it supersedes the limits of one's physical ability to draw so that either the audience is still wowed by the lesser drawing because the idea is easy to unpack or the artist becomes a director and lets someone else do the technical work of unpacking his vision. Vision is number one, very few people have real vision and ideas.
Remember, the ancients at Lasceaux Cave never went to art school either. They didn't even have pens or pencils. But they managed by their imaginations to make the most enduring and longlasting works of beautiful art. Why do people think they can't draw? Even if they draw something that looks like a circle or a square, then they still drew something. The Celtic circles on Celtic Crosses are simply lines, but they are beautiful as well.
I think people are confused about what drawing actually is. Drawing isn't something that can't do because you could when you were a little kid. To you, what you drew looked like something to you that represented what you were trying to express.
Maybe you should ask why people are afraid of pencils. They have been told that they did't draw something nice, so they lose confidence and belief in doing something they were capable of doing as a child. No one sat down and showed a 2 year-old how to make a line, I saw a 1 year-old take a pencil and draw what looked relatively like a circle. We are born with the ability to draw something.
Nobody learns to draw, you just draw. What people have trouble learning is what they are told is acceptable as drawing. Remember, it is not a pipe, it is a representation of your expression. And anyone can do that.
Thank you
Welcome!
Cool
Great videos Stephen!
Thanks!
I wish I had seen this the day it went live! But I'm thankful to have found it now. I've been feeling discouraged in my art journey / progress, and this helped me a lot. Thank you so much, Stephen. The information here is invaluable. I have one question - you talked about seeing what your end goal is and what you focus on may differ (traditional vs digital, various mediums, etc) - what if you don't know yet? I know I want to do figurative art, but I still don't know if I want to focus on just pencil, pen and ink, watercolors, acrylic painting, etc. Do you recommend just practicing to see which I gravitate towards? (I also have a mood board of my favorite artists❤). I plan to do this but don't want to lose focus. I hope that makes sense. 😅
Practice will tell you. Do different stuff and lean into any traction you find.
@@stephenbaumanartwork Thank you! 🙂
I think it was Michael Angelo
It isn’t that you aim too high and don’t achieve it’s you aim too low snd do achieve
Thanks for that!
Stephan...I have multiple art interests like oils, gouache, watercolours, pastels. I have a regular day job. I have family. How could I manage so many interests. I m doing 30 minutes post dinner every day pastels as it's easiest to use...and on off days others as above. However I'm not progressing at all in anything. How should I be dealing multiple art interests?
If you want to build skill faster narrow your focus.
Focus on drawing alone once you are comfortable with that, then pick one medium and get comfortable with that. One thing at a time always.
aways aways give the like!
Thank you!
why did you move back to Oslo--personal,financial,artistic reasons?
We live in the countryside outside Oslo- we really needed some nature after living in jersey city.
@@stephenbaumanartwork I can't blame you the city can be draining.
People are lazy, the average person who wants to paint also wants to skip the training and years of improving the skill of drawing. Painting a picture or rendering a good drawing is like any other skill like music, writing, sport, it takes training and experience, yet somehow painting is skipped over as if it doesn't matter "as long as you can express yourself". I'd love to express myself on the piano, but I haven't a clue how to play, I wouldn't expect to be able to express myself to the full potential without years of training and education on the piano. Why should this be any different when it comes to drawing and painting?.
older people are cooler stephen, you're cool.
Lol- thanks! 😅
Betty Edwards "drawing on the right side of the brain"
Maybe it's not their passion?
🤣😜😯 🐝
I thought you were going to get to the point, but …. I’m still waiting v
Thank you
You're welcome!