We're finally back on schedule mates💪 This week's painting is from The Apothecary Diaries, a banger show. Trying a different style again for fun, def the most "anime" I've ever painted. Not as fun as fully rendered pieces but still fun :D Also it's a bit early, but MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅 don't forget to get yourself the ART School program and join our art gang muhahahaHAHAH cbr.sh/eqcb55
i second this, whenever i study a certain thing, i would just make a full illustration or until base color focusing on a certain thing then call it a day works like magic
As an artist with aphantasia, I want to clarify: we absolutely _can_ draw from our imaginations. (In fact, that was why I learned how to draw in the first place -- because I wanted to see what I was imagining and drawing it was the best way to do that!) But you're right that we don't have the same kind of "visual library" as other artists -- rather, it's more like a "skill library." For example, I don't now how to draw a nose because I can _visualize_ it; instead, I've learned a lot of techniques by analyzing references. :D
I have total aphantasia, and I was a writer wayyyyy before I was an artist, at the time I started art I didn’t know I had aphantasia, all I knew is that I couldn’t see my characters but wanted to so bad so I decided to learn how to draw. I tried following what was in my head, but there was actually really nothing to see and following my conceptions got me no where but a mess on paper. I did art like that for 3 years, and hardly got anywhere I heavily relied on digital tools to help make something good, however last and this year After looking at references and scrolling Pinterest for techniques, tips and tricks I became a bit better because I understood what I was drawing, finally. Isn’t this just muscle memory+learning?
If you va picture an image in your head, you don't have total aphantasia. Some people literally can't picture anything in their mind. You can still draw "from imagination", but it's actually just developing what you see on the paper as you go.
@@thegochie I'm not quite sure how to read this. Are you disagreeing with me? Expanding on my point? Do you have total aphantasia? Are you describing your own experience? I can't tell, so I apologize if I sound like I'm "preaching to the choir." I'm just rambling a bit, it's such a cool subject. It seems like this can be really hard to grok for people without aphantasia, but you can still know what things should look like without _picturing_ them. It makes sense if you think about it -- I, who cannot picture things in my mind, still am able to recognise pictures of my grandmother, for example, and I'm able to describe her features with words even if I don't have a picture of her for reference. (Though it is surely more difficult.) While I don't think I could draw her accurately without a photo reference, I don't think many people could. I have a buddy with a photographic memory, though! She can look at a picture and hold it in her head forever. (And I have a friend who knew a guy who could look at the pages of books and then recall them to read later in his head. Wild!!) For me, personally, since I don't have any pictures, I do my thinking in words. As a side note: did you know that there are people who don't have that "inner voice"? It's truly incredible how variable the experience of thinking is among human beings! :D
@@bluecorvidart I'm not saying you don't have aphantasia at all. I guess I'm just not sure I would call what you do drawing "from imagination" if you're using a memorized description (in words), as opposed to reproducing an image in your head. It's all just semantics though. And I agree, it's all very fascinating.
1:00 Give up your social life and practice more 🚫 3:23 Drawing from your imagination🚫 5:11 Have a unique artstyle as soon as possible 🚫 6:33 You get what you pay for in art education🚫 8:39 Study other artists to improve🚫
Hi Marc Merry Christmas. Mate I sent you a message regarding signing up for the full ART school. Would love to hear your response. Thank you! You rock!
I'm glad to say, most people I've learned from have advised against all of these things. The strangest idea to me is being told to draw from imagination, I don't believe I've ever come across an artist who would recommend _ignoring_ references. That's such an odd way to learn, especially when you realize art is about emulating what you can see.
Once you draw something enough times and learn it's shape and how it's supposed to look, you absolutely can draw it from imagination. Manga artists would never be able to pump out 30 pages every 3-4 days if they had to look up a reference picture for everything they had to draw every time.
it's likely to be the same people who think that using a reference is cheating, which apparently is a thing ! "you can't be a good artist if you need a reference" type of crowd
@@Riboux7 When you learn what the shape of something is you can just draw it without stopping to search for the right reference, you can draw it at any angle, and I reckon you can draw it faster because you aren’t pausing every minute to check on the reference.
PLEASE make a video about your layering (how you make different layers for different parts and stuff). I know it's not a universal thing and every person has their own preferences but yours looks awesome and I really wanna know more about it
6:44 - Problem with all the tutorials out there, even the paid ones is that they vary in quality and its often poor documentation, which can lead to frustration. And that an artist is good, doesn't mean that artist is good at transmitting the know-how. Good video, thanks for sharing.
So glad I don't follow any of these tips. 😅 But the worst art tip I ever got years ago came from an art teacher at school (regular school - not an art school) during an art class: "Don't listen to music, while doing art. You can't focus on two kinds of art at the same time!" Yeah, of course, it's way better to hear my class mates, the cars on the street or, when I'm at home, my cats playing, instead of some inspiring music that keeps me focused on drawing, while any random sounds distract me and make me nervous. Meanwhile I even sometimes listen to audio books while drawing, as I found out that it helps me to not overthink what I'm doing with my pen. Because the less I think about every damn stroke I make, the better the results turn out. 🙏 But this might not work for everyone, of course.
Your teacher's advice is legit, multitasking is bad for deep focus, you're half-assing everything you do if you're multitasking, and this is true for every human with a brain, unless you think you have superpowers, you fall into that category too lol
@benia1908 nope. with an adhd-inclined brain, it’s impossible to work on anything at all without a baseline of stimulation, be it TV or music or chatter or all those things at once. please think twice before making such generalizations. not everyone works the same way.
@@benia1908 This is only half of the truth. Sure, multitasking is a myth. But listening to music can be active or passive. When you don't do it actively it is not an actual "task". It's more like breathing. And this is how we listen to most music. Otherwise listening to music should be immediately be prohibited while driving a car. 😅 I get easily distracted by random noises though. Try to imagine how hard it is for me to focus on art in a crowded class room... When I listen to music I don't focus on it (it takes me ages to learn lyrics, cause I never really listen). It just cancels all other noises for me and make me focus on what is in front of my eyes. As I already said: this might not apply to everyone. Not every brain works the same - that's absolutely wrong. Also: Please, go to the gym, where almost everyone listens to music, and tell ppl they only do their workout half-assed. 😂
@@kurisari1937 lol I think I forgot to say "working brain", of course a down syndrome guy will be more focused if you bombard him with stimuli, but that's not the norm, and I'm talking about the norm up there too, not the exception
@@pirateheartbeat1913 I know that feeling, I use what is called "white noise" a LOT, like a lot, search airplane sound if you wanna try it out, you're right that a passive activity turns into some kind of booster for focus if it blocks external distractions, though I think it's a complicated discussion if listening to music with lyrics is actually passive or not
My personal favorites are don’t ever use the erasure or Ctrl z. Because CONFIDENT artists don’t do that. Well pro artists probably spent more time doing just that and confidence in your lines has nothing to do with it
Thats true, Patrick Brown who draws those famous fanarts does that too many times, draws, erases, draws, erases again x200 unless theres perfect line he is satisfied with
On point 1: This is the reason why I took up knitting during art school. This needed less focus than drawing and the repetition of movement helped me reduce stress while my hands were still occupied. I still knit a few rows in between work on really scatterbrained days, when I can't really focus on my project.
Honestly hearing that only 14% of working professionals have an art degree is very relieving. I hear so many people say you need a degree to get a job in the industry, but its nice to know I don't have to be in debt for the rest of my life to be successful.
The fine arts are one of those broad fields that do not require a degree for you to be a professional! Musicians, actors, and yes--artists. You will always need practice, but degrees only exist to give you a leg-up on your competition. If you're good enough, you don't need the help!
the tip about learning from imagination is insanely useful - literally just yesterday i was drawing from reference, but felt like it wouldnt be enough to be able to draw the subject from imagination if i dont practice drawing it from imagination - i feel a bit better now knowing that studying references really is effective to improve at art!
Yep, using references will make you improve faster. Focus on the shapes and always try to put your spin on it. People that say to not use references, most of the time never picked up a pencil.
Yes, but: I’d been drawing from reference only for three years, but that did nothing to improve my ability to draw from imagination. Maybe you won’t need to practice drawing from imagination separately, but don’t be surprised if never practicing it won’t yield results.
Dude. Using references is a game changer. Once I got over the feeling that I was using a "crutch" and actually learned from references properly without judging myself, my art skill skyrocketed. I can draw from imagination even much better after practicing with references more often. References are life savers and you should absolutely use them.
@@UrusaiJoe I think a key reason as to why drawing from reference can sometimes be unhelpful comes down to how to use them. The best way to learn isn't to copy the reference exactly line for line. It's to get a really good look at it and try to get an understanding of the form and basic shapes, before trying to recreate them in your own way using your understanding of that reference. In a sense, you aren't just converting the reference directly to your drawing. You are putting the reference inside your mind, and then converting it from your mind to paper. Then check periodically to see if you're getting it right. In a way, training your imagination to be better. Not copying
I've constantly talked to fellow artists and students to use reference. I don't know why people get so disgusted about that when you got to know what something looks like and you're going to be able to tell right away if something looks off!!! I thank you for reminding folks about that!❤
I have that problem, it feels unoriginal when I use a reference so I keep using imagination cause it's..... satisfying, I suppose? Especially when it looks good. Which happens in a blue moon.
@@thecheesemaker9617 it's fine to use your imagination, you just got to make sure whatever your referencing looks accurate. For example, some of Frank Frazetta tigers look a little off but he is putting his own take on illustrating them
I think another issue is that some people don’t like to get their photos to be references. Just last week there was this thing on Twitter (of course…) of a model (?) ‘calling out’ an artist for referencing them. If you’re drawing from Pinterest especially finding the OG a source is time consuming for some, and even more so if you had to contact someone to post your work. This isn’t my opinion, but it’s just what I saw.
@@stxllr4687 if you really want to draw people, ask friends and family for pics : they can pose the way YOU want them, with the lighting YOU want. if that doesn't work out, there's plenty of photographs of celebrities or even portraits you can find in galleries ou museums. finding a reference isn't really a huge issue.
@@thecheesemaker9617 you could mesh several references together. That's what I always do. I basically have for every project a more or less filled digital Moodboard and mix the parts I need.
Maomao?! Marc you're so up to date about the newest trending anime huh? 😂 I'm so excited when i see the thumbnail because i recognize the character and read the manga too. also, LOVE THE RESULT 😍❤ as always, you give great advice and helpful art video but also entertaining to watch 🌟 thank you for your hardwork marc!
Thanks! I guess I look like I don't watch anime but I've been watching an unhealthy amount ever since I was 12, aka over 20 years 😅 Drawing fanart is new though, I used to only focus on my own art hehehe
6:33 [You get what you pay for in art education], You know you sell art classes, I though you would be last person to say this part. You have blown my mind saying absolutely what needed to be said. Thank you. You are a real one. You are my hero.
Its a small thing but I have huge respect to anyone that will talk about other options (specifically referring to the 'get what you pay for' section) without overly hyping up theirs because while good artists know to learn from many sources its easy to stumble on people that act like their way is the only correct way (and to claim their program/course is needed if they have one). Well that said I'm still a noob because the sheer amount of options kinda throws me off a little lol.
If options scare you, you honestly might be better off learning from JUST Marc--at least, until YOU decide to branch out and find specifics as you become more skilled. I am an artist myself; used to be a professional until I decided to pursue science. I still draw of course. But from what I've learned, the most important thing is to focus on what you want to focus on. Sounds easy enough, but it's so common to get distracted and end up with a half-baked amalgamation of different techniques that you have yet to master. Wanna have better composition? Focus on your sketches. Wanna have better line art? Focus on stroke technique (not a euphemism I swear) and practice the styles you want to use in your own art. Style combinations are fine! Wanna have better shading? Focus on values and light sources. Wanna have better anatomy? Focus on your references. You can work on many of these at the same time if you have the energy to do so! Just remember that what you learn is entirely up to you. It can be scary, but it doesn't HAVE to be scary. Starting out by using Marc's free tutorials is honestly all you need if you are a beginner. Take it from an ex-professional who is still learning from Marc. :)
I'm honestly a bit scared, cause all these tips are exactly the ones I've been using 😭😭😭. I've learnt that trying to rush myself into learning how to draw without any references everyday and while trying to make an unique style is just a quick way to disappoint myself and burn myself out. Time to focus on the fundamentals and learning the basics, doing it when I WANT to and not force myself to practice when I'm not in the mood. Thanks Marc for providing these amazing educational videos!
I am so sorry to hear you've been lied to this whole time!! Take it from someone who used to be a professional artist--NEVER listen to "DON'Ts". All the time I see these "art tips" that include so many "DON'Ts", and they ALWAYS come from unskilled artists! "Don't shade with black" says the person who has never studied chiaroscuro. "Don't pillow shade" says the person who has never studied soft lighting. "Don't shade (insert race here) with this color" says the person who has not thoroughly research human skin tones and color theory. I'm telling you, art is for YOU to learn. YOU are capable of learning just as everyone else is! And you cannot learn without making a few mistakes along the way! Forget the "don'ts". I'll leave you with the "always": Always follow your heart! Always learn what you want to learn! Always make what you want to make! Always create when you want to create!
25 minutes on 10 off with a 20 minute break every third cycle seems to be optimal for retention during heavy drawing studies (like anatomy). Frequent breaks give you time to think over the new information while reestablishing focus
I got used to using a similar timing technique because of a figure drawing class that was taught by a professor who went to an atelier and wanted to make that experience more accessible to people like me who can only afford community college.
I'm glad you mentioned aphantasia (I'd never heard about it until about 5 years ago). While I don't have full aphantasia, I have very little mental visuals. I was incredibly frustrated because it seemed like everyone else in art school was able to just conjure up these images so easily while I needed heavy reference. I thought I was just broken. Also, 100% agree with you that you don't get what you pay for. I paid 60K to get depression when I could have gotten the same amount of actual information from couple of books by Wucius Wong, and Andrew Loomis and watching a few youtube channels. I was at a table at artist alley shortly after graduating and I ended up meeting one of my followers. She asked where I went to art school and she was flabbergasted when I told her that art school is overrated and expensive. She had promise and I hated the idea that she would go off to have some egotistical asshole ruin her passion.
oh my GOD. i have an afantasia and NOBODY speaks about it. thank you for mentionig this point. i was shamed for using references, but i really can`t draw without them. and i hope another people with afantasia will understand that it`s not the fiction, it`s real thing that interferes your drawing process
I have aphantasia and drawing accurately without reference is definitely possible just a bit harder (I haven't been doing art for very long so I can't do it for most things) You just have to remember the shapes and have some muscle memory
As far as Reference Vs Imagination goes, you gotta strike a balance between the two. Only doing one or the other will handicap you. Draw from imagination to test/flex your knowledge. Draw from/use Reference for study or figuring out what something looks like.
I have student debt creeping on me, did not make it into a game studio, the school I went to drilled it on me to abandon drawing in favor of CG and the whole experience set me back almost 10 years. It sucks to learn Art Schools are a scam through personal experience.
I'm so happy you actually mentioned aphantasia, so many people don't when talking about drawing from imagination. I have it and I can still draw without a reference for some things like basic anatomy/ poses due to muscle memory but when it comes to specifics I need a reference if its going to look anything like what I was trying to go for.
I'm glad you talked about the issue with art college. From my experience in university in the Philippines, the structure is a complete mess and each class never goes further than just the basics before jumping you off to a completely unrelated field the next term to cover the same exact lessons but in the guise of a different class. It puts focus on a lot of the wrong things and is basically done just to maximize the establishment's profit. Our animation class for example is only one 10 week term out of the 4 years, and there's no further class to expound further on it such as animation 2 , 3, 4, etc. Just one 10 week class that realistically, won't prepare you for a professional career. There's even an emphasis on written exams for all these classes, as if those are important to your growth as an artist in any capacity. I've learned much more on youtube from great artists than I ever have in college, which makes you question why these schools are so expensive to begin when the resources you need are free online, or come at a cheaper price.
One thing that bugs me, even in traditional education, is how tutorials or classes often skip over the technical aspects of using photoshop or similar programs. I lose so much time struggling with basic tools or organization sometimes that I end up not drawing much. For example, I'm working on a piece and suddenly, the tear drop tool stopped showimg the result in real time on the color pannel. It only acts on the backgroud color of the two little squares. What gives?
@@YTartschool Thanks for answering! I think I figured out that my issue is using Alt+hold left click for my picker while using my brush. But alt also alternates the picker to the back square. So I had to switch the picker for my shortkey to act on the front one while using the brush. Anyway lot's of frustration for not much in the end.
Hey Marc, I just started my art journey a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to say that your videos are really helpfull! I wanted to say thank you and merry christmas:)
I really hate the advice 'Practice more'. I've had that said to me for years and when asked for art advice, I tend to ask the person questions back: What specifically are you interested in learning? What artists do you look at for inspiration and what do you like about their style or technique? Etc. Love the video, Marc. Happy Holidays!
The way I see it sacrifying friends from learning art is more of a self sabotage than anything because socialization is a necessity (for some more than others, but it is) loneliness can deteriorate your mental health and motivation not only in art but in life. Also if your friends are also other artists you would be missing the opportunity to share experience and help eachother to solve problems and increase eachother's motivation.
6:33 yeah having had a public university have an art professor who doesn't teach by example but by lecture on Intermediate Drawing and Beginner Drawing just by critiquing you on what can be improved but if you asked them to help you draw a tree, they'd point you to RUclips or tell you to shadow another student who is better
Mr. Mark, I think I learn one of the most crucial thing from one of the tips that nobody ever told me Not to keep my style if I want to improve Yes, that's one of the horror thing that I had in mind that perhaps stopping me to grow as an artist. Because, I'm afraid if I lost my style, I won't be able to create another one that distinguished me from others. But, you're right, artist had to develop and they never stop learning, so I might give it a try Honestly, there's one more thing that I hope you answer since I never get the answer of this question anywhere, does sketching affects your digital art? Does it help improving digital art? Or, should I learn to draw in different platform to improve? I asked this because sometimes I don't get the time to bring my laptop everywhere and everyday, and I'm still learning how to master anatomy since my figures looks stiff and lack of dynamic, I'd appreciate it if you can answer my curiosity
Thanks for considering it! Yes it’s go at your own pace, no deadlines and you get access to the classes and community for life (along with free access to all future updates and additions)
i have the exact problem when i join art school. people said it's the best art school u can go to that's why the requirements and assignments are tough as hell, so much that i am sometimes starting to think if i should quit. i mean tough is like, every week we got 4-5 subjects, and every subjects' assignments require minimum 4 hours of work time to at least get it to acceptable finishing. oh i haven't talked about figure study yet. sometimes we are required to draw 3 full finishing highly detailed portrait drawings, and according to my lecturer, student needs an average time of 4 hours to finish 1 portrait drawing. that makes finish the whole portrait assignment takes 12 HOURS. meanwhile we also got others subject assignments to do. the work load is INSANE. every semester we got people failing the class or even quitted from this school. the amount of work load is just taking away our focus to study each subject. im now in second year of semester and still struggling hard... every students here basically gave up social life just to do their assignments. instead of teaching us how to draw like professional, i think they are teaching us how to become a drawing robot.
Thanks for this video, I actually fell for a good number of these at some point of another. Some of them I had to figure out on my own, others I was not aware of even today, this was very informative.
Thank you for bringing up artstlye. People so badly want to stand out or "brand" themselves. It kills creativity and leads to a lot of mental blocks. I used to study other artists so I could draw just like them. It made the drawing process very tedious and amxiety inducing because I wanted my art to look the same all the time.
Yeah, it was really helpful. Especially for me that I shouldn't have to pursue to find my own style like the start of my art journey. First of all I need solid fundamentals about drawing in my mind (the chef example was good)
Ngl i agree with all of these, and yes i did tons of these art no-no's and i was also planing to get an art course once i hit collage but looking at my sister who also went to collage for an art course... I might change my mind about taking an art course 💀
I think drawing from imagination could be useful in terms of analysis your library and fix mistakes: you draw from imagination, then you compare with references and understand how where can you improve so it is active analytical learning
Fair Christmas tidings Mr art Santa. I have greatly enjoyed your content as Ive gone through parts of it and I am very pleased you decided to share your expertise in this way. I decided to formally enroll in your art school because I have no doubts that it will be worth it regardless of the time it will take me to work through it thanks to trying some of your methods in previous videos. Without finding you on RUclips I am quite sure I wouldn't have thought about genuinely pursuing drawing as an adult (I barely drew as a child and had as close to 0 skill in drawing as possible relative to even those who only drew as children so its been quite a dramatic punch in the face to go from zero), for that I am glad. I am looking forward to start going through it, my sincere gratitude and christmas tidings to you Marc.
I never really knew that you don't have to go to an art college/school in order to learn more to be considered an 'good artist' I'm almost an adult (in a year) and I have been struggling, figuring out if I should go to college or a school for art classes as the one that I am told (college) is that it's very competitive and difficult which has made me worried and a bit stressed overall. And all of the art schools is out of my province so I have been worried for a while now.. I've just been super anxious about how to live or go along with art as my main hobby/income resource as I'm not good at anything else besides art, and I am still trying to figure out what type of art careers I should go for (illustrator, concept illustration or animation) but I'll keep these tips in mind, especially #4 !!
Happy Holidays! 🎄 Thank u for your art tips! As an adult with less free time, I prefer to draw focusing on some aspect rather than draw, draw and draw aimlessly. 😅
Great tips and one thing I HAVE found in my own independant studies, is what also turned my learning around is various things of going not to use references. Well, when I learned someone like Norman Rockwell not only used references but often traced them it was like "seriously?! Are you serious?! He's still considered one of the great illustrators!" One has to understand, speed and efficiency is key but he also took his own photographs if I recall, so his references WERE his own. He often also took them and composed them in a way to get what he wanted, then painted. The masters no doubt did similar, you don't look at say Da Vinci's sketches and studies of say anatomy and such and say he went off on a whim and "fairly" accurate. He studied cadavers, living models and so on, Your anatomy artists had worked in the trenches studying and getting references(sometimes in the worst ways possible, as mentioned above for cadaver study). I have a ton of reference images(mostly female but hey) and my mind I've caught myself going "I like the physique here, this pose, ooh the hair/makeup. I can use that" And save and actually FINALLY organized it all roughly. I did gesture studies earlier this ear and in hindsight I caught on and did far better than I thought, someone was surprised at how "good" and proportional they were for first and second runs at 30 and 60 second runs. So even though oddly, I wasn't drawing as much as I should(getting more now slowly/finally) I gained skills quicker than I thought. Thankfully it seems I "learn quicker" than average with some things(especially artistic stuff) And it's that study that speeds things up, physical is slower but the mind knows how to do it. I am torn however on where to dedicate my studies, traditional or digital, as traditional lets me do it away from the computer(even though I have an ipad now) and draw that way. With the ipad and computer though, I can go right from thumbnails and sketches and work right up to finished works which is where my biggest weakness lays. From simple line work/sketches/thumbnail to rendering full pieces. The in between of getting enough details set in and then rendering it all out. So I guess it's I'm not at that 90% point yet where the 10% is "mind off" relax and render to enjoy the rest of the ride. I'll get there yet!
thanks for your all wisdom during the year Marc, doing my best to stay focused and structured with my progress and practice, slowly but surely im getting there, keep up the good work, merry christmas mate
I guess the idea of 10 000 hours is that its not the threshold to becoming a good artist but rather a guarantee that at that point you can't help but be a good artist. You can become good much sooner than that for sure, flipside is if you only draw stick figures for 10 000 hours then you become really good at drawing stick figures and not much else. Fun fact the "10 000 hour" method is used in army a lot. You get ordered to repeat the same training to a point you're immensely bored by the task but its also ingrained to your spine so you can do it without even thinking about it.
The unique artstyle one is so helpful. Im changing my artstyle so often, because Im not happy with it, but learning first the fundamentals makes way more sense. Also goddamn good Maomao drawing
I had a professor Mr. Martín house to give classes after school he used to say that max 2 hrs thebrain retains info. I think is true after an hr i get distracted easily
ah i have my ups and down with drawing sometimes but this good thing to keep in mind 🤔imma keep watching more tip video also see anything inspires me along the way (i may not keep the idea completely but i will try)
Great Video as always, Marc! I like to add for the fellow artists that do not live or work in the US: I heared that in order to work for US studios, you need an art degree. The education itself is kind of useless (in my opinion) but the degree will later be important for the Visa process. Other than that. 100% agree to everything else in this video :) Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Hey Marc You are awesome, thank You for all these classes on RUclips, I'm planning on buy Your Art School Program, I'm just saving some money, beautiful illustration as always, happy holydays for You and Your family!
Happy holidays ⛄. And a lot of the bad art tips you say is true because alot of the tips are either misleading or explain in the wrong way. But i like that you tell us how to improve as artist so we can become amazing artists. Thank you for helping me improve as a artist.
I akd chatgpt whether copying other artists is a good way to learn and i said that one should do it with an intent like composition brushwork or light and shadow.
Interesting with the imagination thing because I have pretty much the opposite of aphantasia, but since my memory is not great it never really translates onto the paper. I could visualise a really lively scene, waterfall, bird noises, leaves blowing, etc but it's hard to remember all the bits and pieces to get it accurate on the paper
Hi Mark, thank you for your awesome videos. 02:30 You mention that we have only 45 hours of focus each day... do you mean 45 minutes of focus each day or 45 hours of focus each week? Or maybe something else. Thank you for your time and merry xmas!
as a kid i always and only drew from imagination and im still in the process of learning how to copy from real life or a picture i think it is way easier to imagine something ...or i mean i just had an idea and then drew stuff inspired from that idea i had in my mind... but sure i learned how certain things look from real life but i never even thought about learning it i just drew it...idk i actually don't remember because i am drawing since i could hold a pen so i never even thought of drawing with a plan or actually understanding what i'm doing but that is why im not very good at anatomy if i try unless i have like a clear idea in my head... idk but i got very good with colors and lighting and i think my compositions skills are pretty good too...but copying... ooof but drawing from imagination isnt bad and its the part that makes it fun in my opinion
Hahahaha true, I think I burned out the most with the art assignments on top of being undiagnosed at the time, I think I'll probably deal better with a self managed schedule but I already sank money into it so just looking forward to finishing a degree I guess
5:27 "Style, really isn't that big of a ... " Well, it's also concerning that some people actually think IT IS. Yeah, yeah, really mature of me... Sorry... I couldn't avoid it. 😆 Great video as always Marc! It's true how many times people try to give that sort of "advice" without realizing it's not helpful at all, and at times even bringing the contrary effect.
As someone who... doesn't think they can see anything in their mind's eye, I'd like to disagree with the aphantasia point. Having aphantasia doesn't mean you can't draw anything from imagination because aphantasia doesn't prevent you from imagining. It's just your imaginations are more thought focused than mental picture focused. I've always drawn things from imagination even without seeing them in my minds eye. sure, I experimented multiple times before settling on something I was happy with, but professional artists also do that with thumbnail sketches. For me, drawing, writing, it's always been about exploring the idea in thoughts and on the page instead painting a mental picture. That said, I wasn't nearly as good as I could be with practice. And when you're practicing, references definitely help build a strong foundation. After all, even thought needs fuel.
Honestly I need this I always felt like I was never good at art but people say I’m amazing but I just don’t feel that spark you know maybe you can help me and that would be cool I’m definitely subscribing
Please make a video comparing the two styles and which one is better, draw lineart first and shade with black (your style) or start with flats and shade with colors like 'samdoesart'
Personally, i like to draw from imagination to remember how to draw my characters from memory. It allows me to have more expressive range when animating, and removes the stiffness i might have while referencing art. Great video Marc, as always !!
We're finally back on schedule mates💪 This week's painting is from The Apothecary Diaries, a banger show. Trying a different style again for fun, def the most "anime" I've ever painted. Not as fun as fully rendered pieces but still fun :D
Also it's a bit early, but MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎅 don't forget to get yourself the ART School program and join our art gang muhahahaHAHAH cbr.sh/eqcb55
Happy holidays ⛄
Suprised you watch it as well, the maomao drawing looks great
Happy holidays! Im so happy to know that u also watch Kusuriya no Hitorigoto
Loved maomao thanks marc!!
Are you going to make another yearly learn how to draw schedule Mr. Marc?
Correction Sensei Marc
Id rather take longer than spend more to learn because a degree never guarantees you a job. Then youll have less time to draw paying back debt.
i second this, whenever i study a certain thing, i would just make a full illustration or until base color focusing on a certain thing then call it a day
works like magic
As an artist with aphantasia, I want to clarify: we absolutely _can_ draw from our imaginations. (In fact, that was why I learned how to draw in the first place -- because I wanted to see what I was imagining and drawing it was the best way to do that!) But you're right that we don't have the same kind of "visual library" as other artists -- rather, it's more like a "skill library." For example, I don't now how to draw a nose because I can _visualize_ it; instead, I've learned a lot of techniques by analyzing references. :D
I have total aphantasia, and I was a writer wayyyyy before I was an artist, at the time I started art I didn’t know I had aphantasia, all I knew is that I couldn’t see my characters but wanted to so bad so I decided to learn how to draw. I tried following what was in my head, but there was actually really nothing to see and following my conceptions got me no where but a mess on paper. I did art like that for 3 years, and hardly got anywhere I heavily relied on digital tools to help make something good, however last and this year After looking at references and scrolling Pinterest for techniques, tips and tricks I became a bit better because I understood what I was drawing, finally. Isn’t this just muscle memory+learning?
Exactly ! I Was about to comment this but you said it for me 😅 I Also have aphantasia it's exactly how it works for me
If you va picture an image in your head, you don't have total aphantasia. Some people literally can't picture anything in their mind. You can still draw "from imagination", but it's actually just developing what you see on the paper as you go.
@@thegochie I'm not quite sure how to read this. Are you disagreeing with me? Expanding on my point? Do you have total aphantasia? Are you describing your own experience? I can't tell, so I apologize if I sound like I'm "preaching to the choir." I'm just rambling a bit, it's such a cool subject.
It seems like this can be really hard to grok for people without aphantasia, but you can still know what things should look like without _picturing_ them. It makes sense if you think about it -- I, who cannot picture things in my mind, still am able to recognise pictures of my grandmother, for example, and I'm able to describe her features with words even if I don't have a picture of her for reference. (Though it is surely more difficult.)
While I don't think I could draw her accurately without a photo reference, I don't think many people could. I have a buddy with a photographic memory, though! She can look at a picture and hold it in her head forever. (And I have a friend who knew a guy who could look at the pages of books and then recall them to read later in his head. Wild!!)
For me, personally, since I don't have any pictures, I do my thinking in words. As a side note: did you know that there are people who don't have that "inner voice"? It's truly incredible how variable the experience of thinking is among human beings! :D
@@bluecorvidart I'm not saying you don't have aphantasia at all. I guess I'm just not sure I would call what you do drawing "from imagination" if you're using a memorized description (in words), as opposed to reproducing an image in your head. It's all just semantics though. And I agree, it's all very fascinating.
Dude the rendering in the piece is actually insane, the clothing and hair are so cool
1:00 Give up your social life and practice more 🚫
3:23 Drawing from your imagination🚫
5:11 Have a unique artstyle as soon as possible 🚫
6:33 You get what you pay for in art education🚫
8:39 Study other artists to improve🚫
my hero
Learnt soo much from your Channel you have no idea :D @@YTartschool
Hi Marc Merry Christmas. Mate I sent you a message regarding signing up for the full ART school. Would love to hear your response.
Thank you! You rock!
I'm glad to say, most people I've learned from have advised against all of these things. The strangest idea to me is being told to draw from imagination, I don't believe I've ever come across an artist who would recommend _ignoring_ references. That's such an odd way to learn, especially when you realize art is about emulating what you can see.
Once you draw something enough times and learn it's shape and how it's supposed to look, you absolutely can draw it from imagination. Manga artists would never be able to pump out 30 pages every 3-4 days if they had to look up a reference picture for everything they had to draw every time.
it's likely to be the same people who think that using a reference is cheating, which apparently is a thing ! "you can't be a good artist if you need a reference" type of crowd
@@ookami5329 it's less time consuming to see a reference tho
@@Riboux7 When you learn what the shape of something is you can just draw it without stopping to search for the right reference, you can draw it at any angle, and I reckon you can draw it faster because you aren’t pausing every minute to check on the reference.
PLEASE make a video about your layering (how you make different layers for different parts and stuff). I know it's not a universal thing and every person has their own preferences but yours looks awesome and I really wanna know more about it
6:44 - Problem with all the tutorials out there, even the paid ones is that they vary in quality and its often poor documentation, which can lead to frustration. And that an artist is good, doesn't mean that artist is good at transmitting the know-how. Good video, thanks for sharing.
So glad I don't follow any of these tips. 😅
But the worst art tip I ever got years ago came from an art teacher at school (regular school - not an art school) during an art class: "Don't listen to music, while doing art. You can't focus on two kinds of art at the same time!" Yeah, of course, it's way better to hear my class mates, the cars on the street or, when I'm at home, my cats playing, instead of some inspiring music that keeps me focused on drawing, while any random sounds distract me and make me nervous.
Meanwhile I even sometimes listen to audio books while drawing, as I found out that it helps me to not overthink what I'm doing with my pen. Because the less I think about every damn stroke I make, the better the results turn out. 🙏
But this might not work for everyone, of course.
Your teacher's advice is legit, multitasking is bad for deep focus, you're half-assing everything you do if you're multitasking, and this is true for every human with a brain, unless you think you have superpowers, you fall into that category too lol
@benia1908 nope. with an adhd-inclined brain, it’s impossible to work on anything at all without a baseline of stimulation, be it TV or music or chatter or all those things at once. please think twice before making such generalizations. not everyone works the same way.
@@benia1908 This is only half of the truth. Sure, multitasking is a myth. But listening to music can be active or passive. When you don't do it actively it is not an actual "task". It's more like breathing. And this is how we listen to most music. Otherwise listening to music should be immediately be prohibited while driving a car. 😅
I get easily distracted by random noises though. Try to imagine how hard it is for me to focus on art in a crowded class room... When I listen to music I don't focus on it (it takes me ages to learn lyrics, cause I never really listen). It just cancels all other noises for me and make me focus on what is in front of my eyes. As I already said: this might not apply to everyone. Not every brain works the same - that's absolutely wrong.
Also: Please, go to the gym, where almost everyone listens to music, and tell ppl they only do their workout half-assed. 😂
@@kurisari1937 lol I think I forgot to say "working brain", of course a down syndrome guy will be more focused if you bombard him with stimuli, but that's not the norm, and I'm talking about the norm up there too, not the exception
@@pirateheartbeat1913 I know that feeling, I use what is called "white noise" a LOT, like a lot, search airplane sound if you wanna try it out, you're right that a passive activity turns into some kind of booster for focus if it blocks external distractions, though I think it's a complicated discussion if listening to music with lyrics is actually passive or not
My personal favorites are don’t ever use the erasure or Ctrl z. Because CONFIDENT artists don’t do that. Well pro artists probably spent more time doing just that and confidence in your lines has nothing to do with it
Thats true, Patrick Brown who draws those famous fanarts does that too many times, draws, erases, draws, erases again x200 unless theres perfect line he is satisfied with
that advice apples to studies only! cuz u get more confident but not in everyday art
On point 1: This is the reason why I took up knitting during art school. This needed less focus than drawing and the repetition of movement helped me reduce stress while my hands were still occupied.
I still knit a few rows in between work on really scatterbrained days, when I can't really focus on my project.
Honestly hearing that only 14% of working professionals have an art degree is very relieving. I hear so many people say you need a degree to get a job in the industry, but its nice to know I don't have to be in debt for the rest of my life to be successful.
The fine arts are one of those broad fields that do not require a degree for you to be a professional! Musicians, actors, and yes--artists. You will always need practice, but degrees only exist to give you a leg-up on your competition. If you're good enough, you don't need the help!
the tip about learning from imagination is insanely useful - literally just yesterday i was drawing from reference, but felt like it wouldnt be enough to be able to draw the subject from imagination if i dont practice drawing it from imagination - i feel a bit better now knowing that studying references really is effective to improve at art!
Yep, using references will make you improve faster. Focus on the shapes and always try to put your spin on it.
People that say to not use references, most of the time never picked up a pencil.
Yes, but: I’d been drawing from reference only for three years, but that did nothing to improve my ability to draw from imagination. Maybe you won’t need to practice drawing from imagination separately, but don’t be surprised if never practicing it won’t yield results.
Dude. Using references is a game changer. Once I got over the feeling that I was using a "crutch" and actually learned from references properly without judging myself, my art skill skyrocketed. I can draw from imagination even much better after practicing with references more often. References are life savers and you should absolutely use them.
@@UrusaiJoe I think a key reason as to why drawing from reference can sometimes be unhelpful comes down to how to use them. The best way to learn isn't to copy the reference exactly line for line. It's to get a really good look at it and try to get an understanding of the form and basic shapes, before trying to recreate them in your own way using your understanding of that reference. In a sense, you aren't just converting the reference directly to your drawing. You are putting the reference inside your mind, and then converting it from your mind to paper. Then check periodically to see if you're getting it right. In a way, training your imagination to be better. Not copying
I've constantly talked to fellow artists and students to use reference. I don't know why people get so disgusted about that when you got to know what something looks like and you're going to be able to tell right away if something looks off!!! I thank you for reminding folks about that!❤
I have that problem, it feels unoriginal when I use a reference so I keep using imagination cause it's..... satisfying, I suppose? Especially when it looks good. Which happens in a blue moon.
@@thecheesemaker9617 it's fine to use your imagination, you just got to make sure whatever your referencing looks accurate. For example, some of Frank Frazetta tigers look a little off but he is putting his own take on illustrating them
I think another issue is that some people don’t like to get their photos to be references. Just last week there was this thing on Twitter (of course…) of a model (?) ‘calling out’ an artist for referencing them. If you’re drawing from Pinterest especially finding the OG a source is time consuming for some, and even more so if you had to contact someone to post your work.
This isn’t my opinion, but it’s just what I saw.
@@stxllr4687 if you really want to draw people, ask friends and family for pics : they can pose the way YOU want them, with the lighting YOU want. if that doesn't work out, there's plenty of photographs of celebrities or even portraits you can find in galleries ou museums. finding a reference isn't really a huge issue.
@@thecheesemaker9617 you could mesh several references together. That's what I always do. I basically have for every project a more or less filled digital Moodboard and mix the parts I need.
Love the MaoMao illustration!!!
Maomao?! Marc you're so up to date about the newest trending anime huh? 😂 I'm so excited when i see the thumbnail because i recognize the character and read the manga too. also, LOVE THE RESULT 😍❤ as always, you give great advice and helpful art video but also entertaining to watch 🌟 thank you for your hardwork marc!
Thanks! I guess I look like I don't watch anime but I've been watching an unhealthy amount ever since I was 12, aka over 20 years 😅 Drawing fanart is new though, I used to only focus on my own art hehehe
6:33 [You get what you pay for in art education],
You know you sell art classes, I though you would be last person to say this part. You have blown my mind saying absolutely what needed to be said. Thank you. You are a real one. You are my hero.
ok but the pic of maomao looks so good here I actually watched the entire process, though I see you switched out the initial rose for an open blue one
Its a small thing but I have huge respect to anyone that will talk about other options (specifically referring to the 'get what you pay for' section) without overly hyping up theirs because while good artists know to learn from many sources its easy to stumble on people that act like their way is the only correct way (and to claim their program/course is needed if they have one). Well that said I'm still a noob because the sheer amount of options kinda throws me off a little lol.
If options scare you, you honestly might be better off learning from JUST Marc--at least, until YOU decide to branch out and find specifics as you become more skilled.
I am an artist myself; used to be a professional until I decided to pursue science. I still draw of course. But from what I've learned, the most important thing is to focus on what you want to focus on. Sounds easy enough, but it's so common to get distracted and end up with a half-baked amalgamation of different techniques that you have yet to master.
Wanna have better composition? Focus on your sketches.
Wanna have better line art? Focus on stroke technique (not a euphemism I swear) and practice the styles you want to use in your own art. Style combinations are fine!
Wanna have better shading? Focus on values and light sources.
Wanna have better anatomy? Focus on your references.
You can work on many of these at the same time if you have the energy to do so! Just remember that what you learn is entirely up to you. It can be scary, but it doesn't HAVE to be scary. Starting out by using Marc's free tutorials is honestly all you need if you are a beginner. Take it from an ex-professional who is still learning from Marc. :)
I'm honestly a bit scared, cause all these tips are exactly the ones I've been using 😭😭😭. I've learnt that trying to rush myself into learning how to draw without any references everyday and while trying to make an unique style is just a quick way to disappoint myself and burn myself out. Time to focus on the fundamentals and learning the basics, doing it when I WANT to and not force myself to practice when I'm not in the mood.
Thanks Marc for providing these amazing educational videos!
I am so sorry to hear you've been lied to this whole time!! Take it from someone who used to be a professional artist--NEVER listen to "DON'Ts". All the time I see these "art tips" that include so many "DON'Ts", and they ALWAYS come from unskilled artists! "Don't shade with black" says the person who has never studied chiaroscuro. "Don't pillow shade" says the person who has never studied soft lighting. "Don't shade (insert race here) with this color" says the person who has not thoroughly research human skin tones and color theory. I'm telling you, art is for YOU to learn. YOU are capable of learning just as everyone else is! And you cannot learn without making a few mistakes along the way!
Forget the "don'ts". I'll leave you with the "always": Always follow your heart! Always learn what you want to learn! Always make what you want to make! Always create when you want to create!
25 minutes on 10 off with a 20 minute break every third cycle seems to be optimal for retention during heavy drawing studies (like anatomy).
Frequent breaks give you time to think over the new information while reestablishing focus
also power naps are really good, because your brain does thousands of repetitions during that.
I got used to using a similar timing technique because of a figure drawing class that was taught by a professor who went to an atelier and wanted to make that experience more accessible to people like me who can only afford community college.
I'm glad you mentioned aphantasia (I'd never heard about it until about 5 years ago). While I don't have full aphantasia, I have very little mental visuals. I was incredibly frustrated because it seemed like everyone else in art school was able to just conjure up these images so easily while I needed heavy reference. I thought I was just broken. Also, 100% agree with you that you don't get what you pay for. I paid 60K to get depression when I could have gotten the same amount of actual information from couple of books by Wucius Wong, and Andrew Loomis and watching a few youtube channels. I was at a table at artist alley shortly after graduating and I ended up meeting one of my followers. She asked where I went to art school and she was flabbergasted when I told her that art school is overrated and expensive. She had promise and I hated the idea that she would go off to have some egotistical asshole ruin her passion.
oh my GOD. i have an afantasia and NOBODY speaks about it. thank you for mentionig this point. i was shamed for using references, but i really can`t draw without them. and i hope another people with afantasia will understand that it`s not the fiction, it`s real thing that interferes your drawing process
I have aphantasia and drawing accurately without reference is definitely possible just a bit harder (I haven't been doing art for very long so I can't do it for most things) You just have to remember the shapes and have some muscle memory
As far as Reference Vs Imagination goes, you gotta strike a balance between the two. Only doing one or the other will handicap you.
Draw from imagination to test/flex your knowledge.
Draw from/use Reference for study or figuring out what something looks like.
thats.. literally what he said.
are you writing from reference?
@@grqfes Its more of a TLDR, as well as drilling it into our thick af skulls.
unless you're kin jung gi
That art turned out crazy nice Marc 🔥🔥
I have student debt creeping on me, did not make it into a game studio, the school I went to drilled it on me to abandon drawing in favor of CG and the whole experience set me back almost 10 years. It sucks to learn Art Schools are a scam through personal experience.
😔
I'm so happy you actually mentioned aphantasia, so many people don't when talking about drawing from imagination. I have it and I can still draw without a reference for some things like basic anatomy/ poses due to muscle memory but when it comes to specifics I need a reference if its going to look anything like what I was trying to go for.
I'm glad you talked about the issue with art college. From my experience in university in the Philippines, the structure is a complete mess and each class never goes further than just the basics before jumping you off to a completely unrelated field the next term to cover the same exact lessons but in the guise of a different class. It puts focus on a lot of the wrong things and is basically done just to maximize the establishment's profit.
Our animation class for example is only one 10 week term out of the 4 years, and there's no further class to expound further on it such as animation 2 , 3, 4, etc. Just one 10 week class that realistically, won't prepare you for a professional career. There's even an emphasis on written exams for all these classes, as if those are important to your growth as an artist in any capacity.
I've learned much more on youtube from great artists than I ever have in college, which makes you question why these schools are so expensive to begin when the resources you need are free online, or come at a cheaper price.
One thing that bugs me, even in traditional education, is how tutorials or classes often skip over the technical aspects of using photoshop or similar programs. I lose so much time struggling with basic tools or organization sometimes that I end up not drawing much. For example, I'm working on a piece and suddenly, the tear drop tool stopped showimg the result in real time on the color pannel. It only acts on the backgroud color of the two little squares. What gives?
Click the foreground little square, you just have the bg color picker selected probably
@@YTartschool Thanks for answering! I think I figured out that my issue is using Alt+hold left click for my picker while using my brush. But alt also alternates the picker to the back square. So I had to switch the picker for my shortkey to act on the front one while using the brush. Anyway lot's of frustration for not much in the end.
i got a drawing pad for Christmas so im whanting to get into drawing so this vid will help alot
Hey Marc, I just started my art journey a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to say that your videos are really helpfull! I wanted to say thank you and merry christmas:)
I really hate the advice 'Practice more'. I've had that said to me for years and when asked for art advice, I tend to ask the person questions back: What specifically are you interested in learning? What artists do you look at for inspiration and what do you like about their style or technique? Etc.
Love the video, Marc. Happy Holidays!
The way I see it sacrifying friends from learning art is more of a self sabotage than anything because socialization is a necessity (for some more than others, but it is) loneliness can deteriorate your mental health and motivation not only in art but in life. Also if your friends are also other artists you would be missing the opportunity to share experience and help eachother to solve problems and increase eachother's motivation.
6:33 yeah having had a public university have an art professor who doesn't teach by example but by lecture on Intermediate Drawing and Beginner Drawing just by critiquing you on what can be improved but if you asked them to help you draw a tree, they'd point you to RUclips or tell you to shadow another student who is better
Mr. Mark, I think I learn one of the most crucial thing from one of the tips that nobody ever told me
Not to keep my style if I want to improve
Yes, that's one of the horror thing that I had in mind that perhaps stopping me to grow as an artist. Because, I'm afraid if I lost my style, I won't be able to create another one that distinguished me from others.
But, you're right, artist had to develop and they never stop learning, so I might give it a try
Honestly, there's one more thing that I hope you answer since I never get the answer of this question anywhere, does sketching affects your digital art? Does it help improving digital art? Or, should I learn to draw in different platform to improve? I asked this because sometimes I don't get the time to bring my laptop everywhere and everyday, and I'm still learning how to master anatomy since my figures looks stiff and lack of dynamic, I'd appreciate it if you can answer my curiosity
I do have a question about Marc's school: Is it a go at your own pace? Or is it a scheduled class and such that we'd have to keep up with?
Thanks for considering it! Yes it’s go at your own pace, no deadlines and you get access to the classes and community for life (along with free access to all future updates and additions)
thank you marc!! happy holidays ♥
i have the exact problem when i join art school. people said it's the best art school u can go to that's why the requirements and assignments are tough as hell, so much that i am sometimes starting to think if i should quit. i mean tough is like, every week we got 4-5 subjects, and every subjects' assignments require minimum 4 hours of work time to at least get it to acceptable finishing. oh i haven't talked about figure study yet. sometimes we are required to draw 3 full finishing highly detailed portrait drawings, and according to my lecturer, student needs an average time of 4 hours to finish 1 portrait drawing. that makes finish the whole portrait assignment takes 12 HOURS. meanwhile we also got others subject assignments to do. the work load is INSANE. every semester we got people failing the class or even quitted from this school. the amount of work load is just taking away our focus to study each subject. im now in second year of semester and still struggling hard... every students here basically gave up social life just to do their assignments. instead of teaching us how to draw like professional, i think they are teaching us how to become a drawing robot.
Thanks for this video, I actually fell for a good number of these at some point of another. Some of them I had to figure out on my own, others I was not aware of even today, this was very informative.
Thank you for bringing up artstlye. People so badly want to stand out or "brand" themselves. It kills creativity and leads to a lot of mental blocks. I used to study other artists so I could draw just like them. It made the drawing process very tedious and amxiety inducing because I wanted my art to look the same all the time.
What you just made… wow, it’s beautiful
Wow that drawing came out so gorgeous
Yeah, it was really helpful. Especially for me that I shouldn't have to pursue to find my own style like the start of my art journey. First of all I need solid fundamentals about drawing in my mind (the chef example was good)
Ngl i agree with all of these, and yes i did tons of these art no-no's and i was also planing to get an art course once i hit collage but looking at my sister who also went to collage for an art course... I might change my mind about taking an art course 💀
I think drawing from imagination could be useful in terms of analysis your library and fix mistakes: you draw from imagination, then you compare with references and understand how where can you improve so it is active analytical learning
Lesssgooooo best art school class in all of RUclips land!
Always a treat when we get one of these!!!
Thank you so much for these pieces of advice! They're all golden, but I really needed the last one.
Fair Christmas tidings Mr art Santa. I have greatly enjoyed your content as Ive gone through parts of it and I am very pleased you decided to share your expertise in this way. I decided to formally enroll in your art school because I have no doubts that it will be worth it regardless of the time it will take me to work through it thanks to trying some of your methods in previous videos. Without finding you on RUclips I am quite sure I wouldn't have thought about genuinely pursuing drawing as an adult (I barely drew as a child and had as close to 0 skill in drawing as possible relative to even those who only drew as children so its been quite a dramatic punch in the face to go from zero), for that I am glad. I am looking forward to start going through it, my sincere gratitude and christmas tidings to you Marc.
I never really knew that you don't have to go to an art college/school in order to learn more to be considered an 'good artist' I'm almost an adult (in a year) and I have been struggling, figuring out if I should go to college or a school for art classes as the one that I am told (college) is that it's very competitive and difficult which has made me worried and a bit stressed overall. And all of the art schools is out of my province so I have been worried for a while now.. I've just been super anxious about how to live or go along with art as my main hobby/income resource as I'm not good at anything else besides art, and I am still trying to figure out what type of art careers I should go for (illustrator, concept illustration or animation)
but I'll keep these tips in mind, especially #4 !!
My man this is amazing
One of my favorite artworks yet
And great advice you know 😁
Please, make a video about all the FUNDAMENTALS you must know to star study other artists.
That clothes drawing process makes me cry 😭 I also wanna be able to do thattt
Samee so realisitc
MAO MAO THUMBNAIL😳😳👏👏
marc videos are like a christmas present
The fold look phenomenal man!!
Happy Holidays! 🎄 Thank u for your art tips! As an adult with less free time, I prefer to draw focusing on some aspect rather than draw, draw and draw aimlessly. 😅
Merry Christmas Marc 💖 have a joyful holiday with your family
Great tips and one thing I HAVE found in my own independant studies, is what also turned my learning around is various things of going not to use references. Well, when I learned someone like Norman Rockwell not only used references but often traced them it was like "seriously?! Are you serious?! He's still considered one of the great illustrators!" One has to understand, speed and efficiency is key but he also took his own photographs if I recall, so his references WERE his own. He often also took them and composed them in a way to get what he wanted, then painted. The masters no doubt did similar, you don't look at say Da Vinci's sketches and studies of say anatomy and such and say he went off on a whim and "fairly" accurate. He studied cadavers, living models and so on, Your anatomy artists had worked in the trenches studying and getting references(sometimes in the worst ways possible, as mentioned above for cadaver study). I have a ton of reference images(mostly female but hey) and my mind I've caught myself going "I like the physique here, this pose, ooh the hair/makeup. I can use that" And save and actually FINALLY organized it all roughly. I did gesture studies earlier this ear and in hindsight I caught on and did far better than I thought, someone was surprised at how "good" and proportional they were for first and second runs at 30 and 60 second runs. So even though oddly, I wasn't drawing as much as I should(getting more now slowly/finally) I gained skills quicker than I thought. Thankfully it seems I "learn quicker" than average with some things(especially artistic stuff) And it's that study that speeds things up, physical is slower but the mind knows how to do it.
I am torn however on where to dedicate my studies, traditional or digital, as traditional lets me do it away from the computer(even though I have an ipad now) and draw that way. With the ipad and computer though, I can go right from thumbnails and sketches and work right up to finished works which is where my biggest weakness lays. From simple line work/sketches/thumbnail to rendering full pieces. The in between of getting enough details set in and then rendering it all out. So I guess it's I'm not at that 90% point yet where the 10% is "mind off" relax and render to enjoy the rest of the ride. I'll get there yet!
Ty for your tips, and happy holidays
Tipo?
@Rumaitha-tg2sm yes, autocorrect strikes again. Ty for the heads up
thanks for your all wisdom during the year Marc, doing my best to stay focused and structured with my progress and practice, slowly but surely im getting there, keep up the good work, merry christmas mate
I guess the idea of 10 000 hours is that its not the threshold to becoming a good artist but rather a guarantee that at that point you can't help but be a good artist. You can become good much sooner than that for sure, flipside is if you only draw stick figures for 10 000 hours then you become really good at drawing stick figures and not much else.
Fun fact the "10 000 hour" method is used in army a lot. You get ordered to repeat the same training to a point you're immensely bored by the task but its also ingrained to your spine so you can do it without even thinking about it.
The unique artstyle one is so helpful. Im changing my artstyle so often, because Im not happy with it, but learning first the fundamentals makes way more sense. Also goddamn good Maomao drawing
I really like the piece you made here
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, Marc! 🎄🥳
Great video, I feel so reassured about my skills now.
Hii Marc!! Happy holidays an thank you as always for your wonderfull content, Maomao looks amazing in your artstyle, she looks breathtaking
Your art is so beautiful
I had a professor Mr. Martín house to give classes after school he used to say that max 2 hrs thebrain retains info. I think is true after an hr i get distracted easily
ah i have my ups and down with drawing sometimes but this good thing to keep in mind 🤔imma keep watching more tip video also see anything inspires me along the way (i may not keep the idea completely but i will try)
Great Video as always, Marc!
I like to add for the fellow artists that do not live or work in the US:
I heared that in order to work for US studios, you need an art degree. The education itself is kind of useless (in my opinion) but the degree will later be important for the Visa process.
Other than that. 100% agree to everything else in this video :)
Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
"watching more vids is not going to help" but i love watching them😭
Hey Marc You are awesome, thank You for all these classes on RUclips, I'm planning on buy Your Art School Program, I'm just saving some money, beautiful illustration as always, happy holydays for You and Your family!
Happy holidays ⛄. And a lot of the bad art tips you say is true because alot of the tips are either misleading or explain in the wrong way. But i like that you tell us how to improve as artist so we can become amazing artists. Thank you for helping me improve as a artist.
Beautiful illustration
That is such a beautiful picture!
I akd chatgpt whether copying other artists is a good way to learn and i said that one should do it with an intent like composition brushwork or light and shadow.
Interesting with the imagination thing because I have pretty much the opposite of aphantasia, but since my memory is not great it never really translates onto the paper. I could visualise a really lively scene, waterfall, bird noises, leaves blowing, etc but it's hard to remember all the bits and pieces to get it accurate on the paper
It'll take time before I become one of the best out there, but I have the determination to become just that!
Your maomao fanart is so pretty she looks amazing in your style!😍
Hi Mark, thank you for your awesome videos. 02:30 You mention that we have only 45 hours of focus each day... do you mean 45 minutes of focus each day or 45 hours of focus each week?
Or maybe something else. Thank you for your time and merry xmas!
4-5 hours each day not 45 lmao
4 to 5h daily!
Ohhhhh thanks. My bad. Sorry english isn't my first language
Thank you sensi ❤
Thank you for a good Christmas gift
Marc you are a godsend!!
as a kid i always and only drew from imagination and im still in the process of learning how to copy from real life or a picture i think it is way easier to imagine something ...or i mean i just had an idea and then drew stuff inspired from that idea i had in my mind... but sure i learned how certain things look from real life but i never even thought about learning it i just drew it...idk i actually don't remember because i am drawing since i could hold a pen so i never even thought of drawing with a plan or actually understanding what i'm doing
but that is why im not very good at anatomy if i try unless i have like a clear idea in my head... idk but i got very good with colors and lighting and i think my compositions skills are pretty good too...but copying... ooof but drawing from imagination isnt bad and its the part that makes it fun in my opinion
Hahahaha true, I think I burned out the most with the art assignments on top of being undiagnosed at the time, I think I'll probably deal better with a self managed schedule but I already sank money into it so just looking forward to finishing a degree I guess
this is the best video i watched all year!
5:27
"Style, really isn't that big of a ... "
Well, it's also concerning that some people actually think IT IS.
Yeah, yeah, really mature of me... Sorry... I couldn't avoid it. 😆
Great video as always Marc! It's true how many times people try to give that sort of "advice" without realizing it's not helpful at all, and at times even bringing the contrary effect.
As someone who... doesn't think they can see anything in their mind's eye, I'd like to disagree with the aphantasia point. Having aphantasia doesn't mean you can't draw anything from imagination because aphantasia doesn't prevent you from imagining. It's just your imaginations are more thought focused than mental picture focused. I've always drawn things from imagination even without seeing them in my minds eye. sure, I experimented multiple times before settling on something I was happy with, but professional artists also do that with thumbnail sketches. For me, drawing, writing, it's always been about exploring the idea in thoughts and on the page instead painting a mental picture.
That said, I wasn't nearly as good as I could be with practice. And when you're practicing, references definitely help build a strong foundation. After all, even thought needs fuel.
Honestly I need this I always felt like I was never good at art but people say I’m amazing but I just don’t feel that spark you know maybe you can help me and that would be cool I’m definitely subscribing
Marc, you're as cool as always
love love love the maomao art in the video !
Merry Christmas :)
Can’t give up your social life to draw when you don’t have one 🥳
I wish there were more guides about color while *colorblind*. Being colorblind makes everything harder.
Your MaoMao is just 😌👌✨
Following the style of non-style, my limit is to have no limit.
Bruce Lee (Among other things, he was a brilliant draughtsman)
Please make a video comparing the two styles and which one is better, draw lineart first and shade with black (your style) or start with flats and shade with colors like 'samdoesart'
No style is better, it just suits different purposes. It’s like comparing Chinese food and Indian food
@@YTartschool You just made my day with your reply ❤
nice fanart anime from The Apothecary Diaries. Have not watch this anime yet.
Thx, highly recommend!
nahhh, teach went crazy with that render 🔥
Personally, i like to draw from imagination to remember how to draw my characters from memory. It allows me to have more expressive range when animating, and removes the stiffness i might have while referencing art.
Great video Marc, as always !!