Learning to Draw All Things Moe: The Arduous Journey
Posted by sunggyu on October 14, 2008
FUCK MY LIFE. If only it were THAT easy…T~T
I have spent many a day trying to learn to draw anime. I took a few art classes, and practiced daily, but the reality was that I just didn’t get any better. It seems to me that learning to draw anime isn’t at all difficult, but requires a certain degree of talent, and a great deal of commitment and practice. I quit, I started again, I took a break, I quit, and I started again. But I have come to terms that I am no artist. Not just when it comes to anime, but just art in general. So why is it that learning to draw is so damn hard?
Although drawing has always been a challenge for me, I find it frustrating at times that there are those around me with an immense spring of talent which I lack. I guess I’ll have to a mere participant, but even so, I hope one day I’ll be able to draw just as easily as those around me. It’s very discerning when you are the only artistically retarded member in your circle of friends.
Now in a completely unrelated topic…
Don’t run awayyy~~T~T
These are known as “paper childs” They are basically paper cut outs of anime characters, with an optional speech bubble, made to look 3D using an “optical illusion.” You’re supposed to take great care in the angle, and the direction you take the shot to maximize the effect, but I sadly didn’t have the skill or the time to make it look great. It was a fun 30 minute project, and I might go ahead and make a few more of these. It’s quite fun decorating your desk with these little cuties.
I will be updating tomrrow with a review of the “Moe Moe Uniform Picture Book” tomrrow. Stay tuned for more random updates.
wqwz said
wait..did u draw that??Thats amazing….who are you calling an artistic retard?
dude…I refresh the first picture so many times it just doesnt want to show…..= =
I think for art…you just have to practice…you dont want to see the crap I drew when I was in 9th grade…they were horrendous….my friend who is EXTREMLY good at art….she draws every freaking minute of her life….I think talent is really not a big factor for someone to be good at art….if you dont draw for a while you forget how to draw….no matter how talented you are….
a lot of ppl despite me for saying that….well…they didnt see how much time I spend on art for the past two years….
wqwz said
eww..so many spelling mistakes…
Kitsune said
Either you challenge your viewers to see the wonders of the void that a blank picture presents or that image failed to upload properly
Those chibi’s look very cute :3
I would like to ask you, why you draw? You don’t have to answer in this post, but do give an honest answer to yourself. The answer may not come easily, but when you have an insight, it will help you significantly in your work.
Sometimes the barrier is in trying too hard to draw in a particular style, rather than trying to learn to draw in general. It seems that you took the right path and took art classes, learning the skills not related to the anime-style drawings directly. It is good to learn about the proportions, anatomy, perspective, shading, and other aspects to draw well in any style. I suggest books by Jack Hamm and Andrew Loomis, and for anime-style characters you can take a look on the numerous How to Draw Manga books. Once you understand the basic properties of human form, you’ll notice significant improvement in your art overtime.
Do those people really have talent? Do you really know how much they practice?
I have a similar history with drawing. I started, stopped, started again, but life got in a way and I couldn’t find motivation. Recently, I started drawing again, and I hope this time the process will continue.
Here is some inspiration from the great artists:
In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.
Vincent Van Gogh
If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.
Michelangelo
Amber said
LMFAO at the first picture…
Choux said
Okay, 3 things to add to Kitsune’s comment:
#1: Took a few art classes and practiced daily.
That’s no where NEAR enough.
#2: Certain degree of talent
You don’t NEED talent, just lots and lots of commitment.
#3:Learning to draw is damned hard
Yeah, it is! But if you have a reason for trying it, then you’ll be damned happy when you come out with a proper drawing.
Draw daily for at least a few months, take magazines, screen shots of good quality anime and other things as a basis. Unless you stare at legs and figure out what they look like, you’re not going to be able to draw proper legs.
Focus on getting the shape of things right, don’t try to copy an image line for line.
Ignore all of those “learn to draw anime/manga” books, they are crap.
A wise man once said “make 1000 crappy drawings, and you’ll be able to make a decent one, so hurry up and get those 1000 crappy ones out of the way!”
I agree with that wholeheartedly. 4 inches of drawings later and my pictures are only at a barely presentable level.
Also, a proper drawing like the one in the first picture takes hours if not days. Nothing is easy, but everything’s possible if you try.
krysjez said
That’s right. The first picture, if drawn and colored with reference would probably take me at least 3 hours. And you have to remember that the artist probably had several years of practice under his/her belt.
But I disagree with Choux on some points.
I didn’t have formal art instruction until 3 years ago, and even then, it focused more on theory. I don’t practice daily, neither do I believe that daily practice will suddenly turn you into an amazing artist, however I do feel that…
…it’s more of a time issue. I started trying to draw manga-style about 5, 6 years ago. I didn’t try to draw full-blown illustrations with backgrounds and everything – just doodles of eyes, maybe, on scrap paper, or copying a few frames out of some manga book.
Commitment? Yes, but not “lots and lots”. I don’t draw daily. I got fed up at the way I wasn’t making any progress after a year or two and took a break. When I came back, I wasn’t any better. But I continued at my own leisurely pace (i.e. just doodles, no forcing myself to study anatomy or existing art or whatever) and by the 4th year I was suddenly making a lot of progress. Anyway, my point is, it just takes time. Why expect yourself to become a professional illustrator in three months? Let things go naturally and they’ll work out.
You just need to like drawing. My guess is that if you force yourself to learn how do draw manga-style just so that you can post some random fanart online and go “look! I can draw!” you’re probably not going to get much satisfaction out of it, and you’ll never progress.
Bishoujo Lover said
It has always frustrated me that I could never master drawing bishoujo eyes and the intricate faces that bishoujo women make, but being able to completely draw them like you see on tv is something that you’d have to be almighty to do. This is why most anime designers rely on computer technology to add extra touches to their characters that nobody could draw perfectly. Your time will come, and mine will too, but we’ll have to wait before we can make our anime characters blossom to life.