How can i become a better artist?

Question

when i grow up i want to go work for nintendo and invent my own games, story lines, and characters. I'm currently the best artist in my school and i had absolutely no support in drawing in my life (my mom even banned me from drawing for a couple of years...) everything i learned about drawing i taught myself, like id get up one day and just tell my self to shadow my art... and that's how i learned it.. but know i want to get even farther as an artist... every time i draw i feel like its always missing something or that its not perfect... so please give me tips on how to become better... and btw once i made up my own comic line and i sold copies to people ;D

Answer 1

There's nothing better than education from a good art teacher in my experience, but you would have to wait until college for that - try to do well in school and get into the best art college you can. :)

For now, I would recommend the second best thing, which is books/DVDs/other learning materials. I highly recommend Burne Hogarth's books:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url...

If you can afford some instructional DVDs, this guy is great (I only have the anatomy DVDs, but they are fantastic):

http://www.vilppustore.com/

If you don't have the money for them, go to the library and see if they have any drawing books. Study of anatomy is really important, and this may be what you are missing - there's an important difference between being able to observe what something looks like and understanding what is going on under the surface that determines shape, the way the light falls on an object, etc. It's really important to master this, as If you understand how all of the shapes of the human body work in three dimensions you'll never make mistakes drawing it.

Regarding the games design, if you want to work in the games industry, I recommend you also develop your skills in digital painting and learn 3D modelling, as these are vital skills for a games artist; if you want to get  head start on either of those there are plenty of good online tutorials for both. But there are are college courses which are aimed at the games industry which will teach you all of those things and drawing, too.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You are on the right track. Continue to draw and embrace your artistic abilities- and later on, I hope you and your mom can discuss how inportant your passion is to you.

Yes, take as many art classes as you can. They will defiantly pay off as you expand and grow as an artist. You will learn the basic principals and elements of design, which surely comes in handy whenever you are trying decide what colors are complementary and such. And nothing bets challenging yourself by going outside your comfort zone and creating art that you would normally never even think of doing.

Also, do NOT just stick to one medium of art. Although you may be proficent in that medium, you need to explore others media such as: acrylic, watercolor, gouache, charcoal, ebony, printmaking, colored pencil/prismacolor, marker, chalk, pastels, and many more. You want to be a "jack-of-all-trades". Develop your own unique approach to it and go for it! Illustrate form both photos and life. The most important thing is to establish a portfolio, let it grow as you do. As the months turn into years, review your progression.

Since you aspire to be a game artist make sure you DRAW, DRAW, and DRAW some more! They expect you to have exceptional drawing skills.

I hope this helps and keep me updated on your progression

-raven

p.s. Enter as many CONTESTS and art competitions as you can. They not only give you chance to win some good prizes and awards, but they also allow you even more practice, experience, and even publicity. (always a PLUS) :D