Hello! I am an artist who is looking to get better at art. I am a recent STEM major drop out and I have been debating going back to learn art at my local college. Unfortunately because of being in college previously and not getting a degree, I don’t have much funds to afford it and the flexibility I would need for my job and the weird class schedule times would be very difficult for my current position. My local school and schools across my area do not offer art online or else I’d be doing art that way.
I have researched a ton of different art programs and schools online but I am not sure what is good and what is not. I don’t want to dump money into these programs and then not teach me anything. I am curious what people have done and what has worked for them. I am mostly interested in learning how to do better perspective, figure drawings and even learning digital art.

So this is not a put down on the digital media. I wanted to make this clear before I began.

So the past five or so years, 2020-25, I drew almost purely digitally on my PC using Clip studio paint. Before that I drew on paper for about two years.

And I got less done in the past five years digitally than I did on paper. And I started to analyze my habits on why. Because this year I have gone back to pencil and paper and have drawn more than I did in the time I was digital.

When I analyze why I think it's a matter of convenience at it's for but also a psychological part of my brain.

The first part of convenience is, that while I'm at home or out of the house all I have to do is pull out my sketchbook, pencil and flip to a page and start.

On my PC I can only do it at home. I have to start the program, wait for it to load, make my canvas, then decide what pens to use. And I can't take those out and about with me or use them at work if I got a tablet.

So for me it's just become a major matter of convenience. Plus I don't have to minimize the program to find references.

And then there is the matter of psychology for me.

On paper things are finished when I'm basically done. I don't need to share it post it. The paper is filled.

While digitally most of the time I didn't feel like my art was done until I posted it online.

Maybe it's because of I leave it alone is just sitting in a folder on my PC that I have to load up.

While I just have to grab the sketchbook that has the art I'm looking for.

And something about that tactile feel of holding my art and knowing it's complete and that I don't have to post it to feel complete just does something for my brain.

I'm sure that's weird for people here but idk maybe there will be people that can relate.

I got the basic grasp of drawing boxes in perspective, sketching from photos and stuff like that.

What to do now? My observation skills improved however My drowing from imaginations more complicated things than basic forms cramped together didn't improved much I feel like

As the title

Best college for art in california?

What do you guys think is best like what i consider is cost and if theyre generous with scholarships,how much students improve,reputation,resources,diversity of classes,how easy it is to register,allumni

Please say where you went to

Im having so many mixed thoughts like from my research I think

Accd amazing but going downhill

Csuf diverse classes but lower quality professors but still amazing

Otis kind of bad and only does half off for scholarships

Ucla really good but they only have a singular art degree while CSUs allow people to take diff majors

Working corporate as a creative person really sucks. I've become so miserable the last few months, constantly anxious and on edge waiting for yet another problem to come up. It's truly neverending.

Funnily enough, I feel the most motivated to draw during times of high stress. It's almost like a way to escape reality, where I immerse myself in the process and forget about everything that's going on.

Does anyone else feel similarly? Though I do often get frustrated while drawing, ultimately I'm grateful that I have a hobby that offers me a bit of respite from stress at work. It's like swapping stress for a different, more palatable, type of stress lol.

Please anything besides store them! Like ik most artists are sentimental but its like my moms a hoarder so i hate clutter and i wanted to sell them so i asked another subreddit but they got kind of angry

I usually take pics of stuff i think are important pieces but not exactly a standout piece

Heya fellas, it goes without saying I think that just simply googling or surfing around on pinterest has become a NIGHTMARE for finding references in the past few years. In response, I've been more diligent about saving actually good refs to a library that I can look at, but I run into the problem of it not being searchable when just sitting in a folder.

Anyone know of good programs that can index photos, and preferably, have the ability to assign tags or search terms per image? Like if I had downloaded references of some tigers, I could tag it as #cats #tigers #bigcats #animals, and it would hypothetically come up with any of those search terms.

I AM into self hosting, I use Immich to back up my personal photo library, so something that requires a bit more of a technical mind doesn't care me, but a pre built solution would be great.

(I'm not sure if that's the correct tag for this type of post; if it's incorrect, please let me know.)

That's it. I feel like many artists are overexposed to the art community. Too many learning methods, too many prodigies that make you squirm with envy, too many ideas and too few moments of peace.

I genuinely believe that many people get stressed about art because they aren't taking the time to experiment on their own, to train their eyes and their understanding of what they are doing. Most tutorials or guides require you to understand the basics, and that is, ironically, understanding that you are learning. I don't think you can bake a perfect cake if you don't understand the purpose of each step, right?

I'm not the best artist, and for many years I've been the most mediocre of my friends, but honestly? I value that because it allowed me to grow organically, simply enjoying drawing and improving at my time.

Many of you worry about not knowing how to draw, not having the skills to do what you want, and things like that, and it's understandable, but you know what? Just do it. That's how you learn. By doing things. I have some really old drawings that I'm so embarrassed about because of how bad they are, but that's precisely what builds you up. A good artist is just a big pile of bad and good drawings, after all.

I'm not a professional at all, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's to do what you want. Enjoy the process, try to have fun. Read up on and research about what are you learning. Don't just draw random boxes in perspective for no reason. Understand what purpose they serve.

It may not be the most intuitive or academic way to learn, but I feel that, at least for a while, many would benefit from simply being alone, in silence, drawing without thinking about the top 10 ways to draw of some influencer or what method follow.

Although I understand that not everyone has time to spend ten years drawing like a child lmao.

In short: enjoy the art, go at your own pace, and strive to train your eyes and understand what you are doing and how that helps you improve.

TLDR: App forces you to work for a session. Is that kinda lame to do for something you're supposed to find enjoyable?

I have ADHD and I'll definitely procrastinate before starting drawing. Often my sessions are short. It's just that I find drawing mentally intense and very frustrating at times (although tremendously rewarding as well).

I'm tempted to signup for something like FocusMate (that's the one I've used, maybe there are free ones out there)?. It pairs you with someone else for 25 minutes, basically forcing you to work.

What do you think of that?

I can understand if you're doing it for work. But aren't hobbies supposed to be enjoyable and fun? Kinda weird using a app designed for work for a hobby.

I'm trying to create an art portfolio for job applications/to just have a portfolio of work. I am most experienced in fine art. However, I also have many graphic design pieces I want to include. I don't know anything about beginning or styling a portfolio to stand out. Please can someone link good examples that include graphic design and fine art or just good portfolios for inspiration. Am I supposed to include descriptions/text or just my work. Thank youuuu

I've always found it interesting how two people can look at the same piece of art and feel completely different things.

Some people look for a deeper meaning, a story, or an emotion behind every detail. Others believe art doesn't need an explanation, sometimes the colors, shapes, and overall feeling are enough.

Personally, I think both perspectives have something special about them.

What do you think? Does art need a meaning to be valuable, or can something be beautiful simply because it makes you feel something?

Hey guys, i would appreciate if anyone give me some tips on how to record pov shots of drawing during traveling since I searched it online there is a thing called neck mounts which help artist to record their drawings in an pov angle but it's kinda expensive for me, like my parents won't allow me to waste money on it but i went through with another product called chest mouth where I can connect my phone to my chest and can record it but i believe like that the angle will to low which would be a problem in recording my art for social media....

From time to time, the algorithm blesses me with some wonderful accounts, but I just went through my followed list, and a lot of them are no longer active... So I'm looking for recommendations.

Fantastical, mystical, whimsical, magical vibes. Could be high fantasy or just everyday things with whimsical details. All mediums.

No examples because I want to look through anything and everything you love that you think fits the theme.

Just please mention the platform(s) where I can find them!

I struggle a lot with dried up acrylic paints in the glass bottle. They're mostly of DOMS brand. Please please please suggest some good acrylic paints free from this problem that are readily available in India. Platforms: Amazon, Blinkit, local art stores.

Just tryna find out where to look and what steps to take to become more visible and interactive with artsy friends. I’m fairly personable I like to think and I reach out to individuals of all types of communities when I can find them but with this particular one id just wanna know where people go both online and offline to do that as well as what are some general socially practical ways to approach people who do make art that have worked out for y’all? Any and all feedback would be appreciated ❤️

Theme parks are so colorful and inspirational. I don't ever seem to see anyone drawing there on social media. I haven't been able to visit for a long time because i am a broke student, so i am curious if there are people doing it and just not posting (let be real, posting os a whole other thing then making art anyway). I am saving up for a ticket + the trip, I have had this idea in my head for a while but i am also hesitant a bit.

What are your observations? have you considered doing it?

I’m curious about how artists make choices when designing characters, like their hairstyle, clothing, colors, body shape, and facial features.

Do you usually start with the character’s personality and role, or come up with a look you like and develop their personality afterward? How much of the design is meant to communicate something about them, and how much is simply personal preference?

I’d love to hear examples from your own characters and why you chose certain details!

For the last few months or so I've been really wanting to learn to draw however I am someone who really struggles to stick with routine and struggles to learn without a plan.

I have been looking everywhere for resources that can really guide me in learning to draw and always fall into the same type of lessons that don't really work for me or I have done already, I don't know if what I'm saying makes sense to anyone else but like I would really benefit from guided lessons or such.

Is there any advice anyone could give me on actually starting to learn, I have so many ideas in my head but just don't really have an outlet for them and drawing is something I genuinely want to pursue but I just get demotivated so easily.

Just putting my feelers out for some recommendations. Right now I'm a freight lead at a small grocery store, it has its ups (Getting off pretty early in the day being the big one, its full time) but some big downs (I get paid pretty low wage, my days are entirely dependent on when a truck driver shows up and that is wildly inconsistent, and I essentially loose Monday and Thursday due to the next day being very early morning shifts.)

Im mostly looking for something that will give me time to draw, but also pays a bit better than what I'm currently making. Im very physically capable and not shy about doing dirty work. So hit me with some ideas

I am a Mechanical engineer by education and work in corporate in my core industry with a pretty decent salary for 8 years now. I have loved what I did and throughout and wanted to build a career in the same industry all along but for the past couple years I feel like I don't belong here and that this is not for me, this is causing me existential crisis and mental health issues. I used to be a creative kid with interest in drawing, paintings and fashion. I feel like I need a career shift and do something that makes me feel content and make enough money too. To all creative people is there a way I could start my creativity journey which leads to somewhere and feels fulfilling?

Or just loose papers! I really want to get into them

Haii im drawing my whole life but with time i lost my track and don't know what to draw or maybe in what style do i want to do it. I wanted to search up for inspiration on Pinterest but it didnt work for me at all. I don't know how to keep up being motivated and just draw to have fun and learn something new. What do you do in similar situations?