Home General Discussion

Why some people are better at art than others.

2

Replies

  • Mask_Salesman
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    Mask_Salesman polycounter lvl 13
    Practice...


    What's this imaginary word "talented"?
  • serriffe
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    serriffe polycounter lvl 9
    “1% talent and 99% percent hard work...” I'll always say but these days, it's more like 110% give or take :D
  • Torch
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    Torch interpolator
    I want to go to FZD XO
  • fearian
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    fearian greentooth
    Torch wrote: »
    I want to go to FZD XO

    I'm not remotely a 2d artist and I want to go... Maybe some day :)
  • AndroidBebop
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    fearian wrote: »
    I'm not remotely a 2d artist and I want to go... Maybe some day :)

    Same here, I would love to be able to draw my own concept art.
    LRoy wrote: »
    I thought this was pretty interesting. Made sense and am guilty of doing it myself.

    Episode 59 - Before and After - YouTube

    It's from FZD, he talks about the two methods of learning, repetition vs. fundamentals. With repetition the learning curve involves you making a mistake, undoing, trying it again, making another mistake, undoing, etc. With the fundamentals you take time in the beginning to solidify your knowledge of the subject so that you skip the repeated mistakes.

    That was a great video, Thank you very much for sharing it with us.
    shotgun wrote: »
    I define the creative process as 50% math (which includes geometry) and 50% emotion.
    Everybody has feelings, but not anybody can express them.
    Handling the math part is even less common.

    Some people perceive the world in terms of shapes (x & y), others see forms (x, y & z).
    Some have started developing their craft at a young age and got it going naturally, without ever questioning their perception.
    For most ppl, the one thing that is common is the self-doubt when facing a challenge, and what makes one better than the other is not giving up.

    Could you elaborate on the "some see it in shapes" and "some see it in forms" please
  • Leinad
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    Leinad polycounter lvl 11
    "Natural talent" is often overblown in importance by new artists. However, there are certain personality types that generally have an advantage of some sorts (which is partly due to genetics). I feel that those who are highly motivated, optimistic, and curious tend to have an advantage. This is not to say that they will certainly be great artists just that they are less likely to quit when things get rough.

    There are always exceptions, the beauty of art is that there are many different approaches to obtaining high level of skill.

    Personally, I find that the most consistent variable in determining artistic success is passion mixed with motivation.
  • valuemeal
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    valuemeal polycounter lvl 6
    Well in some cases it's knowing the right pieces of information to create the best pieces, you know? Practice is a huge part of it, but not having the right tools can really set one back you know?

    When I was in my first year of college I was using a sketchbook with poor quality paper, and really odd pencils because the school provided them, I was feeling no good until I found the right type of equipment and everything seemed to progress from there.

    Also having the right people to tell what techniques are the best really helps?
    It seems as though I am not good at following tutuorials, I seem to remember it verbatim if someone actually teaches me how to do it in person one on one once for some reason though.
  • ExcessiveZero
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    ExcessiveZero polycounter lvl 6
    Speaking only for myself, every skill I've acquired has represented a tremendous amount of work:

    drawing
    sculpting
    playing the drums
    fencing
    learning languages

    None of it has come easily to me. What I do have, however, is a stubborn tenacity that pushes me to keep chipping away at these things. It can, admittedly, be frustrating to watch people who are able to learn and apply their knowledge with more speed and grace. People for whom getting good at things just seems to come easily. But rather than let that discourage me, it fuels me to work even harder. It's a constant uphill climb, but it's a climb that I usually enjoy since I invest myself in subjects I'm genuinely interested in.

    I do firmly believe that if you sat two people in a room and, all other things being equal (age, gender, health, upbringing, emotional security, etc) and trained them both on a skill (say sculpting) at the same rate...one of them would walk out of that room more highly skilled than the other. For The more highly skilled person, the learning materials they were both given resonated in a more meaningful and applicable way than it did for the lesser skilled person. That isn't to say the lesser skilled person can't eventually catch up, it will just be more work for him/her. Sort of like running a race with weights on your ankles when the other person isn't encumbered in the same way. They'll both get there, it's just going to be a slower, more difficult process for one of them.
    very interesting way of putting it, for me its the uphill climb that appeals to me, some things have undoubtedly come easy to me before, but easy isn't interesting, easy doesn't make my brain content or happy, you need something that at least challenges you somewhat or you will be bored and complacent and not put in the hard work.

    If I never found creating CG challenging I doubt I would of given it more than a few hours of attention, then I would have likely gone onto coding or something else.
  • SuperFranky
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    SuperFranky polycounter lvl 10
    I believe that it's not about talent, it's about opportunities. You can find some relevant information when you really need it, and it will help you in some way you didn't expect. You can find a new friend that can help you with your studies and boost your self respect, and that can help you achieve things you've never dreamed of. It's who you know, what you know and when you acquire things you need is what counts. You can say it's just life, but you can't gain those things if you don't search for them with an intent. Talent won't help you, if you can't find a book you need. But it can help you take all you have on another level, if you so desire. Maybe you can call it passion instead.
  • LRoy
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    LRoy polycounter lvl 10
    I think to completely say there is no such thing as talent, or ability that someone is born with is silly. You can train all you want, chances are you will never be in the NFL. What about autistic savants who can draw an Rome from memory?

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVqRT_kCOLI"]Stephen Wiltshire draws Rome from memory - YouTube[/ame]

    Obviously these are extreme examples, but if there are extreme ones then there are certainly minor ones. I'm not discounting hard work at all, but it's pretty obvious that some people are just better built for things than others, whether it be creatively or otherwise.
  • Mark Dygert
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    Sure there are stories about people who do amazing things with little to no study or practice. Often they are diagnosed with "savant syndrome" but they are few and far between. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/when-brain-damage-unlocks-genius-within
    While the neurological causes of acquired savant syndrome are poorly understood I wouldn't lump everyone who has artistic skill under that umbrella.

    Practice will only get you so far and you have to be careful that you don't end up repeating the same mistakes over and over again never realizing that you are actually making a mistake.

    Study alone won't get you very far but it does help prime the pump for when you do start practicing.

    Study and practice are critical to improving.
    This shouldn't be news to anyone...
  • KellyGracey
    Options
    Offline / Send Message
    Timidy wrote: »
    In that same vein then you have to consider that on the other hand some people are born with a natural talent for numbers and logic

    there's a ring of truth in this statement
2
Sign In or Register to comment.