How learnable a skill is drawing/painting?

Well, for years I've had an on and (mostly) off interest in drawing and/ or painting. Now, I never got too serious about it, and thus I've not got much skill in the area. Nowadays, though, I often find myself browsing art on the web, or listening to the more artistic music that makes up a good portion of my musical interests, and I feel like what I want to do the most is to make art myself. I often find myself with an image in my mind, the sort of thing I might make a paintig of were I skilled enough to do so.

I'd like some advice from the more artistically inclined on DV. What would you advise me to do in terms of developing my abilities in visual art? Any advice about mediums or techniques to start with, any other sources for help or tips? I'll get to my computer as soon as I can and post some images to show the sort of art that interests me most.

Completely learnable. It requires a lot of dedication and practice to develop skills as an artist, but in my opinion, anyone can do it. (And I am out of practice, currently, but the point still stands.)

The most important thing in learning to draw, is just to draw. To start out, draw from life: things that are in front of you. Working from photos and imagination has its place, but learning to draw from life - to draw what you see - is the most important tool an artist can have. It's kinda like how improving dream recall is the most important thing you can do to trigger lucid dreaming.

Graphite on paper is probably a good place to start.

If you're looking for help online, I'd recommend ConceptArt.org. Start a sketchbook, and accept constructive criticism. Most of the people offering advice are drawing and painting at a professional level, and if you're honestly looking to improve your skills, that's the place to go.

Well, I'm not the best at art, but I can offer some advice.
There are good ways to start. It is possible to make good art without being too skilled.

For example, I am rubbish at art, but I was able to make this:

http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/i...mpleRender.png


I'm not saying that is good. It also only took like, 2 minutes to make. But it is a hell of a lot better than what I would be able to paint.
What I used there is software called Vue 8. By building skill in that, you can make incredible pieces of art.

The thing is, I don't know how possible it is to learn how to paint. But 3D modelling is a learnable skill which can result in beautiful pieces of artwork.

Also, as a budding artist, it is your sworn duty to discourage the use of lens flare.

Teehee.

As I said, I'm no artist :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Samael

Also, as a budding artist, it is your sworn duty to discourage the use of lens flare.

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Haha, I promise I will :)

Anyways, here's a few samples of my interests

I suppose my favorite artist would be a good place to start. Roder Dean. I love his style and the serene sort of way he depicts things

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...s_Pathways.jpg
http://a0.vox.com/6a00cd972dc0e24cd5...4ba00003-500pi
http://teacherweb.com/LA/JHMS/JBUSH/...rt1024x768.jpg

I love a good landscape painting. Here's a few I like

http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com/..._st_jerome.jpg
https://www.dmt-nexus.com/art/kb_SP9...phe-Norova.jpg
http://pixdaus.com/pics/1254696420t3gTkft.jpg
^Ted Naismith, and interesting artist. All of his works depict scenes from Tolkien's works.

Really, I like art that depicts landscapes, or anything in nature. I like styles that are more off the beaten path, and phychadelic/visionary art holds some interest for me as well, such as that found here. That's a huge repository, hosted at DMT nexus, of all kinds of art, some of which I really like (no, I don't expect you to browse that whole thing, but if you're interested of your own accord, go ahead, there's some good art in there). Sorry I couldn't post a broader range of examples, but I don't have much time at the moment.

I'm sure, like any other skill, I need to start with simple things and gradually work my way up to more complicated things. I'll be in North Carolina This next week, spending a lot of time on the beach, so I'll bring a scketchbook and some good pencils (and erasers :P) and look for things to sketch.

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I'm sure, like any other skill, I need to start with simple things and gradually work my way up to more complicated things.

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You've got it. Just concentrate on drawing what's in front of you.

Of course, I disregard that advice all the time to do sub par figure drawings...