Waterfall Tiger 2006 and 2021

Вторник, 09 Февраля 2021 г. 17:06 + в цитатник

This picture tells 15 years of my journey as an artist.

This is my story about improvement. I cannot believe how I used to draw, but I remember that feeling when I was creating piece like that: it was already at my limits!! Enough, yet that piece felt like it was everything.

Waterfall Tiger was one of my very first drawings Ive posted online - for me it was kind of fresh discovery creating fantasy animals. The only thing that is very different, are his colours - I wanted to do more grey-blue but ended making vibrant blues, but alas, because of the available pencils I had with me.

Going through retrospective, Ive went through a long journey understanding the animal anatomy (wild cats are really difficult to understand for me... such shapeshifters!), learning to paint environment, the depth and the distance referencing from real life during my travels and mastering the use of traditional tools& but here is most important part of the story:

Today I am seeing MUCH better pieces for artists that are between 14-18 years and I feel like: wow, when I was 15 years old, did I really suck so much? I didnt even know how to scan it properly?! It wasnt about skill, but making aesthetic looking piece.

By that time, especially from 2000 to 2007 was freshly rising era for the artists to share art through online media - DeviantART, forums and other art platforms (forgot names). It was all before Facebook, Twitter or Instagram existed as powerful social media for artists. Before fantasy art really existed in books, magazines, movies, games, comics and galleries exclusively... I was introduced to internet quite late, somewhere at age 14 years and before I created for only myself and my friends.
Around 2006 tools didnt exist. Not only technology was limited but resources were super limited. Only very few artists knew proper digital painting craft. Also access to fantasy art was very limited, usually only via magazines.

So if you posted crappy scanned picture or knew how to use (excuse me) dodge tool... it was already exciting!
I remember when I was desperately to find tutorial for digital art or learn painting landscapes, they were so difficult to use, gruelling to go through, some were accessible via CD disc. In the end, AlectorFencer was first who introduced me in to digital art and landscapes in person - how to use overlay or textured brushes properly.

Now, today young artists have phenomenal access to many sources and various solutions to create art so aesthetically looking. Really, really amazing ones. Very affordable tutorials from masters, tips and just using Twitter alone is like entering to ocean of inspiration of well composed works. Part of learning is not only schools, mentorships, tutorials, but the society that we are in, just let observing art from other people alone from these we follow or shared art - standards have changed dramatically in time.
Which is even better for them, because if they have fantastic chance to build powerful base - it will make them great artists in the future.

& speaking of which, traditional art hasnt changed really. Perhaps in digital medium we have great evolution of better brushes, devices, 3D models, presets, tricks, colour palettes and everything is so upgraded - but real media, I am using almost the same pencils and paints as 15 was years ago. Just only I learnt to use it better.
However, what has changed and made grand impact on traditional art is co-influence of modern times. Ive been seeing so many so great art from digital artists, "drooling" over them and my mind is subconsciously influenced by well refined digital pieces - so I build subconscious tendency to render in traditional way to look like those digitals.

And one more thing, I ensure this piece is in 100% traditional from scratch.

Ultimately, there are two messages from this piece: to show retrospective how standards of art has changed and improvement: we all are changing to become better in what we do - one thing for sure, everyone has different speed and pace with improvement. If we strive, observe, learn and practice. I don't care how good you're at , I care that you're improving to become better.
Growing.