Sometimes your artistic improvement is not only what your hands can do but also what your eye and mind can understand.
Few years ago I was looking at some works of my favourite artists and couldnt even comprehend how they are made. Colors, lightning, workflow - everything seemed so advance my mind was shutting off, just admiring the view but not understanding it.
Now - even if I’m not able to reach their skill or it would take me days - I can analyze and deconstruct all those “impossible” works. I can understand how they use light or color to achieve certain effects and file it for later use.
Remember that your eyes and brain develop as well as your hand, sometimes at different speed. Looking and thinking about art has the same value as actually doing it. Have an artblock? Take some time to browse through your favourite works and instead of thinking how much you can’t do the same, try to understand how it’s done!
THIS IS TRUE. It may not be so obvious at first, but I realized this when I took a break drawing for about a year. I came back and was a bit rough, but my style had changed and my understanding of anatomy and color had as well-just by looking at art in the meantime! This is helpful to ease any worries and the rush that is “You better be drawing all the time and working hard or you won’t improve!!!” mentality. You don’t have to draw all the time. Take a break, enjoy some art, and acknowledge your skills and be able to tell yourself “Hey-I can do that!” And if you DONT understand something, there’s always speedpaints to watch! You don’t have to apply your knowledge immediately in order for it to stick. The brain is a funny thing.
