So here’s the thing about art: it’s not some magical “born talent” that you either have or don’t. You don’t just pop out of the womb ready to paint the Mona Lisa. It’s a skill, which means you grind for it like anything else. Some artists get touchy when people call it “natural talent” because it kinda dismisses years of effort. I don’t really care that much — I’m not fragile — but yeah, most of this is just hard work, trial, and error.
When I’m sketching, it usually starts with me scribbling circles and random shapes. To people who don’t draw, it probably looks like I’m just doodling spaghetti on paper. But that’s literally how you build a character — block out shapes, add form, then refine. Sometimes I’ll eyeball something I see and try to recreate it, but accuracy is hit-or-miss. Grid drawing makes it way easier, but I don’t always bother.
Art block, though… that’s the real boss fight. You’ve got the motivation to draw, you pick up your pencil, and then bam — all the energy evaporates. Honestly, there’s no cheat code for it. You just have to draw through it. That’s been my experience anyway. Other people might swear by some method, but I’m not the art pope, so don’t quote me.
Questions I Get: ( These can either be questions artists get or just personal ones that I have gotten.)
“How do you draw like that without the basics?”
You don’t. You want to get anywhere decent, you’re gonna have to eat your veggies and do the fundamentals. I skipped steps early on, tried drawing stuff way out of my league, and shocker — it didn’t work. Basics are boring, but they save you from pain later.
“Can you teach me how to draw?”
Nope. I’m barely teaching myself. Most of the time I’m winging it, hoping my lines don’t look like noodles. Even if I knew exactly what I was doing, the odds of me teaching it in a way that actually makes sense would be about the same as me actually enjoying math.
“You’re good at drawing! Can you make me a portrait?”
Depends. If you’re a close friend asking me to sketch some character from a show, sure, I might do it because I’m bored. But if you’re asking me for a realistic portrait of you, or even an anime-style drawing — no chance, especially not for free. That stuff takes time and effort, and my realism skills are mid at best. Artists online get mad at this question because they don’t like being pressured, but personally I’ll just say “nah.” Emery has plenty of artists. Go bug them.
“Is being an artist a real job?”
If you seriously think art isn’t a job, it’s time to crawl out from under Patrick’s rock. Everything around you — logos, T-shirts, cartoons, video games, anime — came from an artist. And yes, they can make big money. There’s a saying, “Art is a luxury, not a necessity.” Which basically translates to: “We can charge whatever, because you don’t need it to survive.” Just don’t get greedy — no one’s paying fifty bucks for a badly drawn chibi unless they’re desperate.
Final Thoughts
Anyway, that’s pretty much my whole experience. Art isn’t easy, it isn’t instant, and it definitely isn’t magic “talent.” It’s practice, frustration, and a lot of bad sketches before anything good shows up. Hope you at least found this interesting — or at minimum, looked at the pictures. I might interview some other artists or teams later, so stay tuned for that.
