Art What got you into art/drawing?

[Alucard]

Seems like most people just use this forum to show thier art, if discussions are a no go then I apologise in advance.

In another thread I briefly mentioned the moment I really got into drawing. Some of you people may take art seriously some may think its a dumb passtime. For those that do (i mean do take it seriously -_-!), I ask what was your journey getting in to art and how you gradually improved your skill?

Ill go first as well Im the OP.

My best friend in elementary school was awesome at drawing and was exceptionally good, so I used to doodle with him often. Eventually in 5th grade something clicked and I was able to draw well (I even felt I was drawing better than him, damn i was cheeky lol).

I got into drawing manga style without actually knowing it, I copied dbz and street fighter characters and then made my own fighter guys (needless to say they were all hench men). When I grew older I used the net to find many resources that taught the principles of manga and practiced like mad. Polykarbon.com was a very influencial resource to my style and method.

Im still improving as my actual drawings feel like they lack that special shine but now I have moved onto drawing complete manga's rather than static character designs.

[Kre]

To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I remember, when I was little messing around with colored pencils and all that, but I don't remember how I actually got INTO art seriously. I know, when I was like four, my neighbors would draw manga and they were like seven years older than me. Back then I didn't know what the style was. Then came Pokémon and DBZ which got me hooked into anime and manga style without me knowing it. After that, I think I found one of those 'How To Draw Manga' books and thought 'Hey this looks familair.' and picked it up. But to be honest, I've always loved art.

[Alucard]

[quote name='Rurouni922']To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I remember, when I was little messing around with colored pencils and all that, but I don't remember how I actually got INTO art seriously. I know, when I was like four, my neighbors would draw manga and they were like seven years older than me. Back then I didn't know what the style was. Then came Pokémon and DBZ which got me hooked into anime and manga style without me knowing it. After that, I think I found one of those 'How To Draw Manga' books and thought 'Hey this looks familair.' and picked it up. But to be honest, I've always loved art.[/QUOTE]

Haha man, DBZ, the show which is so influencial to most manga geeks out there but few who like to admit it. -_-.

[Kre]

[quote name='Alucard']Haha man, DBZ, the show which is so influencial to most manga geeks out there but few who like to admit it. -_-.[/QUOTE]

Yep, definitely so true. Don't see why though, most people were like five at the time, and that's why they liked it. But, who knows eh?

[boothten]

[size=1]What got me into art/graphic design?

It was back in 9th grade, so a little over 4 years ago, and I discovered this one really interesting website. At the time I was really into anime, which I no longer am, so I was interested in finding anime websites.

I found theOtaku.
And then OtakuBoards.

Haha, as surprising as it is seeing the current condition and activity level of the Art Studio, OtakuBoards and many GFX artists on here actually got me really interested in art. Nomad and Kenji were actually two of my early influences, I really admired their artwork and banner/art making abilities.

At first, I was using MS Paint, which is just awful. I know, hahah.
Then I got Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 which I still use to this day, but [i]only[/i] to add borders to tags/artwork, hahaha.
I was never really good with PSP 8.0, and I was only making artwork every now and then. At this point, I thought making signatures and LP digital artwork was fun, but I never really took it seriously.

Then, I finally got my hands on Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard. I was always just messing around with Photoshop CS and Illustrator CS, but this time I started getting more serious towards the art field.

It's been about a year since I got Adobe CS Standard, I have since then purchased the upgraded version to CS2. I'm also planning on getting my Bachelor's in Art/Commercial Design within the next few years.

And it's all thanks to OB, ha.[/size]

[Alucard]

[quote name='boothten'][size=1]What got me into art/graphic design?

It was back in 9th grade, so a little over 4 years ago, and I discovered this one really interesting website. At the time I was really into anime, which I no longer am, so I was interested in finding anime websites.

I found theOtaku.
And then OtakuBoards.

Haha, as surprising as it is seeing the current condition and activity level of the Art Studio, OtakuBoards and many GFX artists on here actually got me really interested in art. Nomad and Kenji were actually two of my early influences, I really admired their artwork and banner/art making abilities.

At first, I was using MS Paint, which is just awful. I know, hahah.
Then I got Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 which I still use to this day, but [i]only[/i] to add borders to tags/artwork, hahaha.
I was never really good with PSP 8.0, and I was only making artwork every now and then. At this point, I thought making signatures and LP digital artwork was fun, but I never really took it seriously.

Then, I finally got my hands on Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard. I was always just messing around with Photoshop CS and Illustrator CS, but this time I started getting more serious towards the art field.

It's been about a year since I got Adobe CS Standard, I have since then purchased the upgraded version to CS2. I'm also planning on getting my Bachelor's in Art/Commercial Design within the next few years.

And it's all thanks to OB, ha.[/size][/QUOTE]

Thats pretty amazing. Im really clueless when it comes to digital art and hopefully I can learn it from these boards as have you. Its amazing how influencial OB have been to you, you even went and got a art/comercial design bachelors. Nice!

[chibi-master]

Well,...tough question...-_-; I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. It started with drawing in my applesauce with my finger when I was a baby. I was pretty crappy at drawing until I met my best friend, sleepychan14, in sixth grade. That was in the fall of 2006. I had moved from Texas to where I am now and met her in the classroom. We both started drawing at our desks and that's pretty much how it happened.

I will sometimes draw realistic stuff, but I mostly stick to chibis. That would be the origin of my screen name. And when I [I]do[/I] draw non-chibi stuff, I either burn it, or never let it see the light of day. Mostly burning...:animeswea

Anyway, I hope to be a graphic novelist some time in the future, near or not. And for the 0% population of people who give a *******, I want to use my screen name as a pen name. Yay.:animesigh

My inspiration usually comes from my daydreams and Kay chan (sleepychan14). Just ignore her "Not Kay Chan" title. It lies.:p

[Kre]

[quote name='boothten'][size=1]What got me into art/graphic design?

It was back in 9th grade, so a little over 4 years ago, and I discovered this one really interesting website. At the time I was really into anime, which I no longer am, so I was interested in finding anime websites.

I found theOtaku.
And then OtakuBoards.

Haha, as surprising as it is seeing the current condition and activity level of the Art Studio, OtakuBoards and many GFX artists on here actually got me really interested in art. Nomad and Kenji were actually two of my early influences, I really admired their artwork and banner/art making abilities.

At first, I was using MS Paint, which is just awful. I know, hahah.
Then I got Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 which I still use to this day, but [i]only[/i] to add borders to tags/artwork, hahaha.
I was never really good with PSP 8.0, and I was only making artwork every now and then. At this point, I thought making signatures and LP digital artwork was fun, but I never really took it seriously.

Then, I finally got my hands on Adobe Creative Suite Design Standard. I was always just messing around with Photoshop CS and Illustrator CS, but this time I started getting more serious towards the art field.

It's been about a year since I got Adobe CS Standard, I have since then purchased the upgraded version to CS2. I'm also planning on getting my Bachelor's in Art/Commercial Design within the next few years.

And it's all thanks to OB, ha.[/size][/QUOTE]

As Alucard said, that's pretty impressive. I too plan to get a degree in some sort of graphic design, although I'm having trouble deciding whether to go farther with illustration, computer graphics, or music. I was basically raised around Photoshop, with my dad who worked as a photo re-toucher for some car companies, and now works for a newspaper in Atlanta.(I don't get it seeing how we live in Michigan.) I would use some of the banners I made for OB, but sadly they exceed the size limits :(

[boothten]

[quote name='Alucard'][size=1]Thats pretty amazing. Im really clueless when it comes to digital art and hopefully I can learn it from these boards as have you. Its amazing how influencial OB have been to you, you even went and got a art/comercial design bachelors. Nice![/size][/QUOTE]
[size=1]Thanks!
I'm actually in the process of getting it right now, I haven't yet done so. Yeah though, the Art Studio here had a HUGE impact on my love for graphic design right now.
Well it used to anyway, when it was actually active. haha
It's actually not funny, I don't know why I added that last "haha."
=/[/size]

[quote name='Rurouni922][size=1']As Alucard said, that's pretty impressive. I too plan to get a degree in some sort of graphic design, although I'm having trouble deciding whether to go farther with illustration, computer graphics, or music. I was basically raised around Photoshop, with my dad who worked as a photo re-toucher for some car companies, and now works for a newspaper in Atlanta.(I don't get it seeing how we live in Michigan.) I would use some of the banners I made for OB, but sadly they exceed the size limits[/size][/quote]
[size=1]And thanks to you too!
That's really cool that you were actually raised around the software though, so you at least have basic knowledge of how it works, what is appealing, and so on.
I grew up without it so when I started, I had to basically start and progress on my own. I did have help from online communities though, especially here like I previously said.

And you should post up the banners in your own thread anyway!
You're never going to learn and progress if you keep them stored on your hard drive without showing them to anyone, haha.
Comments and criticism are a beautiful thing. You learn A LOT from it.
;D![/size]

[Kre]

[quote name='boothten']
[size=1]And you should post up the banners in your own thread anyway!
You're never going to learn and progress if you keep them stored on your hard drive without showing them to anyone, haha.
Comments and criticism are a beautiful thing. You learn A LOT from it.
;D![/size][/QUOTE]

Yeah, I DO have an art thread that's like three years old haha. Posted in it once or twice when I basically first started doing some Photoshop banners. Perhaps I'll resurrect it from the dead and post my pieces that I like. =D

[Lunar]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Wow. what a great question. here's my story:

It was a sunny-ish day when i saw one of my classmate's drawings. and i was like "hey maybe i should try!"
later that day i come home and try drawing one of the worst anime drawings of all time.
so. the next day i tried to improve and improve. then, i got bored.

I quit and went into writing poems. This new foud talent went extremely well until, well, i got bored.
So I go back to drawing. I have improved. Drew and drew and drew, and then found out that I had the hidden talent of writing. Writing, to me was more interesting, so i went ahead and wrote three stories.

then, i started writing and drawing. what do ya know? i started my first comic! still drawing and writing.

THE END[/COLOR]

[SaiyanPrincessX]

[SIZE="1"]I always loved drawing as a kid. I started to get really inspired when I started watching DBZ. I was about eleven years old, so its been over 10 years now. I would draw for hours everyday, and I went through stages. I started drawing very lightly to the point where you could barely see it, to very very dark, to a more toned down style. I've progressed a lot over time, and I don't restrict myself to the DragonBall style anymore. Although its still one of my favorites because its so familiar to me and brings back good memories.

I actually redid a few of my older drawings and placed them side by side in PS to see the drastic improvement I've gone through over the years, and its amazing. I suggest everyone does this, heh.

As for graphics, I started out with MS Paint like evryone else, then to a real cheap program that came with our scanner, then finally buying PaintSjop Pro 7 when I was fifteen-ish. So thats when I started making graphics. I would try to imatate what I saw on various websites, and attepted to create my own layouts for fun. Eventually I upgraded to Photoshop after using PaintShop for nearly three years. So I've been using Photoshop for almost four, I think. I enjoy making wallpapers, banners, layouts, and coloring my drawings.

I wanted to go unto the art field my whole life. In middle school I wanted to be an animation artist, but after being introduced to manga I decided I wanted to be a manga artist and live in Japan. I wanted this all through high school. However I've changed a lot since graduating, and I don't think I'll be going in to art. I still love it, but I don't have as much time to dedicate to my artwork as I used to and after being exposed to other things over the years like martial arts, working out, and other things I've found myself wondering if I would ever be able to sit in one place and draw all day long. I like to be active and move around, so sitting there everyday with a deadline hanging over my head doesn't sound so appealing.[/SIZE]

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] I always enjoyed drawing when I was little, but I started drawing anime when this guy I knew in middle school drew some stuff in front of me and I became....incredibly jealous. lol. Jealousy fueled my desire to draw.

But now it's more about relaxation than anything else.[/font]

[jigglyness]

[SIZE=1]Hmm...well it started in 4th grade. One friend of mine liked to draw a lot so I just followed along. I eventually started to really like drawing. So it turned into a hobby. I was never really into drawing ALL the time. I used to always draw pokemon and sailor moon all over anything that was blank. I sometimes even drew inside books that were'nt even mine. haha. I stopped drawing as much when I got into middle school. Maybe because I was trying to improve my grades. My parents bribed me with money...but I never got any :[ so sad.

Then as soon as I entered high school, I knew I wanted art to forever be a part of my life. That's when I started to take lessons with a private art teacher while taking a basic art class at school. I never tried to copy the manga style. I didn't like imitating their styles. Now that I think back, I think its maybe because it never looked good enough for me, so I stuck with my own style. Then sophomore year, I thought I really wanted to do animation, so I took a class on animation at school. After taking that class I knew for a fact that I did not want to enter into that field. I realized my love for traditional art (sketching, painting, colors pencils, etc). So for the next two years, I took my art seriously. It paid off of course.

So now, I'm entering college in hopes to get my BFA then transfer to a reknowned private art college. I really want this and my parents finally support me fully. :]

As for the graphic arts, It's merely a hobby for me. I don't plan to take it too seriously. But I still love it with all my heart. One of my favorite past-times. :D Surprisingly, it didn't start with MS Paint like almost everyone here. I really hated MS Paint. haha. So it started with a program called 'Photofiltre'. It was pretty noob but hey. It was the best next to ms paint and plus, it was free. So my passion escaladed from there. I then started to use GIMP. A lot of people suggested it to me since I didn't know too much about photoshop. I somehow got my hands on photoshop 7. I had PS7 for quite a long time. At first I wasn't too satisfied with my work but with constant practice and inspiration from all of you talented artists here, I've gotten to a point where I am at least satisfied with the work I've produced. :D I've just recently ugraded to CS3 from PS7. Big jump but its really no different but a couple of features. [shrug]. I took a graphic design class at the school and it sucked. The teacher was terrible and didn't teach us SH!T. The only thing I learned to use was the pen tool in Illustrator. :\ She didn't teach anyone anything new with photoshop. It was surely disappointing. [sigh].[/SIZE]

[Xerxes]

[SIZE="1"][FONT="Century Gothic"][COLOR="Purple"]This is an amazing question to ask. Here's my little story:

It started when I was younger [Than I am now, I'm only 15], one of my friends was interested in it and I wondered what in the world it was. Then I found a manga book at school and looked through it. At first I was confused but it sparked my interest on what the hell it was. I searched the internet and I found out what it was. In the sixth grade I started to draw. I still have my first drawing from that time too. It looks really horrible.:animeswea I soon started drawing more and more over the years.

I first started out drawing OCs for anime shows that I got hooked on. I did that for about two and half years I think... Afterwards, I started writing stories and thought up of characters and started to draw them. It was really a good change. Most of the older ones I did, were flat and didn't have any emotion on the faces they had. I soon got over that and my style is what I would call gothic. It's mostly CLAMP inspired.

Since I started high school last, I had art as one of my electives and it has improved a lot more than what it was. Art was the only thing that I loved and it always will be as well as theatre. Damn do I love theatre. Anyway, since having an entire year of art and going on to Art II, I'm sure that I can pursue my goals and become a mangaka. Though I haven't tried drawing in a manga format but I'm planning onto in the years to come. Right now, I'm working on an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland picture. It's taking some time up I'm sure to finish it like all the other works of art that I do.

Well, that's basically it... [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]

[Alucard]

[quote name='The Black Order'][SIZE="1"][FONT="Century Gothic"][COLOR="Purple"]snip[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/QUOTE]

While I understand every artist has got to work in his or her own pace I would like to highlight a point here.

Drawing manga pages is sooooo much different from drawing manga characters on a blank piece of paper. Its like a totally different ballgame to me. There is things that you gotta learn un-related to actual drawing and more to planning design and panels. Seriously I would recommend drawing comics as early as possible.

I started drawing them this year and thought it would be an easy transition, boy was I wrong.

[Jeremy]

[SIZE="1"]I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I've always had a passion for art, and I've never wanted a career in anything but art. But when I was in seventh grade there was a girl in my class that was exceptional at drawing, and better than me (she always drew anime-style drawings). Well I became inspired by her and decided drawing was something I seriously wanted to get real about, and so I started drawing from anime. I drew a good many DragonBall Z portraits and whatnot, and made my own comics that were basically ripoffs of DragonBall, haha.

Eventually I realized that drawing was something I was exceptionally good at, and so I embraced it and drew many different things. I began to paint a little, but drawing is what I've done more than anything. Lately I've decided graphic design is the best field for me to pursue with my love of drawing and design, and so I am now a sophomore in college for graphic design and I still continue to practice daily to become a better artist. I use books to study from and take reference from and I draw and use Photoshop on a daily basis, and I don't know if I really believe in mastering an art. I believe that you can't really ever stop becoming better and better, and so I'm going to be drawing and making art until the day I die. [/SIZE]

[Xerxes]

[quote name='Alucard']Drawing manga pages is sooooo much different from drawing manga characters on a blank piece of paper. Its like a totally different ballgame to me. There is things that you gotta learn un-related to actual drawing and more to planning design and panels. Seriously I would recommend drawing comics as early as possible.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Century Gothic"][COLOR="Navy"]Oh, I know it will be a big change and I've started thinking about all the design and panels and man was it hard just thinking. But thanks for the heads up! I'm sure that it will help me.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Nelo]

[COLOR="Sienna"]nice question!

As far as i remember ive been influenced by a friend an elementary room mate.
It was year 1990 when im into drawing(just a doodle drawing)
My first drawing was a bird a pigeon bird that i saw near our church. Everyday after school
i'd take a chance to look in that sculputured pigeon, until ive memorized it.

That year too when Anime had never been boomed in our local tv channels.
That's why you guys are lucky! ^^ to have plenty of anime in your days ^^

My other reference was a book barrowed from our school. Its a fable book
were animals are the main characters. I just love spending my time copying
what is on the book. ^^ There are many other references but not Manga type.



...Until the year when i heard the DRAGON BALL
and abviously my first anime drawing is a child Son Goku and Kririn. ^^

So up until now i been creating fanarts and improving myself.
Sometimes i draw not because i like the Anime story/characters it's becoz im curious
what will it looked when i draw it myself.

thanks to my friend and to the sculptured pigeon. ^__^[/COLOR]

[Hebe]

[FONT="Times new roman"]My mum was an artist, so she always encouraged me to do 'arty things' and experiment with different mediums etc.. I can even remember doodling and painting when I was very small too. Most of my memories that I have are of me painting things =)

The fact that my mum got so far into the art field (when she had to stop working, her occupation was an art administrator in a galley) and had to stop, just forces me on to be the best I can be. I hate it when people say "Oh, being an art isn't a real job' or "Art won't get you anywhere in life" as my mum is living proof that you can.[/FONT]

[Mewmewlover55]

I remember in 4th grade my dad printed off some anime pictures from a website that had tons of anime image galleries. He gave me two images that i had no clue what they were from and one cardcaptor sakura image. I didnt know at the time that it was Cardcaptor Sakura and it turned out to be one of my favorite anime/manga in the future :) I thought that was kinda cool that, that happened.

I kinda just started to copy those pictures he printed off and kept researching more anime and got hooked XD Now i have been sucked into the world of drawing :animeswea

[luluseason]

well, a boy in my class when i was small brought a how to draw manga book to school, and i've always been wanting to have a look in it, but i was too shy to ask
so i kinda went off and started drawing myself from images i found around the internet

ofcourse i hadnt a clue what anime or manga was xD
the first pic i ever drew was a tokyo mew mew one, but i just took it as a cute kitty girl picture xDD
then i moved onto watching animes ~ etc
actually reading manga came much later D;

so in the end, i kinda owe it all to that boy xD

[Hyperninja1]

Back in the days when I was small about 7 my parents bought me a comic book of Sonic Archies. They got me it cause I had told them about this kid in my class was drawing him and my dad knew that he's my favorite becuase he helped me finished Sonic's story in Sonic Adventure. I end up so addicted that I end up copy cating the drawings but not tracing, see what I'm saying? Than later on I end up drawings alot of Pokemons as well and go into more anime drawings. Then I've improved alot more than back then, drawing Pikachu or Sonic is a piece a cake :) *Eats cake XD*

[Ghiest1]

I got a interst in drawing when in kindergarden when mattel started come out with some of the "futuristic" designs for Hot Wheels toys, so I started drawing all these cars, and quickly changed to the pinup models near the cars in about third grade. This I think came from my cousin Brians pin up deck, (Gil Elvgren art), and realized rather quickly that I could draw the women easier then the cars, then came D&D, and I was hooked on drawing characters and dragons. I really did not start drawing the manga style until I got hooked on GITS, so now it is the only style I draw in. I am now working on a friends web comic and really enjoying it.

[HopscotchEyelid]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]I think what got me into art, was how different it was for kids where I lived to care about that kind of stuff.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]It started in 7th grade, when a classmate, who I had no idea was into it, drew a very good picture of the group from Kingdom Hearts.

I liked it so much, that I wanted to try to match it. I wasn't even close, but I managed to impress my parents with a picture of Yu-Gi-Oh! (Yami, the spirit in the puzzle, or whatever). I remember the picture was on a folder I had got for keeping my homework, that I never did, organized.

I was very happy my senior year, when that same kid that drew the Kingdom Hearts picture made a very nice compliment on a picture I drew in class, of Kenshin. I then told him I remembered his Kingdom Hearts picture from 7th Grade, he seemed impressed that I still remembered.

I always used to draw Anime eye's on my assignments, and sometimes I would write, "I'm watching you." Give me an A or else...ha.
[/SIZE][/COLOR]