General Discussion

learn from whatever inspires you, and don't be afraid to (temporarily) ditch things that don't work for you!
...this may need some explanation.

I grew up drawing mostly animals and was never really interested in drawing humans. I did eventually sort-of seriously try to learn how to draw humans so I could draw fanart for my favorite series, but the anatomy never made sense to me and no matter how hard I tried I simply couldn't figure it out. after a few years of artblock, I eventually decided that, you know what, (character) is a dragoon (job class in Final Fantasy), I'm going to pun and make him a dragon, and while I'm at it I might as well start drawing other characters as dragons. well, guess what, I drew everyone as dragons and never looked back.

now, I strongly advise against completely dropping something like I did. I acted out of frustration, and I still hold too much anger to consider trying again. however, knowing how to draw many different things is a skill that many artists value, and even if you specialize in one thing, it helps to know how to draw other things too.

so my actual advice is: if something is holding you back, drop it and focus on something that helps you develop. you can always come back and try again. just do yourself a favor and drop it before it destroys your motivation to draw.

Just because it's a hobby that you're passionate about doesn't mean you need to make money off of it. If you enjoy art, working art as a profession (be it for a company or freelance) can absolutely destroy your love of it (if you aren't careful)

Commissions require a lot of self discipline and endless amounts of your free time. You will most likely be doing them in addition to a full time job (because they aren't stable income).

Many companies will undervalue you and crunch you. Burnout is high.

***
If you are doing commissions, work only within your limits. If all you can handle is one slot at a time, only do one slot at a time. You will have much happier, repeat customers if you can get them their artwork in a timely manner without dropping off the face of the Earth. Make sure to maintain communication and let them know if you've encountered life circumstances that will delay you. Most people are surprisingly understanding, just don't ghost them or run away with their money. Many people who commission artists online are (rightfully) scared of this happening, if you are reliable, they will feel more comfortable and recommend you to their friends too.

***
Draw the hands.

for graphic designers, if you want more vibrant gradients in illustrator set each individual color within that gradient to CMYK. you're welcome :)

Draw whatever you want. Be cringe. Be free.

Also, don't feel like just because you're an artist, you have to do commissions. You don't. Especially if you're still a beginner, you'll probably either undersell yourself and end up swamped and overwhelmed, or you'll get barely any orders and end up discouraged. If you're doing commissions for cheap just because you feel like you should, or you want external validation, this is your reminder that you genuinely Do Not Have To. If you are able to keep things organized, are at a point skill-wise where you can charge a fair amount for your commissions, and enjoy doing them, then do that! But if you're spending hours of your time drawing other peoples' dragons for like 100g, it's probably not worth it.

dont know if this helps but take long (but minimal) breaks. at least, in my experience as an artist, my art tends to get so much better if i take a prolonged break. i guess it has something to do with your hand somewhat forgetting how to draw things the way you used to after a prolonged amount of time, and depending on how much inspo you've consumed in that between period. or if not inspo, then maybe it's the freedom of trying new things rather than being fixed on the style you've tried before!

[quote]Just because it's a hobby that you're passionate about doesn't mean you need to make money off of it. If you enjoy art, working art as a profession (be it for a company or freelance) can absolutely destroy your love of it.[/quote] /sweats in Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art Then again it seems like every week I deal with the form of imposter syndrome that manifests as 'You should have gotten your degree in something USEFUL like computer science or engineering' despite me being terrible with anything technical...

[quote name="Iokharic" date="2022-12-09 16:20:26" ] [quote]Just because it's a hobby that you're passionate about doesn't mean you need to make money off of it. If you enjoy art, working art as a profession (be it for a company or freelance) can absolutely destroy your love of it.[/quote] /sweats in Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art Then again it seems like every week I deal with the form of imposter syndrome that manifests as 'You should have gotten your degree in something USEFUL like computer science or engineering' despite me being terrible with anything technical... [/quote] @Iokharic I'm sorry [emoji=gaoler scared size=1] for what it's worth, I don't think there are many professions anymore that are guaranteed success routes. Things are just rough for everyone. There are upsides too, a BFA (for example) is a very versatile degree and anyone who tells you it's useless doesn't understand the sheer amount of things designed by creative professionals. People with art degrees can find work. The pay isn't spectacular but it's enough to get by. The job satisfaction can also be very high. It just takes a lot of dedication and some willingness (and a little bit of luck) to go non-traditional routes and find something that really works for you. As for maintaining your passion for art, self care and taking a break to work on something you want to draw (vs getting overwhelmed with what people tell you to draw) is really important.

1. It helps to do warm-up exercises before starting a drawing, there are plenty that you can find online but I'm lazy and just like to draw a bunch of circles while I watch a video, maybe add some rows of straight lines if I feel like spicing things up. It really does help make your movements a little smoother so you spend less time erasing what you draw.

2. Don't forget fundamentals! Even intermediate/advanced artists can benefit from going back to tutorials that involve spheres, cylinders, cubes, and basic shading. The tutorials that teach you how to then manipulate those types of shapes drastically improve how you interpret shapes to make your drawings fit together more effectively. It seems boring, especially if you already feel "past that point", but trust me, don't rush your learning.

3. Ultimately, art is a form of self-expression. If your job involves art, it can become easy to fall into a more "standard" art style. There are many professional artists who end up feeling like they can no longer express themselves through art due to needing to meet demands and requirements. Try drawing something every now and then to just express yourself without regards to quality

Don't skip the hard parts. I always hated drawing legs and feet so I used to only draw characters from the waist up. But I realized I couldn't keep doing that forever, and now when I draw everything looks fine above the hips but the legs just look like two popsicle sticks with potatoes glued to the ends.