Art Rant

Learning art is hard, if you're not already an artist.
I just started learning to draw for two reasons:

1. I want to be the programmer version of Dean Dodrill (Maker of Dust: An Elysian Tail), and make a game entirely on my own.
2. I'm a graphics programmer, and I feel like understanding art is just as important as understanding the physics of graphics.

With Programming, there's well-defined basics: Syntax, Variables, using functions, Decision Statements, Loop Statements, Declaring and Defining Functions, Objects, and Pointers. Any tutorial teaching these is, by definition, a basic tutorial. Most tutorials that assume you know these things, state as much. When you look up "basic programming" or "c++ tutorial," you get these same principles. When you look at more advanced tutorials, the better tutorial writers are able to list prerequisite knowledge required, and teach a very specific skill.

This is actually reflected in 3D modeling, which has more of a parametric, programmer-like way of doing things. When you learn the basics, they actually seem to follow this idea of building up a basic set of skills and tools to be used to shape models: Creating Primitives, Selecting and Editing Meshes, Selecting and Editing Vertices, Edges and Faces, Extruding Faces and Box Modeling, Using Modifiers, Setting up Reference Images

I'm probably forgetting a bunch of things, but the idea is that you're able to build a bunch of skills up to a point. That point being that last point: Reference images. If you want to get to the point where you're designing your own characters, environments, and materials, you'll need a foundation in traditional art.

This is where I start to have a lot more trouble. I mean, there's plenty of tutorials for Inkscape, Photoshop, Illustrator, ZBrush and Flash, but those are tools, like a pencil or a set of paints. Most basic tutorials focus on similar ideas to the 3D tutorials, essentially how to use the tools, but not how to actually draw.

Tutorials on deviantart and otherwise tend to have a fairly specific thrust toward how to draw specific things and characters, not the basics. When they do talk about basics, it comes to a few really annoying principles: 

"Draw from life, draw from reference." 

Okay, how do I do that? 

"Draw what you see."

When I draw what I see, it looks like this:

[insert one of my beginner drawings]

"Well, just keep practicing. You'll get better. Maybe choose an artist you like, and copy their work. Practice some gesture drawing."

Translate these into any other medium, and you're no longer talking about the fundamentals. "Look at other people's githubs, and copy what they did. Make programs out of typical processes you do every day. Practice by just randomly making things as fast as possible." Not only are these bad habits for a complete and total beginner, they would often make beginners completely discouraged and make them think that programming is simply a talent, and you either get it or you don't. Sound familiar yet?

So what are the basics? How do we, the art dunces of the world, start to learn how to see like artists? This is the journey I've been on for the past few weeks, and I wanted to document what I've learned so far, and what is needed, as well as my progress. My goal? I need to come up with a number of characters, weapons, items and tile sets for a game I'm working on. This encompasses both environmental design and character design.

In my next post, I'm going to catalog all of the sites and tutorials I've found, and try to organize them into a regimen that can actually be used.