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I was just wondering... how long did it take for all you awesome artists to become as awesome as you are? (how long have you been drawing)

Just a nagging little thought that has been in my head for a while.

I've been a doodler all my life...but everytime my art style changed (which it does so regularly i can't count em) I'd have to get "good" at it again. With all those fursona drawings you can kinda see a progression or at least sutle changes over time.

I've been drawing since I was oh, three? Four? As soon as I could put crayon to paper, pretty much. A lot of drawing in free time and a lot of drawing classes to help with the basics in composition and color and how to draw from life, stuff like that. It's important to master drawing from life or still-life before moving on to drawing from the imagination, because then you'll have the basics stored away and know where everything goes.
For furry art, go to the zoo and draw the animals there. If you can't get to the zoo, try a natural history/science museum and draw from the taxidermy. Or go to the library and check out books and practice from the pictures. I used a lot of tracing paper in animal and dinosaur books when I was younger before I got good enough to move on to normal paper.
Or use the "How to Draw 50 ________" books for practice. Good for animals and humans.
Once you've got animals down, try combining the features with humans until you've got a mix you like for your furries. Mine have mostly humanoid bodies with animalian paws, heads, and tails. I could draw human bodies ok, but I was never all that great with heads and faces, so I just started sticking animal heads onto my human characters so they'd be easier for me to draw.

Hmm, so 2 of the main artists I know of on Furtopia have been drawing from childhood....... in that case it may be a while before my skills are anywhere near comparable >.<

That was the nagging thought in my head... I just needed confirmation of it to give me a perseverance boost

I've only been seriously drawing for the last ten-ish years. Mainly because when I got into the fandom back in 1997, the first site I found was rat.org/SCFA/Yerf.

I've been "drawing" since I was extremely young.  I had a tendency to get addicted to particular video games, so I would go through crazes in which I would "draw" anything I could from them.  But they were beyond terrible.  I should be burned at the stake just for mentioning them -- that's how bad they were.

I didn't start seriously drawing until about seven years ago, when I got my first sketch book.  Since then, I have had a very disjointed and inconsistent practice schedule.  I draw pretty serious pictures on all of my notes, and don't often open my sketchbook unless I'm really in the mood.

I learned by copying other people's artwork line by line, paying attention to how things went, reproducing it from memory, and combining everything I liked into my own style.  I've never taken a class, and doing so would probably have been good for me, as it impounds necessary basics and skills and techniques into you.

So basically, my drawing experience is about four years stretched thinly across seven.

I have to say that i just drew what I could but I would go thru phases...I never copied anything tho...not that there is anything wrong with it. For some, it helps to copy to see how things are composed...Even those who have been drawing since childhood I wouldn't say my drawing skills have been consistent. I still  have to watch tutorial vids and read drawing websites. Art in general is a constant learning experience...over time you build a library of skills...like i just NOW figured out a way i like to draw eyes...i'm sure it will change but right now i'm happy with them. I don't like my muzzles or ears atm but i will in time. just keep going....

OH YEAH!!!! critiques critiques critiques! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! You have to grow a thick skin and not take a critique personally! its one of the best ways to get better at drawing because if your always making the same drawing mistakes you prolly wont catch it on your own....sometimes it takes another pair or two of eyes to show what you missed. A good critique isn't "it's really nice!"

these are great to get but don't really help you. Ask for specific comments. If someone liikes it encourage them to say what it is they like...that way you can continue what works..."it sucks" is just the same as "it's really nice". Obviously, the person isn't trying to help you so why take it personally?

I've been drawing since I could hold a crayon as well, but like Millislim I've gone through phases. 

The real route towards improvement is to draw, draw, draw.  Put aside some time each day to work on your art.   Over the years I've had no real consistency in time devoted to doodling, and there have been huge long lulls where nothing artistic was done at all.  I'd be much better now if I had a regular drawing schedule & stuck with it.  Put it this way: successful athletes train & condition themselves all week long, for months & years, to be able to perform well--not just the day before the Olympics.

Don't be afraid to use photo references.  A lot of fan-artists think this is wrong, they say that 'professional' artists shouldn't use photo refs as a crutch.  An ironic opinion form those who aren't making a living at it, considering that Norman Rockwell worked almost exclusively from photo references.  Professional artists usually have an extensive 'morgue' of photo refs. 

Also, go ahead & try copying to learn techniques, perspective, etc.  This is important:  There is a big, big difference between copying as a form of exercise, and copying, making a few changes, & then presenting the finished piece as entirely your own work & inspiration.  That's a biiiig no-no.  High-end art classes have you copy the works of famous artists in order to understand it better--for example, in order to learn expressionism, they'd have you try to duplicate something by Van Gogh. 

OH YEAH!!!! critiques critiques critiques! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! You have to grow a thick skin and not take a critique personally! its one of the best ways to get better at drawing because if your always making the same drawing mistakes you prolly wont catch it on your own....sometimes it takes another pair or two of eyes to show what you missed. A good critique isn't "it's really nice!"

these are great to get but don't really help you. Ask for specific comments. If someone liikes it encourage them to say what it is they like...that way you can continue what works..."it sucks" is just the same as "it's really nice".

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THIS!!  Hear, hear!

If you're only interested in hearing praise & compliments, you really aren't going to improve as much as you would if you were open to constructive criticism.

And here's something that not enough people seem to get: if you throw a tantrum when someone says they don't 'get it' or tries to help you improve, you'll find that eventually everybody just comments "It's good" or "I like it."  Your audience has no incentive to really care about your art if you won't let them be truthful with you.

I only really started drawing when I joined here which was about a year and a half ago...

Ive been drawing ever since i discovered the crayon! Mmm so i estimate maybe about since i was 2 years old.

I love critique ^__^ it really helps with those little mistakes you miss.

But I'm encouraged to continue practicing now =]

I've been drawing for 25 years and I am always improving....

I've been drawing for years, and I guess the longer you spend on a drawing the better the draw and your skills get. Over time you will get faster, just keep changing the sketch until it's perfect, or your at least happy with it.

I've been drawing for 25 years and I am always improving....

Do you have a gallery?  I would like to see 25 years of experience!

Do you have a gallery?  I would like to see 25 years of experience!

Check the links in her sig 

Check the links in her sig 

Heh, heh, heh. *hides stupidity behind back*

eh....i dont think my art is awesome or anything special, but ive been drawing and interested in art since i was 3. My dad used to do tattoos and I became interested in body art and drawing watching him work.
heres some of my art if you want to see any. WARNING: some adult content

http://the-retarded-corgi.deviantart.com/
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/kirithecorgi/

10 years of anthros and 3 years of mechanichal draftsmanship, here.  I didn't really start improving till 95 or 96, when I was putting tens of pieces on paper every DAY, letting stuff out.  I've been in the middle of a 5 year burnout (I haven't been drawing on a regular basis since the winter of 03-04), however.  I've figured that out, though.

just keep going and working at it.

Kwan Re:Critiques

unfortunately, when i first started asking for critques, I got an Art School Snob response (i made the mistake of asking for advice at Yerf).  what I basically got told by the head of the critique forum was "Come Back when you've gone to art school".  I believe it was Scott Ruggles.  even one of my professional aquaintenences agreed he was a butthead at the time about stuff.

I bummed ideas from my favorite artists anyway, then basically made a rude gesture at yerf for that response, and left.

I've been working on art for about 10+ years now.

Take into consideration that I'm only 18. x3

It's been a long and hard journey, but practice makes perfect! And don't be afraid to exercise your right to reference. :3

Hmm. I've attempted drawing (mostly pencil, with some paint) for several years (~6 or so years), unfortunately I will never be able to draw anything that I'd want to show.

If you count writing as art, I've been a storyteller for about 10+ years. I told "crossover fan fiction" to my family at that age. Bear in mind that I improved everything at that point and it was all oral. And no, I don't have any with me.

I've been writing for about 5 years and I've had MUCH better success in that.

And yeah, I paint and write with words.

I don't know how old I was when I first learned I could draw well, but I do remember it.  As best I can figure it, I was probably somewhere around 4 feet tall at the time (judging from what I remember of my height at the time compared to bunk beds we had.)  I'm about 6'3" as an adult, so that might give you some indication of my age at the time.

As for how long it took me to get good. I started out that way.  And I don't mean to sound pompous, it's true.  Of course I've gotten a lot better since then, but quite honestly, if I wasn't good at it to start with, I wouldn't be an artist today.  I used to be very sensitive to rejection, so I'd never allow myself to do anything where I might "fail".  As you can imagine that is quite limiting.  I have largely gotten over it, but perfectionism is still something I struggle with a lot.  The sad thing is, I'm sure I'd be a lot better artist if I -wasn't- such a perfectionist. Like they say, "practice, practice, practice", and that's difficult when you are worried that your results will not be good enough.

Anyways, if you are looking to improve your art, aside from practice, one thing I find that helps greatly is to just look at things. I mean -really- look at things. Pay attention to how things are put together, how they work, how the light reacts to the angles and reflectivity of it's surfaces (of lack there of). Essentially, draw it in your mind.  If you can draw it in your mind, it becomes easier to draw it on paper.

I've been drawing as long as I can remember... I'm 21, so as you'd expect, I'm reasonably good. But as well as doing 'proper' practice, I find that just doodling helps as well. I've still got old books from school with the margins filled with doodles! Copying is good practice too; I find that if you use back and white images, it can help you focus on what you are drawing as a lot of colour in your refrence can be surprisingly distracting.

Needless to say, regular practice does help a lot; it's one of those things I don't do enough (too much bloody Xbox!  ). So recently, I joined an art forum, and one of the threads in said forum is a daily sketch challenge. You might like to have a gander. : -->

http://community.imaginefx.com/forums/1/180386/ShowThread.aspx

EDIT: Now that I think of it, might it be a good idea if we set up something like that here somewhere?

Hmm, so 2 of the main artists I know of on Furtopia have been drawing from childhood....... in that case it may be a while before my skills are anywhere near comparable >.<

That was the nagging thought in my head... I just needed confirmation of it to give me a perseverance boost

Hey, this might be some inspiration for you.
I started drawing in 2005(I drew when I was younger but due to.. issues I had to start over after 4 years of not drawing. http://spazzymazzy.deviantart.com/art/Decaf-is-death-18387896
I'm not super mega awesome but I think I've gotten way better. http://www.mutantskunk.com/myart/BriqueCompleted.png

Keep practicing and you'll see the improvement overtime. <3 It doesn't appear overnight for everyone. The more you practice the better you'll get. You'll see that in a year or so(hell even in a few months) when you look back and compare the stuff you will be doing then to the stuff you began with.

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil.. and I drew all sorts of things. I drew animals.. mainly horses, a lot while growing up. I drew some anthros before I knew what anthros were. My big improvements didn't really come untill about 10 years ago. I have been drawing for about 22 years of my life. I find the more you do it, the better you get. That's the way everyone seems to start out. Some artists do improve faster than others, but that is no reason to judge your own progress, I feel.

The best way to improve is to do life drawing from real models. It helps form proper anatomy... which is the hardest thing to get right, especially hands and feet for me. Practicing shape and value before color helps a lot with being able to recognize where shadows go. Looking at objects and people and just doing black and white drawings, then slowly working into greytones, then colors. That improved my art 10 fold when I started at art school.

And not getting down on yourself when you see artists better than yourself around... they didn't start out like that, and they all see artists then know are better than them as well. Improvement never ends.

I use to love to draw, didn't start as young as everyone else, there was more then enough crayness in a very poorly managed home    for anything like that.

but once i finally got into it i really like it, kept at it for a few years only drew something desent once in a blue moon, then once i hit high school, i just sort of chilled with it, and now i lean on the timid side when it comes to drawing. like i been telling my self for months that i have to redraw kudos, cause i don't like him ( kudos is on the big side and a lot cutier ).

i been afraid to even do rough sketches for designs and story boards for the longest time. theres so much going on in my head, and i can see what i want to draw, but when its time to do it i always seem to come up a mile short of the finish line. Guess that stems off my personal fear of failure  yes i have one fear. and i know theres a whole bit about fear of failure leads to no advance yada yada, the failure thing stems from personal experences, and sort of copies and pastes itself onto the drawing topic. 

kudos is one of the few drawings outside of skool projects i was able to stick with long enough to do, and he isn't even any good.