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10 reasons your art sucks. Well, that sounds harsh, but we all start at stage suck or step zero if that sounds nicer. Despite what people who can't paint or draw themselves say on the internet, no one is born with natural talent or skill. You may be born with an obsessive interest in drawing that has you practicing so often you progress far faster than your peers, but the skill still has to be developed either way.
Reason number one your art sucks. You have accepted that this is just your style when in fact you simply haven't learned to see and draw things accurately. Now, there is nothing wrong with stylized work if it's done intentionally. Actually, it's pretty amazing when done right. But the interesting thing is that most of those who create a very stylized work first mastered realism. Master the realism so that you know how to tweak it into a real style and not just a lack of skill. Don't fall into the trap that this is as good as you can do because that will hold you back from reaching incredible results. I mean, there is stylized work and there is I don't think I can do better so I'm not going to try and I'll just call it a style.
Reason number two your art sucks. You just started. This seems so obvious but so many artists that get started expect their first couple of paintings or drawings to look like somebody who's been painting for 20 years. We all start at zero. We work up from there. There is absolutely no reason you can't achieve what somebody else does, but you have to put in the same amount of work that they did. Now, there may be shortcuts if you're taking lessons so you can go get through the process a little bit faster, but you still have to put in the work.
Reason number three your art sucks. You think I'm a beginner. So I'm just going to keep following beginner lessons. Usually those who are teaching nothing but beginner lessons are beginners themselves even if they've been doing it forever. It is possible to be a 20-year long beginner. If you want to improve, you need a teacher who is more advanced and is going to push you to try more difficult paintings and techniques. Most of the beginner lessons on YouTube are really just craft style paintings not technically what we would consider fine art. Super fun. I am not discouraging anyone from doing them, but But not going to learn much from them either, but the fun kind of makes it worth it. If you want to create more artistic freedom in your work, you've got to jump into the deep end. Nothing will push your skill level farther or faster than trying things that feel too hard. Will your work look just like the more advanced teachers did? No, of course not. But that's how you progress. Stop limiting yourself and jump into advanced projects to watch your skill level soar.
Reason number four, your art sucks. You've been listening to non-supportive friends or family or even art teachers. I have had students come to class and tell me the harsh things that their spouse who couldn't color match their way out of a paper bag tell them that the work they were doing was terrible and a waste of time that they were never going to be any good. People with no experience giving the worst most discouraging advice. They were laughed at. I have had students whose high school teachers told them that they were terrible at art and they needed to learn how to draw. These were all students who had amazing potential. I've been teaching for 25 years. I can tell when someone's going to put in the work or kind of hang themselves up and not move forward. These students all had amazing potential, but their red flag spouse or teachers were no artists themselves and felt the need to drag somebody else down. Do not listen to nasty people. Pick the artist you look up to and admire and just listen to them. If I give somebody advice, it's because they asked me and know that I genuinely want to help them improve. But when unskilled people start giving you advice, do not take it to heart. Also, drop any class where a teacher is nasty like that. On one of those specific art teachers, yeah, I saw her work. Talk about somebody who could not draw. It was horrible. She was so busy making her students give up on art instead of improving the own she was creating. No, I don't normally say that sort of thing about artists. Create whatever you like. This was somebody who was causing harm to potential future artists by dragging them down. Sadly, this is way too common in both high school and colleges. Be careful who you listen to because it can ruin your art.
Reason number five, your art sucks. You are putting too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. You know how many ugly things I've created? A lot. Seriously, a freaking lot. It's a part of the process of experimenting and trying new things. One bad idea may lead to a less bad idea that ends up leading to your best work ever. But if you weren't willing to paint something ugly and just try it, you wouldn't have reached that best painting ever level. The bad has to happen, but when you're too hard on yourself, you don't allow yourself to experiment and find that cool technique or composition. Give yourself permission to paint and draw some ugly stuff. It's a part of the process.
Reason number six, your art sucks. You are more worried about what people will say on social media about your work than actually practicing and growing. I see this a lot in beginner groups. People post work that really isn't ready for the comment section of mean strangers. Not everything needs to be posted on the internet. No one wants to see your lunch and we don't necessarily need to see your beginner trials. There's just too many mean people on the internet. Paint for you, not the internet. It's really hard to improve when you're so worried about what people who don't even matter think.
Reason number seven, your art sucks. You are too harsh on yourself and you can't enjoy the simple act of creating something that did not previously exist. I see people who give up just because of the pressure they put on themselves. I've seen amazing artists do this. Art is so good for your mental health. It's also amazing for seniors to keep your mind sharp. You don't get to experience those benefits if you're so harsh on yourself that you give up out of frustration instead of enjoying the process of creation. Students who enjoy the process always progress faster than those who only see the negative in every brush stroke. Have fun, loosen up, and soak in the happy creative vibes as you work.
Reason number eight, your art sucks. You're a beginner, so you joined art groups for beginners and you keep listening to their advice. Most of the beginner groups I've seen get really nasty towards experienced artists. So, those of us who are experienced don't generally bother posting on them. Because of this need to have a safe space for beginners, they only get beginner advice. The things I see people tell others is legitimately holding them back. Seriously, some of the worst advice comes from groups for beginners. They watch one terrible YouTube video and declare themselves an expert enough to be advising others. It's kind of painful to watch. Be aware of whose advice you're taking. If they aren't highly skilled, their advice is probably not worth listening to cuz they don't know what they're doing themselves. I mean, are you going to listen to the high schooler who dreams of becoming a veterinarian? Or are you going to listen to the actual veterinarian?
Reason number nine, your art sucks. You're spending most of your time watching art tutorials or reading books and tips. You're constantly preparing to get started, but you rarely pick up that brush or pencil. You can't learn to drive a car just by watching videos and reading books. You have to actually do it. Art is the same. Only there's no chance of running someone over, so it's way safer. Sure, you can learn tips from books and videos, but those tips aren't going to make a lot of sense until you pick up the brush and start creating.
Reason number 10, your art sucks. You keep drawing cartoons and you keep thinking it's going to help you become good at drawing anything. Cartoons are a totally different skill set than drawing realism. If you want to become a great artist, stop drawing cartoons. Grab a reference photo of a real thing or person and start drawing that. You may think, "Well, I'm not good enough for that yet. That's why I'm still working on cartoons." Well, drawing cartoons will never get you there. When you're ready to progress, you have to start drawing real things. You can be amazing at cartoons and still not be able to draw anything realistic. More importantly than anything, just pick up the brush and get started. Want more art tips? You definitely want to check out this video next.