Hi there, I''d probably describe myself as someone with very little artistic talent. In anything. Never bothered me before, but now I''m looking into game dev I''d like to get a handle on the graphics side myself, not neccessarily to professional level, but it''d be good to not be completely embarrased by what I do. Anyway, I''m after advice on whether someone with little natural talent can actually get good at art stuff, and if so any advice on where to start and how to progress etc? - Ben Scott Just starting out

Welcome to the club! You''re not the only one. I''d say there might be a chance. Just purchase a couple drawing books and read them slowly and understand them. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! Good luck!

I consider myself to be just like you. I have an artistic mind and drive, but I was never really able to manifest it well. One of my instructors once told me "You can teach an artist technology but you cannot teach a technologist art"

So, the very first thing you need to do is learn how to be an artist. And later, learn the technology.

The best first step for you would be to buy "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. Its not expensive, but its a great book. It tells you how to "think" to draw -- and literally WILL help your drawing abilities. This isn''t a drawing technique book but literally a book that teaches you how to find your own ability to draw. The concepts in the book will help you with everything.

Next step would be to experiment in different mediums. I''m horrible at drawing / painting. However, I foudn myself to have a talent with sculpture. Another instructor explained to me that some people are 2d thinkers and others are 3d thinkers - I''m just a 3d thinker.

Next step is to develop patience. You''ll never be satisfied with something you create until you''ve spent 50 hours on one project. My problem when I started out is I expected something to look great with only an hours work spent on it. Then I started taking a drawing class that was 3 hours long - and they expected us to use all 3 hours of class and would reprimand us if we finished in that period of time! And even more so was my first sculpture class... when we had class every day for 3 hours and a week and a half to finish a project.

Now you need to decide where you are ready to go. If you are a 2d thinker, you might want to start learning illustrator, photoshop, flash, etc. If you are a 3d thinker, lean towards 3d Studio Max or Maya (or even better, Cinema 4d - its just as powerful but easier to learn).

But no matter what, keep your contemporary art skills up to par. Those are what will get you hired!!

Good luck

Thanks for the replies.

I''d say yes I''m much the same as you Kandolo, very creative and a great imagination, just terrible at putting whats in my head onto anything else. I seem to be even worse at doing it on a PC screen than on paper.

That book seems like a good idea. I can look at something I''ve done and know its not what I want, and know what I do want, but not what I should have done differently.

Just gotta add another thing onto my list of things to practise

- Ben Scott
Just starting out

Just another tip, find a medium you like. I can''t paint, I am a mediocre pencil artist, clay - I don''t think so, but 3D modeling - I''m not too bad. I''m a programmer, and a very linear thinking person, and so 3D modeling actually appeals to the way my brain works. That has lead me to learn digital painting (for textures). But the point is find your strongest point, and start there. I used to force myself to do pencil drawing, but I would really get frustrated because it never looked the way I wanted, and I''d quit. With 3D modeling, I almost never get frustrated because I can constantly tweak things until I''m happy. And in the process, I''ve learned a lot that has made me a better pencil artist.

Just my experience. But don''t judge your talent level yet, you may find you have a great deal of talent, you just haven''t found the right medium yet.

welllll.

U see, there are 2 things that are more important for an artist to have then drawing skills. They are imagination, and a good eye - (a talent if u will, a natural comprehension for the 6 elements of design)

Some of the most famous artists, Picasso.. salvador dali..their works are not what i would consider "technically" outstanding.. however they still managed to get great recognition amongst the art community

drawing skills and such.. they are not that important.. there are ways to go around those. However if u don''t have the "talent" for art, im not really sure if there is anything that can be done.

moving on.

so u can''t draw, what are some of the things u can try doing?

there are millions of pictures (photographs, drawings) around on
the internet. 90% of the time someone, somewhere has already created an image simular to u''r idea. "It''s not plagiarism if- A) u change the image, B) u get the artists permission to use it.

use reference material as often as possible...drawing an image from ur head is very hard and requires alot of skill, if u not so good at drawing, having a picture to help is very useful.

try 3d modelling...some of the best 3d artwork ive seen was gone by people who cannot hold a pencil right.

try drafting... artwork like writing required an effective use of setting.. however then u''r drafting, u dont have to worry about things like pose or the background, you pnly focus on a single object from the easiest perspective...

"It''s not plagiarism if- A) u change the image, B) u get the artists permission to use it."

I disagree with that point. If you download a paper and change a few words in it, that is still plagiarism. From my experiences from entering in competitions and seeing some demo reel requirements... Everything must be personally made from yourself - even 3d textures. If you can link the image to its source, then its plagiarism.

However, I do agree with the "good eye" comment. In fact, a large part of the Betty Edward''s book focuses on that.