Noelle - Artist Smackdown starts...NOW

Hi y'all!
You probably read the title and thought, "Noelle what are you going to beat up an artist?  Did I accidentally walk in on a secret artist fight club?  Is this even the right blog??"  Okay, maybe not those exact words, and I WILL explain the title...as some point.  Maybe.

Anywho, I have a lot planned for today, so might as well go ahead and get started.  This is sort of a Dear Adults, though not really.  It's also kickstarting a series of blog posts I hope will actually help people, including artist basics, tutorials, etc.  Idk how many there will be or how much I'll cover, but throw all that aside for now, because currently, I'm just going to dispel a myth about artists (ah, my favorite thing to do when I'm in a firey mood) and also, if you stick around to the end of this post, I'm going to be talking about my new writing project!

Okay, so let's get started.  The victim of my sarcastic quips today is this phrase, often considered a compliment to artists by making the giver of the compliment feel bad about their own talents.  Still don't know what I'm talking about?  It comes in many forms, but the three most common, I think, are:

"I can't draw a straight line!"

"I can't even draw a circle!"

"I can only draw stick figures."

Let the flood gates open and this Dear Adults mini-episode begin.

First off:  nobody can draw a straight line, or a 'perfect' circle.  It's not physically possible, as told to us by the laws of physics and geometry.  Remember geometry?  It tells us that the ideal circle, line, point, square, etc., does not exist in our world, because it's too dang perfect.

And if the laws of geometry aren't enough proof for you, also look at it this way - when was the last time you saw artwork made up of perfect circles and ruler-straight lines?  (no, modern art doesn't count).  People aren't made up of lines and circles.  We are ovals and rectangles, awkward trapezoids and weird bumps.  It's alright if you can't draw a non-lopsided circle!

As for stick figures...I'll be addressing this particular subject in another art post, where I'll teach you how to take your stick figures to the next level.

Unless

Of course

You're just saying this

And don't want to actually get better

Gee I wonder.

See, the thing is, that a lot of time, I think people say this but have zero intention in changing it.  And that's okay!  Really!!  It's alright if you look at my art, or anybody else's art, and say 'that's great, even though my passion doesn't really lie in art'.  Never self-demean to make other people feel better.  And honestly, I don't think that this is really making artists feel better.  I don't know about everybody else, but when I hear this phrase I get irritated (of course, then again, I usually hear these phrases at dinner parties and work parties where I'm getting asked 'what do you want to be when you grow up?', so chances are I'm already irritated)

So in conclusion, I'd just suggest that unless you're looking for advice or tutoring, don't use these phrases.  They imply a meaning that you don't intend, annoy the artist that you're talking to, and really show that you don't understand art, not that you're bad at it.

Diagnosis:  change it out for 'you're a really great artist!'  Or just don't say anything and let them draw.  Your choice.

I know that you probably were expecting something a bit more artsy (so was I) but that's all I got for this week.  I'm going to be out of town next weekend, so no Saturday post (though if you follow my other blog, StWD, there will be a Saturday Steve)

I hope you guys enjoy this series, and I hope to keep it up for a while - basic tutorials, videos, maybe even more posts like this that address different artsy topics.  Comment below if there's anything you want to hear about specifically and cya later!  Have a great week!