My mother always says that I have natural talent as an artist. That's always nice to hear, but the truth is, that there is nothing natural about it.
I have, basically, two talents: writing, and the ability to learn anything. But even writing I worked to develop and polish. Drawing did not come naturally to me at all. It took decades and thousands of failed attempts to get to the level I have reached, and I am still striving for more. My father taught me the basics of the face when I was about ten. The rest I had to learn painstakingly, garnering what information I could from numerous sources, in the days before the widespread use of the internet. I learned to draw muscly men from anatomy books and body building magazines. I learned to draw poses by looking in the mirror. I trained my left hand to draw, for when I had to draw a pose that required my right hand. I used hundreds of reference books, art instructional books, and persistence, persistence, persistence.
Unfortunately, i spent so much time learning to draw people and animals, that I neglected to practice backgrounds. Thus my introduction and instant love of CG backgrounds. Artists who can successfully use perspective and can draw a convincing tree or flower have my utmost respect.
But I am not a natural artist. I have a natural love for drawing and painting, but the skill was all acquired.
My best work comes when I have a model to work from, and references for materials and objects. Some people can pull images directly from their imaginations - they can see the entire picture, they know exactly how they want it to look. That is not me. Usually I have a semi-clear idea of what I want, and I have to build the image as I find references. Of course, my best pieces come when I DO have a clear picture in my head, and I can draw it. But that has happened only a handful of times in my life. And even then, i use reference material to make the image completely clear.
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