Your first drawings/paintings versus the drawings/paintings you make today
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
July 16, 2012 4:24pm CST
This is a question for those of you who paint or draw. Did you keep your first paintings or drawings? What kind of differences are there between the first drawings/paintings and the things that draw or paint today? In which ways have you improved your techniques?
I started drawing about 12 years ago, and I don't see a lot of differences between my old drawings and the drawings that I make today, but my paintings are completely different today. When I moved I didn't keep my first paintings, but before I got rid of them I looked at all of them, the differences were extreme. The composition of many of my first paintings were wrong and so were the combinations of colours. 8 years ago when I made those paintings I was satisfied with them.
Today I think that the mistakes are so obvious and it is hard for me to understand that I used to find those paintings great 
It was interesting to look at them, because it showed me that I have improved my techniques a lot since that time.
It was interesting to look at them, because it showed me that I have improved my techniques a lot since that time.1 person likes this
6 responses
@wolveren (1586)
• Cebu, Philippines
17 Jul 12
I started drawing at the age of 5. I'm 47 now. The difference is quite amazing. Of course all these years I have always been drawing and painting, and my results now are way better than it was about 10 years ago. Which is why I am in the profession of graphic design, character development (games or any story that require a character designed) and of course painting. I tried all these years to achieve realistic quality paintings and it has been a pain specially without formal training. I had to learn the ropes on my own, I know I'm missing a lot of the real thing but so far feed back from my clients show they are more than pleased. With the rush of technology today, I can paint right here on my laptop using photoshop or corelpaint, combined with a few other applications, I can achieve wonders. But there's always that feeling that I'm missing something. Perhaps later in the future I will set the time to get a real painting class to see if I'm really missing a lot of techniques. 
@wolveren (1586)
• Cebu, Philippines
18 Jul 12
Yes thanks stowyk, I have considered those dvds. Even though the conventional oil or acrylic painting is entirely different from doing it direct on a computer, I still like to learn those as it has been my life long dream. Now that I can afford to buy oil paints, brushes and a canvas I will embark on a journey that I have missed in my youth. Although I have done acrylic before and some watercolor but there's something about doing a single oil painting that has been haunting me all these years.
1 person likes this
@wolveren (1586)
• Cebu, Philippines
22 Jul 12
Yes we might not know we have just unwittingly took ourselves to a hard route when there was a better technique. That way when we learn from a real art class we can take what we learn and combine it with our own techniques to discover far better ones for our purpose.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
20 Jul 12
It is inspiring to hear your story. It is great that you have learned so much on your own and get very positive feed back from your clients 
I can relate to the things you wrote about taking a class and learning some techniques. I am also self-taught and I have developed my own techniques. I experiment a lot and I learn a lot of new things that way, but I have thought about taking a class one day. In many cases I use my intuition instead of actual knowledge about the techniques, and I think that it could be interesting to learn the techniques from a teacher.
I can relate to the things you wrote about taking a class and learning some techniques. I am also self-taught and I have developed my own techniques. I experiment a lot and I learn a lot of new things that way, but I have thought about taking a class one day. In many cases I use my intuition instead of actual knowledge about the techniques, and I think that it could be interesting to learn the techniques from a teacher.
@crimsonladybug (3112)
• United States
16 Jul 12
Oh goodness!! There are probably relics of my first art hidden somewhere in the world but I've been doing whatever - painting, drawing, whatever for more than 20 years now... My first real memory was when I was about four years old. I had gone in for my kindergarten entrance interview and was asked to draw a picture of a man. I remember, even now, telling the teacher I didn't know how to draw a man, could I draw a woman instead. Granted not the most artistic endeavor but I knew my strengths even at that point.
Definitely something I've been improving on lately is faces. I am still not crazy about the way my faces look when I draw them but I'm getting better at it.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Jul 12
I am not good at drawing faces either, I usually prefer to draw a kind of fantasy pictures instead. I started drawing those fantasy pictures about 12 years ago. It is great you have been doing drawings and paintings for 20 years. I remember drawing when I was in kindergarten, but after that I had a long break where I didn't draw. I was probably in my early 20's when I started drawing again and in my mid 20's when I started painting.
@crimsonladybug (3112)
• United States
17 Jul 12
I think it came a lot from being in an artistic environment as a child. My aunt is an artist as well and I spent a lot of time with her while my parents were working so I was always around creativity. Although my real "calling" is as a writer it's nice having a way to shift gears, creatively, when I need a break.
1 person likes this
@KOSTAS499 (1624)
• Greece
11 Aug 12
Great topic! :)
Fun stuff. I have all my childhood drawings. I always liked drawing and designing.
What is different? When I was a kid everything was two dimentional, like Egyptian drawings.
I studied design in Highschool and I mostly liked designing letters and logos, still do. Plus, I finally got around to learn that third dimension! hahaha
1 person likes this
@nyssa102 (748)
• United States
18 Jul 12
NO NO NO NO, LOL....Let me tell you something about the first cat portrait I painted. I was in pure hell, lol...I had no idea what i was doing and I was cussing and fussing the whole time. Horrible experience. But I kept at it. the eyes were crooked, it was just a mess. However keeping at it made me a much more proficient painter and I have started to sell on Etsy: www.etsy.com/listing/104257242/portrait-of-your-cat-dog-or-horse . Yeah, if you look there, I'm a lot better than I was! Believe me, NEVER, it's all tossed out. It was that bad.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
20 Sep 12
I looked at your portraits. They are amazing Do you sell many portaits on Etsy? I have heard about Etsy, but I have never used the site myself. I have an online gallery where I sell my paintings and my photomanipulations, but I didn't update the site recently and have to go through the paintings and delete the ones I have sold. The first paintings that I made were terrible. I tossed them out when I moved, but I looked at them first. They were really bad, but at least it shows me that improve my techniques since that time.
Do you sell many portaits on Etsy? I have heard about Etsy, but I have never used the site myself. I have an online gallery where I sell my paintings and my photomanipulations, but I didn't update the site recently and have to go through the paintings and delete the ones I have sold. The first paintings that I made were terrible. I tossed them out when I moved, but I looked at them first. They were really bad, but at least it shows me that improve my techniques since that time.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
20 Jul 12
Yes, it is nice to see the progress when we compare the first drawings and the current drawings. I don't have any of my really old drawings, but I like to compare the drawings that are 10 years old to the drawings that I make today. I always write down the date when I make a new drawing and it is a nice way to keep track of my progress.
@Artsy1 (27)
• United States
20 Sep 12
Um, yeah, those are kept under lock and key. All that matters is that I know how horrible my first drawings and paintings are. I found that in my previous years, I was following the direction of my art instructors and using their influential way of expression. I have always had that issue in college, trying my own thing and being condemned for it.
My first paintings and murals lacked vision and depth. I have also found that I had no concept of perception. Now, I paint how I like but with more expression and an element of fun. I'm not so mad anymore- thank you early twenties...
