Help me learn to be an awesome artist

[James]

Originally Posted by Helm

when you look at art you think is awesome, could you, if asked, explain why it is awesome? Can you explain what you don't like in other art pieces? If you at least have a good 'artists' eye' you might at some point become a halfway decent artist if you really try, regardless of the fact that you started when you were 20.

I started when I was 5. I had a painting in a children's museum of art. It was a shitty watercolor picture of dinosaurs, but for some reason my art teacher thought it was great, submitted it, and it was hung up on he wall. I hardly remember the event, and I don't think I ever got the picture back. :/

I look at a lot of fantasy art. What I think is awesome is how people can conjur up these images in their heads, and then put those images onto paper (or onto a computer screen). There's no reference for things like this, and yet people can create such intricate and detailed pieces, that it just blows me away.

Also, I also find it awesome when a person can capture a sense of photorealism in their images. That's something I wish I could do, but I cannot.

And finally, the sense of style that can be presented, be it realistic or fantasy or whatever. To be able to find one's own personal style and presentation. To have an entire piece be a signature.

For an example of the first and third points, I'll direct you to Stephanie Pui-Mun Law: http://www.shadowscapes.com/