Do I have shit taste?

[josemlopes]

I am about to start flipping tables and just quit the game.

So let me explain, from time to time I do some artsy stuff, pictures and shit, and I do like to know that I do eventually get better and that there is a noticeable sense of progression in my art. Sometimes there really comes some works that arent on the same level as previous works but those usually already had some redflags in the working process as I lost interest in them halfway.

But even with that what really fucks up my mind is when I do something that I am really proud just to have some mediocre response to it, to then have very good responses to works that I am not proud of and think that are subpar in comparison.

This thread isnt about if my works are good or not but if I am going the "wrong way" and what I think is good is in fact bad or at least uninteresting.

These are all in chronological order
Warning Its a 393 x 2999 image

Spoiler

Basicly everyone seemed to love the big yellow head, something that took me about 3 hours if I remember right and is simple as fuck, the distortion looks cool but other then that I really dont see anything special about it (its even rather generic).

No one seemed to give a fuck about the last one (first time drawing a woman, really had to push the sexyness to get away from the manly look that I am used to) or the one with the red background although I do find the words in there rather distracting, the image felt to me like a cover to something so I felt the need to put some text into it.

The last one really took some time to do and I really enjoy not just the character but also the background.

I also really like the one with the big open view, its mostly 3D but overall everyone just seems to look at it and not really see anything about it, just a sort of "meh, its pretty".

So yeah, am I focusing on the wrong stuff or should I not give a fuck, suck it up, do whatever the fuck I want and be proud of it?

PS: Incase someone wants to see the images a bit bigger one by one

Spoiler

Spoiler: 1

1

Spoiler: 2

2

Spoiler: 3

3

Spoiler: 4

4

Spoiler: 5

5

Spoiler: 6

6

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Negative criticism can really bring artists down. Try not to care so much.
Personally I think you're very talented. Just keep doing whatever makes you happy. Don't worry about what other people are saying. I love the third one by the way. I tend to really enjoy vector art. The last one is awesome too. I don't know why people wouldn't care for it.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Wow, your stuff is actually really impressive, a lot of cool styles in there.

Personally, I think the reason people aren't as interested in your last picture might be because it looks as if it should be a part of something else, like a comic, while the screaming head, as simple as it might be, works better without any context, even if its less technically impressive, not that a non-artist like me would be able to tell.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I like the second one the best. Great use of light.

Agreed that the yellow head is probably the weakest of the lot. I guess people just like big yellow heads.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I like the second, third, and fourth ones, and think the others are kind of meh.

The alien looking thing kind of looks like something my 7 year old cousin would draw, the yellow head is a yellow head, nothing particularly special, and the last picture of the woman kind of looks like you drew a pre-op transsexual (no offense).

On the other hand, I really like the play on light in the second picture, the simple stylized bodies in the third picture, and just the overall crispness and cleanness of the fourth. Actually, the fourth picture totally looks like something I would have as a desktop background if the resolution was higher.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Wow, your stuff is actually really impressive, a lot of cool styles in there.

Personally, I think the reason people aren't as interested in your last picture might be because it looks as if it should be a part of something else, like a comic, while the screaming head, as simple as it might be, works better without any context, even if its less technically impressive, not that a non-artist like me would be able to tell.

I agree. Compared to the others, it's maybe a tad too realistic and detailed to work as a standalone piece in the way the others do. If I saw that, as opposed to all the others, as, say, a poster on someone's wall, I'd probably start thinking it's a comic book character or something. Since the image can't show the hours of work put into it and the countless WIP images, it kind of comes across as just run-of-the-mill comic book art. This is just personal opinion, but I think there's also a bit of a disconnect with the neon-lit, blurry background and the very clearly shaded character.

The reason people might not be hyped about the 3D image is because it looks like a screenshot from Mirror's Edge.

OT: Just keep doing whatever you want. People don't know shit. As long as you feel like you've achieved what you set out to do, I can't judge you.

 

[Flutterguy]

Don't worry so much about other peoples opinions. Art is to be done in passion not mass-appeal. Most any time I turn my concern to the profitability/appeal of something it diminishes my enjoyment.

 

[Eamar]

The audience has no idea how much effort you may or may not have put into each piece, and they're unlikely to be aware of the technical difficulties or simplicity. And besides, reactions to art tend to be based on an immediate gut reaction. A lot of artists' (and writers' and musicians') most popular work isn't their most technically brilliant.

My advice would be to stop trying to second guess the reactions - your audience is coming from a totally different angle from you. I write, and the piece that continues to get by far the best reaction is something I knocked out in a couple of hours with only one draft, and which I thought was fine but nowhere near my best work.

If people like your work, even if you don't agree with their taste, take that and be grateful. You're in a privileged position to be able to complain that people aren't praising the "right" examples of your work

 

[Raikas]

Your work is really solid, so I wouldn't question your taste! This stands out to me though:

No one seemed to give a fuck about the last one (first time drawing a woman,

If it's your first time drawing a woman, why do you expect people to love it as much as the ones that you can do quickly? Usually when you can get something drawn quickly it means that you have the experience to do it well, so of course people would be impressed - it's not the 3 hours they're seeing, it's the end product of your whole drawing experience. Whereas the first time you draw a particular person or object, do you really expect that do be your best work?

 

[BeeGeenie]

I rather like them. I'd say my favorite is actually the 3rd. It's simple, but I could see it becoming an iconic character or mascot of something. Also, it makes me want to play Evil Genius again.
Simple can be good.

Number 2 is also good. Could be box art for the back cover of a zombie game. The front cover would obviously have to be of a generic white guy holding a gun and looking broodingly at the ground while something explodes behind him. Because marketing lol.

And remember, it's not the amount of effort that goes into a piece that determines people's tastes. I mean, just look at Jackson Pollock

Your more complex drawings may not be as good because you're challenging yourself, and they'll get better with time and practice. I'm in music, and one of the most important things I've heard is this: A simple song sung perfectly is better than a complicated song sung poorly.

So keep challenging yourself, but don't sell the simple stuff short.

 

[Eamar]

If it's your first time drawing a woman, why do you expect people to love it as much as the ones that you can do quickly? Usually when you can get something drawn quickly it means that you have the experience to do it well, so of course people would be impressed - it's not the 3 hours they're seeing, it's the end product of your whole drawing experience. Whereas the first time you draw a particular person or object, do you really expect that do be your best work?

Also this. Really great point

Try to see each piece you do as an extension of all your previous efforts. For a first attempt at drawing a woman, your picture is very impressive. But as I said, your audience doesn't know it was your first attempt, or how many hours you put in. Plus I'm fairly confident that once you have more experience of drawing women, you won't look back on this particular picture as your best work (even though it is good).

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Actually I like the girl quite a bit more than the others. The lines are clean, the shadows and the colors and that background are all very nice. I really dig the comic style. #2 and #4 come off as image manipulation, which isn't a bad thing in and of it'self, but I don't personally find it as interesting. I would hope in the future you do more like the last one, my personal tastes aside, you seemed to have the most fun with it and are most proud of it.

Do the artwork and work in the style that makes you happy, if other people like it, that's icing on the cake.

 

[FalloutJack]

Art is subjective, and I'm not an artist. I tend to celebrate the works that people do when they can do something better than me.

 

[BunnyMomiji]

You are certainly constantly improving on your work.

And what is important is that people like your work. It doesn't matter if you think if it's not the best or that you have done better things, if someone likes at least on thing, they will keep looking through your stuff. No one has good or bad taste, they just have things that do or don't interest them. An artist/creative person should never be worried what doesn't get noticed, it's that you do get noticed or praised, that there is something that someone likes. And, you could sell it! That's what counts.

So it doesn't matter if you think it's shit, if someone thinks it's the next master piece you let them think that.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Art is subjective, and people are always their worst critics (unless they're narcissists, of course).

 

[SoranMBane]

This seems to be something that pretty much every creative person in every artistic medium runs into from time to time. I think the reason it happens is because the artists and the audience simply don't have the same relationship to each individual work. Basically, where an artist knows exactly how much care and effort they put into a particular piece, the audience most likely won't be judging the work based on how much skill or time it took to make; they're going to judge it based on a very visceral "how does this make me feel right now" level. That's why you get so many instance of simple-but-eye-catching images like your orange head getting more enthusiastic responses than your more complicated work, or bands whose crappy filler songs go on to become their greatest hits.

 

[Queen Michael]

My favorite is the last one. The second I saw it, I felt it was my favorite.

 

[Casual Shinji]

It sucks when a drawing you really like and put a lot of effort into gets no real rise out of anyone, but that's the name of the game. I've made doodles with no real meaning at all that got on the first page of DeviantART, and then stuff that I was actually really proud of got totally ignored.

One thing you should not do is only draw things you'll think others will like.

Really good work, by the way.

 

[skywolfblue]

So yeah, am I focusing on the wrong stuff or should I not give a fuck, suck it up, do whatever the fuck I want and be proud of it?

I like 2 and 4 a lot. The last one has some "first time" telltales. With time you'll learn to draw women better and people will love your work more. You're not headed in the wrong direction, you just need more practice.

Your audience is important, they give you feedback and critique, it's not always relevant, but a lot of the time it is. An artist who never listens to their audience is an artist that isn't aware of their own flaws. You don't need to bow to their every whim and suggestion, merely consider what they say and if that would have value in working your next piece of art.

In short: Draw what you love, but listen to others for tips.

 

[Loonyyy]

Kind of unrelated, but that's some awesome work. Seriously impressive stuff. And I love how they're in different styles, and even what's depicted varies massively. Seriously cool.