How do I tell this guy he has no future in what he wants?

[Black Reaper]

I'm in a similar situation, i'm gonna study animation later this year(3d animation and drawing), and i like drawing, but my drawings suck, and they don't suck as hard as the stuff i made 4 years ago.

5) He doesn't even have Facebook. He is too shy to interact with people even online. As of right now, his portfolio consists of about 6 or 7 drawings that he has put so much time and effort into, but as I said, are nothing special.

If he's only done about 6 or 7 drawings, it's natural he sucks, drawing is hard, you can't get good that quick, you need to practice.
I guess this depends on where he wants to study, but college is supposed to teach you how to get good, my mother studied art(engraving specifically), and she had been drawing since she was little, so she didn't have a hard time, but she had some classmates who sucked, and they got better after some time at the school

Also, has he ever taken art classes?, i consider myself a pretty bad artist, but having teachers helps a lot.

 

[DementedSheep]

You don't. Don't throw fake compliments and if he asks be honest but it's not your place to decide if can or can't do something. Let him sink or swim on his own.
Edit: The fact that he can't draw hands and feet doesn't mean he will never be able to draw hands and feet. A lot of artists have issues with that even if the rest of their art is good as they are fiddly, not that interesting and there a some cheap tricks you can use to avoid drawing them. Eyes are interesting to many people so you get better at it naturally because you want to draw them. Hands and feet are something many artists need to actually make a conscious effort to practice but once you "get it" you're sorted and probably won't have much trouble any more. The ability to draw well is not something you either have or don't, it's a skill you develop. It sounds like he needs to make an effort to get anatomy right rather than focusing on the fun bits.

 

[Ytomyth]

Kinda reminded me of this:
http://zenpencils.com/comic/kevinsmith/

Okay, maybe it doesn't feel to you like any of his work will ever find itself into an movie or anything, but why would you want to discourage him? You don't want him to throw away his life, so what should he be doing then, if not what he loves? You think he wont be capable of living for himself and taking care of himself, anyway. So why not let him find all that out for himself?

Because, I think, that if you'd go on and try to convince him of all this, he probably wont be. He'll probably only think of you as an asshole who doesn't want to believe in him and try it anyway. (Not saying I know who he is and how he'll react, but that's my prediction of the immediate future. ) So let him try, maybe you can warn him, tell him of your view if you really feel it's necessary, but make it very obvious that it's -his- life and -his- responsibilities if you do wish to do so. Maybe, if you're willing to go so far, even be ready to catch him if he falls.

But whatever you take away from this, let it at least be: don't try to tell other people absolutes about how to live their lives, it's not your place. Not even if it's 'a certainty'. (Yes, yes, somewhat paradoxical; consider it advice. ;p)

 

[Mythandrevelry]

So I have this cousin over right now, and since he just graduated, I asked him what course he wants in college. He told me animation, as in anime animation. He's really into anime and manga, loves to draw, and really just every "nerdy" thing you could think of.

I think that he has no chance, at all, in achieving his dreams. He has a few problems:

1) He's "special". This is what we call autistic people where I live. I'm not sure what disorder he has, but it is very evident. He is 17 but behaves like a 10 year old.
2) He is not good at drawing. At all. Everyone who's seen it knows it as well, and it was awkward as hell when he showed me his drawings. I couldn't even lie and compliment him.
3) He has no prior experience with animating. And he hasn't even applied to the college he wants yet!
4) His brainchild, a universe where literally every "geek" franchise is mashed together, is horrible. It is what it is, bad fanfiction. He's put so much effort into it it's sad.
5) We don't live in Japan. There is a pretty big anime/manga following here, but there are no natively produced anime series. I'm not sure about this, but I bet that he won't be taken seriously even if he did move to Japan.

I re-read that and I realized I might sound like a gigantic asshole. But everything I said is true. I really don't want my cousin to throw away his life, but since he's "special" no one in the family has the guts to talk to his parents. His parents have sort of always tried to believe that their son is normal, that he can live a normal life, but he just can't. Someone needs to talk to him before there's no hope for him. Where I live you don't enter college right after high school, you are automatically a waiter in McDonalds.

Do any of you guys have experienced something like this? Or am I approaching this the wrong way, should I encourage him to follow his dreams, as unattainable it might seem?

You realize people can grow and change significantly, right? If you'd judged my writing based on things I pieced together when I was 17 you'd have likely said many of the same things you've said here, and it wouldn't be unwarranted. The pinnacle of most of the stories teenagers come up with is bad fan fiction. The ones who eventually go into creative fields generally grow up and make something very different, or they refine the hell out of their initial ideas to the point that you can't even tell what the original idea looked like.

Likewise, so what if he doesn't have the skills to be an animator right now? So what if he sucks at drawing? Those are both things that can be fixed with time. If you want to help him then be honest about the quality of his work and suggest ways he can improve. It's up to him whether he's willing to put the time and effort into it at that point. There's no point in telling him he can't do it or that he has no future; my god, there's so many people who have gone on to produce beloved works that would have never reached that stage if they'd stopped when they weren't very good. Skill deficits are a problem nearly anyone can solve.

As for working as an artist in Japan, yeah; good luck. Westerners aren't going to fare well, and considering how little pay most animators and artists make in the manga and anime business (outside of big names, at least ) I doubt he'd even want to do it once he's exposed to the reality. However, that doesn't mean western companies don't make anime inspired games and artwork. If he can develop an appealing artistic style then he can likely find work if he's persistent.

Telling him he has no future in this isn't merely harsh, it's not true. If you're going to give him any bit of practical advice it should be to develop other skillsets so if it takes a while to land a decent gig he has something to pay the bills in the meantime. Getting a graphic design certificate from a community college would be a decent choice considering his interests, as would something more technical like web design. But regardless, you don't tell him his dreams are rubbish. If he's to walk another path you let him figure it out for himself.

 

[DEAD34345]

Personally, I'd advise you not to just come out with the full truth, as some people have advised. I get that you're just looking out for your cousin, but by the sounds of things doing that will just cause a lot of hurt feelings. The most likely outcome is that you and your cousin (and his parents) just fall out with one another and then they ignore your point anyway. If you really think you could get through to them it may be worth it to you, but that sort of thing ends very poorly more often than not, good intentions be damned.

You might as well try to be supportive, and maybe help him develop some of the skills he's lacking. Even if he then goes on to be immediately shot down in college, it's probably better for him to try and fail than to be put off beforehand and always wonder if he could have done it. Plus, he's only 18, nobody has their life all figured out at that point, getting it wrong won't be the end of the world at all.

 

[Risingblade]

Well it doesn't seem like he has that many options to begin with anyway. He's young too, at the very least he has a vague idea of what he wants to do.

 

[Sable Gear]

You have waiters in your McDonalds?!

People where OP is from can get jobs right out of high school?! I gotta pack up and move then...

 

[Rattja]

Well as others have said, you don't, or at least I don't think you should.
You don't really know what someone actually can do until they try, and even then you don't really know their full potential cause we have the amazing ability to adapt, change, learn and grow.

Since drawing has become an increasingly larger passion of my own I take issue with some things here, it's late and I'm tired so wont take everything but the one that bothered me the most right now.

Basically, he can't even draw hands and feet. I used to be interested in drawing as a kid, I took summer classes, so I know that if you can't draw hands or feet, you really shouldn't pursue drawing things as a career.

A year ago I could not for the life of me do it myself, like at all. Now I can. Point being I learned how to, and I believe he could as well.

I remember talking to a friend of mine who is an artist, and when he saw me drawing he asked me why I was upset about it. I explained that I got frustrated because I never seemed to get things "right". He then asked me "what is right?" and told me to use whatever faults I had in my way of drawing and make it part of my style instead.
I later realized that a staggering amount of people do this, and you really don't have to draw all that well at all as long as you have some sort of style. Hell, Adventure Time is not what many would consider well drawn, but it works right? South park characters don't really have hands or feet to speak of, nobody cares about that, it's not the point.

I'd say let him at least try, he's only 17 it is waaaay too early to judge what he can or can't do in the future just yet.
In any case, I understand your concern for the guy, but even so it is not your place to say no, so my suggestion is just to say nothing if you can't say anything positive.

 

[Robert B. Marks]

You know, funny thing - we all suck at what we do when we first start trying.

Back when I was around 16 or 17, I completed a fantasy novel. It was, put bluntly, derivative crap. It was actually so bad that I once apologized to a publisher for sending it their way after taking another look at it a few years later. I'm talking embarrassingly bad.

Today, after years of learning the required skills to get good at writing, and a decade and a half of writing and editing professionally, I'm VERY good at what I do. And, ten years from now, just from sheer practice, I'll probably be better.

It seems to me that to reach a professional level in any art form, you need three things:

1. Talent
2. Passion
3. Skill

The talent is innate, but it can't do much more than occasionally peek out without the skill to bring it forward. The passion is what helps you keep going until you've developed the skill, and ensures that the art isn't just a hobby. And the skill is LEARNED. It might be self-taught, or from a formal education, but nobody starts with it.

So, rather than putting him down, or declaring him a lost cause, I'd suggest encouraging him to chase his dream and see if he can make it. Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, at least then he'll have tried...and he might just surprise you.

 

[Someone Depressing]

If I was you, I'd do one of two things:

A) Let him attempt to execute his bad fanfiction universe. It might not be as bad in execution as it is on literal paper. He'll either grow into it, or realise that it's not his calling or whatever the fuck. Either way, he'll learn a lot about himself.

B) Honesty. It sounds like his parents are in denial - not to be rude, but having a "special" kid doesn't allow for a completely normal life, and to even attempt to invoke otherwise is very damaging. There will always have to be sacrifices to be made on everyone's part.

Plan B is only to be used in desperation. Just let it takes its course and let him make his own mistakes. There's also much more I could say about art and the talent fallacy in general, but it's been mentioned in most other posts, sooooo

I'll just shut up like I should have a long time ago.

 

[L. Declis]

Buy him a book on anatomy. Direct him to websites on how to draw anime. Show him that other artists practise out of the arse. Show him the Sleepycabin podcast and see how hard all of those guys work.

Maybe he'll start to practise more than eyes.

Also, if all he does is slap together boring crap, expose him to more interesting and diverse crap. Don't tell him he is shit, but tell him where to improve. Don't kill the passion, give advice.

 

[Pinkamena]

Lower his expectations, explain the harsh reality, but let him still try to succeed if that is what he wishes to do. From what you've said, I gather he will fail, but that will be a lesson. The best would be if he were to realize he does not have a professional future in animation and drawing, but can still enjoy it as a hobby.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Just as long as he doesn't start drawing Sonichu...

I'd say let him go for it, if he really is autistic you pretty much can't dissuade him from an idea he's fixated on, he'll just get hostile to you. Just try to gently help, find out about some way he can better educate himself in drawing anime, school classes, something online or instructional books prehaps? If nothing else as a hobby it will do him good.

People these days, especially young ones and parents seen to think if you don't start what you are doing for the rest of your life straight after school you are screwed. Bullshit, you can change careers into completely different fields 3 or 4 times in your life and that's normal and that's perfectly fine. I know a 25 year old who did landscaping, sold jewellry and now he's a personal trainer, then he became a manager at a gym and now he's a pt again. He's very well off despite the constant changing of direction. Besides, the disabled have the extra safety net of the pension.

Maybe you can introduce him to some amateur community online where he can get feedback? DeviantArt or maybe something more anime focused?

 

[AntiChri5]

Make him watch Bakuman.

 

[Aerosteam]

I don't think 17 is too late.

Let him just go with it for now, then allow him to find out he has no hope by himself. This is obviously a pursue of passion by the way you described it, so likely nothing you're going to say will change his mind.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I'd say let him fail on his own (assuming he does), that's really the only way you ever learn.

However, a few things I'm curious on:
-Does he have the grades to get into college anyway? I mean, by 'special' do you mean he's just really socially awkward, or is he mentally slow, or does he have some sort of psychological disorder?
-If push really comes to shove and it is necessary to tell him that this is probably not going to work out, it's the parents who need to tell him, not you. Likewise, I'm going to assume it'll be the parents paying for his college, so they have every right to say "we're not forking over $200K so you can try to learn to draw anime".
-The best you can do is just offer constructive criticism, that's really it. Don't sugarcoat things and tell him how totally awesome his drawings are when they aren't. If he's really going to try for this, he's going to need to learn how to handle rejection.

And you have waiters at your McDonalds!? Where is this magical place?

 

[loa]

Not being nerotypical is pretty widespread among artists.
I'd even say it is kind of a requirement, especially for animation which is nothing but work.
Repetetive, arduous work not everyone is cut out for.

If he's into it, he'll acquire technical knowledge applicable in other jobs not limited to animation and even if he has no job as an in-house artist, he can still freelance as a hobby to make ends meet.
Make a deviantart gallery, do some commissions. That kind of thing.

That is, if he can take and apply constructive criticism to improve and if he can keep it up for a long time even it it means working through downs which can and will happen. Art is in fact less about talent and more about pencil mileage.
Behind every impressive artwork lie a million failed attempts you don't see.

Someone needs to talk to him before there's no hope for him.

That's a really cruel concept to suggest to someone because they might end up believing you.

 

[Stg]

Every 17 year old knows what they are going to be doing within the next ten years. Ten years later when they are 27, they most likely can't even remember what the hell their 17 year old self was thinking.

That being said, if he has a mental disability, there are scholarships available to him, but not as many as what's available to other people. Speak to the college admissions counselor about getting a list of scholarships that would be available to him and then go from there. As for telling him he won't make it, do you honestly believe a 17 year old will listen? Sadly, if this is the dream he wants to pursue, you just have to be the supportive cousin and let him figure it out for himself. Family means being there for them when their instructors and professors tell them they aren't good enough. The last thing you want is to be alienated by your cousin when you tell them they aren't good enough and it's reinforced by their peers.

 

[Johnny Impact]

What do you call the guy who graduates bottom of his class in animation?

An artist.

It would be one thing if he were throwing away an obvious and powerful talent in one area to devote his life to something else at which he sucks, but that isn't the case here. Sounds like he has nothing but the dream. Let him have it. It's not your life. If he succeeds, then you'll be the one who was wrong all along. If he fails, at least he'll have tried.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I'd say let him fail on his own (assuming he does), that's really the only way you ever learn.

However, a few things I'm curious on:
-Does he have the grades to get into college anyway? I mean, by 'special' do you mean he's just really socially awkward, or is he mentally slow, or does he have some sort of psychological disorder?
-If push really comes to shove and it is necessary to tell him that this is probably not going to work out, it's the parents who need to tell him, not you. Likewise, I'm going to assume it'll be the parents paying for his college, so they have every right to say "we're not forking over $200K so you can try to learn to draw anime".
-The best you can do is just offer constructive criticism, that's really it. Don't sugarcoat things and tell him how totally awesome his drawings are when they aren't. If he's really going to try for this, he's going to need to learn how to handle rejection.

And you have waiters at your McDonalds!? Where is this magical place?

No, he is autistic. I have no idea what exactly his disorder is, which pisses me off. My family is great at hiding secrets. He was shunned by his other cousins his age because they were never told that he was autistic. That was just stupid. Another example of my family's stupididty: I just found out last week that my aunt has been divorced - for 6 fucking years. They lied that long to their kids, who are now the stereotypical asshole children. Hell, they still think their dad is working abroad. Also,, yeah is both socially awkward (to the extreme) and isn't too bright.

The reason I am so hesitant to offer constructive criticism is that I am the first person he has ever opened up to. My other cousins didn't give him the time of day, and they have been ignoring him for the longest time. I feel like if I burst his bubble, or criticize his work in anyway, he'll be crushed.

Why are McDonalds waiters such a popular topic? Anyway, I don't live in the States, so sorry to rain on your parade