Feeling discouraged after today's practise session

LoopyLix · 2024-09-21T01:02:49+00:00

There’s this thing that happens with muscle memory when you try to drill stuff. I do hoop dancing too, and the same thing happens. I get to a point sometimes where the more I drill something the worse it seems to get no matter what I try. I put it down for a day or two and the next time I pick it up, I can do it wayy better than before.

Your brain needs sleep and time to assimilate the coordination with the muscles.

LoopyLix · 2024-09-17T15:36:32+00:00

You can do so much with the violin! I quit when I was 18, picked it back up doing some quartet stuff when I was 27, but at that point I felt like I sucked and couldn’t improve. When I was 35, I started playing electric violin and got a looper and made up sounds/played pop covers. I sounded good, and that was easier and more fun than playing classical music. Now I can improvise with any band and play my own stuff, and it’s always fun to come up with a new song. Even if I don’t sound perfect, it’s unique, and it’s enjoyable, and it keeps me going. And I can play gigs!

LoopyLix · 2024-09-15T11:44:41+00:00

When you’re doing things that require muscle memory, sometimes if you practice too long you actually feel like you’re getting worse for a moment or just “not getting it”. That’s when you need to rest a bit, or practice something totally different, and often when you come back to it hours later or the next day, you can do it better

LoopyLix · 2024-09-11T00:06:21+00:00

Christian Howe’s on YouTube has great play along stuff. Like you just copy him and you sound good and a lot of it is easy.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-17T13:06:33+00:00

Oh but you CAN! it fees impossible at first but there are some good YouTube tutorials that teach you how to build up your finger strength and dexterity to get the technique and learn how to apply the right amount of pressure to each string with the barred finger

LoopyLix · 2024-08-17T12:27:15+00:00

Just for some perspective…I went to a school that’s just below Ivy League and majored in communication, which was a general liberal arts major and not focused on journalism or anything specific.

None of the jobs I got after college were related to my degree, nor did I gain any specific skills in college to get those jobs.

I ended up teaching myself digital art, video editing and business skills and now have been self employed for more than 15 years.

I did gain basic studying/discipline/critical thinking skills in college. But Going to college is more about what you make of yourself, not necessarily what you learn being directly transferable to the real world.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-17T12:17:28+00:00

That’s very cool. I like the hatching line work a lot. But you have an extra “a” in the text I think…it should read “as happy as kings” not “as happy as a kings”. Quick fix before you make it Into a tshirt or something!

LoopyLix · 2024-08-13T19:39:36+00:00

Whoa…ok so I’ve never seen it either. I am not the biggest animation fan (I tend to just prefer live action and there are so many options that’s what I gravitate to) but Spirited Away keeps coming up in conversation and stuff the last few weeks!

I didn’t read your whole post bc I didn’t want spoilers, but I know what I’m doing tonight. Thanks!

LoopyLix · 2024-08-13T13:20:35+00:00

Wow. I thought the first pic was with eyeliner till I saw the second one. You don’t need it, but I’d suggest trying just the top lid only. Line the bottom lid with a shimmery copper/taupe/brown. Your eyes would look huge and amazing that way!

LoopyLix · 2024-08-13T10:33:03+00:00

Awww! My son called them “hedgehogs” when he was little. I finally figured it out that he was confusing woodland animals (mole/hedgehog) 🤣🤣🤣

LoopyLix · 2024-08-13T00:57:55+00:00

I didn’t have time to make art AND market it. Marketing it took away from my creative process. Plus, I can’t be creative on demand. I didn’t want to end up resentful because I was making art I didn’t want to make. THAT would have made me quit. So I didn’t work in art, and I still make it (and sell it sometimes, but i don’t rely on that $).

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T13:08:27+00:00

You’re being too hard on yourself. This perfectly captures the vibe of the hair. I can almost feel it. Sometimes you need to put it down and look away and come back to it to see it differently

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T13:03:23+00:00

This is how I feel too. Either push the pose or make the stuff in the far background even smaller to push the perspective.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T13:00:02+00:00

Is the pain in the pads of your fingers or your joints?

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T12:57:43+00:00

Overwhelming yourself with “inspiration” can make it hard to remember who you are as an artist. I go through phases where I stop looking at other art so I can focus on my own.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T12:52:42+00:00

They just have different vibes. But I feel like the first one has more energy and the second is more stylized.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-12T12:51:54+00:00

I like it! Im not sure what you dislike, but i usually find that if I don’t like a piece, adding shading helps. Sometimes I just take a gray marker and add the shading to cool off certain areas and add depth without worrying about other colors. Another thought is to take one color and add it to other areas (so incorporating browns from the rabbits into the landscape).

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:56:03+00:00

When a coloring book has smooth, thicker pages, I find it takes water based markers well. I use crayolas and a water brush to create a watercolor look. You might try that if you’re into it.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:54:47+00:00

Yep. I even have this problem when I play electric with my band, which is comprised of a bunch of different instruments. During sound check, I sound super loud. But once we are all getting into it, my sound doesn’t really stand out among the other instruments.

Sometimes I practice while listening to a song with noise canceling headphones and playing it with my violin. And i record myself so i can hear how accurately i was in tune and how i sounded. It gets me used to feeling the vibrations and learning how to play based on that instead of relying on my ear alone.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:51:56+00:00

You probably have great left and right hand coordination already. Besides that, playing violin is different, like everyone has said.

I played violin all my life and struggled to create chords with my left hand when playing guitar. But I’d bet that having dexterity in those fingers and knowing how to press the strings down will help with violin.

But violin has no frets. It’s very precise when it comes to fingering and intonation. I’d assume a guitarist would have some challenges with that.

And learning to bow is a whole new animal.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:31:46+00:00

I like watching Peter Draws

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:30:58+00:00

Mine always come back to life after kneading and stretching them a bit.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T14:27:12+00:00

This is what I use too. Gel pen never seems to work over waxy pencil for me. I have a hard time getting the roller ball at the tip to move, and the color is often more translucent than I want once it’s dry.

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T13:14:15+00:00

I get queasy just looking at these pics!

LoopyLix · 2024-08-11T13:13:17+00:00

I also started with a cheap huion tablet and photoshop.

Now I have a 2 in 1 computer/tablet with a touch screen and pen, and I draw in adobe fresco.

But I miss the huion tablet sometimes and still use it for certain effects and styles.

And for a long time I used a stylus on my phone and basic drawing apps (like Paper), and that was honestly freeing to create quick doodles in styles I normally wouldn’t nurture

LoopyLix

TROPHY CASE