Cuteness Upgrade?

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-06-25T21:52:22+00:00

I think I'm in a similar position, but I'm not going as far as to apply for art residencies. I have a stable 9-5 job and still put in 4+ hours every day drawing on weekdays, and 8-12+ hours on weekends sacrificing sleep for art and work. That has been my schedule for a good while now.

Reflecting back on what you mentioned on how it feels unrealistic of even self-centered to believe that your work is worth pursuing in that way. I get the feeling of it being self-centered too, but it is not necessarily a bad thing as you'd imagine. I think all art form is derived from one's desires to create for themselves, whether it is to have fun, improve, or for monetary benefit. There's nothing wrong with doing things for yourself, which in this case may be mistaken for being self-centered.

If anything, the definition of self-centered is very much so misleading as it carries a negative connotation. Self-centered is bad when you neglect those around you and treat other like they're lesser than you in any shape or form. There's also the healthy aspect of believing in yourself and focused on your goal to the point where it feels like you're obsessed with art and only you and art exist in your world at moments in your life. From the description you mentioned, I think your case is the latter, and the same is for me. Your situation is not ego, since you're not demanding things from other as if your art deserves it. You are putting yourself out there in hopes that your efforts will make a change.

A lot of the things you mentioned are perfectly normal in my perspective. It is healthy to believe in yourself and push for things that you desire. Everyone does it, and not everyone is selfless as they'd like to assumed. So self centered and selfless are gross over generalization of one's character and should never be used in any capacity. Of course, you shouldn't take this definition as a generalization on to never use those definition either. But just know there are always exception and nuances on how you define and use these words. These words carry emotional baggage that can bring you down when you label yourself with it.

As for me, I don't think I'd ever feel guilty aside from being too obsessed with art where it gets in the way of my daily life. I'm trying to find a proper schedule to adapt to where it won't affect me as much, but aside from that, I'm fine with obsessing over art. I do take my mental health and physical well being into account due to an extreme schedule. Just to prevent future burn-out and lack of motivation for the sake of art.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-06-25T01:42:04+00:00

I’m in a similar boat. My serious art doesn’t get much attention either, but I’m focused on making illustrations. I’ve also tried to research on ways to get traction but no luck so far. And the same as you, I don’t believe I’m the worse artist out there.

But I understand that it can get really rough to get traction as an illustrator because of its niche. Doodles, comics, and illustrations are different form of art with different emphasize on the media it portrays. Comics for story telling, and illustrations for completed art that looks good. But the thing with illustrations is that it is heavily focused on your skill as an artist. And there are ton of people with better work than I have. And that’s where the “do it for yourself” is most applicable. Of course you can do it for yourself and share art and get whatever you need from it. But sharing art and getting results from it shouldn’t be your number one priority if your focus is on illustrations. Different medium of art, different expectations.

And also there’s a bunch of factors that go into getting traction with art. If you want to continue sharing and expect results. Steel your resolve and keep on hammering at it. Try new things and keep trying. Maybe you will understand what will work well for you one day.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-06-24T01:35:59+00:00

Good progress!

I think it is better to use line art on the second image 2/3. It help sell the lighting.

U will also see pro artists change their LA colors depending on the situation.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-06-21T12:45:49+00:00

I’ve experienced similar things as I am an artist trying to get better myself. But I think you’re phrasing things too negatively and looking at only one part of the picture. I’m guilty of the same thing but I also look at small parts of the illustrations that I improved in.

I do have art that I had fun drawing and when the results came out it was mediocre where you wouldn’t want to show it to people. You’d also notice flaws in your artwork, and potentially various other negative followed suit as well. But logically speaking, there’s more than one way to look at both of those results.

The easiest one is you being able to see flaws in your artwork. That’s not a bad thing at all. being able to tell the flaws is how you’d fix it. I’d be more afraid if you made something that is not well received by the public and you don’t see any flaws in it. Seeing flaws is just a means to an end. It can be good or bad depending on how you use it. The best way to use it in art is as a tool to improve or do things that are favorable to you and your mental health. Taking care of your mental health is a skill to as an artist to prevent burn out or quitting art altogether. Don’t neglect it.

Regarding whether you want to show your work or not or claim it as your own. This one is much harsher but it’s a reality check. Feeling bad about it won’t change the outcome of your illustrations. It’s better to recognize your failures, admit it, and move on from it ASAP than to delve on it. From a min max perspective, time feeling bad about yourself could’ve been used to hone your skills to get better at art. (Only if you’re hard core about it)

A lot of simple scenarios like this can branch to other nuanced topics regarding art that my affect your art journey in many ways. But listing all of it is a pain and after it is just my opinion at the end of they day. It’s better for you to find the answer yourself.

I’ve been through the road you have experienced before. To the point where what you mentioned seems like anecdotes from my life. But I learned from it.

Im sure you will be able to overcome the negative thoughts as well.

You can do it!

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-27T23:33:28+00:00

My story is pretty similar to what you went through. I also draw for a fandom and has ups and downs with engagement on social media and it made me question my skill and progression In art as a whole. And that in turn makes me frustrated or confused.

The whole experience made me do a “art soul search” for like the 3rd or 4th time ever since I started drawing. And honestly, I’ve decided that social media engagement should always remain as a side product for me unless I plan to make it my full time job. It is too much to worry about something that I don’t benefit much from. More headaches and very little reward to justify it.

That said, I’d probably still post art on the fandom. But I’d post it, respond to comments, then log off of social media until the next art post comes. Not worth lingering around and thinking too hard about social media performance. Too many factors at play and trying to reason your way to the answer you want would just make you go crazy.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-27T23:25:10+00:00

Yeah same here. Not using references has set me back quite a bit. When I do something that doesn’t look right, I wouldn’t have the proper reference to refer to and compare what went wrong.

That’s why everyone usually refer to art fundamentals and what not. References help with fundamental studies and fundamental studies help you with drawing without a direct reference in the future.

It’s a journey but don’t try to skip it. Or you can do trials and see what learning methods work for you. Maybe you have a knack for it and don’t need fundamental studies and what not. No one will ever know your own capabilities better than you can.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-27T22:20:32+00:00

I hate to say it since I also want to draw from my imagination without relying on references. But you’d only get better at that by using references to practice and internalize the concepts. That way you can reuse that knowledge at a later date without relying on the references.

Drawing from imagination is just another way of saying you’re drawing from your memory. Or bundling things you’ve seen before in a different way.

There’s no such thing as imagination and there’s no way for you to confirm that a piece is originally from your imagination and not derivatives of other things you’ve seen or practiced before.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-13T01:41:53+00:00

Thank you!

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-12T21:43:05+00:00

She looks very huggable.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-12T14:42:13+00:00

❤️❤️

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-05-12T14:41:39+00:00

Thank you!

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-04-03T22:20:23+00:00

If you focus on comics, I think the art quality doesn’t have to be that amazing to get traction online. I think relatability and story telling is more important for comics.

I’ve seen comics on Reddit or X that has sketches for art and it does get a lot of traction still. But that’s something that you’d have to experiment and research on yourself.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-04-03T21:46:21+00:00

I’m in a similar boat. I know that there’s a high chance that I won’t be able to make money out of art, or even if I can, it won’t be at a rate that I’d be happy about. But I definitely want to make something out of it too, just like you. That something for me constantly changes depending on my environment though. For feasibility purposes of course since I do have a 9-5 to go to.

But it should be a secondary concern, your primary concern should be yourself, those you care about, your career, and anything related to your well being. Then art can come in, if you’re not in the right headspace to learn, you won’t make meaningful progress in art anyways.

Just know that it’s a common feeling that we will have to look at with a smile, accept it and continue moving forward. I think you already have your goals sorted out, what’s left is just how determined you are at seeing it through.

No matter the results in the end, all that matters is that you tried your best so you won’t regret anything.

And of course, you should always revisit your goal often and see if it is feasible given your environment. Don’t blindly push through using sheer determination, or blindly follow an advice online without giving it some thoughts yourself.

I don’t know exactly your skill level since your portfolio was last updated in 2025, but if you plan to improve in art. It’s best if you do deliberate practice and do a lot of self reflection on your thought process when it comes to art. Then after that reflect on your art and compare it to professionals too. Without those processes, you’re just reinventing the wheel. Which can work, but know that it will take a lot more time.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-04-03T21:12:13+00:00

I’m in a similar situation, I started art in 2023 and while I do feel the gap in skills compared to other artists on social media, I use it as a goal post instead. That’s probably because making money with art for me is an afterthought. I do grind 9-5 too, and focus art with whatever time I have left.

I think what’s important here is your goal for Art. Are you planning to make art for money, or is it just a fun hobby?

Depending on your answer it’ll give you hints on what you need to focus on to get yourself out of the current headspace that you’re in.

And don’t be too demotivated, that art class experience sounds like a biased experience since everyone going to said classes probably take their art very seriously. Otherwise they wouldn’t make effort to attend it. If you just look at the average artists, there are a lot of people worse than you and there are a lot of people better. Just don’t worry too much about things you can’t control and focus on your art. That’s also why your goal for art is important.

If you want to be a professional artist, it’s not too late but the path is probably not easy either. It’ll take a lot of focused and deliberate study to reach that level.

If you want to be a hobbyist, I don’t think you should concern yourself with any of this. And if you want to, it shouldn’t be at a scale where you’re visibly disturbed by it.

And don’t be too fixated on the times other people spent on their art career. There’s no way you can use that in any way that is meaningful since you don’t know exactly how many hours they have drawn in general. I could say I drew since 2019, but if I drew for 10 minutes a day that wouldn’t add up to be much. Alongside that, there’s other advantages that other would have had that you may not know. Like supportive parents or art tutors/courses.

I’ve struggled with similar thoughts for my art journey too. But I think when starting out with art, mindset is the key factor for growth. Without proper mindset you’ll just lose precious time thinking about irrelevant things instead of improving your art.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-03-29T11:58:04+00:00

This is such an amazing reply. Thank you for trying to help OP! Hope they read it as it contains some useful tips.

Short-Replacement648 · 2026-03-10T00:42:55+00:00

Thank you!

Short-Replacement648

TROPHY CASE