A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how I used Twitter to help me with improving my art, since my Genius Hour project was about Manga Art.
I chose this topic because I like art, but I’m not very good at it, so I decided that I need to improve it by doing some research to see how others improved theirs.
I learned many things, not that were necessarily new to me, but helped me relax. The trick about drawing is to not think too much about it. We always criticize our own art because it’s our own, but we never pay much attention to the small flaws in other people’s art. I am still improving this skill, to just draw without thinking.
This helped me grow as a person, because I started appreciating art more. I was always a sucker for art, but I’ve started to realize that art isn’t something everyone can do. And also, don’t expect it to come easily to you. Artists become artists, not because they have some kind of magical talent, but because they were passionate enough to keep going even when the going got tough. All the small flaws in your art, only you are ever going to notice them. It’s like when you remember something embarrassing you did a while back, and you think everyone will forever be mentally teasing you about it, even though no one remembers. The people who do criticize your art are people who don’t appreciate art enough to understand that it doesn’t just come naturally. Art is like singing, don’t pay attention to anyone else’s opinion, not even yours. Just do it. It might be embarrassing, but it won’t ever hurt you physically. Plus, there will always be an advantage in just letting go and doing what your heart tells you. It’ll relax your mind and, over time, make you a better artist.
How will this make a difference? Art is a controversial subject when talking about its impact. The truth is, art helps to spread messages that can’t be expressed through words. Everyone will look at the art differently, but it will always have the same “umbrella” idea. I am hoping to become an artist, maybe draw a manga and have it adapted into an anime. I know that anime and manga is very popular in my generation, since I am a fan of it myself, and I want to create an idea that will potentially encourage my generation to make a difference in the world we live in. Neil Gaiman, the author of Coraline and countless other books, told The Guardian, “Fiction can show you a different world. It can take you somewhere you’ve never been. Once you’ve visited other worlds, (…), you can never be entirely content with the world that you grew up in. (…) discontented people can modify and improve their worlds, leave them better, leave them different” (Gaiman). Countless animes, mangas, books, movies, show us what our world can be if we work together to make it better. All of these are a form of art, which shows why art is important.
Finally, my presentation consisted of a Google Slides Document, showing different parts to draw when it comes to manga, while I explained the most general way of drawing them. I also handed out some hand-drawn guides to my classmates (look below).
Thx for reading!
-Z
Gaiman, Neil. “Neil Gaiman: Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 2017. <link>