If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post, then it goes here.
Notes for future OT posters:
1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.
2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one. (Immediately before; refresh the list-of-threads page before posting.)
3. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.
4. Unflag the two options "Notify me of new top level comments on this article" and "
What advice would you give to a 12-years old boy who wants to become great at drawing and painting?
(Let's assume that "becoming great at drawing and painting" is a given, so please no advice like "do X instead".)
My thoughts: There is the general advice about spending "10 000 hours", for example by allocating a fixed space in your schedule (e.g. each day between 4AM and 5AM, whether I feel like doing it or not). And the time should be best spent learning and practicing new-ish stuff, as opposed to repeating what you are already comfortable with over and over again. So for example, you could decide to spend one lesson trying to get the shadows right, another lesson trying to get the perspective right, etc.
Related things you should study: perspective, anatomy.
You should probably try different tools, e.g. acrylic paint, watercolor, chalk; or different styles, e.g. realistic or cartoon; if only to get outside of your comfort zone once in a while.
I suppose there are some great books to read, and useful online websites for beginning painters, but I am not familiar with this area. A list with a short description would be appreciated.
In my opinion, the most important advice:
Art has a rational component which we can call the 'technique' or 'craft' of the field. In drawing this would be light/shade, perspective, texture, drawing material etc. but it also has an intuitive component that results from developing an aesthetic sense. It is important to realise that art is not learned just from pain... (read more)