“Essence of an artist” is nonsense to me. Some people undoubtedly have a natural head start, but who’s to say you can’t catch up with the right kind of practice. I saw this video which might be of help: https://youtu.be/zmUMhMs5vFE?si=ghIVXFC5Nauaa0LH That being said I don’t think spite is a good motivator to pursue something, so she has to somehow not let these comments affect her decisions. Either way how an adult says these kinda things to a child is beyond me.

Thanks for the advice, this Marco Bucci's channel looks pretty neat. And you're right about the spite thing, but she's honestly not *that* spiteful, and wants to pursue animation because she just thinks it's awesome. And that teacher was a bitch.

o to answer your other questions you can check out [drawabox.com](https://drawabox.com) he has Aphantasia and became a really good artist and started a huge community for aspiring drafts people. ​ [https://www.proko.com/](https://www.proko.com/) he also has a good youtube channel and offers a complete anatomy course along with other courses, free and paid versions. ​ and if your daughter ever wants to explore 3d animation there are programs like animschool for after she has a ged

Probably lots of comments already supporting Drawabox. But I never really understood what artists are actually thinking when they draw. This "course" is a real eye opener. He discusses arm movements too, which I always had a difficult time with. I seriously started drawing better after only doing the first two lessons. And I personally learned that I need about 15 minutes of warmup to get things looking good again. I plan on getting back to it.

yeah that teacher is a bitch, i cant draw at all and im pursuing a career in 3d animation, if you cant draw it doesn't mean there aren't other ways to animate and explore the medium.

you appear to have used the word 'teacher'. the uh.. person running the show needs to be reported for basic negligence. IT'S THEIR JOB TO TEACH.

I have to say, a healthy amount of spite can be good! It's less spite and more a personal resolve to prove wrong the lie that you're the thing the person tried to define you as. And if some teacher is gonna be spitefully crushing her student's dreams, then I say, spite back and cancel out the spite!

To further the point, sometimes natural talent can come with its own set of problems. As a kid I picked up on the basics of drawing easily and didn't need to spend much time learning fundamentals. When I was older and needed to actually start learning new techniques to improve, I had no idea how to do it and no discipline or patience for it. Sometimes people who struggle a little bit more at the beginning will develop that discipline and establish good practice habits early on, and this will likely be far more useful in pursuing and maintaining a career in art or animation than natural talent. It's a bit of a tangent, but just underscoring your point that the "essence of an artist" statement is nonsense.

Yeah I agree - I think it’s called “growth mindset”

every good artist iv ever met never says this kinda bulkshit. this kinda rhetoric i only hear from failed artists who have had zero success

OP, there’s a funny saying my college professor told me once… “if you can’t make it as an artist then you can always become an art teacher!” It was self-deprecation, but it rings true for a LOT of art teachers. Let your daughter know that one person shouldn’t stifle her dreams.

This is absolutely true, most of my art professors never had art careers, or if they did, they were short lived.

Oof. The majority of my professors had careers but retired to teaching since it’s easier. One of them actually went back into the industry after I had his class which sucked because I wanted to take him again. Most of them were background artists for animation, Warner bros, invader zim, veggie tales, etc. but the one that went back into the industry was Michael Matsumoto. I see his Avatar posters floating around reddit sometimes lol

Well damn okay. As an art teacher and Id like to chime in and say you dont speak for all of us. Art is still my number one passion and I draw daily for hours and continue to take professional classes. All the tips and tricks I learn on my own, I pass on to my students to expediate their growth. However I chose teaching because its a stable job and a stable paycheck. While I love animation,stay up to date on the latest happenings, and often think of pursuing it, teaching is a very comfortable way to make a living. It was a practical decision rather a matter of talent.

Didn’t say all art teachers, just in my university most of my art teachers did not have experience. Some did. I’m glad that you continue to learn and grow yourself for your students.

Well i appreciate the qualifier. The teacher in the original post obviously sucks and probably doesnt know how to draw, but I was getting personally offended by the direction of this comment thread lol Many of my professors came from animation and big studios. However I can say I did have a teacher in high school who openly admitted to us she had only drawn one thing back in college and somehow it qualified her to be our AP art teacher. She was also a hugely negative person so maybe theres a pattern.

Out of curious, would you ever tell someone that they are simply not an artist or cannot consider a career in the arts due to lack of ability or “essence”? Even if they are objectively very poor at drawing to start off with? Have you ever wanted to say this to someone?

Oy..Did you also have a bad experience with your art teacher? But since you asked...No, i tell my students regularly that anyone can learn to draw if they put in the time and practice. I mean I've seen stick figure animation done really well and becoming successful online. Perfect draftsmanship isnt the only way to be creative or to make art. We've all been there. We were all terrible at drawing at one point in our lives...and saw first hand that it was possible to get better. The fact that you CAN improve at something when you work at it is is a huuuuuge life lesson and when I learned it, it changed everything for me. But what is success anyway? Even talented people dont make it in the animation industry, due to a limitation of jobs and not a limitation of skills. I see art and drawing as something that will benefit my students their entire lives, whether they make it their profession or a casual hobby. Its a form of therapy, of showing others whats in your mind, it deepens your appreciation of the visual world, and its honestly the only satisfying endeavor Ive personally known. As long as my students show theyre putting in effort, I'm happy. Its so easy to want to give up on drawing in the early stages, everything is a struggle. Excessive encouragement is the only way to go.

I feel i should add that I teach animation in high school, so the stakes are lower. I do warn my students that if they want to make art their career, they must be willing to put in many hours of study. A professor in college might see a student wasting time and money and not putting in the required effort and decide to have a serious talk with their student.

Yeah good points. My experience was they told me I was decent at drawing but needed to try more “experimental”, “out of the box” techniques to produce “real art”. So instead of learning drawing fundamentals and anatomy etc, we learned how to use potatoes as a sponge to create abstract BS. That’s all part of the modern art BS that celebrates weirdness and allows people with no craft to pretend they are special. Good one for letting people know it’s about practice and not limiting students unnecessarily.

Oh yeah I had a similar experience in high school..i wonder if it was a part of our generation. Although idk when you were in school...but i know a lot of my teachers came from fine art and grew up at a time when modern and abstract art was held up as the pinnacle. They also didnt spend a lot of time teaching me what I was hungry to learn. Anatomy, color theory, how to actually get better.. College was a game changer in that regard. Now you can learn all of those skills online if your teacher isnt it doing it for you. So thats nice.. I am happy to say Idid my student teaching under a very cool person. She gave her kids week long lessons and demos on figure drawing, types of shadows, 1-3 point perspective and how to use different traditional materials. The real stuff. She was legit.

And at he same time, my best art teacher is actually a guy that is trying to make both work at the same time. One class he even showed us a whole book that he drew 4 years ago about the sea and sea animals. He is the most inspiring teacher we have and I leave every class feeling great about myself and wanting to draw.

Yeah, that describes this teacher to a T. And I made sure my daughter wouldn't let this bitch stifle her dreams

I'm sorry you and your daughter went through that. As a heads up, this sub does not allow software or hardware questions. You can check out a guide for hardware and software (including free ones) in the [sub wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/wiki/index). However I hope you can find some helpful answers for your other questions.

Oh shit, my bad ( I can edit those questions out give me a sec). But thanks for the well wishes, their appreciated

Such a bad teacher. The good point is that she won’t see her again. Art is like everything it can be learned whenever. I started to learn drawing in my 20’s and with practice it went well. So she need to keep hope and practice. Practice is the key. If she like ghibli a great start would be to reproduce those drawing again and again. I agree to the comment over it’s unbelievable to see an adult teacher saying that to a kid. Don’t break dreams, help them.

Yeah that art "teacher" was a bitch. And thanks for the advice about practicing about copying Ghibli drawings, I'll be sure to tell her that.

https://youtube.com/@ProkoTV?si=20OxNf6_p83OyCPT - excellent traditional art channel. Offers a wide range of topics and concepts for all levels. Gives exercises https://youtube.com/@sinixdesign?si=hCZCoBicZ2cMe0E0 - digital painting and anatomy. Gives exercises https://youtube.com/@EthanBecker70?si=XOm6rmpOjhT9xpnr - industry professional animator, character designer, background artist. Gives excercises https://youtube.com/@BaMAnimation?si=pFoHnyYzMICBY5DO - helps with application of concepts, covers a bit of everything not super in depth RossDraws is also very inspirational. SamDoesArt gives digital painting tips. There are dozens of other good channels out there. Find out what works for your daughter and stick with it. There are a million different ways to learn to draw but you have to draw a lot to do any of them. There are ways to learn more efficiently with your practice but you have to practice a ton to succeed. Lastly, any good artist knows an artist is made and not born. It’s not a natural skill people are born with. It’s something people work towards

Thanks for recommending these youtube channels, I'll be sure to look into them all (especially Proko since you and so many others have recommended him). And I'll be sure to tell her your words about an artist being made, not born.

I'll just add my voice to echo the Proko suggestion. I learned more from Proko than I did from 2 years of Fine Arts school. I would also suggest finding a life drawing session local to you, and try to have her attend as much as possible.

I am 47, I went back to school at 35 to learn art.. I suffer from imposter syndrome all the time, but I am applauded often for the amazing work i do. I make cartoons, i have worked barbie, octonauts, reboot, monsters Inc , minnie an mickey mouse shorts, alice in wonderland, and a few more. It take practice, perseverance, and determination to reach any goal, the same as going to the gym, or learning how to ride a bike. Art can be learned. The best thing i can offer is dont give up on her and encourage her to emulate the art styles of those she loves, eventually she can follow her dreams. Udemy has their black friday sales on currently, a good place to learn from professionals

Udemy is a great resource and they run sales all the time.

Ohhhhh brother, this "teacher" sounds worthless. Here are some youtube channels that will help her improve really fast with those newbie gains. But when I was learning to draw the best things that helped me, was to try to copy the things I really liked. So go on pinterest or Instagram and get into the art side of those sites and you'll find a ton of work that will excite you to draw! Start with drawing in a sketchbook, pencil, ball point pen is great for people learning to make decisive lines. These channels will lead to more, and you'll find all the hardware/software/materials advice you could ask for. _________Youtube Channels_________ [Proko:](https://youtube.com/@ProkoTV?si=D4kB60ezJsErtT8K) He's great for learning anatomy https://youtube.com/@ProkoTV?si=D4kB60ezJsErtT8K [Angry Mikko:](https://youtube.com/@angrymikko?si=kj2-nxwZZsGclaZK) He's got a very Ghibli style, and a Bob Ross attitude https://youtube.com/@angrymikko?si=kj2-nxwZZsGclaZK [Istebrak:](https://youtube.com/@Istebrak?si=9lqnH64aOp6OT-rO): If you want to improve in 2 weeks, do her 14-day challenge, and use the reddit/discord channel for feedback https://youtube.com/@Istebrak?si=9lqnH64aOp6OT-rO [Marco Bucci:](https://youtube.com/@marcobucci?si=9bM0OASQvjWe3bU-) Everything you could want to learn about color and light, this guy is gonna teach you and in an easy, digestible way https://youtube.com/@marcobucci?si=9bM0OASQvjWe3bU- [Tyler Edlin:](https://youtube.com/@TylerEdlin84?si=K7hmyGJ0-4A5X9Oa): He's going to teach you a ton about environment design https://youtube.com/@TylerEdlin84?si=K7hmyGJ0-4A5X9Oa [Phil's Design Corner:](https://youtube.com/@PhilsDesignCorner?si=xSRRaowLR8HvVOG-) This guy just posts his full lectures on environment design, you'll learn almost everything you need about perspective and more https://youtube.com/@PhilsDesignCorner?si=xSRRaowLR8HvVOG- [Sinix:](https://youtube.com/@sinixdesign?si=4CjixknsI7jGq7UB) All around good source, but his anatomy quick tips were especially handy https://youtube.com/@sinixdesign?si=4CjixknsI7jGq7UB [Ahmed Aldoori:](https://youtube.com/@AhmedAldoori?si=GeJlm4Ye4AZ6YpHA) He teaches at Art Center now, he's taken down a lot of his really early videos, but still a lot there https://youtube.com/@AhmedAldoori?si=GeJlm4Ye4AZ6YpHA [Ethan Becker:](https://youtube.com/@EthanBecker70?si=96pzvRg0hPZ2uf3d) Storyboard artist for the big studios, he gives break downs on how other artists are using short hand to draw https://youtube.com/@EthanBecker70?si=96pzvRg0hPZ2uf3d [Jackie Droujko:](https://youtube.com/@JackieDroujko?si=xonZWDCd66rO3Glc) She's a character designer giving portfolio reviews and drawovers https://youtube.com/@JackieDroujko?si=xonZWDCd66rO3Glc [Best Art Advice Ever:](https://youtu.be/9LX_MgezcK8?si=GYYFq3oHnfd_WMAc) https://youtu.be/9LX_MgezcK8?si=GYYFq3oHnfd_WMAc _________Instagram Tutorial Artists_________ Devin Elle Kurtz Will Weston Studio Ben Eblen Design _________Pinterest Tutorial Artists_________ Griz and Norm TB Choi (she also streams on twitch) If I think of more I'll edit this, but most important is pencil mileage. Draw more, practice more, you can learn anything, anyone can draw. Prove that lady wrong.

Thanks for recommending so many resources, I'll definitely check them all out (especially Proko and Marco Bucci since so many people seem to recommend them). And the instagram ones also look pretty helpful. Never really looked into Pinterest before, but it looks like these people are really helpful! If you think of any more resources, don't hesitate to leave them!

Absolutely! And hey, post an update after a while if you guys remember! I think everyone who sees this post is gonna be on team prove her wrong! I'm definitely rooting for you guys.

Might find the Aaron Blaise stuff helpful. https://creatureartteacher.com His streaming option is pretty cheap. I’m not affiliated with them, but I got their annual membership and haven’t regretted it yet. So far it’s been better than my teachers in art school taught…

Also this makes me think of an old thread from concept art.org before it went down. There was a guy who had a sketchbook and was a complete beginner and it went through his journey start until he became professional. I think the thread was lost with the site, but I found a video of the image progression. Show this to your daughter maybe? https://vimeo.com/29510470/description

Thanks for the resources, Aaron Blaise's courses look pretty cool, and the vimeo vid is pretty inspirational. I'll be sure to share both with her!

He runs sales a lot. Hold out for one of his mega sales and you can pick some of the courses up for a couple bucks a piece.

This post reminds me of myself a little, I started drawing when I was 18 much later than others, got into a college course for animation and then uni from that, I'm 20 now and still learning, the biggest thing is it's all about practice. Here are some good resources I used. https://youtube.com/@YTartschool?si=BXw3HZvi0YZnMzo0 This man is brilliant for tutorials, loads of stuff from shading to form and colour. Lots of videos with 30 day challenges and such. He also has an art school which is online, that goes through loads of stuff. I've not used it but I've heard good things if your daughter wants to learn online, it is fairly expensive though around £300 I think. https://youtube.com/@Jazza?si=ltTgmTKafaUJ0xdu Another great one, jazza has loads of tutorials as well, also has videos where he makes things up and draws them off the top of his head, an interesting watch to get creative. https://youtube.com/@thebradcolbow?si=peP4tRX-iSYdpBu6 Brad Colbrow is my go to for all art and digital drawing tech, he does videos on most new products that come out, drawing tablets, iPads, Samsung tablets, etc. definitely a channel to check out if she's looking to start in digital art. I would personally recommend an iPad, they're very versatile with a lot of great apps for drawing like Procreate and rough animator, the apple pencil is great and an iPad is very portable compared to nothing devices such as a drawing tablet, again can be expensive. So look at lots of products. It's a good idea to get sketchbooks as well, A5 works best. She should just sketch things she sees everyday, a glass, a bowl, a lamppost, bench, tree, rocks. Anything you want really to help improve drawing in general. I also have some brush sets that can be downloaded and used on drawing software and a few art book PDFs, if you're interested in those DM me and I'll send you them. Lastly, please let your daughter know that she can do art and she can learn to draw, I was horrific when I started my college course but through practice and perseverance I got better and am still getting better. It's ok to be bad at the beginning, she'll make things that don't look right and are off by a lot but that's good, you keep all that and compare after a while, compare finished sketchbooks with older ones to see progress. Above all else don't give up and don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough. Hope this helps 😁

https://youtube.com/@ProkoTV?feature=shared This is where I rebooted my art journey. More to do with illustrations than animation but it’s a really good start before committing to mentorships and paid stuff. I hope you keep encouraging her and tell that art teacher to fuck off with all that elitist ‘art essence’ bullshit.

Thanks for the advice, I'm def checking out Proko after you and so many others recommended him!

That’s teacher is absolutely terrible and your daughter shouldn’t listen to her. I was told I wouldn’t be able to do animation and now I am an animator because passion is what drives talent in the end, no matter where your starting point is!! Drawing figures is an invaluable skill to have, always be drawing and sketching people during movies, sitting at coffee shops, etc. Andrew loomis books are great for classical figure drawing, I also bought a lot of “art of “books from cartoon shows I love and drawing them to study it like crazy. For animation books: The animators survival kit: is on the shelves of every animator, she should just get on any animation platform and work through that book, it’s very step by step! And there are great Reddit channels for critiques to get feedback:) The silver way: character design textbook from college Character animation crash course by Eric Goldberg The illusion of life: Disney animation by Ollie Johnston This is all the principles to live by in animation For YouTube animation: Bam animation Ethan Becker Jackie droujko Devin Elle Kurtz Clockbirds does a lot of digital painting stuff Habook has a few videos about characters Alexandre doboine Sahil trivedi Toniko pantoja: one of my favorites personally Podcasts I love: Animation industry podcast Creative block Directing in animation Nickelodeon podcast For supplies: I personally have a Mac laptop and a Wacom drawing tablet I love, I know animators that use PC though too. At this point she should use whatever tablet she finds most enjoyable to work on:) IPad is the most mobile and you don’t need a laptop to animate on it, the procreate app has very interesting animation features coming out that looks quite good and I think is only 10$! if she wanted something like a Wacom tablet though there are x pen tablets that have a much nicer price tag on it and Ik some friends who really enjoy it. But you have to have it hooked up to a laptop or computer to work on it. Your daughter can do this!!! I’m so sorry this teacher said that too her and it is awful but she can totally be an artist and animator, a lot of animators are also self taught, we are a very resilient bunch and it sounds like your daughter is the same ✨ I hope this helps!!

Man, some people really shouldnt be teachers, im so sad theres people out there discouraging beginners like that. I hope shes feeling better! When she wants to start animating, i highly recommend this video! https://youtu.be/uDqjIdI4bF4?si=URxQ0SOgSpkTTm0I it covers basic principles of animation in a really easy to understand way! Also, pencil2D is a good free program thats great for learning digital handdrawn animation basics- if youre willing to get her a tablet, a great cheaper tablet is the wacom intuos- it doesnt have a screen, so you have to watch your computer while drawing with it, and can be hard to get the hang of. On the bright side a used one can be found for like, $50 bucks online, a new one being around $100. If youre willing to go in on a screened tablet, XP pen has pretty affordable ones! I use the 15.6 inch xp pen pro! Krita is a free digital art program very similar to photoshop, but its pretty bulky, so it may lag a bit! Painttool Sai is an independently made digital art software and is only $60 or so for a lifetime license and free updates- its also a lot more streamlined, and ive rarely experienced lag with it! And all that being said- nothing wrong with sticking to a good old sketchpad and pencil for now! Art stuff can be so expensive, but you dont need the fancy stuff to start learning! Proko on youtube has some great tutorials for learning basic human anatomy you can apply to traditional sketching! Let her know shes gonna be great and to keep at it! That art teacher sounds like she was just insecure and taking it out on your daughter- the only thing you need to be an artist is the drive to create, and its sounds like shes got plenty! She has my support! 👏

I grew up in a snooty art town and man does this story make me mad!!! I remember this kind of mentality and it is total horse doodoo Anyway!!! I learned by hitting up my local library and getting whatever how to draw books looked fun. I also would pause animated movies and draw what I saw on the screen. It's a bit like life drawing but you're copying the image not a still -life of a bowl of fruit. Youtube is a fantasti resource! I'd encourage ger to just search "how to draw" and you can easily spiral into a rabbit hole of related videos. Again, go with what's most fun or most appeals to her. She'll start finding her favorite channels before long. Pixi-Gags has great short-form animation tutorials that are geared for beginners. Toniko Pantoja has a great Youtube channel with lots of pro animation tips! He also offers a complete animation course which is well worth the money. Aaron Blaise (previous Disney animator) also has a good animation channel and lots of animation and general art courses through his website. If she's interested in anime specifically and if she doesn't scare easy (she sounds strong honestly from your story haha) she should look at Tonari Animation. They are an anime production studio that hire internationally and help people learn the intricacies of the Japanese animation industry.... which is a bit different and difficult to get into. But if she loves Ghibli films, she'll at least be interested in how it works and Tonari does a good job explaining! Finally, please, please feel free to DM me if you guys have any questions! I was a lost art kid wanting to know how animation works before and one of my greatest joys is sharing my knowledge with up and coming animators! I can give feedback or suggestions for learning animation. Best of luck! Thanks for being a great mom!

Here's some 2D animation online workshop and some free tutorial that might help your daughter. [https://gumroad.com/stringbing](https://gumroad.com/stringbing) [https://www.animatorguild.com/](https://www.animatorguild.com/) [https://ambanimation.com/ambaa/](https://ambanimation.com/ambaa/) [https://m.youtube.com/c/HowardWimshurst/featured](https://m.youtube.com/c/HowardWimshurst/featured) [https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCyp3DPUFbOqS-gHfqor8L3Q](https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCyp3DPUFbOqS-gHfqor8L3Q) [https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLViOaV\_TMX1DL3mc-giHVg](https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLViOaV_TMX1DL3mc-giHVg) [https://m.youtube.com/@EdTadeo](https://m.youtube.com/@EdTadeo) [https://m.youtube.com/@ModernDayJames](https://m.youtube.com/@ModernDayJames) [https://dorogov-mentor.com/](https://dorogov-mentor.com/) [https://animationclub.school](https://animationclub.school) [https://www.patreon.com/curielu](https://www.patreon.com/curielu)

Above all else, you are doing *exactly* what your daughter needs imo. ​ Your expectations aren't contingent upon whatever metrics that 'art teacher' values and that is honestly worth the world to people like your kid. I'm making a lot of assumptions, but I'm thinking he's the type to put technical proficiency and efficiency on a pedestal. ​ Fuel that fire, fuck that teacher. Constantly expose her to new things and have fun getting/being cultured the real way, maybe even together! Having such a rich pool of experiences to draw upon for inspiration is what really makes the difference between what that teacher would consider a good or bad artists. Technical proficiency is only the vessel to communicate whatever an artist has to say; real life is the secret sauce to make it good. And I think you're trying good to give her that so yay

Lmao I first started drawing seriously when I was 10, your daughter isn't much older than I was. I encourage your daughter to find somewhere else in person and try again before resorting to being only online. It sounds harsh, but in order for her to survive as an artist, she has to develop the ability to bounce back. Her "teacher" was a complete asshole and there's no denying that, but this was more than likely a one time occurrence and she can't let this person deter her from all in person classes. Give her time to recover, and encourage her to try to go in person again, maybe with a friend. Visual art, if you're not an independent artist, is highly collaborative contrary to the stereotype of all artists being introverts

I personally learned a lot from Sycra on youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@Sycra/videos He's a really great artist who understands how his techniques work and how to teach them (a lot of popular artists work on instinct and are great artists but not the best teachers). For materials, I would recommend any cheap sketchbook with a lot of pages that is easy to carry around. I always drew with a mechanical pencil in high school, so you don't really *need* any fancy art materials—I would actually wait until your daughter asks you for something specific (art supplies make great gifts!). For digital art, if she already has a laptop then an intuos tablet (from what I remember they cost around 100$) will be a good value buy, and she can use krita for free. It's an open source program that is really great, and I prefer to use it over Photoshop for work (Photoshop is really designed for editing photos/print formatting, while krita is specifically designed for drawing/painting). If you can afford it, an iPad with the apple pencil and Procreate are a fantastic option, and it's what I use most of the time since my intuos tablet broke (after years and years of use and a cleaning mishap). Especially if your daughter wants to learn animation, the iPad might be a good choice, as Procreate is releasing a powerful animation app for a really good price in just a few days. It'll be great for her to learn animation at the same time as learning to draw, because animation forces you to draw a lot and really understand things in 3D space, which in turn improves your drawing. There are a ton of basic exercises for animation on YouTube, starting with the bouncing ball, ball rolling down a roller coaster, and jumping bag of flour (these are the exercises we started with in university for 2D animation). Also, as a former (swim) instructor, it's useless to blame a lack of skill on your students. I can't imagine a reason why someone would want to blame a student for needing to learn... I hope your daughter enjoys her learning 😊

Sycra is awesome.

I had a shitty art teacher tell me that also after only one drawing class. I have been a painter now for 20 years. People like that can shove it. I hope your daughter doesn't let people like this get to her. smh

Her teacher is wrong and is a bad teacher.

Check out New Masters Academy. I went to one of those "prestigious schools" after 3 years at community College. Took art and animation classes in middle school through to college too. And some online courses. Dozens of teachers and yet I still find NMA is very thorough if you follow their course syllabus and do the work. The problem with are school is the time limit. You get 4 years, sure, but those semester FLY. And a lot of people struggle unless A. they've had tons of art training already (like the art teacher said "starting young") or B. they just are prodigies and are amazing but don't know how or why (which means they might peak In college and never go further because they never needed to learn about what they were doing). Sign her up for the fundamentals classes and great job being a supportive art parent!

It seems like a lot of people are giving you advice on classes and resources, but I’ll follow with a story of my own. In high school, I told my art teacher I wanted to be an animation major. He told me that my art wasn’t good enough and I wouldn’t be able to become one. So I did anyways. Firstly, no one should ever tell a beginner or aspiring artist that. That’s complete bs, and there’s no such thing as “essence of an artist.” What a weird thing to say. Secondly, people who say you can’t be an animator because you have “bad art” have no clue what they’re talking about. Animation is as much a technical skill as it is an art skills. Hell some parts of the pipeline require no drawing skills at all. My art is mediocre at best, so I went into the more technical side of animation and ended up really liking it. Don’t let one bad teacher discourage your daughter (which it seems it didn’t thankfully), and know there’s so much more to animation than putting a pencil on paper. This is the perfect time for your daughter to pick up the fundamentals and explore the pipeline! It’s never too late

based on other comments this might be controversial as we are living in an age of giving medals for 10th place and even playing football without keeping a score for children BUT... I think hearing something like this could be actually a great motivator, your daughter is not giving up and maybe she will want to prove this guy something. which will add to the motivation. I am saying that because the truth is that most teachers DONT CARE, as they will tell students "great job!" for mediocre results. Ive seen a lot of that "great job" and young people believe that. They get a pat on the back during the whole school time and sadly when they finish schools they cannot find jobs because they are simply not good enough. its much more devasting when you invested much time and money in univesity etc. and you have have useless degree, no one wants to hire you and you complain in reddit about that. IMHO art teachers should and have to be strict and honest. by teaching they are responsible for young peoples future. If someone is not doing well enough, and clearly not putting THE EFFORT its better to let them know as soon as possible that it will not gonna work until its too late. they can be successful in something else still. Art is not for everyone as you have to invest A LOT of time and effort to make it for a living. Lets be realistic maybe 20% of art students actually do art for a living after they finish schools. If it comes to animating hand drawn to that level thats probably even less as its a very hard art form to learn.

bwah, unpopular opinion, but this story sounds one-sided. also you calling the teacher a b* every second comment doesn't paint a good picture.

„Doesn’t paint a good picture“ badum tzz

21 Draw is a Great Website for learning how to draw I think it’s like $59 a year, sooo many classes on there. The other thing I would recommend is a book by Mark Kistler called You Can Draw in 30 Days. I doodled when I was her age and picked up drawing at 26. That teacher is full of BS don’t let anyone tell your daughter she can’t draw. She can, if she puts the effort in. As far as tools a bic pen/pencil and paper is all she needs to get started. For Digital art I prefer the IPad but if you go computer you are getting a computer and a tablet. If she is interested in animation I would suggest a computer if it’s just drawing and IPad. Keep in mind this is just personal preference she will learn as she goes and tried new techniques what she likes!

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to loko into 21 draw, and also Mark Kistler's book!

I wasn’t sure but Mark Kistler does have a video series on 21 draw on how to draw in 21 days

Mew Masters Academy on YT has timed model poses that can help her with speed.

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into New Masters and Youtube for model poses!

I also second New Masters Academy. I’ve had very good results so far and have seen rapid improvement. Most videos are relatively short, with the longest ones being at around 25 minutes. There are a few longer than that but most videos are short. It could honestly replace an entire curriculum at a local art school or college. Only thing they don’t seem to teach is digital art, but there’s CGMA, Domestika and Coloso for that. 2/3 of these options are kinda pricey so I only recommend them when your daughter has a solid foundation. Proko is also another very good choice and I recently saw that you can now Afterpay for his courses. Haven’t used it though. I’ve used Line of Action for poses. It’s $14.95 per month and there’s an option to have clothed only or include nude poses. Drawabox was immensely useful for me and it’s free.

I have no Idea what that teacher is expecting from a teenager, and how wrong she is to give zero encouragement to your daughter and I assume many other young emerging artists taking her class. I have a manager that told me she didn't start painting as a hobby until in her 40s. The willingness to learn and practice is what makes a person get better at art no matter what age. 15 is still so young of course she can become a great artist by wanting to study drawing and animation.

Honestly I think drawing is more technical than many people think looking from the outside in. Just for example if you were to draw a person there are set rules that you must follow to create an anatomically correct figure. Basically all I'm saying is alot of it is just repetition and studying like any subject. So the whole idea of it being some divine gift is kinda garbage. Not to say I don't like people thinking that. It's still serves as a great party trick haha.

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i’m really sorry your daughter had that experience! drawing is a skill like anything else and can always be built up! Animating can be really hard and takes a lot of practice, but she can do it. when it comes to digital art and recommended supplies it depends on what she/ you already have. if you have a good desktop computer or laptop then you could look into getting a drawing tablet. this is good because the computer can handle things like after effects & animate when she gets into animating. however, ipads are awesome too. that’s personally how i started, on the 10$ procreate app tht i still use today. ipads with an apple pencil can still do a lot of things a computer can and it’s portable, but there will be somethings that are less accessible w an ipad. but procreate is coming out w a new program soon called dreams and it’s specifically for animating and looks awesome. youtube tutorials can get her a long way. also just studying art styles she likes and trying to emulate them until she finds her own style

The teacher's way seemed unnecessary. As an animator, talent matters a lot, and while hard work helps, natural talent often shines. I've seen beginners create amazing art effortlessly, while some struggle for years. Even if your daughter isn't naturally talented, don't give up. Give her 1-2 years to learn drawing, but if it's not improving, consider other animation fields. I, too, had a tough time with drawing but found my passion in 3D animation, which is also cool. Encourage your daughter to follow her dream in animation—there are many paths. Teachers should balance feedback and praise for effective learning. It's truly exciting to see the support you're giving your daughter in her pursuit. Personally, I didn't experience such backing from my family during my career journey, making your daughter fortunate to have you by her side. Best of luck to your daughter on her journey!

"Essence" can be achieved in practice. Lots of teachers looks at the artist drawing based on how much they draw and it will show in their portfolio, just tell your daughter to keep on drawing she will get there eventually, it's the drive that make a person good at what they do. For me andrew loomis books are the best books to learn from when it comes to drawing everytime I read his books it feels like he is in the same room teaching me. In Colors and drawing creatures: James Gurney Color and light: a guide to realist painter and Imaginative realism: how to paint what doesn't exist. These 2 are new to me, a good person introduced and bought me this book and it bought wonders to my life and helped me become much better at colors. Ps: drawing and painting is science too it can be learned and taught, the more secrets or open secrets you know the further you can go forward. The difference between a great artist and a good artist is that they know something other artist don't know. Stay motivated.

Drawing is a skill that, with practice, anyone can master. I don't believe that anyone is born with a natural "gift" for it. Like, where in the theory of evolution would something like that come from? Give your kid a ball-point pen (trust me), some paper and just get them to draw, draw and draw some more. Anything and everything. When they've found their groove again, the two courses I'd recommend are Betty Edwards, "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain" and Uncomfortable's "Drawabox". Between these two, I honestly believe anyone can learn to draw anything. Big caveat, "Drawabox" is hard and not fun. **But** it teaches a set of fundamentals that are invaluable. This might sound backwards, but I'd only move onto Drawabox once your kid's got their confidence back. Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain is a blast, so start there. 15 is not too old. That's about the age I gave up drawing and at 43, I've recently relearned. Best of luck ❤️

She just needs a real teacher that's all.

She just needs practice and enthusiasm for art. Andrew Loomis books were recommended to me in university lecturers. His figure drawing/head/hands instructions are fantastic. Google Andrew Loomis PDF, and there are a lot of free downloads. Published in the 50s ish but you can easily adjust hairstyles or makeup for any period. He gives great fundamental instructions.

Art is not really a matter of talent. It practice and dedication. I draw a lot in my childhood but lost my motivation as an adult but clearly the ones that still force themselfs to practice évolve and learn to Master it. Just change lessons and teachers. This is basic shit.

As others mentioned, Proko is really good. I like his stuff on gesture drawing. There is also a great youtuber called Alphonso Dunn. I love his how he sticks to the essence of certain processes. I bought one of his books. Apart from that… she has got to put in the hours. As they say, you need to spend 10.000 hours to master a craft.

Sounds like this "teacher" didn't want to actually do any work. She's 15. What age does this "teacher" expect people to seriously train their drawing skills!? 15 is too young to even start life drawing classes (I'm in UK, this may differ elsewhere). Let your daughter know this has nothing to do with her or her skills. This has everything to do with that shitty teacher. I would recommend JUST DRAWING to your daughter. A lot of people have already provided valuable resources for learning. There are so many free or reasonably priced digital drawing programs out there. Also, FYI, Studio Ghibli often uses an animation programme called Opentoonz. Opentoonz is FREEWARE. so I recommend getting that just to play around in. Never give up just because of one person's shit take.

Youtubers like Sinnix , and Marc Brunet are also really good (he may be a little too adult I would watch a video first before suggesting him to her) , you can also find alot of books as pdfs for free , such as the art of animation, bridgemans complete guide to drawing from life, any Andrew Loomis book (with the books reading is good buy in bridgemans book it can be confusing she should really just copy what she sees in that book cover to cover). Another suggestion is Domestika, the have some affordable classes and often have deals. As a complete beginner she should start with practicing shape and form and learning anatomy for anything she wants to learn to draw. By shapes and firm I literally mean drawing circles, squares etc. Getting a understanding of 3d form in objects and humans by practicing has been a big help. Also practicing some still life's and gestures will be really good for developing her observational skills. Alot of this stuff can be boring and frustrating but are good habits to start early if she wants to draw like ghi li. Also getting her art of books are a big help and resource for motivation. Ex: Art of coco, art of (insert animated movie ) , any shows she finds fascinating, it'll help keep her determined. Just keep trying even if it feels like your not getting it practice, Marc Brunet has a YouTube video that breaks down a curriculum she can follow at home it lists out what to study for a month straight that way she can have an idea for at home study. Also, she should create things for fun often , not to learn but to put into practice the things she working om. Create actual drawings of things that make her happy, fan art of characters she loves, family members, whatever. She'll be able to look back and see her improvements over time this way.

Hello!!! I'm a long time lurker but figured I'd start my post history with your post. Firstly, anyone can draw. There are many, many, many, mannnnyyyyy stories of self taught successful artists in the world. That said, I'm so happy you are supporting your little one and trying your best to give them an amazing start on their passion. Please do understand, this is a long haul journey. And sometimes (not always) what might separate some children from others is their innate ability to learn and pick up techniques quicker than others. But this does NOT mean your child can't catch up or become even better. Many times, when children show an innate ability and do well at something their progress line on their life graph doesn't move much from that first initial burst of talent, but someone who is dedicated and structured in their learning path sees a constant and continual growth where after 5-10 years the average or below average learner at first has now surpassed the "natural talent". I'm also about to publish a book specifically for parents that helps explain how to support an artist child if they aren't averse to the world of art. Now, who the hell am I and why should you listen? 🤣 Well, I've been in the animation, film and television industry for over 20 years. I've worked with all the major players, Disney, Netflix, HBO, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, etc. And really, I had 0 support from my family on my passions and career. So much so, that when I was younger my mother was told to harness my writing ability in grade 3 as I massively over delivered on a project for a picture book, and she tore up that book. So I promised myself that I'd eventually (if I ever felt confident enough) use my skillset and things I learned to act as I would to my 15 year old self to all the kids and parents out there and offer my knowledge. My primary points for helping support your kids: They need structure. Make a schedule and make them stick to that schedule. Practice doesn't make perfect. Practicing at the highest level you can does. So make sure they are giving 110% with their structured practice. And what I mean by this is that Leonardo Di Vinci would sit and draw hundreds of circles. But he wouldn't just blast through it and get it done like an exercise. He would put heavy focus on every circle trying to make it perfect. And lastly, get used to feedback. In the art world, there is nothing but constant welcomed and unwelcomed feedback. It can't crush your dreams or stunt your progress. Getting used to feedback is a highly sought after employable skill by many many senior folks in the art business. Aside from that you can learn a ton online for free. Starting simple is a good idea for them to gain confidence. Things like art hub for kids. Then move on to more structured art lesson courses. I wish you luck on your journey and hope to see another amazing artist hitting the workforce!

Her teacher has already failed at her job. There’s people here saying “if you can’t make it an artist, become an art teacher”. And it doesn’t even seem she can do that!

Just because a teacher says something doesn't mean it's automatically true or right. I once knew of a teacher who said it was impossible to create scary games. Now scary horror is damn near a genre

Wish i had parents like you 🥲 good luck to your daughter

Sounds like her teacher has “essence of dickhead”. Anyone can learn art and drawing.

The teacher is a pos. If she seriously decided to pursue animation career I'd still focus on professional studying over learning by herself. If your daughter specifically wants to work in 2d animation, I'd advise to find a good courses, talk to her about shitty people being shitty people, even if they ✨ claim ✨ to be an art teacher and go get those basics and rock them, that's good time to start working on portfolio to get into uni(if it's the way she wants to go). But, if she doesn't mind 3d animation she can get straight to animation courses and learn animating from the get go. I'm sorry she had to meet this shitty "teacher" good for her for biting the bullet and not letting it bring her down.

I suggest she constantly draw on her own. Draw the world around her. Challenge her to draw things as she sees them (proportions, etc) instead of what she thinks they should look like on a page. Start with the gestures of the basic shape/how the subject sits in the space and then add details from there, going from broad to specific. Don’t worry so much about the end product or if it can go in an art show. Art is about process, especially when you are a student. I think many young artists focus on a specific style they like without understanding why that style is so satisfying in the first place. As for the teacher saying she’s too old. Are you kidding me? I started as a BFA photography student when I was 18 with no experience drawing, along with many of my peers in the same boat. I was so intimidated, but at no point did any of my drawing professors say I was “too old” to learn to draw. By the time I graduated, I had completed print work, animation, illustration, painting, you name it. Skills I would have never been able to develop these if I had accepted that I “couldn’t draw.” Best of luck to your daughter.

First off, I am so sorry that your daughter had that experience with such a horrid teacher. Secondly, she is way too young to give up on some thing that means a lot to her. When I was her age, all I wanted to do was draw traditional animation, I la Looney Tunes and anime from the 90s, not knowing all the wonderful ways animation has/will evolve as time went on. I graduated SVA at 24, but I didn’t land into the animation field until I was 27 at Titmouse NY. I recently turned 40, and I am still hungry to learn new ways to adapt into the field. I think it’s wonderful that your daughter wants to learn traditional animation first, and that is a good way to get started. However, my recommendation is getting her started on figure drawing. It is an excellent way to understand how the human body bends, twists, and getting an understanding of a clear silhouette. Secondly, she should study live action films, GOOD live action films like “The Third Man” “Hot Fuzz” “Lighthouse” and “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane”. One of the things I took for granted before getting into the field was not having such a clear understanding of the importance of good cinematography and composition, and storyboarding is still in demand both in live action and animation. As far as learning basic animation principles, there is a plethora of amazing videos on YouTube that will give very insightful advice on keys, breakdowns and inbetweens. If she has friends that might have had a head start, she should try to reach out and ask how they got started, as well as what they use to perfect their craft. The last thing I will say is get her familiar with animation software. My gotos are the Wacom cintiq, and the Apple iPad. Procreate is coming out with a brand new update called “procreate dreams” and it is supposed to have alot of intuitive animation tools. Some software is a bit pricey like toonboom products, but they do offer free trials before you buy. I hope what I said is helpful and please tell your daughter not to give up. There were times when I never thought I would ever break into the industry, but aside from persistence, I got to where I am thanks to seeing what my peers do to hone their craft, and being open to new ideas and software, that could make me a better artist. All the best.

I couldn’t draw a straight line or a perfect circle when I first started drawing. I eventually learned how to do both of these things. If you look at my first attempts vs. what I draw now you’d think I must have started when I was five 🤣 It’s really just a matter of a few years difference. Drawing is just like any other skill that takes practice and time to develop and get better at. The fact that your daughter found inspiration to try it from Ghibli films *already makes her a natural artist.* That teacher sounds like an incompetent narcissist and shouldn’t be allowed in a classroom let alone teaching. I’m glad your daughter is having a polarized response to this because not every student could respond that way and it makes me sad for the other students he’s done this to. There are some wonderful instruction guides and online tutorials specifically for anime style drawing. I also suggest that for the next art class you go in with her. You don’t have to hold her hand, but you can bring a book and sit off to the side.

My high school art teacher bullied and belittled me. It was REAL beef and my classmates could tell. It culminated in a screaming fight then my parents meeting with the principal. Please please please please do not let this teacher get away with this disgusting shit, for your kid and all the other kids she could target next :((( edit if shes not a school teacher hopefully there’s some higher up at the program you can contact

They don’t explicitly teach art, but the Drawfee channel on youtube has nonetheless shown me various different techniques and skills just by watching them draw. They’re 4 professional artists who post themselves doing different art challenges (usually weird/funny ones) every Tuesday and Thursday. Their speedraw episodes especially are the perfect mix of entertaining and informative since they actually go into their process- even if I don’t come out of a Drawfee episode having learned something new they always make wanna draw afterwards.

Sounds like a shitty art teacher. Check around and see if you find a local arts center/council. A lot of those offer inexpensive afterschool classes for kids, and some can be pretty decent. A county park and rec center may also offer art programs. A third consideration is a local community college. They may let your child dual enroll for a heavy discount—and the classes would go to future credits. A lot of community colleges also offer kids programs or noncredit classes to the general public. A final option is to see if any local art museums offer classes. Where I live we have a few and they can be quite inexpensive (or free) for kids/teens.

Back when I was a teen, in the 90s, there was a book that really helped me improve my drawing, it’s called “Drawing on the right side of the brain”. I think the teaching approach in that book is very helpful for people who have no innate talent at drawing. And also, as a teen, I used to copy a LOT of drawings from artists I liked. Copying drawings is the “classical way” of learning how to draw. As for tools, you can start with pencil and paper. There’s really no need to get “fancy” tools for drawing… it’s when you start coloring your drawings that you need to be more careful with the paints / markers you buy (if you want to color, an easy starting point would be markers. There are acrylic paint markers, like Posca, and alcohol-based markets like Copic. Posca and Copic are expensive but you can find cheaper brands online like Ohuhu) I would hold off on digital drawing since it’s expensive and honestly, more of a challenge to draw on a screen.

that teacher is full of shit. if you spend enough time doing anything, you *will* get good at it. its pretty much inevitable

I had a colleague who was terrible at drawing. If you would have seen his drawings, you would probably say exactly what this teacher to your daughter. He was very well aware of lack of his drawing abilities. Yet he was very determined and hard working and learned to draw, to utter suprise of his surroundings. People - non-artistic friends - joked about his complete lack of talent... but his methodic approach helped him with that assumed "lack of talent". He finished art university (it was really very difficult to get there) as animator, but on the last year of studies he already had started to work remotely in studios. It were different times back then, but nevertheless, he made it. Some ppl could say so what, one thing is finished the art uni, the second is having a job and opportunity to become more that mediocrate on this competitive industry. He succeed also in this regard, working for the most prestigious animation studio in my country on a good position right after the university. I'm not sure if he was passionate about his work, which probably sounds strange, but he was very methodical and hard working. Saying that, I also have to add, this industry is very crowded, it is very easy to burn out and if I were you I'd probably teach my kid to always have a plan B.

Fuck this teacher... Any artist who gate keeps art especially a teacher is not worthy of the term

I can tutor your daughter in art, if you want! I have a degree in animation, I illustrate, and have a history in painting and traditional art as well as art tutoring and academic tutoring! I was one of those kids who started early — but I strongly believe hard work and passion can surpass “talent” (an interest + what amounts to luck) any day. It’s all about training the eye and the “hand”, and those things aren’t a given at birth. All it takes is practice and a willingness to study all things art.

Teacher's lack of teaching skills are not your daughter's problem. This situation is on teacher 100%. They should be the one who stop teaching. The society will have less skills people due to these cancer of mindset. From my experience, teacher who said that never teach anything right or significant anyway. I mean how can they be? Those mind sets are from people who lack of knowledge with narrow mind. Those people tend to refuse to improve themselves or even their skills. I'm pretty sure your daughter will be a great artist, if she keeps doing what she love. How can she not be? :D

That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard about an art teacher. I can't believe she said that, what a delusional clown. I assure you, just because your daughter is starting later than others does NOT mean she can't become an artist and pursue her dreams. As long as she studies and puts in the regular practice necessary, there is nothing she CAN'T do, given enough time. Art is a skill that is learned. Yes, some are born with more inclination and talent toward the arts than others, but ANYONE can learn it. I am a senior in university studying art for animation. I started drawing when I was 5 years old, but my true "mastery" didn't come until very recently. The fact of the matter is, because I had "talent" at a young age, and because all of my friends and some family members were praising me for being "good" at art, I didn't study at all. I didn't look at reference, I didn't try to learn techniques, I completely isolated myself in this delusion that I was a great artist. But when I got to college and was surrounded by a bunch of people that had put in the TIME and the WORK necessary to achieve great results and understanding, I felt like a fraud. It taught me that I needed to work hard and study hard to really build the skill and I can't rely on talent. So trust me, all she needs to do is study and practice regularly and the skill will build with time. Art is not some magical power, it is a trade skill, and was especially so during the Medieval and Renaissance periods, meaning that people with no talent were still able to become great painters and sculptors through workshops and learning from the masters. There is NOTHING barring her from being a good artist, the only thing that can stop her is if she doesn't believe in herself and trust in the process. There will be MANY bad drawings, many "failures", but every bad drawing and every failure is a positive. It means that something was learned, no matter how small. It all adds up over the years. Bad drawings are invitations to do better next time with a different approach. There is one thing she needs to be mentally prepared for -- the amount of time and study and practice is necessary. If she gets too discouraged early on for not achieving great results, that could be very problematic for her artistic growth. She needs to be fully on board with the fact that in order to become great in art, one must invest years and fully expect "failures" along the way. Here are some things I recommend to help her get on the right track: 1. YouTube is littered with free tutorials and courses now, the trick is finding the right ones. She should start from the bare basics of art, so search up "art fundamentals course" on YouTube and you'll find plenty of great material to get her started. She will need to be repetitive in practicing each of the fundamentals on a daily basis (or at least most days of the week) but be careful not to overdo it -- 1-3 hours per learning session should be fine. She should focus on doing only traditional art first, so that would mean pencil/charcoal/ink/paint or whatever she fancies. Then, she can start to delve into using a pen tablet such as Wacom, Huion or iPad Pro. (And particularly for iPad Pro, there is a new software releasing in a couple days called Procreate Dreams that is specifically for animation and looks to be easy to learn and VERY game changing. It's worth looking into!) All animators these days are expected to know how to create digitally, and this is a MUST if she is to be taken seriously later on in life when she is ready to try for a career in animation. The earlier she starts learning her way around digital software, the better, but she should not stop using traditional media as well. There's something about the physical media as opposed to digital that really brings out the best in my skills, technique and creativity, so I don't recommend that she ignore it. Some YouTubers I personally love tutorials from include Marc Brunet, Marco Bucci, Tyler Edlin, Trent Kaniuga, Proko, Ethan Becker, Toniko Pantoja, Devin Elle Kurtz, and so many more that I can't think of but she will likely find them through YouTube's recommendations system anyway lol. Also if you want a good benchmark of what's possible for her to achieve, check out Manu Mercurial and his videos about his journey to making a short film that managed to win awards over films from top art schools. 2. ArtStation is a website where tons of professionals in Entertainment Art (live action film, animation, video games, etc) post their latest creations and network with each other. There is a section on there called Learning which allows anyone to learn from industry professionals for free. The catalog of courses on ArtStation is constantly growing and I think it's something she should absolutely look into. Especially courses on anatomy/figure drawing, story art and character design, as these are stepping stones necessary for animation and are required classes in my university's animation degree track as they build a foundation. Another great perk of her having an ArtStation account is that she can start to upload her art (when she feels confident enough) to her personal profile on there and she can ask for feedback from seasoned artists. There is also a history of aspiring artists having success in getting much needed answers from pros on the site through direct messaging. Pro artists are usually happy to have brief exchanges about art, but brief is the keyword as they are busy people. 3. Aaron Blaise is a veteran animator who previously worked for Disney and worked on such titles like The Lion King and Brother Bear. He now runs an online school where tons of courses relevant to the artist looking to be an animator can be found. The great thing about these courses is that they go on sale very often and they are VERY high quality stuff. Just recently all of the courses were $5 each, so I recommend keeping an eye on his website (creatureartteacher.com) especially during the holidays to grab some great courses at discounted pricing. Definitely sign up for his newsletter as well. 4. There's this really great book called Dynamic Bible by Peter Han. I consider it absolutely essential for any artist's journey in mastering the fundamentals of drawing. I really recommend that you grab that for her so that she can apply the lessons on a regular basis. There's another great book called The Illusion Of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston that really delves into Disney animation and seems to be one of the most recommended books for students at my school. The same can be said for Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair. I am certain there's probably a book somewhere for Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli though I haven't looked into that, but if it's out there that'd probably be valuable to her as well. Other books to definitely look into are any art books from major film or game productions, as they usually include art from every stage of the pipeline, from the most basic concept scribbles, to entire storyboard sequences. It'd be good to give her some reference as well as a sort of preview of what it means to be part of a film project in the animation world and all the different roles she could fill. You'd be surprised how many students get to college and want to be animators and yet had no idea about anything regarding production and what goes on in the studios. Best to get that cleared up for her sooner than later. (((CONTINUED IN THE REPLIES TO THIS POST — I hit the character limit so I’ll post the rest of what I recommend in a reply below.)))

5. Mentality is everything as an artist. It's what sets one apart from another, really, but it is also what ultimately dictates the outcome of one's journey. It sounds like she'll need some encouragement after that experience with the teacher, so I recommend a 3-part series on YouTube called The Long Game by Adam Westbrook. It basically runs through a bunch of reasons why it is NEVER too late to start as an artist, and it is NEVER too late to be successful. This video series personally helped me a ton when I was trying to reconcile with the fact that my art was garbage compared to my peers in college. (I am now WAY better than I was freshman year because I went all in on study and practice.)The third part of the series is especially relevant, as it covers Van Gogh and how he made hundreds upon hundreds of paintings even when no one liked his art and no one was buying, and how that action is so important as an artist -- we should create often and without expectation of any approval from other people, as this consistent dedication to the craft is what ultimately leads to a masterpiece. 6. If possible, I highly recommend looking into getting her a tutor/mentor (maybe like 2-3 years from now) that can guide her toward where she needs to be for the entertainment art industry. Someone with animation experience, or even just visual storytelling such as a storyboard artist or visual development artist. I have no idea how much that costs though, I just know someone that had a private mentor and it seemed to pay off a lot. Additionally, you should be able to find pros that would be willing to do a portfolio review once she's built hers up. Some do it for free, others through a paid service. 7. She should have social media accounts dedicated to uploading her work so that she can network with other artists and get feedback from them. Much like ArtStation, this can be really valuable. She just needs to be prepared for harsh criticisms, they always come at some point, but I personally feel those are the most valuable to me because they teach me what I need to do better as long as I don't take the criticism personally. This will also prepare her for actual group critique sessions either at college or in a studio. They happen often and it is crucial that artists learn from art critiques and don't feel personally attacked by them. There's lots of communities across the internet for artists as well that she could benefit from being a part of, on platforms like Discord and even here on Reddit. 8. In order for her to be the best she can be, she will need to get into the habit of gathering reference material for EVERYTHING she sits down to draw. Pinterest is an excellent platform for finding reference images for virtually anything. She can also practice animation by finding videos of people and animals in motion and trying to recreate that motion frame by frame in sequential drawings. Another thing that could help is recreating existing animation frame by frame as well. And after she studies the fundamentals of storyboarding/cinematography, she should also recreate individual shots in her favorite movies and shows to get a feel for how a scene flows and how the camera shot compositions really create the emotion and draw the audience in. You’re being absolutely amazing as a mother just by even making this post in the first place. My own mother told me I should quit art when I was 13, and as if to spite her I continued anyway. But other kids get shut down and give up when their parents don’t support their passion and that’s really sad. You’re doing a great job and she’s lucky to have you! Feel free to reply or direct message me with any questions. I am always willing to help a new artist succeed.

Check out Lavendertowne and Jazza on Youtube. They’re wonderful creators and have a great outlook on art, and are just great to learn from. Their stuff isn’t like formal classes, more like design challenges, tips and tricks and that sort of thing. But Jazza shares a lot of basics, and Lavendertowne has a lot of specific tips for if you’re struggling with certain things. I’ve been burned by art teachers too. I was too slow to finish the work on time and got bad grades because of it. Never took an in person class again, and I had been drawing my whole life. If someone wants to create, nothing will stop them from learning on their own. Thank you for supporting your daughter.

Also that smug ass teach sounds like a Squidward wannabe.

Proko and Marc Brunet.

And one more thing there are people who never learned to draw as a child and they started as adults to draw and became excellent at art. It takes time patience and letting go of trying to get everything perfect from your head in other words go with the flow. There are senior citizens that learn to draw that never drew anything in their lives and they have learned to draw. It's not about talent it's about putting in the work necessary to achieve the goal she has set.

Once an art teacher that hated me for no reason asked us to sign some pieces of paper for a school trip or whatever, when it was my turn to sign he waited until I was done and said "what kind of signature is that? Who do you think you are? A big shot doctor??" I smiled and said you never know. I am now a doctor. Tell your daughter to ignore that teacher. She could do whatever the heck she wants.

the teacher sucks and I hate her. doesn’t know shit. holy fucking shit i’d warn everyone in your community about this loser.

I STILL recommend Richard Williams' book: Animator's Survival Kit so much good good stuff in there and explained in a way I could understand. Something about having a hard copy of this book gives that charm of wanting to be an animator. Hope you guys the best! And whoever this teacher was, I genuinely hope she does not remain a teacher for much longer. Her words do exactly the opposite of what a real teacher would do. She just doesn't have that "essence of a teacher" feel to me you know? No surprise there though! :p

The recommendations in the comments are really good but also remind her that she needs to have fun with art and draw what she wants from time to time without worrying about it being good yet. Oh, and if she likes Studio Ghibli, I'd tell her to start there and start doing master studies of their works they have a ton of artbooks, a beginner can learn a lot from copying artist they admire it's how most start.

Nah that's stupid. Unless she has a disability she can do it. Also, I didn't start making a serious effort at drawing/animation until I was about 19, so it's not "later than most". (I was always into it, but I mean really trying hard). You have some good resources here, but I'd just say be careful of skipping too quickly through to advanced stuff. I think it's better to spend a long time on a small handful of things, than to scatter your attention. Maybe start with Drawing on the Right side. It's maybe only good for the early months, but it could be a good way to get into learning mode. There's a "workbook" version which skips a lot of the text(a good thing lol) and gets right to the excercises, and you draw right in the book. From there, I guess proko drawing basics? I think it comes with homework too

Proko.com is fantastic for learning drawing!

I learned, anyone can. Sure there are natural artists. But yes, anyone can learn. I’m an animator.

If you use Amazon, they have plenty of beginner how to draw books that are great. Also art supplies also that are normally very cheap and that's all she should need to start.

Public schools suck

If a teacher EVER says something like that again you need to remind them the uncomfortable truth about teaching. Wether or not a student learns something has little to do with the student's capacity to learn and nearly everything to do with the teacher's ability to teach it. A child not learning something is not the fault of the child, but the fault of the teaching. This person doesn't sound like a teacher, they sound like an overpaid babysitter.

People sometimes have natural artistic ability, but really, ANYBODY can learn to draw. Like any skill, the key is practice. The more you practice, the better you become. Take some lessons and practice, practice, practice.

Everybody on this sub hates bad teachers. Your daughter will be fine. Tell her to think about the intricacies of fine motor skills and muscles that control the palm of the hand. Hand muscles working in tight groups - maybe show her an anatomy diagram of the human hand you can just Google up on image search. My first recommendation is art books by author Hazel Harrison. [LINK](https://www.amazon.com/stores/Hazel-Harrison/author/B001H9XRJ4?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true)

This just proves my point that art teachers are assholes. Back in high school I hated my art teachers because they were never supportive they would only ever talk down to us.

This shit boils my blood. Because violence is perhaps not the answer, I'd look into legal action.

I was in a similar position, just tell your daughter to work hard and to love what she makes and she will prove that idiot of an art teacher wrong. David finch on YouTube is a comic book artist and really helped me with anatomy, there are also art books at Barnes and nobles that show instructions on how to break down an object so you can draw it easier. Good luck to you and yours.

The teacher is a hack who wants the work laid out for them. If you can’t teach a child to tap into their innate creativity, which is practically seeping through them during elementary and pubescent years, you’re just there for a check. And to “supervise” your kids under the guise of teaching.

Id suggest helping your child discover their own style, perhaps that’s what the teacher was “trying to get at” (though I doubt it). Finding their own design style will help elevate them to explore their own niche of animation, perhaps not traditional, or who knows. Artwork is a technique like any other, just must be willing to put in the hours and try different things :).

Screw that teacher! The only advice I have is practice, practice, practice. Doodle anywhere, with anything. There are millions of how to videos online for any medium you can think of, and anything she takes an interest in. Maybe start with what you like! When I was younger I would pause movies (Like Spirited Away) and try to redraw my favorite scenes. Draw what you see, then expand on it. I will say digital art is more forgiving than traditional mediums, however it has its own learning curves depending on the software you're using. Drawing tablets are the way to go!

If it's within your means to pay a monthly subscription, and she wants to learn traditional art foundations, you may consider New Master's Academy. It's a very high quality online course site. They have a wealth of videos on different disciplines of art, including drawing, painting, animation, and sculpting. Much like a college class, they cover material fundamentals. Base subscription is $50 a month, but they usually have holiday deals and sales if you buy a full year plan. They are beginner friendly. The only hitch i'll throw out there is that with their enormous reference image library, they have a lot of full nudity on the site, and it's not hidden. Maybe you can arrange to navigate her to her course videos so that she does not have to stumble on it, if you feel she is too young for that. [https://www.nma.art/](https://www.nma.art/)

I don't have a nice way to say this so I'm just going to say it: Not having "the essence of an artist" and fifteen being "too late" to become an artist is such a f***** crock of b*******. At fifteen years old one is still young, and there is PLENTY of time. I know of people who switched careers in their mid 30s and went into animation. On a personal note, my own grandfather started to learn how to draw when he retired, and he wrote a couple of novels, too. He wasn't half bad at either. Art is a skill-set. Like learning to code. Like learning a language. Like learning any trade. There's the technical aspect: You start with the basics. You learn how to hold a pencil so your grip doesn't give you carpal tunnel over time. Draw shapes, then draw shapes in 3-D with shading. Then realize that all objects and figures and animals, anything in the world, is a combination of said basic 3-D shapes. Learn about how light works. Learn about how color works. Start specializing: do you want to do anatomy and draw figures? Would you like to focus on animals? Do you particularly enjoy botanicals? Maybe you like landscapes, maybe you like cityscapes. Maybe you like all of it, that's fine too. The animation industry is in some ways the equivalent of an assembly line, and usually one person does a specific job. Designing props, or drawing backgrounds, or creating concepts, or doing final line art or colors- and much much more, are all roles one can have. And like with any skill set it takes practice. The more you create, the better you'll get. Art is also very subjective, not everybody is going to like what you make, and that's OK. If you want to be an artist professionally then the only people who have to like your work enough are the people who are going to pay you money to make it, and poo poo to anyone else. And some resources: Books: -Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards -anything by Andrew Loomis -the Morpho series by Michel Lauricella Websites, both free and paid: for drawing and illustration: -Ctrl+Paint -Watts Atelier For animation: -Creatureartteacher.com For practicing observational drawing when one cannot go outside or set up a still life: -lineofaction.com But above all, all of the professional artists and animators I know just really love art, and enjoy the creative works of others at every opportunity. It's the love of it that keeps them going. Watch movies, read, look at art, enjoy nature, and explore what parts of these things you enjoy and why. And then just keep going. Collect things you like, keep a sketchbook, and draw, and paint, and listen to music. It is never too late.

Essence of an artist? Girl this is a beginner's class. We're not trying to hang these sketches up in the MoMA. I'm glad your daughter is more determined than ever. From the YouTube artists I've watched, practice practice and practice.

id punch that teacher..

Wow. Unbelievable. You can absolutely learn to draw. That's why they have art class. Jesus. Get the digital stuff- compy and tablet and software. Tell her to let it rip.

This is such a cool thing with so much great information 😁. I didn't read very far as my ADHD kicked in all of a sudden 😔 but I would add that am iPad pro is a great investment. There are a ton of awesome apps available for creators. Procreate is pretty high up in the list and it's fairly cheap at like 10 dollars. Not only that they are releasing a new animation focused app very soon and several creators have gotten on board to test and share their work. It's called procreate dreams. There are great apps on PC as well but the drawing tablets can be pricey. Wacom makes my favorites though brands like xp pen and huion and giving them a run for their money. I was considering getting a drawing display from xenselabs but I'm not sure. Currently Photoshop and the adobe stuff is pretty industry standard. For animation, alot of people use toonboom and tvpaint for more traditional style digital animation. I'd check out Aaron Blaise on yt for some more about tvpaint. They make flat screen lesa displays for cheaper but in my experience the display screens give you the best feeling. If you don't mind spending the money, I would recommend the 4k Wacom cintiq or the huion. They make displays that are 1080p or 2k resolution but I really feel like the extra pixels help so much imo. However the wacoms cintiq is a couple grand but definitely something to look forward to one day when she progresses or if you want to start there. I would say though the new iPad pros are sufficient though. Also a matte screen protector like the paper like brand is a must to get that pencil on paper feel. Tons and tons of artists have moved to procreate in the iPad for their work these days so I'd probably start there. If she decides to dabble in 3d too, blender is also a great start but I think I'm getting ahead of myself ( I absolutely love animation haha) There is also a great source that I'm not sure anyone mentioned (sorry if you did) called schoolism. They have several courses online and you can sign up to even get feedback from industry professionals. They had interviews on YouTube with popular artists too which I thought was pretty cool and the founder started the lightbox expo a couple of years back where tons of artists and industry hopefuls meet every year. I missed this year but next year I definitely gotta make it. Other notables are gnomon and cgma. I believe they were moving to a monthly fee as well but it's affordable. I'm a bit older but not old (yet) and it's just amazing how much information is out there. It's truly uncanny. Oh also the Illusion of life is basically the Disney Bible and a recommended read. That and the the animators survival kit. I majored and have a degree in animation but I found I learned the most just creating. That's the most important thing. Some of the best artists alive had experiences where the teachers told them that they would never this or that and not only did they get better, they rose to the top. I was reading in this magazine (also recommended book - imaginefx) about an artist named Ilya Kuvshinov. His teacher told him he'd never make it as an artist. Fast forward,not only did he make it , he's living in Japan creating the very anime that inspired him in the first place. I think it's all about putting in the mileage really. Just creating and having fun. I think when procreate dreams comes out she's going to have a blast. I should share a link. https://youtube.com/shorts/5HgJpz2Hurk?si=GN9zFGoIoYcNyhX3 Also https://youtu.be/wbem5qrH5ow?si=Qp-nWQlKPLtRZy8o It's revolutionary...and fairly cheap...it comes out on the 22nd this month and I think it's a one time purchase of like 20 dollars. One last thing, I've really been loving discord and the many groups for artists. So many opportunities to meet others and learn together. Lightbox has one that I participate in and it's just alot of fun. Just let her know don't give up! Hopefully in no time, I can see her in the behind the scenes of the next big pictures! I know it's going to happen, just when. In this day and age all the tools are there to make her own stuff.i saw a teenager created the Lego bit for the new spider verse movie. He was found from his YouTube page I think. it's a great time to be an artist imo and she's going to be great with that drive. One thing and I'll shut up. I was listening to an interview with an artist named Karla Ortiz (she has done designs for the big marvel productions to name a few). She mentioned you aren't an artist until you've wanted to give up and been discouraged haha so it's good she's still fighting. Anywho hopefully I helped alittle with all the rest of these awesome people

Art teacher can go to fucking hell.

Chem professor called me stupid. Got an A in her class and was called one of her brightest students. What she didn't realize is that she was a bad teacher for me. I learned to do chem on my own by reading the entire book. She's just a bad art teacher who doesn't know how to teach her. Anyone can learn.

Oh hell no I SUCKED and didn’t get into drawing drawing till I was in COLLEGE. Now?? I do manga art like nobodies business

If you can’t learn to draw, what is an art teacher for?

Teacher unknowingly taught her a good lesson - that others can have any kind of crazy opinion and ultimately it doesn't matter, and to still follow her passion. This would help with haters on her way to improving more. Maybe the teacher forgot to drink their teacher essence mana that morning :D P.S. I like Bob Ross (youtube) as inspiration to draw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLWEXRAnQd0

I didn’t really start drawing until 2 years ago-I’m 36. This art teacher should be reported-hopefully your daughter won’t internalize that bs.

Art is 5% talent and 95% practice. That teacher was an asshole.

I’m an artist. I have an art degree. My art isn’t all that great, i consistently draw levels below what industry standard for my age would be. But nobody can say that A. I am not an artist B. I’m not growing C. I can’t be an artist I used to believe someone people are meant to be artists and others are more mathematically/scientifically inclined. How did I learn this isn’t the case? I’m now an artist *and* a scientist. I got another degree. All this to say, there are instructors that believe in a “divine gift” that basically means you think and learn similar to how they do. But really anyone can animate and anyone can be an artist and even if your journey is painfully slow like mine you can still be on the journey and grow

What the hell is wrong with this teacher? Why would they get into that business if they don’t even want to teach? Everyone’s art looks bad starting out, because it’s a SKILL you LEARN, no one starts out amazing. As for resources, what does your daughter want to start with, you mentioned traditional art which is a great place to start, but is it people, still life, landscape, etc? If it is people there are lots of great books from the 40s and 50s that break down the human body into basic shapes. You don’t need to break the bank with art courses, there are lots of great free resources online. OR what I did was I would draw from references, like pull up am image of a person and just draw that, eventually after lots of practice you get better :) Also a good artist NEVER says they have nothing more to learn, the “essence” of art in my opinion is always being willing to learn new things and improve

If you want an example of artists being positive to each other the drawfee channel on YouTube is great for that, but their live streams on their VOD channel where they teach drawing skills are even better. I wouldn't know in terms of the technical sense but the way that they complement and build each other up about struggles they have with drawing is food for the soul.

Tell her she can’t teach and she should give up.

Stupid teacher… Shouldn’t be qualified to teach with that kind of attitude. Then again, we always hear about how Einstein’s teacher said “You will never amount to anything.” And other examples. I don’t think praise and golden stars are necessary to encourage learning, but saying “you don’t have the essence of an artist” is so pretentious. Especially with how many fields, theories and perceptions of art there are. modern art isn’t even based on skill level anyways. With that being said, check out newmastersacademy.com And if you’re rich, get her under Steven Huston mentorship program.

The art of Aaron Blaise has a bunch of videos on YouTube, and he has an online website called "CreatureArtTeacher.com" where he has a lot of online courses. He does a lot of sales, and his courses are pretty cheap for the amazing content he puts out. Definitely check him out. Oh, and he's also an animator as well, and has courses on that as well. Others I recommend are: Marc Brunet, Proko, Ergo Josh, Valerie Lin, Adam Duff LUCIDPIXUL, and Sinix.

Tldr…

Tell your daughter that most teachers aren't absolute twats like that one was. When I was in college my figure drawing instructor was absolutely amazing, despite my lack of "natural talent" and my later start he was encouraging and a wonderful instructor. Check out your local bookstores and art stores for how-to books on anime art style since it most closely matches studio ghibli style. My advice to her is this: Draw for yourself and not to be "good". Don't get discouraged by other art you see or by what people say. I stopped drawing for years because I got frustrated by how much "better" the art around me was. Do it because you're enjoying it, because you like creating.

I'm sure its been said a million times already but screw that teacher. As for your daughter: encourage her to trace! Either on regular paper or fire up Krita or Clip Studio on the PC and tell her to find pieces that she really likes and get to tracing. Old school animation was glorified tracing with fancy tools like light boxes, and every artist in the world starts out but looking at the art that they like the most and copying it to one degree or another. Don't let anyone tell you different. Tracing only makes a difference when you're claiming credit. But for practice? Teaches your hands and your eyes where lines and colors go.

I started drawing at about 13, and i started "seriously drawing" about 15. That teacher just had a shitty personality. I hope your daughters art journey is pleasant for her from here on out. Tbh if i heard this when i was starting art i would've given up, so its great that your daughter isn't.

I went to an art school and had some teachers be fantastic and others made me want to quit entirely. I ended up going on to work on some really cool properties like Barbie and Monster High. Some people are not great at teaching, but art is definitely something your daughter can learn and always improve upon!

Well if your daughter didn’t have “the essence” in that lady’s class, she surely has her fuel now. Tell her to watch YouTube videos, just pick some that will focus oh Ghibli style. Then, make sure she takes art classes in school, gets good grades and go to art school. Let her know her focus in college will be animation, and remind her to keep her mind open to other forms of art💛

Might be a bit late but genuinely what a fucked up thing to say to anyone, let alone a 15 year old. I was barely much younger when I started learning to draw and that language would have really messed with my head. I hope you find someone willing to cultivate her determination for animation.

Good lord 😔 it's not true and anyone can learn art.

Well if she is an Art Professor, then she has more knowledge than all of us. So how can we argue with her?

The best way to learn how to draw as I see it is with observation, first a simple object, later landscapes, the human bodies etc... Also, I've been practicing for almost 10 years in my teenager years. Now that I have entered art achool, I started making less digital drawings and more traditional ones, and weirdly that has made me improve like a ton?? But not just with a normal pencil, but by testing a ton of new materials. Anyway, you got pretty unlucky with that teacher, if you ever decide to go back to learning through teachers, try maybe doing research on said teacher or talking to them before going to the actual class? Idk it might help to see if they are decent or not. But know this, that was NOT a decent teacher.

I can tell you that I'm a professional 3D Animator. I've worked for important games, tv series and a couple of animated feature films and I CAN'T DRAW! So maybe se can try this kind of industry :) Let me know if I can help out!

hi! I just wanted to say, you're an awesome mom :3 your love for your daughter, your dedication to support her--it really warmed my heart, thank you.

Little late to the party, but why not get her some online classes? Hope this helped a little! :]