I've always had an artistic / creative outlet, woodworking, metal working, model building and I'm a life long doodler, but I only got semi-serious about drawing a few years ago in my mid 50s so I can relate. I recently watched / read something that gave some positives to starting a new skill later in life. When you are older you will have developed related skills and habits that readily translate to the new skill. The trick is making those connections. Another advantage often overlooked by older students is we tend to have the luxury of more disposable income and control over our schedule. I can throw a couple hundred dollars down a rabbit hole if I develop a sudden interest. There is no way I could have done that in my 20s. I also have 100% control over my schedule, so if I want to take a class on Mon / Wed I can do that. Again not something I could control earlier in life. I've also found it very inspiring to look back at sketch books, even from just a few months earlier. Improvement comes in small steps, but you can clearly see the growth when looking back 6-12 months.

Stan's talked to me about his time teaching at the Watts Atelier before and one thing came to mind that might be interesting to you. When I asked him about his best students, the ones who improved way beyond everyone else at a rapid pace, he said a large chunk of those were older students who were often in their 50's and 60's. Perhaps they had that life experience and discipline to buckle down and practice with focus, or for the older people, time in retirement to dive deep into a new skill, but he said a lot of these students he taught went on to get insanely skilled in just a few years of dedicated practice. I hope your journey is fun and satisfying! And that you feel good about the stuff you've made. If you really only recently started you're doing a really good job with the art I've seen.

Pretty fire that your at day 42, idk even know what day I'm at. I've felt the same way about getting advice online, granted I don't really post my art much at all and even when I do I don't seem to get much advice/feedback other than people just saying it looks good (which I still fully appreciate). I feel like that the trick when being self taught is being able to look at your own work and knowing when something is off and how you can fix it. Of course, that is easier said than done, but do doable if you have a strong understanding of fundamentals and other art concepts. I think it also helps to do studies from artists you like as a sort of cheat sheet so you know how other artists apply these concepts and how you can use a similar line of thinking, after all drawing is something that requires a lot of thoughtful decision making. Understanding how/why others made their decisions can help in informing your own.

Thanks @na_talie @Dan Blodgett ! Really nice to chat to people further along their journey than I currently am. Appreciate all the sage words of wisdom and encouragement. I'm definitely finding it hard to accept that progress comes in drips and drops vs seeing continuous results - and yep, definitely my own worst enemy in a sense particularly as I'm spotting more and more subtle errors. I'll try and view that analytical growth, as just as valuable as the practical growth. It can be easy to forget it's the other side of the coin and both are needed to grow. Always happy that there's more to learn, I love anything that always has a ceiling that seems to only get higher the more you know - and learn from the many experts out there. And as you both said, enjoy and have fun! Sometimes I think I get too fixed on a level of progress I want to see - and just need to accept that picking up a pencil and putting in some miles is getting me there, even if much of it isn't necessarily demonstratable...YET. Thanks for the comments!

Hi, Jon! Generally, I agree with Dan. You need to practice constantly. Sometimes you will see huge improvements in no time and then you learn something, you don't even realize and you will have the impression that nothing will come out the way you want it. But that is not, because you are drawing worse, but because you know more and you can spot more errors. I started here about a year ago, as a bloody beginner. I had lots of fun and am constantly amazed by how much better my drawings are now. In times, when I can practice daily, the quality goes up and it goes back down, when practice time is scarce. As long as you are having fun, everything is OK. Just be nice to yourself ;P I also scrolled through your submissions. They look pretty good to me. If you keep practicing, you can certainly get to your goal. Also, you should try to draw what you really want to draw, aside from the assignments, to see where you might need more practice. You will also see some things you can do pretty well, already.

Hey! I had an uncle named Jon B, spelled the same way and everything. Hmmm... Haha. From a former beginner: honestly, you're in one of the most exciting places a person can be when developing any skill. Rejoice! So many who are farther along wish they could go through the same amount of growth as you're about to. Just starting out, the whole thing is new and exciting and the possibilities are endless. Break throughs come so often, and growth can be exponential. A dedicated beginner has the potential (if they stick with it) to have an absolute explosion in ability and understanding from year zero to year two or three. Also, these first years of learning are the most important for learning "well." You are a blank canvas. You will be soaking up information like a sponge. It's essential that you set realistic goals that move towards your ideal future artist self. Try to avoid picking up bad habits and destructive knowledge that go against this during this impressionable time. Now, that's kind of a subjective thing, and difficult to spot sometimes. You're here on Proko so the risk of this isn't so high here, but there are many influences that can be good and many that can be bad for your individual goals. If you absorb too much that takes you away from that, then it can really slow down your growth and ability to execute how you wish you could. Just something to keep in mind. When someone offers you advice, you have to really consider, "is this going to help me achieve my goal?" Finally, keep in mind a sobering reality. Because it is important to also be realistic. To get "good" at art like this, it takes time. A lot of time. This is a game of years and decades, not weeks or months. You have to be willing to work hard, and work, and work, and work some more, for potentially the rest of your life before you reach the level you might consider "good." And that can be a scary thought as a beginner. But it is also a blessing if you think about it. It means that for literally as long as you pursue this seriously, you will continue to grow and evolve and get better. There is always more to learn. Just know, there is no peak at the end to stick a flag in. No climax or resolve or moment where you will stop and go "Yep. I did it. Now I am done." This is a road that leads into an eternity. I like to compare the artist's journey to Sisyphus pushing his boulder, only to have it constantly roll back to the bottom before he can finish the crest. If you're not going to be okay, not to mention happy, to push that boulder up the hill over and over, only watch it roll back and have to start over again every time... for the rest of your natural time... then you have to seriously examine your choices. Otherwise, and I see it all the time, the suffering and stagnation and repetition can and has killed off many a motivated person's desire to continue their pursuit of art. Be careful that doesn't happen to you. Because it absolutely can. Learn to love the grind, I guess haha. This is all about having fun. We're all just big kids playing! So don't torture yourself if it doesn't go how you think it should. Don't set yourself up for failure if you can help it. And most importantly, give yourself a lot of grace for mistakes. It can be so frustrating, but at the same time this is one of the most rewarding skills I can think of. There isn't a person alive who deep down doesn't wish they could be an artist like how you've set out to be. And it's a learnable skill just like any other. Patience and persistence are all you really need. Hope that helps you out, partner!