Can you teach yourself to be an artist?

1. 66

   Manna in the wildposted 13 years ago

   Can you teach yourself to be an artist?
   
   "You're either talented or not" I read.You can teach yourself to draw people, landscapes etc, but can you teach yourself to be an artist? The opinion of at least one art critic strongly states that abstract art is hard. Anyone can learn to do representational art, but not good abstract without innate talent. So, can you learn to be an artist? Or are you born an artist, and then develop it or not?

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2. 61

   flashmakeitposted 13 years ago

   I think to be an artist you have to spend a lot of time developing your art skills.  You can teach your self to be an artist or get training to become an artist.  I think it is better to get training for a good art teacher it may takes years to develop excellent art skills. No I do not believe people are born with art skills.

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   1. 66

      Manna in the wildposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What about a 3yr old that sings in perfect pitch and with nuances expected from someone much older? There are plenty of examples. Surely that is a genetic skill? Maybe it's the same with artistic ability. Just throwing that out there, you make a good

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3. 61

   Robin Cristyposted 13 years ago

   Yes.  Through meditation, observation, and practice, a person can tap into their hidden talents.  These talents have always been with us.  The trick is to recognize and utilize our abilities to bring the image of what we want to create into fruition.

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4. 60

   teddi6posted 13 years ago

   I think it's possible to be taught areas or certain styles of art, not necessarily portraiture. It helps to have an innate gift for creativity in order to appreciate the esthetics of art. It's not just about picking up a pencil and drawing a picture, a lot of thought must go into a project - and continue to flow to completion.
   
   I taught a Life Drawing/Portrait class. Many of my students came into the class gifted and talented, and took the class to brush up on their skills. I had a couple of students who were artists in other areas and were trying to learn portraiture. They found out very quickly, though, that it's not something you just decide to do, it takes time, dedication, and skill.

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