>>31539397I'll approach this from a different angle. Feel free to dismiss it because a lot of people I give advice to thinks it's bullshit. Though I do ramble and maybe just pretty shitty at expressing my points in general.
What I've found most effective is approaching it not as "how to learn art" but "how to learn". When approaching things from a "this is the exact path to learn x", imo you are falling into the trap of school system learning, where everything can be learned the same way by everyone. What I've found useful instead is analyzing yourself and how you've successfully learned how to do other skills so far. Even then, different aspects if a skill has a different "click" moment for you. Its a matter of trying shit out and gaining mileage in the end, and it may not be mileage in the doing sense either, it may take you mileage of listening to different people explain things in different ways. It may be from relentless copying, it may be from just grinding mindlessly. I've experienced the "I get it" moment from all those experiences and more for different aspects of art. This is what I think "trust the process" really entails, just going on the journey and not worrying about it. If you're stuck, then try a different way because there will always be one.
Think of it this way, if you're good at another skill like math for example. How did you learn math? Is it doing it intuitively, reading the formula, listening to the teacher's explanation, inputting the formula and trying shit out, looking at a solved example problem then working your way back from the answer? The solution you've used to learn other skills can show your learning tendency and what you might be able to apply to l arming art as well. I really can't emphasize the importance of meditation and self reflection enough for learning, as weird as that sounds.
If there's one universal requirement though, it'd just be time. While people might point to someone that never improves after x years, I genuinely think that's impossible if you can actually actively think and self reflect and try different paths to your goal. Sometimes some knowledge will take longer than others, and some people are simply slower than others, but if you can actively think your way through it's hard to believe you won't improve with time.
For a more specific knowledge that's based on personal experience, I've found adopting an art parent works the best for me. Pick 2-3 source artists that you want to emulate the most as your pie in the sky, and fill some pureref file with all their art. Whenever you draw you have it open on the side to keep reminding yourself of the details of their art and break it down in your head in real time while you draw your separate art piece of whatever. But it'll almost be like osmosis and you absorb how to make better shapes, how to do better line weight, how to simplify your shading, how to simplify your anatomy. Though like
>>31544402 already mentioned, it's also important for you to know the knowledge you're simplifying (or stylizing if you will, simplifying and partly embellishing complex irl knowledge is in the end what stylization is). I've picked up going to the gym regularly since I started drawing and it's massively improved my anatomy drawing because I know by heart the muscle positions and movement usage now. And exercising in general also boosts your creativity and longevity, countering the hours spent drawing on a desk. A healthy soul cannot dwell in an unhealthy body, and art needs soul so start bodybuilding. This post was sponsored by /fit/ all along, tricked you loser.
