Confidence in Art

Art by Gunwallace

If anxious art exists, that’s what I make. Particularly in the early stages of a drawing I tend to be very tenuous and unsure of myself. I become more confident when I move into colouring, but that uncertainty is definitely reflected in the way my art looks. I tend to prefer mediums that allow me to do little fiddly work, like watercolours or cross-hatched pen and ink. I have a knack for pysanky! But I find large canvases and sweeping brushstrokes quite nerve-wracking. I don’t think my art is bad, but I’m never sure that I’ll be able to put a line in the right place when it comes down to it. I also feel that this is probably part of the reason that inking has never been my favourite part of comic-making (see my old newspost on it) – the best linework is steady and smooth, which is hard to achieve without a certain degree of confidence.

So where does confidence come from in art? To some extent it seems to be innate, the same way any kind of confidence can be innate. I’ve had friends here on DD – young friends! – who seemed to produce art effortlessly just because they had a belief in their own skills. And of course to a large extent it’s practice and pushing yourself to move outside of your comfort zone. In high school, my art teacher always pushed me to do larger pieces. I don’t feel that any of them were my best work, to be honest, but I do appreciate what he was trying to do. I imagine over time I could become more confident in larger works and different mediums, but whether I’ll go in that direction without someone looking over my shoulder is another matter.

Are you confident in your drawing? Have you become more sure of yourself over time? How do you feel your own confidence (or lack thereof) affects your work?

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