#i cant teach it in bite sized bits and give you the whole picture in tiktok snippet sized comments

[ndntighnari]

This is definitely just a petty pet peeve, I know, and I don't mean this in a condescending way when I say it, but as someone who has been a professional character designer and illustrator -- as in I've been paid for it and hired by people to design characters and do illustrations as a freelancer -- for the better part of the last... 7 years, given a rough estimate, it really frustrates me hearing 16 and 17 year olds claim that they've been character designers or illustrators for 10 years.

Like, I'm genuinely glad they see their designing as experience!! Because it is!! But when I'm talking from a professional POV, using knowledge I've learned on the job, with techniques and the like that I've trained and honed in a professional paid for sense, and I suddenly get a "yeah I mean I've got 10 years experience" from a 17 year old its like... Please take me seriously, kid. I've been making character designs since I was 6, that does not mean I have 16 years experience as a character designer. There's a difference between professional experience and having fun making characters as a kid, and unfortunately the latter does not get you credibility in the professional field. I wish it did, but there is in fact a vast difference between the two.

This also goes for when I hear people who are hobbyist go "you don't need to learn the basics of art! You don't need to study anatomy or lighting or x y z fundamental!" because on some level I do agree! You can get into art without studying those things. However do not bitch and whine when your art doesn't look how you wanted it to when you refuse to learn colour theory. You need to know the rules before you can break them, is a rule of thumb I have with art.

This is largely just a vent post about people not taking me or my advice even remotely seriously with art btw. I'm often asked for advice on art and then told im wrong or that they know better despite being younger and/or less professionally experienced. It's just really frustrating, because I try to give positive feedback, as well as constructive criticism, but whenever I ask people for art advice, I'll typically get incredibly subjective opinions on what they find looks better. And it's like I am asking for what techniques here work vs don't not if you think the character would look better with fangs or cat ears.