im gonna cry...so frustrated

Now that's the way to go at it - keep trying, keep fixing, but number one - keep painting!!! We can't get better if we don't keep at it, right?

Be nice to yourself. I keep having to recite that mantra to myself, too. And it's supposed to be fun, not perfect.

And be confident... Shaky faith in your linework makes shaky lines.

Ok... I want you to know that you are not a bad artist, painter, or person!!!! You need to tell yourself, "I may not be as good as some of the Insanely wonderful painters here on the forum or even out there, BUT... I am great in my own right!!!"

As far as the dragon you painted above... Its not that there are things wrong... its that there are things you want to do differently next time! No matter what you paint there is probably always going to be things that you will want to do different. And that is what makes us different from the stuck up snobs that think that their paintings are all that all the time! We are willing to shoot for a higher goal, a better painting each time!

I have been painting for a really long time, but until I got on the net and saw other peoples work did I really improve. But only because I started to practice more and more, and I really had a desire to paint more. Before I only painted at a few things each year, put my paints away, and went on with my life.

I thought I would show you a few b4 and afters....

Tra, you are not alone sweetie! I feel that way almost everyday. All I can say is what's already been said...Just keep on practicing and compare yourself to yourself. I think my stuff stinks because I see what the folks on here can do but I practice on my legs at work and people are amazed by it. We're our own worst critic. When I get really down on myself and think i stink beyond stunk...i bust out the picture of my very very first attempt at painting anything (the "snow fairy" from the klutz face painting book) I have myself a good laugh and realize it's not that bad afterall i used to be worse. i probably didn't help much did i? lol
here...this might help more ::hug::

all of you are so awesome! it does make me feel a bit better knowing im not the only one... everyone is amazingly supportive...big hugs to all of you!

Tra, I think you have many very creative ideas and I think your work is really good! I'm new to this too, and if I thought of comparing my painting to some of the people on this site, it would be like comparing finger painting to Picaso. It would be pointless. I take things away from what they do, and it inspires me, but when I paint it, I don't feel bad that it doesn't look like theirs - I try to be happy that I tried it. In fact, after I saw the cute little dragon in your avatar, I tried it - mine did not look cute and happy at all - so bad I don't think I even took a picture lol. But I did add the little pointy tail to my regular mean dragon, and it fits. So I still learned something and got better by doing something that didn't turn out well.

When I was learning butterflies, I felt like my first ones were really great (eventhough looking back on them they are far from great), and then I would do another and it would be even better, and another that was better than the previous one, and so on. The butterflies are the place where I can see my improvement most. Maybe you could try painting the same thing, taking pictures each time so you can make your improvement more obvious.

I paint my husbands back too, and I like to paint the same small thing a couple times in a row (attempting to correct the things i didn't like from the first one) I turn on a hocky game sit beside him on the couch start painting and then i've got a little while without any complaints from him about having to be still.

OMG that is SO CUTE!!!

Don't worry! Most artists suffer from the 'I suck' monster. Ask Lady Tetsu or anyone who has spent more than 2 hours with me. I really struggle with my art and feeling like I am a big phoney and everyone is just being nice and really....I am just barely passable. This is a war all the time. Try to remember that the people leaving your chair are happy! YOU are happy being able to have that creative release. Try to be more generous to yourself. It's harder than it sounds and I struggle too, but it really is something to try and remember.

You are doing JUST FINE! I can see the progress you are making and you really cannot concieve of just how much BETTER you will be in 3 months! Keep all the old pictures and look back. You will feel so much better about it!

We are all here for ya!!!

YOu want to see an infiriority complex making weekend? Try rooming with the super sweet, beautiful and uber talented Lone Wolf!! Talk about intimidating! AND wonderful! LOL Seriously tho, we all get the ....you will overcome!!

that is so freakin' cute!

I love that cute little dragon.

Hey Tra! I'm not going to repeat what everyone else has said, but I get it. Ask my friend who I paint everything on "This sucks. This sucks. i hate it. I'm getting it off of you." But we get through it.
I'm in the Tampa Bay area, I have family in Pasco and Marion county so I travel around those parts a lot. Maybe you and I could go to a park one day and practice and throw out some free stuff for the kids. I started facepaint March 2011 at Busch Gardens, I sucked baaaad. I had a lot of talented people around me and that pushed me to be better. I'm still not on their level but I'm getting there. I can help you out with some of the line work, thin to thick lines for swirls and such as that makes a huge difference. That dragon is pretty damn cute on it's own

i think im getting the hang of babies

its much clearer on my leg...i swear!....lol

Tra, you are 10 x better than I am and your work is awesome. I am thinking that you just need a gentle shove in the right direction. You are talented, creative and definitely on the right path! Always keep in mind that when we feel down, this too shall pass. It works the same when we are on top of the world but I like it better when it's on the way up rather than the humbling downside. ;D

(((hugs))) Judy

im on a freakin roll tonight...i have NEVER painted like this!!!

Awwww..that is just plain awesome! Great job Tra and I am glad to see you are back feeling confident and ready to dazzle us all.

I am loving the baby dragons!

oH my! Don't be so sad! I've been at this a while and I still don't meet the calibre some of these guys are at! Mind you a lot of the painters from the forum have access to classes like Fabaic amongst others which I don't being down under and thats something I feel envious of. I think practise makes perfect (although my butterflies STILL suck even after 4+ years of face painting) and you know what? I'll tell you a little story about a festival I visited. I went to see who the face painters were and found it difficult to do as there were quite few face painters with great work and no lines. The one face painting booth that had a GREAT long line was a small (2x2) tent with four card tables in it each with a painter seated at it. Thier work was REALLY ordinary (bordering bad in some cases - no formal experience) but you know what? THE KIDS DIDN'T CARE! They got thier faces painted and someone who was kind took thier time and made them feel special. The moral of the story? Great skill comes with experience. Take your time and make someone feel special it pays off trust me!

You are rockin those adorable dragons Tra! I just wanted to let you know that yesterday ,I suffered from the "I Suck" monster as Mehndi said. LOL I was pd to do a free to the public event and really had to hurry. A little girl asked for a cat, guess what? I cannot do a proper CAT for thelife of me! I can do a tiger but my reg cats look like a huge MESS! I almost felt sorry for this girl as I saw her walking around with that awful face.

You are doing great and are a very creative person. One of the coolest things I did yesterday was make a butterfly crown using the babycakes!!! Guess what awesome artist came up with babycakes? That's right it was you mama!

Beans: how about the festivals in Australia and New Zealand? They look good, and you have some amazing artists down there!

This is one of those moments when I wish my English was good enough to express clearly what I wanna say ... I'll try: I'm just a newbie too and I know exactly how you feel. My designs always seem unclear and "dirty" and I feel really frustrated: my paintbrushes never do what I want and my lines are "buajjjjj" and when I see all the awesome stuff on here I think "Pilar, what are you doing here?". In fact (I'm ashamed to say) I never charge for my work and I've never post my pics here because I feel like the dumb class student. But you know? When I see the grateful smiles from the kids I've painted and they run to show their faces to everybody I think: "Hey, maybe you have not done so badly".
I totally agree who has said "WE ARE OUR OWN WORST CRITICS". And perhaps some of these days I'll have the courage to post my pics. Hugs from Spain

Pilar, it seems that we all feel that way from time to time. Do your best and your best will always get better. (((hugs)))

LoneWolf wrote:Beans: how about the festivals in Australia and New Zealand? They look good, and you have some amazing artists down there!

I know of 1 BIG convention in Victoria. The ABAA holds a convention each year in Daylesford, I'm hoping nexts years (19/4-25/4) will be my first!!!! The tickets are my xmas pressie from hubby (shhh he doesn't know yet lol!)