Learning

As a kid, I only accepted self-learning, especially on creative stuff.
I ignored advices, lessons, tutorials... Could close my ears if someone described me in steps what to do and how.
I was afraid that I'll never develop in the unique way if I adopted someone else's way of doing things, even accidently. Even just a bit. Because we never know what might a "bit" grow into in future, right?

As a teen, I started to look up to and onto some artists I found to be significant. Not maybe "looked up", but at least I noticed that some people and their workings are worth of my attention. At that time, I've got to know that Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon (I busied myself with SM a lot at that time and I still follow the latest news on the franchise, that remake and everything, though it doesn't bring anything productive to me...) - ok, so, Takeuchi. She learned to draw manga while still at school. And I thought, well, if a girl in Japan is able to do it, I'm able to do it, too. Because, like, what's the difference? (The difference is there, Japanese really draw better and are surrounded by art from the first days of their life. It's good that I didn't know at that time)

I started to stand out on our school art lessons pretty soon. I loved the process of thinking up the most effective composition, developing the idea around the task (tasks were like "draw a castle", "draw a spaceship"). I still have a castle piece somewhere, my old pride and the memory of how I found the perspective ideas the most important and effective. I continued to think that I'll be able to do anything without advices, because I'm able to think myself.

Later, I found the wonderful 's site. I looked and looked through rich and detailed yet not variegated artwork and was surprised that something that looked like watercolour can have so thin, accurate outlines. I felt that I want to draw in a similar way and style. Then, I found out that Pui-Mun Law uses magical thing called watercolour pencils. I've immediately holded onto this. It wasn't adopting the idea, I thought, it's just a medium. A medium and the way of handling it.
That's where I started to realise - or, rather, believe - that some things might be learned from someone and that only will bring further personal (and still unique) growth. That if I do that accurately and delicately, I'll still keep my own things safe and uninfluenced.

I still ignored the tutorials, especially the academic basics. Especially them! For some reason, I despised the tradition and the academis. "Rules" was a swearing word.

But the more I was familiar with the world of art, the more I was attracted to some classic examples. Vrubel. Vasnetsov.
My city has the classics-faithful college of arts, with a long history of teaching. I've had the opportunity to see how modern people use the benefits of old school: the lights, the composition, the colours. And those who wanted it, still could keep it unique.

Why am I writing it now?
Because I finally realised a few days ago that if I don't learn how to combine colours on the picture, how to make the drawing in a certain colour tone, how to make things on it look non-conflicting with each other - in other words, how to stop using my lineart as a colouring book page - I won't go anywhere and won't be able to do exactly what I want. I groped for the next stair, feels like I found it.

What is "colour combining"?
It's the academic basics.
Together with the tons of info on which colours blend well if layered on each other and which don't. And which colours should be layered first, and which of them are cold or warm (there is cold yellow, for example). And which pigmets go well with which, and which would just make dirt.
I wished to ignore it for all my life and I turned the pages whenever I saw those lessons and advices. Now I want to know. Desire to. I've grown up to wish for it myself, because I realised myself that I need it, not because someone told me "you need, you must, everyone does it". Maybe if someone explained me the actual benefits of it earlier, I would understand, but no one did.
Okay, since I know that you should try to use similar tones - will I be able to figure out myself the mixing and layering secrets? The secrets of preparing just right tone with seemingly incommensurable colours?
A challenge. Exciting. Hard and brain-consuming.

By some reason colouring feels like doing math to me. A very fast and multiple-tasked math.

And when I'll see that I'm still not satisfied, I'll look at the academics articles and books again.