Ye', I'm that retarded. I'm cracking open the Loomis books and I'm doing my best to understand them and mimic him, but when it all comes down to it, I can't ever be certain it's sinking in. Considering illustration is a skill and, as a result, takes so long to develop any kind of improvement, how can I be sure I'm actually freakin' improving? That I'm studying properly? That I'm not practicing shit to master shit? I genuinely am at the most base level of 'what am i even doing'.
Join a community where others can see your progress and criticize you (and grow a thick skin if you haven't already).
Make the shame of not working hard enough and the fear of not progressing in front of everyone else's eyes after months your fuel.
???
several years later, git gud
You seek criticism from others if you don't trust yourself, but you need to cultivate your ability to be self critical as well.
Being self critical isn't looking art your art, going "it's shit" and feeling like garbage. It's analysing your work and determining what you're doing wrong. When you know that, you can seek out books/videos/etc teaching that thing and you can practice it.
Obviously though when starting out, everything is shit. Don't fret overly much about 'practising wrong' until you've got some mileage and baseline fundamentals. Brute force it and just put the time in.
>>2544961
>how can I be sure I'm actually freakin' improving
Obvious answer: keep your drawings with a date, and from time to time, compare them.
And >>2544975 is correct, don't be critical for the sake of feeling retarded, you're supposed to think how to make the picture better, not how "late" you are compared to some internet artist with a Lovecraftian name like Alpelflelgler.
> Pic related, taken from chapter 1 of Keys to Drawing
