Do you think that a person can be taught Art ?

Question:I'm just kinda nervous for an Art class that I am taking next year, because it has a lot of painting and i'm not too good of a painter , ( heres some of my artwork :
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=13606906... ) though I struggled thru my first year that i had Art , and next year it's going to be even harder , though the only reason i'm taking an Art class is because i want to be a photographer when I get out of high school ( my photography : http://www.flickr.com/photos/annafur/ ) . So my question is can someone be taught to paint and draw well , or do you think a person has to have natural talent ?

Thank you :)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm just kinda nervous for an Art class that I am taking next year, because it has a lot of painting and i'm not too good of a painter , ( heres some of my artwork :
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=13606906... ) though I struggled thru my first year that i had Art , and next year it's going to be even harder , though the only reason i'm taking an Art class is because i want to be a photographer when I get out of high school ( my photography : http://www.flickr.com/photos/annafur/ ) . So my question is can someone be taught to paint and draw well , or do you think a person has to have natural talent ?

Thank you :)

Yes Annafur, people CAN be taught to paint and draw well.

I think you are a person who wants to do well at everything. You set very high standards for yourself, and sometimes this can take the fun out of things and actually impede your progress.

A better approach would be the "Kindergarten" approach. Do you remember being very little, splashing in puddles and playing freely with the things in your environment just for the pleasure of doing it, and without any expectation of outcome ????? Well Annafur.. this is what you have to do. See the classes as an opportunity to learn skills and to have fun, put no pressure on yourself. Splash in the paint, push the pencils around on the paper.. and see what happens. Only by doing this can you free up enough to understand what the different media can do for you. Then, armed with that knowledge you will be in a better place to understand how to transfer what is in you mind onto the work surface.

Remember.. no pressure, no expectation, just follow along and have fun. I can't stress this enough. Lizzie :o)

Yes. There are lots of tips and tricks of the trade that you can learn to make your art better. I learned how to paint much better through art classes.

For example, brush strokes, how to put something in a 2 dimensional form, shading, etc.

I think you can be taught art and you need to have natural talent!! First thing is you have to be willing to learn and you have to listen and pay close attention!! Second if you already have a little bit or natural talent (mostly everyone does) its the art teachers job to make you try new tecniques and new ways of creating art!! I think you will do just fine in art class next year!! I also think you will be a GREAT photographer, you already are!!

a really good book is 'drawing on the right side of the brain'
try it and you'll answer your own question

the reason we take classes is to learn... and you shall, and after the year is over you will be a better painter, because you will have learned some things you do not know now...every artist and painter i know takes classes from time to time, to learn something new... (and i know some pretty awesome artists and painters)...
so my answer is yes a person can learn, i don't know how much natural talent comes in to play with many artists i know...

Everyone can learn art . . I don't believe in natural inborn talent . . Have you ever seen a baby poped out from it's mother start grabing a pencil and draw? hehe. . joke? Even if it's in your genes nothing will happed if youre just gonna hide it . . That's a God given gift and it should be shown . .But , to tell there's nothing to be nervous about getting into an artclass . . I've went to an artclass and stayed there for 10 years . .And I've really learned a lot. . Isn't it that the reason you took artclass is because you wanted to learn? I've seen your drawings and pictures they're both good . . you really have potential . . I hope you continue . . ????

You can be taught the basics of art, such as color, composition and perspective. That will help with art of any kind. Talent is something you have or you don't (and I believe you do have it), but learning the basics will help you show your talent easier.

My daughter improved her drawings and paintings after taking some art classes. Here's some of her latest work:
http://galahawk.deviantart.com/gallery/

You may like a book called - Making It As An Artist by DePolo...may help you in your photography career.

I don't believe that it can be "taught " properly speaking because the 'art' of it is something that is not exactly governed by mechanical reason, but you can get tips and pointers which help you.

I wouldn't worry about it do the best you can you want to be a photographer, not a painter.So Natural aptitude is of concern for those who need to be great at painting and drawing.

If you want some help i have a blog may help :

http://philipmorin.blogspot.com/2008/03/...

My wife has always loved to paint - but that doesn't mean she was any good at it. After all, little children love to paint too. Anyway, it was hard for me to say anything encouraging about her paintings because I honestly thought they were crap.
Well she started an art class last year which was an hour or two each week. Now she is selling her paintings in a cafe and each painting is going for around NZ$200 each. And I think her paintings are awesome.
So no, you don't need natural talent in painting, you need the gift of understanding the techniques you learn from your art class. And I know for a fact you are more than capable to succeeding in this because of how far you have come in the time that I have known you, which is well under a year.
You started with images like this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/annafur/pag... and now you're producing images like this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/annafur/
Big big improvement in that 6 months (though your images 6 months ago were awesome to start with).