The "anime" style drawing is simple, and indeed a good way to start off figure drawing. It's the most likely "next step" from the stick figures... hahahaha...

I do agree with the "personal styles" bit.

I also agree with the books, to some extent. I got "how to" books mainly for some poses and stuff that I can't figure out, but never really for copying it to the detail.

Copying drawings and stuff can be good for practice. I don't feel like it's very expressive or artistic, or something that "you" have created. I feel like it is something "you have copied." Sure, it shows off your skills, but it does not express much.

I think that once one has come to be good at copying, they should try to explore other styles/poses or whatever.

I can draw a bit of realism off pictures. I can't draw realism from live models, though.

But, yeah, draw what you like.

Also, I know what it feels like with regard to showing your "anime styled" drawings to people... They often give you a negative impression, which is sad and annoying... > >

@Katana:

Definitely understand that, and I don't fault you at all. Keep up the efforts to get it recognised as a valid medium.

I just wanted to make sure you remembered that there are people who will understand and simply forget to make the distinction, and that there are always people who are just plain ignorant—and those people ain't worth your time, either.

As someone who could have taken art in high school but never did because the teacher was known to look down on anime-esque styles, I can understand your rage. The guy who covered basic art was my Quizbowl coach, who I absolutely loved as a person and coach but I knew we wouldn't be able to get past the anime division. Anime isn't good, but it's not bad either. The lines tend to be cleaner and more minimalist, but because it wasn't what those currently teaching art grew up with they think it is the "wrong" way to start.

Besides, "anime" style is just a misnomer. You and I know from exposure to different styles within the "anime" categorization that there is so much variation that it is not only limitless, but draws a lot from American influences as well.

@Allamorph:

I probably get a bit more touchy on this subject if just because of my history with it. And yeah, I completely understand that, in order to get "better" (by whatever definition of the word), then the artist has to want to get "better". There is a lot of hostility towards the "anime" topic in art school, and it gets rather grating to see the same thing over and over again.

My response is a slightly different one.

Define "improvement".

If by the term you (either of you) mean "the gradual evolution of a person's artistic style into a style unique and defining to them", then both exhortations (yours and this rage-poster) are wrongly said because they project the speaker's motivations onto the 'artist' in question, when there is no guarantee that said 'artist' even wants to evolve. The rage-poster is stepping further into fallacy by equating this evolution and uniqueness of style with success, when it is fairly evident that such is not the case.

If by the term you mean "no longer making the same mistakes and no longer showcasing the same failures", then again both exhortations are wrongly said because you both assume that this arbitrary 'artist' has any talent worth your time.

The rage-poster's statement is valid, but only in the generic sense; e.g., it could just as easily be applied to romance novelists, or any average Joe who thinks they can do studio mixes/remixes. Thus, I'm not going to bash it, but I'm not going to give it the time of day, either. Its generic nature makes it completely useless.

Your statement is valid because it is reacting to the (incredibly strong) implication that anime/manga as a style automatically stunts artistic growth, regardless of the person using the medium. Such an assumption is utterly baseless, and you're right to be offended, regardless of if that assumption was the rage-poster's intent.

To me, it sounds like the story about that friend (from that Tumblr post) is more an example of a girl who was drawing stuff just to get praised. Of course, I don't know that person so I could be way off the mark here, but to me it seems like if you draw enough and draw for that long then you're bound to change and improve. Correct me if I'm wrong here.

And, I've seen great art come out from people who draw in "anime" styles. So screw the haters.

I think people should stop telling other to stop drawing in an "anime" style, because everyone's gonna do what they like and feel comfortable with. If they don't like it, they can suck it. :V