When you have developed a certain degree of drawing skill, it might be a good idea to start joining an art community. The reason for this is mainly for motivation purpose. Countless artists give up while in the learning process and it's because they ran out of motivation to keep them going. In many country, artist is a rare specimen, and they usually grow in the 'normal' environment. Being different from the others usually causes one of these two bad result; you are either praised by your friends and family and tricked into thinking you're already the best at what you're doing, or instead your friends won't even care how great your talent are and makes you think your skill is so useless and insignificant.
You are the product of your surroundings after all. If you only live in your own small world you won't be able to see the big picture. You might be thinking that you're the best now, none of your friends can draw better than you. Well, that's a fact. I'm not saying you're just imagining things. You ARE the best, but only if compared to your little neighbourhood. It's the same case when you think you're so insignificant, that your skills are useless because none of your friends or family appreciate it. But that might NOT be the case out there! You might be surprised to find out that you're already at a great level and there's so many people that admires your skill and might even pays you for what you did everyday!
EXPAND YOUR HORISON
and realize that you're always at the middle rank out there. You can always find people worse than you no matter how bad your art is, and you can always find a more 'Godlike' being than you, even if you consider yourself superhuman.
But use that knowledge in the positive way of thinking!
Don't let the fact kills your spirit!
So what if you're not the best? When I first finds out that my skills are nothing out there, I was shocked. Not in fear or regret, but I was shocked in awe and excitement! I was thinking, darn! this world is so big! There're so many great artist out there and I really want to be like them! That is the first time in mylife when I finally finds out what I really want to be. And that's the only time I can start training myself seriously in order to achieve my aim.
Notice that the world doesn't ends there when you're not the best. You're just in the middle of a process. If you don't gave up and keep motivated to be a better artist, then one day, you will be surprised it won't be long to see that you're already a great artist that is inspiring many people.
So once again, Expand your horison and see the big picture. It's a vital process every artist should pass in order to become better. Join an art community. If you're shy to join a real life community, try an online community.
There is a lot of art community on the net these days and Deviantart (DA) is one of the best I know. At least I haven't found any better web than DA till this moment. So what is so great about this DA stuff anyway?
First of all you can showcase your artwork here for free, and it's not limited to just illustration or painting but also photography, animation, and even literatures. You only need to register and create an account and then you're ready to start. One of the good thing in DA is that you can upload your artwork directly to DA database, unlike many other sites which requires you to upload your file on photobucket or other file hosting services. The interface is really user friendly.
Once you've uploaded a couple of artworks, you can wait for public reactions towards your art. It could be a comments, a fave (means someone love your art and showcased it as their favorites), or a watch (means that someone decided to follow you, or want to be your friend. It's one sided though, meaning you can watch them back if you want, but you can't reject them. Everyone is free to stalk you.) While you're waiting, you might want to adjust your page's layout. That is your own private gallery so make sure it looks neat and pretty. DA also known for their function as a portfolio gallery. Showcase only your best artwork there, and then send the link to your DA page to your employer for them to see your portfolio online. Simple and cheap.
Oh, and if you dont get any comments or view, don't get disheartened. It's quite common these days. DA has a HUGE population and you have to compete to get public's attention. One of the known ways to get more attention is to join a group. (as many as you like) That way you can submit some of your art and showcase it on the group's gallery, showing your art to a wider audiences. Still, the best way to get attention is to get better yourself. People appreciate good art, so if you don't get the attention you want, then you simply need to become better. And don't forget to give constructive comments to other aspiring artists as well. They might return the favor. Try to give attention to a less popular artist rather than the opposite. Those Godlike artist with millions of pageviews usually won't have the time to even read your comments as they receive tons of them every day. Give it to those who need it more :)
Last tip before you start your DA life, don't focus too much on pageviews. It's just a number and it doesn't represents your skill. Be proud of yourself and keep producing great artworks even though your pageviews is not that much.
Keep drawing!
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