There are many things to master in order to become a good artist, and figuring out what to practice can become frustrating. You shouldn’t attempt to learn too many things at once. Plan for the long term. Just like when making a drawing, work from the big picture to the details. Set goals you want to achieve at the end of the year and then break it down into monthly and then weekly goals. Developing your artistic skills take time, and trying to rush through the process will only slow down your development. Patience to go through the process is one of the keys for success in any endeavor!

I just realised that I have written this article since last week but didn't post it anywhere. And it's not going to help anybody sitting on my harddrive so here it is. If there are any aspects of gesture drawing you guys are struggling with or would like me to explain my way of tackling it feel free to write that in this thread. Let's keep on practicing :).

http://www.swendly.com/wisdom-for-artists.html

Today as I was drawing these I realised how relaxing and enjoyable the act of drawing has become again for me. It reminded me of when I was a child and had no concern for applying any fundamentals or making pretty images. I drew for the pleasure of putting what I saw in my mind on paper. As I grew up and started to learn the fundamentals for creating good art, I often found the preoccupation of producing technically correct drawings getting in the way of me enjoying the process and being creative. But now I'm at that place again where every bit of knowledge that I have acquired is submitted to the purpose of communicating my ideas.