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Comment by underwater

6 years ago

> To learn to do better art, I'd need to spend at least 6-12 months. (To think it takes less is insulting to artists.) I just don't have the time to not be writing games.

That's such a strawman. He doesn't need to be a top-tier artist. He just needs to know enough to not suck at art. Diminishing returns means that he could spend much less time than that.

> > To learn to do better art, I'd need to spend at least 6-12 months. (To think it takes less is insulting to artists.) I just don't have the time to not be writing games.

> That's such a strawman. He doesn't need to be a top-tier artist. He just needs to know enough to not suck at art. Diminishing returns means that he could spend much less time than that.

Becoming a top-tier artist takes much longer even when the talent is there (intuitively, I would say a decade). The 6-12 months of intensive learning that Jeff Vogel claims seems to me a good estimate for the time that is required not to suck at art.

  • I think we are talking about different things. Sure, it would take that long to become a passable artist. That requires lots of directed study and repetition to develop intuition and artistic sensibilities.

    But what he needs is to understand a few simple principles he can apply by rote. This is much easier and quicker.

I called bullshit on this too, a college course (50-100hrs~) teaches enough to identify and fix the more egregious mistakes his art makes.