This is probably the most difficult question. If I’m truly inspired by something, I’m going to try to learn it. This is probably what happens when I draw an awesome creature. I’m not going to just start drawing monsters, because they were obviously my inspiration. I’ll take cues from others, but also I’ll try to draw stuff I might not normally consider. For example, I once drew a giant snake with glowing eyes. It was a long-term goal to get to that level, and my first attempt at that wasn’t very good.

My friends and I thought “This could be awesome.” and I started to paint up a giant snake. It was terrible. There were a few mistakes—something about the skin wasn’t right, there was a couple of bad lines around eyes and the snake’s mouth. It was a shame. But the thing is, I wasn’t just going to stop drawing. I was going to get better at this. I was going to move toward where I wanted to get.

One of the keys to getting better is learning what does and does not work. This is a bit more of a “harder” point, but it’s key to knowing something doesn’t scale. I have no problem sketching something in my head, but when I’m stuck I’m going to start sketching something else. I’ll start drawing something that works, but I will realize when I’m getting somewhere. I’m going to start thinking, “What if that is not where I want to be.” It’s kind of like learning how to drive. If you start driving too hard, you’ll overheat. You’ll spin out the wheel and trip. It’s just like learning how to draw.

You always learn from mistakes. I don’t think there is anybody who doesn’t make little mistakes. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do. If you’re drawing somebody who you’re only interested in for their looks, I do not think you necessarily have to be afraid of their mistakes. If you get stuck after you’ve tried everything, don’t give up. Just keep drawing, and if the next time it works, keep trying even louder. It’s a lot easier than it sounds.

“What do you mean do you need to work at drawing? The best way to understand what you’re doing is to figure out how good you can draw.”

—Mike Miller, illustrator, artist

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