It can be very difficult for an artist to separate themselves from their work, but time is usually the best way to do so. Not only does time away from a piece allow the creator to look at their work with a fresh pair of eyes, it also can show them how much they’ve improved their craft since.
The online artwork community DeviantArt created the challenge, Draw This Again, for their members to show how much they’ve grown as artists. The challenge prompts artists to revisit some of their older work and re-do it to show the community, and themselves, the skills they’ve acquired since.
The inspiring challenge proves that art, just like most crafts, can be refined and improved through practice. The following pieces of artwork show how these artists’ perseverance has resulted in a drastic transformation in skill level
Laura Brouwers shared a little inspiration with her followers, writing, “Talent is a myth, it’s practice and hard work that’ll get you skills! (By which I mean nobody rolls into this world being able to draw a masterpiece right away).”
This artist shared two self portraits he drew from his reflection in a mirror 10 years apart. The first drawing was created when he was 13, and the second, which shows a dramatic shift in quality was done when he was 23.
Sometimes a year can make a ton of difference. This artist shared a recreation of his own work just a year later, writing, “I wanted to see if I made any progress. Turns out that I surely did, and way bigger than I expected.”
Hard work definitely paid off for this artist who stated that it was his new year’s resolution to draw everyday. “Here’s my progress from January to December,” Reddit user ItsmeHoswa shared with the community.
“It doesn’t matter how good you think you’ve become,” wrote the artist behind this The Last of Us piece. “You’re always going to get better. Honestly, just like back in 2013, I feel this 2015 is the best I’m gonna get. But who knows. Maybe in 3 years I’ll draw him again and look back and cringe at the 2015 one too.”
Ivana recreated her drawing of musician Mika from two years prior and couldn’t believe the improvement she made. “I made the most progress with drawing hair,” she wrote on DeviantArt. “I can’t believe I was so terrible in 2015. How did my teachers even like that drawing?”
Kate shared a comparison of two picture she drew of Dongwoo after five years of hard work. “This visible difference is honestly really baffling to me,” Kate wrote on DeviantArt. “Being able to see my improvement is such a confidence boost.”
Jade Mere shared how this community inspired her to grow as an artist, writing, “I was 17 years old in 2005. I never drew anything before 2005. 2005 was the year I joined DeviantArt, and it actually inspired me to start drawing. I’m still amazed at all the talented people on here.”
