Self-taught here, obviously.

I used to copy stuff from various mangas when I was like, 10 or something. I left that stuff behind tho. I don't know, I just find manga inane.

Since then, I've read a few anatomy books, but mostly I learn by just drawing a lot. Like, a lot.

self taught.

doing things digitally I picked up a couple of books and I don't even do what they suggest but use them a a launch point. I tend to skim over a few tutorials and then figure the rest out myself.

Trying to figure out how to turn my sketchy pencilling style into effective looking comics and keep it consistant.

Self taught! I took an art class in college, but it was just basics...the teacher was good, but the content wasn't challenging enough.

A mixture of both. I took crappy public school art classes and now I'm going to school for it.

Honestly, I feel like people who think "oh I can learn nothing from a class" are missing out. That kind of attitude pisses me off. There was a girl in my introduction to sequential art class that obviously thought that way at the start (she was actually a pretty good artist, much better than me), but towards the end she got over it and her comics became much better in organization, timing and clarity. There is always something you can take away from it, even if the class is "below" you.

Koshou
A mixture of both. I took crappy public school art classes and now I'm going to school for it.

Honestly, I feel like people who think "oh I can learn nothing from a class" are missing out. That kind of attitude pisses me off. There was a girl in my introduction to sequential art class that obviously thought that way at the start (she was actually a pretty good artist, much better than me), but towards the end she got over it and her comics became much better in organization, timing and clarity. There is always something you can take away from it, even if the class is "below" you.

My thoughts exactly. Many art classes will try to get you to try something outside your comfort zone. I'm personally really looking forward to my figure drawing class, since I know for sure that that's going to help me out with getting consistent, accurate proportions on human and learning how to do proper foreshortening. And it's true: once you've had some formal training, you can see a huge difference in quality in your own art and you start to see amateur mistakes everywhere. Especially human proportions.

I'm not really self taught, I've always liked to draw but I never really could. I was encouraged by my art teacher in High School, (she wanted me to become a classical artist though...) in college a couple of semester ago, I decided to take a life drawing class to give my art that final boost. I was okay before but I really feel that now I have better understanding of the human body but I could still work harder and go further. I have taken illustration and Design respectively. I even took an animation class to help with scene-to-scene movement. Suffice to say I am still a work in progress.

It's all work in progress. Back at school everyone kept telling me how amazing my art was, when I applied for college they said that's great when you start here we will break you out of your comfort zone and make a real artist out of you.
Never did go in the end, but that's a whole other story. suffice to say that years on I am relearning and developing new skills.
What I did learn a lot from that has helped with comicking is film making, a lot carries over as they are both visual story telling.

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I took Figure Drawing classes in college that I actually got "formal" training. They definitely helped me to learn details in the anatomy. I did take a couple of art classes in high school as during the summer in middle school, but I don't think they count. They mostly consisted of, "See this skeleton? DRAW IT." They never actually taught you HOW to draw.

korosu
I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I took Figure Drawing classes in college that I actually got "formal" training. They definitely helped me to learn details in the anatomy. I did take a couple of art classes in high school as during the summer in middle school, but I don't think they count. They mostly consisted of, "See this skeleton? DRAW IT." They never actually taught you HOW to draw.

They do not help at all. Skeletons are easy enough to draw.




And Genejoke, I wanna hear that story.

It isn't that exciting. I didn't get the grades I needed and let that get me down so I went and got a job, a summer consuming copious amounts of things and a few months after I would have started at the college I bumped into the guy that runs the course, he said.
"I was disappointed you didn't join us this year, what happened?"
After I told him I failed to get the grades he said the grades don't matter and I could have gotten on the course regardless based purely on my portfolio. MUTHA F******s

Um... not really. The very early parts of my competent drawing career were obtained by various drawing books, and by tracing over Rumiko Takahashi pages. Good fun. Eventually I kind of grew past that, but I still buy an art book every so often; even if it doesn't revolutionize my art, it's still helpful in a little way. (If only to make me feel better about myself and wonder how such a terrible artist could ever get a book published. It has happened.) I did take a small summer drawing class, but it was pretty pitiful and focused more on realism - which is not a style I'm exceptionally interested in. Plus the only thing I gained from the class was how to shade with charcoal pencils, which is quite possibly the easiest thing to do ever.

So after that it was pretty much self-teaching. The art classes of the public school system do nothing.

Every drawing from year ago was traced or copied manga.
But for some reason people bought that I was a great artist xD so I went to art school.
The school program is very low quality so I haven't really learned anything.
I did however improve when I saw principles of character design on John Kricfalusi blog.
But I still can't draw anything realistic

Giratinasaur
I did take a small summer drawing class, but it was pretty pitiful and focused more on realism - which is not a style I'm exceptionally interested in.

Realism is important to learn as it teaches you anatomy. It might not be that interesting to draw, but it's still important.

completely self taught. i started drawing low rider trucks at 7 yrs and then i started reading my dad's comics.
i fell in love with them and started drawing superheroes. at first, i thought it was a phase,but i got better and better. of course you only think your good until you really pay attention to the great artists of marvel or dc. so i stuck with it and used different art books and real life to gradually hone my skills. i'm not there yet,but i am lot better than i was years ago.

Self-taught all the way. Started in the beginning, gradually improved my style in small paces, and still improving. At least, I'd imagine so. I'd hope to continue to do so when time permits itself. :D

I'm currently an art studio major, so I guess I'll have to go with formal. Most of my improvement over time(I nearly flunked out of Art I in grade 9, trying pretty hard... >.<) has been more of a result of dedicating myself to getting better. I saw a few posts in here about not liking art classes, because you didn't get to draw what you wanted. I would have to say that very thing is one of the reasons art classes help me in ways I normally wouldn't push myself. I am put into situations that I normally wouldn't have put myself in, and have to push myself to learn something new. So formal art classes can be great, or they can be horrible. I believe how much you push yourself to improve has a lot more to do with it than anything. My biggest period of improvement in art wasn't when I was in classes, but when I sat and pushed myself to get better. I ate slept drank breathed and dreamed art and drawing. Of course... from my crappy comic on here you wouldn't guess I had anything to do with art. Go crappy daily journal comics! ... or something.

Started drawing comics long before any training.One art class in high school which was fun,then -20 yrs later-two basic art classes at the local tech school.Now,to stay sharp, I attend contiuing ed studio classes.I think more structured learning might have helped me improve faster,but I wouldnt have been drawing comics and may have lost interest.

Mostly self-taught. I took a class in high school in art and a few in animation, but they didn't do much for anatomy or my knowledge of CG shading.

Having a physics perspective and understanding of projective geometry was hugely beneficial, as nerdy as that sounds.

Took one figure drawing class that didn't amount to much, except figure drawing.

That stan lee book on "how to draw the marvel way" helped somewhat.

Oops, my last post didn't come out right...I was too dang tired to think clearly

A combination of self taught and formal training.

Self taught. Aside from eye-balling things and experimenting, a good bit of what I know comes from books and online art groups.

I'm a self-taught 'artist' too... I'd LOVE to get formal training, though xD

Very self taught :)