Art Inspirations: Getting Good At Art In Just 100 Hours
- Andy Schwartz
- Feb 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 19
Getting into art can be a daunting task for a lot of people and I am no exception. I've never been particularly good at illustrating. But not for lack of trying. (Well, maybe a little for lack of trying). I do love the idea of being good at art though.
It's always so impressive when someone is able to think of something in their head, and then put that idea into form on paper, and feel pleased with the result. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like, if only I were good at drawing, I would draw a lot more!
That's why I love the video put out by Nerdforge, Can I Learn To Draw in 100 Hours.
In general, I enjoy all the content put out by this channel. They are always able to amaze with their ability to create wonders in their workshop. I had no idea that Hansi, a core member of Nerdforge's creative team, was totally helpless when it came to illustrating.
Illustrating is probably the most difficult part of drawing to learn to do well.When I attempt to draw, I generally feel like Hansi in the beginning of the video. If I try really hard, I might get a result up to mid-video level Hansi. So, I was truly impressed watching Hansi improve over the course of 100 hours, going from someone with basically no drawing ability to someone who looks like they really have some potential.
100 hours is a long time and learning is hard. Learning for 100 hours straight sounds exhausting. But not impossible. I could feel Hansi's pain as he was trying to grow his new skill. When you think about it, 100 hours is how long it might take to complete a long video game, like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. It's a long time, yes, but it's also a totally reasonable amount of time for a big project.
Malcom Gladwell claimed it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in anything. I don't know if this is true or not, it seems like a fairly general and uninformative rule. Hansi did not become a master illustrator at the end of 100 hours, but he improved a lot and I bet if he spent another 100 hours, he would start totally killing it.
We should strive to be more like Hansi and always be looking for ways to improve and grow.
Have you ever spent a long time getting really good at something? Would you consider taking the 100 hour art challenge? Let me know in the comments.
I share a lot of your same ideas. I wish I could draw. I wish I was good at art. I wish I could paint. Well, we can...if we dedicate our time to it! like, maybe 100 hours!
That video looks like a fun watch, I will definitely see what it's about.
You'd be surprised how good you can get at something over the course of 100 hours. Going back to the video game analogy, I would say for most games, putting in 100 hours is usually a sign that you really enjoy and game and want to master it, or the game is one of those endless rogue-likes that takes nearly 10,000 hours to truly do everything. In every game I've personally sunk 100+ hours into, I find that I can enjoy them more because I know what's going on and that I've gotten pretty good at it. My closest thing to the "10,000 hours required to…
He definitely improved after those 100 hours. This is so inspirational—thank you for sharing it with us!
I can relate to this in my own job. When I compare my first day to where I am now, the difference is huge. My first day was filled with struggles and total "newbie" moments, but now, I’ve gained so much more flow, confidence, and skill in my work.
Anyway, if I were to take on the 100-hour art challenge, I’d definitely choose painting! I LOVE it SO MUCH! But I still need A LOT of practice to get good at it, haha.