How long does it take to get better at art?
Mostly it depends on how good you are in the first place. If you are already amazing at something, It takes a long time to get better. If you move outside of your comfort zone and learn something where you have little expertise you can learn a lot in a surprisingly short time. On the other hand, if you keep changing media or styles and never stick to one thing, you might not develop the depth of experience you need to stand out.
New students learn incredible amounts in a few weeks of classes or workshops. I’m not saying it’s easy for beginners but at the beginning level, working on a single piece can bring your work to another level.
I remember one pencil sketch that probably changed my life. During high school, I posted a piece from my sketchbook online for critique. After applying the feedback that I received, I reworked it into a drawing that I could hardly have imagined having the skill to make the week before. It was the first time, I think that I had really taking drawing seriously. Getting feedback from strangers and actually listening to what they said allowed me to level up almost instantly.
It can be frustrating to see another artist who is much younger produce amazing work. But try not to be frustrated. Young people who make good work mostly get there by working hard and taking critique on board. If you do that, you will get better at any age. For the vast majority of people, it doesn’t actually take that long to get better at art at all, especially if they haven’t taken it seriously before.
After years of development, your own growth in one area might slow down but it will be easier to learn different techniques. Your strong visual library and sense of composition, colour and tone will help you learn new things faster. The skills are transferable. It all adds up.
This is why I like to balance between keeping up working on the areas where I am already strongest and also working on my weaknesses and trying new things. I always want to learn new media and techniques but I try not to totally switch gears. The fact that it takes so long to become a master is why you can spend a lifetime on art without it getting boring. It’s worth doing, in fact, because it’s so hard.