Oh dear there is so much that I don’t even know where to start.
Seriously, when you start studying art you have no idea of anything, no matter how competently you already draw a portrait or horses or whatever your fetish is …
For myself, I was very into anime and comics, yes for such people an art degree is the last thing they would recommend but listen carefully to me!
It took me 6 semesters to realize that studying nature is not for me and that reduced shapes and bold colors were all that made me happy. That means on the one hand that I would never fulfill my wish to draw Anime and Spiderman Comics.
All I was missing was not that my dream was too small, there was a lack of knowledge! This is often overlooked, but artists need a vocabulary that only arises when one observes many things, just like when speaking. Seeing them does not mean that you have really observed! Can you draw a line … very good and now draw a horse! That is the difference between seeing and observing!
If someone tells you knowledge is doing after studying for 10 years as an artist, I know better that everyone else knows that knowledge is power! Some artists learn quickly, well I was very resistant to teaching. But at least after such a long time I learned from it.
And knowledge also means knowing how to help yourself! If you get stuck, it is advisable to ask others for help / advice. But beware! Ask mentors or friends about it, not everyone. Only sometimes can a stranger shake hands with you. Often times, our greatest friends are the ones we didn’t expect.
And never be afraid to use tools! Almost a taboo theme among artists, but the dark side is powerful and completely OK! Everything that helps you to achieve your vision! Assuming someone is injured in the process! Safety has priority over art!
Everything is allowed in war, love and art! As long as nobody gets injured, yes! Every trick from the bag of tricks is allowed, even copying, but be careful, copying should only be used to make the technology your own faster and then translate it into your own form. Otherwise it’s just a copy, provided that’s exactly what you want …
These would be tips that I would have liked to give in the first semester.