UPDATE, 24 June 2020: Fuck Noah Bradley.
Every day, I share some of the amazing work done by video game concept artists, and every day, I read comments from readers saying “wow, I wish I could draw like that”. The story of Noah Bradley will make you realise that hey, maybe you can.
Bradley, an artist who we’ve previously featured on our daily concept art feature Fine Art, has written and shared a lengthy story on Medium that details his journey from adolescent kid scratching around in pencil to one of the world’s top artists.
In other words, from this:
To this:
“I hope that, in some small way, this post serves to encourage fellow artists on their journey”, Bradley writes. “It can take a long time and seem hopeless. It can be exhausting, discouraging, even depressing. But if you stay at it, someday you will make it past those obstacles.”
From beginning with a sketchbook, Bradley worked hard, attended classes, got himself into art school, worked some more to pay off his loans, improved his craft and eventually found work with companies like Wizards of the Coast (Magic) and Fantasy Flight (rad board games).
These days, he travels the world getting paid to draw cool pictures.
It’s a reminder that, yes, while some people are born with amazing talents, the ability to draw is still something that can be taught and developed through hard work, just like any other skill.
You can read the whole thing—and chart his progress as an artist through examples of his work—here.