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@h-jones Wow that’s great Heather! A lot has been said already so I hope I can still add something.

It helps to keep in mind that every artist you admire probably started in the same place you are right now. So try not to compare yourself to artist thinking that they’re much better than you, because they also have tons of work they don’t feel happy about and don’t show. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to compare yourself to other artists, but when doing so try to think about what inspires you about their work and what’s the difference between theirs and yours. You might find something that you could improve on. Let’s say you like the color of a certain art piece. You could try using that palette for your next drawing or painting! But like others said, don’t look at their art thinking you’ll never reach whatever level they’re on. Because you might get even better!

However, like @the-fledgling-artist said, reference is key! My art improved tons when I started using reference. Meaning photos of real people. After all, even great painters like Rembrandt had models in their studio, so why wouldn’t you? After a while you’ll see you wont even need reference photos that much anymore. Because you practiced using them so much you’ve got it all memorized.

Try to learn some realism before you dive into cartoony things. This is also something that helped me a lot. I’m not the greatest realist painter and you don’t have to be either. But knowing why certain things are the way they are will help you improve your cartoony drawings. When you know what something looks like in real life you know what you can exaggerate when drawing in a cartoony way.

Tutorials are great too! A youtube account I recommend is The Mind of Watercolor. He has tons of watercolor tutorials and you can follow his entire process, I learned a lot from him! Sycra also has some great videos if your starting out. If you’re into Disney, Aaron Blaise (who animated for Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and directed Brother bear) also has a youtube channel with lots of videos that might help you!

Also don’t worry about finding a style. I still struggle with this. The more you draw the more your style will come through naturally. Most of the time people already see you have a style even when you don’t notice it yourself.

Well this was long haha. These are all things that helped me, so I hope it helps you too. Ofcourse drawing a lot will always make you improve. Most of all just have fun! And if this really is something you desire for His glory, you could pray about it. (: