#also I think I really am starting to understand how to sketch digitally

[wayemd]

Finally getting the hang of it…

[bloobydabloob]

Any tips on getting better at realism? I've been drawing very cartoony works forever but I really want to branch out and draw more realistically and hone that style but Everytime I try it never feels human 😔

Suuuure. Sorry it’s fairly long, answer under the split thing.

I’d say mainly just practice drawing from reference first. Before I started doing any sort of more abstractive or non referential realism, I spent time practicing with maybe 20 or 30 paintings from reference.

Here are just some that I made during that time. I think they really really helped me to learn the principles of painting appealing realism, different kinds of people, color, skin, lighting, and anatomy.

In terms of actually drawing realism (whether from reference or not) I think the most important tip I can give, as well as the most overlooked ironally, is stylisation. Most realism that I see doesn’t connect at all with me which I think is maybe what you’re talking about when you say your portraiture doesn’t “feel human”.

Learning to draw realism in my eyes is largely about learning how to shortcut every single thing you can. So instead of drawing everything exactly how it is using an image, learn how to stylise realism in your own way. I find that if you don’t find a way to simplify the process, it can end up being A : Busy and B : hard for you to create more realistic images from imagination or from real life instead of photographs.

Here is a 40 minute drawing I just drew from a random photo I pulled off Pinterest + small explanation on what helps me to break down an image. I simplify realistic portraiture by adopting somewhat of an angular style, but the best realism / semi realism artists I know of draw realism using their own stylisation methods.

I also personally find that it helps to start by blocking in instead of sketching with lines, but I understand that this is a personal preference and might not work for you.

I also say this for everything but there is no “cheating” in art and anyone who tells you there is fundamentally doesn’t know anything about drawing, especially in the learning process. Cheat if you want. Use grids to plot where things will be, colorpick, trace, liquify, transform, whatever. Although I do also recommend that you only use this as a way to learn and don’t rely on it as a crutch, it helps a lot to be able to draw independently of all of these factors. But I learned to draw partially *by* being a kid who traced and colorpicked and fucked around. Who cares

This applies to everything too but just practice a lot. I’m too embarrassed to show but when I first starting drawing semi realistic art without reference it fucking sucked. Like *really* fucking sucked because I am extremely extremely faceblind and I mean that. It takes me 3 seasons of a show to recognise an actor’s face. But because I’ve drawn hundreds of faces now I know what I’m doing kind of. I also never post any realism art immediately because oftentimes if I don’t look at it for a day or two, I’ll come back to it and notice that something doesn’t look quite right. I would say that definitely helps.

ALSO very important but look at it from far away or a little version. I always look at my drawing in the digital navigator on FA and it helps me to notice when something looks dumb.

Anyways hope this helped at all… lalala. I don’t know man. Don’t take my words as bible I’m just some guy and I am also not a professional and realism is definitely not my strong suit. Tutorials are bullshit and if you think any of this advice sucks for you then don’t take it and forge your own path. Bless

[venusmage]

FAQ Post!

I've gotten a good amount of repeat questions the past few years and thought I'd make an FAQ. No need to RB or anything, this is going to go in my pinned post!

I still always happily will take questions, this is just for folks who might want to just find the answer without going through the extra effort. These are mostly about art and TTRPGs :)

ART STUFF

What brushes/programs/hardware do you use?

Almost all of my regularly used brushes come from either Retro Supply or True Grit Texture Supply! I'm not sponsored or affiliated, just really like the quality of their products. They have sales fairly frequently and I've never had any complaints. I also use quite a few products by Ittai Manero.

Right now I primarily work in Procreate on an iPad Pro. Procreate is my favorite art program and I'm quietly hoping they eventually make a desktop version.

I very recently also got an XPPen Deco 01 V2. Partially because there's some art programs on desktop I want to learn (Aseprite, Blender) or programs that have superior desktop versions as compared to mobile (ClipStudio). I'm also teaching some grade-schoolers digital art and wanted to have the same kind of tablet as them (I haven't used a screenless tablet for over half a decade). As of right now I'm very happy with it! For the price it's an easy recommendation.

I mainly use ClipStudio in this instance, and the brushes linked above both also support the program (aside from Manero). However there's a huge user-base that upload free assets constantly that makes ClipStudio so great. I especially like painting in it for some reason!

What's your opinion on AI art?

I don't like it, obviously, but I get how people who lack the context and education on why it's bad wouldn't get it. I also think that some other artists fearmonger a little too hard regarding it and it has the unintended effect of making the situation and it's nuances even harder to understand. I talked about it here.

Did you go to art school? Would you recommend it?

I did, I have a BFA in illustration and graduated from CCAD in 2018. Every art school is unique and my experience with art school and the benefit it gave me is VERY different from how I believe it may be for others. As of right now I think there's a lot of good cheaper online resources than private art education in general. I did have a wonderful time there though, and it's availability helped me eventually escape a domestic abuse situation - so my feelings are a bit complicated.

Do you have a dream art job?

I'd love to be a college-level art teacher. Funny I know, considering I just said art school isn't always worth it. I just deeply enjoy the craft and discussion surrounding art in general. I'm tempted to make art videos one day to scratch that itch.

What's your favorite/least favorite part of the drawing process?

I hate sitting down and getting the sketch started (hello ADHD...) And flatting. Linework/sketch cleanup and finishing details for color are where it's at for me.

What made you interested in art?

My grandfather was a painter, sculptor, and stained glass maker. He will always be one of my biggest inspirations. In terms of media, there's a ton - but I started internalizing art as a skill after seeing the Shivering Isles DLC concept art by Adam Adamowicz. I started appreciating how art can be weird and beautiful and whatever you want after reading Evan Dahm's Rice Boy (and the rest of his work). I also had a particularly beautiful book cover for A Wrinkle in Time by Leo and Diane Dillon when I was little and their art rewired my brain chemistry. At the time I said Adamowicz was my most impactful inspiration but on reflection I really do think it's the Dillons. I talked a little about it here.

(2023-24) Commissions haven't been updated in a while. Can I get some more information as to why?

I have a post here about it! If you're one of my clients, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any further issues. I apologize for the delay and am more than happy to work out something with you if you're unhappy with the wait. I'd advise messaging me here or on discord - the latter of which is linked in the post.

TTRPG/DND STUFF

What system is your DnD game running?

I'm running my game using a modified 5e ruleset. 5e happened to just be the first TTRPG system I learned and I also really enjoy Forgotten Realms as a setting - though I take extensive liberties with both. I'll probably be moving away from WoTC's products and the system after this campaign, though. I already change lore so much the setting has a lot of differences.

What materials do you use in your DnD game? Do you play online or in person?

As much as I'd adore to get to play IRL with my friends at some point, our game is currently online. For our current campaign I recently made the switch from Roll20 to Foundry VTT. If you're an online exclusive DM and have the money to buy the one time license, I would recommend it!

A list of what I use to run my current game:

Foundry VTT

Discord (A custom server for Voice Chatting/Private DMs/Memes and art sharing/Scheduling)

Epic Isometric (On Patreon. Digital isometric maps and tokens. Have been using them since at least 2020 if not earlier. Will be making tutorial videos soon!)

The Dungeon Sketcher (Also on Patreon. Also isometric maps and tokens. The artist frequents Epic Isometric's discord server where we all share custom assets we've made, too. His stuff blends in pretty seamlessly with EpicIso)

Vile Tiles by Gabriel Pickard (Found on the Roll20 marketplace, but you can use the assets in any VTT. For theater of the mind and RP backgrounds)

Artstation (Our game is not streamed, so I tend to use backgrounds I source from concept artists for RP backgrounds. If you stream a game, obviously always ask the creators of your assets if you can use them.)

Procreate/An art program (I draw the PC/NPC portraits for our game myself)

Milanote/Any note-taking method (Milanote is just what I use to plan the game, since I already use it for other hobbies and commissions as well.)

Do you stream your game? Is there someplace I can find out more about it? Are you looking for players?

I am not looking for players! Our game is also not recorded or streamed - mostly because I'd get some serious DM stage-fright. I also like it being a relaxing experience for myself and my friends where we're performing for ourselves, instead of with the pressure of a potential audience.

However, I do have a toyhou.se world where information on the game is available - including session recaps! If I ever get the time I also want to draw fun comics and little animations of what happens because my friends are very inspiring to me and DMing has quickly become a favorite hobby.

You can also search the words "Seven Asunder" on this blog and you'll find relevant posts here.

Can I use your art/assets/ideas in my own game?

I can't really stop you. If it's not recorded, streamed or monetized and you're not saying you created anything I made yourself, I legitimately don't care! This even includes using character art I've made. I just would like to politely request you don't post any of it publicly to avoid confusion and to respect my players - many of the NPCs in my games are also characters they create and I cannot give permission for them (obviously). It also would kind of suck to see one of my own beloved characters supposedly "belonging" to someone else.

Essentially, I understand taking inspiration and having "placeholder" images/artwork for characters in a game. Not all of us have time or resources to have custom art! Just don't take one of my or my players' OC's designs and start saying they're yours publicly , pretty please :)

Once commissions are over and I find the spare time, I intend to release free-to-use (personally and for streaming) art packs for folks' games. I also highly recommend the patreons I linked above.

[iztea]

Maybe you have some drawing tips for beginners?

Your style is incredibly beautiful and it just inspires this thing inside me to grab my iPad and start drawing but unfortunately I have no idea where to even begin

Or maybe you have some recs where to look to learn how to draw stuff?

But I understand completely that it’s your thing and artists should never feel pressured to share all their techniques and secrets, you worked hard on it!

I just really really love your art to the point where I just look at it for 30 minutes straight with this big feeling in my chest

<3

ah it was never about being secretive, i'm pretty open about my drawing process since gatekeeping knowledge is a big pet peeve of mine. It was more like,, laziness because writing a cohesive and helpful drawing tutorial is pretty difficult and i wouldn't even know where to start; i'm afraid i'll get maybe too technical and what have you.

As for tips for beginners, i've shared plenty on my couriouscat so you can scroll through the answers there, i also have some drawing timelapses on my twitter account as well (albeit you'll have to scroll a little)

I'm very flattered you feel that way about my art, it really means a lot to me and i'm glad to have inspired you to draw as well that's awesome and i wish you best of luck!

I actually don't know how different drawing on an iPad is compared to a graphic tablet+desktop, so I am actually pretty clueless in that regard. I think Procreate is the most used digital art app for iPad so you can start by getting it and familiarizing yourself with the UI. I think this step is often overlooked. The brushes and the chosen program can make or break the drawing experience. If you simply find yourself not enjoying Procreate, experiment with other apps or maybe try switching to a graphic tablet, maybe that feels better and is more suited to your tastes.

To be completely honest, one "bad" piece of advice that i should probably keep to myself is to draw something you actually enjoy: fanart, Pretty Girl Portrait(tm), your cat, landscapes etc even if it's above your skill level (becoming obsessed/ fixated on some character from a piece of media also works wonders i'm just gonna throw that out there). The main point is to actually care about your chosen subject in order to get inspired and to have that inner desire of "doing them justice" aka drawing them well. The traditional art learning route probably involves studying the fundamentals, shading spheres and cones and simple 3D forms blablbablah which. Yeah ! sure that's probably better advice but i'm telling you what will make you want to keep going and not get discouraged after a few failed attempts.

As for the drawing subject, I highly recommend having photo references to guide you.. you always need refs it's a recurring thing. My fastest artworks are the ones where I have the right references. the less references the more difficult it is to draw something

As a beginner it is also a good practice to draw OVER your photo reference to get the proportions right ( i'm not talking about literally tracing the contour of a face or limb ( just an example ), but moreso identifying the Main shape which makes up that body part and observe how long is it in respect to the other components, how does it connect to the other parts etc - big difference. Tracing won't help you in the long run).

Another thing you can do is to study your favourite artists and see how They tackle whatever it is that you like in their work. how do they simplify facial features? what about anatomy? color/ light etc and kinda reverse engineer your way through their process. ( but i highly recommend to just keep these practice sketches to yourself, and to not share them on social media- unless you get the artist's permission)

This is how i got into drawing and what i did back then, again, for more technical hands-on information i did answer similar CCs before so with a little bit of stalking you'll find them in no time

I wanna finish this with some resources that helped me:

>youtube guys - sinix, ahmed aldoori, marco bucci, and also just speedpaints in general i highly recommend watching those

>for simplified anatomy i found @/ taco1704 's ref sheets to be very helpful but ........... I'm pretty dry here i just look up refs on Pinterest tbvh

speaking of, here's my pinterest i have a bunch of art related boards board cool stuff overall maybe they can help guide you towards some direction or inspire you in some way idk

ok i kinda suck in the resource department listeN. im starving too just.................. watch youtube speedpaints ok

SORRY IT'S SO LONGGGBGGG i hope it was at least a bit helpful? this was all over the place... I'll try to come up with a tutorial as well but i really gotta be careful with how i go about it. I'll leave you with this for the time being. Again, thank you a lot for the kind words, I really am very grateful and touched esp by that last part about staring with the big feeling stuff eeeeeeeeeeeeee really wow T T that's so lovely and a big compliment thanks ty ly

[tsuyonpuu]

And another question - how long do you draw? What drawing programs do you use and how to achieve the same drawing skill as you do?

Hii!! Here too a big sorry for not answering this ask earlier I simply had no idea it existed haha I'll answer regardless!! I've been drawing more or less seriously since 2012! Which is when I got my very first drawing tablet too hehe ever since then I've been in love with digital art!! I used to draw most with my PC desk setup and Painttool SAI (the first version) with my Intuos Pro M that is also 10 years old by now and i never got a different tables for my desk setup hahaha For the past couple of 2-3 i switched to the Ipad with Procreate! I love how convenient it is and I really fell in love with procreate as a software!

Regarding skill or something like that, I personally don't consider myself a good artist because I lack technical skills tbh! I think i am like average at best lol I lack fundamentals and I never do real studies- I do like to think that I'm pretty good with picking colours!! I like to watch YT videos on other people doing studies or techniques and trying to keep an open mind and eye on other media or styles- I love graphic design, I love video editing, I love concept art, I love brand design and other layout stuff and i think looking outside your own field in art helps you to expand on style and visual understanding. Sometimes i make sketches, sometimes i do lineart, sometimes i skip all steps and just start painting, i think its important to not limit yourself in how you work or what you do! Art is just about having fun!! Which is probably always my main advice for drawing or art. If you have fun, if you love what you make and if you keep an open mind and are willing to expand your horizon, then everything else will just come from alone!! Like I genuinely love what im doing and I love my own art and i think that's more important to me than technical skill :) (and i just want to point out that this is my personal opinion and I do acknowledge that technical skill is not just important but also beautiful to look at and essential at many jobs in the art field, I just personally don't like studying hahahah)

[thevulturesquadron]

Hi! I just want to say that WOW you are an amazing artist. Your anatomy and colouring are just breathtaking. How long have you been drawing?

I am a thirty year old baby at art and trying to improve and push through being bad at art, but i'll be honest, it's frustrating having hands that just cant make what i am seeing in my head! Basically... how long do you think it took you to make art that is kind of good? And do you have any tips?

What??!! Thank you so much!!!!! 💜💜💜

I have no words, really. I always feel like I am such a fake when it comes to art because I draw once every 5 years under the impulse of a hyperfixation or another, and I feel like I never take the time to improve. You are too sweet, I don’t deserve it!

I’ve been doodling here and there since I was in highschool, but only seriously picked it up in my 20s. And trust me when I say ‘here and there’. I used to try my hand for a couple of months and then it would take years to go back into the mindset of wanting to do more and better. It’s been like this ever since. I just do things when I have too much love for something and I need to let it out somehow. But in all honesty I feel like I started to be confident with myself and my range only when I hit my 30s so what I am saying is - it’s never too late, as long as you return to it no matter how rusty you feel. But that feeling of never being good enough compared to what you envision - be it art or writing - that’s never going to go away, you just need to conquer it and accept that every piece you make is another step towards getting better. And I know it sounds like a cliché but try not to put any pressure on yourself because of that either -  even if you end up drawing once in a blue moon like me, it counts. It really does! And sometimes you get a bit proud of what you do, sometimes you’ll feel like you learnt nothing. Knowing and understanding that - that it’s not just a way up, that it has highs and lows - has been the one thought that has always kept me going. Gosh, when it comes to tips I feel like there are so many other artists here that are better equipped to help than I am, but I’m happy to share a couple of ‘quick/dirty first stops' that have saved me from giving up:

References!!! Don’t EVER be afraid of using references especially when learning anatomy. Look for poses that inspire you, gather angles for hands, feet, eyes. You are not cheating, you are learning. If you are like me also, and drawing/sketching is a hobby and not a career, using references for poses comes with no strings attached. I can’t stress enough how important it is to use references. 

Colours: I. suck. at. picking. colours. Trust me. Most of the things I draw I leave as sketches because my brain can’t comprehend colour theory so when I do end up adding colours it feels like a miracle each time it looks ok. So I use palettes. There are sites online but also most tools for digital art offer ways to create colour pallets. Sample & drop is your friend! 

Also depending on what tools you are using, don’t shy away from playing with colour balance, brightness, curves or from experimenting with colour overlay layers to unify the look. 

In general, based on what program you use to draw - look for simple tutorials to get familiarised with it. I use Procreate and to this day I am amazed about how many ‘cheats & tricks’ it has. 

Probably a beginner move but one thing I rely on is Pinterest - I create boards for poses, references, colour pallets. So that when I get an impulse to draw and I am not sure where to start or what colours to use I have a library of things I saved in time! 

Hope this helps! Again, I don’t consider myself a real artist, I don’t sell any of my work and I just post what I create here out of love for a fandom or another. BUT I am always happy to share the little I know or learned along the way so don’t hesitate to ask! <3 

[sharm-the-shark]

NEW POST MADARFAKS

Ok so , as i said on the last post , im going to introduce you to my ( currently existing ) oc's , like their story and meaning , in a series of posts ( also specify that my oc's represent part of me and how I am , my feelings and mental conditions )

FIRST OFF AND THE ONE ON MY PFP

**drum roll**

STICH , but not the one from lilo & Stitch , mine is different , ok so , basically i have tourette síndrome :D ( basically i have involuntary spasm and a lot of weird stuff , I recommend you look for a video of people who have it to understand it better , and its kinda funny ) and Stich is how i imagine i'd look as a creature or something

I remember being in class and wanting to do a weird little face , i think It was for Halloween or some shet like that , and i have a LOT of tries and sketches , one day ill post em' ( maybe ) ( also they're super scuffed and cringe tho ) and i dont know how but the face ended Up in a TV , and now It has a body , i also remember joining the rain world discord server , i posted my custom region lizards there too , and someone liked them and i dont really remember how but we started talking and i asked them if they wanted a lizard , from that moment we began to send each other ideas for the other to draw it and such and I loved it , and one day we started drawing on aggie.io or magma ( a site where you can draw with friends ) idk i dont really remember , but i drew Stich and they came Up with the idea of antennae which i loved , and now is part of the design ,

And i dont know what more to say so I'll just put some drawings and explain them a bit ( some of the drawings are quite old so they're worse in my opinion , but I'll show then anyway )

This was the first digital drawing I did of Stitch ( + kid )

Here I think I got hyper fixation with flower crowns lol

Here I discovered that I could draw on black with white and decided to do something with TV snow

Here i was bored so i traced a photo of a hoodie and added some things cuz yeah

This was a drawing i made for Halloween 👍

This one is some Sort of redesign where i decided to give them headphones , which i like but not always draw them because of lazy

I made this in a moment i wasnt feeling great , and idk , its just some stuff i kept thinking and wanted to draw it

Oh yeah and , i think i came Up with the idea of a TV because of the weird glitches and like , whenever i have a tic or get stressed , It glitches or something

Oohh yeah , forgot to mention that i made human versións of my ocs , im not as Happy as i'd like with the drawing , but i like the concept so yeah

And finally the last drawing i made , It's fairly recent and Im still proud of how it turned out , and , i dont know , just the thought of me doing this its impressing

And that was It for the digital drawings , i still have a ton of traditional drawings of them , if you wanted to i could post them , but not now

And now , if you read all of that just wanted to tell you that i love you and that you're awesome , the Next post will be about nightmare >:)

Until Next time have a great day/night

Whatever <3

[tinkerd]

The Kid Christmas Sketchbook Part 2

A second peek behind the scenes of my latest book 'Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toy Shop'

A few days ago I shared the scruffy, sketchy beginnings of what would become my sixth author/illustrator book ‘Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toy Shop (Out NOW)

Today we are going to look at the next stage in creating the book: The Terrifying Rough First Draft stage.

First Draft

It’s not really that terrifying to be honest, but there is always a bit of trepidation when I send this off to my editor. It’s the first real look at how the book is going to turn out. Its when I see if the excitement and enthusiasm I felt in the sketchy stages is actually going to pay off and the book does have potential to be as good as I felt it would be.

I probably (definitely) do over think these things- everything can still be changed at this stage after all, so yes it probably shouldn’t cause as much stress as it does- but its still a daunting moment.

For the first draft rough I take my sketches from my sketchbook and basically spruce them up so that they are more presentable. I do this stage mainly digitally, using my hand drawn paper sketches as a blueprint and drawing over them with my fancy Wacom tablet. At the same time I will hone the idea and story structure as this process goes on.

A lot of further big creative decisions are made here too. In fact that happens a lot during the whole process. Things will change, story ideas will develop and artwork will be tweaked all the way up to it being prepared to print.

The first step of that happens after I send through the First Draft Rough. My editor and art director will have a say on the drawings and offer input on what to change and how to move the story along. Sometimes this can be pretty brutal as being an arty type I am automatically a big old control freak. But I very quickly learnt that making books is a wholly collaborative process. Even though my name is on the cover all of my books have very much been a creative collaboration.

Anyway, I’m rambling a fair bit now, so why don’t we just have a look at some of the pages from the first draft rough :)

The Cover

Around about the same time as creating the First Draft I will start thinking about the cover. The publishers don’t usually want to see a cover sketch until the books rough internal pages are all ready to go to artwork. But the cover is always on my mind. For me seeing the cover- all be it in sketch form- helps to characterise the entire book. So I often think of the cover very early on.

Another thing that publishers will like to see is a number of different options for the cover. So I aim to sketch out 5 or 6 for them to choose. I definitely had my favourite of the sketches and assumed that they would also go for it. However, I was very surprised that they went for the final design. I love it, and I can now totally understand why it was chosen. But my favourite was actually the image right at the start of this newsletter- with Nicky and his uncles standing proud outside the Toy Shop. Nicky isn’t even in his Santa costume - I thought that we should keep that a big secret- which I now look back on as being a bit of a crazy decision on my part. Again, it shows how important the collaboration aspect is to making books. Having other insights and opinions are really vital.

Ok, here is a look at the cover sketches that I presented, including the design that we ended up using.

Phew….so there we are.

Hopefully you have had a little further insight into the sketching stages of ‘Kid Christmas’.

Thank you so much for reading these two- slightly rambley- recollections of how the idea developed (you can read Part 1 HERE)

Great Thanks also to everyone who has read the book. I’ve been absolutely chuffed to bits with the response that the book has had and it has made all the hard work and trials and tribulations (as fun as they all are) worth it.

Happy Christmas all. Ho Ho Ho.

David :)

[shynetyme06]

1 - 23 :3

cracks knuckles okay

1. how would you describe your art style? uhhhhhhhh, maybe "safe" is the word rn. whenever I think of my art style, what comes to mind is just how little I've been pushing things with it. I wanna change that ;D

2. what's your favorite thing about your style? I realize I like to use semi-realistic proportions, its cool how comfortable I've gotten with drawing faces and bodies

3. what's your least favorite thing about your style? It's so static man. same thing I said for the first question, I don't think anything really looks bad, but it just is lacking in creativity in comparison to the older art that should be looking worse than what I do now. I prefer my older stuff ;D (looking at you inktobertale2021.. where did it all go wrong)

4. favorite thing to draw? regular ol people. human characters are def more in my comfort zone, which explains why I keep hitting skeletons with the humanization ray (also I prefer to draw feminine characters)

5. least favorite thing to draw? I can't even say I rlly dislike it cuz of how rarely I even do it, but I am procrastinating so hard on learning backgrounds..

6. warm colors or cool colors? cool colors are my fav, but i find it easier to work with warm ones (I used to put a cool overlay over all my warm toned drawings hgdhfg)

7. show us a WIP behold, the wip ever. this drawing... was supposed to be posted on august 2022. and then, it was supposed to be posted on dec 21st, dream and nightmares birthday. (atp if I do end up wanting to finish this idea again, I'll probably just scrap it and start over)

8. what's the most fun and least fun parts about your process? most fun is flat color and rendering. (though I rarely do the latter anymore) and for least fun, tbh a lot of the sketching part tends to be difficult for me, sometimes its cool tho

9. show us a finished piece alongside the original sketch example from when sketching was fun

10. how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished? I think I do need to make more of at least thumbnail sketches tbh.. I usually just make one and keep editing it, trusting the process. (and that fails like 70% of the time. woww wonder why sketching isnt fun for me-) 11. show us the last thing you drew, be it a finished piece or a small doodle can this count,,

12. show us an old drawing first deltarune drawing. here's the redraw I later made of this :3 (also old hsgdhgf)

13. how long do you usually take one a piece? depends. I'll have like 276478923 wips started, and then I get a random idea that I just have to do right at that moment, and I'll get it done in like 1-4 hours. meanwhile old sketches start to rot and maybe if its lucky I'll revisit it before my motivation dies and my style is too different to wanna continue from where I left off 14. digital or traditional? digital all the way, i've gotten too dependent on the transform tool + liquefy ;D (and many other things tbh but I'd be here all day if I tried comparing them more jhdjdf)

15. if digital, what program do you use? procreate, the layouts on other drawing programs scare me

16. favorite media to work with when drawing traditionally pen on paper (am I understanding this right wdym media-)

17. what do you love getting compliments about? I like when people enjoy the humanizations I come up with, and also original designs in general 18. are you satisfied with the attention your art usually gets? hmmm yeah

19. how often do you draw? very often, I just don't have finished things to share most days

20. a piece from this year that you're really proud of :3

21. something you would like to improve on the dynamicness (well, the lack of it) of everything, as said before

22. what inspires you? Ink sans and a ton of creators in this fandom (also animated shows and movies, I love animation)

23. what's something you hope people notice when looking at your art? idk tbh, just notice it at all and I'm happy :>

[bvannn]

Weekly Update January 26, 2024

I am still very sick. I just took my second increased dose of the medicine, hoping it will help. Whatever stomach issue I was having a bit ago appears to have returned as well, or it could be more side effects from the surgery. Or something else. I don’t know. I tried fasting on Wednesday and felt physically better but also guilty, and I don’t want to keep doing it because I know it’s dangerous. I’m still a healthy weight for my height so I can probably get away with doing it like, once a week, but I don’t want to accidentally lose too much weight either because I’m already a 22 year old adult who buys clothes in the kids section I don’t need to be any smaller. I’ll figure it out, I’m trying to focus what I am eating on fruits and nuts, hoping it’ll detox me a bit.

I did a couple drawings this week. Kinda. The one I posted was actually sketched back before the surgery I just hadn’t digitized it yet. I only posted the one drawing because I want to hold on to the other for a bit because it’s part of that epithet prompt set I made. I’m fully not expecting to do every one of those prompts, but I figured hey since I missed a few I can do a batch of the missed prompts and release them at once. I sketched the one for this week and planned on finishing it on Wednesday but I got sick again. Once I’m feeling better I’ll try to focus more on drawings. I think I gotta scrap the big animation project I was working on due to circumstances beyond my control, which sucks but theoretically I can try other animation things too. I’ve been sitting on an idea for a short Detective Conan animation, maybe I’ll do that. Or maybe I’ll stay sick. Idk. I kinda want to figure out how I would animate Shaun, since he’s a ghost so I’d have to deal with both transparency and glow effects, plus certain aspects of his design that were meant to be more flowy, like his shirt-tail-thing. I could poke after effects again but it seems a lot more tedious than I had hoped.

I did review over comic stuff this week too, although I haven’t made any progress since I really started getting the surgery after effects. I like how it’s flowing for the most part, but I’m probably going to have to do second drafts of a few pages. Kinda sucks that everything feels so rushed, since I want to fit the whole introductory chapter into ~32 pages, which I’m totally able to do but I have to hold off on some little dialogue exposition conversations that I think people would like. Any story with ghosts is going to have people wanting to fully understand how the ghosts physically work, especially when it becomes relevant, but some of that can be put off until later because character moments are more important. Whatever, I can always keep going.

I feel super bad about not being able to do anything but I’m still so screwed up. I want to take another stab at music, and maybe I will, but I need to sit upright to play piano which screws with my stomach, and in order to pick out VSTs I want on a song I need to be able to have a midi that resembles what the final will sound like and I need to be in the headspace to listen to music without going into sensory overload. I’m pretty sure all of this is sleep related, I have the weekend to hopefully catch up on sleep, but I need to do some homework as well. And I need to stop waking up in the middle of the night. I’m afraid to double dose on sleep medicine because even though I know it’s safe after 6 or so hours, I don’t want to be reliant on sleep medicine because that’s how Michael Jackson died. Might have to wait for my surgery bs to subside before I can try to detox though.

I don’t know what to do with myself right now. I feel awful, I feel like my insides are rotting, but I know they’re not since I’m not in pain from it (or at least not enough pain to really believe that). Plus surgeon looked at me before I moved back to Uni and seemed really impressed with how quickly I was healing. Even though I probably disobeyed her ‘don’t lift more than 20 pounds’ rule. Like a lot. I did feel better this week than I did last, so I’m hoping I can bounce back pretty quick. I’ll give it another week or two before I ask my primary if I need another medicine. I’m hesitant right now because both she and the surgeon seemed to agree beforehand that I wouldn’t, and I want to trust them. I don’t know. Time providing I’ll try to do more drawings this week.

[bboonni]

Project 01 (week 4)

To start off week 4, I was asked to make a collage by my tutor. Personally I didn't really enjoy this process as I didn't think it related with my theme of the unconscious and shadow, for the collage i thought of using the tape to look like a sound wave. I was told to then photocopy them as well which I did later on.

Later on the week, we had a self directed study session where I worked on my sound. I used the samples I took from the market and then decided to edit it and play around with it as well as collaging the sound samples. I then thought of making it more immersive and experimented with surround sound and left to right sound.

I did few sketches of different creatures that would be eerie, it doesn't necessarily relate directly to the sound but I was going off with how the sound i created made me feel and what creature did it make me think of. I also did more research into the phycology side of the unconscious and how I could understand it better.

Next are notes I took from digital skills class(3) , but next I am aiming to create the short film.

During this week, I also got some feedback from people for my sound which was helpful as I would then develop my sound more and make it communicate my theme.

[glimfag]

Hi I freaking loves your arts I'm trying to start drawing people that aren't just standing static but I have no clue where to find references may I please have some guidance? Also thank you and you are so slays sincerely 🌹

Hello and thank you 🌹! I'll preface this with the fact that I am by no means a professional or expert on the subject, but I can tell you some little tips that I find helpful (also - I really like giving critique! So, if you wanna get REAL personal advice, feel free to DM me your work and I can give you more specific pointers :3) I'll put this under a readmore bc I'm gonna include pics.

So! When I'm trying to break out of boring poses, there's a couple things I consider.

Character Personality factors a LOT into posing. When getting more stylized and cartoonier, you can REAAALLY push a character into being energetic or sad or what have you - but this totally applies to more realistically proportioned art as well. The amount of space a character takes up, how exaggerated their motions are, and their body language in general can all speak to their personality. I include these drawings because they're all basic character art - but the variations in posing differentiate them. I once read somewhere in some post about how characters hands should always both have a purpose and it still nags at the back of my mind while I draw even plain poses LOL

Give your character something to do. This also helps you break into larger-scale drawings. Drawing backgrounds, props, angles, all practices that will better your art immensely over time. Ofc, you don't have to do full-blown illustrations all the time if that's not what you want to do, but I'd highly recommend pushing your skills and learning new things. And this doesn't have to be an intense action scene, but just thinking about an environment/situation and how that would affect said character! This goes double for multi-character drawings; characters standing and smiling at eachother? Nice, but boring... Characters doing any activity together? Better! Here's some sketches that are still heavily character focused, but have just a bit of environment and implied story to them that make them more lively.

Now for references! There's hundreds of ways that you can find reference pictures for different scenarios, but often it can be discouraging to not be able to find one that fits your exact vision. I personally prefer just Google image searching whatever I need, but many people use pinterest as well. I also like using 3D model posers to get a more exact reference and understanding of how the body is positioned. My main tip would be that you do NOT have to follow a reference exactly. Feel free to edit a picture and rearrange a models body parts, to combine multiple pictures, to disregard half of the image, edit your sketch, make a new one on top, so on and so forth, THE POINT BEING: a reference picture is a tool, not a law. Don't feel restricted by it. Go nuts.

And as much as I hate to have to recommend it, do the boring practice stuff. Do traditional figure sketching (bonus points if it's timed!), learn about anatomy and line of action and gesture drawing. I unfortunately don't have any video recommendations on it, but I KNOW they're out there for free on YouTube so do some searching! If you wanna jump on in, try out Line Of Action and do some practices there (I HIGHLY recommend doing this on physical paper, not digitally, it just Works Better I swear), but if you've never done figure drawing before, you may need to read up on it. It's more technical and less fun than drawing furries and cartoon fanart, but it's useful and enjoyable in its own right!

I think that's all I've got for you... Hopefully my ramblings here are helpful! I've had about Half a semester of art school so really I'm still learning too LOL but this is the stuff that I found helpful as a beginner :) LMK if you have other questions at all!

[pridayph]

A real life update i guess... Part 1

First, i just want to say thank you to everyone who had visit my blog and liked some of my artworks for really long time.

But second, without my tablet, i afraid that i can't draw anything anymore.

Because third, i started a new job since august 8 and i had to work through weeks and no off days every weekend unlike my last company.

And fourth, I living inside company's dormitary, it mean i can't bring my tablet with me due thief issues and this is also not a privacy place at all, living with 7 people inside one room.

...

At the moment i writing this, i having some mental issues and looking for supports.

Since i have to do night shift, i'm basically only allow to go home after 7 am, it was morning already and this is the worst part.

I have to do everything quietly because some of my dormmate who also working at night shift like me are trying to sleep and hate disturbing by any sounds. Once day, i accidently close the door too loud and one of my dormmate said something mostly threaten and violent at my place. I got panic a lot because he really want to beat me right in the place rn, he doesn't mention my name but he said "Little kid" or something, and i believe he talking to me because i already knew i was the one who closed the door too loud and got someone angry even if it was an accident and no harm to anyone.

But half of hour later, he keep talk like that again, i remember i keep stay quiet whole time and not respond to anything he said. But i can't stay quiet anymore because i had to say sorry to him before things getting worst, because this is a public place anyway and everything are not safe here.

Welp, i did say sorry to him. And do you believe what did he say?

"I'm talking to the one on the top".

I'm sitting on bellow of the bed, and there is a guy on the top of the bed (It was two floors bed).

So he doesn't talk like that to me whole time?

So i'm just crying on the bed like that... i though they hate me and want to hit me so bad and i'm was ready to take that. But this is it? He just say he talk to the one on top of me and not me after all and told me "Don't be autism".

I still not trust him, because soon or later he will go after me, because i'm too clumsy enough to get threaten days by days.

And even after that, i still hate this place.

As a person who have been living with physical abuse and mental abuse since middle school, i can't stop thinking about traumas and keep haunting me until now.

My bed are really noisy everytime i sleep on it and peoples near me keep yelling me for no reason every fucking time, they didn't fix it and that's how my bed still my worst nightmare everytime i'm back from work.

You see, i only have 1 year of digital art, and not good enough to do commission, even worst, i have to make money at the age of 30s. I'm looking for another home place near to my company, but expensive and i afraid my salary is only enough to keep me survive a month with nothing left to save. I can't upgrade anything...

Since i'm switched to sketchbook, my drawing became worst and to be honest i can't show anything to you guys yet, it just too ugly and too much chicken sketches, but not became even a shape i want.

So, i hope you guys understand for my situations, i know i suppose not to do this, but i feel my art journey can't grow anywhere, i scare to draw everyday and out of motivations... Because i can't draw for nobody and post them into the void, this is not what i want.

If not because i'm living inside a public dorm, i can grab my tabet and draw anything. But sadly my home is too far away, it just 2 hours from here but most of the time i'm too sleepy and i can't take it anymore. Now i only have a sketchbook which doesn't work so far.

I want to draw, but i only have one sunday, and sometime i don't have sunday at all due overtimes spamming.

I'm sorry...

[greetingsfromuranus]

Your art is incredible... what was the most useful resource to you when you were learning? What kind of exercises did you use?

My response ended up quite long-winded and all over the place, so TLDR:

1: study other art and the processes the artists use (look at sketches, watch videos of people drawing/painting, look at how different industries handle learning and teaching stuff)

2: figure drawing is always good for you (humans AND animals) + a good warmup I sometimes use: draw cubes and stuff from different angles, try out different types of perspective, and try bending and stretching them all weird, playing with the shapes as much as you can

3: experiment with different styles, subjects, and mediums so you can learn different things and find what you're most comfortable with

4: draw what you LIKE because passion makes art good (also RELAX and don't get too caught up in things, just chug things out for a bit and get your hands warmed up)

5: this one isn't mentioned below but you'll have to make 1000 crappy drawings before you make good ones so just muscle through it until you get where you want to be (it'll be ok)

6: oh oh and I like to make lines that feel good in my hands specifically, do whatever feels natural it'll be fun. Don't always dwell on your weaknesses, explore your strengths and expand them.

7: also I've gotten good by physically drawing things bigger, zooming out and all that. Dont get stuck with regular notebook paper, get a sketchbook and make your art feel special (or if you're doing digital art make a special folder or somethin)

8: only take advice from ARTISTS that you KNOW AND TRUST, not some jackass on YouTube, or your parents (this has held me back the most)

I'm gonna start out by describing what I've done to learn, and then talk more about the mindset that REALLY got me where I am. I will also mention that I'm very much still in the process of learning, there's so much more I want to be able to do, and I am by no means an expert.

I've gotten my art where it is recently by studying how other artists draw - specifically looking at the processes they use, different methods of sketching what different materials/tools they use and WHY, etc etc..... I've experimented with a variety of subjects and styles over my life, and learned different things from each one. I think that's really important to do, because it allows you to find out what you're most comfortable with, and learn the different methods that you can even apply outside of the medium you learned them from. With how much art is out there,it can be intimidating and seem like too much to grasp, but you just gotta muscle through it. Learning is fun!!!

My biggest inspiration to my current style is definitelyed edd n eddy, and especially the art of Raven Molisee - I look at his art specifically because you can often see the sketches behind the lineart, which is super useful in figuring out what his drawing method is like! Specifically the thing where you sketch in a different color than you do lineart in, it's really obvious honestly but I've just never done it! But sketching with the same pencil i line with can be restricting, and end up just looking messy, leaving me less satisfied with the result and less motivated. Anyways, I think it's good to study the art you like, and find exactly what it is about it that you like so much, so that you can take those qualities and put them into your own art!l

I've also done a decent bit of figure drawing since I was a kid - understanding the structure, musculature, movement, etc... of human and animal bodies helps immensely with the styles im often going for - but understanding those specific things isnt required! I think having a good grasp on forms and silhouettes is equally important, and im currently working on getting better at that. I've been looking at cave paintings and other prehistoric art, their grasp on form is incredible, and the more conceptual view on figures is really interesting! While we're on that topic - I think it's important to study art from other time periods and cultures!! That's where you'll find the greatest variety in methods, mindsets, and completely different ways of making and viewing art. (I reccomend looking at some pre-rennaissance art.....incredible stuff out there...)

Now as for the mindset side of things:

I'll start out by saying: I've never taken an art class past middle school, so my technical knowledge is very lacking... one thing I was told early on was "don't use art as reference, only use real life-" But that's bogus!!!!! The way I've gotten my art to improve so much is by looking at other artists work and seeing what techniques they use to get their stuff the way it is. Humans can be as incredible as they are *only* because they can pass on knowledge to eachother. When it comes to cartoons/animation specifically, the the absolute best way to learn a certain style is to copy it over and over until you can get it the way you want. And study it on a deeper level of course. Get your favorite character and draw them over and over and over until you really understand their movement and volumes and expressions, that's what I do lol.

I would recommend taking some sort of art course, or following one of those youtube series where they teach you stuff, it would REALLY speed up the process of fixing the things that hold back your growth as an artist, but dont let other's critiques get to you (ive heard thats the problem with many art classes). I think the best way to get gud is to figure out what YOU want your art to be, and only take critique from yourself so that you can make the art YOU want, not what somebody else wants. Audiences are fickle and they don't actually know what they want, so never listen to them (ive learned this from some of my artist friends)

ALSO don't watch those YouTube videos about how certain art is BAD and this other art is GOOD, if you take their advice, you're just gonna be sad and you art will get boring.... draw the things you want like you're 8 years old and drawing your same favorite animal every day. MLP oc critics are the reason I can't color for shit, I took their advice and limited my colors to a certain amount and now I don't know how to use more than 3 colors at a time. So I just dont color. Which I'm sad about lol

[roseispending]

No.13

Week 7 / Digital Painting on Procreate

This week I started I mainly collected works I am inspired by, and images I could use as references. I browsed Pinterest, Artstation, Instagram, Youtube etc. for artists that motivate me and inspire me to carry on. It was a difficult week productivity wise. I didn't have much time to sit down and draw, however, I did manage to start digitally painting! I'm super happy that I finally did it and I'm really enjoying the process of it.

Digital painting is something that has always intimidated me because I felt like I didn't know enough about colour, composition, and even how to imagining a scene in general held me back. But the thing that pushed me was finding this great tutorial on Youtube -

Landscape Painting in Procreate - Grass Field FULL TUTORIAL by David Joseph | The Creative Space

I found this tutorial super helpful as it explains colour, light, and value in a very easy to understand way. I have used Procreate before, but mainly for sketching quick ideas and never a full artwork. I have not completed the tutorial yet, but plan to finish it next week. I also want to use the references I collected to practice my understanding of values, light, colour, and composition. Afterwards I think I will be more confident in starting my own piece.

This is my progress so far ↓

[warisara]

Notes to expand on for assignment.

6 Oct 23 (will continue to edit this)

500 words (3-4 paragraphs) due 16th October

Reflect on issues implicated contextually through what is emerging in your practice.

Develop key questions.

- Sketching out a space for myself by exploring and expanding with my writing -

Field - other works that remind me of my own. Other writers, politics, theories, cultural implications. 

Nam June Paik - use of technology, video art, sculpture and installation methods to question religion and culture. 

Hito Steyerl - the use of the poor image. 

Martha Rosler - public sphere, investigating topics such as daily life, the media, architecture, and the physical environment, particularly as they apply to women.

Method - Why are these methods and materials used?

Using older technology as an ode to my school years in Thailand, having demonstration videos shown to students from a young age. Eg. How to correctly bow to royals, monks, buddha statues, etc. How to be respectful to elders and what level of language to use with elders, monks, royals, etc.

Using mini architectural sculpture to accommodate video work. Recreating Thai buddhist shrines in a western-esque architectural style which is also void of colour as a way to communicate my uncertainty with religion and believing and finding it hard to fit in a culture being mixed race.

Ideas - What does the work physically indicate, visually represent, symbolise culturally. 

Trying to claim a space in a culture, feeling more comfortable claiming that space as a character.

Finding it hard to pray and wish for a blessing, but desperately needing one due to on-going health issues.

Religion as a last resort, religion as a spiritual anchor. 

Key questions - What is the work opening up in this conversation? How does it add, enforce, contrast, establish discourse? How do I and my work add to this investigation and conversation?

I think it opens up space for those who are confused and don’t know where they fit in or where they stand. And it’s okay to be in that space for however long you need or forever. 

I started this exploration trying to answer these questions I had in my mind, however working through the questions I realised not every question needs or has an answer. Being able to be content with this is the main thing that my work enforces. 

Wanting to discover a space where I could fit in comfortably, and I did. The space is a perfect little nook between everything. Not everything is black and white. Just like my ethnicity and my religious beliefs, I sit in the middle. I know there are many others who feel just like I do but it’s not really a topic of discussion. So here I am with my work hoping others will be able to relate, even if they don’t I hope they can understand what I am conveying with my art.

22 Oct 23 -

Using older technology as an ode to my school years in Thailand, having demonstration videos shown to students from a young age. For example, how to correctly bow to royals, monks, buddha statues, and how to be respectful to elders and what level of language to use with elders, monks, royals, etc.

A couple of Thai artists that have influenced my work are Sakkarin Suttisarn and Kamonlak Sukchai. Sakkarin Suttisarn and his series of digital collages that, Transformation of Object to Worshipping, makes light of the possibility that Thai-style rituals exist and are practised elsewhere. Kamonlak Sukchai analyses South-east Asian folklore and its influences on history, national identity, religious belief, and sexual mythology. She frequently uses collage and photography techniques in her work.

I have been using small scale architectural sculpture to accommodate video work. Recreating Thai buddhist shrines in a western-esque architectural style, as well as referencing artists and writers such as Nam June Paik, Hito Steyerl, and Martha Rosler by combining elements of video art, technology, performance, and the poor image, as well as my interest of the act of performing to an audience, theatre and stage design. 

By doing this I believe my work touches on the delicate topic and the action of trying to claim a space within two cultures and trying to become more comfortable expressing confusion about religion and spirituality. Whilst referencing my experience growing up in a country where religion is heavily intertwined within culture. Also, the sculptures being void of colour as a way to communicate my uncertainty with religion and believing. Whilst also finding it hard to fit in a culture that sometimes doesn’t feel like it fully accepts me because I am mixed race.

It opens up space for those who are confused and don’t know where they fit in or where they stand. And discovering that it is not a big deal to be in that space for however long you need or even forever. It’s about being able to find comfort in the grey area. 

I started this exploration trying to answer these questions I had in my mind, however working through the questions I realised not every question needs or has an answer. Being able to be content with this is the main thing that my work enforces. 

Wanting to discover a space where I could fit in comfortably, and I did. The space is a perfect little nook between everything. Not everything is black and white. Just like my ethnicity, I sit in the middle, although not perfectly right down the middle, it’s still an in-between. I know there are many others who feel just like I do but it’s not really a topic of discussion. So here I am with my work hoping other will be able to relate, even if they don’t I hope they can understand what I am conveying with my art.