#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

[delliebre]

what the f i just stumbled upon ur profile today and i have to say its the most gorgeous art ive ever seen im being serious i am in absolute awe.. i need to have it hanged on my wall omg you are so talented!! if you dont mind could you share a little bit about your art journey/how long youve been actively practising and how you found your style?

Hiii wow thank you!! I had made an art journey post a few months ago but deleted it I think.. but basically I started like how most artists do with paper and stuff. I began as a small child, inspired by my father, wanting to impress him and to overall create things.

I have been actively practicing digital art since 2018 that is when I got a drawing tablet and wanted to seriously improve.

See my instagram acc: nonnydoge. Most of my old works from when I was...12 to now? Idk but I kept some up despite embarrassment. The first ones I did on my phone I loved using Ibispaintx but I started digital art with the sony sketch app.

I have always loved thick-like brushwork in art. But I thought I should not pursue it because I was not very good and pursuing a style before finding footing in fundamentals, I knew, was not how I wanted to stump myself. So I did not focus much on style for years as means to improve. But I felt really bad each time I made high detail, rendered work... despite how silly and stupid that sounds. It was not the look I wanted to create with.

I look up to some artists with high quality, super detailed work, but I do not want to create like that. My favorite painting I have done, it is an acrylic painting I did in like 10 minutes... it is simple.

I am a nerd lol I get emotional looking at some paintings of trees simply because they are painted so well.

I just really love looking at paintings that do not do all the work for me. I love finding it. I love mess.

And yet when I create work that is like that, I still feel really bad. I think others will then think I do not even know how to "render" or detail. But I can... I have done it for years.. and it is my own self-doubts and insecurity that stop me often from just leaving paintings that are messier, that I enjoy the look of... so I end up rendering them further, pushing them into a style that, when it is done and I step back from, I hate.

It is stupid. I feel bad when I create high-detail, sharp work, and I feel bad when I create messier, painterly work... I think then you can understand my hatred for my art every day lol....

It does not help with the things I have been told, either, since creating looser work :/

But anyway. It took maybe 3 years for me to feel a bit happier since starting with ps in 2018 with my improvement. I think my most popular work is from 2021? It is detailed. I do not think it is bad, I just do not, and I know at the time did not, want to draw like that and was upset with myself at the end of it.

2018 - 2021 so 13-16 here

but this is also a 2018 😂:

In checking the profile, you can determine when I started to make "decent" work lol.

In recent years, I have not been "grinding" learning art any much more.. I am just coasting ig even tho ik I shoulddd be practicing more. My friends, like, everyday practice for HOURS in a discord call and wow I don't even like drawing for more than 30 mins☠️ Sometimes I join them but they are just my podcast lol I love them and their art <3

anyway.. I am SO happy that when i was 17 I made this blog because it allowed me to draw and post humans more!

Thank you again!!

I am very thankful for all who have been so kind to me and my art!! I never would have imagined!! I also never would have imagined my absolute favorite digital painters, those who I have looked up to since beginning my journey saw my art and followed me!!!

It is crazy.

Yeah I feel like an absolute shit artist every day LOL but still I do appreciate everyone who is kind to me I am just my biggest hater and doubter.

[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)

[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

[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

[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.

[seankoillust]

From Sketch to Screen: My Journey from Traditional to Digital Art

Creativity has always been at the core of who I am. From childhood sketches to exploring the worlds of photography, graphic design and animation, my artistic journey will take me through a very dynamic blend of discovery and growth. With each medium, I will learn new techniques, adapt my skills and always find new ways to tell stories through visuals. This post is simply the beginning of my journey as a multimedia artist and how I will learn to integrate different art forms into my creative process.

In my early days I fell in love with the idea of drawing, the thought of turning my thoughts into visuals into a sheet of paper always intrigued me as a child, and like many artists, my journey began with a pencil and paper. Drawing was really my first love—it was my way of expressing ideas and bringing characters to life, and as someone who is interested in not only illustration but also photography, graphic design, and, eventually, animation, learning digital art feels like a natural progression. Graphic design, for example, depends heavily on software such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Animation necessitates knowledge of digital drawing tools. Photographs frequently include digital retouching. By honing my digital illustration skills, I can bridge the gap between these creative disciplines and broaden my artistic horizons.

Well, of course, moving from traditional to digital isn't easy. Unlike a pencil and paper, where I can feel the texture and control every stroke with precision, drawing on a tablet feels completely different. There's a learning curve—getting used to the pen sensitivity, understanding layers, and figuring out how to blend colors digitally.. At times, it's frustrating. But I remind myself that every great artist started somewhere. One of the most difficult challenges is getting past the comparison mindset. I see digital artists who have mastered their craft and wonder if I will ever reach that level. But instead of allowing doubt to hold me back, I remind myself that this journey is about progress, not perfection. My traditional art skills will serve me well in digital illustration; all I need to do now is figure out how to apply them.

However.. There is another of my interests that I want to share.

Illustration isn't my only creative outlet; I also enjoy photography and graphic design. These fields work better together than most people realize. Photography helps me understand lighting, composition, and color, all of which are useful in digital illustration. Graphic design teaches me about layout, typography, and how to produce visually appealing images.

By combining these abilities, I hope to create one-of-a-kind artwork that blends illustration, design, and photography. Eventually, I'd like to experiment with animation, bringing my drawings to life through movement.

Finally, this blog will serve as a personal journal of my journey—documenting my struggles, achievements, and everything I learn along the way. I want to show that transitioning form traditional to digital art isn't an overnight process, but a rewarding one. I've always wanted to become an amazing illustrator or an amazing animator, so I am willing to take this journey to achieve my goals.

To any other artists out there feeling intimidated by digital art: I get it. It's challenging, but it's also exciting, there is something incredible about thinking about how much potential you can unlock by putting in the time and effort to patiently learn a skill. Every new skill starts with a first step, and I'm ready to take mine. Let's grow and prosper together!

So for now, I'll show some drafts that I worked on in my design classes in school! The whole idea is to combine cats and an animation/illustration vibe..

With all that said, if you're also learning digital art or just have any tips to share, feel free to comment below! Let's support one another on this journey!

[k-whitsonarts-246-03]

Week 3: 1/31/25

This week, we were assigned to read pages 132-171 of "Thinking with Type" by Ellen Lupton and watch the Draplin logo video on YouTube. These pages continue discussing the principles of web hierarchy and also talks about dashes, spaces, and punctuations. In my previous blog post, I mentioned that I still have a bit of a hard time working within grids. However, I think I am pretty good at utilizing dashes, spaces, and punctuation correctly. I do believe though that I tend to write long sentences at times, so it may lead to incorrect punctuation. This is most likely something that I could improve on because the goal is to create clean and professional-looking text. In Draplin's video, he states how important it is to use pencil and paper to sketch. Illustrator or other digital programs can sometimes confine us and not execute exactly what we want. As someone who is new to digital art, I can really understand what he means. I recently started to sketch on my iPad, and it is very different than actually physically putting a pencil to paper. It's almost like an entirely different experience, and while it is useful and exciting, using pencil and paper can really allow you to create freely.

[bisectro]

2024 art summary

It's been a wonderful year for Pinks and Blues. In honor of probably the most creatively active and fulfilled I've ever been since 2018, I figured I'd make a blog style recap. This is a blog after all.

I did a 6 page colored comic, did an animatic (another full colored MV in the works. More on that later) and discovered that I LOVE making things move. Comics, I love you, but I think my passion lies in the gratification of making videos.

I also cleaned up my itch.io page and uploaded a digital sketchbook! It's mostly reflection ttrpg related. Participated in two more zines (Marcanne zine and Empower Zine) this year, oh me oh my.

I also did some artfight! Wahoo to artfight!

I ran a TTRPG session for the first time?????

I mean I played many ttrpgs as a player before, but GM-ing?? This was me swimming in uncharted waters, at least for me. I have been going about making a ttrpg from scratch, but how could I do that if I haven't played every game I could get my hands on, or at the very least, get over my stage fright and RUN A GAME.

After mulling over the idea of wanting to run a game for years, I finally gathered the courage to do it when I found Sentiment TTRPG.

What is the Sentiment system? Sentiment is a tabletop roleplaying game with a focus placed squarely on the emotions and complexity of each character without too much mechanical bloat. The goal of the game is to give players tools to understand their characters as people and to give all participants an understanding of the other characters at the table. And then it's also built to, if you so wish, put those characters in incredibly stressful or dramatic situations just to see what happens. How does it work? It’s an ultra flexible ttrpg system using d20s, d6s and the primary colors. Sentiment is a system that handles combat quickly and entertainingly, but the focus of this game isn’t just big climactic battles. Those same rules can easily and elegantly handle sled races. Fishing competitions. Jousting on the moon.

Source: Sentiment TTRPG patreon - About section.

Here's the blurb for my own campaign if you're curious:

On an asteroid far away, 4 crew members get dropped off with the mission of building a restock station 7.8 light-years away from Earth.

Uses Sentiment system rules. Content warnings: heavy workload, death by asphyxiation, death by crushing, and drowning.

So I gathered up my bowels, rolled up my sleeves and decided to port a mixture of mechanics from Oxygen Not Included, Chicken Invaders, Wolf 359, and Signalis into the Sentiment system and see how it worked.

My conclusion? It went well!!! I feel very fulfilled. I'd probably run another similar game that is set in either the water, or the desert. I have a few ideas for those already. Possibly going to run a Heart: The City Beneath campaign. That could be something for 2025 me to write about.

----

Animatics

It all started with a Spiderverse edit by JaQenka. It was set to an audio clip of Americano by Lady Gaga.

I recall working really hard on my college paper at the time and was just about fed up with it that I started sketching out really cool scenes from me and my friends' written reflection ttrpg roleplay. I told my friend "hey. Give me a deadline. Make sure I get this done by Wednesday." and I took off.

One day I'll polish this, but for now I am sooo happy with how it turned out. Like oh my god the transitions?? The coffins popping up as soon as Rosetta and Finn clashed blows?? The.. BULLETS RICOCHETING??? maybe I should endeavor to be a VFX artist.

Anyways, while we're still on the topic of Animatics here's what you ought to look forward to, Animation-wise

-----

Animation

After my very ambitious endeavor with Americano FlowC animatic, I set my sights onto tackling a New ambitious endeavor. This time instead of being OC focused, I plan to highlight the Reflection's main characters and what they did in Act 1. It will be set to the music of the RPG meme. Kind of like a Promotional Video of sorts, as a way to give back to the many things this show and the Stabbyness crew inspired me to do.

The reason why I talk about it is because I have been working on it for 2 months as of writing this and I'm pretty committed to making it real. Here's what I have to show for it. Currently in various stages of thumbnailing, compositing, and style tests.

For 2025, hopefully* released around the time Act 3 of Reflection TTRPG drops.

*I say hopefully. because as of Writing this (november 25th), apparently I am also writing a school paper that's taking up all of my time and energy. (future pen editing this here: Yeah... No that's too hopeful. I'll try anyways).

-----

Solitare Deck

Various side projects are being worked on while I am studying for college. One of them is the custom card deck for my RP group.

Occasionally pausing them while I power through commission work. Me and my friends discussed what our characters would likely be on a solitare deck and made a list. The deck, as I show it to you, is unfinished.

With hope, I will continue to make them as 2025 goes on. Art is a continuous process, after all.

---

Bluesky

So let's talk about twitter. I had an account that I ran from 2018. It's how I found and met the friends I talk to now.

A few years ago, I stopped doing Homestuck art. This is for numerous reasons, the main one being is that "I am not having fun anymore."

Coupled with the undesirable side-effects of twitter's new ownership meant that all the growth in numbers that i had are null and void; No one interacts with my interests, art posts, no one reblogs, retweets, or expresses their appreciation for other artists (I comment on every post I can that has touched me, which I encourage people to do).

I also found out that I got shadowbanned for not posting on twitter for a year. So like, okay, I cannot be found. What now?

I needed a fresh start. And I've been getting a good of a start as any on Bsky. I've been getting to talk to new people there and have fun and praise people for showing their works to me, and IN TURN I get inspired.

It's my wish that people continue to talk and talk and talk and talk the good talk. Please be respectful, and please encourage each other. That's the kind of world I want to live in.

Closing Words

I want to mention that even though I posted a lot of my own Visual art here, I've been writing just as much in private.

I've decided that I wanted to revisit some old darlings of my past--namely Bakugan -- and incorporate new things into my worldview (dungeon meshi, witch hat atelier, amphibia, gundam unicorn) and see which sticks

This year has been a year of processing and synthesizing different things. I'm trying my best to consume and digest other peoples' creations and a part of my whole being. Spiritfarer, FFXIV Endwalker, Signalis, Reflection, Look Back, and my own friends' creations. I Love You!!!

You're all a part of me now, a part of my art, and the way I walk, talk, and eat.

It's been a very scary year, a lot of personal things happened that I would rather keep close to my chest. That's super why I am very thankful for all the people who helped me whether it's through inspiring me through their works, or paying it forward by including me in their projects, or even giving me their best wishes. Thank you!

as a person who has had to write a 48-page research paper last month, this post isn't that long to me. But it's long for some, so I thank whoever reached the end.

I'll continue to make art. And I'll continue to Yap. #theYapper ✌

[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...