#artist guide

[nicstylus]

Mind showing us how you draw skulls/skeletal characters?

Heya Anon, this is a good question because I've never actually thought about it, and I'm pretty inconsistent with them haha

I have different styles that I fluctuate through, depending on how serious I am about the project: Doodle (Seen above) Polished (The Cover Redraws) and a secret third option thats kinda halfway between the two I guess (the difference is usually the nasal cavity and teeth) Soooo

The Short answer: Trial and error, the 'delete all' button, spite, and the magic of bullshittery. In all honesty for every 'good' skull I come up with, there were like nineteen scrapped drafts and probably some laying on the floor in frustration xD

The Long answer:

Overall Steps-

Usually I start with either the nasal cavity or the cheekbones first

Jawbones before the overall skull shape

eye sockets are either the second step of the second to last

teeth are almost always last

Here's a really bad timelapse of just me doodlin skulls because tbh trying to explain is much harder than just.. showing you. This video is sped up x5, these four skulls took me about 8 minutes.

It's also worth noting that I personally change skulls depending on the character.

I usually give Skulduggery Pleasant very square aspects, most notably his cheekbones and the shape of his head. He also has a very distinct nasal cavity, almost lobsided.

Aztec on the other hand - aside from being blue - has more rounded aspects, with a nasal cavity resembling an upside down heart, and a more rounded head.

Here is a mass attack I did for Art Fight this year. I'll point out unique differences:

One last trick up my sleeve if I get really stuck (because honestly sometimes you just Can't Do It and thats ok) This is Obby, a volcanic rock skull my father got for me in Mexico :]

He sits on my bookshelf (next to Rosa and Tiny the Duck) and in case of emergencies I can angle him however I need, take a picture (optional) and use him as a reference for my art. I usually do this when I want a skull facing alllmost sideways but not quite, as that's the most difficult orientation for me. - Obviously gotta use him with a grain of salt because as you can see he isn't anatomically accurate but its a good base

And remember! Getting caught with human remains is generally frowned upon! Find a good hiding spot :]

[an-actual-floof]

How I draw: Triumvirate!

excuse my handwriting

I wanted to share how I draw these three and body features/shapes I like to give them! I think body shapes and definition can do a lot for characterization so I like to incorporate it when I can

(written out version of my notes can be found below the cut!)

Spock:

- thin, trapezoidal shape

- defined ribs and taut stomach (fishbone ass)

- lanky arms and legs

- long fingers and palm

- squareish fingertips

- deft and defined

- on the leaner side but still strong

- sinewy & defined muscles

Jim Kirk:

- stocky

- narrowed rectangular torso — pear shaped almost

- wide shoulders

- plump stomach and thick thighs ;)

- practically hairless by design lol

- thick, stocky hands

- rounded fingertips

- short strong fingers

- muscle with light definition -> chubby!!

Bones:

- tapered cup shape — wide chest, narrow waist

- football padding ass build

- slight ribs showing, little belly pudge

- hairy!!

- strong deft fingers

- square fingertips

- thin wrists

- visibly strong, but more lean than bulky

- sharp, protruding muscles that taper at joints

[zappernaut]

Top way to destroy artblock:

Draw an impersonation of artblock itself. It can be a scribble, it can be a person, it can be anything you like. You won't be worried about whether it looks good or not, or the character design (you can if you want to), because of the next step.

Now draw it getting tortured. To combat it more, draw the artblock getting destroyed multiple times. Even better, draw it on a piece of paper and torture it IN REAL LIFE. Stomp on it, rip it apart, BURN THE CREATURE.

Your artblock has now been destroyed both figuratively and literally, have a good day! :D

[nikoco11]

my recipe for drawing hands!

(small note that this is a shortcut that is more abt style and ease than anatomical accuracy. it helps to take time to really properly study hands, makes it easier to bend the rules a bit like this and have it still look good!!)

(learn rules b4 u break them or whatevah)

[shaniquedawkinsart]

Unlock Your Artistic Flow: Effective Tips

As an artist, I constantly seek ways to improve my art and tap into my creative flow. I strive to create meaningful and impactful work, but sometimes due to stress, lack of inspiration, or self-doubt, I feel stuck. However, I can break through these barriers and unleash my full potential by embodying my highest self. Here are some tips on how to do just that: Connect with your…

[tutorialdrawix]

RESOURCES FOR POSES

Line of Action

JustSketch.Me

PoseManiacs

Human-Anatomy-For-Artist.com

MagicPoser

MIXAMO

Pose Archives

Bodies in Motion

Posemy.art

ReferenceAngle

CroquisCafe

[foldingfittedsheets]

There was a lot of things I could have done with my day, but this is what I did.

Oh no, not again.

Fans of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will enjoy this new design and you can find it on Redbubble and Teepublic.

[nnomsu]

[paintedcrows]

Trying to work out how I see these kids aging! (With some Grunkles for reference)

[potato-lord-but-not]

My contribution for the latest forthur anthology zine!!!!!! Actually so so proud of this one likeeeee fr cooked up a tasty snack for you all

[likelyscam]

are you lost?

[eliotbaum]

Guiding Bolt 🏹

painting practice with Lydia & Kasper

[poofroom]

Here are some painting tips, as promised. I hope they will help beginner artists!

Composition

Position of characters on the sheet

Choose the location of your character to be beneficial to the appearance of the art in general, you can accentuate the important places where the viewer should look first by using perspective and composition.

Tone sketch

Set the lights based on references, but adjust to your own, favourable lighting.

Contrasts come in many forms. Contrast in color (warm and cold), values (dark and light), shapes soft and hard, straight and curve, etc.

Less is better. Work on the details of the most important part of your work while cutting down everything else. If you do strong detail in one place, don't forget to add looser detail in another so the viewer's eye can rest. For example: If you are detailing a portrait, don't detail the background as much. Next to a place of high detail, there should be a place of low detail so that the picture does not look overloaded.

All in all, you can twist and break perspective, anatomy and shapes to convey your idea better. No rules are made of steel, they should support your imagination, not restrict it

Anatomy

Break down objects into simple shapes to arrange them in space.

Check references! plasticity comes first, then structure (muscles are important, but proportions and line of movement come first).

Take a photo of yourself, you will be able to understand how to perform your pose naturally. Color/light.

Light is part of the composition, put it in a way that highlights the important things. Air perspective

General rules of composition. From the general to the particular, first prepare the general scene, correctly place contrasts and accents, make everything important in contrast, and take the unimportant into an aerial perspective. (aerial perspective, or atmospheric perspective, refers to the technique of creating an illusion of depth by depicting distant objects as paler, less detailed, and usually bluer than near objects.)

When all the points are ready we can start working out the details.

When all the details are finished again it's back to the overall picture, looking at it from a distance. Check if the accents you wanted to draw attention to are working. They should have the highest contrast. Check if the contrast is not created by objects on the edges, where you don't want the viewer to pay attention. For example, if you are painting a portrait then the focus should be on the face and not on the details of the clothes or details in the background. (You can always convert the image to black and white and check the contrast)

Save the stages of your work to check against the initial idea and see what things have changed for better or worse!

[aprosin]

two ways to make the player retry the run

full verison

original tweet

[shaniquedawkinsart]

Embrace Your Unique Style: Shifting Your Mindset

As an artist, it can be easy to fall into the trap of constantly seeking validation from others. From time to time, I seek validation to feel accepted and valued. Seeking validation from others can be a never-ending cycle and hinder my creative process. If you too constantly see validation, it’s time to shift your perspective and focus on creating for yourself, rather than for the approval of…