#fully colored + detailed BG

[skunkes]

[shima-draws]

First (successful) attempt at arting in CSP :”D This took ten years off my life and I questioned myself every step of the way but I learned a lot from playing around in a new program. Will I ever do something this detailed again?? My brain says no but my heart says maybe!!

[suzakushimon]

my art is too simple so glazing it makes it look........like shit!!!!

[larkkspuur]

help. im going overboard again.

[ruija]

Well I really love your art, may I ask how do u color? I struggle with coloring turtles and I wasn't to know how do u do that?

Hi anon! That's a very broad question, so you've given me a great excuse to ramble anything I want about my coloring, eehehehee~! This will be in two parts and I'll start with talking about my simpler coloring style.

As in, when I color characters on a white background, with a limited or light palette.

The driving force behind this style is me being lazy. My time, energy, and attention span are pretty limited, so if I want to finish anything, I gotta do it fast. And with fanart, I'm usually just doing it for fun and relaxation, so there's no need to push myself to polish it too much.

Despite that, I rarely post just black and white sketches or line arts. I always try to add at least a little bit of toning or shading, because that makes the image easier to read. The characters and their shapes pop out and catch the eye of the viewer better.

However, in this particular example, just the couple toning colors don't quite do the job. The way Don and Leo are entangled makes the center area of this illustration very busy and hard to read.

As a comparison; this pic has only one tone + mask colors, and it works. This is because all the characters are standing separately and their poses are very stationary and simple.

So for the Don + Leo pic, adding some shadows helps in bringing out shapes and depths. Also in general, if you don't feel like drawing BGs, it's good to at least add a shadow below the characters. It grounds them and makes them feel like they exist within a space.

Sometimes if the posing looks too complex and busy, it might just be best to color in the characters fully.

However, even if I do full flat colors, I tend to use a lighter palette. Putting characters in their neutral/default color on a white BG can look a bit jarring as if they're floating in a void. It feels less immersive and like the picture is unfinished.

Using lighter colors makes the image more cohesive, and fits the characters into the white environment a bit more naturally.

If I'm too lazy to draw a BG, I prefer using stylized and limited colors. It feels deliberate and that the whiteness is just part of the palette, whereas the character-accurate colors on white don't match as well, even if they're more pastel.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with just slapping the flat-colored characters on a white background. As you know, I do it too. I'm just exposing my 'fancy coloring style' for what it is; me being lazy, hah!

Limited and monochromatic palettes are a nice shortcut even when you do actual backgrounds. It's faster and you don't have to worry about clashing colors. And you can still convey atmosphere and mood.

Also, on the topic of conserving your time and efforts; I think it's very common among younger/less experienced artists to think that the amount of time you spend on your art piece = how good and well received that piece will be.

Which has some merit to it of course, but it can lead to putting too much effort into areas where it's not necessary. E.g. filling the piece with tons of details and clutter that don't serve an actual purpose, but rather make the image hard to read. Or doing really complicated shading for a meme/comic, where simplicity would deliver the joke better.

So whenever I'm drawing something I intend to publish, whether it's a quick doodle or a more polished piece, I try to follow these two principles: Make it easily readable and do the bare minimum that needs to be done to convey what I want to convey.

Putting time into practice is important, but if you draw for work, it's also crucial that you know how to prioritize and use your time efficiently!

Anyway, thanks for reading! In the next part I'll go into how I do my fully colored pieces, so stay tuned for that!

[suburbanbonfire]

AFTER THE THUNDER COMES THE-

Some process pics! Thought I had taken way more, but no!!

This is the base colors for the arena all laid out, with the lines turned off (for the lines i very much did find a good, clear photo of Amalie Arena, stretched the angles to where i wanted them, and traced that shit)

Shadows and color sections (I'm realizing the jump from the first pic to this one is very "draw the owl.") Nothing except the ground is textured yet, but every area is fully distinct now.

Finished background!! Details and textures have been added, logos are on, I'm so fucking proud of it!

After this and after the figure was colorblocked in, I went back and made a ton of color adjustments to the bg to make to all cohere. Tbh, I didn't really enjoy that part and it took a lot of trial and error. I think the next time I do a large architecture piece I'll try to have the colors more in line with the color scheme from the start, rather than basing the initial colors off of my reference pic. Hope you enjoy!

[zucchinitart]

ty for 1K on insta 💖💖 (‼️UPDATED RULES‼️)

gonna host a DTIYS! I thought I may as well do it here too so more ppl have the opportunity for prizes

Here’s the rules!

DTIYS rules: (deadline- Aug 1st)

-Draw Laughing Jack in your style “trapped in a box.” Frame size doesn’t matter! If you’d like to use mine, I did 1:1

-The color scheme has to consist of black, white, and a color of your choice! You can also choose other minor colors for highlights or something along those lines, but there must be those 3 main colors. (Ik black and white aren’t colors 😭 but for the sake of this challenge they are)

-‼️tag me (zucchinitart) and add the tag #zucchinitart1k (rules are different for this if posting on insta, also added the tag to make sure I don’t miss any from my notifs)

It’s okay if you want to go outside of these rules a bit, but make sure to do the last step so I’ll consider you for prizes!

Prizes:

1st place- fully rendered character of choice (full body or not, no bg)

2nd place- fully rendered bust of character

3rd place- detailed sketch

I’ll do some honorable mentions and reblog every entry as well! (I don’t expect much from tumblr tho 😭 I’ll be thankful if at least one person does it here 🧎‍♀️ and at least THREE ppl in total…then I can rest in peace)

The deadline will be August 1st, and then I’ll start considering winners the next week.

Thank you so much again, and I hope you guys will have fun with this 🤲💕💖

[red-water-dragon]

Raren demonstrating a suspicious spell in front of the royal court.

visual storytelling notes:

The bg was left blank until I started painting and the elements added to the bg were designed around the character. I didn't go into this with a little synopsis of what I wanted to convey. Only an abstract idea that Raren was going to be talking to someone, figure it out later. I decided he'd be presenting a new spell in front of a political chamber because he wears a crown and a blue crystal. So he has to be of some form of nobility and magical prowess. He also has blue eyes meaning he is an ice dragon and thus its a blue spell wow. The monarchs he's addressing are left dark and disapproving in the corner while Raren powers a statue beneath them. He could be demonstrating how the spell effects the world around them, maybe it freezes the stone? maybe it brings the statue to life? Either way its primed to eat Raren's opposition. Two of the bg guys are red one is blue maybe he's an arch nemesis who knows.

Art process and wips under the cut

I'm trying and failing to get better at visual story telling while keeping things simple. My long term goal is to have a frequent and consistent posting schedule. Most of the art would be stylized and simple like this and the rest could be fully rendered.

Art has been more of a "draw what's in you head and make it look pretty/ cool to hang up later" thing to me w/ the benefit of being a good source of self reflection as I create. Writing has more so been my go to for expressing that meditation. Writing I don't share because im unnecessarily cagy abt my emotions and my harshest critic lol. I want to tell stories with my art , convey tone, feeling, etc. and right now my paintings don't do that. I don't have the technical skill yet. This painting is the first of many to come that will hopefully change this.

The texture in this is chaotic and the line work is rough. Raren is the only part of this with a full sketch. All other line art was added to create the illusion of detail. There is less attention on rendering each section and more being put into the placement of characters and props. I had hoped this would make the painting go faster and...it has the potential to do so in the future. Sooo a piece that could have taken a couple hours took a whole day.

While im not overly thrilled with the final image im still happy about the process. Normally the dragon would be the only real focal point in my painting with the bg being a gradient, or a simple theme added last second. Conveying a message is more work but it gives more cool things for the eye to look at and the mind to ponder. So in theory even if the final result is aesthetically unappealing the theme can still salvage the work a bit.

what this taught me:

sketchy line work is passable in the final image

it can even add character to the art

plants are a great way of filling space without actually doing so

(hence the wip of the room looking empty af with out them)

the more clothing and eye candy you put on your character the more clutter you have to add to the bg to balance it out

the main oc was sketched the bg was painted on the fly

doing so saved time but harmed the natural flow of the piece

all of the storytelling is happening in quarters and it is almost abrasive to look at

what ill try in the next piece:

perspective guides

less shading and rendering

find a color palette to stick to

or work in greyscale first

write a little picture synopsis

or pick a theme

just find something that acts as a story guide

sketch out bg elements

toy around with the sketch more before moving to painting

[dekuinthelake]

Hi rn I'm suffering from crippling anxiety and you know what will help me feel better? Financial security.

LET ME DRAW YOUR #worldofwarcraft Dracthyr or Dragon character.

Sloppier renders like Onyxia, Wrathion and Neffy for $55

Fully rendered like Deathwing $75

Contact + details bellow

To claim a slot, please email me at shiranhuntselfs@gmail.com

Please attach reference images of your character, specify other general details like mood and if you want a full render or a sketchy one, or if you want a specific BG color.

Payment is due upfront and will be paypal

I will charge extra for complicated armor. WoW dragons only please! I'm looking for comfort zone material! Thanks!

[the-writing-mobster]

| Greetings all! I'm opening art commissions! |

because I've realized that... If I want to eat, I need to turn a hobby into a side hustle. Just so you're all aware, I do indeed take nsfw commissions as well, but because of Tumblr's draconian anti sex rules I don't want to post an example of that on here. (But if you followed me on twitter, I'm sure you know what I am capable of >:)

NSFW art will be:

- $50 for a fully rendered full bodies w/ color background.

- $70 for a fully rendered full bodies w/ rendered scene/BG

Each additional character after the first two would be an additional $25

I'm so excited to open up these commissions and work with all of you lovely people. I will quite literally draw anything (except what I said I wouldn't above) as long as you pay me hahaha.

I will have 6 slots open, and would prefer to be contacted over discord, however if you feel more comfortable or are only able to discuss details over Tumblr DMS, that also works.

Commissions are open starting today, August 25th, and will close once I have all 6 slots filled.

.

.

.

Please reblog/boost this post, so I can reach a good amount of people, I really want to draw your characters and ships. Please! Hahahaha

[4noki-vns]

The Art of Asset Reduction: VNConf 2024 Write-Up

This is a write-up for my Visual;Conference 2024 talk on asset reduction: presentation of scenes with reduced art labor.

I will discuss how to reduce production requirements via various methods of asset presentation and staging, walking you through case studies of existing visual novels. This talk will guide you to answer the question: How do I fulfill my project scope without asset bloat?

This is an art talk that assumes you have already scoped down your story and have created a list of scenes that you need. This is not a talk about scoping down your game's story.

You have scenes you need to make. How are you going to make them (and with style)?

Abstraction

Cut-ins

Reduce

Reuse

-

I. Abstraction

I start off with abstraction as a reminder that visual novels are a combination of visual and novel (amongst other aspects)

Abstraction

Abstraction is a strong tool for bringing focus to the writing, highlighting ambiguity and setting the mood with colors.

Examples I mentioned in my talk include:

Black screen

Solid colored screen

Sky BG

Of Components

The mood-setting power of abstraction also extends to scenes with characters, especially CGs.

As again, abstraction draws focus to what you choose to emphasize: the characters.

(FLOWERS -Le volume sur ete-)

They are gay. Thank you for coming to my VNConf talk.

-

You can similarly abstract characters.

(Lachesis or Atropos)

Consider representing irrelevant characters (e.g., NPCs) as silhouettes. The reader can fill in the details within the shapes themselves.

Silhouettes are especially great for crowd scenes where you want to draw focus to the main characters.

This will be a recurring theme:

What do you really need to draw?

-

II. Cut-ins

One common not-quite full screen piece of art you'll see in many visual novels is the cut-in.

The cut-in typically consists of the:

Item/focus

Frame

And is often for topics such as objects or small animals, which may exist in the scene but may not be within the same frame of reference as the background and sprites.

The separate framing informs the players that the item is "separately framed."

(Who is the Red Queen?)

For example, this small bird is not huge and would not be the size of a character's head even had a sprite been on screen.

The Foreground-Backdrop Heuristic

Cut-ins make strong use of what I refer to as the "foreground-backdrop heuristic."

(Shikkoku no Sharnoth)

A general backdrop informs the reader of a broad location or scene (especially if characters are present). Then a more specific foreground (the cut-in) informs the reader of the specifics.

As the foreground cut-in is in a different frame, the pairing of the two helps create a mental model of the space in the reader's mind.

Cut-ins can be used for:

Backgrounds (mix and match foregrounds with a backdrop)

Reduced CGs

Presenting existing assets in a different frame of reference

CG variants

Try tackling your visual presentation in a layered, comic book-esque fashion with cut-ins!

Just be careful about clutter.

Whether you want to go for the layered cut-in style, the 3d stage cinematic style, or a combination of the two, make sure you have a vision before you jump in.

SD CGs

I had to make an obligatory mention of SD "super deformed" CGs in this talk, so here it is in the write up as well.

(Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Vol. 1)

SD, chibi. However you call these, they're great for playful scenes that might require more art than your classic sprite-background combination.

What SD CGs do best is that they:

Fulfill the role of a CG

Are easier to draw than fully rendered non-chibi art

Can be distributed to different artists to reduce artist workloads due to style difference

Just keep in mind that a simplified CG is still a CG and thus may lack reusability.

Consider what scenes really need a CG.

-

III. Reduce

Now, consider asking yourself: "Does what a player does not see need to exist?" (mostly applicable for games with opaque UI)

Yet, what you need to draw is what you need to draw. How can you reduce the work in what you need to draw?

One option is:

Palette Limitation

You've heard of gray scale games, but don't forget about other ways of limiting your palette to reduce workload.

Dramatic, mood setting color power

Less rendering work

(Sona-Nyl of the Violet Shadows)

A similar idea can be applied to NPCs for a more detailed take on silhouettes.

-

IV. Reuse

Lastly, please remember to be economical and reuse assets as necessary. One of the great joys of cut-in BGs, for example, is reusability.

I had to give an obligatory mention to CG variants in my talk, such as:

(Fatal Twelve)

However, overall, you never know when you'll want to use various components of your art elsewhere such as intermixing CG and sprite art.

Please keep your working layers if possible.

Other reuse examples:

UI (especially in episodic games)

Gameplay (e.g., Kogado's rhythm game)

Consider asking your programmer to work on a framework to reuse, reducing repeated code work.

-

Conclusions

All in all, you can make your game.

And it doesn't need to be hellish on your budget or timeline.

If you take anything away from this talk, let it be to:

Prioritize reusable assets

Maintain aesthetic; avoid clutter

Display important scenes

Do not scope up; aim for a set goal

A scene can be presented in many stylish ways, some of which will suit your workflow better than others.

So, go on. Make your game!

-

Interested in my works? Find me on itch:

And check out my newsletter:

-

VNConf 2023 Talk Write-up:

[ariparri]

I’m opening up commissions again!

It’s been a while since I’ve done commissions ʕ⁎̯͡⁎ʔ༄

Anyways, both my commission information and Terms of Service have been updated! Please, please, PLEASE make sure to read my TOS!

General Rules

By commissioning me, you hereby acknowledge and agree to abide by the terms outlined in my terms of service.

• Please have your references ready.

• Please be as clear and specific in your commission request. Be sure to specify any other information that may be needed.

• A progress of the sketch will be sent for approval before moving on to the next stage of the commission. This is where you can request changes such as posing, marking errors, etc.

• The commissioner is allowed to use the art for personal use and share the art with proper credit given to the artist.

• Altering of the artwork; removing my watermark, drawing over it, etc.; is prohibited.

• I will not be accepting too many, just a few at a time. If you're interested, hit me up in PMs and we can discuss more there! Or you can also contact me through Discord! My user there is also Ari.Parri or Ari.Parri#7832

WILL DRAW

I as the Artist will draw any of the following:

Human | Kemonomimi | Chibi

Original Characters & Fan Characters

Real life people (only if the person has given their permission)

Fanart

Pin-ups

Light Gore (Ex. Excessive blood, detached limbs, etc.)

Implied Sexual Content

Ships and Pairings -Pairs I will Draw (Platonic & Romantic):

Canon / Canon

Canon / OC

OC / OC

Male / Female

Male / Male

Female / Female

WILL NOT DRAW

I as the Artist will not draw any of the following:

Furries & Anthros

Creatures | Large Animals | Monsters

Explicit Sexual Content

Heavy gore (Ex. Detailed internal body parts)

Mecha | Heavy Armor

Sexualized underage characters (in actual age and appearance)

Pedophilic & Incestuous relations

Other questionable relations; Please ask beforehand if a certain relationship is acceptable.

Certain kinks & fetishes (ex. watersports, DDLG...); Please ask beforehand if a certain kink or fetish is acceptable.

Order Form

Commission Type: Inkstyle Sketch

Color Options: Black & White | Black & Color (3 colors max.)

Bust Up: $25

Half Body: $32

Full Body: $40

Extra Character: $10 each (4 char. max)

Simple BG: Free

Complex BG: $20

Commission Type: Full Render

Bust Up: $50

Half Body: $60

Full Body: $70

Extra Character: $15 each (4 char. max)

Simple BG: Free

Complex BG: $30

Commission Type: Chibi

Head: $5

Half Body: $10

Full Body: $15

Simplified Details

Extra Character: $10 each (2 char. max)

Simple BG: Free

Complex BG: $10

Commission Type: Character Illustration

Full Body: $65

Fully Rendered

One Character

Simple or No Background

[spectralreplica]

Masha got stuck, and Ichigo’s running out of coins. Meanwhile, Kokichi either rigged the machine OR wasted hours training so he could show off.

In celebration of hitting 600 followers on Insta and [an amount] on tumblr, I’m doing a DTIYS! Right now, it’ll run until the end of February, but I might change this depending on how many entries I get.

(Rules, details, and prizes under cut)

Rules:

💜 You don’t have to draw all the characters! I tried to do a composition that works as a whole and as two separate pieces, so feel free to choose just the DR half or the TMM half. Also, feel free to change the plushies or render them vaguely like in the BG here.

💜 You can change the poses and outfits if you want! I included the full designs for these outfits in case you want to use those, though. 😉

💜 You can change the BG and lighting if you want, but try to keep the theme of an arcade and the general vibe.

💜 Please @ me and use #spectralreplicadtiys. Feel free to message me as well to make sure the notifications don’t get lost!

💜 Again, November 17th to February 28th!

Prizes:

💜 Currently, I’m planning to choose one winner each among the people who did just DR, just TMM, and then all four characters, but I might change this depending on how many people go for each. If there’s a whole lot of one, I’ll add a runner up, and if there’s very few, I might combine categories.

💜 1st place: 1 fully-colored, full body picture of any character, two fully-colored half bodies, or 2 fully-colored chibis

💜 Runner up(s) (if needed): 1 full-body picture with just flats, 1 fully colored half-body picture, or a fully-colored chibi

[kinzig81]

COMMISSION INFO / PRICES

Please Help

Hello,

Sorry for my lack of posts and slowness to getting back to peeps on AF.

There is currently a fatal health scare in my family, and I am scrambling to do what I can to help. Medical bills are stacking up and getting ugly and I have to assume the worst. I want to do anything I can to make money to help, my family means the world to me and has helped me through so much. My heart is breaking.

I am scared and lost, the world is at a stand still.

Although nothing is confirmed yet, we are preparing for the worst because sadly, the disease is genetic in my family. So there is a more likely chance of it being passed down. We won’t know until the end of the week. These hours of not knowing and uneasiness are killing me and I know this week will be rough and long.

I don’t want to get too much into detail, sharing info like this is not my usual and is way out of my comfort zone. I just don’t know what else to do other than desperately applying for jobs and doing one-off/temporary contracting work/assistance.

So please, if you can commission me, it would help my family in trying to avoid a huge, painful loss. It would mean the world to me.

If an art commission doesn’t interest you, I’m currently working on a canine head base. I’d be willing to make another for $75 (Price is negotiable). It would take about 4-5 days to make.

I can only ship within US, if someone is interested I will list it on Mercari (it’s just easier for me to list it there and makes sure everything goes smoothly and quickly). Shipping would be $4.99 I believe.

Check out the base on my TikTok, same handle @Kinzig81 to see my base example. Ofc, small changes I can do, like bigger ears or somethin.

This month, and this month ONLY I’m willing to negotiate prices if your a bit short on one of my listed items.

Going along with that.. all money I earn during this month-July 2024-will be put towards my family’s medical situation.

If you can’t commission me, reblogging, sharing, and liking would help me greatly.

If you have any questions about commissioning me, please don’t be scared to DM me. I’d be happy to answer and questions you have.

Commision Info:

Headshot/Bust: $3-$29

Sketch: $3

Flat: $6

Flat shade: $14

Fully Shaded: $19

Rendering: $25

Additional Character: $3

Complicated character fee: $1

HEADSHOT/BUST EXAMPLES

Half body: $5-$41

Sketch: $5

Flat Color: $8

Flat Shade: $18

Fully Shaded: $22

Rendering: $33

Additional Character: $5

Complicated character fee: $3

HALF BODY EXAMPLE

Full Body: $6-$66

Sketch: $6

Flat: $16

Flat Shade: $21

Fully Shaded: $29

Rendering: $36

Additional Character: $6

Complicated character fee: $4

Solid Color BG: Free Simple: Free

Scenery: $20 (I am new to drawing detailed backgrounds but I will do my best)

FULL BODY EXAMPLES

Simplistic Animated Pixel Icon: $30-$58

Simple Blink/Idle: $30

Additional Animation (Props, expression change, ect.): $12+

(Please let me know what you have in mind to give you a solid price) ^^

Complicated designs have an additional $6 dollar fee

(If you're not sure about your oc being complicated please feel free to ask!)

Additional character: $10

SIMPLISTIC ANIMATION ICON EXAMPLE

Sona Speech bubble/Yapper: $6

All sona speech bubbles must be a half body or headshot, if it were any bigger you wouldn’t be able to make out any details. This will be done in a more simplistic, chibi style compared to the rest of my work to make it look even better from far away or when shrunken down.

Please keep in mind it may look cruddy close up because it’s a small file, when it’s actually posted it will look fine.

(If you have an idea for something else other than a speech bubble lmk!)

SONA SPEECH BUBBLE EXAMPLE

PAGE BANNER: $45-$100

Basic banner with one to three characters and simple/solid color background: $45-$55

Four or more characters with a simple/solid color background: $55-$75

One to three characters in a scenery: $75-$85

Four or more characters in a scenery: $85-$100

This is all just an estimate so please DM me for a proper quote <3

WANT SOMETHING ELSE FROM ME?

Want something else from me but don’t see it on this price sheet? No worries, DM me for a Quote!

( Ref sheets, Fursuit badge, etc )

WHAT I CAN AND CAN NOT DO

I have the right to refuse a commission if I am not comfortable or feel like I won’t be able to complete what you are asking.

I CAN DO:

☆ Suggestive

☆ Ponies

☆ Furries / Anthro or Feral / Digi or Planigrade

☆ Monsters

I CANT DO:

☆ NSFW

☆ Mecha

☆ Humans

Payment Info:

I take Venmo or Cash App, You will have to pay me in full before I start to work on your piece. I will send progress shots and will not move further with the work until I get a confirmation to keep going.

DM me here on tumblr or over on Instagram to get your quote <3

No refunds.

( I’m so sorry for any sort of typos or errors, this is just a placeholder commissions sheet and will be replaced with a nicer one at some point )

[splatoon-edits]

i hope this isn't weird to ask, but I've been taking a bunch of pictures in Splatoon and I kinda want to start editing them, but I currently only have an android phone and no computer, do you have any editing apps you'd recommend? Also any tutorials on how to use them (I have like, very very minor experience in stuff like Photoshop but not much else)

hmmm well i also started out just with my phone so you should be fine!

i don't think my process was the most optimized, but i'll share it anyway.

(this is going to be under a read more since it ended up being long)

I used ibis paint x when i started out, which is a free drawing app available on pretty much every mobile device. It may take some getting used to all the buttons on there(it took me a while to learn) but i would think you could find a tutorial online for the basic functions of everything. The way i learned was by just messing with every button to see what they did and figuring it out slowly from that.

And here are the steps as to how i edited:

take the image you want to make transparent(if you don't want to make your own transparents yet mine are free to use and there are official transparent renders of certain characters as well that you can easily find on inkipedia)

just import it into your new drawing

take the eraser tool and manually erase the background.

If needed: try to redraw any parts that are missing/were obscured by other things in the image(such as items in the foreground or word bubbles if it's a manga panel). this was sort of easy for me to start to get a basic hold of since i draw already. If you don't feel confident with this, just choose an image where the character is fully visible.

In a new layer(underneath the character one), add your background.

In a new layer(above the character one) add any particle affects or the like.

You're finished!

You can also draw extra decorations (like hearts and stars) manually with the brush tool! Make sure it's on a separate layer so as not to permanently affect anything else if you decide you don't like it!

I also think canva may have a mobile app version? I have a paid version of it through someone else that i use on the website version, and i can give a tutorial for how i work in that as well. I don't know how the free version compares, but it should be pretty similar?

In canva i do the following:

select the 500x500 logo option if you want to make an icon, or another size if you want something else.

Press uploads, then upload your picture.

once you have the image you want on your canvas, click on it and select "edit photo"

choose "bg remover" and let it do its thing.

once its done loading, if there are any errors click on bg remover again and fix them with the erase and restore options.

Add a background and extra details and there you go!

I find the last step to be a lot easier in canva since it comes preloaded with a ton of options as long as you know what to look for!

Also note: i DON'T like canvas bg remover tool. it is inaccurate and kinda dumb so i would just do the transparents manually through ibis if i was you. i just dont have any other option rn. If you choose to do the transparents in ibis make sure you click "save image as transparent png" when you are downloading it so you can upload it to canva.

As for how i choose what to do and all that, i can try to explain some things that work for me.

lets use this image of dedf1sh for example:

lets say i wanted to make an icon with this. what wuld i use for backgrounds and such?

for starters: colors. Take a color that's already on the characters design/associated with them and then look for things that match that color scheme.

so some examples of that:

some other things to use would be things associated with the character. so for dedf1sh it would be subways, djs, music, the 80s aesthetic of octo expansion, sanitization, etc.

so here's how i would incorporate things like that:

but just a character and a image can (sometimes) be boring to me, so i like to add extra things as well.

theres always my tried and true: the white shape

you can use any shape and any color really, i just default to white squares a lot since i think it looks clean. variations like a neon affect can also be a fun way spruce things up a bit!

borders of all kinds also work well to add some more stuff:

and extra little shapes like hearts and stars can be fun!

and things like glitch effects, blurs, monochrome/other color filters, etc can can also make things interesting:

put all of this together with a theme and you can make some other cool things! stuff like seasons, colors, aesthetics, pride flags, and more can all be fun themes to make things around and thats how i end up with icons like these:

you can also make things that aren't icons (obviously) but i don't have as much experience with that.. i would just say to try and make sure things feel balanced when working with a bigger canvas? don't have everything cluttered up in one area. and be aware of the sizings of what you are using. you don't want things to end up being too small.

here some examples of other stuff ive done outside the 500 x 500 ratio:

and thats all i can think of to say right now!

i would work first on familiarizing yourself with whatever you choose to work in, and i would look at other people's work to get inspiration as well!

and if anyone else has any suggestions for better/more efficient ways to do any of this feel free to add on! this is just my personal process, and im sure everyone uses something different. so try new things and find what works for you!

(also i am not proofreading all this if there are problmes someone let me know)

(also also if anyone, especially the person who sent the ask, has any questions feel free to ask)

Happy creating and if you ever feel like sharing feel free to tag me!

[maadlamb]

Commissions - Open!

Hello! I'm happy to announce that my commissions are open!

I am primarily a furry artist and have most of my art examples in an anthro format, but i am also open to requests for human ocs! Thanks for checking out my post and below I will list some examples as well as links to my gallery. Currently I'm accepting paypal and venmo!

(Prices will vary due to choice of bg, details of character and choice of style)

Icons - (fully rendered, transparent or with colored bg): 15-20$

Half body - (Fully rendered with your choice of bg): 25-30$

Full body - (fully rendered with your choice of bg): 40-45$