#i hate drawing digitally without a traditional reference!!

[gregory-meowse-md]

When ur favourite character is impossible to draw q☹️☹️

[atalienart]

Does Al also make you paranoid?

Look at this picture. Is it art or is it an Al generated image? Look at this text. Is this useful piece of information or Al gibberish? Look at this video? Is this real or fake?

I stare at drawings, analysing every line, I go through people's social media to see if they're artists or thieves. I look for references and take a close look at every image because I don't want to reference distorted reality. I show someone a video of snow falling somewhere and instead of "look how beautiful" I go "do you think this exists?" and I read something and then give up recognising dry like a summer desert language of a robot. I hate it here.

Today's no different. I see a picture that looks kinda nice but I immediately notice there's something wrong with it. I go to the source and there's more. Every day the person adds a new fully finished piece. Under every piece people (because they can sense something's off) ask the owner of the account what medium he uses. The answer is: "I've been using the computer to create my art since 1980, and then I print it with a vintage ink on my epson printer". The fuck? Sounds like the printer does more work that he does on the computer. They guy's old, I give him the benefit of the doubt, his bio says he's a curator of art in some institute. One of the commenters says he posts regularly and his "style" didn't change much. I go through his feed. In fact his "style" changes a lot. But oh, most of the images he posts belong to other people who have their own exhibitions and no online presence, and it's all Al shit, clear as day. I scroll down and it turns out the guy used to be into abstract art, there's tons of it before Al started to ruin everything. In another life I'd scroll past that pretentious fuck without losing 12 minutes of my life. I hate it here. I see another artist and they seem legit but even when I see their art with all the human imperfections I can't shake the feeling they reference Al images. I see their process video but I cannot tell if they're just new to digital art and they use traditional methods or it's a bit shady. Am I paranoid or their video is just recorded that way, because I've already seen the erasing liars and pretending idiots.

It's exhausting. Constant vigilance! I don't want to waste my time on something people didn't bother to spend their time creating. They don't care about their thing, why should I?

[frogsrneat]

♥️ Art resources ♥️

Hey I put together a beginner art resource list! Feel free to share, save, etc. but a lot of people don’t know where to start:

Man is this a holy grail it includes free programs, online courses, tutorials, and scholarships (us based):

A big thing you are taught early on is just hand/eye coordination. Speed drawing, or “gesture drawing” if you’re fancy, is the best practice you can do on a regular basis.As much as you hate hearing “just practice”- it matters.

The best online art course I can think of. It will literally go step by step in teaching you commands and digital painting:

YouTube anatomy holy grail:

The Loomis method for the construction of the head is very popular because it is easy to learn and remember and can be applied to any drawing of the head.

Loomis also has many published books under his name. I’m not saying you can get free books here but if you could well. Careful of fake links with this site, if you don’t see the single login.re it’s the wrong one.

If loomis method books aren’t your style and you are more of a video person try this (this is the first on a short series):

If you know me I’m barely cracking the surface with digital art but I’m actually trained in professional forensic art and hyper realistic portraits , so here is info on traditional art by media.

Little proof of some training, but if you like this, this is woodless graphite pencils on vellum- just a slightly better quality than a pencil and paper :)

Finally here are some amazing pose references. Adorkastock had moved from Pinterest and is working on their own website so check them out here:

Taco is single handed my my go to for simplified anatomy and it goes my section of the body (people have made Pinterest copies that is separated by parts of the body) but I highly recommend buying it if you’re able!

I hope that this helps at least someone find a resource they needed or wanted! Feel free to dm me or repost with comments or more resources!

[akosijayjay]

January and February dump

This is my most recent work of Lloyd, and my most recent work in general. I made this in the computer room at school with a painful high-sensitive mouse. We have these special course thing in our junior high, so every tuesday after class, I get to be in the computer room. For six hours... (My course is Visual Graphics Design. I'm kinda regretting it now since I've been thinking of becoming an architect... I can't change my course now since it's too late. Which is stupid.)

I'll try to draw more there! I really like drawing with a mouse cause I like the challenge. And since I'm not accustomed to a high-sensitive mouse, it'll be a bigger challenge for me!

I made these two in traditional then polished them digitally since I straight up just used a pen. I rarely use a pencil nowadays so I can learn to fix mistakes without erasing it. Usually it ends up looking like chicken scratch but I'm getting better.

My Harumi one is so bad lol.. When I was making it, my classmates around me were messing around and moving the chairs in the process, making me have to draw strokes with shaky lines. It's not that noticeable though since I made the lines thicker.

I was planning to make something for Rebooted's anniversary but I got busy... (And lazy) The PIXAL one was inspired by an animatic I saw.

If you compare the previous Arin portrait, yes, they don't look the same. I'm trying to find a look for Arin, as I do with every character, that I'll be satisfied with.

By the way, I'm kind of basing Arin's hair with my classmate's hair. Which is funny because my other classmates compared this artwork to my classmate, who looked nothing like Arin but have similar hair, commenting they're the same. (I'm not mad because I actually find this a bit humorous)

I was trying to make an animatic and this was going to be the sketch. But then again, I got busy and lazy. (Mostly lazy)

I accidentally changed their facial features a bit by accident on the second page because I forgot to reference the first page. It was tiring flipping pages every 5 seconds, ok! Also, I drew it after 2 days when I drew the first page, and I didn't have a design I liked for them yet. (...I just noticed Jay has different eye colors in both pages...)

I think I'm sticking to these looks for Lloyd. I'll try to make it accurate to this. (I think I did great with the first image of this post. Though, I made him too round for my liking.)

Discard the growing beard post redesign Lloyd has. That beard thing was supposed to be where his chin was until I realized it was too small. And it's still too small.

Child Lloyd is so cute! The eyeshadow wasn't intentional at first, but then it got me thinking, what if Lloyd had an emo phase? And now emo child Lloyd is my headcanon.

Pre redesign Lloyd kind of reminds me of TommyInnit, and I find it quite funny. Maybe it's the facial gesture, I know a lot of TommyInnit fanarts with that silly face.

For Dragons Rising Lloyd however, I want him to have long hair with his post redesign face. I'll try to make full body designs of the 4 Lloyds.

You guys probably don't care, and this is the first time you've seen me because I don't have an exact artstyle and I dont post as much, but I'm going to put descriptions now since this blog is going to be a silly little art dump! And blog posts are supposed to be descriptive. Which I should've done in the beginning and explained my works..

Anyhow

If you liked my art, thank you!

If you saw me before and told me I did well, thank you and I'm sorry!! I know my previous posts have gotten comments and I'm sorry I didn't respond.. I'm not trying to be ungrateful, I just don't know how to express my appreciation for your positive feedback! Or just reply in general... I get nervous even when I'm wearing my mask..

Please don't hate me, I'm just really anxious to show my work to people I don't know to the point where I might think people disliked my artwork when it's the opposite..

(I'll probably copy paste this in future posts now lol. But I AM thankful that some of you guys think my works are great!)

[blakbonnet]

ARTIST OF THE WEEK @midearthlingart ✨

This week's AOTW is Laz aka midearthling, and any AOTW event intending to bring classic ofmd art back into circulation would be incomplete without them <3 She agreed to answer a few questions for me and shared some great tips for beginners:

- Which do you use to draw (app/digital or traditional)?

I think everything posted here is digital, done mainly on Procreate, although I have started using Art Studio Pro more recently and I really like it (also an iPad app but available on other machines afaik!). I do like to doodle and do studies in my sketchbook though, I think it's good to keep me sharp and for a change of pace! And sometimes ideas come easier that way. But any completed pieces tend to be digital.

- Fave brushes/pencils/mediums (links/screenshots?)

On procreate I'm partial to using jingsketch basic’s flat brush, it’s so versatile for sketching and painting! Other brushes in my regular rotation are the default chalk and 6b brushes from procreate. I also have a soft ‘photoshop’ brush that I use to flat in colours, and a round brush I downloaded that I often use for sketching too; unfortunately I can’t remember where I got either of those ones but I’m pretty sure they were free! Sometimes I use random texture brushes, and the default watercolours in procreate.

- Your favourite piece you've drawn?

I go through phases of really loving some pieces and then hating them again (I often dislike my own art!) One of the best things I ever drew is a very nsfw comic so I unfortunately can’t share it on tumblr lmao. But in its stead, I think this and this have a special place in my heart.

- Who's harder to draw: Ed or Stede?

Honestly it just depends on the day! Both can be difficult to capture for different reasons; oddly I think for me I don’t have Ed’s face pinned down as much as I do with Stede’s. I’ve drawn them so much at this point I can bang them out without reference most of the time, but every now and again I’ll have a difficult angle and need to reference again! Stede’s nose is my absolute favourite to draw though.

- One essential tip for beginner artists?

Keep going! References and 3D models are your friend! It’s okay to make studies of other people’s works in order to learn (just don’t share and try to pass it off as your own!) Tracing photos to learn is also fine too, these are all just tools to help you hone your skill.

- Why OFMD? 🥹

It did something to my brain! I remember watching it back in March 2022 when there were only 6 episodes out at the time, I binged in one go and then the very next day watched all of them again. It just felt so cosy! I watched initially when I heard about it because I already loved Rhys and Taika’s works so needless to say it was hook, line and sinker from me from the start—I did not stand a chance! When it turned out to be a queer, middle-aged love story I knew it would be special to me forever.

[aceiined]

introduction !! (finally)

last updated: 8/17/24

(OTHER ACCOUNT: MUTHAFUCKINARO!!)

hello!! im ace, though i also prefer cass, mercury, mer, accio, AMG2, aceline, or in some cases, ace mcfartpants

✓ | i LOVEE mario, SMG4, kirby, undertale, omori, gacha, drawing, painting, music, crochet, theater, war and countries, clothing design, interior design, digital art, TADC, dougdoug, space, bee and puppycat, and way more you should ask me about!! (if, that wasn't enough already)

✕ | i HATTEEEEEEEEE cheese, weird textures, loud noises, uncomfortable situations, slurs, art block, and cleaning

DNI'S:

bigots, sex blogs, pedophiles/zoophiles, racists, sexists, proshippers, anti-lgbtq, ect (the basic dni critera)

also, if you shit on furries, therians, religions, hypersexuality, disabilities, or artstyles, dni please!

art commissions (currently in this case, free)

Yes, you heard that right !! im opening up commissions! i do all art for free in general, probably in this case because i dont need money, but also to have fun and see other peoples designs on ocs/creations. my ask box is open, send me a character and i'll draw it! i have pictures of drawings i do (without reference, currently practicing to not practice) (?) i do have boundaries as listed below--

do's:

sfw

mild blood

partially suggestive (will discuss more)

full body

partial body

furries

non-human

characters and or OC's

interior house art/any interior

ship/selfships

digital and traditional

animals/quad legged

DONT'S:

very/heavily suggestive (again, will discuss more)

full on gore

pedophilia or zoophilia

proshipping

body bases (tracing reasons)

any general thing that a normal artist wouldnt accept in a sfw style.

talking about suggestive art, i allow requests as such:

flirting/teasing

MILD touching. (as, hand resting on thigh, head, cheek, waist, ect)

other sfw, yet still suggestive things, keeping it at a minimum. though i understand what suggestive means, i want to keep it safe for viewers.

for nsfw in general, heavily suggestive--

i cannot draw whatever kinky shit ya got in your head. yes, i want to make people happy-- but i dont want to flat out make myself uncomfortable.

i will not allow:

nude/exposing bodies

pornographic material in general implied

actual intercourse

heavy text (cursing, mumbling sexual noises, ect)

please respect this, and have fun requesting! go all out and dm/send an ask, i wont guarantee to respond right away, but i will try to keep responses consistent! i do add watermarks still :) (no stealing.. grrrrrrrrr)

tags i use:

#ace rambles - me rambling about something

#acesaves - things i wanna save for future!! :D

#smg4 rambling - i think this should explain itself if you've seen my profile

#just needed to get out of system - angry venting

#ace needs to shit - weird shitting jokes i make because poop funny

#aces commissions - drawing commissions i made

#gamer ace !! - a game im playing/referencing

#ace and funni friends - my silly friends (mostly irls)

#acemisc - miscellaneous stuff that shouldnt belong in this world

#aceship - selfshipping (drawing wise)

#aces public dairy diary - not always vents, but stuff on my mind

#heavy vents - crazy stuff happening in my life

#cool sketches - cool sketches out of my handy dandy wandy notebook

nicknames/names for peeps i know:

@moonysfavoritetoast - evan/cosmo (he/they, they/them)

@meerealsssss - mee (she/her)

@the-rizzly-bear - will (he/him)

@homoashell - starr (she/her)

@37x3 sparky (they/he)

riss - my kewl sister (she/her)

artheno - kewl sisters boyfriend who i hate (not really, hes cool) (he/they)

father - my science teacher!! who!! adopted me!! (he/him)

father 2 - actual father and uh hes bad father.. (he/him)

mother - actual mother who is kewl and i love (she/her)

layz - kewl gay friend (they/them)

wife pt 2 - me, evans, and mee's wife (she/they)

seven - oc (she/him)

waterwelon - fursona (he/it/fae)

if you want your tag added or removed, please dm me <3

also please be my mootOKAY THATS ENOUGJ OF MY INTRO.'

[carbonateddelusion]

hoo hi! let's cut to the chase here

emergency commissions!! because I'm going to be homeless by Tuesday, maybe Monday!!

$5 USD for a sketched bust

$10 USD for a sketched halfbody

$15 USD for a sketched full-body

+ 1 character = 50% of total price (without p@yp@ l's fee)

YES: Blood, suggestive, furry, humanoid, DND, animatronic, fandom, self-insert, shipping, nudity, OC, basic reference sheet (1 full-body of the character, colors, and a few important objects/features highlighted)

NO: Hate speech, bigotry, anti-mogai or anti-aspec, mech, detailed armor, weapons (I can't draw those last 3 sorry)

ASK: NSFW/f3tish, gore, ferals, body horror

Digital coloring and linework with no shading adds 50% to the base price! Traditional coloring (no linework) adds 25%!

SPECIFY WHICH STYLE YOU WANT (the more geometric/shapely and cartoony style or the more realistic style).

send money via P@YP@L. you must cover the fee they charge (iirc 2.99% of the price, i.e. a $5 USD sketched bust + $0.15 USD fee). I will include this in the price total I send you. pay up front.

DM me here OR @presumedsodamad on Twitter, which I will be more likely to respond quickly to, if interested.

feel free to repost any commission of yours with credit, i.e. "done by @ carbonateddelusion", "commission from @presumedsodamad", etc. linking back to me would be preferable but not necessary.

EDIT:

I'm safe now!!! I would still appreciate financial support, but you don't need to!! It is no longer a crisis situation

[dreemurr-skelememer]

heya! sorry if you got an ask like this before but i wanted ask about your art!

I was rewatching your halloween speedpaint and i wanted to ask:

1: what references do you use for the skeletons body/ how did you learn to draw the bones so well?

2: how many references do you usually use for a rendered piece like that?

3: how did you improve your art over the years and where and how did you pick up tips and tricks that helped you improve?

4: what's a tip of advice you can give to someone who wants to start doing digital art?

Thanks and you dont have to answer!

AHHHH omg that's so old. i really need to start making speedpaints again, my art style has changed so drastically lol

1: what references do you use for the skeletons body/ how did you learn to draw the bones so well?

references. are. your. best. friend. i used to HATTEEEE SKELETONS before i got into undertale purely because i hated drawing them, specifically around the ribs and pelvis (still a struggle) rely on refs! follow artists you like!!!! practice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2: how many references do you usually use for a rendered piece like that?

i barely did, if you saw LOL only for a few of the materials that i needed help shading with, but other than that, not much really

this is mostly because im. really bad. at trying to help myself. LOL but! usually i have a lot of references open, not just for big pieces, at least i use them more now. but i used to just fuck it we ball i have pages up often, so i can't exactly count it but yeah

3: how did you improve your art over the years and where and how did you pick up tips and tricks that helped you improve?

talked abt it with a friend today, but i often did quick and fast drawings without much care for the mistakes because i grew up on animation! (flipnote studio)

it's good practice to draw quick rhythmic sketches without many erasures or undos to get yourself used to efficient sketching. the speed also helps you gain more confidence! it's essential

4: what's a tip of advice you can give to someone who wants to start doing digital art?

PLEEAAASEEEE look at tutorials and digital color theory. i see most beginner digital artists complain about not being able to get into digital art because "it doesn't feel like traditional art" well duh!!! ofc it doesn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!! don't treat it that way! digital art is a WHOLE DIFFERENT MEDIUM, treat it as such

when you get a program, you need these tutorials and guides or else you're gonna hate yourself and hate digital art

remember: digital paint does not blend the same way traditional paint does (unless you're using a program that imitates that) imagine digital art as like. being a watercolor artist trying to learn oil paint, you get me??????

[amity206]

Days of Sky Commissions!

Commissions are now open for Days of Sky! (Officially starting in 2 days). There are four slots available, one being a leftover from Days of Music.

Prices of various drawings (all USD, DM me if you have any questions):

$5 per half body

$10 per full body

$5 per simple background (like clouds, rocks)

$10 per complex background (like a forest or buildings)

(something REALLY simple, like adding a bit of color and texture to the background, is free)

And now for the available slots!

$10 slot - Oreo Plushie (TAKEN)

$20 slot - Triumph Handpan (from Harmony Hall)

$30 slots - Office Cape; TGC Guitar Pack

Before I start the drawing in digital, I’ll discuss the details with you in DMs such as pose and provide you with some possible traditional art sketches for the pose if you’re unsure. Once we’ve got pose worked out, I’ll start on the digital drawing and send you the final result once I’ve received the IAP! Note that there are some times I may be without my iPad (where I draw) or any device this summer, but if your commission happens to coincide with those times I’ll make sure to inform you so we can work out something that’s fair to you (like a tiny bonus drawing for your wait or something)

Onto things I will and won’t do!

I WILL do:

Anthro skykids

Corrupted skykids

Light gore

Fan cosmetics / spirits (provided you can give me a reference for them)

Things still in beta

Spirits, elders, light and dark creatures!

I will NOT do:

Anything bigoted or hateful

NSFW

Heavy gore

Horses (nothing wrong with horses, I just can’t draw them)

Feel free to DM me if you have questions 😊 I’d appreciate others spreading this, even if you don’t plan on commissioning me yourself.

[tartrat]

Random in progress pics from previous pieces that i think look very funny. Doing just dance fanart has given me a sort of creative burst for some reason. Also i sort off got worried that people will think that i used ai when I haven’t. I’d show my reference images but they are photos of myself, because its easier to make a pose myself and then i can draw and change things to suit who i'm drawing, its good so i can get the head to look proportionate. This is all just just dance fanart so far that i've already posted so i'll link the original posts.

Also the coaches are just really fun to draw and we have concept art and avatars for most of them, so its easier to see the details on the outfits.

So working backwards, Mothigan without her eyes. She would do this though so it’s not that cursed. I wanted to try and hide an among us in it somewhere before i posted it but it was too noticeable. I sort of knew that i wanted most of her face to be covered in a shadow so i didn't really doing finer details. Her nose was a nightmare, specifically her nostrils, no matter what i did it didn't look right.

https://www.tumblr.com/tartrat/758809793146355712/scary-butterfly-lady-complimentary-from-just?source=share

A Faceless and unblended Talia which i put in that post. I like doing hair this way, probably isn't the most efficient way though. Still annoyed at the jacket.

https://www.tumblr.com/tartrat/757641189832916992/more-digital-art-practice-this-time-with-talia?source=share

Now onto a bunch of cursed Kapyy’s from that other piece. You can tell when i started to slowly lose it. Like at parts he looks really cursed. At what point do i try to redeem myself with Talia in The lover bodysuit or the reputation black and red suit. Still recovering from the rhinestones and tassels. I could've just done the bodysuit that the one male dancer from this performance was wearing but i chose the hard way. I obviously knew about the vigilante shit part of the midnights era before going to the concert, so just imagine my mum's surprise when she saw it.

https://www.tumblr.com/tartrat/758436984046911488/kapyy-is-going-out-tonight-hes-on-his-vigilante?source=share

And what I’m currently working on. Talia’s face is a bit off. Just drawing my weird sibling head canon. This is just going to be a quick one so it'll probably be up later. Also i'm changing Talia's jacket to like a light fleece with no camo on it. Why? Because I hate drawing camo.

I mainly use procreate, as seen in the screen shots. I am definitely getting increasingly comfortable with using digital art. I am more used to doing traditional art, but if i can make these drawings that can show my weird headcanons then i must be doing something right.

I think that i'm posting this because in school we did pages that showed our process, as one does in art class, so this just feels more natural. This is something i'd probably keep doing once i gather pics i take whilst making these. Helps to type out your thoughts

There are other coaches that i want to draw and other characters form other games that i want to draw. Coaches in mind specifically are Moxie and Ari butting heads, La Respuesta coaches at their divorce hearing (Or whatever they have going on), and Giddy on up and Blinding lights extreme conversing.

Lastly i got the grades i needed from my a levels to go to university next month so yay.

[myhappyexobubble]

EXO Fandom - Part 2 - FanArt

This post follows part 1 - available here.

After working on stories and loving the imaginative fiction created by the fandom, I came across stories that highlighted visual work by fanartists to help provide visual reference. Initially I found most artwork to be digital, but it was happening upon a pencil artist that struck a chord and made me think, “I could probably do that.”

At the time, I was close to graduating with my Bachelors Degree in Studio Arts with an emphasis in painting and mural. I was known for hating portrait work and chose to mostly work in abstracts and landscapes, or still life. The pressure to make a person look recognizable was daunting. I had just finished my senior project early and had very little to do in studio reserved time, but had an ample supply of medium and papers. So, without much thought, I started to draw EXO.

My early work is pretty rough, but as I mentioned, I did not like drawing people. I spent most of an entire semester working on some random drawings and eventually completed my first ‘series’ which was really just portraits of all members using the same medium and paper. I posted those drawings on my personal Instagram because I didn’t see it being a big deal. It became a big deal.

With enough positive comments, I decided that I wanted to keep working on portraits of EXO and sometimes other K-pop artists when inspired. I wanted to improve and to see if I could get better at drawing faces. As I continued working on shading and texture - especially hair, I began to wonder what other mediums could be used to achieve different effects. I also began networking. I started to follow and talk to other digital and traditional fan artists who used all sorts of effects. I wanted to emulate digital effects traditionally, working with physical media in layers. I went to the art store often and purchased more variety of tools. I got recommendations for brands and techniques from a network of artists that was beginning to span the globe. I had never felt so rich in community as I did around my 2nd year of working on fanart.

Of course, it wasn’t just the community that prompted artistic growth. Not to be biased, but Kai has always been just a little more artistically portrayed in photoshoots. What I consider to be odd fashion preferences became amazing to recreate in charcoal and colored pencil. Still frame movement and emotions were so motivating that at times I couldn’t keep up with the amount of visual content that was coming out and how fast I could draw.

It was a constant race to keep up. I remember that the Die Jungs photobooks were the first that I felt so incredibly motivated by and yet could never draw everything I wanted to from those books before new content was available. When Exodus and Love Me Right came out, I was cranking out 1-4 portraits a day or at least in a week. I wanted to do more series. As EXO members moved on (Kris, Luhan, Tao) I wanted to keep making series that included the 12 regardless. I wanted to merge charcoal with paint and do blends of medium that seemed impractical. It was intensely motivating because I had not just Kai but 12 total muses that belonged on canvas.

At the time of writing this I have produced 692 pieces of traditional fan art. That’s 692 pieces of paper or canvas where the medium was applied by hand via pencil or paint brush. Never in my youth did I think I would ever complete that much body of work in an entire lifetime. 

EXO gave me the inspiration to get over a fear of portraits, dabble in more medium than I’d imagined, network globally and make friends, and for the first time made me feel like a legitimate artist. Now, we could spend another entire post talking about the copyright issues and art practices and their validity, but for now - my creative growth is still one of the many reasons EXO is my favorite K-Pop group. 

More to follow, thank you for reading.

[lilbitofmac]

// question for you, dear mac, if you're up for it. i've been thinking about getting back into drawing. it's been *years*, and i was curious if you had any advice for wading back in, especially as it comes to warm up exercises and just getting started? i know that there's a degree of 'you just have to do it'; it's always what i tell writers. but i've been so stuck on how to do some of this on *easy mode* so i don't overwhelm myself. if you're up for sharing your thoughts with all of us! ^_^ love you bunches!

Oh man, I honestly might not be the best to ask for advice LMAO but I can certainly try to help!

More often than not what stirs me to draw is whatever is at the forefront of my attention span. Any hyperfixation I latch onto is the driving force behind not only my ability to draw, but my motivation to do so. So, genuinely, just draw what you’re most passionate about at any given time! It’s perfectly okay if you want to do studies with different aspects of art like anatomy, color theory, etc. but if you’re just dusting off the old drawing tools, I’d recommend centering it around something that gets your hand itching to create. Probably bad advice recommending skipping the basics, but it usually discourages me from creating art, so I hate recommending that as a first step.

Creating is a lot easier said than done when jumping back into drawing, though. So, seriously, I recommend finding some of your favorite art pieces and tracing over them to get back in the groove. People always always look down on tracing, but it’s seriously so helpful as an exercise as long as you’re not posting it and claiming it as your own. That’s what I did when I was a kid, and it helped me find my own style and art process. Tracing can also be beneficial in helping you find the specific look you want for your art. Try different pens, colors, shading to find what you’re comfortable with without having to worry about WHAT you’re creating. That’s where a lot of people get hung up on.

That advice is mostly targeted at digital art, so if you’re working with traditional media, start practicing finding ✨shapes✨ in those art pieces you love. If you need a visual for what I mean, just ask and I can either make something or find some links for you— I know that’s kind of vague =w=;; Anyway, pull the art up on your phone or computer and try and copy it down onto paper. Focus on visualizing the shapes that make up a piece to make it easier to mimic. I always fall back onto traditional art when I’m trying to adjust my style since digital art has its own pressures that get in the way for me.

After you get a bit more comfortable, start finding some references for ideas that are rattling around in your head! Start simple since you don’t want to burn yourself out too much. Do you like drawing character’s faces? Expressions? Environment? Clothing? Hands? Feet??? Little sus but who am I to judge… Tackle your favorites first and slowly start branching out into more complicated pieces! If things aren’t looking right to you, watch some speedpaints or tutorials for your specific hang ups. Also, START COLLECTING ART!!! My phone storage is 99% of art that makes me go “OH WOW.” Figure out WHY a specific art piece calls to you and practice implementing it into your own pieces!

Mainly, don’t stress about your work and just have fun with it! It’s very very easy to start comparing your work to others, but if you’re wanting to create, focus on that feeling: of that joy from putting an idea onto paper and bringing it to life!! If you’re still facing hang ups, more than likely you just have to power through it until you reach a break through. That’s where the “practice makes progress” comes in, sadly 😮‍💨

[pa-rou]

do u have any art tips?

Why yes i do! And i feel honored you asked :D

First off; the single best thing i've ever done when it comes to improving my art is deciding to draw everyday. It doesn't even have to be that much, just as long as you put pen to paper each day you'll find that it helps to keep you in that creative mindset. However, starting off isn't all that easy. Initially i told myself i'd only draw everyday for a month, and i used a list of daily prompts, so without even realizing it, I allieviated a lot of pressure. But i can imagine getting told to 'just draw everyday' can be a lot for someone who isn't used to doing so. So my advice is to first try it for a period of time, and to see if it's something you'd enjoy. Daily prompts are also a great way to get ideas for your drawings, especially starting off. I used them for about 4-5 months after starting (@/artpromptcal on ig), and then ideas started coming to me naturally :))

Second; USE REFERENCES!! And i mean really use them. Trace photos, trace other people's art (just to study tho ofc), get inspired by other people's styles, etc. Pinterest is a great place to look for references, and i regret not using it sooner.

And finally; mix it up! Try using different media, try both traditional and digital art (even if the only drawing program you have access to is mspaint), and so on! Everything is an art supply if you're brave enough! It can help keep art interesting, and your creations varied :))

Actually one more thing i can add is to NEVER THROW OUT YOUR OLD ART. NEVER. Even if you hate it and think it looks bad, DON'T. There's no easier way to track your progress and feel good about your improvement than comparing your new art to the old. Another fun way to see how much you've improved is to redraw your old art, and how can you do that when you don't have your old drawings at hand?

So yeah :)) This has been art tips with parou, thank you so much for asking :DD

[seahdalune]

Seana’s 2020 art highlights (a thread)

(Note: this is a reupload of a thread i did on twitter a few years back. so these are really old.)

January: i didn’t draw anything complete that month.... closest thing i could find to finished is this art i made of my OC, Angelord. man. remember when i drew my OCs? [2023 note: it's..... funny you say that. you would try to start up an original comic for the entirety of next year.... not that it ever came to fruition.]

February: i finished Link’s Awakening that month. i drew Marin bc i thought she was cute. i wish i could get motivated to draw fanart of recent video games i finished more... this is probably the last proper traditional art i made this year... after this, it’s mostly digital.

March: look. i’m attempting anatomy... and i failed lol. i remember being like “how do you draw woman” after drawing this... i mean. i still wanna know how to draw woman, so i guess i haven’t changed lol. [2023 note: I STILL DONT KNOW HOW TO DRAW WOMEN]

April: wait NVM here’s another traditional piece i made this year. he was an adoptable i made... but nobody was interested in them so he’s with me for now. i’ll try and redesign them, either to sell them or to keep him. [2023 note: i never sold this guy.... i was lazy and nobody values points these days. probs for the best because scamming children with virtual coins is probably not a good idea lmao. at the same time, i wish there was an easy way to buy and sell designs+commissions without having to get a credit card or paypal or something.]

May: another month where i didn’t draw anything. buuut i did some plush sketches to reference so das dat. [2023 note: you'll probably be able to name most charas here, but who's the guy i drew the most? that's Matteo, he's a little pink vampire and i made him through Gatcha Life.]

June: ah. the month where i started digital art. this was fanart for my friend’s OC. i didn’t know a lot of features of digital art so it looks like shit LOL not the first digital art i made ever, but it might as well be. [2023 note: i actually received my tablet around 2018, but i never had time to draw on it because i had 1 hour of screentime every day. this restriction was finally lifted in 2020 (because online classes) and i finally had time to venture out into the world of digital art...]

July: i made a lot of stuff this month, but to shorten the list... i finished the plush of my OC, Matteo. i wanna make another plushie... maybe with Suitcase.

this was also the month i joined the OSC... oh hell. it’s been 6 months?? [2023 note: 2 YEARS BITCH. ITS GONNA BE YOUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY if i didn't get so tired and started to hate the community so much.]

August: ...ergh. lets get over with this month quickly... Object OCs this. Object OCs that.

occasional Algebians.

i do not like the art here... it really shows that i’ve improved. ok let’s get outta here. [2023 note: i fucking despise the person who asked me why "they were old" to my humanizations of the Dangos. this is why i refuse to join another public server ever again and might have contributed to the delay of my human drawing skills.]

September: lots of Taco II. i seriously liked her a lot. still do, but the love is a bit more spread out between characters.

oh. and i watched ONE that month. cool.

October: i finally found a style that i could weld. hooyah.

don’t ask why i drew my friend as a cat maid... i thought it was funny ok.

September: the month of gift art. nothing else to say, but i like the thin lines. yes, ‘thin’. ...god i need to think of better things to say. [i would then realize i said the wrong month, and unlike tumblr, i cannot edit tweets once published, so my only option was to delete the whole thing and start over. or just say this:] did i just say September... oh for fucks- no i am not fixing this i’m already tired of this just imagine i said November ok

December: best art of this year so far (doh) nothing to say. just... happy that i improved. can’t wait to improve even more.

[hey look! i was in the 2020 JnJ christmas video! thats me! me!!]

aaand, that’s all for this year! man, i thought i was done with improvement. i can’t believe i proved myself wrong. usually other people do that for me lol. lets see if i can disprove myself again in 2021.

[hikapoi]

This is from the Artists Asks List. You can just pick the ones you're interested in answering if this is too much lol.

1, 9, 12, 15, and 25

I've answered #25 over here! (= 1. Do you prefer traditional drawing, or digital?

AHHHHH this is such a good question.. I always want to say a real pencil in my hand is the way to go even after all these years doing digital art but last year I don't think I did any traditional art at all... It honestly makes me so sad that the only time I do any traditional work is during Inktober or Sketchvember.. when the months roll by I just think, "ah darnit another year goes where I only do traditional work as part of a game." Man I just think traditional is when I'm at ease and most relaxed bc I can just feel fluid if I'm drawing for fun, but with digital you can really clean things up to look really good. A part of the reason I enjoy doing the yearly holiday cards when I ACTUALLY SEND ANY is that it's a time I can do special traditional art for my friends to make them really happy. I think I'm good at digital art but am even better with traditional, but I don't think I can say that anymore if I haven't really touched a pencil in recent years. It might be the opposite now, my traditional work lacks the precision and finesse of my digital work but since I have art supplies I PAID for and HAVE TO USE I have a tendency to experiment with traditional media more. I am STILL buying loads of art supplies to this date..

9. How much time do you spend drawing on an average day?

HNGNGHGH it really depends.. Ah, average day? Hmmm when I'm on fire I might say at least 2 hours a day, whether it's to work on a quick doodle or to continue a more time-consuming piece. There are days where I might spend 4-6 hours. The craziest for me for one day might be 8 hours-- with or without breaks in between.

12. Is it okay for people to ask you about your process?

YEAH ABSOLUTELY ALWAYS it's no secret. I always did the circle/stick man base but when I really got into One Punch Man in 2012 or so when Murata-sensei was streaming, I noticed he skipped that step and went straight to defining muscles, limbs, faces, etc. I thought DANG if I could do that I could draw SO MUCH FASTER and SO MUCH MORE!! It was horrible at first and I hated a lot of my art while I was trying out this new thing but now I'd say I'm fairly decent and it does get me to do more art faster.

Anyway! My process is to start with a pose idea. The timing on this varies, but I usually thumbnail with little stick figures until something sticks. If there is one I like I might blow it up or redraw it on a larger scale. I always start with the face shape and eyes first. It helps me get a good idea on how to frame the hair. I cannot feel I am drawing the character until I get this right. I'll then detail until I color. I skip a line art step most of the time because I clean my sketches along the way ((I KNOW, RISA)). If it's a piece I'm serious about being a "best" I might seriously do a line art layer but I usually have trouble because I can never find a comfortable inking pen AND I feel line art makes my art suddenly stiff. I used to never color but I try to do it as much as I can because I have always admired my friends for their bold colors and I told myself that that's my own personal goal to have more colored work.

15. How long does an average piece take you to complete?

If it's a fairly simple/rushed drawing that is semi-refined that can take me about 2-4 hours? I can get a lot done in just 1 hour as well thanks to all those Mob Psycho 100 60 min challenges. But if I just take my time drawing something that I don't particularly hate I'd say 2 hours is a good average. For a more detailed one with backgrounds or groups or lots of detail, that could take me at least 8 hours of actually drawing. The hours spent into references/getting ideas/thinking of a background add to an illustration's turnaround time even if I am not actually moving a pen.

Thank you for your interest in me! I hope maybe I've said something interesting!

These questions are from this art meme if you want to do it too: https://hikapoi.tumblr.com/post/708522112589119488/artist-asks

[handhourgalleries]

Things I have learned about myself as a digital artist (over time, and more recently):

 - I love sketching, more than any other process in art. I am beginning to realize I don’t HAVE to sacrifice my sketch lines in the digital space. Its my sketch lines that give my art its personality.

- I love textured shading. I am still learning how to make it work. 

- There are so many tools in the digital space that make arting much more easy and structured. It is so easy to go back and fix or change an aspect of your art through layers. (I love it)

- It doesn’t matter if I’ve been traditionally drawing/sketching all my long life. Digital art is like trying to learn how to do art all over again. Especially when you change tablets/programs. (I hate it)

- I still don’t think I understand how to color my art, and I don’t think I ever fully will.

- I’ve always loved drawing faces, but I don’t like my faces to look symmetrical or same-y. I like to inject personality into the figures I draw, especially faces. I want to practice drawing more structure in faces, more expressions. I’m deeply satisfied when I feel like I capture characters that look like their own person.

- References are life to me. I can’t function as an artist without references to draw from. I don’t know if that makes me a good or bad artist, but its what I am.

- Studying the work of artists I admire helps me evolve in my own style. 

- Anatomy is complicated, but I want to be better at it.

- Backgrounds are hard, but don’t have to be, and I don’t have a passion to make backgrounds complicated.

- I find myself admiring and envying traditional artists more and more. 

- Drawing naked characters is very relaxing.

- I can’t fully focus on drawing unless I have music playing.

- I miss drawing sketch/shading work traditionally and just scanning or uploading it to a digital program to color it. I think I want to try that system more in the future.

- I want to be a more successful artist financially, and even after getting tips from a more successful artist, that doesn’t seem to be change. 

- The hardest part about trying to make a living as a digital artist is trying to promote yourself and grow an audience. Sometimes you just don’t get seen, or your work just isn’t for everyone.

- I’m not going to let that stop me from making art. Not forever. There is a little art demon in my veins and I have learned I don’t need to exorcise it.