#i wanna practice drawing people more so hey!! i may as well use my fixation on ninjago to my advantage

[borkwolf]

[same-side]

hiiii! i just wanna say, i adore your art. second, im teaching myself to draw and while i can draw simple basics (mouths and sometimes eyes if im lucky), im still a beginner. ive watched many art videos and im still a bit confused on wtf im doing. so i just came here to ask if you had any words of wisdom for beginners? could be anything from what tablets to buy to simple mistakes to avoid. ive read some of the other posts here and have found it all extremely helpful so far! Thx for all you do!!

Hey there! Thank you so much!

I would put a read more but tumblr is broken. I’m trying to cover a lot of varied thoughts in little points, so if there’s anything you would like me to elaborate on or otherwise have questions on, feel free to shoot me an ask or dm me!

General

I think the biggest thing to remember is not to compare yourself extensively to others. A little bit of comparison is healthy... But too much will destroy your confidence, motivation, and take the fun out of art. Particularly if you are comparing yourself to someone older than you (life experience and coordination come into play here) or that has been drawing much longer (practice). 

Additionally... If you’re not having fun (and you’re not getting paid to do it), don’t force yourself. If you find yourself being frustrated or bored with art, don’t force yourself to do it. That’s how you burn out and get art block! This applies to parts of a peice, too! If you don’t feel like drawing a face or a hand today? don’t force yourself to finish it. Come back to it later when you aren’t as frustrated or are getting better results. Even if its a week or a month from now. Honestly, at any given time I have probably ten headless bodies in my drafts. That’s okay! I just come back to them when I’m ready to do the face. And don’t be afraid to abandon something if it doesn’t feel right!

Something that also doesn’t get said enough.... take care of your body! I never knew when I started art, but artists are supposed to do warmup sketches and stretches and muscle exercises! I didn’t do any of this, and i went through a period of a few months where I was drawing for 5ish hours every single day. I developed carpal tunnel from it! So remember to take care of yourself. Take breaks, stretch, remember to eat.

Practice

Practice!!!! Even if its just for fifteen minutes every day. Or twice a week. But if art is something you really want to get good at, you have to put in the time and effort!! You can’t expect to draw an hour per month and be on the same level as someone who draws an hour a day!

I know I say this a lot but I think the biggest thing is just reference! If you don’t know what something looks like, look at a picture of it when you draw it! To go hand in hand with that, though, don’t just copy what you see! Learn from it and apply it! So take, for example, a shoe! pay attention to the way the heel is shaped, the location of the eyelets for the laces... how large the toe is, how steep the top! While you’re at it, look at other styles of shoes as well, and compare them! See what makes it look like a boot versus a trainer! And then the next time you draw it, hopefully you’ll remember all the things you learned the first time around!

I do lots of studies that serve no purpose other than to teach me things! I use referencing/studies to learn about color theory, shapes, and anatomy in a real environment. For example, hands or fabric folds! Oftentimes I’ll do them timed (20 or 45 minutes) so that I don’t fixate on perfecting things, just on the process itself and what I can learn from it. This also helps with getting better acclimated to your software and more coordinated with what you’re doing. Repetitive learning, like with playing sports. 

I’ve realized a lot of people don’t quite understand what a study is? Basically you just look at a photo and try to replicate it so that you can learn about lighting or color theory or textures or anatomy or whatnot. So here’s an example of a timed study.

Additionally, don’t avoid!! We, as humans, have a tendency to avoid things that make us uncomfortable or are difficult. But it will make you a better artist in then end. When I first started, I absolutely hated doing fabric. I felt like I wasn’t good at it. So instead of avoiding drawing clothing, I sat down and did studies and sketches of different kinds of fabric. By the end of this learning period, I became comfortable with it and grew to enjoy it. These days, I adore sketching clothes, and it’s why my pants and shirts and things tend to be detailed instead of stylized in line art. If you don’t like drawing hands because you feel like you aren’t good at it? Sit down, look at a bunch of pictures of different hands, and practice it. By the end, you’ll be more comfortable, you’ll have learned something. Even if you feel like the drawings you ended up with aren’t good, you’ll still have learned, and that’s what matters!

Style

I worked on basics before I tried to develop a style. I made sure to start with a very realistic method at first, so that I could be sure I understood how fabric folds, anatomy, and realistic expressions worked before I tried to stylize them. I think in the long run this approach really paid off for me. It also allowed me to be conscientious of what elements I was absorbing into my artwork. I hear from so many artists that they started drawing when they were younger and into anime or cartoons or things like that, and tried to emulate it. Because those styles became so ingrained into their artistic skillset, it becomes near impossible to iron out those influences and get rid of them later. So starting with realism is a way to ingrain proper anatomy and other good practice into your artwork.

One way to develop style is to take a look at the artwork of someone you admire, and try to list out the things you like form their style - perhaps the thickness of their lines, or the way they do eyes. Do this with several artists, take all those little details you like and try them out! See if you enjoy using them in your own drawing process! Think of it like a grab bag or a pick-n-mix, sprinkling in the elements you like here and there to create something new and your own - not just copying another artists style word for word.

Don’t worry too much about it though; don’t allow yourself to become anxious or fixated on “achieving a style”. Its a natural ever evolving process that comes with time and practice. I know a lot of people get hung up on style, but just take it one day at a time!

Also try to keep in mind what style you’re going for as you begin drawing. And I don’t mean that like sailor moon vs. ghibli. I mean that as in, is this piece going to be a painting, a lineart, a lined painting, cell shading...? It will help you in the longrun if you narrow down the broad kind of style you use, and refine from there. 

Workflow

My workflow for paintings is very different from my workflow for lineart and cell shading. A full tutorial on how I do paintings can be found here! A process video for how I cell shade can be found here!

Everyone is going to have a different method that works for them! You just have to experiment and find out how you like to draw! For me, personally, I use color blocking for painting (see the tutorial above) and a spine method for lineart. How the spine method works is that I will draw lines that represent the legs, arms, back, etc. so that I can determine the placement, length, and composition. From there, I’ll add a dark outline that actually shows the shapes of the body. Then, I’ll use thinner lines to add details. This is the method I’ve found that works for me. Another commonly used method that I’m sure you’ve seen is representing body parts with cylinders and cubes. There are lots of good tutorials out there on breaking down bodies into shapes like this!

Something that I do is if I’m not quite happy with a part of a drawing, I don’t just erase it. I duplicate the layer so that I always have the original copy, and then I make changes from there. Sometimes I can end up with five or six different versions of the same arm or face that i’ve made minor changes to. And then I compare and pick the one I like best, or condense all the parts I like from each version to make a “best” version.

Tools

Currently I use Procreate and the standard Ipad with Apple Pencil. Prior to March I was using a Wacom Bamboo Touch and Photoshop Elements 2008. I find its harder for me to do full paintings in procreate, but its made my life a million times easier for lineart and cell shading. The pen pressure is phenomenal, and I also adore that its wireless / active screen instead of plug in like the wacom. The programme itself is intuitive and easy to get the hang of; it simply lacks a lot of the neat tricks that photoshop has, like rendering (lens flares, for example), gradients, and gradient maps. Try testing out different trials of programmes... firealpaca, photoshop, autodesk, whatever it may be! What works for me may not work for you!

[bixisarusher]

Can I Have This Dance? (Stolen Kisses pt. 2)

T’is here! The companion piece to the spring inspired “Flowering Feelings” (x).

Now from gobsmacked Henry’s POV and where the previous was a birds view, this is pretty much the opposite. (Literally. As in they tumble on the ground, but you’ll see.)

I used some song lyrics here that are obviously not mine, but belong to Mikky Ekko’s Pull Me Down (the song Henry compliments on Jacinda’s mixtape in HH).

Also, thank you to @trueloveismagic and @margaritanightly for helping out with “what was School like for Ella?” and all around inspiration respectivly.

Without any further ado...

Also on ff.net; word count 1.352

erumpent (adj.): bursting forth

Leaning against a tree, he waited for her. He had the excuse of gathering wood, and she was out to search the area for enemies. Everyone was well aware why they took much longer than they should, but no one minded. Not even Tiana, although she pretended to. She kept grumbling that Henry was inefficient, but she always did it with a smile.

It felt awfully lot like they were teenagers sneaking around, and really, Henry hadn't quite anticipated to experience that again. It didn't feel like an epic quest for love… but truly? It didn't bother him. Rather, he marveled at the ease Ella allowed herself to around him.

Behind him, he heard the faint sound of hoofs, a thud, and steps bouncing toward him. He was greeted by a bright smile, and it felt like the sun shone right in his face. "Hey," she all but shouted at him.

"Hi," he gave back, and closed the distance left between them to press a kiss on her lips.

He took her in, her scent, her arms around his back, her soft skin as he brushed her cheek. When they broke the kiss, studied her features for a moment. Then he quickly kissed her again to hide the idiotic grin.

Yep. Like a teenager.

Time to break the tension.

"Glad to see none of Tremaine's minions plucked you apart on your way here."

"Tss, I can say the same to you, Mills. You're the poor lead on the sword."

"You take that back… " He quickly found the spot where her sides were unprotected and tickled her. She tried to run, but his legs were longer and before she could get anywhere, they had tumbled to the floor, a chaos of limbs and her locks, and her lips where on his again.

He enjoyed the rush that came over him. She was so beautiful, and so fierce, and feminine in an extreme way he had never seen before. And she was here only to see him. She allowed him to come so close and be with her, and showed herself to him.

When they broke the kiss, he leaned on his elbow to study her once more.

"Where did you learn to fight so well, anyways? Not exactly a school subject over here, I suppose?"

She scoffed. "I wish. We learned posture. And embroidery. And reading, but not the interesting books. If our tutor had ever caught me practicing sword fighting, she'd had me stand in a corner for an hour."

"So no Math? Or Biology? Geography?"

"Geo-what?" She turned from her back to her side, gazing up to him. The way her vest fell open in that pose was most likely unintentional. Most likely.

"Well, learning how to read maps. And the weather… and really our school is much more about learning how to read and to listen and to understand tasks rather than learning how to actually do things..."

His gaze had trailed over the clearing but snapped back when her fingers started drawing circles across the back of his hand.

"All together that sounds just as boring as our lessons."

"Well, it was. But I still enjoyed school..." his train of thought was lost for a moment when her fingers found the seam of his sleeve to play with. This woman was gonna be the death of him.

"You did?"

He cleared his throat. "...yeah. Sure not all subjects were interesting, but outside of classes we had quite a lot of free time. I used that for chess club, and hanging out with friends… and there were the occasional school festivals. Sports day, flee markets, or prom..."

"Who would want to buy flees?" She acted confused, but her smirk told him the truth.

"Alright, mock my world all you want, but prom is something you people miss out on."

She pushed herself up to her elbows and quirked an eyebrow, prompting him to elaborate.

So he did. "It's much like a ball, except it's for everybody. Everyone dresses up and there's a lot of food and dancing… Just instead of a castle it's set in a gym,… a sport's hall. And the music is much different."

Ella let herself fall back on her back. "Well, I don't mind missing out then. I'm not much of a dancer." Henry chuckled. Then an idea formed – didn't he find it in his satchel just this morning? "There are way less steps involved, though. - I could show you actually."

Before he could change his mind, he got up to collect what he needed from the bag under the tree. He fiddled with the music player and the headphones. Boy, he was jumpy. Would he ever outgrow his nerves around a girl?

"What are you doing?" Ella had sat up now, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in her expression.

"Just come on." He pulled her up and handed her one of the ear buds. "Put that in your ear. Wait a second… ah, yes."

Beats started sounding from the speakers and by the time he directed her hands around his neck, the ethereal sounds changed to the lyrics.

Oh I heard you were trouble, and you heard I was trouble

His hands held her waist and he started swaying with her from foot to foot.

"It's called a slow dance."

"What is? The stepping or the screaming man inside your machine?"

"You don't like it?"

She listened for another moment, and damn, even though she may not call herself a dancer, she was pretty good at this.

"No, I like it." Her eyes found their way into his, and her gaze pulled him down right then and there. He wasn't able to tell if her next question was a few seconds or a few hours later.

"And what would you do after a prom? Are the girls leaving slippers there as well?"

He chuckled. "No. Well - there aren't specific rituals about that, but usually the guy picked the girl up, so he also gives her a ride home. Not on a motor cycle, though, in a car. So, I would have borrowed my Mum's bug, no, rather Mom's Mercedes to impress you, and drive you home. And I would have prayed to whatever power rules our lives, that you allow me to give you a good night kiss. And then two days later I would have texted you and told you I really enjoyed our time, and if you wanted to go get some Chinese take-out with me."

His words seemed to have over whelmed her a bit. He had told her what texting meant, hadn't he? Her gaze seemed fixated on the buttons of his shirt, so something was probably bugging her mind.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

She bit her lip before answering. "I don't know, … Don't you ever miss that life? It sounds so full of wonder."

It was his turn to take a moment for his answer. He hadn't expected that.

We could be King and Queen of the moonlight, two young lovers, and when the mood is right...

"There's no place I'd rather be."

He didn't want her to feel obliged to look at him, so he pulled her a little closer into his chest. Maybe, this way, it was easier on her. And then he whispered in her free ear: "But it'd be an honor to show you, if you'd ever take a trip with me to that world."

Because I, I, I wanna be you man.

And he realized it, at that moment. That it wasn't just about stolen kisses and the thrill of getting to know her better. He liked her, he really did and he hoped she did as well. He wanted her to stick around and to become a consistent part of his life – so that when he'd think about returning to Storybrook at some point, it would mean she would come with him. And at that moment he was glad her face is buried in his shoulder, because the idiotic grin was back.

Just like teenagers.