#not just for that “you're the thickest” line haha

[maximura]

[tepperz]

thank you so much for not getting intimidated by the length of these replies twt

I'm just having a lot of fun talking about art with you. :3 I was super worried that I overdid it last reply but im relieved that that's not the case.

Yessss Pixiv is a goldmine of gorgeous art! If I stumble upon an amazing artist on there I can’t stop until I devour their whole catalog! I didn’t know there were such perks/dangers to being subscribed hmmmm 8)c

it really is just crazy for inspiration. Everyone is so talented. Pixiv has this thing where if you bookmark one piece you like while you're subscribed, it recommends 10 more similar pieces for you to check out. So It gets me in lots of trouble because I keep trying to like the recommended pieces, but as soon as I like them it recommends 10 more and keeps going!!!I can never catch up!!!!! It's stupid and funny how actually distressing it is!!!!! Haha but I've gotten a lot of great inspiration that way.

It’s wild to consider how much affects a finished artwork.

Thats true.... if you consider it like that, it's like we're all sharing our lives with each other when we cross-reference. :)

No way, I can’t say it’s weird at all to go through mangas~~ Whole comics must be even harder to make because not only does every panel have to do the job of conveying its own idea but then they have to fit into the composition of the whole page too! It’s a lot to balance all at once! The use of black, white, and greyscale is also a totally different skill from color pieces so there’s a lot that can be learned from mangaka.

Yeah. As someone who wants to be a comic artist as well as illustrator, I feel like it's important to know my references. I feel like I learned a lot by my experience. I listed the pros and cons and good points of the art by series. I almost thought about making youtube videos or something on my findings but script writing is not my forte lmao.

I definitely refer to Sugisaki’s all the time~ I absolutely adore her style, clothes, lines, all of it but also her paneling is out of this world; every page feels like a carefully laid out work of art!

I feel that so hard. Ive also done that so many times. I definitely have my bitter disillusions with sugisaki nowadays, but I can't deny how much she directly inspired my artistic journey. I've thought many times about how each panel feels like a finished piece all on its own, and how I wished I could do that. Getting swept up in her manga feels like a delicious spring breeze where anything can happen. I remember when I did her pro-con list for dnangel, there were sooo many pros that it went off the page. Some of the cons were funny though. She never shows feet and avoids drawing shoes as much as possible. lmao.

Sorry about your art block D: That ain’t a fun place to be in. I hope you’ll be able to get out of it soon!

Thank you. yeah, me too.

And that pic (and 22k others) will be waiting for you~

H-hey!!

Yooo I’m feeling the creepy vibes! That’s the kind of sight that would make me freeze on the spot. A still silhouette with shiny eyes turned my way. @@ I like the effect of the rim light a lot, especilaly how the thickest part is at the top, so even when I look at the rest of the pic, my eyes are still guided back along the lines to that strongest contrast. Your second piece had a lot of references in comparison! :o The goblin quilt worked out though LOL. I see the influence of the low saturation piece the strongest (Can’t stop staring at his gloves. The lighting and colors on them are so cool!!) There’s more of you finding unique value even in chibis for a rendered illustration! Thanks for showing both of these! ^^

>w<! Thank you so much for the kind analysis. You even made me look harder at my old pieces and appreciate them! I wasn't too happy with how either of them came out, but it warms my heart to see that there are actually good features on them. Either way, I'm happy I shared if just because I think sharing processes is super interesting!

I thought the solid green + lighter orange outlines on the bushes was a cool effect so I tried the same here. Similar color palette too~

I love seeing your process at the bottom with the reference picture. I can definitely see the inspiration. The greens and that strong wind are very prevalent. It's so interesting how the mood in both pieces are different but complimentary. Is it hard getting the shades of colors you want with watercolors? I find it's hard to get a consistent color because I never mix enough of the color I want. Do you have that problem, or do you find ways around it?

Gaah I do have an old pinterest account I should make it useful orz With all the fashion on that site it WOULD be perfect for outfits…! Thank you so much for the suggestion and link!! I’m already seeing some really cool stuff in that board… (So nice of them to put the… genre? style!! below it because I’m learning some neat ones lol)

no prob ^^ Yeah I like using pintrest cause I can make different boards for my different story ideas/characters, and it will recommend me similar stuff. Makes my brain not have to do too much thinkie.

Saito is so wise <3 His correction videos teach me so much.

Yeah! he's good! I really appreciate his videos. I try to pace them out because I feel like there's SOOOO much knowledge chock full in each video that my brain is overheated after watching just one or two! He comes across as such a dedicated teacher. It's nice to see tips straight from a japanese anime artist in the industry. It's honestly rare content. Apparently he started out drawing yugioh monster cards, too! What a legend.

(Who says “collecting materials is troublesome” to him? NO collecting materials is TOO fun!! xD That’s how we end up with thousands!!)

EXACTLY!! I want to know who said that too. Maybe we can make them sort my 20,000+ files for me, as punishment. then they'll have a taste of real troublesome hell xD

Thank you again, Tepperz!! I skimmed through the tutorials you sent and I know they’re going to help a lot. The klecon one is so thorough!! (And the lesson on digital color mixing much needed @@ Who knew yellow and purple did that…)

Not a problem at all. I love sharing resources. I know you didn't really ask for color theory but I had to throw that one in because it's my favorite tutorial. It's so, so thorough, like you said. I'm glad I saved it too cause apparently the artist who made that tutorial isn't a very good person(!?) and has since taken down their tutorial after a bunch of name changes, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from them. Another hidden gem in that folder is a photoshop file of Kwacy's work. I feel like I learned a lot because it's so interesting seeing how a professional layers their art and effects. Really breaking it down, you know? I have no idea if it'll help you as much, but I haven't seen many other tutorial psd files like that and I think it's really somethin'.

I don’t have much on gestures after all, dang! Just a bit? >< And here’s the contents of my composition/background tutorial folder! (And if you’re okay with this kind of sharing, I included the book Framed Ink, which has been changing my world lately for odd perspectives and using backgrounds to shape the composition. If not please ignore that! ^^;) DRIVE

YOOOO thank you for all the tutorials! There's a lot of good info here!! I'm definitely gonna hoard these resources once my internet stops acting goofy. And sick! I've been meaning to read framed ink, so thank you! Yeah, I'm not a stickler for rules. Some of the resources I sent you were also behind a few paywalls. But artist friends should help each other and share resources. I believe in that. I like the youtube videos you sent too. Im actually excited to draw along while the videos play. What books do you have of his?

Hey, having them on the canvas means they’re all exactly where you need them~ So many times I accidentally close out of a picture and have to open up the folders and find it again~

god... can you imagine me doing that, my folders being what they are? If something's lost, it's LOST, bro..... lmao

Yeah!! I love the versatility of gouache! Transparent or opaque when you need it– I say that but omg does it take a while for me to get used to that opacity.

Oh for sure, i bet going from watercolor to gouache is a huge whiplash. The opaqueness is really what separates it. That makes a lot of sense.

How are you liking yours btw??

Yanno, I've only played with mine a couple of times, but it's really intimidating. They're so thick that it's hard to paint with them unless you water them down, but if you water them down then they lose that opacity and the texture becomes unstable. The blue here is gouache, so you can see what I mean. I mean, it's fine, but it's not exactly the smooth one color matte I was looking for.

I have a hard time figuring out how to use them properly. Is it better to water the whole container slightly before use? I just dont know. I can say though that as far as using them for watercolors though, they're interesting. You can get a really wide array of colors off a single dip of gouache. Ive only tried the one color so far though.

[Personal time~ My grandma taught me how to use oils when she started going blind and gave me her paints. I painted one canvas for a friend and decided I really really preferred watercolor haha. But I’m glad for the experience! Still can’t identify oils by sight to save my life xD]

You grandma taught you? That's so sweet and wholesome. What a great bonding experience. My grandma was really artistic too. I don't blame you for not liking oils as much though, they really are tough. Not to mention they take a looooong time to dry. I'm not really that patient. I did a cute oil a while ago of kirby that's still drying, but the whole time I couldn't help but feel digital would be way easier xD I feel like I also enjoy watercolors a lot more. What brand do you use? I got these nice winsdor and newtons but for some reason I still gravitate to those basic oval ones. I've never tried the ones in a tube though. They're expensive so I've never committed :')

It’s my pleasure! Your responses are interesting and your links are definitely helpful! ^o^

I feel the same way about you!! :D

How did you learn to draw so well? Like was it from classes or a book on fundamentals or just trial and error?

//// thanks for the kind question!

I guarantee you I would have improved faster if I’d taken a class, but I hope some of the materials I’ve used over the years can be of use to you too:

Andrew Loomis’ books - I never made it past the first chapters, but those had some great advice.

Youtube - Proko’s bean method. Figure drawing references will greatly improve anatomy and “drawing what you see”. It’s boring imo, so doing just 5-10 minutes a day can keep one from burning out while still seeing improvement. Speed painting videos are a nice way to relax and study.

Will Terrell’s People Drawing series - He’s a humble man with personal advice for artists. I watch his videos when I feel discouraged or lost.

Art, art, art - Whenever I see an artwork that I like, I figure out exactly what pleases me: line thickness, nose shape, finger positions, composition, the way the hair bends in the wind, etc. Then I try to incorporate that specific characteristic into my own art.

I have growing folders of (I’m a bit embarrassed) almost 8,000 pictures, organized by characteristics, for the sole purpose of studying their prettiness. Sometimes we don’t need a tutorial to spell everything out, just an example can help us envision our own works’ potential. Also, staring at pictures is a relaxing way to study too!

And of course, trial and error~ I don’t post my sad, failed paintings or all the weird sketches I make, but they exist and teach a lot!