#tips for artists

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

Hey artists! Here's a new app for ya!

Tiny glade!

Like what the screenshot says, you can build all sorts of houses and buildings (mostly houses).

If you're someone who struggles to imagine a house (or has trouble putting it on paper/screen), I recommend using this game. The full version comes out September 23, but the demo is out now (some stuff is limited but you can still have fun with it).

Here's a little cottage I made (it's fun once you get the hang of it)

Tutorials below (which I recommend watching before using the game)

@teawizard

[indieyuugure]

Love your art and how you tell stories!!! Any tips for young artist?

Thanks!

Um, well I mean other than hours upon hours of just practicing by drawing hundreds of whatever you’re learning to draw, here’s a few things I learned that helped me immensely:

Anatomy is a daunting subject to take on but I promise you this, whether it’s people or animals or both (or both at the same time depending on what you’re working towards), I guarantee you that learning it as soon as you can will dramatically improve not only the way it looks but also teach you how bodies work and will help you in posing and in drawing action especially. Nothing bad will happen if you learn anatomy, so why not start now?

Pintrest! PINTREST MAN JUST HEAR ME OUT! The amount of art tutorials on there for every concept you can possibly imagine is absolutely invaluable to a beginner artist and even a more advanced artist! People say art school will help you but they are just wrong. Pintrest has everything you could ever want to know and for free! Do yourself a favor and it check out!

It’s hard, but ask some you trust to point out flaws in your art. It took me a long time to be able to take criticism, but it’s extremely important to have someone who’s not you point out the flaws in your drawings. Not only can they see flaws you can’t, but it’ll help you get a list of things you need to work on! This can be literally anyone! Friends (online or in person), siblings, parents, partners it doesn’t matter, just someone who can give it to you straight. Just remember, making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a bad artist, it means you’re a learning artist! Don’t give up, keep refining your skills!

Hopefully young artists find these tips helpful! Some are easier than others, but I promise you that if you can use even one, your art journey will be much easier!

Good question! :]

[blurrymind11]

Teeth! (My first fav thing to draw)

That’s just what I kinda noticed, this isnt really for guidelines but more for visualization, but its for anyone! I’ll try to do more if thats what people like, i just want people to enjoy and learn art! (Did this without my pencil lol)

[mibyledraws]

alt text 101 for artists

I’m not an accessibilty expert, but I gathered these tips here and there, and it has really been helping me writing better alt texts - and I hope they will help others too!

Alternative text is a description of an image that can be read by a screen reader. It also can help the understanding of an image for people who don't use screen readers.

What do you write?

It all goes down to including what is relevant to give the user an accurate idea of your artwork:

the medium you used to make the artwork (is it a digital illustration? a traditional oil painting? a graphite pencil sketchbook doodle?)

the subject of the artwork

anything that is relevant for understanding the meaning of the artwork. For instance, is the lighting important, or does it bring a particular meaning or mood?

Write sentences - don’t just throw away key words. EDIT: don't write full sentences, but phrases and fragments to keep your description concise

adding one more thing after getting feedback: keep it concise! Under 125 characters (even 100 is best)

Where/how do I add it?

The alt text feature is more or less obvious on the apps we usually post on. In doubt, please just search for it on a web browser, you’ll find how to add it in the blink of an eye :)

On Twitter

enable the alt text reminder! Everytime you post an image, it will remind you to add alt text if you forgot it. Go in your settings, then “accessibility, display and languages”. Then “accessibility”, and in the media section, check the “receive image description reminder” box.

on web browser: once you’ve uploaded your image, click on “add description” under it.

on the app: once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the “+alt” bubble in the right bottom corner that appeared on your image.

On Instagram

at the bottom of the posting page, go in “advanced settings”, then “accessibility”, then “write the alt text”.

On Tumblr

once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the three dots icon that appears when your mouse is on the image, then click on “update the description”.

On Mastodon

once you’ve uploaded your image, click on the “description missing” message that appears on it.

On your website (portfolio, shops, etc)

Where and how you can add it depends on the platforms but there’s always a way! My tip for this would be to schedule yourself an alt text audit of your website to take a moment when you would search how to do it and when you would add all the necessary alt texts! I’d also encourage you to pay attention to some other accessibility features - for instance contrast between background and text. There are lots of ressources out there and I admit it can sound overwhelming: digital accessibility is an expertise, a job field in itself after all. In my opinion, taking it a few steps at a time is a good way to go! For instance I like to do little accessibility audits of my portfolio every once in a while and check a new area that I might have missed before.

I forgot to add it, what should I do?

On some platforms, you can add it after posting if needed - it’s the case on the Instagram app for instance. Always try to see if you can add it afterwards. If you can’t, add it in the replies (if it’s on twitter for instance) or edit the body/caption of your post if you can change this but can’t change the alt text.

Adding it as a “simple description” instead of an alt text that will be read by a screen reader in lieu of the image isn’t perfect, but having it somewhere very close to the image in plain text that will get to be read by screen readers is way better than nothing to my knowledge :)

It's Disability Pride Month (July, when I'm writing this)

I wanted to take some time to encourage you to take some time and energy this month, and at anytime of the year, when you can, to learn about Disability Justice. I’m not the best at explaining what it is, and how much there is at stake. I’m better at this, making small guides about what fellow artists can do to make their work more welcoming to disabled people. But it doesn’t mean Disability Justice isn’t close to my heart and that I shouldn’t even mention it.

There’s a documentary about the Disability Rights movement that I can only highly recommend - it’s Crip Camp. It’s on netflix, and even watchable in full on Youtube.

Pay attention to us, disabled people, to what we have to say. ”Nothing about us without us”: our perspectives and opinions are those you must focus on when it comes to disability and to our lives.

[cocoafloodsthemetro]

♡ Body type diversity ♡

[acrylicalchemy]

Here’s a quick and simple art hack for dented canvases that works like magic 🪄 Join me on this artistic journey for more tips, recommendations, and all my artist audios 🌈🙆‍♂️❤️

[blueboxbeagle]

Don't post you art on Tumblr as PNGs!

Ok this is important: Tumblr, at least in my experience, will desaturate PNG images but not JPEGs! For proof here's screenshots of some of my art as both a PNG and a JPEG on Tumblr.

Top is PNG, bottom is JPEG. Notice the difference, especially on warm colors.

PNGs might be better for storing images but please upload them to Tumblr as JPEGs!

[getvalentined]

Oh by the way, to keep tumblr from turning your images into lossy, shitty JPGs, give it at least 5 pixels of transparency and save it as a PNG. The system will wrap it up into a PNJ, but it won't actually lose its format and there will be no gross crunch artifacts.

I do this by extending the canvas on my art by 1 pixel vertically, causing it to have a transparent row at the top or bottom, or by making my watermark or a little accent somewhere partially transparent.

[eyezdrawz]

Tips on making elderitch horror(no matter story or character) that work best in your opinion, go👀👀👀

my biggest tip is go crazy with any creepy person or monster you wanna create. Gore, body horror, and weird creatures are a big thing in eldritch horror, not so much shock. And when creating Monsters, monsters have no limits, add wings, add tentacles, add a tail, add scales, add multiple mouths, add multiple eyes whatever, horror is horror so do what you want with it as long as its unsettling (thats just my personal idea tho)

Another tip is when making an eldritch horror story don't jump into the action, build things up, add things that you need to figure out in the future, and/or add things that you could have only known in the past, in eldritch horror, from what I've seen and what I personally go by, it's great to emphasize the unknowable and the incomprehensible. Make things straight up strange.

Thats all I got for now, once again this is just my personal opinion, horror can really be whatever you feel it could be, thanks for the ask btw!!

[novelcain]

I have a small head cannon now with my version of reader that I wanted to share with you:

She has a lotus pin in her hair due to her association with Quanyin and it has the added bonus of extra protection (like a protection seal)

Just wanted to share, now I’m going back into my hole to finally finish a fic that’s been giving me writers block for two months now.

*gets slapped with writers block in the face*

Gosh darn it….

(By the way any tips on how to overcome writers block?)

That's a pretty interesting idea. Like a lil fashionable talisman~

And good luck with your writing hope you can get through the writers block

As far as tips go, I unfortunately can't help much in the writer's/artist's block since I don't really get it.😬 If anything I just get bursts of laziness where I don't wanna pick up my laptop cause that's too much effort and so end up curled up in my nest scrolling through tiktok all day. But to remedy that, I just force myself to pick up my laptop or @lovesick-ritz will kindly hand it to me so I can get things done.

So here's the tips that I could think of:

Set a designated area or method for writing (ex. I only write on my laptop bc I've assigned it mentally as my preferred place to write)

Make it as easy as possible for you to write (ie. leave the writing tabs open. I personally never have word closed there's always at least my notes tab open but I usually have at least 3 word tabs don't ask me why I'm addicted to keeping tabs open)

Try to get rid of as many distractions as you can like unneeded social media (having a tumblr tab open is always my down fall cause I get distracted by asks)

Since I have adhd and autism complete silence honestly distracts me more than anything so I like to play this 10 hour thunder storm video on YouTube (this also helps with my tinnitus in case anyone else got that)

Another thing I've been told that help is just start writing little notes or just anything at all and maybe that'll spur you into what you want to be writing

Also some random tips if found useful when it comes to writing/drawing:

If you hyperfixate on writing and drawing for long periods of time like I do (like I'm talking about 8 hour sit down don't move sessions) get water and a couple snacks before you start and be sure to stretch at least once an hour

Remember to specifically do full hand stretches to avoid carpal tunnel and writer's/artist's arthritis

Try to get up and walk around as much as possible (if you can as someone with walking issues I know that isn't always easy or even possible)

One thing I like to do to rest my eyes and brain is after a few hours I'll go to Spotify and play a few songs (or in my case one song on repeat I've been particularly obsessed with the Epic sagas since they've come out and have been constant listening to Survive in the Cyclops saga) with your eyes closed. Staring at a screen all day can be harmful to your eyes and brain.

And for drawing with adhd, if you're working on a long piece it can get frustrating to work on one part for long periods of time so keep in mind that if you're start to feel bored or tired with the part that you're working on it's ok to move to a different part. (ie. you've been working on the hair for a while and start to feel understimulated to move to the face or even a completely different area so get that stimulation) It's not like a story where you gotta remember plot points and continuity the whole thing is right there so just work on whatever part catches your fancy. Or hell if you get bored just draw lil scribbles for a second in a corner somewhere until you feel up to going back to the piece.

Please keep in mind while reading these that I by no means have healthy habits. As I stated I hyperfixate on projects and will often neglect my human needs for extremely long periods on accident; however, I am lucky enough to have a very attentive partner that reminds me and encourages me to take care of myself and helps me when I can't. (Love you Ritz. Literally couldn't live without you~ mwah💜)

HOWEVER! Because of this I am extremely used to living with unhealthy habits and have an OBSENE amount of tips for dealing/living with them so if anyone wants some autism/adhd/depression/anxiety (all of which I have kinda extreme forms of) life tips lemme know and I'll write a whole essay for you. Tho again I will say these tips are not cures. These conditions are permanent so these tips would just be ways to make living with them a little easier. (Honestly I might just make that post even if no one asks for it on the off chance that helps even one person)

[alexfdesign]

more and more with less and less

[onewhobelongstotheforest-blog]

Art Tablets

Could someone impart their wisdom please?

I'm in need of some advice from the artists of Tumblr. I have always been a purely paper and pencil sketcher. I have several sketchbooks with drawings dating all the way back from my middle school days to today. That's how I've always done it. I don't intend to stop using my sketchbook, but I wish to try out drawing via Tablets. I like the idea of being able to completely erase unwanted pencil marks that refuse to disappear (Stop Pressing Down So Hard, Hands!!) and saving initial copies of my drawings that I can change in different ways and see which version I like best.

Problem is I haven't a clue of what I should be looking for. I don't have any experience with Tablets for drawing. So I thought I should ask on the opinions of all the various experts here! I'm looking for one that feels like you're drawing on actual paper and will only be using it for artwork. Doesn't have to be anything too high-end or fancy, but still reliable and good quality.

If anyone can share their thoughts and/or recommendations on Art Tablets, that would be greatly appreciated and a big help!

[womkeyz]

does anybody have any actual helpful tips for improving in art. i feel like my art sucks rn. i know nothing about color theory, drawing folds, perspective, shape language, all that stuff and barely enough about anatomy. i feel like i know nothing about art and i feel like quitting. the thing is that i really love making drawings and i have many ideas i want to draw. i just cant draw it. i cant animate either. everyone around me just seems to get better while im getting worse. i hate this.

[cocoafloodsthemetro]

Hey! How did you get started with traditional art? Any tips for a beginner artist?? Your cats are impeccable and I love your versions of husker and angel!!

Hsvsvshsds omg omg OMG freakin out I got an ask someone get me a paper bag to hyperventilate into

Anyway, being the ages of 13-15, I couldn't buy myself a drawing tablet, my parents said they weren't wasting their money on something for "simple entertainment" (excuse you this is my future career >:0 ) so I was kinda forced to begin with traditional art. I basically traced a lot of art I found on my phone until I got the hang of that certain artstyle/character. Also my sibling lets me use their drawing tablet sometimes but that was rlly recently and I think I still prefer traditional :]

Tips for beginner artists:

TRACE. It helps. How to do it:

You turn your phone to full brightness and go to a dim room with no lights on, ensuring your phone is the brightest object there. You then put an image on your phone, whatever it is you want to draw. Next, you place a sheet of paper over it. The lines of said image on your phone should show on the paper. Trace over the lines (still on the paper!) with a pencil. Don't use sharpie, pen, marker, or anything that could bleed through the paper, as that could damage your phone screen.

Here's a video tutorial i literally just made in case my text instructions were unclear, I suck at explaining I'm sorry:

This was done on my sibling's drawing tablet, but you can do this on literally any device with a screen. Hope this helps! <3

[acrylicalchemy]

How many open projects do you have?