Art tips for anon who doesn’t know SHIT (slightly updated text and links since I didn’t actually answered to ‘how to start’ but rather gave many tips lmao):
- Have a sketchbook. Or any drawing paper just so could have it with yourself at all times. Unless you’re Artgem(he’s a crystal gem #confirmed) who doesn’t use a sketchbook and doesn’t doodle, but we can’t all be Artgerm even if we wanted to. He said so himself in some artist interview maybe this have changed.
- Doodle once in awhile, doesn’t have to be everyday but make it your goal. This is the best way to start. As children we all started off with doodling so why not to take it into another level when you are able to learn faster and more efficient with just doodling!
- Less “Awh they’re so much better than me and they are YOUNGER than me :(” more: “Everyone is evolving at different pace and everyone are at different point in their journey. So what can I do to improve?”
- Try to draw what makes you happy so you don’t over push yourself in the beginning. (some people tagged and added this as if I didn’t mention this lmao).
- Take a moments in stretching your wrists *
- Reference photos are friends not foes.
- Break complex forms (like dragons, insects, exotic birbs, ect) into their basic shapes.
- (ﾉ◡‿◡)ﾉ～『✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Practice *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧』
- Ask for critiques. Others can see things you might have missed. As a beginner it is usually not on the mindset, more like being afraid of it an failure but critiques can really just help you see what is wrong in your artwork.
- Don’t take criticism personally. It is a critique of an art work not the person behind it. So if you get some ‘’I don’t like it’’ for a critique, as in their personal taste, I let you punch them in the throat.
- Try new things if you feel brave enough (took up some 30 days challenge or theme challenges and you don’t even have to do them all).
- ‘By try new things’ it could also mean learn from others, see how they accomplish something you liked in their art.
- Keep a neat folder or a blog with pictures that inspire you.
- (ﾉ◕‿◕)ﾉ～『✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Practice *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧』
- Try to ask other artists for advice (you already did it here ayyy u on a good track)
- Doodle/draw with a pen/permanent marker. Trust me it healthy
- You learn from mistakes ?? Like you will know next time what not to do. Like Bob Ross has said ‘’We don’t make mistakes we just have happy accidents.’’ you either learn from them or try to change it into your advantage???
- Again. STRETCH.DAT.WRIST. Or you may have some serious health problems in the future. Stretching and taking breaks are crucial.
- (ﾉ⊙‿⊙)ﾉ～『✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* PRACTICE *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧』
- Clothes has folds and different textures which determine the “highlight” which usually doesn’t exist on clothes but people draws those as if it’s some latex.
- Try various mediums if you can (watercolour, pencils, gouache, oils, pastel, oil pastels, crayons, acrylics, plasticine, papier mache, glueing an image from coloured paper or magazine? idk it seems fun lmao, digital art, ect.).
- If you are ‘diagnosed’ with /same face syndrome/ then take a look at this rad blog @humanae
If you are starting to draw digitally then FLIP THE IMAGE HORIZONTALLY.
- Thumbnailing is the best (think of some film with great cinematography/composition - draw as many scenes as you can).
- Shape and gesture > anatomy. *
- Check out Proko. *
- Do not forget about different possibilities for lighting: strong lighting, night lights, light from behind, ambient light, light from below, different colour lights and even underwater.
- Take breaks if you need to like even if a day or a week.
- When you think you’re done. Take a picture of it with your phone. You will know if it’s really done or not.
- Check values with either taking a picture and making it black and white or digitally with desaturation(sai)/‘colour’ mode black layer (Photoshop).
- When colouring. Remember that each colour looks a bit different besides other colours. For example: grey is neutral but will seem warm being besides or surrounded with cool colours like blue but the same grey will appear cool next to warm tones of oranges or reds.
- Look up tutorials when either struggling with how to do a thing or when bored/have time.
- People’s skin have different undertones. It can be orange, red, purple, yellow in almost any ethnicity (you can figure it out when looking at the skin w/o direct sunlight or in the shadows). ∩(︶▽︶)∩ *
- When painting something non-abstract/surreal try to tone down your colour palette and use bright colours with caution.
- Colour palette with a ratio 1:1 is not the best choice. It is always good thing to have something around 8:3:1 (if that makes sense). This is not some rule but it just looks more pleasing to the eye.
- Don’t draw ladies in illogical, impractical, non-functional “armour”. That shit is everywhere and it sucks.
- People have hands and feet. Please draw those.
- Do not shade with black and white. That is unrealistic and mostly boring.
- Symmetry > proportions. *
- There are things like /idea generators/. Look those up.
- I know motivation is important but you need to also start learning how to do things when you don’t have it. Discipline yourself(somehow???)
- (ﾉಥ 益 ಥ)ﾉ～『✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* JUST.DO.IT. *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧』
- Things in focal points are more detailed, sharpest edges, highest value contrast while everything else can be blurred and faded out. *
- If light source is warm then shadows will look cooler. If light source is cool(artificial light) then shadows are warmer ((I already mentioned how grey appears near different colours so this is the same)
- Likeliness > /correct anatomy/. This is some sort of a saying ‘’
“Learn the rules [anatomy in this case] like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” - Pablo Picasso. (Thanks for one person who reminded me this quote, it’s amazing how I could forget it while I say that all the time).
- Sycra’s ‘Foundations of Light and Shadow’ is some good stuff, my friend.*
- Use guide/leading “lines” so your drawing isn’t all over the place and you don’t know where to look. Make the viewer look at that one most important point. *
- When drawing some original random characters or something like that. Make their designs somewhat believable. Doesn’t have to be just as same as in real life but it has to be fantasy-believable. It takes time to figure this one out but the earlier you learn about this the better for the future. Since if you take away all the decorative details off of your character’s design you might left off with some blond white guy wearing a shirt and some straight pants. Not extremely appealing.
Under a cut there are more links to things and things that were marked with the asterisk/* :
Keep reading