FA+
Shop
100 Tips to being a better artist.
12 years ago
i don't actually have 100 so this won't be as helpful as some people might have expected... i'm not sorry for disappointing you.
001. Draw Daily, no exceptions. You can't improve if you don't practice relentlessly.
002. If a sketch doesn't look right, it isn't.
003. If your having difficulty putting an idea to paper or getting a sketch right, walk away and try again in a few DAYS, not minutes or hours.
004. Have a weakness? Draw it more often.
005. Study from real life, see how things are formed and why.
006. You're your own personal mannequin and model.
007. pick up a fucking pencil. don't try to run before you can walk.
008. You will always think your work is shit. Sometimes your right and that's okay. Learn from your mistakes.
009. Relax yourself when you draw. Stress or frustration won't make better art. unless your aim is abstract. then have a ball.
010. Hate nudity? get over it cause you need to look at it if you wanna learn.
011. The nude model doesn't think your cute, pick up your jaw and draw.
012. If your nude model is male, erections happen. don't giggle or shy away. STARE AND DRAW.
013. Ask for help if you need it.
014. You might not want to hear it but hearing the negative in your work can help you.
015. There will always be someone better than you. Aim to surpass them.
016. Take an art class it will help.
017. Find an artistic rival. They will help you even if they don't know it.
018. seriously, don't forget to get up and get some fresh air.
019. buy and/or collect images/books that inspire you.
020. Read. no really, read some art books they explain the picture you think you understand.
021. there is no shame in referencing.
022. Patience is a virtue.
023. Penis, it won't bite.
024. vagina, it doesn't actually have teeth
025. love color? work in black and white, love black and white? work in color.
026. I'm still an unskilled amateur not all this is accurate advice.
027. You cannot master art
028. Don't forget to calibrate your monitor.
029. Photoshop, Painter, Sai, MS paint, they are only as good as it's user. no more, no less.
030. Make your own digital brushes.
031. Don't forget to rest your eyes.
032. Any medium you use, is only as good as you are.
033. Go outside and draw.
034. Take a break or pace yourself for one day a week. Burn out will end you.
035. There no such thing as art block, just stress and frustration.
036. real sketches are messy.
037. refine and flesh out an drawing as many times as it takes. it'll continuously improve over time.
038. You will hate drawing hands and feet.
039. Don't forget texture.
040. Don't forget perspective.
041. Don't neglect the background OR foreground.
042. Tracing is fine if your just starting.
043. Drawing by eye is better than tracing.
044. The life of an artist is a daily struggle to obtain a cheeseburger.
045. Learn anatomy first, then you can fuck it up freely.
046. If you don't understand how a Kleenex is an artist's tool. you need to put down the tablet.
047. Focusing on a single theme like furry can cause stagnation.
048. Porn is great for anatomy and pose references.
049. An item or character's color is dictated by it's surrounding color. Don't be so anal over a single specific hue. it can and will change based on the environment.
050. Invest in a good chair. Your ass will thank you.
Edit:
051. Reversing an image helps in finding errors or problem spots.
052. Don't Limit the time spent on a single piece. keep working on it till you can't work on it anymore.
053. Take care of your Tablet pen
054. Try to invest in a backup tablet pen, for emergencies.
that's all i got i couldn't think of any more!! some of these are pretty BS as is...
also my porn (any drawing really...) looks like amputee porn at the early stages.... random factoid HOOOOO!
my feel free to think of other useful and helpful tips!
001. Draw Daily, no exceptions. You can't improve if you don't practice relentlessly.
002. If a sketch doesn't look right, it isn't.
003. If your having difficulty putting an idea to paper or getting a sketch right, walk away and try again in a few DAYS, not minutes or hours.
004. Have a weakness? Draw it more often.
005. Study from real life, see how things are formed and why.
006. You're your own personal mannequin and model.
007. pick up a fucking pencil. don't try to run before you can walk.
008. You will always think your work is shit. Sometimes your right and that's okay. Learn from your mistakes.
009. Relax yourself when you draw. Stress or frustration won't make better art. unless your aim is abstract. then have a ball.
010. Hate nudity? get over it cause you need to look at it if you wanna learn.
011. The nude model doesn't think your cute, pick up your jaw and draw.
012. If your nude model is male, erections happen. don't giggle or shy away. STARE AND DRAW.
013. Ask for help if you need it.
014. You might not want to hear it but hearing the negative in your work can help you.
015. There will always be someone better than you. Aim to surpass them.
016. Take an art class it will help.
017. Find an artistic rival. They will help you even if they don't know it.
018. seriously, don't forget to get up and get some fresh air.
019. buy and/or collect images/books that inspire you.
020. Read. no really, read some art books they explain the picture you think you understand.
021. there is no shame in referencing.
022. Patience is a virtue.
023. Penis, it won't bite.
024. vagina, it doesn't actually have teeth
025. love color? work in black and white, love black and white? work in color.
026. I'm still an unskilled amateur not all this is accurate advice.
027. You cannot master art
028. Don't forget to calibrate your monitor.
029. Photoshop, Painter, Sai, MS paint, they are only as good as it's user. no more, no less.
030. Make your own digital brushes.
031. Don't forget to rest your eyes.
032. Any medium you use, is only as good as you are.
033. Go outside and draw.
034. Take a break or pace yourself for one day a week. Burn out will end you.
035. There no such thing as art block, just stress and frustration.
036. real sketches are messy.
037. refine and flesh out an drawing as many times as it takes. it'll continuously improve over time.
038. You will hate drawing hands and feet.
039. Don't forget texture.
040. Don't forget perspective.
041. Don't neglect the background OR foreground.
042. Tracing is fine if your just starting.
043. Drawing by eye is better than tracing.
044. The life of an artist is a daily struggle to obtain a cheeseburger.
045. Learn anatomy first, then you can fuck it up freely.
046. If you don't understand how a Kleenex is an artist's tool. you need to put down the tablet.
047. Focusing on a single theme like furry can cause stagnation.
048. Porn is great for anatomy and pose references.
049. An item or character's color is dictated by it's surrounding color. Don't be so anal over a single specific hue. it can and will change based on the environment.
050. Invest in a good chair. Your ass will thank you.
Edit:
051. Reversing an image helps in finding errors or problem spots.
052. Don't Limit the time spent on a single piece. keep working on it till you can't work on it anymore.
053. Take care of your Tablet pen
054. Try to invest in a backup tablet pen, for emergencies.
that's all i got i couldn't think of any more!! some of these are pretty BS as is...
also my porn (any drawing really...) looks like amputee porn at the early stages.... random factoid HOOOOO!
my feel free to think of other useful and helpful tips!
sketch, wait 15 minutes, work more, wait 15 minutes, till you get the sketch out. itll help you see what is right and wrong and will keep you from being a frustrated mess while trying to work when "everything looks like crap"
It's the REST of the body I don't like drawing :B
They're very basic... but they might help some people.
Tutorial 1: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9534235/
Tutorial 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9740827/
Also, while the tips are nice... not everybody understands certain terminology. Somebody who is a want to be artists might not understand WHERE to advance towards... like what is a "Medium"? What are the differences in paint and their properties? How do you figure out what a layer is, how to use it... or all the other tools in programs such as GIMP, or the ones you listed? These are things I honestly don't know and would like to figure out, or even figure out how to learn them or where to learn them.
I have a tip myself... think outside of the box. And while that's easier said than done, I'll give tips on how to achieve that.
1) Monitor other artists... keep notes of what has been done, and what is popularly done if you can. Avoid doing those things or mixing them to a different degree.
2) Popular sites are popular for a reason.. everybody uses them which means it will inherently be a source of unoriginality. This isn't always true, but it tends to be.
christ..
the bit about the fucking chair.
SO IMPORTANT.
Almost! How can I create my own brushes @u@ ? *googles* Amuuuuun! Why will a brush I made be better than a default one?
I found this empowering :3
You know, I...never thought of that. That'd be really awkward for both of you. *blushblushblush*
Gosh, that must be horrible. I hope they get paid well.
There should be plenty of tutorials out there, try searching youtube or deviant art. Google would probably turn up a bunch of good results too.
Mostly because our studio space is always like 50 degrees.
thanks for putting these up as well.
"Don't limit yourself to how long you spend on a piece. What may take someone else 5 minutes may take you 20 or 30. Keep at it and improve."
Definitely something I learned while fleshing out a piece I did... was so sketchy at first but I kept at it all day (mainly cause I got nothing else to do at work..) and it came out pretty good as a sketch (which I later FUBAR'd with my tablet but haven't done digital before so I got a valid excuse for sucking <3)
•Regardless of desired personal style study realism. All things are based on the real world.
•Lines are usually not 100% straight. Especially true on organic subject matter.
•Study methods used in photography -- how to frame a subject and convey a message to an audience.
•Use a timer when practicing. Set a time and draw or color -- when the timer ends, start over from scratch.
Two Tutorials I really like:
TL;DR (A nice 101 from basics to more complex lessons.)
PST Art Tutorial (Great for new and old artists)