I disagree with your assessment, I think your art is very colourful and has a lot of expression and personality. I've seen artists who truly constantly shit out the same stuff over and over (some of them are even insanely popular), but you are not one of them, I can assure you.

Of course it's great that you want to increase your artistic capabilities, and of course one never stops or should stop learning - but from my standpoint, your art is definitely not bland or repetitive.

Thank you very much :*. But by saying that it's bland I didn't mean it's colorless... it's not only about colors but how you mix them. You surely have seen many pictures with badly selected colors... like a saturated blue character with a red scarf or something. Colors are an important part of a composition and selecting them carefully and mixing them well (I also mean color transitions) can produce much more interesting result. But yes I'm not as repetitive as some others, this much I can see :D. I at least try to draw things slightly differently from picture to picture. You said that some repetitive artists are insanely popular. Popularity curve on this website is a strange being. Most of the time the quality is unimportant. As long as you post porn regularly and in high quantities you get popular fast (unless it's of terribly low quality). It is possible to get popular with just a few pictures but in this case the quality is crucial. They have to be of exceptional quality to make an artist popular quickly. And perhaps popularity isn't that important but it really motivates. When people want to watch your works you have more motivation to draw. And also there's one very mundane thing about popularity... it brings money. And rich become those who have the ability to squeeze them out of people on every possible opportunity. Also I guess I don't have a mindset of a popular artist :P.

I know, I didn't mean bland = colourless, anyway. I just added that since you seemed hung up on "brown". ;)

My point is that I feel like you're exaggerating on how repetitive your art is, quite much so. You have great skill, and obviously everybody can be better, but I don't feel that your perspectives and scenarios are particularly repetitive!

Of course, don't let me hold you back from trying vastly new things, that's a really good idea, either way. :)

As for popularity: Well aware of what you''re saying, I'm just saying that some artists have insanely repetitive works and feel confident enough in it to continue squeezing it out even for massive audiences, I guess. ;)

Well I didn't want this journal to look too bland *wink wink* :D. Exaggeration is a path to heaven! And you know that authors always see their works differently than viewers. I'm aware that I'm better than many and my skills are fine but there are things I'm not satisfied with. I see other artists who don't have problems with these things and I'd like to learn to do them properly too. Not that I don't see hundreds of other artists who make the same mistakes all the time. So it's not that I'm depressed now or something but I just still have many things to learn. Still, would it be better if we had nothing new to learn? I doubt so.

Well, I am always willing to commission artists! Perhaps we can come up with an idea that will inspire you. :3

Hahaha you know, inspiring ideas are great but sometimes they are risky :D. Like you want an interesting angle and I fail at drawing it properly XD. Well I never leave a sketch as it is if it's incorrect but still the result might be unexpected. Perhaps better than usual but more likely worse XD.

I love your artwork. Its much better than i can do, I wish i was as good as you are. :)

Glad about the good news though.

And I have the same issues with my work too. Im trying my best to get better though and make it look more real and less toony

Hard to say anything about your art since I can't find it in your gallery :D. Do you actually post anywhere pictures drawn by you?

About drawing, it's just a matter of paying attention to details. After some time you build up your skills :) I takes some time and it never works if you try to fix too many things at a time. Thanks for nice words :)

Of course, you are welcome, I am a nice person :)

And yes i have some pictures.

Here is some I am working on

1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/4k6diyt5z.....0plow.png?dl=0
2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/123hxr7c3.....ZHARR.png?dl=0
3. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7v346j61u.....uishy.png?dl=0
4. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nv69ninaj.....leach.png?dl=0
5. https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgew2t5sg.....-fuck.png?dl=0

My coloring skills are bad too I think

(THESE ARE FROM OLDEST TO NEWEST FROM 1 - 7) 7 is newest.
1. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11102881/
2. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11054482/
3. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9501804/
4. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9416148/ <<<I Still think this one's my best<<<
5. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12740225/
6. https://www.dropbox.com/s/t24cpv7p7.....0PREZ.png?dl=0
7. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrzpybrdu.....prise.png?dl=0


OH AND I RE-ORGANIZED MY GALLERY JUST NOW! :3
Now it is filled with my old arts. I need to post the new ones..
I've been drawing since 2008

You are actually good! Hard to say how good compared to the amount of time you spend on drawing but it looks pretty fine, really. Your style reminds me of how I used to draw. It's a hybrid of my old style with my friend's. You have some troubles with proportions in some parts but it's clearly visible you care much about the quality and try to do things as good as you can. It's visible on hands. I bet you spend much time on redrawing them again and again until they look good enough. But if you can draw them like that at your first try then you're definitely better than me. I only know better how to finish my picture. There are a few tips which could make your lines much better.

About the car... it looks better than I could ever draw. I can't draw machinery properly. My dear friend Yuras12 is good at it but I'm not. Maybe with a strong help of references I could draw something worthwhile but still congratulations, at this you're certainly better than me :). You're also pretty courageous because I see you try different poses, not only the simplest ones and it mostly turns our really well. I think you can be really good at this, you just need to push your skills a bit forward :).

As far as coloring is concerned I see good skills too. Your mistakes are easy to fix and you already understand some concepts like highlights, shadows, backlight. You don't need much more skills to make your pictures more realistic and better. About that last picture:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrzpybrdu.....prise.png?dl=0

I learned that if you want to draw separate strands of fur you either must draw a bit more realistic lineart or render them pretty carefully. Otherwise they won't look good. Also fur can't be too uniform (I have this problem too) because it will look dull. I suggest drawing strands only in certain areas while skipping them in others. This way you give a hint of fur not overdoing it. Heh... you remind me myself not that long time ago :). Well you've got a great base to work on. You're already good ut if you want to better you'll have to pay attention to details, I'm afraid, and start fixing some mistakes you tend to do in linearts and coloring.

Still I'm impressed, I worried I'll see bad art and trying to comment it, would be a pain in the ass but fortunately it's really good :). Develop your skills more, they shouldn't be wasted :)

The truth is i held 3 jobs in 1 day, and I barely draw at all but.... my will is what makes me go on, I dont wanna give up like I used to. My art used to make me cry cuz I never got it right, I threw fits and tantrums cuz I couldnt do it.

Im honored to hear your words to me, it makes me feel happy and I love how I remind you of yourself. If that is the case..... would you please teach me some stuff?

All I wanted was a teacher to show me the way and keep me at it.

Every time I draw, I livestream. I would love to have you in my streams to watch, I play music, chat with my audience on mic, and I make sure you feel welcome while I work <3

I do have proportional troubles but I am just..... wow, so impressed that you were able to read me that well... I do very much care about my quality and I want to do my best!

BECAUSE I HAVE A DREAM! I want to become one of the best furry artists! And I want to learn much more! Im a very creative young man! And I want to learn more! I want to do my best, and I am not going to stop until everyone see's what I can do! I want to prove myself, whether it be by my great personality Im told that I have, or my skills in art! I can draw, I can dance, I can edit videos, I can photo Manipulate, I can mildly DJ, I want to do so much more! Im very creative and I want to master everything I can do! I want to do the unattainable! Im determined to expand myself as far as the stars!

Hehehe ^_^ Yeah you really do remind me myself. I have been drawing for 2 years that time and I still couldn't draw what I wanted. It was rather a matter of luck and coincidence than skill. I can show you a few pictures from that time. About teaching you things... Sure, I will gladly help you as much as I can. I love teaching others but usually it's math, and physics XD. In case of the art it is much more difficult. I can only show you some things, give some advice and appraisal but you will have to master it yourself. With normal knowledge it's easier I think. That's all... especially over the internet :/. But for that we would have to use some messanger or something. I use only Skype and AIM but since I use Pidgin for AIM handling, only text messages are possible. Skype can be both text and voice. But are you sure? Despite of how much I tried not to influence your art with mine, showing you how I do things would inevitably lead to that.

But livestreams are fine too but I'm not sure if I always be on time. You know, the time-zone issue and others. For now I will just watch you :).

The easiest way to solve problems with proportions are stickman-skeletons and ovals. I think I should write a tutorial about that.

That's the spirit :) You don't lack it, it seems. That's good, the worse thing you could do is give up. *chuckles*... Sorry but when you said "I have a dream. I want to become the best..." then my brain itself finished it with "...the best pokemon trainer in the world" XD. Anyway motivation is more important than skills. Skills can be acquired, but without motivation even the best skills are useless.

Well, I think it's good that you look at your art and see "repetitve shit" even if I do not totally agree on all points, because now you have a better chance of doing somethig different and better.

Most artists fail to see what you just saw, and continue with the same old boring rutine forever. (even some of the better artists here in the fandom do the same).

So, good luck on your next projects and I hope you'll try something rainbowy and exciting :) marf

I don't know if I succeed changing that... doing things in the old way is very tempting. You know that the result will be good and exploring new areas can make you draw a piece of crap. And I'm afraid of drawing a picture of lower than average quality. I will try to fight that though.

Baby steps, start experimenting slowly and see where it goes.

Definitive proof that an artist is always their own very worst critic. ;)

I respect your uncanny ability to look into your own gallery and realize that your particular style could use a creative overhaul... there's simply not enough artists out there who possess a humble and genuinely honest enough approach to their work to allow that feeling of self-critique to thrive, enabling themselves to wish for a better approach.

No doubt, I - for one - happen to admire your artwork quite a bit! This journal, however, has granted me a newfound respect, of sorts. :3 You aren't an egocentric artist full of yourself... you are a considerate-enough person to realize what is wrong and how such wrongs can be averted. It takes a brave soul to comprehend that feeling in their own works!

I think many artists are aware of that but whether they care or not depends on their motivation for art. Is it self-development or merely money? I won't lie to you that I seek all of them. Self-development, money and some fame too. I just don't want it be based on just being better than average... Heh... I could be much better if I drew more XD. Sometimes it's just tiring. I haven't drawn anything during most of my childhood. I learned drawing late so I'm not a "born artist" so to speak. At the same time I won't get better by sitting and doing nothing. Well I must say, it happened a few times that after a long break (not drawing AT ALL) I could draw better than before that break. Pretty weird.

As if being an artist instantly meant being a douchebag XD hahahahaha. I'm friendly to most, as long as they remain friendly as well. Maybe it's me who draw pictures but it's the watchers who make me happy that I drew them. I remember and respect that. I couldn't draw for myself, so frankly I owe my skills to people who supported me over all those years. I couldn't draw if not some friendly comments or just some interest from watchers. That's maybe not much yet it makes the whole difference for me.

I completely understand where you're coming from... seriously. Its weird how the typical average furry artist has quite literally sold their creative talents out to constant repetitive YCH auctions and adoptable raffles... that, IMO, destroys originality and renders an artist into more of a churning machine than a solid emotional powerhouse being. :/ Its refreshing to see that some (yourself included) still possess enough care & consideration to actually want overall progress change and what to do in order to rectify the issues bothering them with their current line-up of work... everyone endures a change of pace sometime. A wiping-clean of the slate can make all the difference in the world. I'm sure that approach helps many other artists as well... you're certainly not alone in feeling that way! ;)

A quality comment can have the power to make or break an artist sometimes... its all in how they perceive the praise from the critique.

Hey I'm gonna do some YCHs too XD... hahahaha. YCHs are bad... they are just pictures artists would draw either way but I accept them since many commissioners want pictures from a certain artist but don't have any idea for what could it be. But as far as adoptables are concerned, it's bad. Again it's acceptable if the designs are creative and unique but still I don't understand why people would want to skip that fascinating process of creating their characters and instead buy a premade one, but I've seen adoptables which differed only in colors but the lines remained the same. It's just lame, but as long as people buy them, artists will sell them.

I'm sort of idealist, perhaps that's why. Sometimes I do things because they should be done, not because I like it or it's profitable or something.

Artists are in general quite touchy. Some even can't stand very mild and constructive criticism but all love praise. I do too :D.