#i just really like drawing him now the colors are so fun

[strangesickness]

richie tozier's shoes are always getting holes and the soles are always fucked up because he walks on the sides of his feet and his toes.

he is a converse guy because i SAY he is

he is content to just put duct tape over the holes but maggie insists he get new shoes because like. the top half is literally coming off the bottom half

at first she's annoyed that he keeps breaking all his shoes but then one day they're like. at the grocery store or something and he's standing weird and she tells him to stop and he seems genuinely apologetic because its like his third pair of shoes that year but then he's back at it again an hour later and she realizes he just does not realize he's doing it AT ALL

anyways richie and his water damaged falling apart duct taped cons

he doesn't wear boots in winter because he doesn't like the way high ankles feel (i think he stops minding it when he's a bit older and gets really into work boots partially because they don't break and partially because he loves swinging his feet with them on cuz they're heavy and partially because they look super cool) so his shoes are just super muddy and they're always kind of damp and its HORRIBLE

he doodles on his shoes in class. he drew a dick on the big white part at the top of the toe area but maggie made him wash it off so now he just sticks to stick figures and hearts and peace signs and r+e (which always gets immediately scribbled out)

maggie doesn't really mind him doodling on his shoes as long as it isn't crude but she does make him clean the marker off to the best of his ability every month or so (which he doesn't mind because it just means he has more space to draw lol)

he has had like every single color of converse but if they're brighter colors they almost always end up brown or grey because he is always running around in mud lol

he buys fun patterned/colored duct tape to tape the holes in his shoes and then he gets really into making. tape pencil cases for a bit and makes them for all his friends lol

he's like. in college when heelys are invented but he is immediately obsessed with them but he's super scared of breaking them because they're pretty expensive so he only wears them for short distances LOL he starts bringing a change of shoes with him sometimes so he can change out of them when he's not like actually walking somewhere so he won't start standing weird and bending them LOL

#i look at richie and go “how should i project my autism onto you this time?" #posts afflicted with a strange sickness #it stephen king #richie tozier

[shrewstew]

MCCORMICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karen is a scene gorl now because I said so. She’s like 13-14 or something here.

She no longer hangs out with the goth kids cuz they couldn’t be seen with a scene girl on a budget, sadly. They’re still friendly tho

She’s dating Tricia, she keeps her from getting bullied.

She’s a big fan of sewing and embroidery, also art. She got one of those “how to draw manga” books

She knows how to fight thanks to her guardian angel, however she’s probably crying while she kicks your ass, she’s still sensitive 💔

She’s older and wiser. She can see her brothers are struggling and is pissed that they still treat her like a baby that can’t handle these types of subjects. They don’t seem to realize they’re not making her feel any better when they leave her in the dark.

Heavily inspired by his design in Post Covid, using his old shirt as a vest. He’s in his early twenties here

He still lives with his parents, but he provides for everyone. I don’t fw people who thinks he’d just run away and ditch the others‼️‼️ He works as a car mechanic. Because of course.

He looks mean, and he is kinda mean, but he’s not mad, he’s just thinkin’ real hard

He paints for fun. His PC design has all sorts of multi-colored stains on him, so that’s my reasoning right there

No more braces! I feel like his braces were probably home-made (ouch) due to obvious reasons. I can’t imagine those work very well, so his teeth are still a little jacked

Older sibling guilt, he was jaded and angry as a child and was never really there as a shoulder to cry on, and he wants to make up for it but he’s so bad with his emotions.

He’s also struggling with alcohol and inherited his dads argumentative traits and anger issues. He knows he’s just like his dad, and he feels like a failure because of it.

#kenny mccormick #kevin mccormick #karen mccormick #south park #South Park au #aged up characters #stuart mccormick #carol mccormick

[feroluce]

So I spoke somewhat about my thoughts on Emanator Sampo here, but I never really thought of it from a design point of view or what kind of powers he would have until just recently. But I actually kind of love leaning into it from a "stage hand" perspective?

Because like. Aha's body in THEIR official art is completely black, giving attention to all the fun brightly colored things around THEM. And that's so fitting for Sampo! He usually prefers to be a side character. He likes to act from the shadows. His is a much more subtle hand.

So I wonder if as an Emanator, a lot of his clothes are actually very dark? Not necessarily plain, still extravagant and needlessly detailed in things like cut and quality with lots of different fabrics and textures and ornamentation, but dark. Or maybe even his skin itself becomes blackened further down his body; his hands in particular are dark, as a sort of sleight of hand reference.

The motif of a lot of straps wrapped around him like in his canon design is still present, but they're all loose and flowing off of him like paper streamers now instead of restraining him or holding him together. He is no longer contained! Or maybe they're still a bit more rigid/heavy, but just draped more like red stage curtains!

And this is like. Fully self-indulgent, but I love inhuman designs, and there's nothing in canon to say I can't do this, so screw it! Go for broke!! Maybe it's not visible to normal people, but Sampo having a second set of arms would be really cool, as further sleight of hand reference. One set is almost normal looking, but his hands are a bright, attention-drawing white, and the other is dark, set almost in the shadows of the first arms, to act less noticeably.

He also has something of a broken heart design to him in canon (the front of his black shirt with its jagged shape down the middle; his coat looks like a full heart shape in the back), and I actually like him keeping that element as an Emanator, because I think it suits him. Sampo says his taste in aesthetics and views on Elation involve human dignity,

and the story he helps create in Belobog involves the long and winding road of resistance and survival and eventual triumph in the face of some very adverse, oppressing odds. (I'm pretty sure I heard he once called Wildfire "artless" though, plus the man acts like he thinks Shame is some kind of dessert, so like ndkdjzjskkd) But the point being!!

I think Sampo is someone who can appreciate heartbreak and angst and tragedy in a story, because it makes the victory at the end all the sweeter. And this would be another thing he shares with Aha, because I think THEY did bless the Mourning Actors partly just to be a little shit, but also because Aha does recognize tragedy as part of THEIR Path, too, and you can see it in some of the game. So a broken heart motif can still suit him, and I like him having elements of both comedy and tragedy. Like his clothing having a happy sun/sad moon (like the moon in Aha's art) or him having both of the traditional comedy/tragedy masks in his design.

And as Emanator, Sampo can maybe play with the stage settings environment, too. Like lights sometimes behave strangely around him, appearing blindingly bright to someone or dramatically dark. Sampo wills it and suddenly there seems to be a metaphorical spotlight right where he wants everyone to look. And when he doesn't want to be noticed, his face seems to be cast in shadow, he seemingly just fades into the background, no one notices or recognizes him and he sneaks away easily. He can create smoke or fog literally out of thin air without his bombs now, too, the air will just suddenly thicken until his stage is obscured, and Sampo can set the scene as he pleases or disappear without a trace.

And in line with being a stage hand, Sampo can direct attention like no other. He was already extremely good at this as a normal mortal, and becoming an Emanator only took it up to 11, past human limits. Sampo points, and all present feel compelled to follow his fingertip. He looks away, and they all follow his gaze. He can even affect the mood of an audience; he can influence everyone to be calm and placid or he can whip them into a feverish frenzy. Sometimes a crowd will start to become unsettled, agitation stirring until it boils over, until it incites a full on violent mob.

And in the middle of all that chaos will stand one perfectly calm figure, face cast in shadow, until they quietly slip away out of sight.

#sampo koski #hsr sampo #emanator sampo #hsr sampo koski #honkai star rail #hsr #they were talking about Emanator Sampo designs in the Sampard Nation server one night and somehow THAT was what got my mind going fjkdaljfk #there was also talk of him making monsters explode in confetti or making their heads pop off like a jack-in-the-box (my contribution hehe) #which is hilarious but just wasn't super relevant here jfklasdj #(I miss bouncing around ideas like that...if anyone knows another sampard server or even just a sampo-dedicated one hit me up!) #(i would love to join and would probably even have friends to bring!!) #but anyway yes I love Emanator Sampo being stage hand themed haha it's very fun with him #I have a lot of screenshots so I wanna try to use them for things like this more! #I think its in SU where it says Aha isn't as powerful an aeon as some of the others like Qlipoth or Lan or Nanook #so I like Sampo's powers being less direct and not just pure destructive power like a lot of the Destruction Emanators #it lets you get real creative with it <3 #maybe next I'll bring over my thoughts on his mask design? Ooh but I wanna talk about Geppie too... #Geppie protecting his soldiers from Cocolia or the actions he could have taken or his very sweet relationship with Bronya- #-or him being inspired by Serval or his HILARIOUS relationship with Pela... #Decisions decisions...

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Ep. 13 "Into the Breach" Review

This was another fantastic episode that packs so much into its 25 minute runtime. Seriously, the finale better be like an hour. I feel like there's so much we have to address, yet so little time. My faith in you doesn't waver Jennifer; you've guided us through thick and thin. I will say that Rampart is surprisingly a really fun character to revisit and I enjoy watching him interact with the Batch. This man doesn't learn, but he's funny now so I give him kudos for entertainment purposes. I loved the dark atmosphere as the finale draws nearer and near. This is the end of the Bad Batch. We know it and they know it.

As usual, spoilers below:

MAMA ECHO RETURNS!!! After so long, he graces us with his appearance and he serves. I loved everything from his action sequences to his sass. Watching him sneak around the Imperial ship, rolling off of crates and working his magic was awesome to watch. That's why he's the Arc Trooper. And boy was he funny too. If it were possible, Rampart would've definitely be set on fire. Between being told he was being demoted to being denied the title of "sir," Rampart was demolished by Echo. It's just so good to see Echo again. I love him so much for his kind heart, quips, and awesome action sequences. The writers delivered!

Rampart, Rampart, Rampart... what will we do with you? He certainly hasn't changed and probably never will. But honestly, I kinda hope he doesn't. Sometimes, people are just aholes who do the right things for the wrong reasons. Rampart provides an interesting moral perspective. And he's still hot. Seeing him cleaned up in the uniform didn't help either. I'm a simple woman guys. He's also hilarious and I love it. Rampart's ego is so big that he unintentionally comes across as whiny and comical. Going forward, I seriously wonder what they'll do with him because he's going to Tantiss. Will he get dropped off? Sell the Batch out? Die in the battle that is to come? Next week will tell. I'm glad he was brought back though. He did his job as a villain well. Now, we get to see him in different situations and it's fun.

Omega, my sweet bean, hang in there. This episode does so well in establishing just how much she's grown over the past few seasons. Omega's always been resourceful and clever. Seeing her scheme to escape the Vault was exciting. You can also see the influence her brothers, particularly Hunter, have had on her. Omega's become more confident and mature. She's a leader in every sense of the word. The other kids look to her for guidance as she plans an escape. I also want to give the other kids a huge hug; I can't imagine what it must be like for them. It's one of the darkest things we've ever seen in Star Wars. Also, Emerie and Scalder rivalry definitely is gonna end with Emerie's true motivations being discovered. Scalder's not gonna let her allow Omega to slip away.

And seeing the boys strip their armor of all their color... that was legitimately heartbreaking to watch. I see it as a symbol of finality. There is no going back once they get to Tantiss. Hunter's "negative" just cements that. The last 5 minutes of the episode were so tense as the boys hitched a ride. As a my discord friend put it, "all roads lead to Tantiss."

There were a lot of smaller moments I enjoyed too. Wrecker was pretty funny this episode. Crosshair and Hunter voicing their trust in Echo was sweet. It furthers just how much the Batch truly trust and know each other. It's that implicit trust that makes me love their dynamic so much.

Anyways, that's all for now. We're truly in the endgame guys. After so long, we've finally made it to Tantiss. All that's left is to get Omega, the children, and escape which is so much easier said than done. I'm so scared yet excited for what's to come. See y'all next week!

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #tbb echo #tbb wrecker #tbb omega #tbb rampart #tbb season 3 #tbb spoilers

[b4kuch1n]

sunstroll

#pokemon #swsh #rival hop #professpr hop #communication coming thru from the 32 degree C midday land #it is. kind of summer. not really but its at the door #gods. disgostang. time to draw in orange #Ive been chippin away at this one while drawing the comic so I dont like. lose my mind #and now this is done! and the comic has three pages left!! #I am Going to Do It tonite. I am Going to Get That Shit Done #tomorrow there will be sad monster for ya #but for now. theres hop in more clothes. bc I really do not give him enough #coloring this one was a Challenge lol... I got too used to the kind of color aggression goin on with leon #hop has more harmony goin on in his vibes so I had to pull some weird plays for this lmao #and then everything still ends up hypersaturated bc. well its me. this is just how I am #but I'll take it!! it was pretty fun once I sussed out a way forward. coloring is always a Time #have a good day! wish me luck! boy oh boy we sure have an evening in front of us

[xxsweetoothxx]

Workin on Redesigning Jackies Colorful version and Im stuck as hell on clorors to pic for their Hair. Tried a billion different ones but These 5 seemed to work best I think

Also also Redesigning Isaac as well as his Sister. The old story I had for them was okay but then I got a better idea that makes Isaac the irredeemable shit I wanted him to be originally!

Also this idea allows me to tie in the whole thing from the cannon creeps comic of everyone seeming to hate LJ. Only in PM I plan on it to be a bit different with Ragz. Mainly that they didn't really do anything but SOMEONE did.

A Hint on why Ragz may be heavily disliked.

#im very unsure on a hair color so by all means give opinions! #either way its gonna be black in the version of them with less color #on another note #if it wasnt obvious Isaac is just being straight up malicious by dressing like that in the underworld #mf is intentionally pretending to be this clown to cause problems because hes pissedbabout being very justifiably killed #I'll get into that backstory one day #i gotta admit tho. Clown Isaac is very fun to draw #i got the idea because when reading the original LJ origin story #the thought of 'hey what if LJ is actually just Isaac?' #like yeah LJ killed him blah blah #bit what if LJ really was just an imaginary friend and the death was more a metaphorical one #im sure someoen else has had the idea before #but it came to mind a long time ago and it inspired me to be like #“what if after getting killed by this clown Isaac said he ruined my life so ima ruin his now” #and just dressed up to cause problems on purpose for them #anyway actual tags now #creepypasta #proxymorons #crp #creepy pasta #creepypasta art #doodleteeth #creepypasta redesign #laughing jack #isaac grossman #Izzy Lockwood #Isaac Lockwood #Ragz #Jackie Ragzdale

[aleki-lives-here]

#it's apparently been sitting finished for a week now #which probably means it's time to post it #mdzs #mdzs fanart #wei wuxian #wei ying #wwx #mxy!wwx #I am still having my fun with trying to draw them as differently as possible #and yes I ended up going with clothing from the donghua #except for the colors of yllz's. I enjoy the design but not the colors there #The idea of black outer robe with blood red underneath does something to me #there's some symbolism in it. I felt it when drawing. I felt it xD #also I am of the opinion that yllz era wwx is skeletally thin #But! he also hides it with some good clothing choices so nobody really notices #except for those who care to look #but I am also sure that mxy's body is in just as awful a state by the time of his death #have you seen what the boy got fed?! it's awful. terrible. it's not gonna let him look healthy afterwards #I headcanon that wwx doesn't notice it because he's so used to what his body was like in the end that it doesn't really register for him #but Lan Zhan sees it and is going to fix with regular meals from now on! #anyway! #my art

[faeymouse]

Here's green from the Tron color wheel as its own piece. This is proving to be a really fun exercise in repurposing artwork!

#faey draws #tronblr #tron: uprising #tron evolution #zed (tron) #gibson (tron) #links #at first i really had no idea how tf to put these two in a scene together bc they werent drawn interacting #but i think i figured it out and now i'm like 'ah yes au where gibson survives and he teams up with Zed of all characters . actually kinda #invested now? #kinda getting better at backgrounds and compositions kinda sorta #very intimidating. very strange. very fun #had to get rid of gibson's middle finger bc he just looked so mean when it wasn't directed at clu lmao #zed is perfect in every way arguably my favorite of the entire color wheel purely bc he captured the exact energy i wanted him to #(shocked out of his little digital mind) #behold my tiny rectifiers as i try to lead the eye of the viewer diagonally to the main characters of the piece! #zed and gibson would be bros. gibson would let him borrow his jacket and then be the world's greatest wingman at the 001001 club

[eggs-can-draw]

Wanted to draw a bit of isolation, I need to do slice of life more often

#eggs can art #danganronpa #drthh #makoto naegi #so weird to have so little to tag #this was like #genuinely therapeutic to draw #I think I've been getting myself a little too worked up about these. the only reason I started posting every other day was just to keep #myself going and to give myself an easy way to watch my improvement but like. I unno. It almost feels like a Job now #not saying I plan on going on a hiatus anytime soon I absolutely adore creating and doodling and sharing my thoughts and actually having #people who will Listen but like. it kinda started to feel more like an obligation than something I do for fun. this doodle set felt a lot m #ore comfortable to make. nobody to consider and nobody to try and impress. just me and my favorite character. living life. #I think I'm going to try and draw more like that #I want to make something colored next time so we'll see #I really wanna draw him cooking :]

[pyrriax]

hi tumblr im pyrr pyrriax and im in my trimonthly artist arc, lord help me and all the projects that are currently sitting in my drafts while i am lured in by the siren song of drawing

#haunted ecosystem #this is not helping with how much my hands hurt on a daily basis this is why i type and dont handwrite/draw very much. #im lured in regardless and i really need to find an artform that doesnt Hurt but for now. digital art <3 #like theres a difference between my dumb doodles (quick easy not much different from regular computer usage) and actual art #but im an artist at heart i spent sooooo long being an artist and thinking i was shit at writing. that is wrong! im actually kinda good #im rambling in tags today because i have been not social (my partner is in genshin hell and my beloved is. somewhere.) #okay but on another note i reread the first. couple chapters of wtds this morning? the pacing is a little weird and the tense is fucked #but its actually a lot better than i thought it was? you can tell i was fleshing everybody out in my head and i totally forgot about how #i described the watcher [who i am STILL redacting the name of until we get there] and just. ough. pandora being very logical #and then jumping to the latest chapter and fucking sobbing because i forgot about how it went and just. pandora and his. #whatever the fuck is wrong with him. #i have gotta start recommending people read that again. its surprisingly friendly without context because of how i approached it #that fic has taught me so many things its actually a little comical. it also made me relearn how to make and write ocs so thats fun #once i finish that main fic (and i WILL i am actually planning to sign up for a thing. im finishing it i swear.) i finally get to show off #more of the world and characters ive crafted. showing backstories and what-ifs and all these oneshots ive been keeping close to my chest #for like absolutely ages because i dont want any spoilers on my tumblr #and. im finishing that fic in pseudo-memoriam of somebody who deleted their accounts everywhere. still miss you dane! #ok this has completely gone off topic ily tumblr im going back to drawing and i might make a new pfp #it'll still be lavius but it'll be fray lavius since i think about him a lot and i like his color palette.

[evilmagician430]

hey guys i found this weird discontinued doll line from 2014, seems like the gimmick is each doll comes with a pet, except the pet is just an entire dude? so theyre mostly sold in two-packs, technically. i cant find much information on these except a weird tie-in comic on neocities, but i cant tell if its official or fan-made. can anyone let me know if they find more pictures of these? thx

#hey i combined 2 things im hyperfixated on again but this time the two things were ranfren and fashion dolls just like in general. #i currently do not really have proper supplies to make good doll customs of them #so for now the sanest course of action was to literally draw them as little dolls in their boxes for sale #i bet these bitches only got 5 pts of articulation /j #randal would have kanekalon hair. sebastian has polypropylene. i drew it like rooted hair but lets be real luther has molded on plastic hair #luther gets 2 releases because his hair color is inconsistent and he wears different color shirts sometimes #i think im going to draw a third release of him with nana. #a playset of the house would be fun but i am NOT drawing that.... #the only ones i would want out of the ones ive drawn so far would be the randal and sebastian pack tbh. #not that i dont like luther and his catmen but their fashion isnt as interesting. which is why it was easier 2 draw #i had fun with the accessories though. i also like how i put a coffin shape behind randal and didnt do that for all the other boxes cause #it was too hard #anyways i wanna make more of these when i have the time... i wanna draw nurse randal and i want a release of satoru with camio(?spelling) #unreality #<== jic. mostly cause of my fun little caption #images that are horrid to see and look at #mspaint #dollblr #fashion dolls #ranfren #randal's friends #randal ivory #randal von ivory #sebastian de tomato smith chicken legs #luther ivory #luther von ivory #nyen catman #nyon catman

[semothekat]

head in hands heand in hands

#paper is talking #Me when my dad is telling me how good and useful ai art is #How it would be so much easier for me to draw if i used it #That i can just skip the ‘meaningless’ stuff and get exactly my ideas made #Basically like the entire drawing process is meaningless and isnt important #Im not that good at speaking chinese but i said sometihng like ‘then i dont need to draw’ meaning like theres no point in me drawing at all #But i didnt really say the right words to get that meaning across so he said exactly! #Like. #head in hands right now guys #Theres no point in drawing anything if i use ai to make it #Like idk how to explain this in a way that he will understand in a way that isn’t ‘yeah! See now you dont have to work as hard and its so m #So much easier!’ #Idk why but him suggesting whole heartedly that i use ai to draw just ruined my mood eniterely #WHATS THE POINT!!! #In drawing amber and sayu and all my ocs if im not drawing it!! #Whats the point in drawing anything ever agian #Drawing is so fun becuase i made that. #I made that with my own two hands #And its specifically mine. I made that #Like i took the time to figure out how to draw the eye to look just rihgt #i took the time to figure out which colors looked bettter and i took the time to look back at the references and study the characters cloth #s and realize with terror that they have 32847298374 details #I took the time to just not draw all those details #I tookt he time to make it and it is part of me #I dont care if its just amber standing there drawing 548 i made that! #He thinks that the amount of time and effort is a hassle and a problem that should be solved cause it ‘gets in the way of the #Creative process’ #This is the creaive process!!!! #This is the point!! #Top ten reasons im balding

[illiana-mystery]

Random Drawings of Fred I've drawn and colored so far on my new iPad.

#i want to draw him more now #like i really want to #he's just so fun to draw #also i love the coloring capabilities in procreate #it's so much better than illustrator #which i used to use #nwh otto #dr. otto octavius #otto octavius #no way home #inspector gamache #three pines #gino #blat #fanart #fan art #alfred molina

[cosmic-cd]

i forgot leon & charizard and red & charizard have team-up lines in pokemon masters. i then proceeded to remember my player character has a charizard too

at this point i think i need to give hazel a charizard officially because itd be funny

#cosmo rambles #i could say its the charmander leon gives you in SWSH LOL #trainer hazel is childhood friends with red blue and green/leaf because i decided that was fun- they all have color names #so its not out of the realm of possibility for her to get swept up by accident into some goofy charizard trio #red and leon shaking hands and agreeing on Team Charizard. hazel did NOT agree to this #but you must understand she cannot say no to leon's pleading eyes. and she cant say no to red standing there looking actually excited a bit #she just sighs and buries her face in her hands and goes okay fine #she isnt doing the charizard pose though the embarrassment would kill her #red and leon standing and looking cool and heroic and confident and hazel in the back just #standing there in a charizard t-shirt #blue laughs at her and hazel sics sparks on him #hazel does have an actual sygna suit but its with her kyurem LOL i need to finish drawing that i really gotta #uhhhh while im here hmm hm hm hmmm what else can i say about red blue green and hazel uhhh #hazel met them when her family went on a trip to kanto and thats when she met her pikachu sparks too #it was right before the og trainer trio went on their pokemon journey and hazels family was staying near pallet town #they ended up exchanging contact info and staying friends #well.... for the most part. hazel and blue had a bumpy friendship for a few years #they still butt heads but its like a rival thing now. a rival thing hazel doesnt want to be involved in but blue exudes pure rival energy #oh my god this is so much im so sorry. im full of thoughts

[starpros-sunshine]

Another Mayoi because that's what I do when I have no idea what else to draw apparently

#still trying to get warm with the new program #also this has made me painfull aware thT mayoi the way I draw him usually doesn't really look like Mayoi all that much #fun story I was looking for new brushes to download and the example artwork of one was a bust-up sketch of a character in a school uniform #the character remided me of Rei #so I went to check the brush out #there was a colored version of the sketch next to the lineart version and turns out it actually was Rei Sakuma from the game ensemble stars #funny coincidence #also I have no ideas how folds work #but yeah I hope this one looks fine #the post exam system shutdown is catching up with me so now that all the stress is gone I'm mainly just bad jokes headaches and sleepy #I'm alone all day though so at least the headache is bearable #but it's a bit boring I mean I'm used to it but I don't necessarily like being alone with my thoughts #Audiobooks my beloveds where would I be without you <3333 #enstars #mayoi ayase

[vetyr]

hi, i ireally love your work and i don't know if you've answered this before but, what kinds of studies do you do or how did you learn color theory? i wanna get better at rendering and anatomy but im having trouble TT TT

Hi! Long answer alert. Once a chatterbox, always a chatterbox.

When I started actively learning how to draw about 10 1/2 years ago, I exclusively did graphite studies in sketchbooks. Here's a few examples—I mostly stuck to doing line drawings to drill basic shapes/contours and proportions into my brain. The more rendered sketches helped me practice edge control & basic values, and they were REALLY good for learning the actual 3D structure behind what I was drawing.

I'd use reference images that I grabbed from fitness forums, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and some NSFW places, but you could find adequate ref material from figure drawing sites like Line of Action. LoA has refs for people (you can filter by clothed/unclothed, age, & gender), animals, expressions, hands/feet, and a few other useful things as well. Love them.

Learning how to render digitally was a similar story; it helped a lot that I had a pretty strong foundation for value/anatomy going in. I basically didn't touch color at all for ~2 years (except for a few attempts at bad digital or acrylic paint studies), which may not have been the best idea. I learned color from a lot of trial and error, honestly, and I'm pretty sure this process involved a lot of imitation—there were a number of digital/traditional painters whose styles I really wanted to emulate (notably their edge control, color choices, value distributions, and shape design), so I kiiind of did a mixture of that + my own experimentation.

For example, I really found Benjamin Björklund's style appealing, especially his softened/lost edges & vibrant pops of saturated color, so here's a study I did from some photograph that I'm *pretty* sure was painted with him in mind.

Learning how to detail was definitely a slow process, and like all the aforementioned things (anatomy/color/edge control/values/etc.) I'm still figuring it out. Focusing on edge control first (that is, deciding on where to place hard/soft edges for emphasizing/de-emphasizing certain areas of the image) is super useful, because you can honestly fool a viewer into thinking there's more detail in a piece than there actually is if you're very economical about where you place your hard edges.

The most important part, to me, is probably just doing this stuff over and over again. You're likely not going to see improvement in a few weeks or even a few months, so don't fret about not getting the exact results you want and just keep studying + making art. I like to think about learning art as a process where you *need* to fail and make crappy art/studies—there's literally no way around it—so you might as well fail right now. See, by making bad art you're actually moving forward—isn't that a fun prospect!!

It's useful to have a folder with art you admire, especially if you can dissect the pieces and understand why you like them so much. You can study those aspects (like, you can redraw or repaint that person's work) and break down whether this is art that you just like to look at, or if it's the kind of art that you want to *make.* There's a LOT of art out there that I love looking at, probably tens of thousands of styles/mediums, but there's a very narrow range that I want to make myself.

I've mentioned it in some ask reply in the past, but I really do think looking at other artist's work is such a cheat code for improving your own skills—the other artist does the work to filter reality/ideas for you, and this sort of allows you to contact the subject matter more directly. I can think of so many examples where an artist I admired exaggerated, like, the way sunlight rested on a face and created that orange fringe around its edge, or the greys/dull blues in a wheat field, or the bright indigo in a cast shadow, or the red along the outside of a person's eye, and it just clicked for me that this was a very available & observable aspect of reality, which had up until that point gone completely unnoticed! If you're really perceptive about the art you look at, it's shocking how much it can teach you about how to see the world (in this particular case I mean this literally, in that the art I looked at fully changed the way I visually processed the world, but of course it has had a strong effect on my worldviews/relationships/beliefs).

Thanks so much for sending in a question (& for reading, if you got this far)! I read every single ask I receive, including the kind words & compliments, which I genuinely always appreciate. Best of luck with learning, my friend :)

#answers to asks #illustration #art advice #art help #drawing #digital art