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puppyluver256 · 7 years

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Some art tips from a big ol’ nerd

I saw that “art tips that aren’t really appropriate tips” post going around so I thought I’d make a list of art tips that generally help me and I would like to pass on to you. Keep in mind that a lot of these are going to be subjective and conditional, so if they don’t work for you then that’s a-okay.

1 - Try new things often

Nothing gets the art mind working like drawing things you’re not used to. I’m not saying you have to always be drawing something that makes you uncomfortable, just on occasion draw something you’re not used to. For instance, say you’re really big into Super Mario, and more often than not will draw the plumbers (specifically Mario and Luigi) and princesses over other characters. Try to change it up on occasion by drawing Wario and Waluigi, who make for interesting subjects with their exaggerated anatomy. How about Bowser or one of the Koopalings? Even Toads with their simplicity are a nice departure from the same-old-same-old.

Of course there are those times when you just wanna doodle out something that you know practically by heart, and that’s fine. Just keep in mind that changing it up every so often will help to keep your skills sharp.

2 - The right tool for the right time

Any medium of visual art (at least, any that doesn’t involve bodily waste or blood imo) is viable for use in the expression of your vision. You can use any tool you want for your art, regardless of what a lot of people seem to think. This applies to both traditional and digital media. “Don’t use crayons, it’ll make your art look like a child drew it!” Bullcrap, I’ve seen some lovely pieces by professionals drawn with crayon. “You shouldn’t use the bucket fill tool, it’s lazy.” Bullcrap, that’s how I get things done so quick. “If I see any of you m-f-ers airbrushing in your work, I’ll kick your ass.” Well, it’s a good thing my ass has so much damn padding, your foot better be warmed up to make good on your threat ‘cuz that’s how I do most of my shading. Regardless, the point is that it’s not about WHAT tools you use in your art, but rather HOW you use them to create what you want people to see.

The only “must” I would throw at you in regards to tools is in regards to traditional painting, and that is in the maintenance and care of your brushes. Always wash your brushes when you’re done, ALWAYS, regardless of what type of paint you’re working with. Acrylic paints turn to plastic once dry, rendering your unwashed brushes completely useless. Oils are a little more forgiving in the “rendering your unwashed brushes completely useless” regard, but will permanently stain your brushes unless washed properly (which I recommend doing with dish soap, it really helps get the paint out of the bristles). Also, for digital artists, learn your keyboard shortcuts. It saves SO much time.

3 - When to use reference

Reference is often crucial to draw something accurately. “No ref” isn’t really the bragging right that most people seem to think it is. I mean, I still use reference with drawing my own characters! You should almost always be using reference, especially when drawing something you don’t draw very often. For example, if your horse drawings always come out looking like they have macaroni for legs, you’ll want to look up reference images of proper horse leg anatomy.

However, sometimes you want your subject to look a bit off. If you’ve ever seen the Adventure Time episode where Finn and Jake are watched overnight by a horse that has some “wacked-out poo brain”, you’ll know that that horse does not look like a normal horse, or even horses and equine animals as normally portrayed in other Adventure Time episodes. There’s a good reason for this, and the fact that this horse looks so strange plays well into its role in that episode. The point being, reference is almost always a good tool to have on hand, though sometimes you want to go off-model for a specific experience.

4 - “I can’t yet”

This is more of a psychological tip than anything to do with actually aiding in art improvement, but I find it works rather well in encouraging one to improve. When people say they “can’t draw” something because it doesn’t look right to them when they do even with reference (as opposed to, say, not being able to draw something because it makes you uncomfortable or there are too many prying eyes over your shoulder all the time), I personally feel that they might be preemptively limiting themselves.

For example, similar to what I mentioned in the reference part, I have confidence issues when it comes to even semi-realistic equine anatomy. However, I never (at least not anymore) say anything along the lines of “I can’t draw horses very well.” I instead say “I can’t draw horses very well yet.” The “yet” is important, it implies to both me and anyone listening that I am working on improving this area of drawing and will someday be able to properly draw horses. Same with any drawing weakness: hands and feet, babies, cars, buildings, trees, what have you. You’re not bad at drawing these things, you’re just not practiced in drawing them. Just because you can’t draw them yet doesn’t mean you will never be able to.

5 - Have confidence.

No art tip can be more handy than believing in yourself. Everyone’s going to have bad art days, where nothing looks like it’s coming out right. Everyone’s going to try to draw pieces that they end up feeling were more than they could handle. This will happen to every artist, guaranteed. But you can’t just give up because you’re having a bad string of art, or because you were a bit overambitious. I forget who said it, but to paraphrase the quote I can only remember the core message of, everyone has 100 bad drawings inside them and you’ve just got to get them out.

Don’t like how that portrait you were working on all day/week/month came out? Reminisce on that kick-ass swirling galaxy, mystical forest, superhero dog, or whatever you did a while back and remember you can do it. A little bit disappointed with your latest piece but see some really good points about it that you like regardless of how you feel about it overall? Good, focus on those bits and think to yourself “hey, that part of the piece is good, it makes the rest of it worthwhile.” You can do it. You have hard work and practice, and those together make talent. That’s all talent is, the results of practicing and working hard.

That’s been some art tips from your local nerd, keep these in mind and happy arting to all. :D

#art tips #jess discusses art stuff

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