ardariel

[ardariel]

ideas of exercises to help with your practical art skills, as well as things to keep in mind while making art and new ways to find inspiration:

draw every day

recreate a drawing you did before, but better

draw something using only simple geometric shapes

do studies of famous artworks

listen to artists explain their work, it’s super interesting

take life drawing classes (or use online photo resources)

find an artwork you love, and work out why

draw caricatures of friends

set a 1 minute timer and draw an object as quickly as possible

draw something you can’t see, eg. music, emotion

research artists you admire and find out how they work

think about composition: what stands out, what recedes etc.

find a famous artwork you hate and work out why

sit outside and draw the landscape

copy a photo exactly

draw a scene from a film

draw the contours of an object not the outline

visit an art exhibition near you

draw your bedroom

look up tutorials online - there’s so many useful ones!

practise creating contrast between light and dark in pictures

research colour theory

do a self portrait

learn about art history! Research different movements etc.

try a new medium

consider the feeling you want to portray with the artwork

draw without looking at the page

draw a character from a book you’ve read

draw something you don’t usually draw

look at your pictures in the mirror to help you see problems better

follow artists and galleries on instagram for inspo

draw an ugly object in a beautiful way

try using only bold, bright colours

plan your colour palette before starting an artwork, and stick to it!

if you usually work in 2D, make something in 3D

always remember to add shadows

draw an object which is important to you

use 5 lines to depict an object, make every line count

draw using negative space

always draw from life when possible!

think carefully about which direction the light is coming from

study proportions and anatomy!! 

draw your pet

research items symbolic meanings in art

make an art blog to compile images that inspire you

draw using only straight lines

try accentuating any subtle colours in an image

draw models from fashion websites

sketch with friends! They always have great ideas

keep drawing even if you find it hard, you improve with every mistake!

{my art masterpost might also be useful to you} 

Good luck! xx

[ardariel]

Today's my birthday, and I'd like to share some art from the recent (and one from the not so recent) years. Some fanart, some OC's, all together.

If you see this, I'll be grateful if you care to spread it a little, so that more people know about my art. It's a big part of me and I'd love people to see it. Love&peace to all.

[ardariel]

I scrolled my tumblr way back and found out two things. 1) I used to post here a LOT of art and 99% of it is now SO old that it looks older than me. 👀

2) With enough time between you and your old art, it is no longer cringe-y to look at but rather funny and nostalgic.

I'm still torn between "ye gods, I need to delete all of these so no-one knows" and "oh but it contains 10 years of painting completely whatever comes to mind in an effort to become a better artist, keep your hands off it!" Let it be the way it is I guess. Not everything is a portfolio site.

[ardariel]

I seem to have a First Era fit again, I have no idea why, but I do hope it lasts.

[ardariel]

Voryn, walking in the (headcanon) gardens of Kogoruhn. Probably listening (fascinated) to his new acquaintance's plan of taking over the world, I mean, uniting all Chimer tribes.

[ardariel]

Lady of Dawn and Dusk, Twilight Queen, Moonshadow, inspired by today's hue in #huevember2024

[ardariel]

Some Discworld fanarts. The Watch books have always been my favorite, followed by The Witches (including Tiffany).

[ardariel]

ok hi! trying to start posting to tumblr again, so there will be some posts with older art and newer art all mixed together

[ardariel]

One of the super-unexpected fan arts, that just (too rarely) jump at me and demand "draw me noooowww, or else".

[ardariel]

@haimeart 's OC, Greyhound. Well I just had to draw this character, he has such a cool vibe about him. Also, character portraits are probably one of my top 5 fave things to draw.

[ardariel]

Oh yeah. The obligatory #toonme pic, I almost forgot I did it :P it was fun!

[ardariel]

 Greetings to all those who are still here to see my posts. <3

I’ve been away for quite some time, but I think I’ll try to get back on tumblr. Will start with posting pictures from 2019. Expect original characters, and a couple book fanarts.

[ardariel]

20 Basic Plots

1. QUEST - the plot involves the Protagonist’s search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible (but must be quantifiable, so think of this as a noun; i.e., immortality).

2. ADVENTURE - this plot involves the Protagonist going in search of their fortune, and since fortune is never found at home, the Protagonist goes to search for it somewhere over the rainbow.

3. PURSUIT - this plot literally involves hide-and-seek, one person chasing another.

4. RESCUE - this plot involves the Protagonist searching for someone or something, usually consisting of three main characters - the Protagonist, the Victim & the Antagonist.

5. ESCAPE - plot involves a Protagonist confined against their will who wants to escape (does not include some one trying to escape their personal demons).

6. REVENGE - retaliation by Protagonist or Antagonist against the other for real or imagined injury.

7. THE RIDDLE - plot involves the Protagonist’s search for clues to find the hidden meaning of something in question that is deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous.

8. RIVALRY - plot involves Protagonist competing for same object or goal as another person (their rival).

9. UNDERDOG - plot involves a Protagonist competing for an object or goal that is at a great disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds.

10. TEMPTATION - plot involves a Protagonist that for one reason or another is induced or persuaded to do something that is unwise, wrong or immoral.

11. METAMORPHOSIS - this plot involves the physical characteristics of the Protagonist actually changing from one form to another (reflecting their inner psychological identity).

12. TRANSFORMATION - plot involves the process of change in the Protagonist as they journey through a stage of life that moves them from one significant character state to another.

13. MATURATION - plot involves the Protagonist facing a problem that is part of growing up, and from dealing with it, emerging into a state of adulthood (going from innocence to experience).

14. LOVE - plot involves the Protagonist overcoming the obstacles to love that keeps them from consummating (engaging in) true love.

15. FORBIDDEN LOVE - plot involves Protagonist(s) overcoming obstacles created by social mores and taboos to consummate their relationship (and sometimes finding it at too high a price to live with).

16. SACRIFICE - plot involves the Protagonist taking action(s) that is motivated by a higher purpose (concept) such as love, honor, charity or for the sake of humanity.

17. DISCOVERY - plot that is the most character-centered of all, involves the Protagonist having to overcome an upheavel(s) in their life, and thereby discovering something important (and buried) within them a better understanding of life (i.e., better appreciation of their life, a clearer purpose in their life, etc.)

18. WRETCHED EXCESS - plot involves a Protagonist who, either by choice or by accident, pushes the limits of acceptable behavior to the extreme and is forced to deal with the consequences (generally deals with the psychological decline of the character).

19. ASCENSION - rags-to-riches plot deals with the rise (success) of Protagonist due to a dominating character trait that helps them to succeed.

20. DECISION - riches-to-rags plot deals with the fall (destruction) of Protagonist due to dominating character trait that eventually destroys their success.

by Pavel Simakov

[ardariel]

Dracula illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert

[ardariel]

[ardariel]

So I decided to follow the cool advice I reblogged earlier. This is what I got. My very own human proportion canon. Which looks surprisingly *sarcasm* a lot like those classic canons that I have studied over the years (in this case, especially Joseph Sheppard, looks like). But yeah, there are small tweaks here and there, and after scrupulously looking at a ton of reference and measuring shapes, lengths and widths (these last could use some more looking at, ahem), I can say that small differences go a long way. So anyway, even if I’m not, it looks like, going to say anything new about human proportions here, it was a great excercise anyway. I can certainly recommend it.

[ardariel]

Building your own Canon of Proportion

It’s very common to draw a figure, and know that something looks… wrong, but not be able to tell *what*. Having a juicy set of “ideal” proportions can help you course-correct when your instincts lead you astray. Beginners can use ready-made sets of rules, but as you become more attuned to exactly how you want your figures to look, it can be helpful to generate your own. 

Step 1: Learn a few existing canons of proportion. Try using them to measure real people, to measure art you like, and to measure your own art. See what happens if you take one of your own drawings, and adjust it to match the system you’re studying. See what rules make sense, and are easy to use, and which rules are confusing, or hard to see.

Proko has a couple great videos on different systems of proportion; here’s one system I think is particularly effective (but lots and lots of people use Loomis’ system and other skull-to-chin systems to great effect):

Step 2: Gather a number of references of figures whose proportions you like. If you want realism, you should use photos. If you want to make superhero comics, find panels that especially speak to you, instead. Ditto anime, Egyptian sculpture, whatever. If you’d like to draw people who are fat, or exceptionally tall, or very muscular, be sure to add them to the mix. We’re trying to capture your artistic ideals, not anyone else’s. You’re looking for two kids of figures: first, neutral figures, standing up straight, facing forward or directly to the side, with arms out of the way. These figures make it easy to see the proportions. Second, you’re looking for dynamic poses. These figures will help you test if your canon is useful. Step 3: Start looking for shapes and distances that are easy to identify. Classic examples are the distance from top of the head to the chin, from the base of the hand to the elbow, the width of the hips. However, it can be extremely helpful to take a page from Robert Beverly Hale’s book, and use volumes instead of lines when you measure. Use the cube that contains various parts of the body – like Hale uses the cranial mass. You could also use a clenched fist, or the volume of the hips.

Step 4: Start looking for relationships. Move your chosen measures around each of your neutral reference figures, looking for structural points in the figure that are simple, whole-number ratios of your measurement. When you think you’ve found a good match (“the width of the rib cage is the length of the forearm”), start testing it out on the dynamic poses. Still seems reasonable? Great! Be sure to make note of when the measurement is a little too big, or a little too small, and see what effect that has on the way the figure looks.

A canon is just a big collection of these rules. So make it as simple or as complex as you feel comfortable with! Feel free to get creative with your comparisons, too. IIRC, Polyklietos mentions that if you draw a square with each side being the length of the hand, the diagonal of that square is the length of the forearm (from pit of elbow to base of palm). Any relationship that’s easy to see and to measure is fair game – find what works for you. Mine existing canons for good rules, but test them. Don’t blindly believe anything – there are plenty that won’t quite suit your tastes. Pay specific. attention to areas you struggle with the most! I tend to draw people’s hands much too small – so I keep a number of rules around that I can use to verify when I’ve done it right. Step 5: Draw it out. This is the fun part, because you get to play at being Da Vinci. Draw a good, clean, neutral figure, and note out all the relationships you discovered. If you can, find geometric, visual ways to show the relationship off (like the stacked squares in the video above, or like the Vitruvian Man’s circle-in-a-square). That will make it easier to remember.

It will probably take you several tries to draw out a figure that *you* think looks right *and* that has measurements that are easy to remember – so don’t fall too much in love with your first attempt. In the worst case, you’ll spend a few hours studying the figure, improving your instincts. In the best case, artists of the future will busy themselves trying to learn the secrets of YOUR system of proportion. If you do this exercise, post your results! Knowledge shared is knowledge multiplied!