#Teaching myself procreate again

[a-aeriis]

More mermaid zhongchi. Ough. Get them out of my head please and thank u

[kayzis]

trending for a few days on tumblr but always trending in my heart <3

a screenshot study kinda to learn how to draw this guy

[feyspeaker]

Hi! I made an account just so I could follow your work. Your art is brilliant and honestly and inspiration to where I want to be. I’m an older artist who has all the anxiety when it comes to improving my process. I’m trying to get into digital portraits and I have so many ideas in my head, but it’s frustrating because I’m not where I want to be to make this happen. What are some tricks that help you/software do you use? Of course, you don’t have to share anything that makes you uncomfortable. I currently have procreate and an iPad, but I feel a little lost. Wondering if I need a different writing tablet and photoshop. Not sure. I just eventually want to find that 3D, but also artistic look you are able to achieve.

hey there! thank you so much!!

ultimately, I will sound like a broken record but I always recommend you sign up for local figure drawing or painting classes. have people pose for you at home and sketch with charcoal and paper. go to the zoo and sit down in front on an exhibit for an hour and try to draw the animals in front of you as fast as you can and fill a couple of pages, move on to a new exhibit and do it again!

nothing is more powerful of a tool to learn than whatever writing utensil you have in your purse and the back of a napkin when you see something you'd like to capture. I've spent quite frankly my entire rememberable life doing this. I used to spend every single day in middle school/high school/my brief failed stint in community college with a pack of cheap sharpies and a beat up binder full of old worksheets and homework to draw on the backs of.

drawing/painting from life will teach you better than anything.

I use a very outdated version of Photoshop, and only got a "nice" tablet in the past 7 months.

Also, a huge tip to you and anyone else reading this: do NOT get too focused on a "style" that you want. Obsessing over that just ruined me for years and years. I wanted so, so, so badly to be the next Matsuri Hino when I was a kid. I copied her work religiously and it NEVER looked right. Frustrated me to no end. And you know why my stuff never looked like hers? Because I'm not her! You can't force your art to come out any way that isn't natural, and the sooner you can accept the art your hand wants to create, the happier you'll be and the easier art will get for you.

The past couple of years before I started diving into this more realism based work, I was just shoving myself through trying to make what art I envied of others. Very stylized/textured watercolor comic book style stuff. And I just was NOT getting any better at it. I have always been more inclined toward realism work, but I've hated it and yearned for stylized work. Yoshitaka Amano? God, I just drooled over that artstyle and beat myself up for never being able to capture it in studies or otherwise.

I finally essentially restructured my entire career around making the art that makes me happy instead of what I "wanted" it to look like. I was extremely depressed, my life was falling apart, and I still needed to make art to survive but I couldn't "art" if I was depressed and hated doing it, so I just had to step back and stop worrying so much about what I thought I wanted to make, and started making what felt most natural.

there's no easy way, and art can be a soul destroying path at times, truly. your software and hardware should come very last place compared to practicing from life (it doesn't matter if you want to paint cartoony stuff of realistic stuff, always start from life). naturally you will find what makes your heart sing the most.

I get a lot of messages from people telling me similar stuff "oh your art is EXACTLY what I want to do!" but I promise you that kind of thought process is chasing a dragon that is likely to harm or drag your creative process down. art style is such a deeply personal thing, so of COURSE it's important to find inspiration, but the second looking at someone else's artwork stops inspiring you and starts frustrating you, put it away.

There are some artists who I love, that I do not check up on often because their artwork ignites, like, serious bitter jealousy in me. It's the truth. I get so mad at myself for not being more like them, and it's such a poison. I think more artists should be transparent about this feeling because I KNOW the art community has a lot of jealousy and ugliness in it.

A fact of being an artist is that you will never be completely happy with a piece you make. You are always going to see the flaws, and that doesn't change whether you'd been drawing for 2 months or 20 years. Occasionally, you will get one piece that you are like "how did I make that???" and then get frustrated that you can't recreate it lol! It's a tough beast.

It's just really important to step back and work on yourself and where you are at, because at the end of the day, the way your soul wants to express artwork might be WILDLY different from what your brain wants, and it can be really detrimental to let those two go to war.

I hope this helps. I'm very passionate about this, and when I started out I ALWAYS ignored the artists who gave the same exact tips as above. I thought they were so annoying and unhelpful, but now I /get it/.

[masterjedilenawrites]

Hi! so i um read your “happily ever after” for the delta squad and i was wondering if you could do that for tbb and the bois? you’re such a good writer <3333

I haven't challenged myself to write individual headcanons in a while, and this sounded like the perfect prompt to do it with! Who doesn't want these precious boys to live happily ever after in their own special ways? 🥰 psst, I also threw in Gregor and Howzer as a little treat 🤭

Cody would actually fancy himself as some sort of a political advisor or ambassador. He imagines the clones will need some representation after the war, a place in the galaxy, and to have their voices heard. He could picture himself stepping up to that challenge and being happy with it. It would sure beat having to sit around with nothing to do...

Rex also wants to be involved with supporting his clone brothers, but he has a much more domestic picture in mind. A partner, for starters. Someone to share life with who can be his best friend. And a house, any size, any location, with a door that's constantly opening for any weary or lost brother who needs a place to crash.

Wolffe has a very specific image in his mind. It may sound silly, but he wants to find a settlement somewhere for all of his brothers to live in. Like a little clone village, where they each play a part in keeping things humming. They can bring in partners if they'd like, procreate, that sort of thing... but for the most part it'd just be them, all living together until the end of their days.

Fox just wants a nap. A true, honest to goodness nap. Uninterrupted, no guilt or piling to-dos in the meantime. Free to fall asleep at his own pace and wake up naturally. Cushy pillows and all. If he got just one good sleep in, he'd be content with literally anything in his life. Heck, he'll dig holes in Tattooine forever. Just please give him this one little thing.

Fives absolutely wants kids. A whole brood of them. He can hold any kind of job, live anywhere in the galaxy, so long as he gets to be called dad. He'll embrace the dad jokes, read all the parenting books, tear up at every milestone. And if the fates allow, perhaps he'll live long enough to even be called a grandad, too.

Jesse would want to stay in the army as long as he can. He can't imagine what else he could do with his life outside of it. He'd be one of those clones crashing on Rex's sofa, needing his brother's help to get back on his feet and find meaning in his life. Eventually it would come as a handyman, keeping his hands busy with repairs in homes or ships, and of course flirting with the owners.

Kix would say he never wants to see another cut or broken bone again, but realistically, he would go out of his mind if he wasn't needed in that way. He wouldn't be able to help himself from volunteering at a hospital, or just starting his own medical practice in order to do things right. He'd especially love teaching his medical knowledge to an apprentice.

Tup wants a farm full of animals and crops. He currently knows little to nothing about how to run a farm, or how to keep things alive, but for him, happiness will be in the discovery. He'll start small, with a window ledge garden and a tooka in Coruscant. Over time, as he saves up enough money for some real land, he'll learn all the ins and outs of irrigation, breeding, and then like.

Hardcase wants to travel and experience all he can. Skydiving, snorkeling, white water rafting, pottery... you name it. His bucket list will grow as he goes; he'll cross one item off only to add two more ideas on. The galaxy is just so vast and full of so much. He knows he has a short life to live, so he intends to utilize every second of it doing something outrageously fun.

Dogma wants to remain a soldier, but not during an active war. He'd rather use his knowledge and skills to help keep the peace. He likes the feeling of being needed, of providing protection to others, but he knows wartime takes its tolls, so being a peacekeeper is a good compromise in his mind.

Echo would want to help his brothers, from a therapy standpoint. He believes there can be purpose for the clones outside of war, but that it will take a lifetime of support, encouragement, and restructuring to get them there. Whatever ear he can lend or advice he can impart to help as many clones find their happy ending, you can bet he'll do it.

Hunter pictures himself in a peaceful cabin in the woods. Living off the grid, hunting for his own food, building his own furniture, just really embracing that holistic, hippy lifestyle. He'd also prefer if the rest of the Batch was around, too. He really can't stand the thought of being alone, and while he does want a partner and kids, he'd be lying if he said his brothers weren't part of the picture also.

Wrecker wants to travel, specifically to discover and try as much food as possible. How is he affording this fantasy? Who cares. It's his dream, leave him alone. Yes, he wants the feeling of a full belly every day, but exploring different flavors and cuisines and how to prepare food is genuinely exciting to him. Maybe he'll even get a food vlog going along the way.

Crosshair isn't really concerned with whatever "happily ever after" means. So long as he can be useful, do the things he was created to do. If the war ended and he couldn't be a soldier, he'd become some kind of bounty hunter or gun for hire. True happiness would only come if he also had a partner by his side. He won't know that, though, until it happens.

Tech doesn't think about the future. Or happiness. He will go along with whatever options are available to him, so long as he gets to be himself. The easiest, and most logical in his opinion, choice is to keep the Batch together, utilizing their talents for the betterment of the galaxy. But perhaps pod racing wouldn't be such a bad gig, either.

Gregor would be happy as a teacher or coach. Anything where he could mentor the youth of whatever community he finds himself in. It wouldn't even matter much to him what he was teaching; he'd find a way to become an expert in it just to uphold his duty of education. Though physical activity, of course, ends up being his forte.

Howzer truly wants to fall in love and be married. "Happily ever after" for him looks like two old souls, holding hands as they rock on a porch swing and gaze off into the sunset. He knows relationships are work, but he's had some good examples to look up to so far in his life, so he's determined to put in the effort with the right person.

Everything Tag: @damerondala, @dangerousstrawberrypie, @fallingforthem, @harleyevanstan, @imabeautifulbutterfly, @justanothersadperson93, @misogirl828, @itsagrimm, @error6gendernotfound, @theroguesully, @clonesimp, @techie-bear

+Clone & Bad Batch Tags: @marvel-starwars-nerd, @pandora-the-halfling, @darkangel4121, @sobstea, @rintheemolion, @bowtiesandsandshoes, @dionysuskid21, @jesseeka, @hanbetired, @thatmultifandomdumbass, @sarahtanmarvel, @call-me-a-fool, @lackofhonor, @theclonesdeservebetter, @hannahhearttcw, @kaijusplotch, @salaminus, @arctrooper69, @katzs-current-obsession, @501st-rexster, @rebel-finn, @not-a-big-slay, @writing-positivelyexisting, @nekotaetae, @the-mom-friend-dot-com, @pickle-rick-y, @flowered-bicycles, @lucyysthings, @severalseashellsbytheseashore, @the-royal-petals, @droids-you-are-looking-for, @moon-wrecked

(Join my tag list here)

[theresthesnitch]

good evening good night good morning good day welcome to an episode of snitch’s middle of the night confessions.

So I’ve been wanting to teach myself to draw. I’m absolute shit at it and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I spent a while with free apps and a cheap knock off pencil and then upgraded myself to an Apple Pencil and procreate and I’m a real pretend artist now. (I still suck at it, but I’m having fun)

Anyway, saw this thing a while back that said draw the same thing for a month and watch how you improve. I started that, then got away from it for a while, and now I’m back to doing it again. I’m drawing hands, and for the first time, I don’t completely hate what I drew.

It’s not good, but I’m making progress!

[x3no9]

For those who have been watching me from the start...

I didn't even know how to sketch stick figures three months ago, then I got inspired by some artists here to try it out. I am a writer (not saying I am good lol) but I have always yearned to draw. So I stayed up day, night, and even during work breaks, teaching myself on paper and an ipad.

The first couple of weeks started out badly, mostly due to my self-loathing. I watched a couple of videos and asked @eyecandyeoz and @judithmactir for pointers. I was moving into my next phase of improvement. Up until last week, things sort of plateaued for me as far as skills. So I tried speed painting and sketching, just letting loose basically. (obviously didn't post any of that here)

Next, I played around with rendering. Since the videos do NOT help me with how to render, I just guessed. Wasn't happy though, so I started using ADOBE In-design four days ago. I use it in ADDITION to Procreate.

So now I sketch and color layers in Procreate, run it through FOTOR with a basic prompt or two using my actual work. It ALWAYS come out weird, but I am not trying to use AI to change my style. This IS the style I have always wanted, but the polished rendering just isn't fully in my skillset yet.

Personally, I find AI to be very helpful, as long as I don't just go with what it gives me. I spend just as long on the "run through" image as I do on the whole process of imagining and drawing it out. Even the latest stuff I posted, wasn't completely finished. I go back and draw all over again.

The reason for this post is to hopefully clarify that my art is NOT AI. I am treating it like an extra tool in the box, like a paintbrush I haven't found yet in Procreate. I hope I didn't upset anyone using some AI in the mid-process, then going over it again by hand. Now that's out of the way, I have a lot to share and am very excited to hear what everyone thinks! CHEERS!

[archandshri]

22nd March ‘24 - [arch] Mad About Munch, Warm-up sketches and daaarknesss???

Good evening, Shri! I forgot that it is Friday, but at the beginning of writing this, I have an hour and 27 minutes until Friday is over, so I WILL be on time!

Wow, like a lot has happened? But I also don’t have tons to show for it. (it’s because I’m working on cool secret project that I’m not allowed to talk about which is fun!)

Stuff i have been doing

Museums :0!!!! I have been travelling and in my old age apparently, I like old art now???

Gathering a lot of reference images - photos, but also general inspiration

Finally organising my digital space a bit! I backed up like 3 years' worth of Procreate images and cleared out half my iPad

Getting some of my sketchbooks, especially comic development, digitised and onto Google Slides! I follow a similar process to when I was at uni still, with a huge PowerPoint for a project that contains reference images, inspiration, plot bullet points, and links to google docs where I write the scripts, development sketches and finals. It makes it super easy to go back to important parts of the development and be reminded of things I might have lost in the development process

Warm-up sketches because you bullied me into it (affectionate)

Continuing to explore colour

2 things I would like to tell you more about: 1) Edvard Munch!!!!!! If you ever get the chance to visit the Munch Museum in Oslo, do it!! I hadn’t seen a whole museum dedicated to one guy before, but seeing so much of his work in one place, in person really helped me understand it better. They also had a fantastic audio tour to rent that made it super accessible. I had just come from thinking about colour last week and becoming more comfortable with darker colours, and I had been thinking about personality and narrative in settings and backgrounds - both of which he does really well. In particular, The Sick Child, Eye in Eye, and The Sun stood out to me.

2) Play. AGAIN!!!!! I feel like I’m constantly having to fight myself, reminding myself to let go, play around, and explore without the expectation of a final outcome. You told me to try some 20 min warm-up and cool-down sketches - which I’ve been doing and has been going great! They’re not all perfect and aren’t supposed to be, but I’ve also had some really fun outcomes that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I also feel like I’m getting more of a grip on colour :0

Plus, I’ve found that I haven’t wanted to post my terrible sketches or even my better ones?? Which has been nice to make without the need for sharing. However, I have found myself craving a final image to share with all of Tumblr and Instagram, thinking of possible images that would do well on those platforms. I think there is a small part of me that wants to create those because it would be fun, but I think it’s mostly to fix the number-shaped hole :/ Hank Green made a good video which mentioned the fact that platforms are EXTRA BAD with teaching creators to be addicted to them, even more so than consumers. Video here. It’s good.

I was listening to the Imp and Skizz podcast earlier (Episode - Rendog pt 1), it’s a great podcast, they chat about Hermitcraft a bit but mostly about what being alive is like and being a creator, I really recommend them too. Anyway, Skizz said he was once told to ‘create videos that he wanted to watch.’ And I think it’s a good approach to have when creating. What do I wanna see/ read?

I would love to chat to you about the balance between dark tones and silliness in storytelling too, but it is 11pm and I do have to get up early tomorrow. Plus, I’m not sure I have enough thoughts yet. But for now, it’s left me thinking: what do I want to make? Am I campable of silliness in stories? I want to tell stories with an undertone of darkness, that discusses difficult themes, but how to we do that while keeping it entertaining and not just Too Much(™)?

I dunno, just thoughts I’ve been having. I wanna get them down, even if I don’t have any solutions yet. In the meantime, please accept these sketchbook pages in lieu of philosophical answers. 

Thank you for listening to my rambles once again!

Love <3 Archie

Ps. I saw Frozen the musical and it was Very Sibling, and I cried. It made me think of you and I think you would like it (it’s only a bit different to the film but it makes such a difference omg)

[thunderheadfred]

SICK OF FEELING BLEEHHHHHHHHHHHHH

guhgahghgaghahgfkjasfkajf

Doctor appointment was fine, baby seems fine. No real cause for concern beyond the fact I just feel like shit all the time. Even so, I opted to get an early blood glucose test at 20 weeks when I have my ultrasound.

I'll get to pound one of those nasty glucose drinks and then have blood drawn to make sure I haven't developed gestational diabetes. With my age and my starting A1C being high (not like, pre-diabetes high, but higher than I want, for sure) I'm paranoid. But even without that, people can develop gestational diabetes for no reason at all, so. Best to rule it out early, if it's the root of the problem

but most likely explanation is just that I'm chronically fatigued as hell

edit: also I read a great fucking comment today on a climate panic threads account that "having children is an inherently selfish act" and it spun my head so far around I'm still dizzy. Just say you wish you were never born and you believe the end is nigh and be done with it, man. I'll forever support people who don't want kids for whatever reason (I was one of them, until quite recently!) but like... life reproduces. We're alive. Your cells are selfishly dividing even now. Even if you personally don't want to (again, valid!), some of us do have to procreate for life to go on. Do you hate plants for bearing fruit? Life is not inherently selfish; it's what we do with it, and we have a choice, which is miraculous

I'll be over here stubbornly clinginging to hope and manifesting a sustainable future thanks. Like. I have faced The Horrors and decided to go on anyway. My daughter will be resilient and resourceful and I will teach her to love others in the hope that she might live to be a grandmother in a strange future.

Don't love that pregnancy in the 21st century comes with a side serving of people calling you an evil capitalist shill for starting a family, when the reality for me was far more like having the largest existential crisis of my life, where God themself descended into my backyard and showed me the end of all things and asked boomingly, "are you emotionally and physically prepared to raise a child even if civilization as you know it collapses within your lifetime" and having to look God directly in the face and say, "Give me the fucking baby, you jerk. I'll build the future myself if I have to."

[twiggiesketches]

I’m just going to try to teach myself how to use procreate by drawing my OTP over and over again. This time in a bathtub.

[kutpot]

Hello! Firstly, your art style is so adorable and warm. It's such a delight every time you post (especially Foggy, be still my heart). Thank you for the time and effort you put into creating them!

Secondly, I've been inspired by your art among others and decided to ask artists their tips for starting digital art. I have zero experience with art as a whole. I'm armed with a tablet and pen but have no idea how to teach myself to actually draw. I welcome any advice you may have, but don't feel pressured to answer! I hope it isn't rude to ask artists for advice, but if it is, please let me know!

Hi! It makes me so happy to know that there are people who like what I do! I'm so grateful that my drawings inspire you.

Especially Foggy. I have no idea when I'll stop drawing him. I love what I do and I believe that's the magic.

I'm honored that you asked me for artistic advice, I really am. But I'm sure that countless qualified artists can help you learn drawing techniques that will be extremely useful.

So feel free to ignore everything I'm going to say here.

I took art classes when I was younger; I studied techniques and I studied art history, etc. I forgot most of the technical part and will possibly never use it in an illustration. But those little pieces of advice, that human and simple part I never forgot, and that's what I'm going to tell you about.

First of all, have fun 💚

If you are making a happy and colorful drawing, imagine yourself there. Or if you are drawing something sad, feel the pain of what you are doing. Be it a sad character or even a dark and lifeless scene.

Be there. Your drawing is an extension of you. Your drawing is your friend.

Smile with them, Be afraid with them. You are there; this helps you visualize facial expressions and gestures.

Be generous 💚

Draw people you love. Gift people with your drawings. This helps you improve your art skills and besides, you will feel great making someone happy.

Don't be embarrassed if your drawing doesn't turn out as good as you'd like. Sometimes the simplest drawings are the ones that people like the most.

Draw every day💚

Even if just a few minutes a day. Make it your goal to learn how to draw hands, eyes, trees, etc... things you might find difficult to recreate. And every now and then redraw old drawings, so you can see where you've made progress or need to improve.

You can find lots of drawing tips and poses on Pinterest

Don't be afraid to try new things 💚

There are lots of tutorials on YouTube for beginner artists, check them out.

Procreate it's a great drawing program. There are many tutorials on YouTube teaching how to use it too. But always use your imagination. Be yourself, put your personality in your drawings. Don't be afraid to use colors that don't match each other. And again, have fun.

I wish you good luck and hope to see a lot of your art out there. (Especially Foggys, lots and lots of Foggys)

[bobbybutterfly]

First finished painting in Procreate!

It's Elliott again baby! I always paint an illustration to go with my fanfiction. I am not really happy with the two paintings I did for my up coming Stardew Valley fanfic. They aren't the worse but Elliott's eyes are too wide apart. He also looks far too much like Haruma Muira who I used as a refrence for him.

Luckily I can blame mistakes in those paintings on Leah whose signiture I forged.

But less about paintings that aren't posted here and more about this one. I prefer Elliott's older sprites. He used to be such a shoujo manga pretty boy! And the earing!

I kinda want to make a shoujo romance manga now. If only I didn't suck at lineart.

I headcannon Elliott as japanese but he still keeps the copper hair and blue eyes. Yes I know they're supposed to be green but it would clash with my OC who has bright green eyes. And technically in his first sprite he does have blue eyes if you look close enough!

I remember watching ages ago a Princess Weeks video where she said that if you asked a random japanese person on the street what race is Sailor Moon they would say she's japanese just with funky colored hair and eyes.

I took it as an opportunity to practice some east asian faces. Kinda sucks that you got to learn to draw people of color in your spare time. If you used to go to art high school like I, when they teach you how to draw an eye it's the Europian double lid one and when they teach you to paint skin it's the most pale mayonaze white ever. The same goes for internet tutorials. You have to specifically type how to paint dark skin to learn it.

I'm a musty white person myself but one day I watched a youtube video where this black artist was talking about how she didn't know how to draw a self portait with charcoal because her teacher didn't explain to her how to shade her skin which I imagine must suck.

Do better art teachers!

Bobby out!

[4kumatora]

how did you learn to animate? I'm trying to teach myself to using clip studio paint, but everything I make looks really choppy, so I was wondering if you had any tips or advice. thanks!

Hey Anon! Thank you for the ask.

I’m a self taught animator too! (But also, no expert by any means) I use Procreate and Toon Boom Harmony for my animations (depends what device I have on me), but the process of actually animating is going to be similar no matter what program you use, that is, if you want to specialize in 2D frame-by-frame stuff like I do.

When I first started animating in 2018, I bought “The Animator’s Survival Kit”. It helped me a ton beginning, but as I got more advanced, I couldn’t follow the book anymore and had to forge my own paths and methods of working. It’s a very good starting book if you have absolutely no idea where to start. I still have my copy! LOL. It’s probably uploaded online somewhere too…but you didn’t hear that from me.

Something else that helped me was learning the fundamentals of animation. There’s a really good 25-minute video on YouTube that can explain and execute them all well! I’ve watched it a ton over my years, LOL.

If you’re up for it, you can totally contact me about anything or certain questions or tips at 4-kuma#7408 on Discord. Everyone was a beginner once and I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned in private as well.

Before I end this post, I also want to remind you that progress is hard and will take time. I can link my YouTube channel with most of my old animations on it, just so you see how many things have changed subtly over my time as an animator. A lot of my old projects are embarrassing and not great, but they’re there ! It’s just a testimony to time. I’ll try to find some WIP projects to show too, that can show my workflow.

Again, thank you for the ask! It’s a totally loaded answer, but I hope it can help ya out a bit. And my discord is up there if you ever want or need specifics (or you can drop another anon question too), I’m always happy to help!

[ex-textura]

Hiya, Sebastian! ♥ I'm just passing by to say I really admire your art and your talent, and one day I hope to have enough money to share with you and support your beautiful work. :( ♥ I'd like to know a little bit about how you first came into contact with drawing and if you have any cheap/free tools and tutorials you'd recommend to someone who wants to start taking drawing more seriously (and knows 0% about it lmao), if you don't mind. Much love always! - tiefling enthusiast anon

Anon!! I’m so sorry it took me so long to get to this! This is such a kind ask omg thank you 🥺🥺

Don’t ever worry about not being able to buy anything from me, your kind words are honestly enough (and I know what it’s like not to be able to afford to support artists. It’s hard but I promise you messages like this mean so, so much more than money. I’m giddy rn lol)

As for getting into art, tbh I started drawing very young. I used to draw Pokémon and digimon on my desk in elementary school, and then going into junior high I started to branch out a little more though I stopped around high school and didn’t pick up drawing again until more than 10 years later lol….but it’s always been something I loved to do, and coming back to it has really filled a hole in my life I didn’t realize was there for a long time.

For a lot of my early drawings, it was just printer paper and ballpoint pens or plain old pencils until I got my first graphics tablet years later. So if you’re just starting out you don’t really need anything but the will to draw and something to scribble on. If you’re looking to start with digital art though there’s a couple of routes you can take. If you have access to an iPad, or can get one cheap (think used, past model… you don’t need much) there are a number of apps you can get such as ibis paint (which I think may be free or have a free version though I don’t use it myself) or procreate (it’s what I use on my iPad, but it has a one-time fee of I believe $13.99CAD). Or, if you have a computer I got started on a simple graphics tablet and you can get them for fairly cheap these days used (mine was like $80CAD) and I used a free version of Paint Tool SAI which works great.

Still though, if you’re okay not starting with digital art I would recommend just getting a small sketch book for under $10, a mechanical pencil and a gum eraser (those brownish ones). That’s all you really need to get started.

As for tutorials, I mostly watch YouTubers for art advice. I’d recommend Sam Does Arts, Drawfee, and Sinix Design

Sam does a lot of “rating art advice” videos, critiquing his followers pieces, and some goofy things but he has a lot of great tips and he explains things in a very easy to understand way. He also calls out his own flaws easily and teaches you to learn from his own mistakes which I find very encouraging.

Drawfee is four artists with different styles that mostly do art challenges among themselves but they also host art classes for their patrons and those videos get posted to their channel for the general public so you can still follow along for free. I like that they have different styles and different methods, and when they post their speed draws they talk through their process which is very informative.

Sinix is an incredible artist and while some of his videos are definitely more advanced he has beginner videos too that teach the very basics and I still spend a lot of time watching those ones to really drill them into my brain. He’s more informative than entertaining like the other two are, but his stuff is so good.

Other than YouTube videos, I also spend a lot of time on Line of Action which is a great site for practicing form and anatomy.

I’d also recommend the morpho drawing books if you can find a free pdf online (there are definitely sources for them I just can’t seem to find any right now…).

Im sorry this got so long winded xD I don’t even know if it makes any sense anymore lol. But basically…. Get yourself some paper and a mechanical pencil, a decent eraser and start with the basics. There are so many free resources online to get you there. After that… just get yourself a blorbo that you’re just so obsessed with and draw them over and over again until you can do it from memory. Then keep drawing them some more. It takes time and persistence and you might even feel frustrated when you start out, but remember that everyone starts somewhere and even the greatest artists are still learning.

And, please if you do start drawing feel free to share your art with me! I’d love to see it, and hopefully we can grow together ❤️❤️

[motownfiction]

scared

Sam sits across from Eddie at the kitchen table in his apartment. They’re having a very fancy dinner – combos from McDonald’s, which Eddie picked up on his way home from teaching late this afternoon. To Sam, it might as well be gourmet. Of course, anything from Eddie is gourmet. Anything shared with Eddie is gourmet, too.

He watches Eddie dip his fries in the little splatter of ketchup on the corner of his cheeseburger wrapper. Such a common place to leave ketchup, Sam knows, but something about the way Eddie does it. It’s spectacular. They’ve been together for six months, and Sam still isn’t tired of a damn thing he does. He’s still got style. Sam still can’t help staring. He bites the tip of his straw and begins to sing his own riff on an old song.

“If I were Elizabeth, and you were Mr. Darcy …” he sings.

Eddie looks up at Sam, somewhere between amused and confused. Bemused.

“You’re not singing ‘If I Were a Carpenter,’ are you?” he asks.

“I’m not,” Sam says. “I’m singing a version of ‘If I Were a Carpenter.’”

“Oh, Sam. I could have sworn you had better taste than that.”

“I think you’re confusing this song for Paul Anka. Havin’ my baby …”

Eddie shivers like he’s possessed by some strange seventies demon. Sam giggles. He can’t help himself.

“That song charted, you know,” Eddie says. “Number one with a bullet. Don’t underestimate people’s feelings about procreating.”

“Or their nostalgia for ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulder.’”

Eddie laughs and dips another fry in that little pool of ketchup. Sam didn’t know he could fall in love with the way someone dips his fries before. What a lonely world that must have been. How difficult it is to remember now.

“Yeah,” Eddie says. “That, too.”

Sam sighs and moves his chair closer to Eddie’s, like an annoying boy in class with a crush on the popular kid. In truth, that’s how Sam still feels. Just like an annoying boy, trying to make his crush notice him. Sometimes he’s not sure he’s good enough to be Eddie’s boyfriend; to hear him say my boyfriend Sam to the other grad students at department shindigs. Eddie shouldn’t be with a guy who says things like shindig. He’s too smart. Too cool. He dips another fry in the ketchup, and Sam doesn’t know why it makes him go wild.

It’s Eddie.

“I’m kinda serious, though,” he says. “You and me. We’re kinda like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, don’t you think?”

“What?” Eddie asks. “In that you asked me to dance at the ball, and I said no? Or was it when I forced my old rogue of a friend to marry your sister so your family could avoid public humiliation for decades to come?”

“No,” Sam says, blushing a little bit. “It’s like how I’m … I’m spirited, you know? And I make no bones about it. But you … you’re serious. Cool. Calculating. You know how to let loose, but it takes you a while. You’re like if Mr. Darcy had hair gel.”

Eddie chuckles, grabs Sam’s face, and kisses him square on the mouth. Sam really blushes now. He’ll never get used to that.

“Why else are you Elizabeth?” he asks. “I’m dying to know.”

Sam sighs. He was going to find out sooner or later.

“I tend to get scared when I fall in love,” he says. “Like … it takes up all of me, and it freaks me out. Like I’m gonna lose myself in the middle of it. So I bail.”

He sighs again. If Eddie kicks him out now, he’ll understand. Of course he’ll have to understand. But Eddie just nods his head. Real serious-like. Real Mr. Darcy.

“I see,” he says. “And are you scared of me?”

Sam grins. He’s not even forcing it. Not trying to hide anything, not trying to lie.

“No,” he says. “I could never be scared of you.”

Eddie smiles and dips another fry in the ketchup.

“Good,” he says. “If you’d said yes … dammit, Doyle, I’m not sure what I’d do.”

Sam laughs a little. He takes Eddie’s free hand in his and hums to himself a little more.

I give you my onliness / Give me your tomorrow …

He breathes deeply and hums again. Yeah. Sounds about right.

[qveenbuji]

This one’s a-ways from being done still, but here’s an update~ Fixed some anatomy with the shoulder, and painted her up a bit. Will probably alter the anatomy at some point again as she gets sculpted out lol Gonna have to teach myself how to paint shiny-ish leather, which’ll be fun! My brain can’t decide between her being a Crone, or Sanctified. Probably Sanctified. Thought she’d be a Ventrue, but now I’m not sure. She’d work as Daeva or Mekhet, too. #newcastlechronicle #art #digitalillustration #vampire #vtr #vtm #wod #vamily #procreate #lanceaetsanctum #sanctified #ventrue #daeva #mekhet #circleofthecrone #digitalpainting https://www.instagram.com/p/CfedF7wrNIs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[twostepstyless]

I’m now a sticky iPad child, bought one for funsies (and honestly for my upcoming trip to keep myself occupied on a 20 odd hour travel day) and I’m so excited. I got an Apple Pencil and I want to teach myself how to get good on procreate and create more digital artwork. I haven’t done digital work since like early art school and I’m so excited to try it again :((