I've seen white a few people that to on this site that draw their characters icons themselves. So far I've been able to mostly get off with finding images on Google that sort of match the character , but they still never look like what I have in my head. Otherwise I sometimes take images from Google and use a lightbox to copy them with pencil onto a new paper and then modify them.
Ok so now that that's out of the way here goes my question: Where did you people learn to draw? I've been trying for years and I still can't do some of the things you people do.I would love if you could share where you learned to draw as well as any helpful tips and tricks.
Ok so now that that's out of the way here goes my question: Where did you people learn to draw? I've been trying for years and I still can't do some of the things you people do.I would love if you could share where you learned to draw as well as any helpful tips and tricks.
I learned how to draw by observing pictures and drawings of what other people have done. I take the parts of what I like about other people's artwork and apply it into my art.
My main advice to you boils down to a few things:
1. Look up (real life) references for things you want to draw.
2. Look at how other people of drawn things.
3. Draw.
4. Keep drawing!!!
The main advice I have to give to you is to practice drawing. If you keep doing it, you'll get better and better. Drawing can be frustrating sometimes. You want to draw a certain thing but no matter how hard you try, it doesn't look right. But, if you keep trying and push harder, it'll be worthwhile.
My main advice to you boils down to a few things:
1. Look up (real life) references for things you want to draw.
2. Look at how other people of drawn things.
3. Draw.
4. Keep drawing!!!
The main advice I have to give to you is to practice drawing. If you keep doing it, you'll get better and better. Drawing can be frustrating sometimes. You want to draw a certain thing but no matter how hard you try, it doesn't look right. But, if you keep trying and push harder, it'll be worthwhile.
Alrighty thank you. That makes sense and aligns with what most people have told me. I'll make sure to practice. Thanks!
Tugboattom wrote:
Where did you people learn to draw? I've been trying for years and I still can't do some of the things you people do.I would love if you could share where you learned to draw as well as any helpful tips and tricks.
This is actually why I learned to draw, I started in highschool while rping with friends when my descriptions confuesed them. It frustrated me that they couldn't see my characters as I did, so out of frusrration i sketched one out.
I'm completely self taught, but I usually use anime sketch references and dress my character on them when I'm having a hard time from scratch.
I tend to draw most of my characters and doodle just to let my imagination flow sometimes, and I've found it helps me add depth to my stories.
Ok that makes sense. thanks!
I started drawing when I was like.. 5ish? Been drawing ever since. I had the benefit of being able to go to college for it, but the best resources are the ones you can find online via things like schoolism or MOOC's (Massive Open Online Courses), or otherwise by searching tutorials via youtube or google. It ultimately depends on what you're looking to draw for characters, though (Humanoid, alien, furry, etc.), but the bare bones of it comes down to structure and anatomy. Knowing the anatomy and understanding how to draw from life studies will help make what you draw from imagination that much better. Foundations build good houses, and the same principle works for drawing and character design.
The places I go the most for tutorials are:
* Udemy: Search just about any art tutorial. These aren't free, but they generally aren't that expensive either, and often go on sale a lot over the year.
* cubebrush.co: A much more art centered tutorial and 3D modeling marketplace. Can be a bit pricier, but different artists offer their lectures on sale at different times. The site itself also offer freebies once a week, sometimes for tutorials, brush packs, and other times for 3D assets. Look into:
Foundation Arts - https://cubebrush.co/foundationartgroup
RobotPencil - https://cubebrush.co/robotpencildesign
* Youtube: There is a whole slew of amazing talent on youtube for tutorials and knowledge. Some of the best information that I keep going back to are these guys:
Paintable - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCarOk8mEmHR7UNf0GEOZkUA
Proko (This one is fantastic for anatomy lessons, so I'd suggest starting here as a baseline if you can't spend a lot of money right now)- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg
Brookes Eggleston's Character Design Forge (Really nice first hand knowledge on character design process and some fun walkthroughs)- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJklo0Zl5tLV9kkk_Jd81EA
Lucid Pixel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf-cfRJyxATGTgWGiFkFUWA
ModernDayJames - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8GDFj5BQCQrSHITFebzkA
There's also Aaron Blaise: https://creatureartteacher.com/, a former Disney animator and illustrator (His stuff isn't free, but with the virus situation, he's currently offering huge discounts on his tutorials, so definitely check it out and see if there's anything that might help you out.)
If reading is your thing for study, I would suggest looking up what is called 'The Loomis Method' of anatomy drawing, (helps with consistency, especially with different angles).
Conversely, there are other sites you can go to as you get better for live figure studies, gesture drawings, and other tutorials such as:
Best thing is to always study other peoples work, especially stuff you like, and practice. A lot. Then remember that the hardest thing every artist will run into is comparing their work to someone elses. And then don't do it. I struggle with it all the time, and I will be completely honest, it has made it very hard to pick up a pencil sometimes. Don't compare yourself to other people. If you like what they do, ask yourself what it is they're doing (technique, style, medium, etc.), and then see how you can take your work up to that level. But don't do it for any other reason than for yourself and for your own enjoyment. And be patient. It takes time, but its worth it in the end. Seeing what's in your head come out on paper or on a screen, that character that was for months just text in a word file suddenly having an actual face? It feels good when an artist can create that. And when that artist is also yourself, you can feel a little extra accomplished. Best of luck!
The places I go the most for tutorials are:
* Udemy: Search just about any art tutorial. These aren't free, but they generally aren't that expensive either, and often go on sale a lot over the year.
* cubebrush.co: A much more art centered tutorial and 3D modeling marketplace. Can be a bit pricier, but different artists offer their lectures on sale at different times. The site itself also offer freebies once a week, sometimes for tutorials, brush packs, and other times for 3D assets. Look into:
Foundation Arts - https://cubebrush.co/foundationartgroup
RobotPencil - https://cubebrush.co/robotpencildesign
* Youtube: There is a whole slew of amazing talent on youtube for tutorials and knowledge. Some of the best information that I keep going back to are these guys:
Paintable - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCarOk8mEmHR7UNf0GEOZkUA
Proko (This one is fantastic for anatomy lessons, so I'd suggest starting here as a baseline if you can't spend a lot of money right now)- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg
Brookes Eggleston's Character Design Forge (Really nice first hand knowledge on character design process and some fun walkthroughs)- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJklo0Zl5tLV9kkk_Jd81EA
Lucid Pixel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf-cfRJyxATGTgWGiFkFUWA
ModernDayJames - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8GDFj5BQCQrSHITFebzkA
There's also Aaron Blaise: https://creatureartteacher.com/, a former Disney animator and illustrator (His stuff isn't free, but with the virus situation, he's currently offering huge discounts on his tutorials, so definitely check it out and see if there's anything that might help you out.)
If reading is your thing for study, I would suggest looking up what is called 'The Loomis Method' of anatomy drawing, (helps with consistency, especially with different angles).
Conversely, there are other sites you can go to as you get better for live figure studies, gesture drawings, and other tutorials such as:
-
* https://line-of-action.com/ (I'm particularly fond of this one) (Does have nude figure models)
* http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en (Does have nude figure models)
* https://figurosity.com/ (Does have nude figure models)
* https://x6ud.github.io/#/ (A helpful site to finding skull angles on animals!)
* https://paintable.cc
* https://www.artistsnetwork.com/ (Has some nice traditional medium tutorials)
Best thing is to always study other peoples work, especially stuff you like, and practice. A lot. Then remember that the hardest thing every artist will run into is comparing their work to someone elses. And then don't do it. I struggle with it all the time, and I will be completely honest, it has made it very hard to pick up a pencil sometimes. Don't compare yourself to other people. If you like what they do, ask yourself what it is they're doing (technique, style, medium, etc.), and then see how you can take your work up to that level. But don't do it for any other reason than for yourself and for your own enjoyment. And be patient. It takes time, but its worth it in the end. Seeing what's in your head come out on paper or on a screen, that character that was for months just text in a word file suddenly having an actual face? It feels good when an artist can create that. And when that artist is also yourself, you can feel a little extra accomplished. Best of luck!
When I was a teen, I started by taking screen-shots of anime that I really liked, imposing a grid on the screenshot, and redrawing what I saw on a new grid. I did this a lot with other things like photos as well. I collected a LOT of fanart; back in my day the Dragonriders of Pern were my favourite book series, so I looked up every pernese dragon I could find and tried to replicate how Whelan painted the art. The grids helped, but I really had to develop an "aha" moment each time I learned a different aspect of art. Lines, colour, shading, anatomy, perspective, style, it's all a series of "WTH -> OH! I GET IT!" that levels up on itself. It takes years and sometimes tears but it feels good to get better.
Because I grew up in an age where online courses weren't really feasible, I went to college and got a bachelors of illustration and character design. I wouldn't recommend that route unless you really want to set your sights on doing art for a living. Online courses will offer the same lessons, and you won't have to face the crippling debt and the inevitable lost days where you feel like you're being put through a meat grinder (tl;dr: I took on a job while also in college that was a nightmare job and also took the highly intensive four year bootcamp version of an art degree instead of the 'fine arts' side. My class graduated during the great recession and most of us are still trying to recover from that; online courses are faaaaar better, lol.)
The main thing I would recommend you always remember (because I still struggle with it, and it is very easy to start down this path and hard to get out of it): Be gentle with yourself, and be patient. Keep practicing even if you're frustrated, and remember to apply the tips you learn regularly. You will learn tools that work for you, and tools that do not. Figuring out what pack of 'universal laws' for drawing and colouring work for you is the foundation of style, and don't worry too much about getting a style if you're not sure what it is yet. When you feel content with your art, it's a sign that you need to find a new trick, tip, rule, or law to practice on, because chances are good that's where you're no longer going out of your comfort zone. Conversely, if everything seems hard and you just want to throw the computer off a cliff, don't shun the comfort zone things that keep you happy.
That's a lot of really general stuff as an overview, sorry I can't be more specific!
Because I grew up in an age where online courses weren't really feasible, I went to college and got a bachelors of illustration and character design. I wouldn't recommend that route unless you really want to set your sights on doing art for a living. Online courses will offer the same lessons, and you won't have to face the crippling debt and the inevitable lost days where you feel like you're being put through a meat grinder (tl;dr: I took on a job while also in college that was a nightmare job and also took the highly intensive four year bootcamp version of an art degree instead of the 'fine arts' side. My class graduated during the great recession and most of us are still trying to recover from that; online courses are faaaaar better, lol.)
The main thing I would recommend you always remember (because I still struggle with it, and it is very easy to start down this path and hard to get out of it): Be gentle with yourself, and be patient. Keep practicing even if you're frustrated, and remember to apply the tips you learn regularly. You will learn tools that work for you, and tools that do not. Figuring out what pack of 'universal laws' for drawing and colouring work for you is the foundation of style, and don't worry too much about getting a style if you're not sure what it is yet. When you feel content with your art, it's a sign that you need to find a new trick, tip, rule, or law to practice on, because chances are good that's where you're no longer going out of your comfort zone. Conversely, if everything seems hard and you just want to throw the computer off a cliff, don't shun the comfort zone things that keep you happy.
That's a lot of really general stuff as an overview, sorry I can't be more specific!
Thanks guys! I'm not hoping to spend money on this as I'm just going to do this for my characters, and others, but thank you for the advice and the places that are free. Thank you for the idea with the grid, that makes sense, and for looking at other people's work and asking myself what they did. Thank you!
As an advanced illustrator myself, I am almost completely self-taught, so it is completely possible to teach yourself. There is a wealth of tutorials and learning all over the web.
I do digital, traditional, 2D, and 3D. However, starting from the basics there is an incredible amount of resources.
From awesome peeps on YouTube like Proko, https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
This one is amazing- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtu_JtQCY0yryIy6zK4ZCg
For more advanced stuff there is also this awesome podcast- https://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL
There are all sorts of tutorial sites like -
https://gumroad.com
https://www.udemy.com/
https://cubebrush.co/
https://www.skillshare.com/
Artstation has a vast wealth of knowledge too.
https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/game-dev
However, the biggest factor for fast and also immense growth is taking critique. If you are posting things online you can expect to receive, the good the bad and the ugly in regarding feedback. But do not be glass skinned about it. Yeah, it might sting, but use that. Use it to get better, use it to drive you to break boundaries and progress. Only you can limit yourself.
You may even ask me for honest feedback and I will give it.
I do digital, traditional, 2D, and 3D. However, starting from the basics there is an incredible amount of resources.
From awesome peeps on YouTube like Proko, https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
This one is amazing- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtu_JtQCY0yryIy6zK4ZCg
For more advanced stuff there is also this awesome podcast- https://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL
There are all sorts of tutorial sites like -
https://gumroad.com
https://www.udemy.com/
https://cubebrush.co/
https://www.skillshare.com/
Artstation has a vast wealth of knowledge too.
https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/game-dev
However, the biggest factor for fast and also immense growth is taking critique. If you are posting things online you can expect to receive, the good the bad and the ugly in regarding feedback. But do not be glass skinned about it. Yeah, it might sting, but use that. Use it to get better, use it to drive you to break boundaries and progress. Only you can limit yourself.
You may even ask me for honest feedback and I will give it.
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