#drawing dancers makes me work on my anatomy

[remadra]

swing duets where you play off your dance partner's moves and try to one up each other until you dance in sync for the finale. its more like a competition. anyways i like drawing and watching dancing.

#little nightmares the pretender #little nightmares runaway kid #little nightmares #pale city teens #my art #please go look up swing and lindyhop dancing they are so fun to watch #drawing dancers makes me work on my anatomy #and the energy in my art is helped by it too

[inkiedraws]

just discovered your blog couple of days ago AND IM IN SHOOK i havent in my life seen such gut wrenchingly amazing anatomy my jaw is on the ground LIKE REALLY your doffy is my EVERYTHING DAMN idk if you shared it somewhere but can i ask you to wield us the secret knowledge of what resources you mostly used for studying anatomy?? cause im really curious your stuff is literally gold omfg

Thank you so much! There's way better anatomy artists out there but i'm happy that people like what i'm doing!

And hmm that's a question with several answers so i'm just gonna give a list on what helped me the most!

Also i'm just a hobby artist so keep that in mind when reading! I have no idea what professionals do lmao.

1: Don't be afraid to find you own way of learning! Everyone process information differently and if you feel a certain way helps you learn then use it!

2: Don't just look at people with defined muscles! Look at people with very different body shapes and sizes. Human anatomy for artists is a site i often use! (lots of tasteful nudity in the link, be aware)

3: Practice your muscle memory as much as your sight! By tracing anatomy, you'll be able to feel what is actually going on in the image!

This is a big one because i recently discovered that i'm the kind of person that learns by feeling the movement of what i'm looking at.

Now i'm able to pick up on little details that i otherwise wouldn't have seen! And i (usually) get my drawings right immediately, without needing to do this before. :)

If you ever struggle pin-pointing what is wrong with your drawing, try this out and see if it works! Hopefully you'll go "AH so that's how it's supposed to look like."

4: Look at videos and photos of people wrestling and MMA fighting (or any other marial arts. Great way of learning how physics work. And dancers too!!

5: Pay attention to how skin reacts! By that i mean do weird movements in the mirror and see how your skin moves and stretches.

6: When using a reference make sure it's right beside your canvas. Then dart your eyes quickly back and forth and see what part of your drawing looks different from what you're looking at!

7. No matter how much you think "I understand how this muscle work now" there will always be at least one photo of a person that makes you go "What??" because muscles are fucked up and can look way differently in certain angles.

8: If you can't find a good reference take a photo of yourself in the mirror. It doesn't matter if you don't look like the character you're drawing, as long as it gives you some idea how it should look, it's fine!

There's way more but these are the main things i keep in mind when drawing anatomy!

#i also have a bunch of artists i like but that would be a very long list

[scribblesartcollective]

"When I was crawling on the floor, my mother gave me paper and pencil to play with. It kept me quiet while she did her errands. At six years old I started painting. A lady my mother sewed for gave me a set of watercolors. By that time, I could draw very well."

Born, James Richmond Barthé in Bay St. Louis Mississippi, he showed an interest and aptitude for the arts early. Encouraged by his mother, family friends and educators, he continued his interest throughout his youth, exhibiting his work at the Bay St. Louis County Fair at just twelve years old. He would unfortunately not stay in school, at the age of fourteen after a bout of typhoid fever, he withdrew from school, and when he was well again went to work instead. The domestic work was as a houseboy for a wealthy family in New Orleans, Louisiana. While it cannot be ignored where he stood at this point in society, his move to New Orleans broadened his culture and allowed him more opportunity to see and understand art. He was introduced to a journalist for a local paper, Lyle Saxon, who tried unsuccessfully to get Richmond into a local art school. Racism, made this an uphill battle. But all the while, in his free time, he was still drawing. In 1924, he donated an oil painting to a Catholic church to be auctioned at a fundraiser. So impressed by his skill, Father Harry F Kane of the Josephites raised money for Richmond to study art. And with not even a high school education, Richmond applied to schools of fine art, and was accepted to the Art Institute of Chicago. While he is known now as a sculptor, he was largely studying painting in Chicago, and was a very talented portrait artist. He caught the attention of prominent patrons and received many handsome commissions from Chicago's black elite. But taking an anatomy class with artist Charles Schroeder changed everything. A shift in his interest and career. Richmond had discovered his passion and turned his attentions to sculpture. After graduating, he would move to New York City, exposing him the Harlem Renaissance at it's peak. Despite the Great Depression, this was still a vibrant time for black artists. The 1930's were some of Richmond's most prolific years.

He had a studio in Harlem briefly, but moved to the more convenient Greenwich Village, allowing him better access to dealers and collectors. During this time, he could not initially afford to pay models, so he sought his inspiration in the world. Actors, dancers, and other artists. In 1933 his work was inaugurated at the Rockefeller center and exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair. The next year, he went abroad, to France with a friend of Harry F Kane. Richmond would not be exposed to classical art and the black performers in France, even making portraits of Josephine Baker. He would return to New York, and continue making incredible pieces. He depicted his black subjects with striking realism and incredible poise. His skill garnered him many commissions and even more praise. In 1939 he had his largest exhibition. 18 bronze sculptures. This success would lead him to win the Guggenheim Fellowship, not once, but twice. In 1940 and 1941. But with the 40's began World War II. His work now, was part of war propaganda, the US Office of War Information made a film of Richmond's work. It was shown both in the US and overseas and even received a prize for his inclusion in the Artists for Victory Exhibition. He was however, not so foolish that he took all this attention at face value. He knew this was the US's response to the Germans racist efforts abroad. In 1947 he traveled to Haiti. He created massive sculptures of revolutionary leaders Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He also designed a new coins for Haiti. Richmond would grow tired of New York and the tension in the city. He would move to Jamaica and remain there until the 1960's when violence, and the Civil Rights Movement in the US led him back again. He received much attention. His work, once again at the forefront as the Civil Rights Movement continued. He was awarded the key to the city in his home town and a large reception was given to him in New Orleans. But it was too much, and Richmond, seeking less crowds, traveled Europe for the next five years. Richmond never married, as he was a gay man. He did have romantic relationships but all were sadly short-lived. Tragic as his letters indicate he greatly desired a long term relationship, a "friend and lover." In 1977, he returned to the US, settling in Pasadena California and began working on his memoirs. He was now impoverished and age had taken it's toll on his body. He did not qualify for social security as he had always been an artist and never had a salaried job. The irony, as outside the social security building in Washington, is a sculpture, by Richmond... His work was still exhibited, but only occasionally and he was not earning enough to survive. He did find respite. He befriends the actor James Garner, and Garner would come to his rescue, paying his rent and medical bulls and copyrighting Richmond's work, hiring a biographer to organize and document his work and establishing the Richmond Barthé Trust. It is thought that a bust of Garner was Richmond's last sculpture. Richmond Barthé would die, after years of illness March of 1989. He was eighty-eight. Richmond's work is powerful and not only in the strong sinewy bodies of his full sculptures. His busts are personal and endowed with life, feeling so real and alive that they seem they might just breathe at any moment. If you would like to learn more about his work and life: Richmond Barthe Harlem Renaissance Sculptor Richmond Barthe American Sculptor -Britannica Richmond Barthe Biography - Encylopedia.comRichmond Barthe: A Distinguished American SculptorJames Richmond Barthe in Harlem

#Richmond Barthé #Richmond Barthe #Black Artist #Black History Month #Black Art History #Art History #American History #Gay Artist #Queer Art History

[zuranbi]

anatomy study + form and light study + move study

For my form and light study, I chose reference sources that are aesthetically pleasing, they are like dancers, the light on the model's body can illuminate the model's muscles, making the whole photo aesthetically pleasing and showing the light side, dark side, light and dark junction line and the excess of light and dark of the model. I chose them because the model's pose is stretchy and soft enough, and the light and shadow are also very good. anatomy study chose different reference sources, not soft and stretchy, but more muscular models, which has the advantage of understanding the trend and details of human muscles more clearly, and can help me to study anatomy. This will help me to learn anatomy and draw it out through sketching relationship. Through this study, I found that my work is still not detailed enough, and I can't further portray the details of the model, and I need to study more deeply the overall light and shadow relationship in form and light study. I need to learn more about the overall light and shadow relationship in form and light study. I am still weak in shaping the figure, which I need to pay attention to in my subsequent study and practice.

[technicolor-ave]

A Practice in Self Admiration

I’m gonna try an exercise here where I congratulate and celebrate some of the things I’ve done in recent years, and detail what I like about them without making concessions. 

I really like how in my art I have incorporated some very feminine aesthetics. I I Tend to draw feminine imagery through round shapes, like re interpreting the roundness of my fro, parts of my body, my lips ect. It showed up in pieces like my digital body portrait and in my print making. 

In my graphic design class, I was really proud of how I was able to make graphics that were full of the identity I was trying to represent. The quilt work in particular was a very inspired decision for a Brooklyn clothing swap. I think I know my target audience when I choose to make work like that and its one of my strong suits as a GD.

I am really good at life drawing and anatomy, especially after only taking one course on it. I think I could definitely try some more ambitious projects, like drawing a still life of joy. The portrait I did of my self was really full of life in a very subtle way.  I like how techinical I was able to be about the anatomy, especially in the neck area, and how that accuracy built meaning into the drawing. I also just love drawing myself lol.

In my ballerina painting, I really appreciate the detail I was able to get in her bodice, tutu, and hair. I also feel pretty proud of her face because it was my first time constructing a face from scratch, and straying away from my own facial features. I think it shows how much I’ve improved that I can fully create characters now without a direct reference. Also, I liked that people caught on to my non traditional narrative. It’s not just a pretty leap photo.

For my thesis painting, I really fw my description of my work. I feel like I really succeeded in bringing people into the painting. Also speaking to people about my work was fun, and I did like that my work had a specific meaning. I like that my characters joy and unapologetic nature came through the painting. To the point someone else pointed it out before I even really thought about it. Like thats amazing actually. When the things I convey manage to make their way through to the viewer. I absolutely adored the use of pink as a skin tone, and I think the abstraction of perspective and features is something I’d like to play with more cause I think the effect it would have would be very very satisfying. Safe to say I think its my favorite work so far. 

As a dancer I haven't really seen myself dance in a while, so I’m a little curious as to what I actually look like. However it feels like my choreography reception is so much better than it was at the beginning of the year. I also am really learning how to take up space when I dance and it felt so good on Saturday even though I was fully committing yet. I feel like I have mad potential as a freestyler that I haven’t untapped yet, but I’d like to. Also, after performing Taylors piece I was really struck by how much easier it was to get through that before. I think I’m regaining my stamina back which is great, and even more so all things considered. It also reminded me about how one of my strengths is truly performance. I can really get my body into a character easily, and I think I could take it even farther. I'm also a pretty good communicator and teammate to others and it makes me feel good when I’m able to help and reassure them.  Also, I can definitely see what people mean when they say my technique is good. My body just looks good doing contemporary, and the more I do it the more my body agrees with it. Oh! and I’ve gotten much better at popping. I think I’d also do really good learning some more acro soon.

[zulivaris]

Art Block tips that helped me

 I’ve recently experienced art block after 3 or so months of overcoming my last one. Thankfully this block only lasted a few days thanks to some things I’ve observed and noted down from the previous time. So I’m sharing these few tips in hopes that it might help someone get unstuck :D!

First and foremost if you’re tired, sad or anxious don’t be surprised that you can’t make art, go and take care of yourself by treating yourself with kindness and patience, the sketchbooks and canvases will wait for you :)

The tips are under here:

Separate art studies from the creative time:  When you do art studies you’re there to focus on specific things, learn and understand how things work so you can apply them later in your art. Studies take a lot of energy and focus and are the opposite of the creative "flow” of making your own pieces. If you combine the two the results are either unfocused studies or stiff drawings. When you sit down at your desk ask yourself “Do I want to learn something new or do I want to create something of my own?”

When you have an idea don’t be afraid of being messy: Let’s say you want to make a picture of several cats kolo dancing in the moonlight. How do you go about doing this? Well since you came up with the idea you already have a vague image in your mind, sketch it out with simple shapes, stick figures, circle and spheres etc Don’t worry about cat anatomy, or the dancer’s moves, sketch out the essence of it. This method removes the need to be perfect or accurate. 

Ok after the messy sketch then what? Well now that you have sketched out the essence of your idea (and hopefully had fun doing so) now you go on to look for references! You put the creative process on pause and you can do a few brief studies if you need to: anatomy, color schemes, values, poses. Pick out a few of your favorites but don't obsess over them, they are a guide, a tool.

You know much more than you think. You’ve probably been drawing for a few years now. You’ve probably done some studies and drawn more than one type of subject. Then you have already internalized some of that information. I used to be obsessed with capturing the minute detail of the subject, and not be able to draw ANYTHING without reference. Instead of a useful tool, references became another obstacle to my creativity. That’s perfectionism my friend, and that’s no good. Here is an exercise a good friend of mine offered: Draw a few characters, animals and objects from imagination. Make sure that the subjects have no personal value to you (no ocs for example) so that if you make a mistake you won’t feel bad about it. Make the process relaxed and comfortable, pour a nice cup of joe, listen to your favorite music ... You will notice that you do indeed know how to draw some things without reference, and it’ll help with your confidence. 

The more you do studies the more you understand This seems evident but the more you understand your subject the freer you can be and the easier it’ll be to draw it from imagination in the future. If you really struggle with something to the point of frustration (as in you can’t get it right even with reference) It means you have to study it. Have a study list, for example: hands, perspective, color theory etc. And one of those days you want to study pick something from the list, and look for videos on youtube or useful sites like line of action etc. Only study one thing at the time. You can go from studying hands to studying arms since they’re more immediately connected, but you can’t study hands and then jump to learning perspective right after. Trust me you can learn perfectly fine with the resources online, and I’m sure you’re clever enough to do it :D

Mistakes don’t mean you “suck”  I’ve noticed that the two most common causes for art block are perfectionism and lack of self-confidence.  The two can often go in tandem which is worse :’D But let me remind you of something, you can fix your piece along the whole process. Use erasers, lasso tools, liquify , select, paint it all over etc If something looks off to you then you also know deep inside how to fix it. Useful ways to see what clunks: flip canvas horizontally (helps with placement, proportions), turn the image to grayscale (helps to check values and where your eye tends to look), look at your image in thumbnail size and ask yourself if it’s clear, see the pose’s silhouette and ask yourself if you can tell what the character is doing etc. Don’t fret, everything can always be fixed :)

Perfectionism, sometimes it stops you before you begin Perfectionism causes you to overwork a piece, it makes you draw less, it makes art stressful, it brings insecurity. Let’s remove it with a simple exercise. It can be combined with the “draw things from imagination” once you’ve drawn something you like: dont do line art, don’t shade it, keep it as simple and crude as possible and then...post it. Yes, post it. You’re not at your best? You’re only human, this will help you embrace that very human side of you. You make mistakes. So what? The more mistakes you make the more you know what you need to study and the better at art you become. Mistakes are there to show us what we need to learn. See them as another tool and not a sign of failure.

Make the process as enjoyable as possible: You like art. You love drawing. Never forget this. Otherwise why are you drawing if you don’t enjoy it? It’s easy to fall prey to the mentality of those relatable memes that “art= suffering” or “I can’t even draw the other eye”. No no no my friends, these messages are fueling your insecurities instead of overcoming them. Let me tell you what, art is fun. It is. Art is fun, because I decided to make it fun again. And you should decide on that too. Personally I adore lineart but my hand-eye coordination is lacking to do it digitally, so....I just skipped it. Yes. I skipped it. I do the sketch, I clean it up a bit and then jump onto color which I adore. It allowed me to draw more and more freely. When I draw I listen to music, make strokes with the rhythm, I take breaks often and I drink my favorite iced teas. If you don’t like coloring do it in grayscale, if you love lineart then do that etc It doesn’t mean you won’t learn your weak points in the future with studies and practice, but you won’t let your weaknesses prevent you from drawing at all. No no, you won’t let them. You draw because you want to, despite of them.

Don’t wait for inspiration, provoke it  Inspiration is not a divine and capricious muse. You make inspiration. It’s easy just collect all the things you like, music, artists, objects, characters, animals, patterns, plants etc Make boards on pinterest or similar sites, combine things you like. You like suits? You like birds? You can draw a bird in a suit, or a bird-inspired suit design, there is frankly a lot of ideas that can spring up from little things like these.

When a project stops being enjoyable either pause it for now or move on to the next thing. Pieces aren’t precious. They’re not “the one time I got x right” they are one of many. This advice goes mainly to hobbyists who can afford the luxury of passing to a new project. I have a WIP of a character who is overly complicated (I enjoy a challenge from time to time) sitting for half a month. I sometimes come back to it and add something... but as soon as it starts to create discomfort and insecurity instead of enjoyment I move onto something else. In the meantime I created 3 or 4 new pieces. If I had waited on finishing that piece I would have been severely creatively and physically exhausted. The art comes from you, not inspiration. The more art you make the better you become.

That’s about it :D I know it’s long but I prefer to be thorough and cover all the possibilities. If you have read of this: Thank you so much I hope this helps you at least a bit, if it helps only 1 other person I’d still be very happy. Have a nice one, and kick art block’s butt!

#art block #art block tips #art block advice #art advice #art help #BloggityDiary #art reference #I hope this will help someone out #This will also help me remember my own advice sksksk

[depressedacadamia]

Masterlist

Series

The Anatomy of the Sun: Dr Nico Di Angelo is an intern, fresh out of med school and is exicted to work with his best freind Percy Jackson and prove that he is more than the legacy his sister ,Bianca di angelo, left behind. Dr Solace has just transferred to a new hospital to become their head of Trauma.  As these doctors battle to save lives, they also battle to save relationships. 

Chapter I: Work Work

Chapter II: One more Hour

Chapter III: Coming soon

How do you Passive Agressively say ‘Fuck you’ in flower?: Nico walks into a flower shop asking for a hateful bouquet. Will cannot help but wonder who on Earth it’s for.

Part I          Part II         Part III

De Humani Corporis fabrica (PJO Dancer AU) :  Every dancer knows what happens offstage stays offstage. Blood, sweat and tears is what it takes to perform. So when Le Studio Royal Jupiter becomes competitive, 10 exclusively different teen dancers will start competing causing drama to arise from all the styles- from Ballet, to salsa, to street dance.

Chapter I: Le Studio Royal Jupiter

Chapter II: Experience

Chapter III: Abandoned

Chapter IV: Coming soon

WritersMonth 2021

Will solace Bday week

Twoshots/ Oneshots

Sore Loser: Let it be known that Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson are the most competitive people on this side of the Atlantic which also means they’re also the biggest pair of sore losers.

Part I

Part II

5 times Leo hit on Calypso as her barista and one time it worked: Coffee Shop AU! Calypso is running late one day so she ends up going to a coffee shop- what she doesn’t expect is for her barista to be Bad boy supreme.

Fight me?: Nico is in the infirmary and doesn’t want to listen to his healer.

Part II

I couldn’t tell: Will goes shopping for Nico and buys the wrong coloured clothes. Nico only grows concerned when Will can’t tell what his hair colour is.

Daisies and Distress: Hazel loves flowers and plants but poor Frank is allergic. What happens when these two get into an arguement about Hazel’s precious plants?

Lightweight: Will Solace can’t realy hold his alcohol but Nico doesn’t really mind.

Dimples: Apparently Nico has dimples and Will did not know.

I’m scared of the dark : Percy is scared of the dark and spooks Annabeth

Secret Artists: Leo notices drawings on his desk and Calypso notices mechanical sketches on hers. So sparks begin to fly when they write little notes to each other.

Coming soon

Shhhhh!:Annabeth is working part time in a bookshop and a certain popular skater boy from her school keeps on making noise. (Out on My ao3, will be added here when I have time)

Supper or Dinner:  Nico and will have a domestic fight about which word it’s meant to be.

Coming soon

#Percy jackson fanfic #Percy x annabeth fanfic #percabeth fanfic #Nico Di Angelo fanfic #Nico x Will fanfic #will solace fanfic #annabeth chase fanfic #piper McLean fanfic #Leo Valdez fanfic #calypso fanfic #caleo fanfic #Jason grace fanfic #hazel levesque #hazel levesque fanfic #frank zhang fanfic #frazel fanfic #Nico x will #frank x hazel #calypso x leo #Percy x annabeth #hoo #tumblr #pjo #pjo fanfic #hoo fanfic #calypso #Thalia grace #piper McLean #reyna ramirez arellano

[k00271829]

~ Painting Task ~

I did my research in the library and found 3 artist who either relate directly to my project or captivated me in one way or another.

- Oliver Laric -

I was incredibly impressed by Larics 2018 animated display titled ‘ Betweenness’. He created a series of short animations with an eerie soundtrack, they where relatively simple looking line drawings that morphed to show various images and explored the human figure. This resonated with me as my project exploring the depths of our figure, our anatomy was reflected in this animation through the smooth and paced movement of the lines. Laric depicts humans form as “something constantly in flux, as an event in the process of becoming”. Whether talking about the organism or spirit he portrays that ‘movement’ and constant change in a terrific manner.

- Jamila Prowse -

As I was flipping through the books and magazines I abruptly stopped at the sight of this stunning photograph. It reminded me of x-rays which show the inner most layer of the human body. Similarly the photograph has that x-ray glow to the iridescent white figure on the black paper sheet of film. Jamila Prowse is an artist, writer and researcher and this particular piece of work focuses on disability. Jamila had an incredibly unfortunate incident which she feared might halt her from ever creating again, this work shows “ how disability-inclusive resources gave her another shot at working in the arts”. Her work makes me appreciate my body more and helps me realise that movement can be a privilege. Although our body’s are fascinating and strong they must be nurtured and cared for and appreciated while they serve us well.

- Eisa Jocson -

Jocson is a contemporary choreographer and dancer from the Philippines. Her 2013 solo “ Macho Dancer” required her to unlearn femininity. She was trying to portray the masculine figure in this show and wanted to show that females have equal strength, are equally capable, she would later embody this masculinity she learnt if she sensed an immediate threat in her surroundings. I wanted to include this piece as it is also further exploration of the human body, I am showing the delicate way we collectively as humans are perceived, especially females, and then showing how underneath it all we are strong and complex and intricate, Jocson learned how to show this inner strength through a display on the outside and I find that inspiring and fascinating.

#art #art student #lsad #tus #movement

[mysterystarz]

did you really think I was gonna say that and not give you akaashi headcanons? 🤨🤨

anyways some of these are general akaashi headcanons and some are romantic ones

☆ he's not the best at art, but he learned basic anatomy + sketching techniques just to create portraits of you

☆ he's really great at poetry and creative/descriptive writing though and writes about you and generally the way you make him feel

☆ once compared you to grass though 💀 but it turned out kinda nice because it was a metaphor for how even when people hurt you you always come back and you keep him (the dirt) from being washed away and stuff 🥺

☆ he has a good singing voice. I think he'd be a tenor, and his voice is good for jazz he can also play the piano really well (it's those long setter fingers 😩)

☆ he loves flowers and either has little potted ones around place or a small garden outside. you've caught him talking to the plants about you. all good things, of course. I think his favorites would be lillies (the white ones I think) but idk much about flowers

☆ he likes to get you jewelery (bruh how do you spell that???), especially engraved jewelery. sometimes it's got random dates on it and you have to ask him what happened that day, and he'll start telling you about something you thought was small but meant a lot to him that happened that day. usually it's a day when you two had a date and he felt it should be remembered.

☆ he really likes musicals. not as in he's a theatre kid (though he could be) but more like he loves the stories and how they're told through song and dance.

☆ he annotates his books. sometimes you'll borrow one from him to read and find he's underlined and written about things that made him think of you 😭

☆ he's very romantic but he doesn't necessarily try to be. he's also naturally very aesthetic.

☆ he can tap dance. I've literally been in tap dancer akaashi brainrot since I listened to "King of new york" from newsies 😭😭 and he's so HOT when he tap dances, he's really good at it but he hasn't practiced/done lessons in forever, so he's a little rusty. but he used to do competitions and stuff and was extremely good at the dance.

☆ I feel like although he doesn't really seem like one to do so, he uses reaction memes in texts somewhat often. not just the affectionate ones, but also the "😐" or aggressive ones (very hot of him to use reaction memes 😌)

☆ he collects mugs! he drinks coffee in the morning so he needed some mugs at first, but then he started getting one wherever he traveled to as a souvenir (and he doesn't travel too often, whether it's for vacation or business it's usually around every other year or something) and now he has a whole cupboard of mugs

☆ he also likes tea. and while i feel like he prefers his coffee somewhat bitter, he usually adds milk to his tea. I think he's also a big fan of boba tea, and his favorite (mine too) is milk tea (made with black tea) with brown sugar and boba

☆ his dream home is an industrial apartment (is that what it's called?) with a balcony or patio. he likes the city since he's from tokyo... I think. he'd love to live somewhere where the skies are clear and he can see the stars, but he's gotta live near the city for work 🥲 though some stars are visible, at least, from that patio

☆ he likes to wear rings. even though he's lowkey insecure about his fingers and rings would draw more attention to them, he likes to fidget with the accessories

☆ he's really good at braiding hair. he hasn't really practiced, he's just a natural. first time he braided your hair it looked really good and both of you were kinda shocked. he's pretty good at hair things in general, actually.

☆ loves holding hands. LOVES LOVES LOVES HOLDING HANDS.

☆ he really likes fuzzy blankets. whenever he's on the couch he's wrapped up in one.

☆ one of his favorite cuddle positions is with you sitting on his lap, curled up almost cat-like with your head on his chest and his arms wrapped around you. and a fuzzy blanket.

☆ he has really long, dark eyelashes and it's so pretty.

☆ he likes talking to you about his dreams and he likes hearing about yours.

☆ he's down to try anything with you. you want to try veganism? he'll join you. want to learn a language? so does he. want to get a tarot reading? what a coincidence, he was thinking the same thing!

☆ he has a little tattoo above his right ankle. it looks exactly like this ☆ and it remind him of you 🥺

have a great week ily nova 😊

OH MY GOODNESS JACK THIS MADE ME SMILE SO WIDE I HAVE RE READ THIS SO MANY TIMES THANK YOU THIS ACTUALLY MADE MY WEEK AJXJAJXNANDNWNDNSN 🥺🥺🥺🤩🤩😭🥰🥰😭😭😳🥺😩💕💕🤩🤩😩😩🥺😩😩😩🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😩💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 IT WAS ADORABLE

more of my reactions under the cut because yes

- thinking of keiji playing the piano always gets me so soft because i can think of his fingers pressing the keys and it just be so perfect (and i’ve thought of some other scenarios with pianos too it’s cute!!)

- the fact that i actually LOVE white lillies too theyre so pretty omg :00

- TAP DANCER KEIJI GOODNESS MY HEART TAP DANCING KEIJI INTRICATE FOOTWORK OH MY GOODNESS I — 😳

- WE CAN WRITE POETRY TOGETHER ILL KISS HIM TOO I LOVE THAT!!

- REACTIONMEMESREACTIONMEMESREACTIONMEMES HE IS SO SEXY ALREADY BUT HE JUST GOT SEXIER

- i’m also super sentimental so the engraved jewelry (wtf is that word) IS SO CUTE and i would love that <33 it’s so sweet to see the sentiments too!!

- HE ANNOTATES HIS BOOKS OFF OF ME MY HEART JUST WENT WHOOOOSH 💕💕😩😩🥺🥺

- NO WAY I COLLECT MUGS TOO IS THIS SOULMATE STUFF BECAUSE I LOVE COLLECTING MUGS

- I ALSO LIKE MY COFFEE BITTER BUT MY TEA SWEET-ISH OH MY GOODNESS?!?! THIS IS PERFECT!!!

- JACK HOW DID YOU KNOW I HAVE A THING FOR FUZZY BLANKETS HOW HOW BECAUSE CUDDLING WITH FUZZY BLANKETS OR JUST SITTING WITH ONE IS SOMETHING I DO OH MY GOODNESS 💕💕💕✨✨✨😩💕

- pretty voice 😳😳😳 yes he would and yes

- i think an industrial apartment with keiji would be so cute <33

- I WILL HOLD HANDS WITH HIM ANYTIME ANYTIME ANYTIME

- i would kiss his fingers when he’s wearing rings and when he’s not because i love him 🥰🥰🥰

- t-talks about our dreams and tries things with me?!? I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I CANNOT FUNCTION THATS MY MAN

- the fact that you literally think he would draw me 🥺🥺🥺🥺 MY HEART

- i would totally watch musicals with him <33 i like them too for the exact same reason actually (jack i’m not even kidding how scary it is that you got our personalities down perfectly it’s astounding)

- STAR TATTOO KEIJI OH MY GOODNESS I AM 😳😳😳 WOW OMG THAT IS SURPRISINGLY HOT OH MY — suddenly i want to match

in conclusion :: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS JACK IM STILL SMILING SO WIDE THANK YOU 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

#cosmic mailbox #💌atsuvu #jack! #moots✨ #keinova ❣️ #THIS WILL GO ON MY MASTERLIST IT WILL #I LOVED THIS SO MUCH

[scrawler-jay]

gesture drawing

when I first decided I would learn to draw (like, a week ago, lmao) I really fixated on figure drawing because something about the way I drew people and animals felt off. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was -- the proportions were (for the most part) decent if not astounding, the angles were largely okay, but everything felt so stiff and unnatural. I thought that, if I could draw lots and lots of people and animals in various poses, the problem would go away.

As it turned out, I needed to start working on gestures.

When I draw a posed figure from a reference, the angles of the pose are always minimized in my drawing; it feels like everything is trying to get as close to  a straight line as possible. It feels incredibly restrained, which isn’t something I’m going for, and I don’t even realize I’m doing it -- I’ll finish the sketch, do a quick comparison, and think, “wait a fucking second, that’s not right!”

Left is a photo of a ballet dancer (source). Right is my attempt at sketching it. You can see that, besides the proportions being off at several key points, the drawn character doesn’t have much fluidity and the center of balance is off -- they look like they’re about to topple over, which isn’t what the photo conveys at all.

I had heard of gesture drawing, of course, but other than the assumption that it was somehow related to figure drawing I didn’t know what it was or how doing it would help me. I found Proko’s YouTube playlist on figure drawing, which starts with drawing gestures, and when I watched that first video it was like a lightbulb went off in my brain.

Part of me is worried that I’m going too far and too fast -- Proko, as well as another YouTube artist under the name Koizu who made a video on gesture drawing, mention that gesture drawing is taught mainly in higher-level art classes. Should I focus just on getting fundamental anatomy correct and improving my proportions first, stiff poses be damned, or should I add gestures to the pile of things I want to tackle right away? Do gestures interfere with learning either of those two other things?

And if I’m aboard this train of thought and want to fixate on “what should I learn immediately?” (obvious answer: everything) I should probably do some work with 3-point perspective...

Enough! Enough! I made this post with the intention of talking about gesture drawing. I decided to do my own gestures, but instead of working in pencil I would be brave and go for ink -- no erasing, no fixing mistakes. The point of gesture drawing isn’t to have a pretty, finalized picture, but just something quick and rough that conveys the movement and attitude of the subject.

I used these model references:

Sources (linked): 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

and I came up with these gestures (below). All of them were done in under three minutes, and I spent no time finalizing them.

I think working in ink did help me, because with the way I draw guiding forms/shapes I would have to erase them for a finalized sketch, and with a pen that’s impossible, so I had to make peace with the fact that none of these would be perfect. 

Doing these poses from reference really cements the fact that I need to work on proportions; you can see my attempts at correcting myself when I realized that I’ve gone astray, but I didn’t catch all of them. I see more and more the longer I spend looking at what I’ve done. I think doing lots and lots of quick gestures will help me with this.

I like #4 the most; that’s where I started to break away from drawing endless circles as guiding forms/shapes, and coincidentally that gesture feels the most true to life... which means I need to keep doing them.

#beginner artist #art #sketching #gesture drawing

[nighttimepixels]

For jewelry would a bracelet, anklet, ring, or necklace work best for a skeleton? (I am working on a head canon where a human mage tries to make defensive jewelry that raise HP or DF and isn't affected by human intent like monster magic is)

Hmmm, I tend to go for necklace, personally! Bracelets are a maybe depending on how you headcanon their anatomy working on my part, but cuff-style bracelets are a fave within that since they’d work well imho. (plus... fashion)

Rings I love aesthetically but also partially because pixel artist reasons I don’t draw on skeletons as much XD If I do with skeles I make it a real deliberate part of their aesthetic, in the end. But that’s just personal choice!

And as a northerner aka someone who wears pants/leggings/boots 99% of the time I forget that anklets exist most of the time?? To me it’d fall in a cross of bracelet and ring territory XD In other words, probably only if they were pretty close cut? And also a very deliberate extension of their personal aesthetic. (EG, for anklets, you almost always see them related to ‘dancer’ type characters. But maybe a beach-going character, or other warm weather/fire/athletically graceful type might work too!)

#night answers #skeleton related content #what a neat idea! #i love that sort of extrapolation and having fun with potentials for magic users doing neat crafty things #not just slingin spells heh #but yeah I think it boils down to doing justice to their personality/aesthetic in character design #and also keeping in mind logical preferences for that type of monster #X) #but really #have fun with it! #Anonymous

[anhed-nia]

NOT BLOGTOBER: SUSPIRIA (2018)

(Thar be spoilers)

Luca Guadagnino's polarizing remake of the inimitable Argento classic is a beautiful mess. Technically refined and narratively disastrous, it seems to hold a mirror up to the audience, that shows you what kind of viewer you are. I've rarely seen a movie that so divides people, not only according to whether they think is good or bad, but even along lines of what they think it's about. I'm not even sure I can tell you what *I* think it's about, and I even have a hard time telling you whether or not I think it is ultimately good. But, I do think that this complicated experience has given me a better understanding of how I watch movies. I became vividly aware, for instance, that I don't have a real concept of perfection. I feel less concerned about whether a movie "works", than about what kind of job it can do for me personally. Let's say you're a plumber, and you have no idea where my pipes are supposed to go, but you produced a really beautiful set of clawfeet for my bathtub--I may go on to remember you as a pretty great plumber. Maybe you're a groundskeeper, and you absolutely murdered my lawn, but you were willing to come over and sing to my night-blooming flowers? That's a big deal for me. With this in mind, I feel a little embarrassed telling people how well SUSPIRIA 2018 worked for me, but more willing to describe why.

I hesitate to draw too many lines between the very different 1977 and 2018 editions, but I'd like to note that even though he's so often accused (inaccurately, I think) of "making no sense", Argento's SUSPIRIA is actually pretty tidy. An elite dance school is a front for a witches' coven whose administrators will kill anyone who uncovers their true identity. Witches are universally recognized as monsters, and the very fact that they'll kill to stay hidden underlines their basic evilness. No further explanation is necessary to understand the thrust of this story. Guadanigno's version, on the other hand, has lofty aspirations that would require the scope of a WORLD ON A WIRE to fully flesh out. It takes place during 1977's "German Autumn", the peak of the violence surrounding the anti-fascist Red Army Faction. The witches within the Helena Markos Tanz Akademie seem to have a similar leftwing bent--they offer free admission and boarding to their accepted students, respecting the importance of a woman's financial independence, and they denounce psychoanalysis, which has become notorious for victim-blaming in modern times. ("When women tell you the truth, you don't pity them. You tell them they have delusions!") However, these women also define themselves as mutually exclusive with the egalitarian Baader-Meinhof group whose Marxist activities protested the persisting Nazi influence within the contemporary government. The students are instructed to disown their biological mothers to fully accept the spiritual maternity of the academy, which I suppose could suggest the abuse of power by a dictator, or a revolutionary militia, or organized religion, or... There is also the power struggle within the academy itself, between its invisible, historic matriarch Helena Markos, and the younger and more directly involved Madame Blanc, but it is difficult to tell what divergent futures are represented by each woman. In any case, unbeknownst to the students, the dance taught in this institution is a form of spellcasting, in which the choreography projects the witches' will into the world--mainly violently, it seems--but their larger goals remain unclear. In the end, it turns out that the rightful heiress to the academy, the real Mater Suspiriorum, is a young Mennonite from America whose unwitting destiny has been to depose the fraudulent Helena Markos; but, how this functions metaphorically, I still cannot tell you. "This isn't vanity, this is art!" bellows the deathless old hag over an orgiastic final performance in the bowels of the school, and honestly, I find this extremely delightful...but I do not know what, in this story, constitutes vanity, and what constitutes art.

I admit that I find all this rhetoric about power teasingly interesting, even if it is ultimately diffuse and inconclusive. Fortunately, I'm the sort of viewer who is able to sift through the shifting contents of a film like this, and isolate what is most useful to me individually. I found quite a lot to like, slung over the osteoporotic bones of the narrative: It is, above all else, incredibly beautiful. (With the notable exception of Thom Yorke's intrusive pop songs, which took me out of the movie every time)  SUSPIRIA 2018 wisely avoids the Snow White-like palette of its ancestor, and the construction of architecture as its main character, focusing instead on fashion and dance. It takes the dusty brown and grey cast of 1970s Berlin and makes of it something ethereally lovely. The formal fabric of the film, composed of uneasy scenes of "realism" and excoriating surrealistic nightmares, is, pardon the term, spellbinding. What is really important for me about this movie is its physicality. Actually, the body itself is the final frontier of power dynamics--might, ethnicity, sex, age--and this is the angle from which the movie makes the most sense to me.

Most dancers will tell you that dance is one of the worst things you can do to your body. Dancers are always sick, always contorting themselves, always touching themselves in some bizarre way. Parts of their bodies are often permanently disfigured by their discipline. Dance is popularly thought of as a matter of beauty and elegance, but practitioners know it to be mortally brutal. SUSPIRIA 2018's focus on dance itself blends nicely with its extreme gore. The movie is outlandishly violent, even considering its origins, but it is important to differentiate gore from violence. Violence, regardless of whether it is in a cop drama or a slasher movie, is always about authority. It is combative, a matter of strength and weakness. Gore is a matter of vulnerability. It describes the fate of the body, the way the body betrays the will and refutes the ego. Extreme gore can reach heights of ecstasy that are conflatable with pornography, but gore carries a deep sadness due to its undeniable finality. It embarrasses the individual, reducing one to the same indeterminate matter as all other individuals in the animal kingdom--not unlike the writhing, interlocked group choreography that makes a chimera of the student body. This SUSPIRIA exposes the limiting nature of bodily identity, whether it is crumpling women up like candy wrappers, dismembering them, eviscerating them, or popping their heads like grapes. Although it is marred by occasional disconcerting camp, the film's perverted crimes against anatomy represent its greatest successes as a work of art.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Like it or not, gore is for girls. (I use "gore" as a general term for body horror here, for efficiency's sake) Women are defined by a special, involuntary relationship to our insides. A man may go a month without seeing his own blood, but not us. Many men will never welcome penetration, regardless of their sexual orientation, and men are less likely to be forced into this experience of their interiors, than are women. I hardly have to describe the business of pregnancy. So, when I think about the Grand Guignolesque excesses of SUSPIRIA, and in particular its flabbergasting finale, I can't think of this all as a self-indulgent stunt. It seems to me to be an absolute necessity of the story, and the only part of the story that makes perfect sense to me. Gore represents the defeat of vanity, and by that token, I'm happy to call it art.

(I gotta say, I wish the available internet images showed how much more anal than vaginal this goofy thing looked on the big screen, but ya can’t have everything!)

#suspiria #2018 #dario argento #luca guadagnino #dakota johnson #tilda swinton #remake #italo horror #euro horror #supernatural #witch #body horror #gore #blogtober

[jeszmo]

Sunday-funday ? Yeahhh In my brain, it’s tingling Anatomy of an artist, fig.3 Ink on paper, 13,9x21,6cm//5,5x8,5’’ ...................................................................... When you are a creative (no major and minor arts argue pleaz), your brain is your gold, your heart, your past, present, future. Like a gigantic wardrobe full AF. Sometimes it’s organized, and sometimes it’s a teenager ‘s room. Don’t ask. So we try to keep our faith in work everyday, living on the edge, but it’s always tingling. That’s why we rest “between” the storms strike again. When you get an idea, you never know if it’s a good one until you make it. So my ideas, my ants, my dreams, keep on going in and out and doing a ballet. It makes me swing, jump and shout. Feeling so lucky to have it all. And sometimes we fail, sometimes we over celebrate, or we don’t share the same goals. But we all have an ant farm inside, ready to rock the world. My soldiers, my gogo dancers, my babyz, please never leave me. And thanks for all that journey. Https://www.jessicamoritz.com • • • • • #sketch #draw #bodypositivity #inktober #tlv #inkdrawing #bopo #telaviv #pendrawing #bodypositive #instaart #sketchbook #doodle #inkart #telavivcity #pencil #israel #penandink #dailysketch #creative #ink #israeloftheday #inkstagram #artsy #fineart #illustrator #exhausted #micronpen #emergingartist #becreative (at Tel Aviv, Israel) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoodPuxhYxM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11p254rv2cxs0

#sketch #draw #bodypositivity #inktober #tlv #inkdrawing #bopo #telaviv #pendrawing #bodypositive #instaart #sketchbook #doodle #inkart #telavivcity #pencil #israel #penandink #dailysketch #creative #ink #israeloftheday #inkstagram #artsy #fineart #illustrator #exhausted #micronpen #emergingartist #becreative

[empanadadooblez]

hey do you have any tips on drawing bodies in general? Your art is incredible and I like the way you draw muscles on girls to show off their badassery. I'm having a hard time figuring out anatomy and poses. You gave off a really good long explanation on how to draw certain characters. So if you could, would you be able to show a process on how you draw bodies.

awww, hello sweet anon, I can give you a general list, but if you’re looking for something with pictures and examples, you are welcome to shoot me another ask and I can most definitely do that for you. 

Also p.s, if you’re guys ever want to ask a question, it’s a little easier for me to answer when you phrase it to something specific, it lets me focus on the details cause I can’t name everything all at once sometimes. 

please tell me to elaborate on these certain subjects if you want, I’d really like to help you guys and give you tips, these are some that I’ve picked up on along the way anatomically, but remember that you can take realistic anatomy and stylize it however you choose, it all depends on your style!

but here we go:

ears start at the top of your eyes and end at the bottom of your nose

wrists end at the crotch

space between the eyes is approximately one eye

pectorals connect up to the deltoids

the nape of your neck arcs slightly, it’s not flat!

sternocleidomastoids connect to the centers of your clavicles

neck is about the same width as the head

arm is composed in a chain link pattern 

try using a tilted diamond/square shape as a base for hands

So these are good places to start experimenting, once I realized a lot of these, my art improved so much more. There’s a LOT more that I’m sure I’m missing, but again if you’d like me to elaborate on any of those little bullet points, just let me know.

What I can tell you is that you shouldn’t be afraid to just DO YOU.

Some artists can draw super realistically, but chose to go with a stylized version that they like better. Again, it’s all about what you want.

I, for one, EXAGGERATE A WHOLE FUCKING LOT.

While maybe it’s possible, it’s not every day you see the height and size differences I show between the characters that I draw in real life. I looooove body and facial differences between characters and it frustrates me when I watch shows where everyone seems to have the same body size/type ugh 

For example, working with Aged Up BNHA, I base their bodies off their quirks, enough said.

Kirishima is a shield, his quirk is one that can be used for offence AND defense, it revolves around BRUTE STRENGTH so of course I’m going to make him big and beefy.

Bakugou’s explosions provide him with the brute strength, he doesn’t need to have bulging muscles because his explosions are what give him force, he propels himself with them. Bakugou needs to be compact with firm joints, strong legs that help him land and broad shoulders to take his blasts. And self indulgence talking here, but I’m not gonna ignore his canonically tiny waist omg

Sero’s quirk doesn’t give him the luxury of physical enhancement, he built his body up himself. Like Bakugou he needs those strong, thick ass legs to land AND jump when he uses his tape like spiderman omg. Sero’s definitely got a runner’s body, he’s trim and tall, but not lanky in the least, he’s all lean muscle as opposed to Kiri’s weighty build.

Mina is a dancer, just recently did we witness that, bless her soul I love her. But given that, LEGS and hips. Mina’s quirk, like Sero’s, doesn’t give her physical enhancements. Her acid might be able to be shot out of her hand, but I think she needs to be able to pitch very well too, so that girl’s got some fucking arms on her. 

Kaminari is about the same as Bakugou. He can still do damage at a distance so he doesn’t need the brute strength the way Kirishima does. He’s one of the smaller of the boys, slim but not scrawny. He definitely needs to be fit (as do all heroes) and I think he’d be FAST and once he’s able to get a better handle on his quirk, be able to use that to his advantage the way Bakugou does.

Outside the Bakusquad, I’d like to mention my Momo! Some one wrote an entire thing about this that inspired me, but long story short. Momo is a girl with a quirk that requires BODY MASS in order to function. Her fat cells are what are manipulated into the matter she uses to create objects. She NEEDS body mass, she needs meat on her bones that aren’t just her boobs for fan service. She creates WEAPONS and my girl can and will be strong enough to wield a medieval saber if she wanted to. Along with fat, she’d have muscle, strong enough to benchpress a fully grown man

And finally Izuku! Like Kirishima, Izuku’s quirk is one that needs brute strength as well, his body needs to be able to hold up to the strength of his own quirk, this is All Might’s quirk we’re talking about here people omg. Baby needs to be broad and well compacted, maybe not to the extent of All Might’s body, but again, he still needs his mass to throw his quirk around and be able to take 

I’m sorry!!!! I don’t think you were expecting me to talk about this, but this literally is my PROCESS. The body type you choose for your own character and others that you are working with tell a story in their own right. Anatomy can give you clues on personality, the way you depict and present a character as well.

At the end of the day I’m working with Heroes, they need to be strong and their quirks are able to find home in their bodies. I’m not afraid to put muscle of these beautiful girls or throw some curves on the boys. It’s okay to completely go off course from the canon standard

And sweet anon, I thank you so much for the compliment, but I’m still learning myself. I can try and help you, so please just let me know anytime and I’ll try and work up a tutorial of sorts for you guys

Learn from the artists around you as well, study their work and try and put two and two together, because oh my god I had the discovery of a lifetime when I started piecing together some of my own favorite artist’s anatomy just this year!

Also, just a suggestion, but I wouldn’t mind recording myself draw certain body types for y’all if you want!

Thank you to those who read the whole way through, I hope this answers some of your question omg I went off on a tangent there 💦

- Panda ❤

#pandababblez #bnha #asks #tips

[papersans]

Hello, I'd like to ask you something. You see, ive had bad art block and I've realized its because of my problem with anatomy. I wanted to ask if it was ok to use your art (specifically the anatomy part) to get a better grip of it. Its totally ok of you don't want me to, I get it. I just like how you draw your bodies.

mmmm idk. i’m not too comfortable with people referencing my stuff even if just fr anatomy or posing. gets too close into the tracing territory where sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between the two y’know. (especially recently w/ the king dice painting i did there’s been a case i’m still ech about)

what i recommend more is finding photos through google of just. models or dancers. and trace the anatomy there (i recommend not posting it, but if you do be sure to link to the photo’s sources). try drawing out a simple skeleton if you really can’t do full detail. i find life drawing has been helping me out w/ anatomy and movement so it might work for you too? idk. but it’s good practice and it’s simple enough to even a rut might not stop you

i also say this bc my anatomy is 90% bullshit and bad habits and i don’t want that to get passed down to people who think I’m Right when i’m very much not. if you just like the way i do like. pecs or abs and wanna try n incorporate that stuff into ur art that’s great ! feel free to as long as you aren’t tracing. but avoid direct referencing partially bc i’m iffy on it and mostly bc i’m just barely making my stuff passable as sensible lksjg

thank you very much for asking ! it’s appreciated 

#yeehaw man #beware the askbox ghost

[litriu]

Hi I'm stalking your art tag because you're SO GOOD and just?? How did you improve so much? My art looks the same from like. 10 years ago. How do you do what you do

First of all, thank you so much!! You’re such a sweetie!I am by no means an art teacher. I feel like you have to have a certain mindset to be a teacher, and I don’t have one of those mindset. I’m not good at it, so I don’t teach, but I will give you some really helpful stuff I wish I’d figured out earlier.

Second of all I’m going to give you a boring answer you don’t want to hear and I don’t want to say:

Practice.

Now, here’s the more fun answer that I’m hoping is more helpful:

Practice while you’re going. Every time I draw is a chance to practice. I’ll draw and redraw poses and edit them about a dozen times before I settle on it for lining! In one of my most recent drawings I have AT LEAST 29 layers of me drawing, redrawing, and tweaking the poses.

Practice can mean sitting down and doing 20 hand sketches, or practice can mean something different. Find out what method of practice works best for you. Sometimes drawing a thousand hands doesn’t help, and it’s okay if it doesn’t help you. Find another method!

Don’t settle on your first draft! Redrawing something is not only improving the drawing, but giving you experience for the future!

Draw from life, i know, that’s really basic. But still, it helps!

Make practice fun! Motivate yourself to practice by using things you enjoy drawing. Are you garbage at drawing hands, but you love drawing aliens? Draw aliens with a bunch of hands. This is a really basic example, but you get the jist!

My babe and I recently (before I came down with tendonitis and had to take a break) would watch a dance video where the dancers are wearing relatively snug clothing, pause it at a random place, set a timer for 5 minutes and draw whatever pose we got. (you can obviously do a shorter time if you want!) It helped a lot with foreshortening, movement, and making bodies look more 3d.

Speaking of which this won’t help your art any but it’ll help your health: S T R E T C H before, after, and while you draw, okay? You know that tendonitis I mentioned? Yeah, guess who didn’t stretch. Find stretches that work for you. Wrists, back, neck. Walk around a little every once in a while. Drink water. Eat. Take care of yourself.

Practice SMART, not just practice. Figure out what you want to strengthen in your art style. If you want to focus on improving the fluidity or readability of your poses, doing half hour studies of detailed landscapes or portraits isn’t going to help with that. Doing 1 minute speed-sketches of exaggerated poses might, though. Same goes for if you want to get better at drawing landscapes and detailed portraits.

You’ll get something out of it, so if you want to do these things do them! They’re fun! but don’t draw nothing but anime eyes and wonder why you can’t draw a skyscraper perfectly.

REFERENCE. U S E R E F E R E N C E

I’m gonna break this wall of text up with a doodle of a kitten because it’s a lot

Don’t be afraid of shitty anatomy! Sometimes to get the right perspective, it has to look weird. Making mistakes helps you learn what to improve. What works and what doesn’t. And, in my experience, the pieces I obsessed over were the pieces I felt like aged the worse, while pieces I had fun doing and relaxed drawing are still pieces I really love.

All in all, just don’t be afraid of mistakes. You’ll make them, just have fun making them.

EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT! Experiment with colors. With more lineweight, with less lineweight, with weird anatomy and proportions, try out aspects of art styles you love, try out aspects of art styles you hate! Just have fun!

Step out of that comfort zone! Learn something new! You don’t have to curate an entire art exhibit on horses if you can’t draw horses, but sketch a couple at least.

Take bits and pieces from everywhere and adapt them to what works best for you. Does this method of sketching not work for you? Okay, change it. Find a new one. Find one that works better. That includes this list of tips! If something I’m saying doesn’t work for you? IGNORE IT! find something new. Don’t try to force yourself to work in a box that doesn’t work for you. It’ll just make you feel inadequate, and instead of spending time improving, you’re spending time trying to fit into the box.

I can’t give you too many super specific tips because I don’t know your art style or what you want to improve, but in general, just experiment and adapt to whatever works best for you.

This one is more of a catch all for developing your art, not nesecarilly improving it: Don’t treat things like color theory as sacred rules of the land that cannot be broken. Learn anatomy, learn color theory, learn about lineweight and how it works, learn about light and shadow! But keep in mind; they’re a guide for how things work, not an instruction manual. Do whatever you think looks cool, even if that isn’t what other people say looks good.

Learn at every opportunity! You think that lighting is cool? Try to replicate it. You watched a speedpaint and you liked their technique? try it out for yourself. Like that color palette? Analyze what you like about it and try to replicate that feeling.

Draw as often as you can! And “draw as often as you can” does not mean draw until your hands and arms hurt! It means draw a little when you have some time, if you have the energy. Don’t hurt yourself.

Time for another kitten break

Take a step back if you don’t like how something’s turning out. close it up, have something to eat, sleep on it, work on something else, whatever. If you’ve just been looking at it too long, that’ll fix it. And if there’s actually something off, you’ll come back to it less frustrated and with fresh eyes!

Draw fingernails on hands. This sounds really weird and dumb and random but it literally upped my hand game by at least 25%. It does WONDERS for portraying the angle of the hand.

A major chunk of my artistic development and improvement was done in a very unhealthy way. When I was younger, I would push myself to pain, I’d stay up until 3-6 am drawing something, I’d cry at least once every two weeks because I wasn’t good enough. I improved a lot very quickly, but I pushed myself way too hard because I was so desperate to improve…

Don’t do that. I mean it. I’m very thankful for the growth i achieved in that time, but if you can avoid that phase, do. It’s better to improve slowly and keep a healthy relationship with your art than to push yourself so hard that art becomes a chore and you lose your passion, or even hurt yourself.

Finished not Perfect

Your art has improved!! I promise it has, it may not seem like it but it has! You don’t see it right away, but every single drawing is a little better than the last as long as you keep striving to learn a little more with every drawing. Everything grows at a different pace, and you’re growing at the right pace for you.

You’re good enough right now! Have goals for what you want to do with your art, not standards for how “good” you need to be!

I’m sorry this post is long, I wish I could say “I sacrificed my soul to the art demons” but… I can’t say that. I didn’t do anything special.

Draw as much as you can, draw what makes you happy, draw new and exciting things, and surround yourself with art, artists, and people that inspire you!

BEND ART TO YOUR WILL AND MAKE IT YOUR PET

If you know an art demon that might help too idk?

aaaand here’s one more incredibly small, incredibly round kitten

#long post #litriu text #art advice #probably incredibly questionable art advice #my tips and tricks for art pretty much amount to #'idunno sound' + have fun do whatever you want #palepinkroses