That's perfect. Thanks for the info - just seeing a visual on student vs quality paints is helpful. Truthfully, I stick to buying my materials at AC Moore because they have a nice teacher discount I can get through my wife but I may have to start looking at least at doing brushes at a place that's more knowledgeable.
You can always go into the store to browse and buy online. I find that big box hobby stores prioritize framing and mom/kids-crafts, and so your selection of paints and brands becomes dismal, also prices at those stores on medium quality products can be pretty shitty. Shop around. Going to a dedicated art store will make you realize there's such a wide selection of products out there, that its ridiculous to settle for the one isle in the back of a craft store.
I've received advice that even though I literally have no game design experience, it would look good on my resume if I created a small portfolio built around a game concept to show them that I at least understand the concept of designing a game. Nothing elaborate or detailed, just something that's a couple of pages that can be read in five minutes, and preferably something that matches the style of their games.
So I'm looking to create a tiny Final Fantasy-related scenario: a single area, some details on the kind of gameplay mechanics players would look forward to in that area, and a boss at the end to top it all off.
Basically something like this, only not quite as elaborate:
I even found my old drawing pad that I kept since I was 16, and bought a couple lead pencils.
......and I am absolutely fucking terrified to put the pencil to paper. I know that the bare minimum I need to do is just doodle something that is legible and easy to understand, but I don't even have the confidence to pull that off. Plus, I feel it would better my chances if it did pleasant and professional.
So, I'm looking for advice to shake the nerves out of me, or an idea where I should start with this.
Hopefully it won't come to that; I'm a stubborn perfectionist, but even if I paid someone to do the drawings it wouldn't feel right by me, since it is a job application. I'd rather sell myself in full.
But I was looking to have someone draw a logo for my podcast, so where would I inquire about commissions?
Having worked in the game industry, the extent of the average game designer's artistic skills is:
-can open up Photoshop or GIMP or MS Paint
-can make colored boxes with black outlines (circles and triangles if they're feeling ambitious)
-can put text on those boxes
-can maybe cut out something they got off Google Image Search and throw it into one of those programs
-can arrange said boxes, text and weird GIS nonsense into a crude layout of some kind in a vague representation of what elements are supposed to be on screen at a given moment. If you can recall what Flash sites made by high schoolers looked like way back in the 90's, you're on the right track.
-can copy paste that junk into a Word document
Designers aren't hired for their artistic skills, they're hired for their ability to communicate ideas to other departments or massage data- anything artistic you might do is sorta pointless because the artists- the people that ARE hired for their artistic skills- will have to redo everything you do anyway. If I saw a designer struggling over a sketchpad rather than typing up specs in Word or making text-only flowcharts or making the crudest of box-centric explanatory diagrams or typing stats into endless Excel spreadsheets, I wouldn't applaud their ambition- I'd assume they don't understand their job very well. If they absolutely need an artist for a doc, they will get one to assist them.
I know this is the Artist's Corner, but really, stressing over not possessing a skill you won't actually use as part of your job is kind of pointless. Don't try to make your flowcharts and mockups look like a noble attempt at drawing, focus on making them clearly communicate.
Also, I'd probably suggest you not conflate a document about a scenario design ("This level goes like this."), with one about a mechanics design ("This combat system/crafting system/UI flow functions in this way"). It sounds like you're trying to do both- which would probably be too broad and too high level to show you can actually do the low-level design work* that you'd probably be hired for. I would suggest picking one or the other.
*Which, if this is a "no experience necessary" job, is probably more along the lines of "figure out how to price all the stuff in our store" or "balance these million stats to prevent abuse of certain min/max strategies" than "come up with new features", to be honest. If I had to guess, you're probably a lot better off brushing up on Excel than working on your drawing skills.
I'll refrain from getting off-topic then, since this sounds like it doesn't relate much to learning how to draw.
I still do want to give drawing a try, as it's been something I've been putting off for far too long. I figure I should at least see how far I can go with it.
Anyone else paint on a Surface Pro or other Windows tablet? I recently picked up a Surface Pro 3 and I absolutely LOVE it. Even after using an Intuos tablet for more than a decade, drawing directly on a screen feels a hundred times easier and more natural.
Anyway, I was frustrated by the lack of physical hardware keys for shortcuts, so I found a Japanese program called Touchkey that is absolutely phenomenal for creating touchscreen toolbars for all your shortcuts. It's sort of difficult to figure out so I made a video tutorial. You can check it out here:
Nice, I've been using my surface (I just posted about it in my thread.) I picked up Radial Menu: http://radialmenu.weebly.com/ I still find the screen size a bit restricting, But I like it.
So something that I've been doing to help with the screen size is using a large secondary monitor, and setting my SP3 in front of it to extend my display vertically. Then I go into Photoshop and open my document, and select Window>Arrange>New window for (document). Then I drag Photoshop (with that second window of my document) up to my second monitor. Then I paint in the first window on the tablet. I like it because I can work on details down on my Surface, and easily glance up to see my whole painting on the second monitor, which updates with each brush stroke (unfortunately not in real time, it only shows a brush stroke after the stroke is completed). Still, the small screen size of the Surface almost doesn't matter because I still have a good view of the whole painting on the second display, even when zoomed in for detail work on the Surface. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well.
Other times I simply mirror the display so I can use the Surface like a regular Intuos drawing tablet, with a keyboard for shortcuts. It's nice because I can go about my business as usual on the big screen, or look down at the tablet when I want to zoom in for detail.
I haven't ventured to hook my surface up to my desktop, I may give it a shot, but I don't want to loose a feel for my intuos just yet, as it would put me on the path for getting a cintiq and I'm trying not to do that shit quite yet.
I'm still having trouble getting any freelance work! Do you guys think I should work on a different subject matter or change my style? Any general tips for getting commissions?
Iruka -- I certainly feel that. On the other hand, I think the Cintiq market is about to see some serious disruption. There are already a handful of decent 22-24 inch competing displays from other manufacturers. Monoprice in particular just launched a 22-inch pen display with multitouch for something like $700. It has some flaws (there was just a good review of it up on the SurfaceProArtist blog) but I think we're going to see some really good, relatively affordable Cintiq alternatives in the next year or so. I'm also hoping that the Surface Pro 4 has a bigger display, (same overall size but with a thinner bezel) when it's launches later this year. I'd gladly sell my SP3 and take the hit for another inch or so of screen space.
Anyway, I think that I will end up using my Intuos for bigger paintings. But for drawing and sketching, a pen display like the Surface Pro blows the Intuos out of the water, IMO, so I think all my projects will start on the tablet initially.
So I decided to give RadialMenu a shot to see what it was like. I didn't even realize that it had a built in toolbar editor -- I thought it was just a radial pop-up menu tool, which I wasn't too interested in. Well, it turns out that RadialMenu's toolbar editor is deeper and more logical than Touchkey's, and its toolbar is more stable and reliable than Touchkey -- and after I spent all that time making a Touchkey tutorial o_O. I even found a Windows workaround to run two RadialMenu toolbars at once. The only thing missing is multi-touch support for toolbars, which isn't very important at all.
yeah, it works great. hes still working on it actively and I believe hes working on options to make it so you can disable the windows button, and use the volume keys as brackets for brush size changing.
That's awesome to hear. Before I dove into Touchkey I tried Toolbar Creator, which is absolute garbage. And here I was thinking that Touchkey was a real gem. Even though RadiaMenu's toolbars don't look quite as nice as Touchkey's, IMO, you can get close by tweaking the UI settings, and the software just works better.
when studying anatomy, what do you find helps people kind of "figure it out" the most? Also, would tracing some drawings help a bit? Like, would it hurt?
trying to do line art instead of focusing on shadow to build the form.
when studying anatomy, what do you find helps people kind of "figure it out" the most? Also, would tracing some drawings help a bit? Like, would it hurt?
trying to do line art instead of focusing on shadow to build the form.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Do not trace!
No!
Don't do it!
Tracing is not learning it's copying!
Learn by doing. If you're desperate check out Anatomy360, they put buff people through 3D scanners so you can check em at all angles. Something like anatomy involves a bit of studying and practice, but tracing is not practice. Looking at that thing you wanna trace and try drawing, that's practice.
I guess I really start to get it when you look at the form in motion: so anything where you see the form exposed and in motion is great.
I've been commissioned to do a few section banners for a twitch profile, wooo! The problem is, this is essentially my first freelance gig (been working for a few years though) and I have absolutely no clue what a fair rate would be.
Max amount work is probably ~5 hours assuming this guy isn't an insane micromanager type (and he doesn't seem to be, he seems super nice and hands-off).
Decided on an hourly rate, charged based on that, calculate revisions based on that. For personal commissions I usually for 20-25 an hour, because that's about the budget folks have on hand.
when studying anatomy, what do you find helps people kind of "figure it out" the most? Also, would tracing some drawings help a bit? Like, would it hurt?
trying to do line art instead of focusing on shadow to build the form.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Do not trace!
No!
Don't do it!
Tracing is not learning it's copying!
Learn by doing. If you're desperate check out Anatomy360, they put buff people through 3D scanners so you can check em at all angles. Something like anatomy involves a bit of studying and practice, but tracing is not practice. Looking at that thing you wanna trace and try drawing, that's practice.
I guess I really start to get it when you look at the form in motion: so anything where you see the form exposed and in motion is great.
I maybe shouldn't have used the word trace. I meant look at photos and draw over the photos and breaking up the body into shapes. I did not mean to imply that I would be tracing 24/7, but just to draw over photos and break the body into simpler shapes just so I can sort of give my mind some kind of reference.
Tracing is probably a waste of time for a novice struggling with anatomy.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
Tracing is probably a waste of time for a novice struggling with anatomy.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
So I should probably start with some still lifes to gain observational drawing skills and then move on to anatomy?
I did minor in art in college, and while i've been drawing off and on since, and I am looking to improve, my skills have diminished.
Tracing is probably a waste of time for a novice struggling with anatomy.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
So I should probably start with some still lifes to gain observational drawing skills and then move on to anatomy?
I did minor in art in college, and while i've been drawing off and on since, and I am looking to improve, my skills have diminished.
Drawing anything from a live reference (or even a photo if you need to) will help you gain observational ability. Start by picking a subject that you enjoy drawing, whatever that may be. If you want to start drawing anatomy now, there's nothing saying you can't. You'll be learning no matter what!
Tracing is probably a waste of time for a novice struggling with anatomy.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
So I should probably start with some still lifes to gain observational drawing skills and then move on to anatomy?
I did minor in art in college, and while i've been drawing off and on since, and I am looking to improve, my skills have diminished.
Know what I do that's always fun for learning to draw live reference?
Drawing Jason Momoa. It helps that many of the scenes AND photos of him in recent years feature him shirtless and in SOME cases pants-less.
So draw Jason Momoa a bunch, that or start watching WWE and pausing the TV. Unless we're talking about proportion, 'cuz that's a whole other weight class.
DAMMIT! No I need to stare at Jason Momoa's soul PIERCING eyes (and abs), for an hour!
Tracing is probably a waste of time for a novice struggling with anatomy.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
So I should probably start with some still lifes to gain observational drawing skills and then move on to anatomy?
I did minor in art in college, and while i've been drawing off and on since, and I am looking to improve, my skills have diminished.
Alright: real talk, I just found something WAY better for you.
Now, while studying anatomy, is it okay to also do some doodles in a cartoon manner? And doing that, would I just be simplifying lines? I ultimately want to do comics but I know drawing anatomy in a realistic style helps more with that. But I was wondering if doing both at the same time would hinder, and if it's just simplifying that makes it cartoon-y or something else.
I swear, I'm going to make a thread in here one day. I just need to stop being a chicken shit about it.
Now, while studying anatomy, is it okay to also do some doodles in a cartoon manner? And doing that, would I just be simplifying lines? I ultimately want to do comics but I know drawing anatomy in a realistic style helps more with that. But I was wondering if doing both at the same time would hinder, and if it's just simplifying that makes it cartoon-y or something else.
I swear, I'm going to make a thread in here one day. I just need to stop being a chicken shit about it.
What you just described is the most desired and loved style of art around, stylization. But hopefully you already know what that is.
I just got through a description on my old thread but I can explain it like this: Your style is like a research paper and all the citations and everything you'd use on your paper are reference.
So yeah you can do that, but you can also try replicating the image shot for shot or just try to remake it as you see it.
I dunno if I explained it right someone better than me will explain it all.
Now, while studying anatomy, is it okay to also do some doodles in a cartoon manner? And doing that, would I just be simplifying lines? I ultimately want to do comics but I know drawing anatomy in a realistic style helps more with that. But I was wondering if doing both at the same time would hinder, and if it's just simplifying that makes it cartoon-y or something else.
I swear, I'm going to make a thread in here one day. I just need to stop being a chicken shit about it.
You can doodle whatever you want, you definitely shouldn't feel like you have to stop 'having fun' just because you're taking art seriously. But do remember that when you draw you're reinforcing both muscle memory and mental links. That means if you spend an hour doing anatomy studies from life, but then two hours drawing say, lopsided anime faces, you're strengthening the neuronal pathways that lead to lopsided anime faces more than the ones that remember what real people look like.
That said, to answer your question, you can definitely do cartoony stuff while you study. In fact, cartoony stuff IS studying. Particularly if you eventually want to do comics, doing cartoon doodles is a great way to develop your linework, lines of action, character design - so much! Posting your doodles in here (meaning the AC) is also a good idea, because we can see your process and maybe catch things that go off-track early on.
Basically I'd say no time drawing is ever wasted, but drawing thoughtfully (in whatever style) will generally get you somewhere faster than careless noodling around.
Now, while studying anatomy, is it okay to also do some doodles in a cartoon manner? And doing that, would I just be simplifying lines? I ultimately want to do comics but I know drawing anatomy in a realistic style helps more with that. But I was wondering if doing both at the same time would hinder, and if it's just simplifying that makes it cartoon-y or something else.
I swear, I'm going to make a thread in here one day. I just need to stop being a chicken shit about it.
Get ready for a long one buddy:
Honestly Mim, whenever anyone says "you need to spend time drawing" what we're really saying is "doodle". As long you doodle a couple times a day you'll be fine. Hell, even if it's just one doodle of dickbutt, it will do. And make sure to doodle/draw just one thing everyday and you'll get better.
Case in point of tynic's post, when he says "anatomy studies" he means find buff dudes and doodle 'em. Equine studies? Find some reference and doodle horses. Perspective and composition studies? Check out some comic book panels and doodle your own. Drawing females? Do-to-the-do to-the-do-duh-do-dle, YEAH!
Art is one of those things that looks TOTALLY insurmountable, but you do get better. It's a lot like working out in a ways, in fact it pretty much is working out.
Also on a last note to you Nim I'm going to recommend you start a Pinterest. Pinterest is essentially the TV Tropes of artist reference, they got everything from sick-ass bikes to bomb-ass ballet (DRAW BALLET, it is super useful).
To get you going and hopefully inspire you to start your own account, here's a link to my personal Pinterest page. It's got everything from anatomy, posing, vehicles, weapons, etc. If you decide to start a Pinterest (you will find no objections from anyone here to do so) than I recommend that the first person you follow beCharacterdesigh. He posts nothing but useful images and each one is labeled and placed in it's own folder, the whole thing is very well organized. Though it should be said that no one know who they really are; I just assume it's the first artificial intelligence come to life but since it lacks the ability to create and imagine he collects useful reference images to aid other artists and help them follow their dreams.
Also look up a man named Proko on TV and watch his video on gesture drawing. It's 9 minutes out of your day, it is not a bore, AND THESE 9 MINUTES WILL CHANGE YOUR WHOLE ART STYLE.
But to everyone else who offers the sage wisdom, can we just agree to tell anyone that comes here asking how to improve--yes tell them about reference and where to find it and critique them--but also that you don't need to "draw" necessarily as doodle. (I know they're the same, but doodle sounds somewhat less laborious drawing. I can doodle cats 'til Hunter X Hunter comes back from hiatus, but ask me to draw a cat and I will freeze up and freak out. IN FACT the only reason I started drawing regularly was because someone equated practice to doodling.)
ALRIGHT MIM, SO HERE'S THE JUICY BITS! THE TL;DR:
Drawing=doodling
Studies=doodling an image of the thing
Drawing just one thing everday makes all the difference
Pinterest= image tv tropes.
Pinterest>google images (soooooo much better)
It's okay to be cartoony, some of the best and well-held works of art are (Avatar, One Piece, Supernormal Step, Hana's Not A Boy's Name, THE VERY WEBCOMIC THIS SITE AND THESE FORUMS WERE FOUNDED UNDER)
Gesture Drawing=doodling life into you characters (you're going for motion, not the whole thing)
Find an artist you like and see if they stream, it's good to watch a master work and see how their process could inform your own
Everyone has their own way: Artists do not follow a path, they blaze trails; they are unafraid to use the carrion lefts by others to help them on their way or seek out their wisdom.
Be humble, but be confident. Tell yourself your the shit at art in the mirror, but remember you've got a lot to prove.
If your style is a research paper, then reference images are you sources and citations. You don't need to directly quote your sources, just use 'em and make sure the final product is uniquely yours.
Invest in a white sketchbook, like a Canson multi-media. Try to doodle exclusively in that if you can
Just do it, remember your dreams, and tell yourself that you're at least better than the kids who make up Sonic OCs
Okay Mim that's all I really got to say, and some of that is stuff I really wish I was told sooner. Just remember that art is hard some times, but it pays off. Nothing easy is worth doing, and everything hard pays off. I really wish I could say these things to you in person, in the hope that these things get through to you.
Just remember that guys like Stan Lee, Eichiro Oda, Reiq, and Jollyjack all started off with crummy stick figures, a generic style, Sonic OCs, dudes that dual-wield everything, or even generic shoujo style, but they stuck with it and it paid off. Trust me, I've been doing this since I was 15, and I've never felt more realized about what I wanna do.
More than anything, find someone you admire. Someone whose art just makes you keep going, and make it your goal to surpass him. No one get's anywhere by being the next that guy, you get to be the best by being better than that guy.
Uhh... there's a lot I'd like to address here but I'll settle for the last sentence: being competitive about art can be beneficial up to a point, but if you focus too much on it you'll probably learn less in the end. If you have to choose somebody you want to surpass, choose yourself. Otherwise you're likely to end up the shadow of whichever "single person" inspires you, and more importantly you'll probably forget to widen your tastes. Just have fun, set goals, work to reach them.
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I've received advice that even though I literally have no game design experience, it would look good on my resume if I created a small portfolio built around a game concept to show them that I at least understand the concept of designing a game. Nothing elaborate or detailed, just something that's a couple of pages that can be read in five minutes, and preferably something that matches the style of their games.
So I'm looking to create a tiny Final Fantasy-related scenario: a single area, some details on the kind of gameplay mechanics players would look forward to in that area, and a boss at the end to top it all off.
Basically something like this, only not quite as elaborate:
I even found my old drawing pad that I kept since I was 16, and bought a couple lead pencils.
......and I am absolutely fucking terrified to put the pencil to paper. I know that the bare minimum I need to do is just doodle something that is legible and easy to understand, but I don't even have the confidence to pull that off. Plus, I feel it would better my chances if it did pleasant and professional.
So, I'm looking for advice to shake the nerves out of me, or an idea where I should start with this.
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All we can tell you is to go for it, it seems like you want to so whats the harm in trying?
But I was looking to have someone draw a logo for my podcast, so where would I inquire about commissions?
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Oh and dont post in that thread, just use the contact info
1. All my previous attempts at drawing were done "the wrong way". Trying to trace stuff, draw everything in one go rather than doing the shapes thing
2. I draw inexplicably manly jaws
3. Trying to take on hands is like taking on that lvl 75 monster early in a starting area. Humiliating and impossible.
4. I think I handle noses well (since I just do the manga thing and just draw a lowercase C shape)
5. Feel pretty good about hair too (also the manga thing, it's either spikes or strands)
I clearly won't improve by the time I want to send out those design sheets, so for that I'm going to have to go the stick figure route at least.
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-can open up Photoshop or GIMP or MS Paint
-can make colored boxes with black outlines (circles and triangles if they're feeling ambitious)
-can put text on those boxes
-can maybe cut out something they got off Google Image Search and throw it into one of those programs
-can arrange said boxes, text and weird GIS nonsense into a crude layout of some kind in a vague representation of what elements are supposed to be on screen at a given moment. If you can recall what Flash sites made by high schoolers looked like way back in the 90's, you're on the right track.
-can copy paste that junk into a Word document
Designers aren't hired for their artistic skills, they're hired for their ability to communicate ideas to other departments or massage data- anything artistic you might do is sorta pointless because the artists- the people that ARE hired for their artistic skills- will have to redo everything you do anyway. If I saw a designer struggling over a sketchpad rather than typing up specs in Word or making text-only flowcharts or making the crudest of box-centric explanatory diagrams or typing stats into endless Excel spreadsheets, I wouldn't applaud their ambition- I'd assume they don't understand their job very well. If they absolutely need an artist for a doc, they will get one to assist them.
I know this is the Artist's Corner, but really, stressing over not possessing a skill you won't actually use as part of your job is kind of pointless. Don't try to make your flowcharts and mockups look like a noble attempt at drawing, focus on making them clearly communicate.
Also, I'd probably suggest you not conflate a document about a scenario design ("This level goes like this."), with one about a mechanics design ("This combat system/crafting system/UI flow functions in this way"). It sounds like you're trying to do both- which would probably be too broad and too high level to show you can actually do the low-level design work* that you'd probably be hired for. I would suggest picking one or the other.
*Which, if this is a "no experience necessary" job, is probably more along the lines of "figure out how to price all the stuff in our store" or "balance these million stats to prevent abuse of certain min/max strategies" than "come up with new features", to be honest. If I had to guess, you're probably a lot better off brushing up on Excel than working on your drawing skills.
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I still do want to give drawing a try, as it's been something I've been putting off for far too long. I figure I should at least see how far I can go with it.
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Anyway, I was frustrated by the lack of physical hardware keys for shortcuts, so I found a Japanese program called Touchkey that is absolutely phenomenal for creating touchscreen toolbars for all your shortcuts. It's sort of difficult to figure out so I made a video tutorial. You can check it out here:
https:
Other times I simply mirror the display so I can use the Surface like a regular Intuos drawing tablet, with a keyboard for shortcuts. It's nice because I can go about my business as usual on the big screen, or look down at the tablet when I want to zoom in for detail.
Anyway, I think that I will end up using my Intuos for bigger paintings. But for drawing and sketching, a pen display like the Surface Pro blows the Intuos out of the water, IMO, so I think all my projects will start on the tablet initially.
If so how do I stop it, it's dumb and I hate it. It makes me sort of want to not want to draw because I'm cold.
trying to do line art instead of focusing on shadow to build the form.
Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Do not trace!
No!
Don't do it!
Tracing is not learning it's copying!
Learn by doing. If you're desperate check out Anatomy360, they put buff people through 3D scanners so you can check em at all angles. Something like anatomy involves a bit of studying and practice, but tracing is not practice. Looking at that thing you wanna trace and try drawing, that's practice.
I guess I really start to get it when you look at the form in motion: so anything where you see the form exposed and in motion is great.
I've been commissioned to do a few section banners for a twitch profile, wooo! The problem is, this is essentially my first freelance gig (been working for a few years though) and I have absolutely no clue what a fair rate would be.
Max amount work is probably ~5 hours assuming this guy isn't an insane micromanager type (and he doesn't seem to be, he seems super nice and hands-off).
Any insight would be amazing!
I maybe shouldn't have used the word trace. I meant look at photos and draw over the photos and breaking up the body into shapes. I did not mean to imply that I would be tracing 24/7, but just to draw over photos and break the body into simpler shapes just so I can sort of give my mind some kind of reference.
It's difficult to say what will help you the most because everyone's a little different. If someone asked me how to go about studying anatomy, my best advice would be to find a way to start drawing live models regularly. Check around local art colleges to see if you can find figure drawing sessions open to the public. Studying from photo reference is acceptable if you have no other choice, but live models are better and it can be hard to find figurative reference that isn't garbage. Supplement this with copying plates from figure drawing books by Andrew Loomis or George Bridgman, in order to help understand the more internal and structural aspects of anatomy. Both are worth copying from, but I wouldn't bother trying to read Bridgman.
You'll learn more when drawing from the model if you have good observational drawing skills. Working from the model itself can help train these skills, but it's probably a better idea to practice them with something more convenient, like a still life. If you have undeveloped observational drawing skills, you will have a hard time actually extracting any wisdom about anatomy if you're struggling with basic drawing problems at the same time.
So I should probably start with some still lifes to gain observational drawing skills and then move on to anatomy?
I did minor in art in college, and while i've been drawing off and on since, and I am looking to improve, my skills have diminished.
Drawing anything from a live reference (or even a photo if you need to) will help you gain observational ability. Start by picking a subject that you enjoy drawing, whatever that may be. If you want to start drawing anatomy now, there's nothing saying you can't. You'll be learning no matter what!
Know what I do that's always fun for learning to draw live reference?
Drawing Jason Momoa. It helps that many of the scenes AND photos of him in recent years feature him shirtless and in SOME cases pants-less.
So draw Jason Momoa a bunch, that or start watching WWE and pausing the TV. Unless we're talking about proportion, 'cuz that's a whole other weight class.
DAMMIT! No I need to stare at Jason Momoa's soul PIERCING eyes (and abs), for an hour!
Thanks a lot Mim!
(no really thank you)
Alright: real talk, I just found something WAY better for you.
This link has a bunch of bodybuilders POSING in all sorts of ways. I'll say now that they are mostly nude, you'l never see anyone's babymakers, but booty and bare chest is in effect.
Now, while studying anatomy, is it okay to also do some doodles in a cartoon manner? And doing that, would I just be simplifying lines? I ultimately want to do comics but I know drawing anatomy in a realistic style helps more with that. But I was wondering if doing both at the same time would hinder, and if it's just simplifying that makes it cartoon-y or something else.
I swear, I'm going to make a thread in here one day. I just need to stop being a chicken shit about it.
What you just described is the most desired and loved style of art around, stylization. But hopefully you already know what that is.
I just got through a description on my old thread but I can explain it like this: Your style is like a research paper and all the citations and everything you'd use on your paper are reference.
So yeah you can do that, but you can also try replicating the image shot for shot or just try to remake it as you see it.
I dunno if I explained it right someone better than me will explain it all.
You can doodle whatever you want, you definitely shouldn't feel like you have to stop 'having fun' just because you're taking art seriously. But do remember that when you draw you're reinforcing both muscle memory and mental links. That means if you spend an hour doing anatomy studies from life, but then two hours drawing say, lopsided anime faces, you're strengthening the neuronal pathways that lead to lopsided anime faces more than the ones that remember what real people look like.
That said, to answer your question, you can definitely do cartoony stuff while you study. In fact, cartoony stuff IS studying. Particularly if you eventually want to do comics, doing cartoon doodles is a great way to develop your linework, lines of action, character design - so much! Posting your doodles in here (meaning the AC) is also a good idea, because we can see your process and maybe catch things that go off-track early on.
Basically I'd say no time drawing is ever wasted, but drawing thoughtfully (in whatever style) will generally get you somewhere faster than careless noodling around.
Get ready for a long one buddy:
Honestly Mim, whenever anyone says "you need to spend time drawing" what we're really saying is "doodle". As long you doodle a couple times a day you'll be fine. Hell, even if it's just one doodle of dickbutt, it will do. And make sure to doodle/draw just one thing everyday and you'll get better.
Case in point of tynic's post, when he says "anatomy studies" he means find buff dudes and doodle 'em. Equine studies? Find some reference and doodle horses. Perspective and composition studies? Check out some comic book panels and doodle your own. Drawing females? Do-to-the-do to-the-do-duh-do-dle, YEAH!
Art is one of those things that looks TOTALLY insurmountable, but you do get better. It's a lot like working out in a ways, in fact it pretty much is working out.
Also on a last note to you Nim I'm going to recommend you start a Pinterest. Pinterest is essentially the TV Tropes of artist reference, they got everything from sick-ass bikes to bomb-ass ballet (DRAW BALLET, it is super useful).
To get you going and hopefully inspire you to start your own account, here's a link to my personal Pinterest page. It's got everything from anatomy, posing, vehicles, weapons, etc. If you decide to start a Pinterest (you will find no objections from anyone here to do so) than I recommend that the first person you follow beCharacterdesigh. He posts nothing but useful images and each one is labeled and placed in it's own folder, the whole thing is very well organized. Though it should be said that no one know who they really are; I just assume it's the first artificial intelligence come to life but since it lacks the ability to create and imagine he collects useful reference images to aid other artists and help them follow their dreams.
Also look up a man named Proko on TV and watch his video on gesture drawing. It's 9 minutes out of your day, it is not a bore, AND THESE 9 MINUTES WILL CHANGE YOUR WHOLE ART STYLE.
But to everyone else who offers the sage wisdom, can we just agree to tell anyone that comes here asking how to improve--yes tell them about reference and where to find it and critique them--but also that you don't need to "draw" necessarily as doodle. (I know they're the same, but doodle sounds somewhat less laborious drawing. I can doodle cats 'til Hunter X Hunter comes back from hiatus, but ask me to draw a cat and I will freeze up and freak out. IN FACT the only reason I started drawing regularly was because someone equated practice to doodling.)
ALRIGHT MIM, SO HERE'S THE JUICY BITS! THE TL;DR:
Okay Mim that's all I really got to say, and some of that is stuff I really wish I was told sooner. Just remember that art is hard some times, but it pays off. Nothing easy is worth doing, and everything hard pays off. I really wish I could say these things to you in person, in the hope that these things get through to you.
Just remember that guys like Stan Lee, Eichiro Oda, Reiq, and Jollyjack all started off with crummy stick figures, a generic style, Sonic OCs, dudes that dual-wield everything, or even generic shoujo style, but they stuck with it and it paid off. Trust me, I've been doing this since I was 15, and I've never felt more realized about what I wanna do.
More than anything, find someone you admire. Someone whose art just makes you keep going, and make it your goal to surpass him. No one get's anywhere by being the next that guy, you get to be the best by being better than that guy.