Getting into Art.

[Glorindor]

For my entire life, my handwriting has been terrible and my drawing skills have been terrible. And I do actually mean terrible, lots of people cant read my handwritten work. I originally just joined this site so I could see bigger images of Kamitoras art here, then I started getting into other galleries and the fiction section and decided I wanted to become a writer here, but now I want to get into the artsy stuff. I have a TON of images in my head that I want to create on my own. So here are some questions:

1. What is the main way you draw for AOTK? (EX: Tablet drawing, Microsoft paint or other mouse programs, pen and ink.)

1.5. Also, what is the main way you color?

2. Can you point me towards a site that would have a good beginners drawing session? (Already tried googling, but got nowhere).

3. Any other beginners tips?

[Exodus]

...I'm not sure I follow what it is you are asking. I think what you're asking is the wrong thing; I do have an idea though. Go to the store and buy a pencil and some paper. That's a pretty god tier resource for improving with practice.

[Deejay]

I still haven't created anything for this site (yet), but I guess you could call me an artist in some sense.

1. I'm still a fan of pencil and paper, at least as a starting point. As Exodus said, it really is good for practice. I haven't tried tablet drawing, but most people I've heard from who do rave about it. DON'T get into Microsoft paint. It's an inferior tool. I've seen a few decent things made with it, but it's more effort than it's worth.

As usual, I recommend GIMP and Inkscape for colors and line drawing, respectively. There's a learning curve if you're not experienced, but they are very powerful. And free.

2. Not really. Different artists have different methods, and I don't believe there's any one right way. If you find a certain style you admire, see if that artist has written anything about their process, or ask them directly.

3. I'm more like a beginner myself, but take this if you like.
Don't just dive into a drawing head-first. It takes some supernatural talent to do that effectively. Lay the groundwork first; sketch out some generic figures to see how the proportions look. If they don't look right, you want to correct them before you spend hours meticulously adding details, not after.

That's about it from me.

[forks]

Ditto Exo and Deejay.

The best way to learn is pencil and paper. Practice from photos or art that you enjoy. Don't post everything you draw. Accept the fact that nothing will ever turn out looking like the image you have in your head. Don't sketch people wearing clothing; sketch nudes and then add clothing. Realize that making a good picture takes a long time. And most important, have fun!

[elmantonegro]

Greetings Nephilm


I have been drawing since I have memory, I always have an sketch book at hand and draw a lot, I the last years I made a grade in graphic design, there they have a very artistic approach of the design and have at least eight hours of drawing every week most of them with live model, I learn a lot and I will share with you some good knowledge.

1) The only way to learn how to draw is drawing.
2) The only people that can teach you how to draw is you.
3) There is no magic tool, magic method, or such. Just practice.

The basics of a good draw are: Structure, proportions and perspective. Practice this and you are in good way to made great drawings

You can go to deviantart.com there you can find some good tutorials, but remember you have to practice.

If you can find some art class in your area where you can draw a live model you should take it if you want to get serious if you can’t find any class, copy draws from other artists (but don’t post them as yours!!!!) also coping real pictures are a good way to learn structure and proportions.

Final note:
Don’t get frustrated if you cant get your draw in the first attempt this needs practice and patience, have fun and happy drawings!

[Cc]

http://www.polykarbon.com/tutorials/

This is the same tutorials that I started studying when I wanted to improve my skills and I still use a lot of the tips and advice described in them. Highly reccommend it!

1. I've been drawing more on a tablet as of late but that won't help you as a beginner...it's best to do paper and pencil and that's how I still prefer to draw in the long run.
2. I color with Photoshop, I've never really done hand-colored stuff, but some people like it better. There are some fancy manga markers that people make look better than computer generated coloring, but I've never used them.

3. Tips:

- Use references to practice drawing people. There's a reason art classes have you draw from models. To learn anatomy you have to draw from real images, people, etc. It especially helps for different poses.

- Method-wise, don't get caught up in every little mark and line. Be consciously loose when sketching, let your hand make smooth wide gestures. The biggest mistake I see people make is trying to slowly and perfectly draw every tiny line. The result of this is you will get inaccuracies, crappy curved lines, as well as rigidity to your drawings. Do practice sessions where you challenge yourself to draw something (in a general form sense) in 5 minutes. Obsessing on small imperfections will hinder progress. Also I recommend learning to draw large. Get a big pad of newsprint paper and some charcoal and work on drawing figures that fill the paper. This will help you build confidence, break out of bad habits of drawing in a tiny space, and using the full paper.

- Practice, practice, practice, just like everyone else says. The only way to improve is to keep drawing and keep trying and developing. Many artists will tell you, myself included, they look back at their work a year earlier and feel like it is awful compared to what they do now. You will see progress but you have to be persistent in trying.

[Collegeboy]

1. I usually draw by hand with a mechanical pencil, scan it to the computer, then clean it up and color using the tablet. I have been gradually getting into drawing using the tablet, but it's been slower than expected.

2. I don't believe that any tutorial can help more than constant practice. My friends have gotten me tons of "How to Draw Manga" books for Xmas, but, honestly, I've hardly used them, except for help in fine-tuning details.

3. Keep it simple at first. Don't bother with backgrounds or other fancy stuff. Get the basic body proportions down, and work on your facial expressions. To me, those are the core elements than can make or break a picture.

[Cry]

I start with a pencil on paper. Sometimes I reoutline on the computer with a mouse. But in essence I find it easy to use roughly a circle or egg shape for a head and then work out a very vague featureless body in the position or whatever that you want until it looks alright, then I go ahead and start turning it into an actual character.

I know a lot of people who use Gimp to color on the computer with. But yeah what they said, practice is how it goes.