For the artists

[forks]

Hello, artists.

Here is my question for you. What is your drawing process? Whether on paper or on the computer, give the AOTK community some idea about how you make a picture. And, if you feel like sharing more... when do you draw? Where do you draw? What part of the drawing process is your favorite? What do you like to do while drawing? Etc... be creative.

I'll lead by example.

I draw on paper with pen and colored pencil. Usually I will jot down some ideas first... perhaps a list of elements that I want to include. What expressions will people have? What else is going on? Positions? etc. Then I'll do a small, quick thumbnail or two to get the page layout down (and I mean quick... a minute, tops). Then comes a rough, very fast full-page layout, in pen. Lots of lines all over the place, very rough. Then I trace that in pencil onto good paper, and get all the detail down in pencil. Then ink, color, and re-ink whatever looks shitty after colored pencil has gone over it.

I get a lot of work done either between classes (where ever I can find a place to draw), or sitting in a big comfy chain in my bedroom late at night. If I'm at home, I'm usually drinking at the time... haha. Generally music disturbs me, but sometimes I'll put something on that I'm familar with enough to half tune it out. My favorite part of the whole drawing process is doing the initial, light pencil illustration on the final piece... all the inking and coloring is boring, but it makes it look good, so, got to soldier thu.

Your turn! You know AOTK wants to hear from you.

[Nene]

Hmm. Good question. I just sit there and think a whole lot, and when an idea comes to mind I either run off to go draw or write it down. I don't start with paper and pencil, I just draw with a mouse and GIMP, I don't use a tablet, or anything else like that. Just a mouse, and a program. I make a new layer which the lines will go on, and make another layer for each section to colour in later, then I put atop another layer to finish it up with shading and such.

I draw when inspiration comes my way--mostly in my computer class where ideas begin, and if the idea is good enough to kick away my artists block, I'll draw. My favourite part of the drawing process is expressions! I love to draw them all surprised or all happy and it's just great.

I spend most of my time drawing in my bedroom at home, and if there's nothing else better to do and/or there is no computer available I will draw in my notebooks. I kind of have a certain way of drawing--I don't use basic shapes, like for the head I just do this weird looking sweat drop looking thing but it's like cut in half and flipped upside down looking, and I feel it's best not to worry about being totally accurate on how the body parts look or the symmetry, I worry some about anatomy though, how bodies are usually structured and based on the age of the character. I don't draw the body shape first then the clothes, I do the shirt first once I have the neck done, then I add arms to the sleeves, and then the legs are just drawing the pants with shoes. The hair, is just self explainatory, I just go crazy with that and draw it as I see it in my head.

Anyways, sometimes I step out of my style to draw actual cartoon characters like Flapjack from the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, or even Chowder from..well, Chowder, and Angelica and all the other Rugrats and the Disney characters with Goofy faces. When I draw these characters it's like I'm a whole different artist, I try my best to draw them in both my style and the creator's style.

I'm not a super serious artist, I don't have photoshop because my computer can't handle it--but for some projects I do the lineart at school using photoshop in the lab. I know I can do just as good as any photoshopper just by using GIMP, and I don't think I'll ever use a tablet--because my hands are too shaky holding a pen!

When I draw on paper I don't scan them or colour them, I just leave them in black and white, and sometimes take pictures with my phone of them to put them on Deviantart if I think they're good enough to mingle with the rest. I don't like to do a whole lot of work on drawings really, if it becomes too difficult I do a different project.

Too much work for me would be drawing on paper, inking, and scanning, and colouring, and making sure it's absolutely perfect by doing that--that would be a bit difficult for me, being it drives me nuts if I can't colour the right way because there aren't any layers. It's not that I'm lazy or anything, I just haven't got a lot of time on my hands even during the summer. I've really gotten used to drawing layers, so that's probably why.

I haven't got much more to say since my art is so .. simple. There's really not much of a technique, if at all, that I do. I don't start with a stick person to draw around it to get the position, I don't do much to draw hands and feet and such, and I probably never will use basic shapes--even if people really tell me I should! But if I did it I think it would ruin my entire style, and make it look pretty bad (or worse than some people may see it as).

I've been drawing since I was 9 years old, starting with the look-and-draw technique, and that's how I learned a lot of how to draw certain parts of the body--and I was inspired by none other than anime. Before I began the look and see, I rarely ever drew, I wanted to draw, I wanted to be something a lot of people are too lazy to be, at that age I wanted to be better than those who opposed me. It felt great to have something to show off, it impressed people, my 'creativity' made people proud of me and that made me happy so I drew more and more and ended up just falling in love with it and doing it just for fun, getting opinions from others on how to improve and I love to share, especially if it's funny, because I love to make people laugh and/or smile. I hope I didn't repeat anything more than once.. *gives lollipops and kittens*

[Pastel]

I usually start out with a sketch on paper, but sometimes sketch straight on to the computer. I use gimp, like Nene, because it's free and pretty reliable. The paper sketches are pretty rough usually, just getting down the basics, and I add the fine details when going over it to make the nice clean digital lineart.

even if I do the details on paper, I never just transfer them over and use them. it looks too messy in my mind. Anyhow, my coloring is pretty straightforward. I have a video around here somewhere.... I'll add it in later if I can find it. Hope that helped?

*edit* found the video! I think this coloring job was speedyquick and took just under an hour. (my new pics take much longer to color!) http://tinypic.com/r/2iuyu1i/5

oh yeah, my favorite things to draw are eyes and hair. They're the most fun to draw and even more fun to color in later. My least favorite things are hands and feet, since they're really easy to mess up and look bad if you don't get them just right.

I don't like to draw any one thing really. My mind skips around alot, and I draw alot of my ideas from my relationship, since creativity is hard. >> Really my process isn't very interesting. Next artist?

[zae]

Back when I had a working tablet (the reason why I haven't produced anything in at least 100 years), it would be:
* Get an idea and do a 10 second sketch on paper somewhere to get the vague idea of where everything fits on the screen
Then either:
* Position models in Daz, render
* Trace outlines in Flash, then shade bodies, delete the render
* Add any clothes, backgrounds, details etc.
or:
* Create a background wireframe/sketch image in Flash or Photoshop
* new layer, draw outlines and details
* colour and shade, delete wireframe
* add background

Now I've been doing some sketches, though I can't find my coloured pencils, but I might try actually painting and scanning.

I don't go for music, but might have a comedy on in the background (Bill Bailey or "A Bit of Fry & Laurie"). And I sip tea while I do it.

[Deejay]

I've just gotten started with drawing (so hopefully I'll actually have something new to contribute to the gallery at some point). I'm still trying to find my style, really, but what I've been doing so far is just simple sketching on plain paper with a #2 pencil. Then I scan it onto the computer and use gimp to ink and add color. It's not a perfect process, though. I seem to rush myself through for no real reason, which sucks because I'm kind of a perfectionist and can't stand if my drawing doesn't look exactly how I imagined it. Hopefully I'll have the process nailed down in the coming months.

[forks]

Thanks for putting the time in to reply, guys! Very interesting.

Now come on other artists... I know there are more of you here... come out of hiding!

[D_T]

I have a proffessionell wacom 21 tablet screen since April, so you can directly draw on it, its faster and easier in my oppinion...

[RobM]

*Drool*
I've always wanted a Draw-on Wacom screen. Can never, ever afford it... maybe I should give up my cocaine habit?

[Collegeboy]

Way back, I used to draw with pencil, then trace with marker for clean lines and erase the pencil. I'd color with colored pencils. Now, I draw the lines with a pencil and do clean-up and color on the computer. I used to use just the mouse, but got a Wacom tablet about a year ago. I'm still not used to it enough to draw from start to finish on it, though.

[Chosha Kurohyou]

I normally do most of my drawing in my room at about ten at night with music (normally RENT) playing. Most of my pictures come from inspiration, such as movies or something someone says or what I think really should have happened. On the off chance someone requests something, I tend to do a little research, read a scene if there's one, get into the characters heads a bit to plan what I want to happen.

My drawing process itself is fairly simple. I've got a few drawing pencils of varying softness and darkness, and normally just start out with the basic sketch of one person, normally the one the farthest back. I keep doing that until I've got all the people in, and then I start darkening lines until the darkest ones are the only ones i need. Erase the lighter lines, and then I add in little details normally in hair and clothes.

Usually I add in any props or the rest of the scene once everything else is done, and that's done in pretty much the same process, starting out light so it's easier to erase.