Post by shenanizayns on May 1, 2018 6:00:40 GMT -5
(Semi-pro as in nearly opening commissions soon...)
I've noticed there are many aspiring artists or just people who enjoy drawing in general on this forum, so I decided to share some tips that I know, and uh, some basic help to get you started with drawing.
Feel free to share your own tips as well!
So, on episode 1 of Zayn's Art Tips Radio!
I've noticed there are many aspiring artists or just people who enjoy drawing in general on this forum, so I decided to share some tips that I know, and uh, some basic help to get you started with drawing.
Feel free to share your own tips as well!
So, on episode 1 of Zayn's Art Tips Radio!
"I want to start drawing!!"
No problem! Anyone can start drawing! Before you do anything though, you will want to do traditional art first. Grab a paper and a pencil. But it's not just "start doodling", no.
One thing that you need to do is to learn how to 'sketch' a base for your art.
(very messy, don't worry, my actual art are better)
To sketch, you start with the head (though occasionally, when I'm drawing very specific kind of pieces, I start with the legs). Draw a circle, and shape the outline of the chin (you'll learn face shapes as you study anatomy). Draw a line in the exact center of the head, and draw a line where the nose is located, so you can draft the head. As for the body, extend the line from the face down to how long you want to draw the body, and make upside-down trapezoids to sketch the upper half of the body.
Also, don't draw long lines, draw short strokes that eventually form a figure! Don't use too much weight, by the way! Draw just like you write the alphabet.
Other than that basic knowledge, be sure to have fun drawing what you like! Set goals for yourself, but don't push yourself your hard. You'll learn as you keep honing your skills.
One thing that you need to do is to learn how to 'sketch' a base for your art.
(very messy, don't worry, my actual art are better)
To sketch, you start with the head (though occasionally, when I'm drawing very specific kind of pieces, I start with the legs). Draw a circle, and shape the outline of the chin (you'll learn face shapes as you study anatomy). Draw a line in the exact center of the head, and draw a line where the nose is located, so you can draft the head. As for the body, extend the line from the face down to how long you want to draw the body, and make upside-down trapezoids to sketch the upper half of the body.
Also, don't draw long lines, draw short strokes that eventually form a figure! Don't use too much weight, by the way! Draw just like you write the alphabet.
Other than that basic knowledge, be sure to have fun drawing what you like! Set goals for yourself, but don't push yourself your hard. You'll learn as you keep honing your skills.
"I want to do digital art!"
Alright! If you have a phone pen, you can easily download Medibang App on your phone to start drawing!
On computer, you can go against God, and use a mouse, or...
![]()
On computer, you can go against God, and use a mouse, or...
Use one of these!
They're called Wacom Intuos! They're my first and currently only tablet I've used in my life. They're cheap (3,000 THB in my country) or around $90 in the US. And it's worth it. Your parents probably shouldn't mind you asking for one unless they hate art or something.
I recommend using a Wacom tablet over mouse since you don't get pen pressure with mouse, and you cannot paint with mouse as a result. Pen pressure is handy. You will need it.
Wacom are handy, but there are other type of tablets known as a "screen tablet".
In my honest opinion, I do not recommend getting one early on no matter what. Get them when you're a professional and really want to draw almost like on paper.
They are expensive, very expensive! I'm close to going pro, and I'm still attached to my Wacom Intuos. Once you get used to your regular tablet, you will probably not want a screen tablet anymore.
But wait, there's more! You will need art programs!
You can make some impressive things with MS Paint, but the lack of pen support makes that virtually useless if you're drawing seriously. So, what programs do you need? SAI? Photoshop? OpenCanvas? Clip Paint Studio?
medibangpaint.com/en/
Look no further! Medibang is completely free, and it's very handy for beginner artists. My only criticism of it is lack of brush options (a.k.a you can't really do edit your brushes like in SAI), so you'll have to make custom brushes, rather than experimenting with the current ones to see what you like.
It also comes with handy tools for drawing comics, so if you're interested in that, I'll go into that eventually!
Nowadays, I use SAI, but I enjoyed Medibang.
Oh, and while you're using Medibang, be sure to turn pen correction on to at least 15 to 20! You need to do this for other art programs too!
They're called Wacom Intuos! They're my first and currently only tablet I've used in my life. They're cheap (3,000 THB in my country) or around $90 in the US. And it's worth it. Your parents probably shouldn't mind you asking for one unless they hate art or something.
I recommend using a Wacom tablet over mouse since you don't get pen pressure with mouse, and you cannot paint with mouse as a result. Pen pressure is handy. You will need it.
Wacom are handy, but there are other type of tablets known as a "screen tablet".
In my honest opinion, I do not recommend getting one early on no matter what. Get them when you're a professional and really want to draw almost like on paper.
They are expensive, very expensive! I'm close to going pro, and I'm still attached to my Wacom Intuos. Once you get used to your regular tablet, you will probably not want a screen tablet anymore.
But wait, there's more! You will need art programs!
You can make some impressive things with MS Paint, but the lack of pen support makes that virtually useless if you're drawing seriously. So, what programs do you need? SAI? Photoshop? OpenCanvas? Clip Paint Studio?
medibangpaint.com/en/
Look no further! Medibang is completely free, and it's very handy for beginner artists. My only criticism of it is lack of brush options (a.k.a you can't really do edit your brushes like in SAI), so you'll have to make custom brushes, rather than experimenting with the current ones to see what you like.
It also comes with handy tools for drawing comics, so if you're interested in that, I'll go into that eventually!
Nowadays, I use SAI, but I enjoyed Medibang.
Oh, and while you're using Medibang, be sure to turn pen correction on to at least 15 to 20! You need to do this for other art programs too!
"But what if I never get good at drawing?"
I'm about to share the most important advice of all for artists that even I struggle to remember sometimes.
There are certainly some things we will always be bad at, but guess what? Those are things we normally don't enjoy. You can't improve without enjoying what you like, right?
That's why, don't worry about when or how will you get good. Once you have fun drawing, you know you can do it. Doodle what you like to doodle the most! Don't draw to get better. Sure, practice everyday might help you get better, but it's not the same if you don't enjoy drawing, right?
Remember that your cat doodles today could be beautiful cartoony cats or realistic cats paintings in the future. You will eventually develop a style and structure with your drawing!
True talent is truly loving a skill, and being able to see it through to the very end! But love doesn't always mean you're happy with it. Love hurts, you know? You will have moments when you're sad with your art, or angry. If you're starting to feel frustrated, take a break, and you will be ready to draw again!
So, that's it for today's tips! Thank you for anyone reading!
There are certainly some things we will always be bad at, but guess what? Those are things we normally don't enjoy. You can't improve without enjoying what you like, right?
That's why, don't worry about when or how will you get good. Once you have fun drawing, you know you can do it. Doodle what you like to doodle the most! Don't draw to get better. Sure, practice everyday might help you get better, but it's not the same if you don't enjoy drawing, right?
Remember that your cat doodles today could be beautiful cartoony cats or realistic cats paintings in the future. You will eventually develop a style and structure with your drawing!
True talent is truly loving a skill, and being able to see it through to the very end! But love doesn't always mean you're happy with it. Love hurts, you know? You will have moments when you're sad with your art, or angry. If you're starting to feel frustrated, take a break, and you will be ready to draw again!
So, that's it for today's tips! Thank you for anyone reading!
