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After a @Bibr thread I was asked to link to some art resources which I am always happy to do! I've been lurking around /ic/ and following their advice and regimens for near a decade now and have learned to sift through the shit and find the best keys not only to teach myself but to learn to teach the clients I work with!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional. I have no sense for business and have no advice on the popularity contest of Social Media I don't even use. This is for the love of the art!
Common Misconceptions:
Before linking to resources I think any prospective artist needs to have some misconceptions eliminated. For real this will save you so much time and prevent you from looking like a furry diaper fetish artist who has no concept of shape!
(Drawing I did early 2016 around David Bowie's death)
Art is a skill not a talent. If you were "talented" growing up you just figured out some fundamentals before others could. If you could "never draw" you just never had the concepts click like other subjects yet. I was called tone deaf and talent-less with music until I found piano and taught myself to play Zelda songs. ANYONE CAN LEARN (Unless you don't have working hands)
(Example of "style" drawn circa GamerGate)
Progression doesn't look like a progression of style. Meaning you don't start drawing cartoons, move to anime, then comic books and finally painting like Michael Angelo. You start with anatomy and you hone that first. For reference the old masters would start with projects such as Silverpoint (A proto version of graphite sketches that had an extremely fine tip and thin lines) or Ideal City Paintings (A symmetrical and perfectly clean cityscape to allow the student to learn how objects appear in distance and perspective without worrying about smaller details of wear). Don't even practice a "style" until you've learned what you're doing in the regimen you go with. Style will come later and naturally.
(Old figure drawing of a man drawing circa 2015)
Software does not matter. If you choose to do digital art the software you use doesn't determine the skill, experience does! I have a friend who's a master of MS Paint and could do amazing sprite work! That being said I would recommend any digital artists use Krita if they want a recommendation. It's free, open source and has most of the tools a person could ever want. Just don't use Photoshop. I've done some impressive art in Photoshop but an Adobe addiction isn't something anyone needs. Trust me the software skills you learn from Adobe classes tend to translate well into free software too!
(Drawing I did high out of my mind circa 2016)
Materials are something you'll discover as you go. The fact is while everyone recommends their own brands and tools it's really something you'll have to discover your preferences over time. For more expensive purchases such as tablets, I would say an old Wacom Bamboo tablet should do anyone well enough to start! I would avoid a cintiq unless you really want to drop that kind of money.
(Drawing inspired by a great Skyrim quest mod drawing circa 2017)
You don't need to draw everyday. It can help focus you and keep you practiced but if you're an adult you might not have the time and that's fine. Doodle on some paper when you have a chance and let art be a hobby and a skill you hone.
Personal Anecdotes:
(Drawing I did right before leaving for Africa crica 2015)
(Drawing I did while in Africa that got me free drinks at the bar)
I was 16 in West Africa volunteering when I started actually learning to draw. Before I could draw well enough for most people to call me "talented" but as a teenager I set out to question and research any and all alleged pieces of what made "me" me. That adventure had lead me to /ic/ and I started where they told me. Internet was 56k and I only had some Andrew Loomis books to keep me company alone. By the end of my month long trip I had drawn a nude figure well enough it earned me free drinks at the bar for one of the wildest nights of my teenage life (A Br*tish college student "hadn't seen a naked woman in 6 months").
(Drawing I did shortly after returning from Africa)
Now I draw during my freetime at work. The mere act of watching me draw amazes and inspires my clients to learn and draw themselves! Some of those clients have become great in their own respects!
(A two page spread in my current sketchbook inspired by art at the Lourve)
(Art by my client. Very proud of her!)
Resources:
Andrew Loomis: At this point a meme in the online art community but he's recommended for a reason. Loomis' books are the best at teaching a person to go from drawing simple shapes to faces in the span of a day. You won't be a master but you'll see clear difference in a day following his books!
/ic/: A very critical and elitest artistic community on 4chan. As with anything on 4chan, don't let all the negativity bring you down! 4chan remains my favorite place for critique and recommendations!
Ctrl Paint: My favorite ditial art tutorial channel. If you're trying to draw ditial this is the best resource I know of!
And that's about what I've got! I hope you learned something and some of you choose to pick up a very rewarding hobby!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional. I have no sense for business and have no advice on the popularity contest of Social Media I don't even use. This is for the love of the art!
Common Misconceptions:
Before linking to resources I think any prospective artist needs to have some misconceptions eliminated. For real this will save you so much time and prevent you from looking like a furry diaper fetish artist who has no concept of shape!
(Drawing I did early 2016 around David Bowie's death)Art is a skill not a talent. If you were "talented" growing up you just figured out some fundamentals before others could. If you could "never draw" you just never had the concepts click like other subjects yet. I was called tone deaf and talent-less with music until I found piano and taught myself to play Zelda songs. ANYONE CAN LEARN (Unless you don't have working hands)
(Example of "style" drawn circa GamerGate)Progression doesn't look like a progression of style. Meaning you don't start drawing cartoons, move to anime, then comic books and finally painting like Michael Angelo. You start with anatomy and you hone that first. For reference the old masters would start with projects such as Silverpoint (A proto version of graphite sketches that had an extremely fine tip and thin lines) or Ideal City Paintings (A symmetrical and perfectly clean cityscape to allow the student to learn how objects appear in distance and perspective without worrying about smaller details of wear). Don't even practice a "style" until you've learned what you're doing in the regimen you go with. Style will come later and naturally.
(Old figure drawing of a man drawing circa 2015)Software does not matter. If you choose to do digital art the software you use doesn't determine the skill, experience does! I have a friend who's a master of MS Paint and could do amazing sprite work! That being said I would recommend any digital artists use Krita if they want a recommendation. It's free, open source and has most of the tools a person could ever want. Just don't use Photoshop. I've done some impressive art in Photoshop but an Adobe addiction isn't something anyone needs. Trust me the software skills you learn from Adobe classes tend to translate well into free software too!
(Drawing I did high out of my mind circa 2016)Materials are something you'll discover as you go. The fact is while everyone recommends their own brands and tools it's really something you'll have to discover your preferences over time. For more expensive purchases such as tablets, I would say an old Wacom Bamboo tablet should do anyone well enough to start! I would avoid a cintiq unless you really want to drop that kind of money.
(Drawing inspired by a great Skyrim quest mod drawing circa 2017)You don't need to draw everyday. It can help focus you and keep you practiced but if you're an adult you might not have the time and that's fine. Doodle on some paper when you have a chance and let art be a hobby and a skill you hone.
Personal Anecdotes:
(Drawing I did right before leaving for Africa crica 2015)
(Drawing I did while in Africa that got me free drinks at the bar)I was 16 in West Africa volunteering when I started actually learning to draw. Before I could draw well enough for most people to call me "talented" but as a teenager I set out to question and research any and all alleged pieces of what made "me" me. That adventure had lead me to /ic/ and I started where they told me. Internet was 56k and I only had some Andrew Loomis books to keep me company alone. By the end of my month long trip I had drawn a nude figure well enough it earned me free drinks at the bar for one of the wildest nights of my teenage life (A Br*tish college student "hadn't seen a naked woman in 6 months").
(Drawing I did shortly after returning from Africa)Now I draw during my freetime at work. The mere act of watching me draw amazes and inspires my clients to learn and draw themselves! Some of those clients have become great in their own respects!
Resources:
Andrew Loomis: At this point a meme in the online art community but he's recommended for a reason. Loomis' books are the best at teaching a person to go from drawing simple shapes to faces in the span of a day. You won't be a master but you'll see clear difference in a day following his books!
/ic/: A very critical and elitest artistic community on 4chan. As with anything on 4chan, don't let all the negativity bring you down! 4chan remains my favorite place for critique and recommendations!
Ctrl Paint: My favorite ditial art tutorial channel. If you're trying to draw ditial this is the best resource I know of!
And that's about what I've got! I hope you learned something and some of you choose to pick up a very rewarding hobby!
