Art tips catch-all thread!

[Teewee]

This is for showing drawing tips one could use to better get into drawing, improve skill, and the like. I myself have a hard time improving, so I figured this thread would help people in my current situation.

What I do is draw something random without thought, preferably something easy to distinguish afterwards. I draw a brush-like thing, each line from the same starting point. Just discovered it a week ago myself. It helps me see like an artist It makes me feel as if my marks are all beautiful...

So, then, give yours!

[♛ Apher-Forte]

never ever draw one draft and stick with it.

if you wanna make it look perfect, draw several, get the pose correct by copying it to the next piece. in due time, your work would be perfect.

[Patorikku]

Don't be afraid to try out different media for your artwork. Mix together what you can to make something interesting. IE: Make lineart and such with pencil, then scan and continue with something like GIMP or SAI.

[Mounting Jaggis]

Drawing circles, squares, triangles. etc. to give your character a pose helps, a lot. If you don't, you'll probably end up erasing half the drawing because of awful anatomy.

[HakureiSM]

Don't take 2 months on one simple piece or everyone will forget you exist

Spoiler:

;_;

Also practicing with extremely different styles(such as this followed by this) has helped me more than I can believe.

[Quad City QBs]

So glad you made this thread.

I'm a bit busy tonight, so I'll just start with a quick flyby on fundamentals, pose dynamics and lining.

Now, one of the most common errors beginning artists--especially those who get their start by tracing/copying--make, is that they see only the outline and details, and fail to grasp the underlying anatomy and general composition:



In a word, they're the monocoque construction to the Gundam Mk. II's movable frame.  Why is this a problem, I hear you ask?  Because the energy, volume, "bounce" of the drawing comes from how you initially lay out the figure.  Observe:



I just want to reiterate here, because even a technically correct drawing can come out very flat and stiff if you don't pay attention:



This is why professional art training emphasizes three-dimensional shapes before lines, as well as 'gesture sketches': quick sketches of live, moving targets, aimed not so much at a perfect rendition but capturing the energy and direction of the subject.  You can somewhat emulate the experience using Posemaniacs.

So that's the 50,000-feet-up overview of fundamentals and why they're important.  What happens after you're capable of constructing figures with life?  Here's a nice little note on inking that I present without comment because I simply can't improve on the explanation:




Next time: Color theory, and I actually say more than a couple sentences per picture!

[Alice★f]

Drawing Tips:

Re: Gesture drawing: Incredibly difficult if you're not used to it, but it is a total godsend.
Never give up and practice often.

Also, try a variety of styles, they help you get used to seeing art in a different light, and it makes you more versatile in what you do. If you like using pencil, crack open some paints.

All of these things will eventually assist you in what you specialize in over time. That's how I'm working right now.