Starving Artist's Sage Advice

Month

March 2013

52 posts

Mar 28, 20133,978 notes
#art #art blog #reference #tutorial #art advice
Mar 28, 201352,640 notes
#art #art blog
Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a new Website created by experienced Role Players for those who enjoy writing, both interactive (RP), and traditional stories. We have a colorful and friendly staff, and we are looking for expansion and growth. Check this place out! 

http://w11.zetaboards.com/Creators_Commons/index/

Mar 27, 201316 notes
do you have any tips on perspective for an ABSOLUTE beginner? i can p. much draw floating boxes in 1 and 2 point perspective, but that's about it haha! i want to improve on my backgrounds a LOT but i find if i work from a grid, everything looks unnatural, but if i do it freehand, everything looks off!

Try working from reference! You’d be amazed what you pick up by drawing from photographs for your backgrounds, perspective will start to become more intuitive. Many illustrators and other artists whose major focus is the body tend to observe people and ignore their surroundings, try drawing scenes in real life as well. Books and tutorials can only get you so far, and you have the whole of the internet to draw on for reference. This will also help you avoid the ‘unnatural vs. off’ problem.
However if you do need a good basic rundown on various kinds of perspective, Vanishing Point: Perspective For Comics From the Ground Up covers everything from one point to 5 point. (Yes five point perspective exists….)
Best of luck!
-SA

Mar 27, 201312 notes
Reblog this if you want me to look at your art blog.

poplite:

amazinglyartisticadvice:

You should reblog it to your art rather than your main blog.

I will take a poke around and tell you what I like about your work, and a couple of things I think you might want to consider working on, overall.

-SA

It would be killer to have a critique. I’ve reached a plateau in my art, mediocre as it is, but I want so much to improve. Just… don’t know what point to start at.

Keep working. Don’t stop.You claim to have reached a plateau, I believe you’ve reached a wall, a place where you hit and can’t get around. What I am seeing in your work (and this is not because it is fanwork) is a fear of taking risks that is crippling your creativity. You need to break that down. To me it appears that every time you are on the edge of taking a real risk….in pose or subject matter, or anything else, you pull back and stay in your comfort zone. Get out of there. You obviously have a desire to create art, and you obviously have creative impulses—I’m looking at the genderswapped Maleficent, here—but you’re allowing some kind of fear to get in your way. Perhaps it’s a fear that other people won’t like your work if you go beyond a set mental boundry. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.

My suggestion for you: Go wild. Even if it’s only in a sketchbook you keep under your bed, try something crazy ambitious and out of this world. You have potential and you have technical skills. Your Megamind piece has some very nice colouring on it, very painterly, but you need to dare yourself to go a little further. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged.

I hope to see more work from you and good luck in all your endeavors,

-SA

Mar 27, 2013471 notes
#art #art blog #critique #poplite
Reblog this if you want me to look at your art blog.

jackalopeplumage:

amazinglyartisticadvice:

You should reblog it to your art rather than your main blog.

I will take a poke around and tell you what I like about your work, and a couple of things I think you might want to consider working on, overall.

-SA

This is kind of my personal too, but I hope that it still counts. I’d love an opinion on my work. The art tag is under the sidebar. uwu

Right off the bat I am going to say: Backgrounds. You need to work on putting characters in an environment that they are interacting with….I recognize that for a primarily figurative artist, there is nothing less inspiring than being forced to think about inanimate objects, let alone a space peppered with them. However as an artist, you are going to want to be strong in all areas.

I suggest you hoard a stockpile of photographs of interesting spaces… You might be surprised by how inspiring an environment can be….there’s a temptation to just fudge a background, or put in a pattern and call it done, but if you start out using reference and simply keep at it (try sketching spaces you find yourself in) environments will start to become as natural as figures clearly are and you may begin to enjoy it.

You’re pretty strong in character design, poses (although there are quite a few ‘head and shoulders’ portraits) and anatomy, and there’s a lot of delightful play in your hybrid designs that makes your work interesting. Your fine, varied lines work well with your style and your concepts.

You’re also obviously in a constant state of improvement, which implies you’re self-motivated, and that is a very good quality in an artist.

Best of luck,

-SA

Mar 27, 2013471 notes
#art blog #critique #jackalopeplumage
Reblog this if you want me to look at your art blog.

theartofclutter:

amazinglyartisticadvice:

You should reblog it to your art rather than your main blog.

I will take a poke around and tell you what I like about your work, and a couple of things I think you might want to consider working on, overall.

-SA

I would be appreciative of your feedback on my art. Thank you kindly. 

Alright, a couple of things…. You’re good at capturing a certain mood, and your design work is good as well. Your use of colour is good, although you may want to try shading and highlighting with colours that are not merely a lighter or darker shade of the colour you are already working with, especially if you are colouring skin….this will make your work look more vibrant. You’re very good at details, especially pieces where the focus is solely on one thing, but need to work on working the picture as a whole, to make sure that composition flows and your figures are accurate and posed in a way that reflects their mood… As it stands, there’s a slight stiffness to your figures. I recommend gesture drawing, preferably from life since working solely from a gesture drawing tool like pixellovely can actually add to the stiff figure problem. Try to look at people in motion and standing still, draw from life.

Good luck in all your endeavors,

-SA

Mar 27, 2013471 notes
#art #art blog #critique #theartofclutter
Take a walk with me,: thoughts about erotic art → sketchlock.tumblr.com

stevebuscreaming:

timrothinimmensepain:

i want my erotic art to be accessible to all genders bc it’s always infuriated me how easy it is for men (and women) to dismiss female driven representations of sexuality (yaoi, fanfiction, boy bands, twilight, etc). 

like think of how many women are perfectly all right with male driven representations of women in a sexual context, how women even idealize and romanticize it (gil elvgren, erich sokol, bettie page, 50s pinups in general) and talk about these things as though they come from a simpler, classier time. really it’s just the same old male sexual fantasies about women from a patriarchal society, except it’s dressed up in some pretty art and stocking garters so maybe we don’t recognize it as the same thing. but it is. it’s not what we’re used to but it’s the same shit we’ve been fed for all our lives. (and i say this as a fan of all those erotic artists)

think of how many women artists, regardless of their sexual preferences, draw pinups of women to relax, and yet there is no male equivalent of that activity? and there are things that probably contribute to this, like:

  • female pinup art is so good and tasteful that it creates a space of sexuality women are comfortable with and find appealing, and women artists want to imitate this
  • we are so normalized to women depicted in a sexual context and the idea of fluidity of female sexuality that female artists drawing other women has become considered safe and acceptable 
  • women are, in general, better at drawing women because they have obviously a much better reference point

but we’ve built a culture where even in female friendly havens such as tumblr we dismiss the importance of female sexuality in the media. regardless of quality these are important parts of our culture. no one can deny how important sex is in our media culture, and if we’re ever going to have female driven creations be taken seriously we need to stop dismissing representations of female sexuality as low art. we need to ask ourselves- how much of our opinions of female driven media are based on taste and how much of them are social conditioning?

and ANYWAY i guess long story short my secret hope and my ultimate goal is i want to make erotic art that can’t be dismissed. i want to make  art that very specifically depicts female sexuality, AND is accessible and tasteful in a way that means anyone can like it, erotic art drawn from a female POV. i want to draw things that make people think, regardless of their sexual preferences, “hey that’s pretty cool. i wanna try doing that.”

jesus christ this thing has 800+ notes jolly good show

Mar 27, 20132,041 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 26, 201321,911 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial
Mar 26, 2013220 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial
Mar 26, 2013257 notes
#misc
Mar 26, 201399 notes
#misc
“

No one is quite like you anyway. Forget about being original. “Oh, it’s so original!” Bah. You already are. Take the higher road, and learn to be authentic.

You are already connected. What you have to say is important because we all want to know. Learn to discern, of course, what is important from what is frivolous. It is all stowed inside, as you’ve been working on it already for a long time. You won’t find your style. If you are authentic to who you are, your style finds you.

”
—words of wisdom from Woulter Tulp. (via silentmight)
Mar 25, 201384 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Anonymous asked you: What can I do to transition into drawing comics? I seem to be able to draw characters in only one pose; how do I improve character consistency and get into learning how to properly make a -comic-, instead of a stiff inert piece dressing up as a comic? Do you have any resources or anything like that?? :(

chirart:

I don’t have any resources, but I will say nothing teaches you how to draw a comic than actually drawing a comic. Your first one is going to be full of mistakes because it’s babu’s first try, and you’re figuring a lot of things out, and you kind of need to allow yourself this if you want to get over that starting hump (and every hump after).

A large part of transitioning into comics is coming to peace with how it basically challenges you completely as an artist. I am pretty sure there’s no greater way to stay humble as an artist than to do a comic, because in doing one you realize you don’t know how to draw for shit.

At all.

You may think you do, but no, you don’t. Sorry. You suck. You have been tricking yourself this entire time and now you are facing the reality that you basically know nothing.

I mean, like, it doesn’t matter how good or skilled you are as an artist, because a comic is going to rip you out of every comfort zone you locked yourself in. You need to know everything to be able to draw it, and if you don’t know everything you need to learn it as quickly as possible. You need to understand all the subtle variations of fashion, the mechanics that go into a bicycle, all the research of period/regional architecture you can muster, or what the inside of a car REALLY looks like… Oh, whoops, I need to draw all of these for the next page? MOMENT OF TRUTH AT THE PEARLY GATES, YOUR TEARS WON’T DRAW THEM FOR YOU. Not used to drawing different poses? Don’t understand perspective? Never drew backgrounds? You have problems with consistency? WELL HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO LEARN TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER.

It’s such a sink-or-swim medium that if you persevere through the fact you’re only beginning to learn how to draw for the first time in your life, you’ll find yourself improving amazingly fast, because you’re forcing yourself to learn everything you didn’t really give yourself a chance to before. You may not learn everything quickly, but you’ll be learning. I’ve been doing comics for three years at this point and I’m still learning how to bring up my game.

Or, i don’t know, maybe there are people out there who are artistic geniuses who know how to innately draw anything and everything and never have difficulty figuring out how-to-comics, but they are probably in a place where unicorns exist, I’m able to magically materialize any food I want when I want it, and I can have Tilda Swinton as my spirit guide.

Mar 25, 2013360 notes
#art #art blog #art advice #comics
Mar 15, 20136,338 notes
#art #art blog #reference
Art Block seems to come in two forms....

First, there’s the “I can create and want to create but I don’t know what to create” form.

This one can be beaten by giving yourself a break or shifting gears.

Then there’s the “I cannot create at all everything is coming out horribly” ‘bad art’ form.

This one literally just requires that you keep ‘wasting’ materials and time and work. Even though you want to throw everything across the room. This version is universally experienced…. Even professional artists have days when everything comes out mediocre at best.

You’ll want to stop.

Don’t.

Usually, it’s right after the point where you tell yourself, “I’m giving up today is just not a good day” that you make good art. It may not be brilliant art. It may not even be very good art. However that isn’t the point.

So. Push until you can’t push anymore….then push a little further.

Mar 15, 2013166 notes
#art #art blog #art block
Suicide alert!

letsgofangirlinthiscornerok:

Tumblr user wish-upon-a-youtuber is planning on killing herself this Sunday. If anyone knows her or any information that may help save her life, please tell me. I don’t wan her to go and I’m sure none of you do either.

guys seriously if you see this on your dash reblog it because you might not know anything, but your followers might

Mar 14, 201320,731 notes
Mar 14, 2013384 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 14, 2013211 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 14, 201318,760 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 14, 2013545 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 14, 201393 notes
#misc
PSG Art Tutorial → androidarts.com

It covers a lot of ground fairly quickly.

Mar 14, 201371 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial
Its alright, experimentation tends to lead to weird products, but hey! Its all part of the fun and developing something unique!

Very true it’s just there’s a time and a place for experimentation and an art final is probably…not…it….

But I wanted to so I did and hopefully my prof forgives me.

-SA

Mar 14, 20131 note
Are you kidding??! That is beautiful!

I feel like the overall effect is extremely inconsistent and THIS UPSETS ME but thank you you’re a very nice person.

-SA

Mar 14, 20131 note
Basically I have a legitimate reason for not posting anything for several days and it is this. → pierrotspaperheart.tumblr.com

….don’t click unless you like really horrible art.

I played around with style too much….

Mar 14, 201328 notes
#misc
"How to draw drapery and folds" → mightyartdemos.com

djwaglmuffin:

Awesome tutorial!

Mar 13, 2013342 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial #efernce

desalexander:

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long, but here it is! As of right now, I unfortunately do not have a way to collect the money, however! I am still opening them, I will still make them, and you can pay me when I have everything up. (This will happen as soon as Wednesday, I hope.) Thank you for your understanding! You can reach me via ask, here with any questions/your commissions. Thank you! c:

Commission Info!

First and foremost, all prices are in USD and are negotiable! c: Please note that some things will take longer than others, depending on the commission. If you feel I am taking too long on something, feel free to talk to me. .u.

Digital Art:

  • Sketches are $2
  • Lineart is $4-7 (depending on the complexity)
  • Full Color is $8-11 (depending on the complexity)

Traditional Art; 8.5x11 or smaller:

  • Sketches are $2
  • Lineart is $4-7
  • Full Color is $8-11

Traditional Art 9x12”:

  • Sketches are $3
  • Lineart is $4-7
  • Full Color is $8-11

Traditional Art 12x18”:

  • Sketches are $3
  • Lineart is $5-9
  • Full color is $10-13

- Any additional characters for all art is +$1! c:

- Detailed backgrounds are +$2

Animations:

  • Sketch animations are $3
  • Lineart animations are $5-8
  • Fully colored animations are $9-12

Stories:

  • >5,000 words is $3
  • <5,000 words is $5

- Extra chapters are +$1

-More than 3 characters is +1

RPG Games:

  • >30 minute game is $11
  • <30 minute game is $13
  • <1 hour game is $15

- More than 4 custom characters is +$2

- Hand drawn graphics (the people/backgrounds) +$2

-Custom pixel graphics are +$1

Things I will not draw/animate/write about/make RPG games of:

  • Furries (only because I have no experience with them, and I want to make sure people get a quality that they paid for. Once I practice them more, I’ll open up Furry commissions)
  • Mecha (same as above)
  • Pornographic shota
  • Anything dealing with graphic sexual violence

Mar 13, 201316 notes
#misc
Mar 7, 20131,558 notes
Mar 7, 201320,586 notes
#art #art blog #reference
Over the shoulder tutorial by DerSketchie → dersketchie.deviantart.com

boybogart:

This is an amazing tutorial! I never noticed that when the head is turned, the side of the neck where the head is facing is more curved and the opposite side is straighter. I also noticed that the side of the shoulders where the neck is curved is always higher the the straight-necked side.

Mar 6, 2013125 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial #reference
Mar 6, 20139,884 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial
Mar 6, 2013301 notes
I want to apologize to everyone.

I’ve been so busy and stressed out for so many months that I’m not much use to anyone anymore, least of all me.

I feel like a machine that’s been running without maintenence for months and is starting to wear out essential parts.

I may need a break to regenerate and shake the dust out.

-SA

Mar 5, 201319 notes
#personal
Tips on beating Art Block

amazinglyartisticadvice:

Art Block is (obviously) a mental difficulty. It has a tendencey to spring out at the best of us when we least expect it. Professional artists are well aware of its existence.

But professional artists depend on their ability to produce work every day. Art block cannot be allowed to take over.

So, here’s some advice on how to get over art block when it happens.

1. Sketch.

Do something quick. Do lots of quick things. Keep working, no matter how horrible it looks to you, and keep moving. This helps you get through the “bad art” and back into “good art”

2. Switch things up.

Use a different media, do a life drawing, make a switch from your usual method. Help yourself get into a new mindset. Try something new. Sculpt.

3. Draw (here we go) fanart. (Or just pick up a random idea from just about anywhere)

Take a character or a scene or an object that you like, or borrow another artist’s style for a day. This can help if you’ve got a dry idea well. Another method is to take something that someone else did and redraw it in your own style. Go to a random character generator, or type in a letter to Google and make something out of that. Create a world based on an object at hand. This doesn’t need to be good, just let yourself make something silly. This generaly helps when you feel completely devoid of inspiration.

4. Take a walk.

Get away from your studio for a little while. Observe the world carefully. You might get inspiration from a leaf or the way a person is dressed orthe tilt of a person’s head. Get out of yourself for a while and refresh your view on the world. It’s hard to be an artist and a complete shut-in.

5. Hate it? Look at your old work.

You’ve come a long way since three years ago, remind yourself of that with a quick tour through the old work. It helps you regain your perspective and your determination to become better.

Mar 5, 2013697 notes
#art #art blog #art advice #art block
A Bunch of Tutorials

highway131:

artkink:

FIGURE DRAWING

Kids

Babies

Human Figures & Their Proportions

Arms & Hands

Backs & Shoulders

Clothing

Chests / Upper Body / Torso

Drapery & Folds

Legs & Feet

Necks

Figures in Action & Motion

Figures in Groups or Crowds

Figures in Landscape Drawings

HOW TO DRAW THE FACE

Capture People’s Likeness

Draw Portraits

Eyes

Eyebrows

Eyelashes

Caricatures

Facial Expressions

Female Eyes

Noses

Mouths

Teeth

Lips

Hair

Curly Hair

Straight Hair

Ears

Wrinkles

Mar 5, 201378,380 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial #resources
Mar 5, 2013212 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Mar 5, 201310,141 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Can I trouble you to donate? → amazinglyartisticadvice.tumblr.com

amazinglyartisticadvice:

Hello. The link above will take you to a page and at the bottom of that page there is a button that says ‘Donate.’ 

As much as I hate to impose on anyone, I am asking that you please either give (even a couple of dollars would be appreciated) or else, if you can’t donate, signal boost this post and pass it on to others who may want to do so.

My mother, who encouraged me to pursue art and whose wisdom has often been passed on to you all through me, is having financial difficulties right now.

She’s having trouble paying the bills, including the mortgage on the house she waited twenty years to buy. She and my sister are barely able to afford utilities and food even with what little financial help I can offer.

Therefore I am appealing to all of you, in the hopes that a Tumblr miracle might help them stay in their home (with three adorable cats.)

If you do see your way clear to giving whatever you’re inclined or able to give, I’ll send you a ZIP file of a 16 page comic that I’m making especially as a thank you.

If you like comics about cute monsters, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you don’t…. Well….Consider donating in spite of that? 

Thanks for your time,

-SA

Reblog for the day crowd….

Mar 4, 201333 notes
#personal
Mar 3, 201316,766 notes
#art #art blog #tutorial

lackadaisycats:

algrenion:

here have a nice website for fantasy/historical clothing designs

Great stuff!  Reblogging for people who’ve asked me about finding historical clothing references online.

Mar 3, 201313,976 notes
#art #art blog #reference #resources
Mar 2, 201355,645 notes
#art #art advice
Mar 2, 201338,191 notes
#art #art blog #art advice
Can I trouble you to donate? → amazinglyartisticadvice.tumblr.com

Hello. The link above will take you to a page and at the bottom of that page there is a button that says ‘Donate.’ 

As much as I hate to impose on anyone, I am asking that you please either give (even a couple of dollars would be appreciated) or else, if you can’t donate, signal boost this post and pass it on to others who may want to do so.

My mother, who encouraged me to pursue art and whose wisdom has often been passed on to you all through me, is having financial difficulties right now.

She’s having trouble paying the bills, including the mortgage on the house she waited twenty years to buy. She and my sister are barely able to afford utilities and food even with what little financial help I can offer.

Therefore I am appealing to all of you, in the hopes that a Tumblr miracle might help them stay in their home (with three adorable cats.)

If you do see your way clear to giving whatever you’re inclined or able to give, I’ll send you a ZIP file of a 16 page comic that I’m making especially as a thank you.

If you like comics about cute monsters, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you don’t…. Well….Consider donating in spite of that? 

Thanks for your time,

-SA

Mar 2, 201333 notes
#personal
Mar 1, 2013305 notes
Mar 1, 20134,788 notes
Mar 1, 2013659 notes
#art #art blog #reference
Mar 1, 201368 notes
#misc
Wigart Commissions

wigmund:

wigmund:

Hey guys, just wanted everyone to know that I’m still offering to do drawing commissions for anyone who wants something. I’m trying to cover excess bills as I’m getting the handle on my sales job and eventually use this as a means for some extra income on the side.

image

To commission me, just contact me here on Tumblr via my message box.

All drawings are going to be digital and, besides the avatars, will be 1000x1000 in size unless different dimensions are requested. Larger pieces (those over 1500x) will cost a bit more - I’ll give more details if/when that happens.

I will draw most anything excluding nudity and fetish art - anthros, robots, fan characters, original creations, fanart, whatever else is fair game. I will ask for references for fan characters and OCs.

Additional examples can be seen here on Tumblr or on Deviantart.

I will keep you updated on my progress on any piece I’m working on, I can’t guarantee finishing anything within a certain amount of time due to life interfering or having phases where I’m unhappy with what I’m producing - so you do not have to pay me until AFTER I finish your piece and BEFORE you get it.

All payments will be via my Paypal account: lawyman84@hotmail.com

After receiving payment, I will send you the full-sized piece by email or some other means (skype, tumblr submission, etc.). I will also post the commission here on my blog unless requested otherwise - I’ll ask you before doing so because I’m compulsive about receiving permission.

Thank y’all in advance.

Sorry for spamming this, but I need groceries and this will be the only way I get those along with paying my electric and internet bills since my next check is being devoured by my car insurance like my last check and tax refund were taken up by rent and my phone bill.

Mar 1, 201315 notes
#misc
Mar 1, 20134,884 notes
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