In Need Of Art Tips!

Creator's Corner Art Resources
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Hi! I’m thinking of starting to draw my own episode art, but I have no idea what to do! All the videos on youtube just seem to be a time-lapse of someone drawing, which are amazing, but I would just love some first-hand tips!
So if you’re an artist, I would really appreciate it! Even just an example of some art would be great!
Thanks so much! :two_hearts:

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Maybe you can try using ibisPaint X

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Thanks! I’ll try it out, but I’m not sure what devise I should use. Should I use a tablet, or a mouse on the computer?

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Here are my tried and true tips.

  • Find a program or app that you feel comfortable using. I personally use medibang (on my iPhone 6) and it does take time getting used to but it has a lot of tools that are great.

  • Don’t jump right in and buy a fancy tablet or photoshop. Learn the basics first. Who knows, maybe you decide that art isn’t for you. You don’t want to waste money on a hobby you won’t enjoy.

  • Do not use the airbrush. It often looks artificial. Use a textured brush to shade and blend using the middle colors. It’s not as fast as using a soft brush but the product is much better. I do not recommend. If you like the look of it, go for it. Personally, I like my art to be a little more organic but these are just my personal tips and what I do.

Using an airbrush

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Using a textured brush
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  • Use references! As seen in the example above, I used Kit Harington (Jon Snow from GOT) as my reference. I accidentally made their features too similar and now I have to go back in and change somethings so it will be approved. It doesn’t have to just be a character reference. You can also find pose references (hand refs are especially helpful because drawing hands are hell). Having a guide is easier than drawing everything from scratch.

  • I like making my canvas size twice the size. So if I’m making an art scene I make my canvas 1280 x 2272. I also make the DPI < 300. The quality is better than the original screenshot size.

  • Layers! Layers! Layers! Never ever ever ever draw on one layer. It’s a mess if you accidentally make a mistake (and you will). I usually use like 30 layers. One for the flat skin tone, one for shading, one for highlights, one for rough feature outlining, one for refining features, one for the eyelashes, eyebrows, lips, hair, hair shading, hair shading, the white eye color, the eye color, adding the pupil, and then the light reflection, and many more for little things. I.e: freckles, blush, eye shadow, etc. You can choose to name each one but I personally don’t. It takes time and I prefer to just keep working.

  • If your app/program has clipping masks/blending modes take advantage of them! Clipping masks make shading and highlighting so much easier! The blending modes often give cool lighting effects.

  • Practice and get comfortable with your app/program. Press all the buttons and learn their functions. It’s going to take some time but you’ll get the hang of it. Your first few attempts probably won’t be the best but it will get better each time.

  • Don’t worry about finding your style early on. I struggled with this because I thought my art was flat and didn’t have a specific style. That’s okay at first. As you practice more and more you will experiment and find things you like more. You might try to draw the eyes bigger and make the nose smaller. Or you might venture into the cartoon style or maybe realistic. Find what feels right to you and under no circumstances DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE. Taking inspiration and admiring other artists is perfectly okay but please don’t go down the “she’s so much better” road. Self-doubt is a bitch. It’s demotivating and crushes your soul. There will be times where you question it. All artists do. But remember to reassure yourself that you will continue to get better each time you try. Know your worth. It makes all the difference I promise you.

I hope you find this a little helpful. If you have any questions you can always PM me. I’ll do my best to help. Good luck!

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Tablet

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Basically:

  1. Practice DOESN’T MAKE PERFECT, but it improves your art. Noone’s art is perfect but that’s what makes everyone’s art unique.
    At first, you may realise that practicing won’t get you anywhere but don’t give up!
  2. If you feel unmotivated, try watching youtube videos about drawing tutorials.
  3. Develop your own style! Even if you’re planning to draw in episode style, everyone still has their own unique way of presenting their work!
    For example, some of us prefer the contour to be deep while others prefer to same as simple as possible!
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Thank you so much, both of you! That really helps!

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Layering and the use of locking some help a lot, too. (Be aware, some art pieces will need A LOT of layering.)
Tablets work beautifully, but you may sometimes need extra software to replicate a lineart brush.
Also, never try to directly copy someone’s art style–you need to develop your own, or you’ll be criticizing yourself for not being able to perfectly replicate it. These things take time :heart:

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Definitely don’t use the airbrush. It looks flat and unappealing.

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Good advice, I definitely agree

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Thanks so much, that’s a great tip!

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  • Watch speedpaints. Slow them down and study them as much as possible to better understand how pros use and apply concepts.
  • Make your own brushes (idk what app you’re using but procreate and photoshop if you can afford it are really good and have a lot of free brushes to download).
  • Study anatomy, lighting, etc. Custom brushes won’t help you if you don’t have a good base.
  • Practice. This seems obvious, but so many people don’t and just jump right into something they can’t do yet.
  • If you have art block, stop and work on something else.
  • This is a personal preference, but I love listening to music while drawing. Find a soundtrack that matches your piece and draw away :wink:
  • A drawing tablet is an amazing long term investment. Drawing with a mouse is hard :sweat:
  • Trace or don’t trace? Depends on how comfortable you are with it. Trace references, not art.
  • Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get exposure right away. It takes most artists 5-10 years to be recognized by name.
  • Don’t let the haters get to you.
  • Blend.
  • You don’t need hundreds of layers, one for each element works fine.
  • Use a large canvas. This will let you zoom in and work on small details you normally wouldn’t be able to.
  • If you’re taking commissions, don’t do anything that will take you more than an hour without charging something for it.
  • Hair is not individual pieces of hair; think of it as chunks and colour and shade according to that.
  • Use references. The difference it makes is amazing.
  • Skin has texture. It’s not just airbrushing, even tho that helps.
  • There’s soft light and hard light, make sure you’re using them accordingly.
  • SAVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
  • Check what layers you’re drawing on. It sucks when I realize I’m drawing on the wrong layer and need to start again.
  • Save (and date) old pieces of art. It’s fun going through seeing how you improved. :grinning:

That’s all I can think of for now, I might add more when I think of them.

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Ugh I remember literally yesterday I was doing a request for someone and I was tracing the tattoo from Episode Ink (I couldn’t be bothered to draw it myself lol) and after I finished I opened up all the layers and saw that I was tracing on the same layer as the picture. I spent at least 5-10 minutes clicking the “reset last change” button to start it again. Always remember layers, people! And keep checking them!

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ikr it’s horrible i was drawing last night and I was drawing on the reference and i had to start over. an hour of work gone. CHECK THE LAYERS.

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Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!

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Great tip!

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