Got any tips on drawing?

[Blinding Light 81]

So recently while browsing the internet I saw that a lot of people have a taste in art. They drew Princesses, Guards, Cities, Kingdoms, anything you can imagine. It looked so good I tried it out myself and, as usual, I found out I was horrible. The closest thing I made to good wasn't... well, any good. And I used some pictures from Google images to create it. (I would post it but cropping isn't going my way, or in other terms, it would take up the whole post) So I'm asking you for any tips on the subject. Feel free to post how you like to draw pictures (With Programs like Gimp that is, I'm good with drawing by hand but not with a mouse)

 

[Chales 129]

I like to draw on the computer. I use a tablet with most of my work. I've used Gimp in the past and I think its a great program. I've recently started using Photoshop mostly because my tablet for some reason doesn't work with Gimp.

 

The main tip I  could give you would be to think about the whole drawing and not get too focused on a single section. You don't want to put too much effort in the mane of a pony and then forget about the other parts like the legs. Also defiantly think about how the whole drawing will look before you finish it. Planning is a big part so I suggest lightly sketching in the drawing before you go a little bit harder. This will let you workout proportions like  head to leg ratios, I've seen tons of pictures where the head is squashed or the legs are too small. Lastly, think about visual flow. Make an interesting pose that lets the eye move from part to another. Have parts of the character like hair and clothing act as guides for the viewer.

 

Mainly practice will help.

[Reversalx 129]

Just keep drawing, that's the best tip anyone can give you. I cant tell you how horrible my drawings were at first(ill actually post one of em from a year ago *shudders*), you just gotta keep drawing it. Over and over again XD with references of course, if you're going for show-accurate drawings.

 

There are MANY tutorials out there, check em out. It also helps to be able to draw other things as well, dont just practice on ponies, but on objects, backgrounds, perspective, etc

 

Also, i dont recommend drawing with a mouse. Using a tablet or drawing on paper is much more natural, in my opinion. But, there are some good mouse users out there XD i started off drawing by hand, scanning it to my pc, and tracing it over in photoshop.

[Drahgoon 152]

I know very few digital artists who use a mouse. The ones who do use a mouse usually use it for coloring. If you have a scanner, you could draw the outline of what you want on paper first, scan it into an art program and color it. I don't know if that's possible in Gimp though, since I don't use it. Digital art is definitely easier to do with a drawing tablet. As said above, practice is the most important part of getting good at art. 

[Chales 129]

I would defentaly recommend Gimp over photoshop if your going to scan an image into the computer and then color it. Gimp has a color to alpha tool that will allow you to delete all the white but leave everything else including the alpha parts (transparent parts). This will let you create another layer for color and have it show up behind the lines. I'm not sure if photoshop has it but from my experiences I haven't been able to find such a tool.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Chales

[Victor van Dort 202]

My biggest advantage in drawing stuff with my hand is imagining the image on my paper and outlining it line for line. I'd suggest you do that, though you need strong mentality I find.

[Sks_Burns 730]

practice, practice, practice. try drawing anything and everything, step outside your comfort zone. the last thing you wanna do is get too comfortable with a particular style, then you might not continue to grow as a drawer. but above all else, get some paper and a pencil and doodle nonsense and random stuff. 

 

"an amateur practices till he gets it right, while a professional practices until he cant get it wrong"

[Blinding Light 81]

Thanks guys, but I haven't really got any access to tablets or scanners or anything like that. I guess I'll just have to wait till I get a job .

Thanks guys, but I haven't really got any access to tablets or scanners or anything like that. I guess I'll just have to wait till I get a job .

[Drahgoon 152]

Don't get me wrong, drawing with a mouse IS possible. I drew with a mouse for about 2 months before I got a tablet. If you check my art thread you can see my mouse artwork, except for the very last post. It just takes a lot more time and it doesn't look as smooth. However, it still looks like pony and with practice you can become very good with the mouse. 

[Modphase 1,271]

Umm.....

 

Practicepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticepracticeuseconstructionlinespracticepracticepracticepracticepracticeread/watchtutorialspracticepracticepracticepracticepractice

 

That's all it takes really. There are no ways around it, no ways to avoid it. Read or watch tutorials for a start, then practice drawing things with construction lines. Don't even try drawing anything without construction lines.