Subaru
Good thing about rewatching old anime is that 1) I get to actually see good anime again (kinda rare nowadays), and 2) it makes me want to draw again (also kinda rare, in the last few years).
Tutorials for artists
I just went back through over 900 liked posts and dug out all the art tutorials so i can keep track of them. I guess this might be helpful to some of you guys, so here you go.
Here we go then!
Freeware
Alchemy - this is a really fun program. You play around making abstract shapes until you start to see something in them, kind of like a Rorschach test. Then you use the shapes as a base to draw it from.
MyPaint - a pretty decent painting program that also has the benefit of working on Unix systems.
openCanvas 1.1 - I haven’t used openCanvas in years but it was a nice program with a pretty unique feel to it.
ArtRage - Only used this a couple of times donkey’s years ago just before I got oC, but I’ve heard good things about it.
The GIMP - In a similar vein to Photoshop, but free. I couldn’t get on with it when I tried it out a few years ago, but it’s pretty popular and is available on Unix systems and Macs.Sketchbook copic: a bit different program
Not-free-ware
Photoshop - Standard painting fare. Probably the most flexible program (particularly the latest versions) but not designed to act in a “natural” way. If you’ve used it for painting versus something like Painter you know what I mean. Who the fuck pays for it though? Google “Photoshop tumblr masterpost” and take your pick.
Paint Tool Sai - Far more affordable and definitely worth paying for if you can. The brushes are very decent (especially when they’ve been tweaked a little), the gui is simple and intuitive, and I dare you to find a program with which making smooth lineart is easier.
Corel Painter - My program of choice for most things. More tools than you could ever possibly use and pretty cheap on a student license, providing that you can prove you’re a student! It’s got a few bugs but if you want realism or a more natural feel than PS or SAI this is the program for you.Anatomy
anatomy and rotation of the head
Expressions
emotions and facial expressions
expressions from different angles (love this site)
Poses
Skin tones
paint some life into your skin tones
Colouring
gamut mask tool (very nice!)
5 easy ways to improve your colouring
fucking gradients, how do they work
achieving a painterly look in SAI
kuler (more colour schemes)
Brushes
a very nice setting for the sai acrylic brush
photoshop fur brushes (and tutorial)
Other peoples masterposts
love your fellow artist (anything from prompt generators to animation background here, very nice)
e-books
art e-books (mediafire download)
even more e-books (including human anatomy, animal anatomy, cartoons, animation, composition, design, scenery, perspective…)
Tutorials
a pretty extensive general art tutorial
tumblrs
criminallyincompetent (check out their #reference and #tutorial tags, they’re gold)
(Source: geromykyle, via rakenrollrobin)
![Awakening2’x3’ Acrylic on canvas2012
From the murky liquid skin of your anxietySelf-absorption;A pressure deep, boiling, (boiling)An explosion—Silence.(You, yes you)In your nakedness, rise:A re-beginnning.
[Exhibited in Cubital Fossa: Peering into the Creative Process, 25 February 2012]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0qllpkgcN1qbzkxco1_500.jpg)
Awakening
2’x3’ Acrylic on canvas
2012
From the murky liquid skin of your anxiety
Self-absorption;
A pressure deep, boiling, (boiling)
An explosion—
Silence.
(You, yes you)
In your nakedness, rise:
A re-beginnning.
[Exhibited in Cubital Fossa: Peering into the Creative Process, 25 February 2012]
(Self-loathing)
(Self-absorption)
Insomnia
You know what’s cool? Prints! Yes.
Some people were asking to have them up, so here.
Art Prints and Stretched Canvas Prints now available on society6. :D
(Please give me wings)
(This time last year)
A sparrow and a cicada on a plum tree.
(Trying to be profound)
Used this as book cover artwork for Train Man (Densha Otoko). It’s a Japanese novel on computer geeks and love, narrated IRC-chat style. Read it. It’s quite fun. Or watch the movie because cute otaku need more love.
tips on using references…
Someone asked me for this. I thought it might be useful to share. Just some things I’ve learned…
- Collect a lot of references even if you don’t use them.
- Collect references for lighting and texture. A photo of a guy holding a gun is good, but a photo of how light hits gun metal is better.
- Take your time. Find what you need. Be patient. If you don’t know how to draw it, don’t fake it. Intead, put it aside and find more references.
- Don’t slap heads on bodies. It usually never works, and it’s a dead giveaway that you don’t know what you’re doing. Cohesion is more important than realism; if you get the lighting and anatomy right, people will believe it more readily than if you strain to make it look exactly like the person.
- If it’s a photomanipulation, say so. Smudging up photographs does not count as digital painting. It’s clumsy and messy, and it makes the actual art of photomanipulation (which requires major skills) look bad. Trust me when I say that artists can tell if you’re doing it. I see so much of that crap in fandom.
- Go by your gut. Does it look comfortable? Does it look awkward? If you can’t tell, put it aside and come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- If you really can’t tell, then ask someone.
- Don’t be afraid of having to throw out a drawing and start over.
- Keep it simple. The fewer elements, the easier it will be to find good references.
- Don’t steal.
- Make your own colors. Don’t try to copy the colors in the reference photo. Don’t eyedropper the colors. Make your own. Cohesion makes a better drawing.
- There’s nothing wrong with tracing as a tool. But if you do it too much, then what’s the point? You won’t feel great for lying to yourself.
- Don’t depend too much on references. This should be OBVIOUS. Use what you need, but also learn how to judge what you don’t need. You don’t need to copy things exactly. You don’t need to copy the colors. It’s better to have a lot of information and learn how to pick and choose. The more cohesive a drawing, the better the drawing, so make it yours. This is why studying things like lighting and anatomy are important—if you don’t understand what you’re doing, then you can’t tell when something is wrong, and even the best references won’t help.
- If someone took away your references, how screwed would you be? How well do you know what stuff looks like? Just keep that in mind.
For what it’s worth, people respond to artists, not art, so let yourself show in the art, mistakes and all. References are only as useful as the artist utilizing them. Honest, expressive art—even if it’s inaccurate and unrealistic—is always more appealing.
Also, your art is not more important than you. Don’t forget that! Draw as if your house might burn down tomorrow. Whatever it is, it’s not precious, and you can do it again.
Woo, pep talk, lol.
Hope that was useful. Ima go have a sandwich now.
(Source: , via joscribbles)
Alienation
book cover design, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (by Milan Kundera)
original illustration.
(Please read it if you can. It’s a good book.)
ZETSUAI 1989 (Desperate Love): Nanjō Kōji
(Operatic drama in a BL classic. The 80’s was epic.)
