Art School

[Abriana]

Working on hummus

Gud gud

 

[RiverStorm]

Hummus are hard.

I kno, dat why I need your hhhhheeeelllllppppp

Working on hummus

Yay!

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Back

 

[Abriana]

Back

Ello

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Okay, so first off you're gonna need a reference picture. 'character inspiration' is a safe wordchoice to Google or Pinterest. I used this one, along with about half a dozen that I didn't even download because I was lazy and it seemed pointless.
I never copy the reference photo exactly, more just use the position of the character/person to rough in my drawing.


A lot of people use this trick, and let me tell you: USE IT. It prevents a world of problems for you. I just can't seem to use it because I erase so much, and it gets destroyed.
I use mechanical pencils, so I don't have to sharpen all the time. Sometimes, when I want it extra sharp, I'll break off the tip to get a brand new one, which is usually better.


Rough in the face next. I found it a little derpy to be using this, but it shortened my usual draw time by about 1/2 an hour. This is just the rough draft. Change things. Fix things. Tweak.
To see mistakes, turn your page upside-down or take a photo. It will help you see your problems. Looking at it through a mirror works, too.

Develop your style.
I wanted a more manga-like look, so I looked at some other photos at this point. You can also use a how-to-draw book for this. They're full of free reference pics.
Okay, so see how the circle disappeared? I wanted to quit, so I erased everything. Even Fanci's get frustrated.
For guys eyebrows, I like to split up the leading edge like this: \////
Don't know why, just do.
Also notice that I made some major changes, especially to the nose and mouth. This is your little human. You draw what makes you happy.

Hair! Everybody's arch nemesis. Really it's not that bad, once you figure out the flow of things. It usually helps to make 'bigger' hair, too. You know, to hide boo-boos. :3
Spikey hair is pretty easy. Just try to avoid parallel lines by using triangles.

Ears! Hmm... Wonder who this is for?
I start fox ears at the exact same spot that people ears go, then take it on up the head quite a ways. You can use doggo reference photos for that.

I like to shade things in when I can since, you know, it makes me feel professional and stuff. Use a sharp edge for this, but don't smudge or blend in. That's not the look we're going for right now.

Clothes! Yuck! No fun to do. More reference pics! I find that, with drawing in general, if you can use straight edges rather than round, do it. I dunno why, it just looks better. A straight edge makes you kind of look like you know what you're doing, I guess.
I'm not going to go into detail about clothes. Some other time, maybe. ^_^

TAKE A BETTER PICTURE.
You deserve justice for the art you have just created. Find the brightest room in your house, (or go outside if it's sunny) and take the picture there. I also like to take it into my phone's editor fiddle with the Exposure, Contrast, and Black colors. I made this one slightly blue to give a chilly or sad feeling, though it may just look like a crappy photo, I don't know. I like it.

QUESTIONS ANYONE?!

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Guys, seriously. If you want more detail on how to do stuff just ask. That's what I'm here for.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Okie doki, how's this?

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Okie doki, how's this?
View attachment 1299081

Fabrujoss.
I like how you went ahead and did the whole body, even when I didn't. I see some graphite reflections in the hand, which makes me wonder if you maybe draw hard? That or used a wood pencil. You always want to "draw light until you get it right".
With this drawing, I would fix it up around where the chin connects to the head. I made this same mistake and had to fix it. Not sure if I can explain it just yet.
I would also make the ear bigger, especially with dem pointy ones :3

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Give me a minute, I'll try to make the jaw thing a little clearer for you.

 

[MagpieDucks]

What do ya think Fanci?

I'll quit now. :3