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We build our art based on methods, techniques, and ways of thinking that help us. Tutorials can introduce you to new things to try!
When tutorials say "Do this and NEVER do that" it's not a Law for All Art- it usually just represents the beliefs and practices of a particular person in a particular field of art, and they're talking about what helps them. To make your own set of rules, experiment with other people's techniques to find which ones help you and which ones don't! Additionally, these tutorials use a range of different visual styles to teach their lessons, but you can take the lessons without the style and apply it to your own work however you like. It's good to try new things but don't feel pressured to work in that style if you're not interested in it. Glossary Of Helpful Art TermsThumbnails
Thumbnails are small drawings to quickly plan out something without getting distracted by details. (scene thumbnails, sketch thumbnails, value thumbnails, color thumbnails) Moodboarding A Moodboard is a board of images you've collected that help you generate ideas for something. You can take a pattern from one image, a color scheme from another and combine them to create something new. Often people will compile images they've collected into a single jpeg that they can put on their canvas when they're drawing. Pinterest is an excellent site for moodboarding as it will suggest new images based on ones you've already collected, and you can screenshot boards you've made to put on your canvas when you draw. References References are images artists look at to get something right- ie the pose for a hand, the pattern for tiger stripes, how a pine tree looks, etc. Even if you think you know exactly what a tree looks like, or are making something very stylized, having the original reference in view will help you stylize even better. The internet is a helpful place to find references but it's recommended you take your own reference photos (whenever possible, we don't all have tigers) to get sources no one else has used before- ie. taking a photo of your own hand in the pose you want, or using a photo of a tree outside your house for tree reference. Referencing is NOT cheating- it helps your art become more accurate and is a necessity in most cases. It's considered bad practice to never use reference, regardless of whether you think you know what the thing looks like - even something as simple as a door can be improved by use of reference! Line, Color, And design tipsFantastic tips by Somsomik.
Color Theory Made Simple
A tutorial by Lauren Baldo. Click the thumbnails and use your arrow keys to scroll through.
Other Resources
The Line of action - Clear & Dynamic character posing
A simple posing principle for character clarity! 
Introduction to Thumbnailing & Quick Sketching
These steps make our art better and our lives easier- and they're fun and quick. "If you skip thumbnailing and dive right into a piece, you'll be left cleaning up lots of things along the way" 
How to think when you draw - Etherington Brothers
Helpful lessons about de-constructing things in your brain to understand and draw them better in whatever style you choose. |
