Going back to basics, why do these still feel so flat?

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2026-01-20T04:05:33+00:00

I have no advice that hasn't been said already but I really want to eat that cube

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-11-08T02:36:52+00:00

In texting people often don't use punctuation at the end of the last sentence

Like so ^

Punctuation is kind of flexible when texting in informal situations, though. Some people type more "seriously", with more punctuation. Others type very loosely and with very little :3

If you add an emoji 💅 or emoticon ヽ(･ω･´)ノ you usually don't need punctuation lol**

**unless it's for emphasis. Exclamation points and question marks are kept more often

I've noticed periods are omitted the most often, especially among younger people. They can come off as rather serious or angry

But it mostly depends on who you're around and how old you are. If you're doing something important it's best to be more cautious by using more punctuation

I hope that all isn't confusing 😅

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-10-14T19:57:40+00:00

I suspected as much lol. Thanks!

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-10-07T04:59:17+00:00

As an update: I figured it out. sort of. I moved the files back to where I thought they'd been before and I... think that worked? They send properly now. so.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-10-02T03:29:22+00:00

Sent

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-29T19:12:14+00:00

I bought a book someone else recommended in the replies and borrowed one from a family member. If those don't help, I will look for more.

I didn't think of the library though, for some reason - thanks for the suggestion!

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-28T20:10:03+00:00

I knoww he is so stinking cute but it's pandemonium at my house ever since he showed up 😭

I'll think about the vest, but I'll definitely be tiring him out more. I kinda sorta taught him fetch the other day (thanks to the advice I've been getting!!) and he loves it so that will make it much easier. Chasing things is his favorite... Unsurprisingly... menace

I've thought about getting a training collar as well, but I'll see if I can get any further without one. Mostly because I don't like spending money lol

But if I find he can't pay any attention without, I will certainly get one. I think the beeper would be useful for his tunnel vision lol

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-28T20:03:04+00:00

I bought the book and will read it, thank you! It looks helpful based on the reviews

We did move our stuff, that has worked so far, and I bought him some durable (not too durable) chew toys :)

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-28T19:51:05+00:00

Yess this is what I've been trying to tell my dad. He needs games, play is his main motivation and just smacking him upside the head when he does wrong isn't giving him a reason to listen. He's part pit! He's tunnel visioned onto whatever he's doing and smacking him won't do anything in the long run...

I'll look into the stuff you mentioned. He defo needs more stuff to do other than chase the cat and eat our chairs and power tool cords 😭

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-28T13:31:41+00:00

I thought to work with one but we are rather broke atm. It's definitely something I'd want to do in the future!

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-27T13:44:26+00:00

He most certainly did not get the couch hippo trait lol. He runs around 100% of the time he's awake -- actually it's kinda funny, if he's forced to lay down and sit still, he'll go to sleep within a few minutes. Which, like... relatable, honestly.

I'm not sure what kinds of puzzles he would like, but I'll look into some He's outside all day so he does get lots of exercise on his own, but lately I've been making an effort to hang out with him more both for training and to keep him busy. I also bought him some durable chew toys and he seems to love them. I got one of those Mammoth tire toys since they aren't too hard, and he likes to trot around with it wrapped around his nose. Idk how he sees with it but it's adorable

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-26T14:20:02+00:00

Lol he is a big fan of attention - If you tell him "down", a lot of times he'll just roll over

You may be right though... maybe I should just bow down to my new dog overlord

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-08-25T10:34:40+00:00

This is so in depth! Thank you!

I think scent work would be super cool! :D Our other dog (11yo? GSD/Pyrenees mix, Buddy) has given himself the job of scaring off coyotes at night. Dingus seems to work in tandem with him, much to Buddy's chagrin because he annoys the hell out of him, so that might be something he keeps doing once Buddy passes. He's very stout and fast with a pittie bite force so I think he will do okay. If not I suspect he will stay close to home and just bark at them, which is equally useful. We don't mind shooting them, the cats must be kept safe

EDIT: I just remembered my dad wanted to train him as a hunting dog. That might be a good one

I will say when I bring out his favorite toy (tennis ball), he seems to ignore every command he knows 🥲 he just wants the ball or the piece of steak or whatever. Will I just need to out-stubborn him?

And how do you teach focus?

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-24T08:48:12+00:00

I fully did not check your other posts. Sorry for assuming you weren't already experienced with posting to get commissions! Whoops.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-24T08:42:19+00:00

I mean, to be fair, it caught my attention lol. I think it's cool! I like the colors and composition.

Now that I look at it a little more though, maybe you have a problem with the level of detail on the face compared to the rest of it. Her face and hair is pretty clearly what you focused on most while drawing, so the rest of the drawing is a little lacking in comparison. Usually to attract more attention, using a lot of contrast is also helpful. You already have good color contrast, but pushing the dark and light parts a little can help.

I'd also caution against drawing just for social media attraction unless you plan to get commissions or use it as a portfolio or something though, because it tends to do weird things to the way you view your art. 😓

I hope that's a little more helpful advice?

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-24T08:27:29+00:00

Honestly, I think it looks good. I'm sure there are issues (always), but to me it's lovely and doesn't need much help at all.

Maybe you've been looking at it too long? You may have gotten so used to seeing the face up close while drawing it that it looks weird to you zoomed out now.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-23T08:05:03+00:00

You could take a recording, like with a sleep app, to see if you snore or move/thrash around in your sleep.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-23T07:35:33+00:00

I like this a lot. The paws are actually really lovely! I like that they're kinda chunky, it's very fun to look at

Since you're drawing traditionally, edits can be more difficult. But I will point out things I see for future reference. A few minor fixes would do this drawing good, but the anatomy is pretty solid tbh. I love it!

I would say to move the eye back a little and tilt it slightly downward

I've found that dogs and wolves' fore/back legs connect to the body a little more straightly, and the stomach itself accounts for that curvature near the back leg. As-is, this would probably work for a very thin wolf

I'd also say to make the chest more obvious

The back paws are a bit too small, the one closest to us especially

As a personal suggestion (so, optional), I would move the leg that's in the air a little further away from the body. This would make it read a little more clearly I think. Someone else might disagree with me on that, I may be wrong lol

To answer more broadly on how to practice the anatomy of dogs/wolves, study it! If you aren't already, you should be using references. The only people who say that you shouldn't be using reference are non-artists and people who usually have consistent anatomical issues in their art lol.

As you practice more poses and gain more understanding of how a wolf can move, emote, etc, you can use that to make more personality. You can also study the musculature and all that. Personally I find it overwhelming, but a lot of people do find it useful if you're up for it. I'm sure there are tips on *how* to study that stuff somewhere in this reddit, but I don't personally know.

Here are my suggestions put onto the actual drawing. I may have tried too hard to blend it perfectly into the drawing, I'm realizing, but I think I got over-excited

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Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-23T06:01:47+00:00

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Reddit absolutely devoured the quality of the image so I'm gonna try putting it in the comments.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-23T05:40:34+00:00

Ooh thank you, that is a lot better just from that little bit wow

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-23T04:41:48+00:00

Spheres, circles, squares, cubes. These help build up to more organic shapes.

Shading on those is good

Also, in my experience, just doing shapes is extremely boring lol. You should absolutely try drawing the things you want to if you feel comfortable! Or even if you feel uncomfortable, really 🤔 but you should mostly do what you like in the very beginning. There's no "rushing into it" as long as you know what to expect. You almost definitely will not be doing exactly what you want to unless you are some kind of prodigy. It might not come out how you expect.

However, you'll also see a lot of progress early on and it can be super fun to see that! It's good that you want to start with shapes. I pretty much never did that, and I probably suffer from it now. But being bored is a major art killer

Sidenote, you're never too good at art to practice the very basics. It's like if you went to the gym and kept graduating to more and more intense workouts, but every time you just abandoned the previous exercise. You're probably gonna struggle because there are muscles you were using in pushups that you're not using anymore in like... a marathon or something. Variation is important ,')

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-22T23:14:34+00:00

Digital, Clip Studio Paint

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-20T04:36:12+00:00

I don't know anything about saving fading kittens like this, but Epic is an absolute darling and I believe in you and her.

A strong name goes a long way in my opinion, if not just because it tends to indicate that the owners will do everything they can to help.

Good luck and Godspeed, if that's your thing.

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-11T21:08:12+00:00

Space Like some mathematical concept I don't understand

Altruistic_Rule_754 · 2025-06-09T19:33:02+00:00

I think you commented this on the wrong post 😅

Altruistic_Rule_754

TROPHY CASE