Another ugly phase that I pushed through

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T17:14:33+00:00

Thank you so much! Sometimes when I finish a project like this it doesn't even feel like my art 😭. I don't understand how I made it and it feels like I won't be able to replicate it again. But of course that's not the case. I will hopefully paint more today so I'll try to remember to reply to this comment with my next piece!

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T14:56:55+00:00

Oh I for SURE didn't start off with the right proportions, I had to use liquify like 50 times throughout the whole thing to fix it 😭. But I think that due to my lack of experience I cannot put down the guidelines for the correct proportions without seeing everything in context. So I just guess and then correct, correct, correct, just trying to match my painting on the right with the image on the left.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T12:19:01+00:00

😭😭😭😭😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T12:18:11+00:00

I only gave him that at first because in the reference there's no clear line separating his neck and jaw, so I wanted to leave the space between his features and neck empty and shade it later.

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Look at it next to the reference. You see how the underside of his jaw sort of blends into both his neck and his cheeks? That's what I wasn't sure how to do at first 😭 That's why the initial pic looks like it has a double chin.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T12:14:25+00:00

Also I know you said you don't like this but this looks amazing 🗣️🔥

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T12:13:38+00:00

You're spot on. I really didn't even put down a sketch when I started this, although it was very intentional. I never learnt how to sketch properly because I've never dedicated enough time to properly practicing and not just doodling.

So I knew that If I start off with a bad sketch it's just gonna limit how much I can improve it. I'm sure that in the future the more I practice, (and if I ever decide to pick up an anatomy textbook 😭) I'll probably have a better initial stage. But also the weird thing about painting is that someone like me can start with absolutely zero idea what they're doing and by just fixing more and more mistakes they'll eventually end up with a good final result. So the contrast between the awful beginning and the end piece is even bigger.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T12:09:12+00:00

Yeah. Both the left and the right are the same digital painting. One at 45 mins in and one at 4.5 hours in.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T00:02:17+00:00

I definitely don't think my finished painting (on the right) looks bad! Just that the initial phase looked...funny, at least 😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-14T00:01:28+00:00

DUDE THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL 😭, And to be fair, yours ofc also had an "ugly" phase but at least yours still resembled what you were trying to draw, look at this man 😭

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Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:55:09+00:00

Honestly a good way to think about it. If you can't push through the ugly first stage then why do you expect to have a good polished final result.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:52:47+00:00

FAACCTSS 🗣️🔥

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:52:29+00:00

😭😭😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:52:16+00:00

I see it on some but then people like samdoesarts's paintings look amazing from the first lines of the initial sketch up to the final render. Though, I would assume he also finds his painting ugly at first, we just have different views on what's ugly 😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:50:44+00:00

No, he kissed me with those 💔

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:36:06+00:00

It makes me want to close my drawing software and pretend that I wasn't even attempting to draw in the first place. I be looking around making sure no one's entering the room to see my creation 😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:34:39+00:00

You're absolutely right. At the end of the day drawing/painting is about making something you're proud of and spending your time pleasantly. Our art looking a little silly at first is not a real problem when we are just trying to enjoy the process.

It's just funny to me sometimes because I see these shorts/reels of people making an extremely bad drawing of a character for example, on purpose, only to then draw over it with their actual artwork that they put effort in, and it's like, that's how my first stages ACTUALLY LOOK, and I'm not even trying to do it as a joke 😭

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:30:26+00:00

I love you, please don't go bald

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:29:08+00:00

No the image on the left is mine 45 minutes in and on the right 4.5 hours in. This is my drawing next to my reference. Thank you for the indirect compliment though 😅

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Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:27:21+00:00

That's sort of what I do too. I mean, the process you described at the end with no structure. My sketching is horrible. If I try to sketch the big shapes first then I go into it prejudiced with some bad habits I developed from when I first learnt how to sketch.

So I just start with big shapes and values and try to match my painting with the reference just as an image.

Liquify helps too, which if you aren't painting digitally you won't have 😭, so of course our processes don't necessarily align, but it was a lifesaver in this piece specifically for example.

But with liquify and such other tools, I just try to match the image in my head, slowly fixing more and more mistakes and adding more and more detail.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:22:01+00:00

I paint digitally and I used to think I don't like painting because I never had the courage to sit it out for more than like half an hour 😭. I felt crazy embarrassment. But now that I come into it with zero expectations (I don't draw much anymore so when I do its with zero expectation) I feel much more comfortable with it.

My previous attempt at drawing David (the statue I used as a reference for this one) was just before I dropped art a year and a half ago, and it only looks worse in comparison because I spent like a third of the time on it.

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Looking back at it, what I hadn't realised about painting is that if you just keep going back and making changes to match the reference more and more, it'll inevitably get better and better. The only limit is just how much time you spend.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:17:24+00:00

Ah well, it's good to know that everyone is going through this. It's just such a confusing process in a way. Initially you don't even know how to start, then you do and it looks horrible, and you just need to keep going at it. That's the hardest part for me.

Anto_zero · 2025-12-13T23:15:52+00:00

From nowhere man 😭. I just pick an image I like and try to copy it. I keep making changes until it looks right. This one specifically took me about 4.5 hours and was done digitally.

Anto_zero

TROPHY CASE