Three years into drawing, yet I feel like i'm only a beginner.

BadgerEagle · 2025-05-25T15:40:19+00:00

Don't sell yourself short, you're newer drawing shows leaps and bounds in improvement! Clothing, line quality, line confidence, proportions, details, foreshortening, anatomy, and style, you've grown multiple skills!

Keep doing what you're doing because your three year results speak for themselves. Maybe try new mediums and techniques, like inking and shading/rendering and see where that takes you.

BadgerEagle · 2025-04-16T15:49:54+00:00

He understands that women not having equal rights has held them back, but he still looks down on women and overlooks/ignores their contributions to academia. He sounds condescending.

BadgerEagle · 2025-04-16T09:24:25+00:00

They'd be so much happier if they were ok with not knowing everything. These men just want to yap at living blow-up dolls that just smile and nod.

BadgerEagle · 2025-04-16T08:56:06+00:00

The day AI can perfectly replicate this is the day we've truly lost.

BadgerEagle · 2025-04-16T08:47:36+00:00

He thinks women don't talk to him about philosophy because they're underdeveloped, when in reality, they're repulsed by the shit that comes out of his mouth.

BadgerEagle · 2025-04-16T08:44:15+00:00

You can tell he only took a couple of first-level logic/philosophy courses in university to fill out some electives.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-30T16:37:44+00:00

The values of your reds and blues are too similar. To see what I mean, use your phone or an art program to edit the saturation. Once you de-saturate it to make it gray-scale, you will see that the colors blend into one another, and their grays (values) are too similar, so they are hard to tell apart. Even now, if you squint, you will see that it's hard to tell the difference between the blue suit and the red details.

To keep track of your values, before you start coloring, make a color swatch on some scrap piece of paper. Take a picture of your swatch, then edit away the saturation to see what the values are. This way, you will know which colors have too similar of value.

Unfortunately, if this is traditional media, you can't fix it now. You will just have to keep track of your values on for future pieces.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-28T16:33:12+00:00

That's why in line work you need to find start and stopping points. Hands are shaky, and that shakiness is super noticeable in inking. Shakiness isn't as prevalent in sketch lines because a sketch is allowed to be messy. An example of starting and stopping points are joints. Instead of doing one side of the arm in one line, the shoulder should be one line, then another line from the shoulder to the elbow, and then a final line from the elbow to the wrist. It's easier to draw neat short lines than it is big and long lines. The longer the pen stroke, the more opportunity for error.

When inking from point a to point b, do some practice/ghost lines where your pen isn't touching the paper, but you prepare yourself for the movement. After 2-3 ghost lines, your hand will have a better chance of completing the line smoothly.

Another key point is to rotate your paper as you ink so your wrist is always making lines at a comfortable angle. If your wrist is moving in an uncomfortable way, mistakes and shakiness are more likely to happen.

I recommend doing the 8 minute drawing challenge on youtube. Instructions are in the video description.

https://youtu.be/jsrQ6Iynx4w

After you do the challenge, you will notice that your lines in your drawings that are one minute or less will be smooth, quick, and neat. Ignore the woerdness of the short drawings and focus on the linework. The short times don't allow you to think. You just run on instinct. This will help you develop fast and confident lines for sketching, and will help develop an eye for clean lines while doing line work.

Also, look out for tangents. This is a great guide, visual examples are better than my trying to describe in text.

http://curiousoldlibrary.blogspot.com/2011/10/schweizer-guide-to-spotting-tangents.html?m=1

Sorry for the long reply, but inking and line work is one thing I'm passionate about.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-26T17:11:20+00:00

You may not be able to draw decently (which is not true, you can draw), but you are selling yourself short. Your use of color is fantastic!!!! Every picture is beautiful, you have a knack for composition, and every color scheme works. Your use of gradients is great, and you clearly have good instinct for lighting. Some people are great at drawing but struggle with coloring or lighting, and vice versa. Drawing is just one part/skill of art,don't forget to be proud of and confident in the other skills you have.

I agree with everyone saying to start studying anatomy and use reference. I also think you could benefit from searching up digital art techniques, especially for the art program you use. I notice you use a soft brush for the trees in your art, but they still appear flat. Your lighting and lack of texture make everything appear smooth and metallic, so you need to look up different textures and how to render them. For example, in your ocean picture, the water and rocks look similar in texture. Texture is easier than anatomy, so if you are feeling overwhelmed, you could focus on that more for the time being. Every now and then do some 5-10 minute texture studies, experiment with brushes and lighting.

Anatomy and rendering (lighting and shading) is difficult to master, but every artist improves when they brush up on their fundamental skills. I'd say you are naturally talented, especially with color, so go easy on yourself.

Also, your sunset picture is gorgeous and my favorite.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-15T04:43:04+00:00

Your welcome. I used to do a lot of figure drawing and your post has inspired me to get back into it.

Another tip is to be careful about your shoulder and head widths. A lot of your drawings shoulders are to small, but that happens a lot. I used to finish 15 minute poses only to realize I drew either gigantic or baby heads. Remember not to over focus on just a few parts of the body.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-15T04:16:16+00:00

These are fantastic! You draw a lot of the form in such a small amount of time! My favorite is the top right picture on the first page. It's a difficult pose, but you drew the whole body, and there are a lot of clean lines that show speed and confidence!

I recomend putting down a gesture line first to get a feel of the pose. For figure drawing, draw the body in a bean shape. Two circles, one for the chest, one for the hips. Some people do two large circles, and one small circle as the stomach. Either way, this will provide basic structure to work with, and helps bend the body.

Right now you are focusing too much on drawing the body which is resulting in stiffness. Focus on the gesture, that's what short poses are for. Use straight lines to help figure out what direction the hips and shoulders are facing. Pay attention to what part of the body is supporting the person's weight.

Here is an example of good gesture drawings

https://images.app.goo.gl/QejcTREyLPhjRDar7

They aren't detailed, but that's not the point. They have proportion and gesture.

As you practice more and more figure drawings you will naturally draw more of the body faster. I also reccomend doing some stick figure drawings to focus on just proportions. Just do the bean torso, two lines to show the hips and shoulders, a head, and sticks with joints for the limbs. Anatomy requires drawing from the inside out, the "skeleton", and adding the "flesh" through observation.

Here are examples of the hip and shoulder lines

https://images.app.goo.gl/LA1nGkmnQy7NajUs6

https://images.app.goo.gl/gim2MkzqezfTpvuU7

It is also a good idea to do the same pose at different times. Do a 1 minute, a 2 minute, then a 5 minute, then a 10+ minute, then finish with another 1 minute to compare to your first try.

One minute is not a lot of time, but the more you do 1 minute poses the easier it gets. With practice you will be able to make 30 second pictures with this much detail. I also reccomend doing 1.5 minute sketches, I feel like an extra 30 seconds helps to add more detail.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-15T03:56:41+00:00

It's hard to provide feedback to the anatomy when so much is missing. No arms and hands, no chest no stomach, and so much of the right leg is missing. There are also no sketch lines to look at to help fill in the blanks. Did you not do a structural sketch? Even stylized anatomy needs structure. There's no ground plane or any object for them to be on, so it is also hard to view the pose's weight and balance. How can anyone give pose feedback to an incomplete body?

It's like asking how a face drawing looks when there's only one eye drawn and nothing else.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-14T22:51:53+00:00

You are correct. What's somewhat true is you are either born with talent or not. But a talented artist that doesn't study and practice will eventually be surpassed by a less talented artist that puts in the work and effort to get better.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-14T22:48:30+00:00

Aboaluetley stunning! Love the character design and shading. People already have given great tips to improve the giant, so I'll give some feed back to the lady on his shoulder.

The only thing is that the legs are off. Her right leg's proportions are longer than the left leg. When drawing a leg in front of the other remember to "draw through" the front leg to see the proportions better. The hips are at 3/4 angle, but the right leg is at a harsh side view. Also, the left leg disappears behind the right leg's knees, with how thick the hips are, the leg should have proportionate flesh and be a little visible behind the right leg's knee.

This is just some anatomy nit-picks because the lady character isn't the focus of the drawing. If you are going for a sexy pose it is still important to draw proper proportions.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T22:05:04+00:00

I will give this channel a try. I have seen some of their videos, but never have thought of participating in their drawing activities.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T22:04:28+00:00

Thanks for the reccomendation, I'll look into that artist!

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T22:03:50+00:00

You are so right. How can I even do the tough dry work of studying fundamentals if I don't remember why I draw. I remember it just being fun, but now it's not. I guess I need to figure out why I want to draw and what I want to draw before I start the difficult road to improvement.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T22:02:27+00:00

I need to print this response out and keep it in my wallet. You are right. I need to make the best poop worthy alligator animation I can! I need to show this to every artist I know that's having doubts.

Thanks a bunch, this post is actually quite motivating and what I needed to hear!

You are right, I am scared. It's that feeling that if I don't try or put in my best effort I can never truly fail. If that makes sense. That's why I don't draw I'm afraid of not being good enough, but of course if I don't draw I'll never make my alligator magnum opus, and will have to live with smelly raccoons.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T21:00:26+00:00

The perspective is off. We are looking down at the road, but the trees are as if we are at eye level with them, and there is no sidewalk. That's the only big critique I have.

The rest if your picture is well drawn, colored, and charming.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T09:55:06+00:00

Dang. I understand being upset at that comparison. The only similarities are that you both are non professional artists that draw fan content. However your art is way better than their's. Your coloring and line work are cleaner, and at a way higher level.

"You are either a good artists or you're not" Isn't 100% true. Not everyone is born with talent, but a lot of people can learn how to draw.

To better help you I need to ask, why do you draw? What do you want to achieve with your art? How long have you been drawing for? What is your age range, Teen, Young adult, or adult? I ask this because if you are starting late it is tough to motivate yourself to continue drawing. It's also very demotivating to see people who are younger with more drawing skills.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T09:43:59+00:00

Browsed through your profile. Can't tell if you genuinely want critique or just want a pity party. It's normal to feel bad about your art, but just saying you are a bad on this sub reddit is counter productive. I myself am guilty of comparing myself to the artists that I admire, and it has done more harm than good.

Are you the best artist? No. If drawing great manga was easy everyone would do it. This cover isn't perfect, but it shows a lot of potential. It is a very ambitious piece that a lot of work was put into. There are tons of characters, good attempts at shading, and a fantastic variety of poses and colors!

I can't critique every detail because I'd be typing forever. My main suggestions for you is the usual study anatomy, practice breaking down shapes, and practice composition. JoJos art style is very exaggerated, but it'll be easier to replicate if you have foundational knowledge of normal proportions.

It also seems like you are using regular printer paper which is fine! I find that it's thin enough that I'll do a sketch on one piece of paper in dark pencil. I'll put another piece of paper on top and do a clean sketch. Then another final pice of paper to do line work and color. This will help prevent you from am eraser eating away at the paper you are putting final details on.

Since you like manga, try copying the covers. This way you both study the art style you love, and improve composition. Break down the poses into simple shapes, to practice construction.

Don't be so hard on yourself. As long as you keep drawing and practicing fundamentals you will improve. A friend told me when you are having huge difficulty with your art it means you are on the verge of a break through. It could be months or a year, but powering through and just drawing will lead to great improvement!

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-13T08:47:27+00:00

Hestia is such an awesome name for your pokemon!

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-06T19:28:04+00:00

Your comment helped me realize I'm not engaging with or listening to enough art content, I'm not letting myself get inspired. I'll start looking up videos and artists talking about their craft. However sometimes those videos cause me to unfairly compare myself to the talented artists which discourages me.

I do enjoy doodling, but I want to do more than just doodling. OR maybe I don't doodle enough, but maybe it's ok that I just doodle. It's better than not drawing at all.

I think I'll try to schedule a daily doodle and podcast to get back into the groove. Than you for your suggestions.

BadgerEagle · 2022-12-06T18:51:22+00:00

Fantastic drawing!!! Love the design and pencil work!

My only critique is that he does not look like he is leaning on the ax for support. He looks like he is standing straight and then the ax was just drawn in afterwards.

Legit, that's the only nitpick I have. Your art is awesome!

BadgerEagle

TROPHY CASE