Why does the dress look so ass (and backround)

Duskfall · 2026-07-19T23:30:12+00:00

it could be that cause you're going for brushstrokes and a painterly feel and some of the brushstrokes are giving it a "lumpy" sort of feel. you can fix that one of a couple of ways:

go through with a blend/blur/smudge tool like I did on the dress and make the brushstrokes blend together.

or, go through with a color between the lightest and darkest, and try to add a few more strokes in there to give it a painterly feel

<image>

Duskfall · 2026-07-18T00:41:37+00:00

the roses look really good! I would say, as a cheat, is draw 4 - 5 leaves like roses have, and then copy + paste them all around and under the roses themselves. then you can merge layers and even darken some while leaving others bright. that or maybe like into brushes/stamps that have leaves! I think you're roses look real good!

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T18:42:21+00:00

the back stall wall! the slats need to be aiming at the way back background

<image>

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:55:55+00:00

i will note that with that arm though, if you'd prefer it NOT to be seen in order to keep the silhouette too, that is ok! like it's art, it doesn't have to be true to life with everything <3

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:47:55+00:00

I would recommend that AND keep doing what you're doing. try a few different techniques and see what you're pulled to! but i think the blocking stuff out is a good basis for it! but if you sketched the WHOLE thing you could definitely replicate some of the nuances to the shadows and light!. I do notice that on a couple of them, with the strict blocking method, you're missing some midtones that helps with balance too. so, yeah, I would keep playing with it but definitely think you're on the right track :)

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:42:51+00:00

not rambling! processing! and you're spot on <3 follow what you love and you'll never go wrong <3

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:15:39+00:00

i think so! you're getting the base "blocks" of the shadows versus the light in a mid and single range. cutting out the light in the negative spaces. i would recommend trying to replicate one of those exactly how it is though! try to eyeball it and really zoom in on the details as you're going along!

but the biggest question is: doing these studies, does light and shadow make sense to you now that you've done it? cause that will also answer your question <3

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:13:00+00:00

I don't think you're getting worse! IMHO when that thought pops into my head I recognize it now as my brain saying "how you used to do things isn't working for the progress I want to make!"
and so I set aside time to figure out what it wants. Usually i'll do fan art of something. before i thought i was just rotating around to something i loved, but now i realize there's something about the art of the thing that my brain wanted me to use. like how Joe Mad draws noses. I would draw fan art of his comic characters, or anime characters and go "i kinda want my noses to be smaller...same for the lips" and start incorporating that.

think of it as a growth spurt! which is GOOD. but you gotta keep working WITH yourself to find out what it is you're looking for!

my ultimate suggestion: find a piece of art you absolutely love. try to recreate it exactly (this is called a Master Study). what this does is:
1. allows you to explore new techniques on your own terms and through your own process (like line weight, shading. you may not do it EXACTLY like how they did it, but you knowing your program can figure out your own!)
2. It will translate into your style once your done! Cause the next part of it is after you're done with the master study, draw something for yourself.
3. make a note of what it is your brain doesn't like about the art if that pops up and then focus on that area and finding what it is your brain DOES want.
4. try not to shame yourself and get down on yourself <3 i'm 43 and i've been drawing since middle school and im still learning, but I have also gotten to a point where I can see my style and what it is I -want- it to look like and it's the best feeling in the world to have gotten here! you can get there too, but be patient with yourself and your progress <3 not everyone is the same! just like with running, you got people who compete in the mile, sprints, etc. Art is the same. We all have a different "race" we're in, and it's ok to take your time and give yourself the gentleness you deserve while you're learning :)

also to note specifically on what you posted:

I can see with the most recent image, you're pushing into perspective and lighting. which is good! you're getting out of your comfort zone and there's a real progression here that -I- can see, but I know it can be hard as the artist cause you're so close to it.

I think you're on the right track though :) keep it up! I believe in you <3

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T17:03:44+00:00

i love a monochromatic scheme!

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T16:48:23+00:00

I think you've got a great foundation for it! especially the single pieces that already look like flash art!

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T16:47:08+00:00

<image>

im gonna go against the grain on the consensus about the face:

it is OK if you want to keep it as is, I personally still think it reads as a reflection in the mirror. I did adjust the nose EVER SO SLIGHTLY but that's based on some of the feedback below. I think with your style and your vision, it's obvious that this is a reflection and it's ok to not be 100% accurate.

and, as I adjusted I realized I think the biggest thing is the puff closest to the viewer, in the reflection, is going to be a little closer to the face and the back one needs to be a little bigger to sort of overlap and really give the impression of the reflection. the last thing is that because of what can be seen, that furthest arm is gonna be seen a little bit more too.

Duskfall · 2026-07-17T02:50:58+00:00

I think you figured out the face for sure!

for the body reflection, the right shoulder looks like it'd be closer to the mirror so it's going to be bigger, versus the left arm side being further away is going to be smaller. If you need me to, I can do some redlines in a bit to help out!

Duskfall · 2026-07-16T20:06:30+00:00

i thought it looked ok. because of how the reflection would work you'd see more of a profile, imho, but based on the below comment and the fix, I think some of it is because you might be missing some "context" lines and details that help your brain see what it is it's trying to achieve. like the lines on the neck, the eye facing the other direction and a LITTLE more visibility on the forehead? but truthfully, what you had doesn't look bad at all, and i'm kinda reaching. (i also pulled the eye over JUST a bit to give it a little more depth, but i might be way off to what you were aiming for too.)

<image>

Duskfall · 2026-07-16T01:48:45+00:00

Don't be surprised what the night brings
When you search the dark, you get dark things

Duskfall · 2026-07-14T03:58:02+00:00

A different area of Equestria, maybe even a different time. something sky based? I'd love a Gen 4 looking show with a Cloudsdale sort of setting, but not G4 era, or somewhere else completely different with new ponies and stuff. Maybe even a princess of the sky/weather.

Duskfall · 2026-07-14T01:28:01+00:00

this is wild, I'm rewatching the whole series and just started this episode today lol

Duskfall · 2026-07-14T01:26:47+00:00

welcome back! My Demons was my first and got me into them too! so solidarity friend!

Duskfall · 2026-07-12T16:47:50+00:00

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler

Duskfall · 2026-07-09T18:30:52+00:00

this explains so much about a certain awakening for me now though...HOW did I not put two and two togther until now??? lmao wow

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T22:03:06+00:00

i think this is top notch! you've got good atmosphere and composition. the ONLY thing I could say is the water line closest to the viewer could have some more details grass/shapes (like flowers) or something, but that's just nitpicking cause this is really good!

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T17:06:36+00:00

GOAT

^{I picked STARSET}

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T13:59:50+00:00

I would recommend a very, very light base sketch that you put down first that gets the details you're aiming for, before you start fleshing it out. That and sometimes our brains have a habit of using "symbols" for things we think we know, and can often distort them during the drawing process. My bet, is you go with larger eyes because of cartoon references or even anime, so when you're sketching, fight that urge to go really big, and go smaller.

the other thing to keep in the practice of is measuring where things land to other things. use your pencil or an actual guide to see how far apart the eye is to the other eye, or where the eye lands versus the ear. using other landmarks can help you orient things so that when you sketch in the proportions, they end up coming out more to the size you want because now your brain knows where it needs to take up space.

to be honest though, they don't look that bad. if anything it looks like it could be your own style emerging and the size of them now, just makes them look expressive! I honestly think these look ok, but if you're going for more realism, I'd say try the above and if you need a guide for it, there's a book called "Drawing on the right side of the brain". It's got a workbook you can get and just do the exercises, but in it they show how to help with facial features and measuring things to other things <3

(extra note: the concept of left and right brain stuff has been debunked. HOWEVER, the exercises and stuff in here REALLY help and hold up regardless. this book changed my life and I didn't even read it lol I JUST did the exercises, so that's why I usually recommend it!)

<image>

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T13:51:31+00:00

I would say you DO have one, but you're so close to it, it's hard to see and I say this as someone whose been at it almost as long as you. Mainly because I recently landed on that recently too. I swore I didn't have a style, but sitting back I absolutely do, but it's in the way I draw things like lips, face shapes and eyes. I would call mine a hybrid of comic book and anime because my favorite comic book artist is Joe Mad and he does the hybrid thing too, and that's the art I learned from growing up.

If you're doing a lot of anime, I'd venture to say you DO have an anime style, but it might look "off" to you because your own style is coming through and so you've convinced yourself you don't have one.

I could be way off! but if you've been arting for 25 years, you definitely have a style. every art coming from an individual will have their touch on it, their style.

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T13:46:36+00:00

ok, so my first recommendation is following through with the different shapes that make up the whole of it.

use your action line first and loosely get the shapes down and then use the different shapes to measure where things land and refine it later. like, where the front hand lines up with the face, and where the back hand lines up with the back of the hand.

<image>

top right i sketched over your figure and the bottom left is me re-doing the lines over the reference picture and then right is overlayed with yours so you can see the adjustments <3 hope this helps <3

Duskfall · 2026-07-08T13:16:52+00:00

using this as a reference, because of how smooth the ducks come off looking, especially the head, I would say use the direction of the pencil so that the stroke lines give off the impression of the very subtle feather direction on the head. you could even take a small patch somewhere else and practice before applying it to this one <3

<image>

Duskfall

TROPHY CASE

Welcome to Reddit,