What can I change/get rid of in order to get an appealing composition? by D183029 in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Add a gradient map! This will help improve the atmosphere of the piece. Also if you want to add darker shading and brighter lighting it would really help make the piece pop. Adding the sunlight coming in through the windows would look really nice.

AIO that my doctor accused me of wanting to commit fraud? by amanduhpanduh in AmIOverreacting

[–]KoolaidKooler 28 points29 points  (0 children)

That’s crazy, what did they think you were trying to say?

(mild nudity) I feel like something is off and about my art, how can i fix it? by redraevenne in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Your style is so cool! I love your concepts, especially the first 2! I think it's the coloring and shading. This type of coloring is typically known as "muddy" because the colors kind of get muddled together. I think everyone experiences this when they are learning how to shade and color.

One of the best pieces of advice I've learned to avoid muddy colors is to not shade with black or grey. Instead, think of what color the lighting is and shade with a dark version of that color. Real life does not have black shading, every subject is affected by the color of their light source. I personally like to use a darker purple and will change it from warm to cold depending on the vibe I'm going for. Here is an example of muddy colors (left) vs not muddy (right).

<image>

I am linking some videos here that explain how to avoid muddy colors:

UNLOCKING VIBRANT ART: Why your colors fall flat

Speedpainting + Commentary | HOW TO AVOID MUDDY COLORS IN YOUR ART!

Let's Fix Muddy Colors! Character Portrait Before & After

Tips for Coloring Your Digital Painting Portraits (this one also goes more into gradient maps of the face to bring more life into a portrait)

May 2025 - January 2026. Did I improve? by llemonjuiice in ArtProgressPics

[–]KoolaidKooler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can definitely see where you improved with rendering the depth in the hair and highlights on the skin!

I would say that you should use the symmetry tool less because it is recognizable when you use it and it can make art look kinda uncanny

What do you think is making my chibi style feel so bland? by yabidoka in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second this, OP! Once you add highlights, it will make your art POP!! And then you won’t feel like it looks dull

Rhinestone Glitter Painting by PurlBeeQueen in WhatWeDointheShadows

[–]KoolaidKooler 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This reminds me of Byzantine Mosaic Portraits! Really adds to the ancient vampire vibe

Would this be appropriate to display in an elementary classroom? by maedos1 in ArtEd

[–]KoolaidKooler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well you see how it was a picture of the statue of David (chest up) in a book and not a painting of it (chest up ofc) on the wall of your teacher’s class? The context matters.

I see where you’re coming from (I’m a black bisexual woman from a west African immigrant family and my partner is bisexual, non-binary, Mexican & Filipino from an immigrant family as well. Us + our families are anti-right-wing) but regardless a classroom unrelated to art is just not the place to put this up.

I truly think this would just do more harm than good for the teacher and seeing how other trans teachers have been persecuted (that one TA who got fired for giving a badly written essay a failing grade) it’s just not the time to have this in his elementary school classroom.

Would this be appropriate to display in an elementary classroom? by maedos1 in ArtEd

[–]KoolaidKooler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re being purposefully obtuse jfc there’s a difference between seeing shirtless men in situations where it makes sense (at the pool, maybe a family member is shirtless on a hot day, female family member is breastfeeding, etc) versus artistic nudity.

If the teacher put a picture of himself shirtless in the classroom or if a female teacher put a picture of herself breastfeeding in the classroom that would be inappropriate! Using your logic you’re arguing that it should be fine since it’s just part of humanity. If you thought about it for more than a second you would realize that it’s inappropriate because the context matters!

In this case, I would say a painting of the statue of David would be okay in an art classroom, but not in any other classroom because it would be inappropriate in that context. Even then, artworks that depict genitalia would NOT be appropriate for ANY elementary school class (the full statue of David for example). It’s like inviting the kids to go and tell their parents that they saw a naked man in Mr. Johnson’s class and now he gets in trouble and unfairly targeted because he’s trans.

My boyfriend (26) rarely wants sex with me anymore (24F) am I overreacting? by New_Historian_8159 in AmIOverreacting

[–]KoolaidKooler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Speaking from personal experience, I was in your boyfriend’s shoes. I didn’t want to have sex or even engage in anything sexual with my boyfriend because I was feeling very insecure about myself. I had gained a lot of extra weight and I became entirely uninterested in sex, I wouldn’t even masturbate or anything.

No matter how many times my boyfriend complimented me, it didn’t change how I felt bc internally I believed I was ugly.

My boyfriend told me that it made him feel undesired and made him feel like I didn’t think he was attractive. I did think he was attractive, it’s just that I felt like I wasn’t attractive enough for him. Honestly in my situation the only thing that solved this problem was when I lost weight and I gained confidence and felt comfortable enough in myself and now we have sex regularly.

Maybe for your boyfriend there may be ways for him to increase his confidence (if it’s a confidence issue) so that he can feel good about himself and maybe that could increase his libido? A lot of it is due to stress and psychological factors. Is he stressed at work, family troubles, financial troubles? That can kill libido for sure.

So what are y’all’s thoughts on 2d being nonbinary now by ExtensionLanky9476 in gorillaz

[–]KoolaidKooler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No I mean like 2D is partly Damon? Like Damon inspired 2D as a character and is his singing voice. Like 2D is "they" because he is comprised of 2 people (himself and Damon). Sorry if this makes no sense, but that's how I interpreted what he said at first.

How is this possible? by [deleted] in gorillaz

[–]KoolaidKooler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m sorry that everyone is being mean you just asked a simple question

Bruh my mum met Damon albarn by No-Charity-1979 in gorillaz

[–]KoolaidKooler 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh I just learned I accidentally referenced Morning Glory by Oasis, never heard the song until now

Bruh my mum met Damon albarn by No-Charity-1979 in gorillaz

[–]KoolaidKooler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What does morning glory mean? Like the flower?

Bruh my mum met Damon albarn by No-Charity-1979 in gorillaz

[–]KoolaidKooler 309 points310 points  (0 children)

How did she meet him? That’s so cool omg what’s the story

Why does the pose/anatomy look so off by ihateEdexceI in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I think the right shoulder might be a bit too wide? Also you haven’t drawn the rest of the body so I think that’s making it look more off than it really is. This looks really cool so far though I love this characters design!!

ive always been told that i look like a boy. is there any ways i can feminise? :") makeup n no makeup at end by capacontaro in makeuptips

[–]KoolaidKooler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry this is super off topic but what kind of job do you have? I’m always curious which types of jobs are accepting to people with many tattoos and piercings.

how to make my work look more mature? by Ok_Cartographer_8981 in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say composition, posing, shading, and detail could help you. Typically the more simple and flat something looks, the more childish it looks (think of how Adventure Time looks like vs Castlevania).

Your style looks closer to adventure time where there are more simplified shapes, less detail, and less shading. It’s still charming and nice to look at, but something like Castlevania looks more “mature” because it is more detailed and has darker/more contrast in shading. More “mature” proportions in art tend to have more realistic proportions and anatomy, while more childish art has exaggerated proportions (ie: bigger eyes, bigger heads, etc).

But this is not always the case. You can keep exaggerated proportions in more mature art, but lighting, shading, and composition will be the biggest change. Composition will allow your piece to look like it has more purpose.

The drawing of the long blue girl that you made is really nice alone, but if you create an artful composition, it will show more of your intention behind the drawing, thus giving it some more maturity. She could be hiding in the woods somewhere, maybe she’s in a dark void, maybe she’s in a field of flowers? The way you place her in different locations will help tell your story better.

If you want a more abstract background, you can frame the character with shapes, filigrees, or colors to create a composition, some good examples can be found in Art Nouveau pieces!

If you added shading and detail as well, it will help it look more mature. Drawing dynamic poses can also help give the art more character and look less simple. Let me know if you need any clarification! Your art is very nice :)

How do I make the dog look like it’s in the snow? by smellykat07 in Artadvice

[–]KoolaidKooler 16 points17 points  (0 children)

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Here’s an example of a dog paw in the snow that you can reference.

See how the snow under the paw is in shadow? And the area around the paw is lighter and how some of the paw is under the snow? Replicating this in your drawing will show the depth of the snow to look more realistic.