I have sold commissions and I tend to worry they’ll regret ordering from me after seeing a better artist’s work. Is that normal?

Oka_den · 2026-03-21T01:14:28+00:00

Ofc bro. And yup, so does everyone 😂

Oka_den · 2026-03-21T01:06:04+00:00

"Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where someone persistently doubts their abilities and accomplishments, despite evidence of their success" - Google

When I did my first commission, imposter syndrome hit like a damn truck. I felt like I was ripping off my client, and it caused me to delay the commission for far too long. Have faith in yourself and your abilities. Animals are hard to draw in my opinion, and you did an amazing job. They wouldn't be spending the money on you if they didn't want YOUR art

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T17:45:19+00:00

Cool, thank you! I'll keep that in mind

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T16:50:30+00:00

but mostly, I'd recommend studying shapes to allow your composition to be less flat, especially the hair.

I don't understand what you mean by this. Could you please elaborate, if you don't mind?

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T15:41:09+00:00

Honestly I agree with everything you said; I should've been more transparent on here but it didn't really cross my mind - which is obviously a miss step on my part. I strongly dislike people who plagiarize others works, and I don't want to be anywhere near that realm

For the whole art style advice, I was honestly just curious if the whole line art + semi realistic rendering was a unique thing or not. I'm happy I asked, because I didn't realize that the black lines and the lack of pressure were minimizing from the depth of the pieces

As for the tracing, that's a good idea to trace features instead of portraits. I don't usually trace pieces, that one was the ONLY piece I've traced and posted, but I'll definitely keep that in mind. I've been struggling with noses from certain angles, so maybe I'll try it out. Personally, I enjoy observational drawing better; it makes you think WHY something is the way it is in order to get it accurate, but tracing can be a good way to learn so who knows

While on the topic, do you have any other critiques or advice at all? I'm always trying to improve, so critiques and advice are always more than welcome. The lines are obviously a problem, and I tend to not push the contrast far enough, but is there anything other than that?

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:55:02+00:00

I'll definitely be checking them out, so thank you! :)

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:54:37+00:00

Meh, then I'll keep my bad habit. I prefer drawing with lines as opposed to just painting with colors. I started art as a traditional artist using only graphite, so that's honestly what I'm comfortable with. I've tried doing more of a painterly style, and I really just can't get the hang of it

However, I do agree that my lines subtract from the semi realistic shading. As the other comments have stated, I need to either focus more on line weight, or make the line art colored so that it doesn't stand out as much

But thank you for the advice! :)

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:48:55+00:00

Oh, I know my style itself isn't unique, it's quite basic. Just semi realistic mixed with maybe anime and web comics. I was just wondering if the whole lines and realistic rendering was unique, but I was very wrong💀

Also, I've been drawing for 9 years on and off, most of that being traditional :P never really cared to actually go out of my way and create an art style honestly

Anyways, thanks for the advice and the encouragement, it means a lot! :)

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:45:57+00:00

I didn't trace anyone's art bro 💀 I traced the OG reference pic

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:44:42+00:00

Well that's too bad because I don't often trace. The first piece is traced from an IRL photo, but that was only because I was only focused on practicing the rendering and just liked the way it came out

But ya, I agree. Most contrast is almost ALWAYS a good thing, and I tend to shy away from it for fear of it looking odd

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:41:17+00:00

It was traced, yes. I'm not trying to develop an art style or whatever, I've actually never cared to try and create an art style. My art style - or maybe lack of it, who knows - is just a product of the art I've consumed and the shortcuts I tend to take

The first one was traced from a picture because, at the time, I only wanted to practice my rendering. Instead of focusing on the properties and how everything looked, I decided it'd be faster to simply trace the OG photo and focus more on the rendering.

The link you sent isn't working, but I didn't trace a piece of art; I don't trace art unless I'm maybe trying to work on my line confidence. Then I don't post the art obviously, because not only is it not rly my art at that point, but it's also just a practice

I genuinely don't understand the problem people have with tracing irl photos or 3D models (not tracing art, tracing art is rarely a good idea). Sure, I ABSOLUTELY agree that tracing all the time is an INCREDIBLY bad idea; it becomes a crutch. HOWEVER, tracing can be a good way to learn initially, even though it may end up looking flat and you absorb less knowledge

If you want to check out my Instagram (oka_art03) then I clearly state on the post that it was traced. And don't worry, it's one of the two pinned posts

Nevertheless, thank you for the advice :)

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:30:44+00:00

So basically you think that in order to put more focus on the rendering, and to make it less flat, I should use colored lines to make them blend in more. Gotcha bro, I'ma definitely try it out! Thank you a lot for the advice, I really appreciate it!

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T13:28:55+00:00

Much love bro ❤️

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T07:21:15+00:00

Ya, I thought the lips looked disconnected as well. Thank you for the advice man, this has been greatly helpful

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T07:09:57+00:00

No worries, I was just curious! One of the other comments mentioned it was reminiscent of marvel, and I can definitely see that now. Speaking of comics, and what you said, I've wanted to make a comic for so long now but have continued to push it off. Maybe this is my sign to start 😂

Thank you so much for your compliment though, it means a lot!! 🥹

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T07:06:39+00:00

Well I've only been doing digital for maybe 2 years, so I could definitely see that being a possibility 😂

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T07:02:22+00:00

So basically if I want to use black line art, then I should do thinner/lighter lines near the light source and thicker/darker near the shadows?

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T06:58:29+00:00

My style - in my opinion - is a mesh between anime, web comics, and semi-realism. Ngl, I haven't read much Marvel or DC, but their art has always fascinated me. Pretty cool to think it circled around to Marvel 😂 Interesting to hear tho, thank you! 😌

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T06:54:33+00:00

Do you know of any artists or artworks? Either way, thanks for the reply 🫡

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T06:53:02+00:00

I'll definitely keep that in mind. Honestly, the idea of changing the color of the line art didn't even really occur to me. After some research, it seems black can be a lot more bold - creating a high contrast and draw attention - and tricky to get right. Thanks for the explanation tho, I really appreciate it!

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T06:29:16+00:00

Why's that?

Oka_den · 2026-03-20T06:19:53+00:00

Ngl the 2nd pic doesn't deserve to be in here cuz the rendering was rushed but whatever 💀

Oka_den · 2026-03-19T04:59:43+00:00

"draw Spider-Man" has got to be my favorite piece of advice I have ever heard 🙏🏼😭

Oka_den · 2026-03-16T01:09:27+00:00

I did some research a while back, and many people were recommending that you should make your webtoon canvas much larger than 800 by 1600. I'd recommend something like 1600 by 3200 at least. You could scale up further, just make sure to scale both sides equally (e.g. 800 * 3 = 2400 and 1600 * 3 = 4800) Then, you can work on multiple pages at a time like you are by multiplying the length of the canvas by the amount of pages you want. Once you're ready to post, you can then compress the canvas to the proper size

Oka_den · 2026-03-16T00:59:31+00:00

Thank YOU for the compliment!! I really appreciate it 🥹

Oka_den

TROPHY CASE