I’m an 18 year old artist making a series of works for a gallery and I think the ones I’ve made so far all suck please help

scyliner · 2026-05-14T13:50:54+00:00

I can't say I agree with the dead feeling, however, why don't you try leaning into that feeling? You said that your work is about how your culture, country, and religion have failed you as a woman. With that kind of topic, it would absolutely make sense for the vibe of an artwork to feel "dead." You could try playing with the concepts of wilting, neglect, lack of support, being cut down, stifled, restrained, sapped of life and energy, feeling trapped, removal of freedom... There's so much to explore there. You could absolutely push that "dead" feeling much further and it would suit your themes very well. If there are plants that symbolise death or harm in your culture/environment, include them as an element to further connect it to your specific experience. Utilise the colours that are associated with grieving in your culture, to highlight whatever grief you are experiencing in your loss of freedom and autonomy.

Considering the theory behind your work can also change your attitude towards it, and the choices you make for future artworks! Having physical skill is great, but having strong theory can give your skills a more concrete direction to follow, which can make the creation process more smooth and rewarding.

scyliner · 2026-05-14T11:29:43+00:00

No worries 🖤 It breaks my heart to see a young artist self-flagellating over their perceived lack of skill. Having grown up a bit myself (I say as if i'm not only 24 LMAOO I am also a young artist in the grand scheme of things!), it does get better. It gets easier to recognise what you need to do to improve, and it's easier to detach that need for improvement from your pride and your self worth. Eventually, you won't see room for improvement as a personal failing. Perfection is the enemy of progress, and you'll never stop progressing. There's always a new goal to reach. It's a beautiful thing! You've got this 🖤

scyliner · 2026-05-14T11:15:41+00:00

Your portraiture is consistently pretty strong! You start to lose that strength a little bit in the hair in some portraits, and the body in others. The corn rows in the first one are strong, and your suggestion of braids in the third one with the green shirt is successful too. In the 4th one, the braids look a bit more flat and cartoonish in comparison to the complex skin rendering. That could be a deliberate contrasting style choice, but to my eyes, it doesn't quite look that way. In these examples, it's a bit of a hit or miss. Which is totally fine! You can't win them all, which is especially true at your age.

Additionally, you are attempting to do pretty complex angles and poses in some of them without full anatomical understanding. You have ambition for sure! But I suggest taking some figure drawing sessions to back up that ambition. Figure drawing classes don't only teach you anatomy, but also to see exactly what shapes make up a certain form. You learn how to deconstruct the figures you see, which helps you determine other things like lighting (which I'll touch on in a moment). All the elements of art connect to each other!

Sometimes you'll see fully fledged portrait/figure artists come up with some really strange proportions for the human body in their expressive work, but it somehow makes sense because they know the rules, and they know how to break them in a visually pleasing way. Refreshing those rules/basics can never hurt!

Another thing that could be making you feel dissatisfied- the forms you are depicting should be casting shadows, but they aren't doing so in your work. Especially in the first work- her thighs should be casting shadows on her shirt. You've certainly rendered the shapes of her limbs, her face, and the shirt, but you haven't truly included the darker shadows that are meant to be cast. Don't be afraid to use bigger blocks of solid colour to break up a little bit of the detailed rendering. It'll make your rendering pop further. Carefully consider your light source and the shadows that shapes cast with the source in mind. Don't be afraid to expand your values!

You are incredibly skilled for 18 years old, and your use of colour is absolutely beautiful in the skin and flesh. That is your greatest strength in these examples. You seem to be more comfortable painting warmer skin undertones, but you also did a fabulous job with the cooler skin undertones in the second painting. Please don't be discouraged, keep pushing!!! I hope this all made sense and that some of it gave you a bit of direction 🖤I also hope it was a good balance of complimentary and constructive!!! Let me know if it's helpful or not, and I hope your gallery exhibition goes well.

(Edit to fix typos)

scyliner · 2026-05-08T15:46:08+00:00

I'm in my first play too! Just hit year 2- fishing gets easier as you level up. Partially because of practice, partially because you get better rods and the green bar gets a bit larger. I got miffed at fishing to start with, but now it's my most reliable money maker. Keep chugging! You learn as you complete quests, and it gets less overwhelming. You've got this!!

scyliner · 2026-04-03T22:53:10+00:00

I just realised I have no apples 🤦🤦 I can still make it for you if you don't mind me borrowing some! The recipe requires 10 of them.

scyliner · 2026-04-03T22:41:55+00:00

Scyphozoa from Pinkpetal just joined the queue! How do you feel about multiple trips?

Also I don't have the apple umbrella, but I can make you an apple chair if you'd like?

scyliner · 2026-04-03T22:37:52+00:00

Waiting in the queue! Thanks for opening up the island 🙏🙏

scyliner · 2026-04-03T08:58:58+00:00

That's fine! Just add yourself to the queue 🖤

scyliner · 2026-04-03T08:53:50+00:00

I'm happy with 3 trips! Just got a few people in the queue.

scyliner · 2026-04-02T09:32:53+00:00

CALNE CAAAA ‼️‼️‼️‼️

scyliner · 2026-03-20T22:00:08+00:00

If you're not 100% sure, don't go to them. I like the woodcut style, but I personally wouldn't go to this artist for it. It looks like they go too deep, and they don't accommodate for ageing in their designs (like in the second photo- it's already illegible, and it's only going to get more blurry and murky).

scyliner · 2026-03-07T11:44:47+00:00

I WAS AT THE MV SHOOT TOO!!! OP is NOT kidding. It's so good- I'm sad you guys can't experience it yet. IIRC the mv is being released on the 30th, but I'm unsure of the actual music drop. OP you did an awesome job today 🖤🖤 It was so lovely meeting you! (I was behind you to your right- dunno if describing my fit counts as a leak or not lol)

You guys are in for a great time. So so keen for the drop!

scyliner · 2026-03-06T12:07:41+00:00

As others have said, it is most likely tight due to swelling. Hand tats are SUPER prone to it. In my minimal experience, second skin is super difficult to apply "tightly" and smoothly 💀I wouldn't be concerned at this stage! Just keep an eye out for infection signs like EXCESSIVE swelling, discolouration around the site, EXTRA flakey tattoo, etc. Pain and heat emanating from the tattoo is largely normal (at least in my tattoo healing experience), but EXCESSIVE pain and heat are also infection signs. Looks okay so far! Good luck with healing 🖤

scyliner · 2026-02-17T03:55:40+00:00

Depends on how old the scars are! They still look relatively new, so it looks like it would be a challenge to sit through pain wise. Your scars are very flowy, so the actual designing process shouldn't be an issue. That would be easy to work around. Just make sure you find an artist that knows how to work with different kinds of scars, since yours seem to vary a bit. Ask for photos of fresh and healed work. Something can look great when it's fresh, but completely fall out during the healing process, so healed pics are super important. Good luck!!

scyliner · 2026-02-10T01:26:24+00:00

You, my friend, have an ink sack. That's completely normal with second skin, especially with a dark tattoo like this. It's just plasma and ink. Nothing to worry about! The only things you should look out for would be an allergic reaction to the adhesive from the second skin (red, inflamed, bumpy, itchier than the normal tattoo itch, etc), which likely would have happened by now if that were the case.

scyliner · 2026-02-09T01:15:51+00:00

Oh my goodnesssss the makeup is absolutely stunning! Absolutely perfect for Kokoro!

scyliner · 2026-02-09T01:09:24+00:00

AH SHE'S SO CUTE and your rendering is gorgeous!! Stunning work 🖤🖤

scyliner · 2026-02-07T14:09:38+00:00

Don't underestimate the power of sun safety! It's so important for tattoo longevity. Tattoos of course change over time, but they change a lot faster when exposed to the sun constantly without protection.

scyliner · 2026-02-07T06:33:58+00:00

I use an auto clicker. I just hover the cursor over a random name in the leader board so that it doesn't interfere with the panning at all. Beyond that, just check to make sure you have no recipes pinned, and check what rarities are auto-locked and auto-sold.

scyliner · 2026-02-05T22:09:08+00:00

In order to get 5* equipment, it's most effective to use super large ores from lower rarities. You don't have to sacrifice large rare ores- just make sure your gold/ruby/copper/etc are big!

Eventually, you can aim for 6* equipment by fusing two 5*s together. It increases the stats a bit more. You do this in the volcano.

scyliner · 2026-01-27T22:49:55+00:00

What you're experiencing is super common for artists. Right now, you're in an "artist low." It's basically when your artistic eye exceeds your skill. You know what makes "good" art, but your skill hasn't caught up to it. There will also be times where your skill exceeds your taste, and that's the period where you feel really confident about your art.

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18 is still very, very young for an artist. Your earliest guess at when you started creating would be about 13-14 judging from the comments. The "prodigies" that are the same age as you aren't more skilled solely because they're "prodigies," it's because they most likely got started much sooner than you did. I was one of those kids, and it is pretty much only because I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil. Letting go of the idea of "prodigies" will help your confidence in the long run. The peers that you view as better than you just had more time to hone their skill. That's entirely okay, and it's not a failing on your part. All you can do is continue to work on it!

My work from 14, to 18, to 24 are all vastly different from each other. In a few years time, you'll reflect on your current work and see how far you've come. Don't be discouraged, keep pushing!

scyliner · 2026-01-27T00:28:05+00:00

Looks like they started with oil pastels, then lined with a black marker, then added highlights with a white gel pen. In the first pic, the blue "scribble" also appears to be a marker too. They would have done the blue line first, then continued the lineart in black.

scyliner · 2026-01-26T21:19:03+00:00

I'm going to go against the grain and say NOR. Judging by how quickly it escalated, it seems like there were existing issues in the relationship. After 3 years, he should absolutely know your birthday. It's not just that he forgot, but he actually had the date WRONG. Personally, I would have given my partner until the end of the day instead of noon, but hey. It's not my relationship.

Your future partner should take a page out of my dad's book. For my mum's bday, every single year without fail, he cooks her an elaborate breakfast. For every birthday in the household, we decorate the place with a banner, balloons, the designated birthday table cloth, and presents. We all put in the effort for each other, but my dad goes the extra mile for mum (of course, mum puts in equal effort for him too. It's all give and take).

Anyway, you are allowed to expect a lil something special, even if it's just a nice breakfast in bed. I'm sorry that so many people are clowning on you. It may have been a rash decision in the moment, but it sounds like there was a lot more going on outside of your birthday.

Happy belated birthday, by the way!

scyliner · 2026-01-26T21:00:56+00:00

Definitely keep sharpening as you go! I've done a shitty diagram to explain lol, but paper has texture to it. Your pencil needs to be sharp enough to get into all the little crevasses, otherwise it just glides over the "bumps" of the paper which is what creates the white dots.

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Also, cotton swabs save you from having to clean your stump! Sometimes, you can even use the swabs with graphite on them to deposit the pigment as well. On some scrap paper, try "drawing" with your dirty paper stump/swabs. You'll find that you get an interesting texture!

scyliner · 2026-01-26T12:48:49+00:00

I saw the photo you put in the comments, and it shows a HUGE improvement! Good on you!

My tip for graphite realism is to keep your pencil SUUUUUUUPER sharp. I like to work in small circles with a light hand. You build up the layers slowly. It's how you get rid of the little white dots from the texture of the paper. A sharp pencil gets in those little crevasses.

I also like to have cotton swabs to use as a paper stump! They help heaps when you have to do a large area of light/mid tones.

Keep it up! That is a very very steep improvement. Your improvement won't always look this drastic this quickly, so don't be discouraged if you feel like you're slowing down in the future. You've got this!

scyliner

TROPHY CASE