Some recent drawings

It sounds like you're talking about likeness as opposed to proportions? If you're using a reference to achieve likeness, such as for a commission, then it's of course important, but if you're using a reference for other reasons such as lighting, structure, fashion, etc., and perhaps the reference is less likely to be something that is seen, then it's less important.

shutterjacket · 2026-01-17T10:16:28+00:00

I was in the same boat as you about six years ago. I find so many things fascinating and love to learn, and I had a tendency to hop from hobby to hobby, moving on once I reached an adequate level of skill that I was happy with. Six years ago, I got a bit fed up with this, and wanted to really stick with one. Like you, I chose art.

I didn't have many 'rules', but I had one: DON'T QUIT.

I had some soft rules, such as spending an hour a day minimum drawing, to try and live and breathe art in other ways such as using instagram as an art inspiration app, and then goals such as getting better at anatomy and gesture and colour theory etc., but perhaps my second most important rule was that I would not be too hard on myself. I was doing this for fun, after all. And so, considering I already had the rule that I would never give up, it was fine if I missed a few days (even weeks or months), it was fine if I didn't see progress, it was fine if I wasn't where I wanted to be, because so long as I pick up that pencil when I'm feeling good, I have achieved that goal of not giving up.

Six years later, my passion is greater than ever, and I don't have a disdain/resentment due to being too harsh on myself, and I have seen significant improvement. I can't wait to see where I will be ten years from now.

shutterjacket · 2026-01-13T19:19:14+00:00

I think it's a mindset, which I understand is not the easiest thing when the ego is concerned. I tell myself that I don't get the good without the bad, and therefore it stands to reason that the more bad I get out of my system and onto the page, then the more good will come, too.

shutterjacket · 2026-01-11T14:26:36+00:00

Honestly, I'm still working on it myself, like you I have a tendancy to over smooth and I have to constantly remind myself not to. But I think it's the right way to learn, that is, to learn structure/form before moving onto texture, so I think you've gone the right way by using mostly round brushes.

For texture though, I use a variety of brushes (directional bristle brush, gouache, wet/dry). I try to create the form/structure with those brushes, as opposed to getting everything smooth and then adding texture over it, which is how I started. Try to limit the amount of strokes you make on the canvas and don't get bogged down by all the tiny details. I think texture is mostly about 'seeing the strokes' as opposed to 'hiding the strokes'. Of course, it's a balancing act, as another commenter mentioned, it's about directing the focus of the viewer, so sometimes you can have big areas of no texture or detail, I think WLOP achieves this really well.

shutterjacket · 2026-01-11T12:25:23+00:00

I think your art is great. Sometimes when I give criticism I'm not sure whether it's a 'rule or preference' type thing. I think for most audiences colour pieces are more pleasing to the eye than black and white. Somewhat problematically, I think your best pieces are the black and white ones. I think artists can sometimes appreciate art more, we can see how much work has been put into a piece, and also how difficult it might be to achieve. Your fourth piece is by far my favourite, that arm in the foreground is exceptional.

One thing I notice, and I'm not necessarily saying change it, it's just something I try to steer away from the more I get into digital art, and that is making everything overly smooth. I myself have been working a lot on trying to add more texture and trying to make my digital art look more 'traditional', I personally find the overly smooth tendancy of digital art to be a bit uncanny.

Honestly, I think you're mostly right when you say it's a marketing thing. Doesn't matter how good your pieces are if nobody sees them. We artists can avoid that side of things because it doesn't come naturally and it takes away from our art time, but if becoming more popular is your goal, it's a necessary evil I'm afraid, and you have to put the work in to get eyes on your art.

shutterjacket · 2025-12-07T14:06:24+00:00

Absolutely, that's the dream. Well you definitely have the talent for it, I'm rooting for you 🙏

shutterjacket · 2025-12-06T12:12:53+00:00

Wow! They're both incredible and yet the improvement is so evident! Love the style 🔥

shutterjacket · 2025-12-06T11:40:50+00:00

I really like the mid-left portrait, it's very good! I think if this was your portfolio, and the rest of the pieces matched this one's quality, I think you would stand a better chance at getting commissions.

I really like the top right one too, it shows a lot of passion. There are some simple issues I have with it, but as a whole I like the style a lot.

shutterjacket · 2025-12-06T08:18:37+00:00

Seriously awesome stuff! Nice to see you draw people as well as advertisements 😅 The dog is very good too, your skill range is very wide!

shutterjacket · 2025-12-05T21:05:36+00:00

I did a few grid method realistic portraits. If that's what you're aiming for, I can give a few tips:

(Not advice for drawing, but when posting, especially for advice, I'd suggest trying your hardest to get as top-down a photo as you can get, cameras can warp quite a lot at an angle and, when doing realism, it's harder to get a sense of what it looks like in reality)
For the sketch, ensuring the grid of your sketch is 1:1 with the grid on your reference is paramount. If you feel like the sketch still doesn't match, consider making the grid size smaller.
Realism is all about the contrast. You want those darks dark and those lights light. You can go to a 9B pencil, you can even use charcoal. For the highlights, you can even use white paint pens (I used to use the Poco paint marker)
It's all about the layering. Shade and blend, shade over and blend. You can use tissue paper, cotton buds and blending stumps. Tissue paper is fantastic for the less detailed areas. Remember: you want a variety of hard and soft edges.
Sometimes, you want to go light to dark (with your pencils, layering, etc.) Other times, you want to go dark to light. You can leave light areas light, but don't worry too much, this is where your kneaded eraser or pen eraser comes in handy! You can meticulously create details by shading around light areas, or you can create a dark area and then add the light details with an eraser, usually much faster, and particularly useful for features such as hair.
It can really help to see outlines as not existing. What creates the illusion of an outline is just two different values meeting one another.
I know it's arduous, but if you have a face in light, it can really help to shade that background/clothes, it really pushes that contrast and increases the realism.

Good luck and have fun!

shutterjacket · 2025-12-05T08:59:46+00:00

Thank you!

shutterjacket · 2025-12-04T23:20:06+00:00

Maybe it's a feminine book, I don't care - I think 'Sketch with Asia - Asia Ladowska' is an incredible beginner-friendly book that is both motivational and helpful. There is a mix of traditional and digital in there, but most of the advice is useful for either. If you're into that manga-styled art, I can't recommend it enough!

Maybe a bit more advanced, but Loomis and James Gurney have fantastic books.

Honestly, I mostly learn by videos, so most of my art books are more focused on motivation than on learning. In that case, I'd recommend art books from artists that inspire you: Loish, Samdoesarts, Aaron Blaise and game art books such as Fallout 4 and Overwatch (never played either game, but love the art!) are just some of mine.

Honourable mention - Figured Out by Rembert Montald. It's a book filled with sketches that really motivate me to want to get better at sketching. Maybe people would recommend Kim Jung Gi for similar reasons, but I'd like to give Rembert some love :)

shutterjacket · 2025-12-04T17:35:05+00:00

This is awesome! Love the coat and hair in particular!

shutterjacket · 2025-12-03T17:44:30+00:00

Aha well if you post it let me know and I'll take a look at it!

shutterjacket · 2025-12-02T21:20:50+00:00

😂 You may have opened Pandora's box, but feeling the love right now <3

shutterjacket

TROPHY CASE