Tips on Drawing

[successkid2014]

I've been wanting to publish my own comic for a while, but I've always had this one problem that I HATE having to encounter. The problem is I look at the other featured comics, new comics, or popular comics and I notice the art and illustrations each comic has to offer looks SO GOOD! A little too good, honestly. I assume all these works were run through photoshop, Adobe, and one hundred other programs. It makes me feel... Unsure. What if my art isn't passable? What if people see my comic as some kiddish pile of waste? I want to offer my audience the best, and I don't think I can offer the best with only a firm hand and FireAlpaca.

This is an example of my work:

It's not great, and I personally think my skill isn't worthy to be featured in a comic. I can only work on my digital skill occasionally and while my traditional skill trumps my digital skill, is only OK. I'd feature traditional work if I had enough money to afford a scanner.

That's all what it comes down to. Cash. I'll be honest, I'm lower-middle to middle-middle class, I can't afford the good programs, I can't get photoshop because I didn't get the right computer that runs the program, I can only afford ONE computer. My computer, and it will be a while to be able to afford a DECENT computer that runs the things I need... Which, of course, costs even MORE money.

So, with what I have: A firm hand, firealpaca and the hope of appeasing my future audience, is it a possibility to feature my artwork in my projects? Also, if it isn't too much, could a skilled artist out there give me some tips on how to draw? It'd be very appreciated if anybody can help me.

[J.Lovelace]

Hmm well this is what comes to my mind when I read your post:

• you have to ask yourself for how long have you been drawing, and how frequently? A lot of people here have been drawing since around 10 years or so everyday, (myself 20+), so cheer up and don't compare yourself to others, your skill isn't just polished enough yet. That comes with time. But I can tell you're off to a good start
• you don't need super awesome programs, a simple Paint Tool Sai is enough to draw (I make all my comics using Sai + PhotoScape which is a photo editing program) I think you can do with fire alpaca just fine.

Finally, POST YOUR COMIC despite your doubts. One may never know. You might do better than you expect! And if you don't, just keep posting, and take it as practice. You will get better with each page posted. If you look at some of the comics, and compare the first page to the most recent, you will notice the artists improve with each update, gradually.

But most importantly have fun in what you do.

[Pyomatic]

Helloooo, I hope I can give some tips that helped me.
So first, I would say if you have a story you want to tell, tell it! A good story with eh art is better than a eh story with great art. Besides, when you're starting off, people will expect your art to be rough. As you carry on, and as you draw more your art will improve. Basically, whats the worst that could happen if you start telling your comic now. Don't try to compare yourself to other artists, they've probably been at it for longer, and have likely gone through some rough spells with bad art.

Right now that thats out the way, I'll focus more on the nitty gritty.
So I think firealpaca is a pretty good program, and tbh most programs are pretty great. Most artists I know do all their work in one preferred program (if you have a windows, maybe try sai, I think its free, and its pretty great), rather than jump through a thousand, and you can still do some great art in anything. While I'm not going to lie and say photoshop is the same standard as them, photoshop has a sharp learning curve, and tbh I dont use over half the things for it, and certainly didn't when I was starting off. It isn't the program thats making the art, its you.
What I'd save up to do, if you haven't already, is buy a tablet. These are absolute game changers, and I'm not sure whether you would have one or not, as you didn't mention. Imo, a tablet is more important than whatever software you use.

Now for some tips on your art:
Its not bad. Expecially your second image. There are some issues with anatomy and proportions, but that comes with time. The colours chosen are good, and the line work is nice. Your style is interesting too.
If I could offer one things, though, is don't shade with black or grey. It sucks all colour out, and sticks out quite a lot. I like to use a more saturated colour for my shadows, eg I use a grey/pink/mauve colour for skin shading. Usually adding colours is better than removing. Also, I think how you did hair in the second is better than how you did in the first. Again, I can see its scribbled, and it doesn't look like stands of hair. Stick with the cell shaded look, if thats what you like.

So to sum up: If I were you, if you wanted to make a comic with your art, do it! But if you want to improve your art first, I'd recomend drawing a lot on paper, until you can get a tablet. Draw everything and try and get in a routine of drawing everyday, if you can. Even if its a smiley face, it helps. Fill pages with studies, with your own drawings, with inspirational pictures of stuff you like if youre that kind of person. That will help you with your drawing side of art (like I said, its not bad, just a bit out of proportion and stiff, but this all comes with practice). Then, you can look at the other side and try working out how to colour and paint your art, which may involve looking at colour theory (i didn't find it as boring as I expected tbh hahaa).

Good luck, and I hope I've helped.

[successkid2014]

I thank you for the tips you've given me. They'll definitely be taken into consideration. I do try to draw every day on paper, in fact, I spent almost my entire drawing 'career' on paper. Drawing digitally is VERY different from paper and requires different skill types. But I'm confident I can get a hold on digital art.

It's good to know people praise the story over the art usually since writing is more my forte than art. Once again, thank you for the advice.

[joannekwan]

I think you're off to a good start! Your people look like people and I can tell what's what.

As for programs, I suggest Clip Studio Paint, it's normally $50 but it goes on sale fairly regularly. Sai does cost money, and runs for 5400 yen, convert it to whatever the exchange rate is for your local currency. Here's its official site yeah it looks pretty jank but that's its site. LOL

If you're looking for a tablet, I highly recommend Wacom, and you can pick up one of their less expensive models for less than $100.

I'm not saying go digital because that's what everyone does, not all the popular series are digital. Look at A Matter of Life and Death, okay, it's done digitally but I've seen her draw the characters traditionally too and it looks just the same, you can't really tell. It's really a matter of preference and cost if you want to factor that in. A decent scanner would cost about the same as the digital program and tablet combined, but then you have to add in the cost of paper, inks, and whatever else you'll use. Most people go digital for the convenience (love that ctrl + z).

Now that that's all out of the way, as for drawing, just KEEP PRACTICING! Draw everything, look up coloring tutorials too! Those help a lot. Train your eye to observe where things are. Much of anatomy and perspective is all just placing the little part and pieces so that it looks "right." Also, take a life drawing course if you can! That helped me immensely. Or if not and you have to get one anatomy book, I suggest Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck (was the textbook we used in college).

[successkid2014]

The thing is I already own an art tablet. I just can't work on it as much because it's not my computer I work on. It's a family member's. My personal computer can't run the program or the tablet. It was on my foolish behalf getting this BROWSING computer. I'm also not trying to spend cash. Money is the biggest problem I face when it comes to this thing and I can't afford things like Clip Studio or SAI.
(Plus FireAlpaca is the same concept as SAI)

If I could do traditional, I would, but I don't have a scanner... Of course. And I can't afford one either.

[joannekwan]

I totally understand! No harm in working on the basics of drawing and stuff while saving up. I didn't get a tablet until I was 18 and didn't start doing digital comics until I was 24. And I'm positive I would be much further ahead in my digital technique had I gotten a tablet and program when I was younger (looks at all the successful young'uns here on the internet enviously).

And if a scanner is out of the question for now, just get really good at photographing things! Get a nice light source, prop up your work, steady your camera be it your phone's or otherwise, and take enough pics until you get a keeper!

[alaingrey]

Do you have a smart phone? There's apps that act as a scanner that are nice and cheap, and most phone cameras now are better than actual cameras.

I know there's Turboscan, which my dad swears by. I don't know if it can scan 300 dpi for printing, but it can definitely get a good enough scan for web use, if that's all you want to display your art with anyway. It's 3.99, significantly cheaper than a flatbed.

[bouncyegg]

Photoshop is very pricey IMO even if you have the student discount, plus, for CC you have to pay a monthly fee. I currently use both Clip Studio and PS and I bought Clip Studio a few weeks ago for only $20 or $30 (can't remember).

Is there a scanner at your school or work that you can use? As for tips on how to draw, I strongly suggest daily practice and starting with basics (if you haven't done so already) which include shading, proportions, etc. There are a ton of great books out there and video tutorials on the internet that can help.

https://tapastic.com/series/thebouncyegg
https://tapastic.com/series/slavicmonsters

[saerel]

First of all- as was mentioned above, there are always solutions to things like the lack of a scanner. Perhaps one of your friends would agree to scan a bunch of pages for you every now and then? If you start a comic you'll likely want a buffer anyway. I know I'd never refuse to scan things for someone.

Secondly, if you have a story to tell, tell it! The actual story matters more than the medium used. Drawing is your tool in that case, not an aim in itself.

Thirdly, something I wish someone had told yeaaaars ago when I was convinced that I couldn't draw because I didn't have the "talent": it's mostly about work. Which really is a lot more fair than if we just had the skilled people on one hand, and everyone else on the other!

Courage, good luck, and mostly enjoy telling your story

[Sanz]

Confidence is key! self doubt will get you know where, just post it you never know who will love it! as for drawing tips. I hope i don't sound like a smartass but google is lord Deviantart has alot of helpful tutorials and one last thing just because everyone is digital. doesn't mean you have to be. all that counts is that you're original, to never give up and just keep on drawing ! I hope this helps

[Zpreader]

I wouldn't call myself a skilled artist, but I think I can give a world to some of these.

On the subject of the program you're using, there aren't too many free options, but I've heard that medibang paint is essentially just fire alpaca with a few added features (I'm not sure if Fire Alpaca has textures and frames), and I've heard good things about Krita, though I don't think it is as lightweight as medibang.

On the subject of drawing, I'm just gonna paraphrase Jake Parker:

1) Build a foundation in: composition, light and shadow, color theory, anatomy, and perspective

2) Brute force it - drawing as much as you can will force you to improve. Obviously this isn't as easy if you aren't doing art professionally, but even when you have a few spare moments try to get it a quick sketch. Be consistent and it will add up

3) Study artists you like - pretty obvious, the more you study what you like and learn to understand what makes it good, the more you'll be able to learn those techniques and incorporate them into your own style. A copy sketchbook (or in your case, a copy file) would suit this purpose quite well.

4) Work on a personal project, like a comic. Sometimes there's no better way to grow than to jump in head first. Starting and finishing a personal project can do wonders for your learning. In particular you should remember that you will keep on growing as an artist, and so no matter how good your work gets, you will almost always look back on it with some embarrassment as you get better.

That's my two cents anyway. Even after drawing for years, this advice in particular has really helped me recently.

[Ringarune]

Don't worry about the money, the programs you have seem fine (tried out medibang myself and it's a really solid software) I know plenty of amazing artists that don't have much and are still able to create incredible art. Getting better is honestly all about practice and drawing every day, even if it's just a 5 min doodle you can fit in.

I'm personally bad at teaching, but here's some recommendations for where to learn from and what helped me.
https://www.youtube.com/user/Sycra
http://www.sycra.net
Sycra is a serious inspiration for me and really showed me a different way to think about art. His videos are super helpful and I like them mainly because they don't just show you how to draw a picture, but explain concepts like color picking, form, how to practice, etc. that can be applied to all the artwork you do.

here are some other channels that teach in a way similar to Sycra's. I haven't watched too many videos of theirs, but I hope they're helpful
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKtu_JtQCY0yryIy6zK4ZCg
https://www.youtube.com/user/sinixdesign/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJettyJetShow

For anatomy, not gonna lie, I've tried A LOT of things, books, videos, you name it. I've come upon a holy grail of anatomy recently though...Proko.
https://www.youtube.com/user/ProkoTV
This guy is seriously my anatomy savior ;////; His videos are great for anyone to start with and explain each muscle and structure step by step. If you want to learn anatomy, I highly recommend his videos. He also has done a series on gesture and faces as well which is very helpful.

Another anatomy recommendation I have is the imaginefx anatomy book. Pretty short, but also has some interesting tips on drawing certain things. Probably my most used anatomy book, but I would mostly use it as a supplement since I find it's not really friendly to those who have no anatomy knowledge.

Hope that helped some ^^

[PixyByte]

There's nothing wrong with the programs you're using and there is nothing wrong with the art you are creating. I know how it feels when you think you aren't on the same level as other people, but that's just it. You cannot keep comparing yourself to other artists. It will only destroy you and your desire to draw. Work on developing your characters, your story, immerse yourself in your own little world that YOU create, and you will be enjoying your work and your progresses that you won't pay as much attention to what the "better" artists are doing.
That's what I do

And, by the way, I've seen insanely popular comics that are nothing more than stick figures and jokes that are far from my taste in humor. So it's nothing you can really control, people will like what they like and hate what they hate, but that shouldn't stop you from doing what YOU want.

[UrMom]

Lol you kidding, I've seen some pretty poorly drawn comics on the popular/trending/fresh tabs, sure they're not the majority (except on the 'fresh' tab... not meaning to sound like a complete douchebag. <_<) but they're there. But hey, if you want to postpone what you want to do because you're intimidated by more experienced artist, you'll never get anywhere because no matter what level you get to there will always be someone at a higher level than you. Just do it, draw, practice, study, and you'll get better.
Don't focus on comparing yourself to other people, study them, use their art as tools to better understand how they create the things they do(don't steal their style or anything though, and post it as your's, that'd be super bad).

As far as art tips, I can't give you anything good for drawing digitally cuz I don't but just practice, go outside and sketch from life. Reference photos to get an understanding of anatomy and colour, go to the zoo and draw the animals, go to some urban areas or parks and draw the stuff around you. Experiment with different brushes and colours for lighting and shadow, go outside of your comfort zone.
Sorry, I would link some stuff to help you out, but I can't log into the forums on my computer for some reason and that's where all my stuff is.

[MarineHaddock]

First off, I'd recommend taking a look at the original one punch man comic, and remembering how popular that series is now, even though it was redrawn, that means it was popular and loved enough for someone to want to redraw it.

One thing you need to know when you start a comic is, at least at first, each panel is going to get about 25% of your actual artistic abilities, so don't be too surprised if you look at it and go "hey wait don't I usually do better than this", it takes a while to get used to. Just roll with it to begin with, don't sit and redraw the first page after you've got it done unless 1. you've finished the first chapter, 2. you've changed things completely and need a completely new intro. Otherwise you're gonna be stuck on page one forever and I've seen enough artists fall into the trap of "but if I draw it again it'll be better".

Art tips;
Learn how to edit photos together in order to make references. You don't have to be amazing at it, just good enough to look at it and use it as a reference, it saves you having to have 50 pictures open because you want your character to have this ones face, the ones hair, but those eyebrows, and that beard.

Doodle. Doodle out a load of silly looking garbage with no regards for anatomy or anything, and just don't care how bad it looks. Every artist has a million bad drawings to get out their system and sitting doodling your character with their leg bigger than the rest of their body with their neck connected to their ear just helps you get it out without feeling too bad.

Reference, reference, reference, despite what deviantart tells us, there is no shame in them. There's also no shame in taking the time to trace photos to learn the anatomy and how things look, and tracing will help you remember it better when you go to draw it for real. Just don't claim traced stuff as original art work.

[monotone_ink]

I'm not the best teacher, but there's this super useful article that will benefit you:
http://hubpages.com/art/how-to-draw-learn

[Mharz]

First of all, don't wait start now! Also don't compare your art with other artist. Everyone has their own style even you. That's what make us artists unique. You may not have that much confidence at first but if you keep posting, you'll get used to it.

As for the software, I think Medibang is really good for a free software. It's easy to learn and their snapping tools are great for perspective backgrounds. I've always been taught that regardless of what software you use for art, it always falls down on how you draw things so don't worry much on what software should you use.

Doodle everyday even if it's just for 15-30mins a day. Study characters (cartoons particularly). Analyze their basic shapes. Are they formed thru circles? or triangles? or squares? That kind of stuff. You can copy a drawing for practice but don't trace. It doesn't help. Copy the drawing 50%-100% larger than the original. Use references so that you can get a better picture.

One last thing, stick figure always helps especially in poses.

[successkid2014]

I have heard of MediBang. However, I thought it was a priced thing. I could be getting it mixed up with a different tool. But thanks for the link, and thank you for that bit of advice.

[AnnaLandin]

So, with what I have: A firm hand, firealpaca and the hope of appeasing
my future audience, is it a possibility to feature my artwork in my
projects?

Let me let you in on a little secret - it's not the program or the computer that is the magic bit.

It's the skill you work to acquire.

And you can acquire that skill by putting your drawing implement to whatever surface you draw on, and drawing your heart out.

I have a Cintiq 21UX - a massive thing that takes up most of the deskspace I've got - and I use MangaStudio 5/Clip Studio Paint - but neither of those things magically made me a better artist when I got them. In fact, I spent a month or two hating Manga Studio 5 and regretting having bought it, because I absolutely despised the speech-bubble tool and the panelling tools. But I got over it, and I coped (mostly by using Manga Studio 4 for dialogue and panelling, but hey, we all find our own way) and I worked, worked, worked.

The first picture I drew on my Cintiq was lopsided and weird and the nose was too big and the shading was terrible and the colour-choices even worse - but that had very little to do with my tools, and a whole lot to do with the fact that I hadn't acquired enough basic art-skill yet to make something that looked good. The cintiq helped, because I felt more comfortable with it than with regular tablets, but it didn't give me any skills I didn't already have.

Also, if it isn't too much, could a skilled artist out there give me some tips on how to draw? It'd be very appreciated if anybody can help me.

1. If you wanna learn how to draw people, draw people. Go to lifedrawing classes if there are any in your area, but if there aren't, go outside and look at people in the street and draw them. Draw your family and friends. If none of them will sit still long enough, draw from photographs. Don't draw what you think people look like, or what people look like in your style - draw them as realistically as you can. Pay attention to proportions and shapes and angles. Don't simplify. Simplifying is the next step, after you've figured out how things really look.

2. If you wanna learn how to draw landscapes, or objects - draw landscapes or objects. Look up some basic perspective rules, with horizon lines and vanishing points, then look at the buildings and landscapes around you and see how they fit those rules. A tea mug is a tea mug, but how do you draw one? You can't just draw a blob with a handle on it; there's more to it than that. It's probably going to be a bit cylindrical, and most tea mugs are narrower at the bottom than at the top, it's hollow on the inside, there will be angles from which you can't see the handle, but you have to still be able to tell it's a tea mug, etc., etc. Pay attention, think about angles and space and shadows falling on things.

3. Colour, lighting and shadow is something that yes, is difficult to learn properly, but it can definitely be done. Unless cartoonish, eye-searing brightness is what you're going for, try to stay away from working only in primary colours. The sky is blue, yes, but it's not primary blue. It isn't even 100% blue all of the time - it's a deeper, darker blue right overhead, but even on a clear day, it gets lighter towards the horizon - because sunshine and angles of light hitting the atmosphere at different points. Trees are green, yes - but not primary green (unless they're made of plastic). There's bits of yellow and brown in there; new leaves tend to be more yellow, old, dry leaves start turning brown. And so on and so forth. The same goes for lighting - hardly any shadow is ever just black, and hardly any light is ever just white. Bright sunlight on a clear day tends to be a bit yellow, in fact - and the shadows it casts tend to be a bit blue. If someone is sitting on a brightly coloured surface with sufficient lighting, that surface tends to bounce the light - and the colour! - back at them. Say you're sitting on a bright red plastic chair in the middle of a sunny garden - there's probably going to be some red reflected back at you from the surface of the chair. Extra noticeable if you're wearing light clothing.

4. Speaking of shadows, there are lots of kinds. There are hard-edged shadows - usually the shadow of one object being cast on another by a strong light source. Think of your shadow on the ground on a sunny day; it's pretty dark and pretty hard-edged. There are soft-edged shadows - like the shade around the curve of your arm that's just the result of the surface of your arm curving away from the light. There are core-shadows - the dark middle of a shadow that sits right between the light-source and the reflected light:
   

... and so on.

5.Art is hard - practise. Look at things and study them. Looking at photo-reference is not cheating - it's a method of learning. No one is born knowing what anything looks like, and to get it right, we look it up to learn. Look stuff up early and often. Build that visual library in your head so that one day you do know what it looks like. Don't be afraid to experiment. When there's nothing else around to use as reference, use yourself - draw your own hands, draw your own feet, look at yourself in the mirror. Blob paint on things until you figure out what works and what doesn't. Learn your limits, then push those limits as far as they can go. Practise, practise, practise.

.... and don't ever be afraid to post your art in public anyway. It doesn't matter where you're at now - just keep going.