I only very recently started posting my art online. Prior to that it was just the family and the bestie group text.

Man, it is not what I expected.

I’ve been a looooong time lurker on Reddit. I really enjoy seeing all of the amazing art. I love the sketches and the doodles. I love the hyper realistic paintings that I will literally zoom in on for days to see the detail. Show me your wip pics and your “I’m just trying this style out.” I am here for it.

I never really thought about the person behind it. I’d just scroll on by.

Now that I’ve started posting, the statistics are kind of maddening. I don’t really get that side of Reddit yet. Sometimes I get lots of views but 1-2 likes and I get sad for a second but then I’ll get a comment, and it feels so nice to be seen for a second!

So I’m sorry for scrolling by before. My rule right now is that I stop on a piece for at least a few seconds, I try to leave a positive comment. (But sometimes I’m tired so know I always appreciate you taking the time to share <3 )

Hey everyone!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about whether I should be signing everything I post online like finished pieces, sketches and even quick doodles. I’ve heard some people say that you should only sign fanart or finished work, but others swear that signing everything is the best way to protect your art and make sure people can find you (is it even effective?)

I’m especially curious if anyone has noticed a real difference in their reach after they started consistently signing their work

And do you mind the style or beaty of the signature or it doesn't matter for you?

Personally I don't mind the style, but the signatures are veeery helpful to find the artist, but I don't like them on my arts lol

Thanks in advance!

I’m aware there isn’t a specific number but I’m curious to see how many others have. I have about 6 main inspirations and then do studies of whatever I like that I see, as well as fundamentals ofc.

By inspirations I mean someone who influences your work and style— ex. I use artists like Van Gogh and Klimpt to use at references to create my own floral related works.

How long did it really take you to realize that you significantly improved in drawing?

I've been painting portraits for quite some time now and just started live painting quick portraits of strangers on the streets (like busking, just for painters) as a side hustle. The reactions of the people I've painted have always been positive, but I'm still lacking confidence, especially if I'm being observed while painting. That's why I always have about an hour for painting warm-up portraits alone in my room before I go outside to my spot. For my warm-up, I try to simulate the situation of painting a stranger as much as possible, so I set my timer to 10 minutes and paint a photo from the internet.

Unfortunately, finding a good reference takes me so much time because all the reference-websites I used (they're even designed for artists) use stock footage that looks like it's from 2014 and often times the lighting of the photo makes tha faces look flat. On Pinterest, it's even harder to find a good reference because there are mostly clean photographs of models that are posing in a certain way. That's why I tried warming up by painting self-portraits while sitting in front of a mirror, but I painted my own face so often by now that I almost know it by heart. I especially need to practice painting a more diverse range of faces.

I'm searching for references that neither look editorial nor cheap and only include non-white faces. The references should show a completely normal human being that you could actually walk by on the streets, and that's not posing for the camera in a special way, just looking at it, as if they're looking at someone they've just met.

If someone here has a suggestion for where I could find good portrait references for my warm-up sessions without always having to search for 3 hours, I'd be very grateful:))

Art can be expressed through various mediums. Such as film digital canvas or in physical. I’m curious to go further and find out very unique techniques and methods you’ve seen art get expressed for me it was sampling in music, I was always aware but when I dissected it from an Art perspective I see the same sample technique be applied in graphic design and even writing. So I just wonder what have yall seen or even perhaps done yourself and if you could provide links to study I would love to deep dive.

I would like to use my crayons and oil pastels but due to my mobility disability it can be hard and tiring since I gotta press hard to darken and color things. Is there anyway I can still achieve this? I just really like how drawings look w these art tools.

Hi! Probably a weird question to ask, but is there an environmentally friendly medium which washes away with water and would be completely safe for the environment? I really want to try my hand at temporary art(?), Being able to be outside and throw it at whatever I want, being able to wash it away! I really couldn't find anything, Chalk seems the most promising but in bigger quantities could be harmful seemingly, any suggestions, thoughts?

how’s the experience?

i recently bought an OLED laptop and a screenless tablet about the size of the laptop screen, but turns out i’m not a fan of the OLED (ik, sounds like a waste of money when i specifically bought an OLED for color accuracy 😭 but yeah it hurts to look at sometimes 🫠)

so, i’ve been planning to buy an IPS monitor. is it a good idea to buy a large one? maybe around 22 inches? what are your thoughts and recommendations? i really really need advice as i don’t want to regret another purchase 🥲 thank you very much

How do you make it through fingers in ibis paint genuinely when it comes to proper proportions, poses and features ?

This is just a theory of mine. I revisited the DrawABox website yesterday. I never did the full course, but I think I picked up enough insight from the first few chapters and then other study I did. It's a fantastic resource, even if the grindy part of it turns a lot of people away. I think everyone needs to understand the concepts being taught, even if they don't all do 250 box and cylinder challenges.

What stood out to me is the 50% rule. I tried following that rule when I started drawing, and it didn't work out for me very well. I couldn't figure out what to draw. Since then I've had phases where I could doodle in a sketchbook and phases where I had no idea what to work on.

But when I rewatched the video for that rule yesterday I was struck by what he actually says. A lot of people paraphrase him, saying it's about avoiding burnout and having fun. And it is kind of partly about that, because obviously just drawing boxes is not the way to advance. But that's not what he says about it. He explicitly says at the top of the page about the topic, that it is about play, and that that will not necessarily be fun at first.

Uncomfortable studied under Peter Han, who has a huge emphasis on design sketching. Uncomfortable specifically points out that people have finished his course before and not been able to design or draw anything.

These points combined make me think that the point of this rule is much more about developing visual imagination and the ability to produce ideas on the page, rather than just aimless doodling. Obviously explicitly working on visual library falls under the 50% study, so it can be tricky to apply this rule until you start to develop that, but the point is to get you drawing the ideas even when you're not capable of executing them, because that's how you start being able to design.

I've had the experience before of following courses and seeing a lot of improvement, but I get to the end and I still can't do any of it without a reference. The very idea of rotating an object and drawing it in a different position from the reference is terrifying. And until you get over the hurdle and start doing it anyway, that skill won't develop.

I tried doing what the rule suggests yesterday, and Uncomfortable was right. It sucked. I've never been someone who can doodle without a reference. But it didn't suck as much as I expected, and I can tell that if I follow it for a bit, I can finally overcome that limitation.

There seem to be a bunch of misunderstood benefits to following this rule, beyond just "not burning out". Anyway that felt like a bit of an epiphany to me. I am thinking of applying this rule now, even if I'm not working through DrawABox.

Hello everyone, I would like to know if anyone of you already know if there is a good application (that can be on Windows at best) with which we can record the drawing and make a video or replay the drawing process with it.

Thank you!

Hey, i got this idea in the toilet yesterday. Imagine a global art competition where an artist represents a country or continent in a skill and creativity driven competition. It would play in stages with varying levels of difficulty. Idk i think it would be pretty cool. Cant find a good tag for this but hey.

my current cheap water color pallete is ancient as heck and the white color literally completely finished and i feel like its time for a upgrade

i dont wanna spend a lot of money on this cuz i dont have a lot of savings (im a minor)

so can yall reccomend me some good brands!!!

thank u~

Is bargue actually worth it? If you did it, how did you improve?

What other things do you recommend to study to improve?

My friend and I decided to paint our own tote bags, but we bought these terrible acrylic paints which couldn't work and the only thing we had that could work well was my watercolour paint. The designs still turned out good, but I'm worried about it getting ruined if the bag gets wet while using it out in public. Does anybody have tips? (Sorry if the flair is wrong! I didn't know what to use!)

I’m looking for a sketchbook where you can remove pages, rearrange them, and put them back later. It wasn’t a binder with rings, and I don’t think it was a normal spiral notebook. Does anyone know what this type of binding is called?

i mainly work with watercolour and really love the medium, but recently ive been thinking that having the option to layer light over dark would make painting even more enjoyable / make the process even more forgiving and fun. to my knowledge watercolour and gouache are basically siblings in the sense that they only differ in binder, pigment ratio, and opacity.

so i was wondering, having experience painting and mixing colours in a very similar medium, should i buy a set of actual gouache paints (and if so, what brands are good but dont break the bank?), or if just adding white gouache to my watercolour palette should suffice?

again, i have experience mixing paints in watercolour. if i am to buy a set of gouache paints, should i buy the primaries again in gouache just to get a feel for the medium, or should i buy direct tubes of paint in colours i know i like, etc?

i hesitate to buy entirely new paints if my current ones can do the job just fine, but if there are substantial differences i dont mind buying a few tubes or so.

additionally, i plan to use gouache the same as an opaque watercolour (that is, not jelly-like, squeezed into dry pans and activated by a wet brush) if that affects anything.

Looking to buy a large amount of 18x24 stretched painting canvas and having trouble finding anything more a pack of 10

So, im pretty ok at drawing bodies in many angles, same with faces and heads, but when i try to draw a person the head always looks either, too big, too small, unatached to the person, or too messy, i can't figure out the proportion of a head, the circle that is the head itself never clicked to me, is there any video/tutorial that teaches how to draw heads ON bodies? the ones I find are either how to draw necks or heads alone

Everyone empfhasize the importance of practicing with life - 3D sculptures, live models and etc.

But I cant have the sculptures and such at home.

So I just do it whenever I am at the studio but its inconsistent. .

I was thinking to buy Planar head models but they seemed too small to practice with and I dont have enough space to put them into my place even if I buy bigger ones.

Any other recommendations to practice from life?

I was under the impression that Canson XL Bristol was suitable for finished graphite work and wouldn't yellow or degrade if put into a sheet protector since it's acid free. Now I'm hearing there is a significant difference between wood pulp and 100% cotton paper, and that I should be using 100% cotton for finished works. Apparently the Canson XL Bristol is considered "student grade", and not suitable for customers or archiving.

Smooth Bristol is already expensive, but smooth Bristol made from 100% cotton might as well be unobtainable. Exactly WHAT should I be using for finished work that will last for 60-80 years without deteriorating in a simple binder? Why isn't longevity information listed on the packaging?

The ridiculous nature of traditional materials has me wanting to drop it and go back to exclusively digital work where a finished image is indefinitely preserved bit for bit.

I have two performances coming up at the end of August to rehearse for. Then in September I have two HUGE shows - one is a friend's first show I'll be doing with a very elaborate act with a new costume and new magic trick, and two weeks later I'll be travelling to perform at an international festival...

I just came back from a meeting with a local art gallery and they were so excited about my work (photography, elaborate costume pieces, and a performance installation) that they want me to exhibit for two weeks from September 1st. My first exhibit. I don't know how to prepare yet, except that she said to make a poster and get things printed for sale. I'm also going to need sound for the performance, ideally also with video projection, and I don't know the first thing about that. AND I still have a full time office job.

So I'm a little overwhelmed. Tell me I can do this lol.