MT project: Massive list of Drawing Tips

[Hamachi]

Excerpt from Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson:

SPOILER! :

"There is a scene in an old Western film in which Danny Kaye, as the hero, is challenged by a dangerous gunslinger to a shootout in the street. As he walks toward the saloon door and out into that street, well-meaning friends give him advice on his best chances of surviving. "The sun's in the west so keep him to the east," says one old timer. "He stands up tall, so squat down low," says another. Someone else advises, "He shoots from his right, so lean to the left." Kay desperately tries to remember these tips, but by the time he reaches the swinging doors, he is hopelessly confused, and we hear him muttering, "The sun's up tall, so lean to the west ... he squats to his left so shoot down low ... he's east of his right so shoot at what's left ..."

Trying to remember hundreds of drawing techniques all at once just leaves one confused. To learn these techniques, it's best to try and get them one by one so that, like how one might become a master gunslinger, one might also become a master artist.

To facilitate this goal, this thread has been created so that each member can put in one drawing tip per post that other members can focus on. Here's a few guidelines so we stay on topic:

1. List drawing tips only. The tip must address some specific technique one should focus on when they're drawing. "Look for the subject's midpoint" is good; "Practice and don't give up!" is encouraging but not very helpful.

2. If the information is from a source, you can make your tip bold and say where you got it from. For example,

Add cross-contour lines to improve the drawing's 3D form - Drawing from Observation by Brian Curtis

3. Add a maximum of one tip per post you make. This gives space for discussion in the thread.

Anyways, this should be a fun experience! Feel free to add stuff from your personal experience; expound on tips you make or previous points, etc.

[ram]

In not knowing anything, be sure to remember that google is your friend.

don't know how to draw this and don't know how to draw that, don't know how to put pattern and don't know how to use photoshop.
google provides information for things you might not know. (although not all of them, the best place for tutorials is still drawing books)
and even if you can't find tutorials in google, you can still find reference from that place.
how to draw rock, type in google images rock! and use the images as reference.

imagining everything is difficult for beginners and amateurs,
after you gone through those, ideas and details will just comeout of you just like fly

Last edited by Hamachi; Yesterday at 06:25 PM. Reason: Because, man, the *trees!* Yeah, man!

what do you mean trees?

[Slurpee]

A really good tip is to redo your picture. After a while I realized that taking my time I would get the results I wanted. I always just rushed through it and thought it would come out right! Draw a sketch and come back to it two days later. You will be amazed at the mistakes.

[Matt]

Draw a picture--one that you wouldn't mind re-drawing. Now stow it away. The next day, draw that same picture again without looking at the previous one. Again, put it away. Repeat this for ten days. You'll see improvement.

Especially helpful if you're in a "I can't improve no matter what" stage.

[Slurpee]

Try to keep open space on your computer. you would be surprised how much space art images take up.

[ram]

just wanted to add something, lol.
something i got from watching the movie wanted.

it's not a question of "how", it's a question of "what"
if no one ever told you that bullet flew straight and i gave you gun and told you to hit the target, what would you do?

...

let your instincts guide you.
*bang*
*bullet's directions curved*
*bulls eye*

I love that scene.

it's just the same. DRAW AND THRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!!! you need self confidence in your work

[Slurpee]

Read lots of books! you'd be surprised- T.V. doesn't have that many original ideas.

[ram]

I know. XD
if you read sherlock holmes, you'll see that detective conan is really ridiculous. most of the ideas just came from there

[ram]

Pretty long, but still most inspiring chapter of hayate no gotoku.

[Gedeon]

Wow........a life's lesson in a manga............and its good.