TIGSource Forums

Hey guys!

Posting here to get some advice from the artsy members of TIGsource.

I wish to become better at drawing, primarily so that my games have something more than programmer art. My drawing on paper is pretty bad (few examples:

http://noxneo.net/guillaume/indie/elements/miner.png
http://noxneo.net/guillaume/indie/elements/copernic.png

), and unfortunately I don't plan to attend art school or whatever.

I was thinking of buying a drawing tablet (such as the wacom bamboo) since my drawings will be digitalized anyway, and then try to do stuff with it until I succeed.

Do you guys think I can get anywhere with that approach? I'd hate to spend 60$ to realize that my drawing skills will never get anywhere. Any feedback from self-taught illustrators is more than welcome.

Cheers  :beer:

I can definitely say you can get somewhere with that approach, but it probably requires improving, and sadly drawing is one of those things you have to continuously exercise for years to improve.

I'm not sure where you're aiming with your style, realistic or cartoonish, but I have two pieces of advice (though I guess only few people agree with me on them):

1) It's often not useful to start learning anatomy and perspective and such complex things in the beginning. The thing you probably ought do first would be finding the way you want to draw, and this happens often by doodling a lot. When you think you're ok with your style to approach drawings (and think your style is your own; that you've not just copied someone else's style; in the long run that seldom works), you can start practicing to draw realistic stuff. This is how it went (goes) for me, though I'm sure many people disagree.

2) It's often a very very bad idea to check out some style of drawing and start to learn it. For example, reading a manga and then thinking "IMMA DRAW ANIME" leads often to very embarrassing moments. Sometimes (ok, often) it's good to test some other styles and/or take some influence from them (manga is good if you get deep into it; good manga requires at least body anatomy and perspective), but ultimately I'd advise to stay in your own style and things. Of course one can use the other style very effectively, but that again requires a lot of learning and copying the original style.

My points didn't have a point. Go forward.

Just draw tons of stuff from refrence or life. Ideally, people, animals and landscapes/houses..etc. basically whatever you want to draw later. Let me break it down for y'all:

- Buy a sketchpad, maybe a pocketsized one so it isnt annoying to carry
- Do a 1-20min doodle in it everyday of a person you see, or a building you like the look of..maybe do more than one if you want!!lol
- when you draw, focus on the overall shape/form/lighting, not the details(youll get better at this as you do more)
- report back after a month, with incredible improvements for your next mission

DO THIS. if you want to improve incredibly quickly, while not worring how good your drawings look or judging yourself... or choose not to do it, and continue sucking at art.

Alchemy:
http://al.chemy.org/

It's no replacement for skill, but sometimes it can cover for lack of skill in a pinch. It's also awesome for getting ideas, regardless of skill level.

No matter what style you are aiming for you should try and draw realistically since all drawing styles emulate real life. Drawing from life or at least photo references is the fastest way to learn how to draw.

Here's some tips for starting out:

• Draw from life - Picture references aren't bad, but ideally draw things you can physically touch.
• Avoid Outlines - When practicing avoid outlines. Outlines aren't inherently bad, but they are a technique that's usually abused by beginners and have no place in reality. Instead, use contrast to indicate the edges of objects.
• Avoid Colors - Color theory is a whole 'nother ballgame. Try and work on your form and values first.
• Form First - Form is the volume of what you are trying to draw. You always, always want to get down your form before you go into detail. Art is an iterative process and your form is your foundation. If you screw up your form the entire piece will suffer.
• Remember the Elements and Principles of Art (http://www.msdsteuben.k12.in.us/jrider/elements_and_principles_of_art.htm) - Elements are the basic building blocks of art and principles are the way they are arranged and designed. While knowing this isn't necessary, understanding that all artworks can be broken down into these separate elements/principles is really helpful. Looking at the separate elements as you draw can help you figure out the strengths and weaknesses of your work.
• Practice - This is the most important thing. Learning to draw well is not an overnight thing. But the more you practice the better you get. This is obvious of course but it's important!

A friend of mine showed me how to use nodes to create skeletons and a few tips on fleshing them out. Then he just sent me off to figure it out for myself. It took a few years to even become decent at it, but I'm actually getting better.

I was gonna write a long list of what one could do, but I realized I don't even know. I don't really have any explanations and my art is still pretty crappy.

Going from total beginner level, I'd advise you, before you take any other steps, simply to practice drawing what you see, rather than what you think you see. Whether that's drawing from life or from reference, a great way to do this is to practice drawing negative space - that is, try to draw the space around an object, rather than within it. It's possible to replicate, with great accuracy, incredibly involved compositions simply by recreating it on the page as if it were a meaningless pattern of varying levels of light and dark.

As far as anatomy goes, just draw lots and lots of people to get a feel for the average proportions and structure of the human form. Once you have the basics down, study the skeleton and musculature of the human body.

Also, like Kadoba said, it's best to start in greyscale - just get a good pencil, maybe an 8B, and render what you see in terms of lightness and darkness.

Practice, of course, is essential.

There is no unique way of becoming a good illustrator, cartoonist etc, and that's what makes it so exciting in my opinion. It's like this Jean-Claude Vandamme movie i liked as a kid, Bloodsport : fighters from around the world, some were very technical and learned very precise techniques while others were simple street fighters breaking bricks with their foreheads. In the end, everyone managed to kick ass. My point is, listen to advices but make sure you're still making progress in your own way. I have a few friends who learned things in a very chaotic and personal way and who are still excellent artists. Who knows how their work would look like if they had followed a more academic path ?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying "Screw traditional learning techniques", i just wanna say that, as you possibly can't follow every advice, be smart and be sure to take a personal approach when learning (that means you can totally think that my post is crap and choose to ignore it).

So my advice is : DRAW. And when you're not drawing, think about drawing :) It sounds like a joke, but basically art is just a brain thing so put your brain to work even if you're not holding a pencil, it'll help.