• Gave myself 5 days to do something. This is what I managed to do. I'm trying to get better at illustrations, but I have patience to work on something for 3 days maximum :( Splash_Process.jpg5000x3140 2.21 MB Splash_Process-6.jpg3896x2429 2.83 MB concept list char copy.jpg5388x3000 1.7 MB
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  • Did a character concept for a course.https://www.artstation.com/artwork/P6gm3y - more:) list1.jpg3541x1920 2.82 MB
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  • Day 4: Star Wars May The 4th =] Queen Padmé Amidala in my art style! First time drawing her and I really enjoyed making this one! Used watercolours, ink pen, acrylic markers and gold paint for accents on my Canson mix media sketchbook. I hope you like it!
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  • A creature design from a while back
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  • Here is some more recent stuff, I need to make more body studies
  • It's been a while and god, it is so cringe to go through all previous messages xDmy study.
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  • Thank you! I finally cleaned that up. Meanwhile started 3 more ..I have a habit of taking too long to finish a piece, then I lose interest in it and just start something else. I found 8 from recently i started and abandoned, that are decent enough to not delete, but not finished. There’s also been a number of drawings I felt I “outgrew” - became better before I finished them, and it would be easier to start from scratch than fix them. Anyone else thinking that?
  • Lady Death Fanart Collectible: Part 6 Polypaint and base Hi, it’s time to share with you another part of the process to create this fanart piece. Polypaint As this is my first collectible fanart I didn’t have previous experience with polypaint so I tried my best and played a bit with it.I wanted to give a ghostly and eerie look to Lady Death, she is beautiful and deadly, but at the end of the day she is a woman that died and was reborn at hell as an avenging spirit, that’s why I gave her skin tone a bluish very cold tone.As you will see I gave myself some creative freedom to deviate from the traditional color scheme that this characater has in comics and illustrations.To add a bit of sensuality by painting some freckles on the face and the chest. The dark nature of this character was the perfect excuse to gave her a kind of goth make up, very dark shadows around the eyes, blue lips and fingernails. I know that the original character includes sexy red lips but I wanted this girl to have a sexy but at the same time creepy look, that’s why we can see some thin veins emanating from her eyes. The biggest chromatic change I did for this character is at the hair. Lady Death has a characteristic white weavy hair but in my fanart I decided to gave her a very saturated blue color.The reason behind this wasn’t only an aesthetic choice. I want that the face area strongly pulls the attention of the viewer so this area needed a stronger contrast. Another reason is that I want her to have a more modern look, as I mentioned before, I’m strongly attracted to women with goth/punk look. I gave myself half an hour or more to analyse the work of experienced sculptors that create collectibles and I discovered that the use of darker values on the skin is often applied to create a greater sense of volume and three-dimensionality. I found that areas with heavy ambient occlusion are the perfect places to paint with darker colors in order to increase the separation between different forms. Even though she has a bluish skin tone, I used a bit of warmer hues in areas that, in real life, tend to go towards red and pink, this is very obvious in the nose, cheeks, and knuckles. Thinking with a logical mind it’s completely absurd to have warmer tones on the body of a zombie like creature but I didn’t want to limit myself by using only blue tones, it looks boring and artificial. In real life these colors are created by blood vessels in areas where the skin is very thin. ** Scythe **for her weapon I applied a cool gray with some warmer variations, this color scheme is influenced by the work of H.R giger. Base I’d like to talk about the design for the base which, to be honest, I forgot to develop along with the character.My main idea with the base is to show that Lady Death inhabits a very sterile and arid land, at the end of the day she is at hell.You can see a that she walks over dirt and rocks, a sign that she’s surrounded by death and loneliness. As part of the landscape we can see some bones and skulls to reinforce the idea of lack of living creatures, yet we can see three hands that try to reach her legs.This hands represent that all creatures are subordinated to her power and seek an evil blessing with a simple touch of the princess of the damned.1- The hand with skin burns represents the souls of those who are newcomers to hell, tortured souls that suffer for the sins comitted on earth.2- The hand with greenish rotten skin and pustules is the reminder of the decay that has infected the souls of those who have been trapped and have forgotten their humanity3- Last but not least, the hand of a demon shows that even dark creatures and entities bow before her presence. The cherry on the top, at least in my vision, are the simese twins that emerge from the ground, this malevolent creatures remind us that in hell there’s only perversion and any trace of innocence is lost. Thanks for reading till this pointI’m really happy to be very close to finish this creative journey, last but not least it’s mandatory to talk about splitting the sculpture in several pieces to be printed, this will be my last entry before showing the final rendered images. See yaMay Zbrush be with you
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  • memory 2min gartic phone, used ref 2m gartic, used ref for pose 2min gartic 2min gartic 2min gartic 2min gartic memory memory memory memory study memory memory memorymemory memory memory memory memory memory study memorystudy study stylized left memory, right study study memory memorymemory memory memory memorymemory memory, porportions r offmemory memorystudystudy memorymemorymemory memory memory memory memory memory memory memory, right leg is a bit broken The feeling of only getting 1 - 3 likes on a social media post will never not be discouraging. But nothing is discouraging enough to make me quit drawing. I think the strategy of drawing a lot of stuff and waiting a while to post is good though rather than posting it immediately and then feeling that sadness on the next set of drawing
  • Urban Dragon Girl Wip Urban Dragon Girl_wip1.jpg5000x5000 1.11 MB
  • Long time no see! New artworks produced lately
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  • studies studies juri study imagination, how I feel before a speech imagination imagination study something I drew for my presentation also drew this for my presentation, didn't fix the one hand being bigger than the other imagination + study study studies study study, I need to fix the face a bit based on screenshot from anime but in my style study. except for the eye study studies studies study. changed some things tho imagination imagination imagination study studies, except top right samurai based on anime screenshot wolverine studies, changed some of the poses a lil, not very good at all, but first time i drew the character ever. semi study studies study imagination imagination imagination , for first time ever i tried to draw over 3d model for middle pose, I dont like the result tbh, but it makes it much easier than coming up with it from memory.imagination, except right figurestudies imagination + studies, coming up with action poses r hard, these are not dynamic enough, I will redraw better ones in future. imagination , imagination imagination study, except for eye imagination imagination imagination doodles except for the two chrollos imagination storyboard thumbnail, idk if i ever shared this. my storyboards end up being a little detailed since i usually just draw in one layer.
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Thank you for the advice. I largely have spent my drawing sessions today drawing boxes in free perspective as well as 2 and 3 point perspective.
I think because perspective on simple shapes feels easier i've skipped over it a little, but after your advice I realise that easier doesn't mean much if you don't really understand it :stuck_out_tongue:

I did try drawing a box to help with the planes, but I got a bit lost in the lines - though I was tired and didn't put much effort in. I'll have another go and see if I can get my head around it.

Edit: Here's another attempt:

Focusing on boxes for a bit has actually helped more. It definitely has a box-y look to it though but I can work to fix that. I tried to keep in mind the overall plane of the face - this helped me with the mouth and realising which parts would be higher than others.
For reference, this drawing is tiny xD So that's why the eyes are a bit off, I should've tried doing it bigger (for some reason i'm intimidated by working above a few pixels)

One area i'm still struggling with is the nose. I had to draw it out on it's own to try figuring it out (trying to follow the same perspective) because I'm finding I don't know how to add the second nostril and when to add the other nostril. Maybe real life reference will help here?

@BadRooster Thank you also :smiley: It was purely a challenge to prove I could do it; it's weird but my friend that challenged me knew what I could do better than I did.

8 days later

This week I haven't really had much time for drawing on my tablet - its odd but I think a little break was necessary. I have, however, made sure to doodle in my sketchbook and on random bits of paper/post-it notes (it's funny because my .

I've also done a couple focused areas in my sketchbook, and I think I'm improving a little.
I don't know whether I understand mouths fully though unless they're at one or two angles.

I am doing my best to try and build up a visual library (which is difficult with Aphantasia), I've been studying random people's faces when I'm out of the house to try and learn. I may try to study some faces and do a couple draw over's to learn positioning.

I am also trying to draw and shade shapes in random orientations. I'm not sure how people do this effectively though as I get through a couple orientations and find myself unable to flip and draw shapes in ways to help me learn. Are there any methods you use to do this sort of thing?

Also, is there a trick to the pillars of the mouth? It's one of the many places I'm certain will give me flat faces. Any tips are appreciated :smiley:

Hey Ashley,

Great work on the sketchbook - keep at it.

I'm not sure I get your question about drawing shapes in different orientations. Do you mean like drawing a box or an object several times with various 3D rotations as to view the same thing from different angles? Either way, being able to do this with a simple box is the gateway to drawing more complex forms from any point of view. Simply attempting it is good practice for now.

Where I think I can help is the pillars of the mouth. I see you render them as very solid planes, distinct from the lower lip, and with a hard exterior edge with a line. In reality, this is not the case. I've red-lined your last sketch to explain what I mean

The idea is that the lower lip is not a distinct volume in itself - it's more of a color/texture change that follows a single skin fold, which begins at the "pillars of the mouth". Not everyone has these features prominently on their face - feminine faces tend to have subdued pillars. Remember the following - there is only a SINGLE skin volume (or fold) to represent the lower half of the mouth. This fold tapers into the cheek very smoothly, and thus should not be outlined in any way. The structure is most visible at the center below the lower lip, where the volume is thickest.

Things to keep in mind
1 - do not outline the pillars - they are simply the exterior part of the skin fold that forms the lower lip, and it tapers off smoothly into the adjacent skin. The lower lip and pillars are the same structure.
2 - the outer lines of the lower lips are usually unnecessary - if shown, they are there to mark a color change rather than a different plane or volume.
3- less is more - you can often hint at the pillars just by putting a blob of shadow underneath the lower lip, above the ball of the chin.

Thanks for the advice @Vonschlippe.
I think much of my drawing comes from replicating Marc's video - he does outline the bottom of the lips and in one section shades the pillars (though I noted he erased the outer edges to leave the render as you've done yourself).
I think, where faces are concerned, I've tried to go off of the memory of both the video and real life, which hasn't helped me out so much. Looking back at the video I see what you've also explained again :stuck_out_tongue: I'm going to study actual faces and draw over them to learn proportion.

I'm still very unconfident drawing a full head, so similarly to the nose alone, I may post a full process in stages for critique. I think if I can add depth/shading correctly to my drawings this will help, so studies it shall be :smile:

When it comes to drawing shapes in different orientations, it is exactly as you suspect. I find that I can draw 3 or 4 different orientations before repetition.

So I attempted to figure out the face a bit more by drawing over some images. It's definitely helpful and has given me some insight, so I'll continue breaking down the face in this way - but i'll take it further when I feel confident enough.


I tried my best here to not just trace over the images, but instead, follow Marc's method to construct the head. For the most part everything worked out fine and it's helped me understand the method a bit more. It's definitely given me help with noses, I don't always have to draw in the full second nostril - it's sometimes obscured by the bottom of the nose. Seeing how noses actually work in addition to @WeirdOwl's advise has given me more insights, and I'm eternally grateful for the advise given here :smiley: I hope to return it one day.
I have been analysing more people's facial features in tv and whatnot and have seen exactly what @Vonschlippe demonstrated with the bottom lip. However, here I wanted to indicate where both the lips are for reference.

I also attempted to put into practise what i've picked up by drawing the eye of one of my references:

I think the bottom lid is possibly a bit rounder than it should be, and I guarantee that my shading is off (I'll get there :stuck_out_tongue:) but I feel like I can at least get references down with enough time. Imagination is going to be difficult D:

There's still areas I don't quite get, like how to identify where the chin ends (for the curved planar lines that go from the ear to the chin - if that's understandable?), or making sure the mouth is correct. I will have to actually attempt a full face drawing from reference.
Hopefully this is a bit more clear:
- For the chin, there's always a section at the most forward part of the chin that looks 'flatter' than the rest. I don't quite know how to find the two points when this 'flattness' ends. I know the chin isn't flat, but it's the easiest way to explain it (I feel like this is confusing D:)

  • With the mouth, I can never seem to orient the philtrum correctly which ends up with mouths that look very weird (I don't know how to explain it, but it's evident in my previous post on 11th September). In these references, it looks more flat than I seem to draw it in. I may be putting more thought into this than I should, but it does help me place the top lip a little better when the angles are awkward.

I think the main thing i'm asking here is more for tips others have picked up from drawing faces - i'll be sure to post my own tips should I come across them.

I'm going to draw more from reference for a while to get a better idea. I have issues with the amount of time it takes to do just one (the guides I did took long enough), but I assume this gets faster the more I do it :stuck_out_tongue:

So my motivation from the last post dwindled due to sorting university stuff out for my Master's Degree.. I haven't done anywhere near as much as I wanted to do.

I'm at that point where I've lost my direction again. It always gets to the point of self-directed learning where I start to get lost. I begin to find frequently that I cannot identify how to progress and end up getting disheartened. I think that because I've wanted to learn how to draw/create digital art for so long, it has a large emotional impact on me.

Today I tried my hand at a head in 2 point perspective:

As a first attempt, i'm pleased with what has come out of this. I definitely need to work on a lot of things, but it looks like a face, and i'm proud of myself :smiley: I don't quite know where to progress from this, all of my attempts may come out looking the same as this D:

I also drew one of my previous references (the hair was intimidating, so i left it out for now):

This took about 45 minutes, and multiple starting attempts. I'm not displeased, the proportions compared to the reference aren't too bad, and for my first proper attempt at a face, i'd say it's successful. I can't say I've captured the reference as I'd like, but I think some of that would come from shading and maybe the hair.
Other than that, i'm not sure how i'd go about manipulating the features. I used my 'wire mesh' from the previous post to help me out, but even still I struggled with getting it as I wanted.

Would it be better to focus on the separate parts of the face, or work on it as a whole?
Marc's video (Anatomy 2) focuses on the face separately, but I'm a little apprehensive of being able to put the pieces together once I'm confident. I've felt a little more confident with noses, ears and general head proportions, but putting them together not so much.

I appreciate any critique, and advice on my work so far, and also how to more effectively study and understand the anatomy.
My goal is to be able to draw my D&D characters and some other random ideas I get. I want to focus on character and creature design, and maybe add backgrounds to give them life. Reference is applicable (and I will use it lots), but I want to be able to understand how things work so I can go beyond my references.

This is really inspirational. I’m impressed with your hard work and good results. I hope I can match your dedication - I’m moving into this stuff myself now.

3 months later

It's been a while. Such a while I considered making a new thread D: But I ended up realising that I should just keep this one alive :smile:

I've started my Master's Degree in Data Science and it did really mess with my ability to focus on drawing. As a result, I had a couple months drawing hiatus, which did upset me - I'm happy to be able to get back to it properly. I did some doodles that I was happy with, but other than that I've not done any drawing

I feared I'd lost progress, so I'm going a lot slower and trying to put more effort into learning each part. I'm really wanting to get the fundamentals down and be able to create things effectively when I feel confident enough to just go for it with my first real pieces.

I haven't begun watching the videos again yet, but I'm using what I've learned with gesture drawing. Despite having a couple months away, I don't feel like I've lost too much of what i'd developed previously.

Ignore the large space (It will be filled :P). The top left was a few weeks/months ago and everything else has been done over the past week or so.

I went over a few to strengthen the lines, but I'm pleased. So many of the gestures feel very apparent, and there not too much stiffness in the poses. I'm still not sure how to do 'loose' and flowy gestures yet - I'm not super flowy.

I'm also not confident with my lines, they're all scratchy and not nice. Is this a thing that just gets better with time? Or are there exercises I can do to train myself out of it - I don't want the bad habit.