Are there any books or resources that go in depth about understanding forms? I can’t seem to find any that actually explain forms. I want to be able to rotate and basically draw basic forms (cubes and cylinder especially)

Im curious to hear if anyone else has been having trouble finding a seller that has Canson’s 8.5 in x 11 in Mixed Media sketchbooks. Amazon only has private sellers in very short supply for more that the retail cost, and every Michaels I have been to has only ever had about 1 at a time. Looking online, I cant even find a store that sells them outside of Michaels, even target doesn’t carry that size of sketch pad. Does anyone know why this is or where I can find this product to buy hopefully in bulk?

I think most people start learning to draw dreaming about the day when they become “good enough” to draw something they’ve always wanted to draw, or when they reach a certain level. For those that made it: do you feel like it had a noticeable effect on your life? I’m only starting out, but I’m already enjoying the process a lot. Just curious if it gets even better from here :)

My mom purchased some moths made out of iron and she wants me to paint them. I only have acrylic paints on hand, so I am hoping to use that. Should I prime the surface with something? If so, what? A Metal primer, or would just straight gesso work? Thanks!

Hi! First time poster! I am currently working on a series of oil paintings (they're still sketches and ideas) that include realistic portraits of animals dressed and posing as humans. Personally, I just think they look funny, but today I've realized that oh no... These can be considered a kind of furry. I don't have anything against furries, but the sudden realization that I could be considered a furry artist because of my hipster animals has taken me aback.

My creations include a long haired crocodile wearing a hoodie and an edgy/punk tigress.

Is there a way to avoid being considered a furry for my oil paintings? Should I lean into it?

I just broke my second Staedler barrel lead holder in the exact same way as before (the plastic axel holding the blade snapped), and while I got a decent amount of use out of it, it feels kind of stupid to me that I can’t find a more decent 2mm lead sharpener. It’s either the rotary sharpener, or one of those dinky single blade ones that are a pain in the ass to use. A higher quality version of this made from metal instead of plastic would be so nice, I would gladly pay a little more so I don’t have to replace my sharpener at inconvenient moments.

Alternatively, I started concepting a portable electric 2mm lead sharpener, shaped like a tube (instead of a fat lump in your pocket) that you can insert a lead holder into and automatically get a quick, perfect point. It doesn’t seem insane to me that something like this could and should exist, I don’t think you’d need more than maybe a second blade, a battery, chip, and usb-c charging port.

I’m curious if any of you have found any interesting alternatives or solutions to sharpening 2mm lead. A strip of sand paper could do the trick but I don’t wanna carry that in my pockets…

I've been using PainToolSai V1 and V2 together for 15 years now, for both hobby and professional purposes. I was thinking about trying to grow professionally as an artist.

What programs do you use in your job from day to day?

I was thinking about Clip Studio Paint, but I heard that has a toxic subscription model now. Same with Photoshop. I heard about ProCreate, but is it used for professional work?

What other programs do you think I should know how to use?

Hi all. I'm a few months deep on my drawing journey, and I'm enjoying exploring drawing with pen.

So far I've really liked the ability to vary my line weight easily with ballpoint pens. Its closer to the experience of using a pencil when it comes to shading and control of value, which I like.

That being said I know cheap ballpoint pen drawings don't hold up well over time. I want my drawings to hold up over time so I can look back at even my horrible learning phase for years to come.

Are there decent ballpoint pens that allow the ability to sketch lightly while also having archival (or at least higher quality) ink? Is there another type of pen that meets my needs but is still accessible?

Or am I overthinking this and as long as my cheap ballpoint sketches are in an acid-free sketchbook they'll be fine?

What are some of your favorite mechanical drawing pencils?

Sorry if this question has been asked before, but I've been recently been thinking about quitting Instagram and META for that matter. Part of me doesn't want to do it since I've been in Instagram for about ten years and it has change a lot since then. All these changes have been unappealing for me, and thought of just posting sketches or progress art. How are other artists thinking about Instagram and META right now?

I want to purchase a good set of artist markers as a birthday gift to myself next week, but I’m wondering if there are any other markers with the capability of Copic Sketch that don’t cost a million dollars.

For reference I am trying to create an illustration of the Taylor Swift Song, “Snow On The Beach” but make it midnight. My husband suggested maybe acrylic paint might be better for this but I don’t exactly have any space to use that at the moment and thought the markers might be a better.

Any recommendations appreciated

Hii! Im an artist planning to teach myself animation and im wondering if there are any animation software yall can recommend. I currently have Clip studio Paint EX, however im still unfamiliar with its animation software. Are there any others? Or should I stick with clip studio paint?

Welcome to the Fanart Fridays where we share artwork and writing we have created in the spirit of fanarts.

- Please post your artwork and/or writing in the comments below.
- Social media promo / shop links and commission info are allowed alongside your work as a comment!
- Always ask for permission before posting someone else's work!

If you really feel the need to share someone else's work because you are super excited about it, or if you feel like you'd like to share fanarts made for you by someone else, please ask them for permission to post and also include their social media links.

If you don't have any fanart to share, leave a comment with a list of your favorite things in the spirit of "Fandom".

If this is popular enough, we can make it a weekly or monthly scheduled post.

When coming back to a character or something, does anyone else use their old art for a reference? I do this sometimes and then I get that perfectionist frustration through my trial and error process. Obviously if I practiced drawing the subject more in that style, I would get better, but does anyone else do this because I feel so weird about it. Such a strange feeling.

Hi! I just found a new open source art software called Capy Canvas. Have you heard or tried that program before? It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. There will be a version for IPad and Android soon. Even there is a web version of the software.

I love drawing on big canvases but absolutely hate any form of paint. So I was wondering what’s the next best thing to draw with and on?

So it's been ten months I am at an art class, my teacher has been teaching me memory drawing for like.. eight months now...

Everytime she tells me to make some stuff and I do it.. as i should.

Then i show the drawing to her and she tells me what mistakes i have done.. and i am okayyy got it and then she just tells me to.. go.

And i am like tf? And she just tells me to go and improve myself. She doesn't tell me how to improve my mistakes or what should I do instead of what i a doing right nowwww.

And EVERYTIME she tells me to do something new I have to figure it out and then i draw it and then i show it to her and she tells me what mistakes i did and then she tells me to go improve myself without telling me how and what to do to improve myself!

Am i making this up or it's a real problem?

EDIT: As y'all said that I need to get my own resources i tried to search a lot for a yt channel specifically for the competitive exam I am giving and i FOUND IT, YAY! Now i have a clear vision of what I need to do and..... What my teacher wanted to do without her giving me any help 🙄.

i thrifted a ceramic music box and added some details with acrylic paint. i want to seal it and keep it matte still. please let me know any recommendations!

i have recently gotten into art as a hobby and my mind is just BLOWN by the many many ways you can create things with your imagination.

As I literally just got into this world like 2 months ago, i’ve tried digital art with procreate, sketching anime on paper, watercolouring sceneries and now i’m loosely following DrawABox classes (super helpful considering i have no art background nor spatial awareness)—And I know there’s so much more ways to learn along the way.

I aim to try and specialise in one form or art, maybe in a year or two from now as i’m still familiarising myself with art tools/i still consider myself exploring what gives me the most enjoyment (Tbh they all do, it’a a hobby! I might not specialise in anything in the end and that’s okay!)

I like to hear how do you guys decide what art medium you mostly use now vs when you started. Just a form of inspo!

So I'm applying Rabbit skin glue as a size for the first time on some canvases. 2 out the 3 turned out perfect but one has some puckering on the edge. I'm wondering if anyone here has more experience with the material and can tell me how to possibly fix it or if I should just restretch some new canvas and reapply.

Hey all, I’m thinking of hosting life drawing sessions. I’ve been to a few now that range from £10 - £25 for a 2 hour session. A quick Google would suggest buying 100gsm a3 sugar paper in black and white or 48gsm newsprint would suffice (for people who rinse the warm ups!), but I’ve also been to life drawing that was a bit pricier and had nice 140gsm cartridge paper. They also often had some charcoal, pencils, biros and white chalk.

So my question is, if you were going to a session, priced around £12/14 what would you expect?

Hi artists. I have really come to love Rembrandt Toned Desert Brown paper for my colored pencil drawings, specifically its sandy color and smooth texture. But I want to work on a much bigger scale, and the largest pad size seems to be only 11.7" x 16.5". (Also, I don't think the Rembrandt is acid free. 😬)

Do you have any recommendations for similarly smooth brown paper that comes in large sheets?

Lately I've been wanting to create art just like those professional splash artist or paint just like a professional illustration in general. But the whole process is still confusing to me. like How do you find the exact references you need?

How do you think of good ideas? Do you start with grayscale first? a value study? a color study?

This is a the biggest struggle for me as a selt-taught artist.

Edit: wow, I didn’t thought I would get so many answers and actually I feel a bit overwhelmed!
Thank you everyone for all wonderful answers! 💚🎨😊

I just had a visit from several landlords who wanted to check the several flats in the very old house and as they were in our flat they saw all my paintings and told me that are beautiful paintings.
One of them asked me if I am an artist as she went to check the room where I paint, but it’s not a real studio.

Well, I told her I paint almost for 30 years now and it’s my hobby.

I am self-taught, went so far only to two life-session classes and several painting books or old children books that inspired me to paint.
So far I sold only 3 paintings but I am also not really invested to try to make a living from my art.
I am atm a caregiver for my parents and happy when I find time and the vibe to paint.

I think I also don’t feel worthy myself to call me an artist as I am self-taught and I am in first line a human.

So, when is it safe to say “I am an artist” even you aren’t a professional artist?
Does it even matter to call oneself an artist?