Favourite tutorials

Sep 4, 201411 min read

Deviation Actions

Published: Sep 4, 2014

4K Views

There are so many tutorials on DA but I'm not going to list the typical kind or for beginners. I want to share my favourite that I've used or tried before.

Since I mostly do digital art, I collected a bunch of tips related to digital art.

But I sort of have a tip of my own that I learned for traditional art, I wonder if anyone can confirm or add to it!
I really hate making lineart btw but I got the hang of it at some point so I'd like to get it out of the way.

For example I notice how some people have problems inking because their hand shakes, I have that problem too sometimes. I was trying to make the lines one day and I think short swift movements helped rather than trying to making long lines without taking a break. I still need to keep testing this for myself though

so if anyone else has their method for a stress free inking experience go ahead and share!

So first one isn't really a tutorial.

Below in the section there is advice written about drawing something several times each day. I have since tried doing this for myself. In the past copying from reference has never been a problem for me. The real challenge is making something original from your mind but to do that, you need to have a good idea of how something already looks.

After doing these exercises I went from one idea to the other. I came out with making a decent method for myself when I draw profiles. (before I couldn't draw profiles quick and clean enough or the same and yes it involves step by step stuff) I still need to practise more and come up with more simple methods I can easily grasp ;_;

Ok the rest
Character and general painting

<- result
Digital painting process from start to finish! Because I like the way it's done, messy and free at first and the lineart actually comes last! It's gorgeous in the end. *o*

<- result
Very effective and organised way of doing digital art. This is how I usually do my cg's if I'm not sketching or doing it like a painting except with less layers.
One layer with all base colours second layer is a duplicated base which I put the shading on. Hard to explain but if you've ever watched an

livestream then you might understand.

I couldn't understand this tutorial in the past == just saying. Still thought it was cool~ Has a 3d concept art feel.

Background

<- Not result but her bg art is gogeous

<- sort of result

Background tutorial! First is a night sky and the other sky + clouds.
I absolutely love

's background centric artworks btw.

Part1

Part 2
Awesome cloud painting tutorial by

it's beautiful... ;u;

Other

How to extract scanned linework in SAI by pianofairie411

<-Awesome
How to remove white background in Paintool Sai. Honestly the best advice you'll get about Sai.
If your image is perfectly black lines and white bg, this is a very quick and easy way of removing the bg.

Realism

Part 1

Part 2

Result

I'm not sure if it was this tutorial or the one above it that I used when I painted a random realistic (but ugly) girl. It was a very long time ago but it's useful. Even if my image was gross XD I'm considering repainting that old realism art I did back then after I find one of oldest manga drawing when I was just starting out.

Youtube

I used this for practising one day, so I could quickly experiment on shading.

I posted more than I thought I would, there are way more about, for example I watched a youtube video and how the artist mixes colours digitally in a certain way that I thought was interesting. I guess I never stop looking at different methods...

Advice straight from me
Hmm, people were mentioning that I made improvements coming back from my last hiatus. I didn't practise any digital art at all in that time but instead I had a cheap sketchbook, ball point pen or pencil that I used. I drew a lot of quick expressive sketches from sites like posemaniacs.com or another site like that but with photographs. I also used repetition to continuously redraw something making sure to make it more appealing. I was trying to stop past bad habits, like instead of trying to fix a sketch I would move on to the next one and avoid making the mistake in the first place. Pretty much...I just drew loads whether from reference, life, imagination etc.

Egh...and lately I have been drawing for hours and skipping sleep sometimes ._. I don't recommend it...I'm nuts.

You should know the best advice is to practise and be patient.

I'd like to pay more attention to clothing/folds and patterns soon. I'm not really pleased about bgs, I don't even want to say that I should be doing them because it annoys me. >.> orz

I'd love to hear if anyone has any favourite methods whether it helps you or you enjoy doing them!