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[Frum]

Hi, I am someone who has always been a moderately good artist, but one who isn't much for moving beyond that without outside help.  So I was wondering if the community here would mind providing, and explaining to me a few things.

As a heads up, I cannot provide any of my work due to a lack of a scanner.

As is, I do what most do, use a pencil or black substance to create pictures, and fill in the color later on, the pencil part I want to improve on, and most intensely, the shading I do.

I am sure you can all assume my shading is based on darkening an area, and not the more complex shading we see on comics such as Wondermark.  Which I would like to be able to adapt more easily, but have yet to find out how to affectively do so with a pencil or a pen, I just can get a fine enough point.

I guess I will get to the point.

I need some help and explanation on these things.

-Detailing of clothing and features(Ears, fingernails, etc.  Allot of this I have learned from careful observation of this very comic.)
-Proper pencil shading.
-Creation of a basic figure outline.  This one may seem a bit off, but as is, I do mine inside of a 3 step process, and one I am not sure is correct.
1. Draw circles and ovals to represent body parts, all collected into one recognizable pattern.
2. Add light outlines and erase lines no longer needed.
3. Begin thickening the outlines, and filling in spaces.

I want to become a better artist, and I have a good deal of talent with computer software art(Such as the type that CAD, and QC are made mostly with, aside from the basic structures.) Foremost though, I want to become good at free hand art.

Thankyou for reading.  I realize that may not of all been clear, but I just need some of the enlightened ones that patrol this forum to give me descriptions of what they do to accomplish their works.  Pictures are welcome, but text is preferred.

[tuna ketchup x]

Dude, what kind of pencils or pens do you use? Get a good set of graphite pencils in various shades of gray, it won't cost more than $10.

Most of my art (esp comics) is line art but when it comes to shading there are many techniques you can use that will give you different kinds of shades. Cross-hatching, stippling, long strokes, short strokes. Just experiment with it! Keep a practice notebook and practice with it whenever you can. You might want to take an art class, those can be helpful, but the main thing is to practice and I have to say that most art books are crap. Like trying to learn a musical instrument solely by reading about it. You just have to mess around a little!

[Frum]

Thanks, I guess I will look into all of those things.

Currently I use the sharpest pencil I can find, so I can see where that would be an impairment.

Notes to self.
-Set of graphite pencils for the purpose of drawing.
-Learn of the following shading techniques.
1.Cross-hatching
2.Stippling
3.Long Strokes
-Get a new notebook and stop carrying around blank paper.
-Find more things to add to this list.


One other problem I have had though, I always seem to have sweaty hands when I am drawing(Not when typing, playing games, and usually not when I am writing.)  Obviously this will smear lines slightly before I come over them with a pen.

[joesoar]

Practice. A lot.
This sounds like a plug, but go to my site, www.grumpycomics.com or even better, the QC archives. Look at the first to the last images in both. In a few months, of just drawing everyday, working on getting better bit by bit, there is improvement.

I never realized this until I tried making the comic and I needed to get better.

As for sweaty hands, I would put a piece of scrap paper under your hand to cut down on smearing. It works for both sweaty and nonsweaty hands.

My hands can be shaky, but confidence really works to stop sweating and shaking.

Oh, this is my favorite way to practice.

When you want to practice say, a pose, or a hand or something, draw a cartoon of it first. Simple, clean, not realistic. Learn the way the object looks in its most basic form, then apply it to something more realistic. I doodle a lot in my notes, then when I draw seriously, I take the doodles, what I liked about them and put it in something better, more refined.

[Frum]

Practice. A lot.
This sounds like a plug, but go to my site, www.grumpycomics.com or even better, the QC archives. Look at the first to the last images in both. In a few months, of just drawing everyday, working on getting better bit by bit, there is improvement.

I never realized this until I tried making the comic and I needed to get better.

As for sweaty hands, I would put a piece of scrap paper under your hand to cut down on smearing. It works for both sweaty and nonsweaty hands.

My hands can be shaky, but confidence really works to stop sweating and shaking.

Oh, this is my favorite way to practice.

When you want to practice say, a pose, or a hand or something, draw a cartoon of it first. Simple, clean, not realistic. Learn the way the object looks in its most basic form, then apply it to something more realistic. I doodle a lot in my notes, then when I draw seriously, I take the doodles, what I liked about them and put it in something better, more refined.

I have read your comics, I like them.

Well, I have looked up hatching, stippling, and long strokes, and I have settled on my overall drawing style.  Hatching for texture, and blending it together for an overall look.

Also, thanks for the tip on drawing doodles first, up until now I just tried to draw the real thing, I guess getting the shapes and figures down before the details should be one of my main goals.