It's Quite Unusual For Me To Hear That I Am Someone's Favorite Artist And Someone Is Studying My Style.

It's quite unusual for me to hear that I am someone's favorite artist and someone is studying my style. This is because I don't consider myself a good artist at all, I haven't even learn any theory and I blame myself for it. Don't do as I do, please learn theory and complete exercises, it will pass your time !!!

Hi! Hope you're doing well!

I'm trying to learn how to properly draw people. I'm fairly decent at drawing objects, but people? Nope, that's out of question. So, do you have any tips for a beginner? Like what should I focus on, any YT channels, etc.?

(If you see this ask on other pages as well, it's because I'm sending this to my favorite artists on this site <3)

Hyello!

I don't know if I'm exactly the person you should asking, seeing as I'm still fairly new to art so I'll point you in the direction of a few of my personal favorite artists as well! I do have a few tips and exercises for you that I've found to be quite helpful (if not fun) that have been passed down to me by other artists and teachers, though.

1. You should really learn your anatomy before you try to find your specific style. Without knowing the basics first, you'll probably jump around and have no consistency when drawing the same character. Knowing the body is very, very important.

Exercise 1: Using reference photos (I recommend dancing and sports photos for more dynamic shapes, beauty influencers and photographery for what is typically "attractive," and lots of different body types and skin tones for a diverse and more realistic character) and trying to figure out the line of action, then make a gesture drawing to get the basic feel of the body's movements, then the shapes of the body, etc.

Exercise 2: (The fun version) Draw a random shape. Yes, a random one - it can be pointed or round or wavy. It just has to connect. Then, try to make a character that fits in the bounds of that shape. This will push you to try to figure out what is necessary to make a human look, well, human, and also limit the clutter of your characters' accessories and clothing. It also helps you create a unique silhouette (which is always great when making a good, recognizable character)

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2. Colors! I'm sure you know basic color theory from when you learned how to draw objects, but if not, you should definitely get on that. It's best to know what colors work best with specific skin tones or whatever you're putting on your character. There are a lot of color theory videos on YT which I think you should check out!

Exercise 1: Limit yourself to 1 color - you may only use variations of that color for your entire character. Yes, this includes skintone and hair. This exercise helps you with values and gets you connected to what places need darker or lighter colors. It's also just really, really fun.

Exercise 2: (Variation of 1) Find a color pallette and stick to those colors exclusively. Try to use the 60-30-10 rule if possible (meaning 60% of the character is one color, 30% is a different color, and 10% is another color). Not everyone adheres to this rule since character design is fluid, and you can do whatever the heck you want, but I personally think that it helps to push your knowledge of color.

Exercise 3: The internet is your best friend. Find a very colorful image online of a model that you really like, or a person that's sitting in some nice lighting, or even an animated character that had some funky colors. Try to imitate the rendering. Shading is pretty important when learning how to draw because it can really change how the muscle looks without it. (Depending on your style, shading can look very, very different.)

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3. (Extension of Color) Once again, shading is very important! Depending on the project, however, the way you should shade can be very different. For animations, shading is typically minimal so that they can focus on the movement and not slave over their computer for days on end shading and shading and shading. Keep that in mind! For cartoon or anime art styles, it's often blocky and not blended. For real-life proportions and art styles, it's often blended and rendered (and normally without line-art if that's the route you wanna go 👍).

Exercise 1: Try out and study all sorts of art styles and shading types! It's really helpful in the future if you want to know what you like best! If you want to study a specific artists' art, it's best to ask them beforehand, however. Get their OK before starting. If they say no, then don't. (By the way, no art style is original, no matter what anyone says.)

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4. There are lots of online courses or resources you can use! Utilize them. Some of my favorites/things I've heard good things about are...

Artstation - Courses

IAMAG - Courses

Senshi stock - References

Croquis Cafe- References

Rad how to school - Courses

Life of action.com - References

Quickposes.com - References

Proko - Courses

Posemaniacs - References

Warrior Art Camp - Courses

Pexels.com - References

Marshall Vandruff - Courses

Cactus Art Academy - Courses

Sketchdaily - References

Bodyvisualizer.com - Body types

Figurosity - References

Pinterest - EVERYTHING

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5. Youtubers and Content Creators !!! There are a lot that I watch and a lot that other artists have recommended to me, so I'll tell you them. Also, find your favorite artists on your favorite social media sites and mentally study their art when you see it! Trust, it helps. (Warning: Long List)

Drawfee Show - They're very funny + watching how they quickly build their characters and settings can really help you figure out what is most important in character design.

Hanacue - Their shading is to DIE for <3

Marikyuun - Very good with a cutsie art style!

Kooleen - Funny, sarcastic + amazing tips

Marc Brunet - Anatomy at its finest

At Lojart - I just find them really cool

Jaiden Animations - Silly + watching her animations can help with your animations

GinjaNinjaOwO - They're funny + their character design makes me want to scream /pos

LavenderTowne - Very sweet + great tips + cute art!!

Pixiv - Wondeful tutorials

TheOdd1sOut - Same as JaidenAnimations, really

Sinix Design - <333333 so many great tips for shapes and painting !!!!

Marco Bucci - Color Theory!!

Mmmmonexx - I don't know much about them but my friend swears by him

Naoki Saito illust Channel - Putting stories/feeling into your art made easier

HxxG - More attractive art <3

Coax Illust - Fun! Semi-realism (I could never)

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6. Lastly, learning art takes a long, long time. You can't just wake up one day and know how to draw. You have to keep trying and keep learning and never, ever give up. It's all part of the journey, even the pieces that you don't like. Practice doesn't make perfect. It makes permanent. <3

My favorite artists (and my moots <3): @gl4ssfan , @aiyumiyeou , @coffeeisfortheresponsible , @foxlow , @roselock22 @alicecraftgirl @twigs-sprigs @greenflowerceo @spoopy-sloth @laziilizard @enavstars @miyuliart

Hope this long post didn't bore you! Plus, I hope this helps. Have a wonderful day <33