@coppercat25
Well, I started drawing when I was small. I took a drawing course when I was in university and it basically killed any interest in it that I had to that point. It was when I discovered pony and this site that inspired me to get back into it.
As for tips? thats tough. I am just some schmuck waving a pencil around. But if you search the “tutorial” tag here, there is quite a bit of good pony specific materials for proportions, posing and the like.
But I also recommend getting familiar with the basics too. things like perspective, gesture, and composition. Im sure theres some good tutorials on youtube or elsewhere online.
As for my tips, I would say always start with gesture drawing, a very basic and crude outline of where and what you want the piece to have in it. This allows you to get postures, proportions and such down before you commit to putting dark lines that are tough to erase (this can be anything from stick figures to circles or scribbles, as long as they are very light). Dont focus on any detail work until this is done. Know what and where everything in the picture is going to be. I also sometimes do a few practice doodles to help me figure out the best pose or facial expression before applying it to the main page. Once you are satisfied with the gesture, start layering your line and shading. start with the lightest shades and work your way to the darkest. I usually get the line drawing finished first before going on to shading or coloring. As you get the line drawing going you can then start to erase any of the background doodles that you see fit.
Also, as you work you should look at what you have done from different angles and distances. Just holding your paper at arms length is good. It can help you spot errors, or other consistency problems. I have found focusing to closely at one particular section for too long makes one loose perception of the whole piece.
Additionally, its good to rotate your paper to best fit what you are currently working on. If you keep your wrist comfortable its easier to get more consistent quality, or to prevent smudging.
Lastly gear can be pretty important to getting a good drawing. Having different shades of pencils can bring whole layers of depth to a picture. So at the very least I would say buy a light, medium and dark pencil* as well as a good reliable eraser (tip for an eraser, keep it clean. just wipe off the schmutz on a piece of cloth. not doing so may make an awful smudgy mess on the paper). even if you want to fan out into a different medium like paint, pastel or ink having a good set of sketching pencils is useful.
*pencils have a rating telling you its shade. these are H, HB, and B. H is hard lead, which leaves a lighter mark, the higher the number the lighter the stroke (a 4H would be much lighter than a 2H). HB is basically a standard pencil that you can find anywhere. B is softer lead and darker strokes. The higher numbers being softer (4B being much darker than a 2B).
So hopefully there is something in here that you find helpful.
Very nice as always.
However i have two question´s that are:
What got you into drawing and do you have any tips you could give to someone who would like to improve themselfes?
You dont need to answere the question´s if you dont want.
Well, I started drawing when I was small. I took a drawing course when I was in university and it basically killed any interest in it that I had to that point. It was when I discovered pony and this site that inspired me to get back into it.
As for tips? thats tough. I am just some schmuck waving a pencil around. But if you search the “tutorial” tag here, there is quite a bit of good pony specific materials for proportions, posing and the like.
But I also recommend getting familiar with the basics too. things like perspective, gesture, and composition. Im sure theres some good tutorials on youtube or elsewhere online.
As for my tips, I would say always start with gesture drawing, a very basic and crude outline of where and what you want the piece to have in it. This allows you to get postures, proportions and such down before you commit to putting dark lines that are tough to erase (this can be anything from stick figures to circles or scribbles, as long as they are very light). Dont focus on any detail work until this is done. Know what and where everything in the picture is going to be. I also sometimes do a few practice doodles to help me figure out the best pose or facial expression before applying it to the main page. Once you are satisfied with the gesture, start layering your line and shading. start with the lightest shades and work your way to the darkest. I usually get the line drawing finished first before going on to shading or coloring. As you get the line drawing going you can then start to erase any of the background doodles that you see fit.
Also, as you work you should look at what you have done from different angles and distances. Just holding your paper at arms length is good. It can help you spot errors, or other consistency problems. I have found focusing to closely at one particular section for too long makes one loose perception of the whole piece.
Additionally, its good to rotate your paper to best fit what you are currently working on. If you keep your wrist comfortable its easier to get more consistent quality, or to prevent smudging.
Lastly gear can be pretty important to getting a good drawing. Having different shades of pencils can bring whole layers of depth to a picture. So at the very least I would say buy a light, medium and dark pencil* as well as a good reliable eraser (tip for an eraser, keep it clean. just wipe off the schmutz on a piece of cloth. not doing so may make an awful smudgy mess on the paper). even if you want to fan out into a different medium like paint, pastel or ink having a good set of sketching pencils is useful.
*pencils have a rating telling you its shade. these are H, HB, and B. H is hard lead, which leaves a lighter mark, the higher the number the lighter the stroke (a 4H would be much lighter than a 2H). HB is basically a standard pencil that you can find anywhere. B is softer lead and darker strokes. The higher numbers being softer (4B being much darker than a 2B).
So hopefully there is something in here that you find helpful.
However i have two question´s that are:
What got you into drawing and do you have any tips you could give to someone who would like to improve themselfes?
You dont need to answere the question´s if you dont want.