Stray Fish/ 野良魚1d ago
#artists , I know this is a long shot, but instead of complaining forever I will just ask:
Are there any artists here with #MEcfs #longcovid #fibro or energy limiting illness, or those who are aware what this is like, that know how to practice mark making when essentially almost bedbound?
Because obviously i can't have the "objectively" good posture and do the whole drawing from the arm thing when half lying propped up on pillows, in bed, with my tablet in my lap.
If anyone else has any ideas I welcome them.
My lines (and generally, fundamentals) are shit and I want to change that.
Not sure what to tag, #neisvoid ? #artlearning ?
Show threadriley 🐲🎶

@rybson mine has never been bad enough that i was bedridden but it's still the reason why i post art so rarely 😅 I mostly draw on real paper and scanning+editing+colouring just takes so much of me that i need to brace myself and make extra time for it. i don't have a mobile tablet and never had the chance to try how it's like to draw on one, but considering how even my nintendo 3ds is a lot for my arms, maybe give paper a shot?

imho, drawing from the arm is overrated for our (fannish) purposes. i mostly draw my little blorbos in sketchbooks and the paper isn't even big enough to allow for that much movement 🤷

re: improving art. I think a lot of it depends on finding tutorials that fit your learning style. e.g. i'm not someone who learns based on vibes (which most ""artsy creative"" people seem to do. i disliked most of my art school teachers for that reason lol). I need to understand the logic behind it, so I usually have to go the extra mile to find tutorials i can actually learn from.

buuut if you need some pointers/gentle critique, hmu ✌️ maybe i can help you get over your current frustration hurdle

ps: i wrote this up before looking up what mark making means 

Mar 25 at 11:53amWeb
Show threadStray Fish/ 野良魚14h ago
@dragonlayer thanks so much! Yeah I have a hard time finding learning resources that work.
Arm/shoulder drawing might be overrated, but when I look at some artist's great lineart I just...want to BE them...
Show threadriley 🐲🎶14h ago

@rybson not quite sure what particular lineart style you mean, but i promise it can be achieved without big arm movements! (it really just comes into play if your physical canvas is big). and considering you're drawing digitally you can cheat your way out of it anyway by just zooming out of your canvas  it's more important to find a brush that clicks with you than range of movement, i promise! (i never understood nibs, i actually ink with brush tips, so i had to find something in csp that was like that)

offer to give you specific pointers still stands! i'm familiar with your art from browsing the local timeline, so I was surprised to see you agonize over lineart when you've been such a prolific painter^^

Show threadStray Fish/ 野良魚14h ago

@dragonlayer hmm yeah thanks. I will have to experiment with brushes more. And zooming out too.
I don't like how my lines are idk, stiff. And dont go where they should go. My first sketch is chicken scratch , that is okay, but then the next layer...is imprecise, or loses flow. I feel like i should train my brain and hand to know where and how the lines are supposed to be, rather than just wing it

( ... I probably have been painting too much, because I make myself crash way too often. I have to get myself under control hahah)
And as for the lineart style I mean...
I look at pretty much any mangaka or anyone on pixiv and am just. In awe.
I am aiming too high considering my limitations...

Show threadriley 🐲🎶13h ago

@rybson the chicken scratch problem instantly reminded me of this post i saved ages ago https://gorillaprutt.tumblr.com/post/144644162806/
oh man, i totally get what you mean by losing the, well, looseness on the next layer. i struggle with this too, even if i know the solution is to just not follow the sketch as rigidly as i do 🥹

oh i get that!! sometimes the siren song of the flow is just too strong 😭 i often plan my workload around crashing the next day when i struggle finding a daily routine

i found the easiest way to imitate a specific style is to copy images to my canvas and look at how the other person did it while actually doing it myself 👀 (something i did on this drawing here https://blorbo.social/@dragonlayer/114280124011756600 )
i don't think you're aiming too high!! i feel like you just haven't internalized the "work smarter not harder" mindset yet. i struggled with that for years because i thought it's cheating to take short cuts, but really, nobody cares that you didn't draw every single brick in a wall in the background 😅

Show threadStray Fish/ 野良魚12h ago
@dragonlayer thanks so much!!!! your words really made me feel better!!!
Thanks for the link to the exercises, they look bite sized enough for me to be able to wrap my head around them.
And your drawing is awesome