claire the art novice is starting to draw!

[5cm/s]

i'm claire, and i'm starting to draw!! tysm for coming to look around!

i used to take art classes as a kid so i'm still fairly good at drawing still life, but i've never really drawn humans. i want to start drawing them, because i really like fashion and want to draw all the cute clothes i want hehe

Spoiler: goals:

- i want to work on anatomy!! whenever i draw people, they're cute, but stiff.
- i want to develop my own style! i like my minimalist style right now, but it'd be really nice to branch out even more :')
- i want to work on drawing hands, holding items, waving, etc.
- i want to work on accurately portraying the clothing items i like on my characters (maybe develop some OCs?)
- i want to branch out of traditional art and play around with digital art / photoshop (maybe a low-cost tablet coming soon??)
- i want to work on drawing from imagination. right now i can only draw well if i am drawing w a reference​

Spoiler: my art:

(these are my favorites for now?? from old to new! please be gentle :') )
​

tyssm for stopping by! i'd love love all constructive criticism and would reeeeaally appreciate tips if you guys have anything you think would help me with any of my goals! i hope you like how my art develops, and i hope you like the clothing i draw!
(psst hey if you like the style of clothing i draw, be sure to check out my tumblr! most of what i draw is stuff i've posted there!
​

 

[Milleram]

I actually really like your style! I would definitely continue trying to develop it. The way you draw faces is really cute. And because your style is fairly simple, I don't think your poses really look stiff. They kinda suit the overall vibe of your drawings. That being said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to experiment and trying different styles. Just don't totally forget about what you have going on right now, because I think with a little more development, it could be really great. c; I look forward to seeing your progress! c:

 

[Dracule]

Your characters are very cute! I actually really enjoy your drawing style. It reminds me of those “fashion clothing” sketches mixed with a more cartoon-look :>. I think maybe that’s why they seem a bit stiff to you, but I kind of like that.

I’m a novice as well, so I can’t really offer any tips or constructive criticism, haha. I wish you the best with your art journey and will definitely be checking back to your thread!

 

[EvieEvening23]

your art is so cute!

btw, I wouldn't stress with trying to draw from your imagination as soon as possible. Even seasoned veterans who have been drawing for years still use references (though they got most of it down)

 

[dedenne]

Jahaowkaorb SO CUTE!!!!!!!!

I really like the simplicity! I also really like the eyes xD

 

[5cm/s]

I actually really like your style! I would definitely continue trying to develop it. The way you draw faces is really cute. And because your style is fairly simple, I don't think your poses really look stiff. They kinda suit the overall vibe of your drawings. That being said, there is nothing wrong with wanting to experiment and trying different styles. Just don't totally forget about what you have going on right now, because I think with a little more development, it could be really great. c; I look forward to seeing your progress! c:

ah thanks so much!! i'm glad you think the way i draw bodies fits my style- i'm definitely still going to work on improving this style before i try different styles :')

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Your characters are very cute! I actually really enjoy your drawing style. It reminds me of those “fashion clothing” sketches mixed with a more cartoon-look :>. I think maybe that’s why they seem a bit stiff to you, but I kind of like that.

I’m a novice as well, so I can’t really offer any tips or constructive criticism, haha. I wish you the best with your art journey and will definitely be checking back to your thread!

aa thanks so much for the support!! i hope your art journey goes really well too! i'm definitely continuing this "fashion-clothing" style, so stay tuned

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your art is so cute!

btw, I wouldn't stress with trying to draw from your imagination as soon as possible. Even seasoned veterans who have been drawing for years still use references (though they got most of it down)

aw thank you for the tip!! i'll definitely continue to draw from reference and slowly try to branch out- but thanks to your words i'll definitely try to take it slow and steady! thankuuu!

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Jahaowkaorb SO CUTE!!!!!!!!

I really like the simplicity! I also really like the eyes xD

aww tysm! i'm glad you like them :'))

 

[Warrior]

Your art reminds me of minipetes, it's cute

I would say don't sweat too much about diving straight into digital, and also not to worry too much about things being lined super well. For me most improvement came when I simply allowed things to be a bit messy. If you want to work on drawing from imagination, I would say don't worry about EVERYTHING being from imagination, maybe you're having an ok time with the body but the legs are giving you trouble? you can always use refs selectively, I would say use refs whenever you feel like you're stumped. It will help you learn how to draw that thing.


Also! I also love drawing clothes, drawing clothes is one of my biggest focuses. (Yes I too draw the clothes I want to find irl lol!) To make them look more dynamic and natural, pay attention to how your own clothes move irl, pay attention to things like how folds form when you bend your arms and things like that, I find folds in clothing really help take the stiffness out of the picture.


The thing that REALLY helped me was learning about negative space. This is basically instead of focusing on drawing the mass of the item you're drawing, instead draw the outlines focusing on the EMPTY spaces. I find this helps drawing more dynamic poses and such. It's also extremely helpful for hands. Outstretched fingers really are great for this ... I did a quick sketch focusing on negative space, but maybe it can be a bit hard to tell exactly HOW I'm focusing on negative space.... sorry!

Good luck and have lots of fun! It can be extremely frustrating to not make progress as quick as you want, but if you draw for ten minutes every day, in a year you'll be so far ahead of where you are now. Good luck!

 

[5cm/s]

today's sketches (i lined them!!):

the third is my mayor :')
will be adding these to my spoiler right away!

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Your art reminds me of minipetes, it's cute

I would say don't sweat too much about diving straight into digital, and also not to worry too much about things being lined super well. For me most improvement came when I simply allowed things to be a bit messy. If you want to work on drawing from imagination, I would say don't worry about EVERYTHING being from imagination, maybe you're having an ok time with the body but the legs are giving you trouble? you can always use refs selectively, I would say use refs whenever you feel like you're stumped. It will help you learn how to draw that thing.


Also! I also love drawing clothes, drawing clothes is one of my biggest focuses. (Yes I too draw the clothes I want to find irl lol!) To make them look more dynamic and natural, pay attention to how your own clothes move irl, pay attention to things like how folds form when you bend your arms and things like that, I find folds in clothing really help take the stiffness out of the picture.


The thing that REALLY helped me was learning about negative space. This is basically instead of focusing on drawing the mass of the item you're drawing, instead draw the outlines focusing on the EMPTY spaces. I find this helps drawing more dynamic poses and such. It's also extremely helpful for hands. Outstretched fingers really are great for this ... I did a quick sketch focusing on negative space, but maybe it can be a bit hard to tell exactly HOW I'm focusing on negative space.... sorry!

Good luck and have lots of fun! It can be extremely frustrating to not make progress as quick as you want, but if you draw for ten minutes every day, in a year you'll be so far ahead of where you are now. Good luck!

aww thank you SO much warrior this is so nice of you ;;;;;

your insights w refs are really helpful, and i guess i will hold off on drawing digitally for a while- i ordered a small tablet in the mail yesterday, and i'm glad i avoided two-day shipping because now i want to give myself time to get used to doing this!

i'll definitely start paying attention to how cloth falls in real life so i can incorporate that a little into my art- i like the minimal style i have going, so i don't think i'll ever go very detailed with my drawings, but i at least want to be able to draw my people from different angles and in different poses :')

i see what you mean about negative space, and i'll definitely try working on focusing on that- that way i'm drawing the shapes rather than drawing what i think something should look like, right?

anyway, tysm for such detailed help!! i hope you have a lovely day!!

 

[Tinkalila]

omg your style is super cute!! i can imagine your art getting a large following tbh, your style seems like it's universally charming. i bet you'll do great with digital.

 

[5cm/s]

today!


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omg your style is super cute!! i can imagine your art getting a large following tbh, your style seems like it's universally charming. i bet you'll do great with digital.

thanks so much!! im v happy you like it and i hope to keep improving! my tablet arrived today, but i think i'm going to work on getting the hang of it first before i start drawing w it

 

[Dracule]

I’m squealingggg (๑>◡<๑). The outfits you draw seriously make me wish I could conjure them up in my wardrobe, haha.

 

[5cm/s]

I’m squealingggg (๑>◡<๑). The outfits you draw seriously make me wish I could conjure them up in my wardrobe, haha.

me too :,,) tysm for the compliments and for reading my crusty handwriting!!

 

[5cm/s]

realizing i should probably put my new stuff in a spoiler so it doesn't take 40000 years to scroll down :')
today's been a good day! i had an interview in the morning (i feel 100x more feminine in heels i lovvve it), and i'm having a jamba juice dinner date with some old friends tonight!

summer vibin':

Spoiler: hey! today!

the first one is based off of naeun (click!) from apink, who is an absolute goddess

 

[5cm/s]

Spoiler: today!

 

[Warrior]

Hi, it's good to see you are drawing a lot, but is it ok if I point out two little things?

I'm going to focus on the second pic you posted today, I know you want very straight and thin legs as a style choice yeah? but without no clear indicator of where the knees are, its hard to find out where other things go. for example the arms are way to short, but if you had knees, its basically that the fingers always land mid thigh. You got the length right in your summer pic! so I know you can do it.

I couldn't find any super good clear example, but I think this is close in pose to get the point across

Spoiler

She has a long slender body like you're drawing, but even though very straight and thin, it's easy to tell where the knees are, and her arms are long to match how long the legs are.

In general, the best advice is to look at how people look irl, and since you're interested in fashion art you can even use models on clothing websites for reference.

I hope I didn't come across as rude! I just feel like it will be a good thing for you to work on! Good luck!

 

[5cm/s]

Hi, it's good to see you are drawing a lot, but is it ok if I point out two little things?

I'm going to focus on the second pic you posted today, I know you want very straight and thin legs as a style choice yeah? but without no clear indicator of where the knees are, its hard to find out where other things go. for example the arms are way to short, but if you had knees, its basically that the fingers always land mid thigh. You got the length right in your summer pic! so I know you can do it.

I couldn't find any super good clear example, but I think this is close in pose to get the point across

Spoiler

She has a long slender body like you're drawing, but even though very straight and thin, it's easy to tell where the knees are, and her arms are long to match how long the legs are.

In general, the best advice is to look at how people look irl, and since you're interested in fashion art you can even use models on clothing websites for reference.

I hope I didn't come across as rude! I just feel like it will be a good thing for you to work on! Good luck!

nono of course you're not coming off as rude- thank you so much for the comments and help! i'll definitely keep working at legs and looking at human models more to make my art more realistic. i agree, maybe working on legs and knees will ground the body and help me draw the rest
thank youuu!

 

[5cm/s]

a doodle! it took me a lil bit to get her face to NOT look like a velociraptor's...

Spoiler: not a velociraptor

 

[lunatepic]

I love this art style!! it's very cute and minimalist, reminds me a bit of pinekid/ka3l's art :> and I think you nailed the sideways perspective on your latest piece, it's definitely a lot more human-looking than velociraptor-looking

 

[5cm/s]

I love this art style!! it's very cute and minimalist, reminds me a bit of pinekid/ka3l's art :> and I think you nailed the sideways perspective on your latest piece, it's definitely a lot more human-looking than velociraptor-looking

aw tysm! i've never heard to pinekid, but i looked up their art, and i agree- we have similar styles thanku so much for the compliments :')

 

[Charlottie]

your art is adorable! it has a very specific minimalist and cozy feeling to it, especially with how you draw clothing. I love it <3

I also have a problem with stiffness no matter how cute the rest of the piece is, and here are some things I try to do (or procrastinate :') ) to help:
- focus on ONE thing at a time if you want to get better at specific things. if you want to get better with poses, focus on that rather than the clothing on your characters or the hands
- use pose references! if you simply look up "pose references," many sites will come up (pinterest, sites dedicated to poses, google images), but you can also just think of a pose and look that up on google images. art reference blogs on tumblr help as well
- watch videos of people drawing, gather their tips but don't be too overwhelmed by comparing yourself to them. you can learn a lot by just watching people move around a pencil.
- I LOVE this video, it helped me so much with just having fun with poses and being "rhythmic" rather than stiff
- again, focus on one thing at a time! maybe for a week or a month or however many months, just focus on how you want to improve on hands. don't get too overwhelmed by online resources and the art that others make.

I think my tips are a bit all over the place but I hope they help! I'd love to see you improve more over time, though I think right now your style is awesome and very unique to you I hope that over time, you'll get the same feelings we do when we see your art--happy, cuz it's adorable!

have fun with your tablet, btw! they're very hard to get the hang of. it might be helpful to draw on paper first, and then trace/sketch over it with your tablet and see what you can do from there with adding stuff to the piece. which reminds me that your latest piece had really nice perspective!!