i honestly have no idea where i should ask this, but every time my art gets complimented, it means a lot to me and i want to convey that through more than a simple thank you! but i always just end up rotating the same "thank you" + "i'm so glad you think so / your words mean a lot / it means the world!" because although it is true, i also feel like using these words too often will diminish their effect. but i mean the sentiment wholeheartedly!

thus, what are some other ways to show you're genuinely appreciative of a compliment towards your art without it feeling like just a courtesy reply? many thanks in advance!

I feel like this question is weird, but here goes.

I've read plenty about theory, perspective, psychology, harmony, etc. To think about how different choices will affect or change an image, think about what you the focus to be, think about where you want contrast, and so on.

Here's the problem I have: trying to plan to that extent results in me doing nothing. Because now, I'm just worried abour if I'm making those decisions / choices.

When I create something, the whole process honestly just runs on instinct. For example:

"Why did you use blue instead of red?"

"Because I wanted blue instead of red."

That's it. This is genuinely the extent of any creative decision. It looked nice, I wanted to try it, I liked it, I kept it. The end. It doesn't even occur to me to think about anything else while I'm doing whatever I'm doing.

So, the question is how to think deeply while drawing, I guess. How do I fix that?

Anyone have so tips for me on cybersigilism drawing. I started drawing cybersigilism because it's literally the only thing i can draw but recently I feel like my swirls and patterns are becoming repetitive. I've tried looking on Pinterest for some ideas but I'm not that good yet what should I do and what can I look for to find more patterns for cybersigilism?

I'm new to inking, and I think I've been pressing too hard :( my 005 Pigma Micron is a little bit pressed in, and drawing at certain angles makes it not come out clearly, is there some way for me to pull the tip up a teeny bit?

I am working on a collage that is primarily paper (and one or two found plastic sheets) on canvas, and I was wondering what the best adhesive is that would secure (1) the paper items to the canvas without bleeding through the paper and (2) the plastic to the canvas, if that requires a different adhesive. Nothing being attached is heavy so I couldnt find an exact rec - forgive me if this has been asked before. Thanks!

Do you think Mabef m-25 is a good choice for me? I havent bought an easel before, just been painting on my own at home without formal art training. Ive been trying different mediums like oil paint, oil pastels, and acrylics.

Sooo... I just googled easels and was torn between the M-10 and M-25, but I just went for the M-25. and now I'm wondering if I made the right choice. Haha 🤣

I want to paint a design on my black otterbox commuter case, I want to make sure I use the best paint so it doesnt end up getting worn off quickly

Hey guys! I am in art class right now and we just started our live figure drawing. And I’m wondering if anyone here has any insight on my question:
How does that not hurt? And do you have any pain at night you know was from modeling?
Our model today picked difficult poses, hard on the feet, and hard on the hips. For sure it’s only 2 minutes, but even in the amount of time I feel that I should readjust because I am pulling something or stressing my hips out unnecessarily. Like how you stand leaning your hips when you should really have both feet planted for an equal pose.
I actually thought they were just going to sit

Michaels carries them, but alas as is the trend, quality has diminished. Looking for new blank A1cards when folded that are somewhat affordable. I’m open to 3.5 by 5” too. I do marker art on them so they have to be somewhat sturdy.

Thank you.

I’ve been trying to do art for a few years, and I’ve been getting somewhat decent. However, I struggle to know what I want to draw. And I think that’s because I’m not really telling a story with my art.

A lot of what I currently do is character art which is cool and all, but it isn’t enough to really keep me motivated. Plus characters on their own look pretty boring imo as there isn’t really a deeper meaning.

I feel silly for asking, but I'm a tattoo apprentice and my mentor wants me to learn from this book, but I'm not exactly sure how to apply the concepts into my art without exercises in the book.

I'm incredibly interested in improving my concept of light and shadow as it needs improvement.

I have a theory that I put too much space between the focus and the background, and I also might have a problem with focusing more on small details than how it looks zoomed out(which sound obvious now that I say it)

Hi! I lost my artist loft slow dry blending medium when I moved recently, and I went to buy more but was informed artist loft isn't great quality and don't want anything that's going to degrade or lose color quickly. I was looking at liquitex but they have both a fluid and a medium?

Just wanted something that would be similar to the artist loft stuff 🥲👍 ik there's retarder as well but that seems a bit more finicky

I have an idea for a project but I can’t find anything resembling what I’m looking for to figure out how to set it up.

I have a 30x40” ish paper I’ll be splitting into two pieces. On paper A, I’ll have a scene with a bench. On paper B, I’ll cut out a silhouette of a person sitting and shine light through so that it lands on paper A, showing a person sitting on the bench.

I’m trying to find other inspiration and help figuring out how to set it up. I’ll be working on this in a studio class over the next couple of weeks so being able to take it down and set it back up would be ideal, if possible.

We had the idea of hanging paper B in front of paper A from the ceiling beam with fishing line and binder clips, but that would be in the way of other classes. Then we thought maybe hanging part of it from a dowel attached to an easel. The problem is I have to know how to go about this before I can start drawing.

I also just generally want to explore more ideas. The things I keep finding are mostly about casting light/shadow by itself onto a wall or canvas. I’m looking for a mix. If you know of any artists that uses a technique like this, please share! Thanks :)

Hi all!

Can you guys recommend any tools, websites, apps etc. that allow you to create clothing in order to reference it?

I suck absolute butt at clothing, but only on construction. I can freesketch pretty decent, flowy, expressive fits with pen and paper, but for the life of me can't figure out clothing as part of a digital piece (think splash art, fabric rendering in a more painterly style is also not an issue).

This means that the usual clothing references or study advice only get me so far because I understand the idea of it just fine but genuinely struggle with understanding/translating the flow of fabric in the reference to the piece I want my character to wear, i.e. where does this part go and connect to this other part. Clothing is like math to me I just can't get it into my head :/

I know some people like to use Minecraft or Sims for bg references that they can adjust, and had to think of Dressmaker, but it doesn't seem to lend itself to a quick photobashing style reference construction. Are there any other games or software that does in your experience? Also appreciate any other advice for my particular issue lol

Thanks! :3

I have been doing gesture drawing for nearly 2 decades. For much of that time, I had burning pain in my shoulder as well as a skeletal issue impacting my shoulder rotation, so my gestures were pretty bad. After a lot of exercise, my shoulder has been much better the past few years. My gestures have improved, but I feel like I focus too much on contour and detail and end up not getting much drawn in time. They end up looking worse than artists who are much less experienced, since their gestures have a charm even if lacking in anatomy, proportion, and line quality.

What has been your approach?

So this is definitely for any Philippine artists here. I need intel on options.

Like I only found a PH physical and online store called Bee Happy Crafts, that will only sell the individual Ohuhu alcohol markers inside their store.

I'm willing to physically go there. But I need other options as well. If there isn't, I might have to talk to relatives from USA to be the recipient after I have to buy directly to Ohuhu's website.

I don't think they ship to the Philippines 😭 or maybe it'll be a long process...

So I desperately need other options.

Any info?

There are days when I simply sit quietly and take my time drawing each artwork by hand.
I still hope that handmade art will always carry a value of its own, the ability to awaken something beautiful and emotional within us. Perhaps that belief is what keeps me drawing by hand, day after day.

I am very interested in translating this feeling into art, does anyone have any specific pieces or artists who focus on this feeling? I feel like this is a pretty common subject I just don’t have any saved inspiration, curious if anyone has seen any pieces that really resonate with them on this topic. (Not to copy of course, just to observe and see if that inspo helps me organize the disorganized ideas in my brain about this topic!) thanks

I am not sure where to go to ask about this as I'm not really around people very knowledgeable in the visual arts.

I'm a preschool teacher and I've assisted kids in completing a work of art for a silent auction at our center. I specifically created art with a group of older infants and toddlers..

On a thin sheet of 100% cotton fabric, they painted with acrylic paint. (Mostly splatters from finger-painting and using chubby paintbrushes.) I cut the sheet into pieces, folded one edge on each strip and attached with staples to canvas (overlaying additional pieces on unfolded edge of previous strip).

I know I may be taking this too seriously, but their work is important to me. I am trying to determine if I should seal it or not. It definitely could be fine as is. But I have families who have kept silent auction art work for over 10 years, so I want it to last. Would it better to leave as is? Should I seal it with something? If so, what would be best? (I live in Houston, TX, so it would be pretty simple to acquire supplies, but it should probably be less than $25.)

Apologies if this isn't meant to be here. And thanks so much for whatever input you may have. I appreciate it.

I dropped this sketchbook and the binding of the papers fell apart from the hard cover. I wish could show a picture. The papers are all together, it just got separated from the spine of the hard cover. Im pretty confident it cna be glued back, but i dont know what glue is strong enough.

I bought this super glue from hobby lobby but its all dried up and im going back to grt my money back

Hey everyone! I've finally decided to take art a bit more seriously and study from real life photos, but I struggle a bit with finding good references - specifically portraits I could practice the planes of the face, lighting and expressions!!!! with. Thanks in advance!

So, is it even worth trying to get a BFA in today’s day and age? I’m 22, already got my art associate’s degree from a while ago and I don’t really have particular talents or interests in anything else besides art.

I am considering doing a BFA so I can hopefully get a job in the future as a creative/art director. Obviously it’s not really a guaranteed career path and I am worried I will simply be wasting my time and money. Thoughts?

Hey guys,

Hoping one of you has the answer to this, but I've been using fw acrylic inks for a full decade with no issues. Bought a bottle recently, inked something, let it dry for a full hour, and it bled when I did watercolor over it. I thought since it's an acrylic ink, I would never face this issue with it. I have literally never experienced this before, did they change the formula or do I just have a faulty bottle?

The faulty product form on their website requires a company name so I haven't reached out to them directly, will take any info/advice

My artstyle evolved over years naturally as I drew and studied techniques more. My perspective, anatomy and colour theory is good. It's just personal preference, I think my style looks too cartoony nowadays, I loved it when I was younger.

It's like a switch I can't turn off. I've tried copying styles/features of artists I do like, but as soon as I zone out... BAM! I go back to my default style again.

To be honest it's nothing serious but I'd love to explore new styles in my drawings.

Does anyone have similar experiences?