🔥💥☄️⚡️ULTRA GIFTS⚡️☄️💥🔥

[Mia]

From what I've seen, your storytelling is on a significantly, high level. I'd say it's a gift. Don't sell yourself short, bro. You're worth more than you give yourself credit for. I made a reference to you because you're probably the greatest storyteller on this site. It's like you have the ability to persuade people and resonate with them on a deeper level.

That is very kind of you to say, I appreciate it. I saw you mention that I could write a book if I wanted to, which is interesting because I did attempt to write a book in the past. I think my main issue is that I was becoming too self-critical of what I was writing, and it caused me to lose interest. Honestly, my dream job would probably be a screenwriter rather than an author for a book.

[Delphinoid_]

It's pretty decent, just a small, imperfect indication regarding the hair overlapping the left eye.

This was a stylistic decision. It's also kind of a technical problem to design the eye in a way such that it can render over the hair in a nice way, especially when the eye is 3D. This sort of thing was done in Windwaker for example (albeit in the simpler 2D case where the eyes are just flat textures).

[Different]

This was a stylistic decision. It's also kind of a technical problem to design the eye in a way such that it can render over the hair in a nice way, especially when the eye is 3D. This sort of thing was done in Windwaker for example (albeit in the simpler 2D case where the eyes are just flat textures).

So where are your drawing skills, today? Would you say you've improved vastly over the years, a little bit, or have your skills remained stagnant?

For instance, maybe draw something like this:

[Delphinoid_]

Long post incoming, sorry!!

So where are your drawing skills, today? Would you say you've improved vastly over the years, a little bit, or have your skills remained stagnant?

For instance, maybe draw something like this:

*pic*

The picture from this post was really obvious AI art, the fact that it has a watermark is really funny in a depressing kind of way.

The bottom picture from that other post was something I did years ago, while the picture from the top left was something from around last October (so pretty recent). Comparing the newer one to older stuff, I think there is clear improvement, but a lot of it is maybe kind of subtle. I think the subject matter of what I like to draw is cringey / not very appealing to most so I can understand not wanting to look at it much (especially since it's kind of amateur), so maybe I can save you the trouble and elaborate on what I mean with words.

• The head in the old pic is too big (and is comprised of simple geometric shapes - triangle for chin, circle for head, etc.) and the limbs are way too thin. The new pic has much better proportions: the head is a slightly better size (still a bit big though) and, while the limbs are still kind of "tubey" (in particular I never finished the arms / hands lol), there's a bit more definition (visible kneecap on the left leg rather than just a spherical bend for example). There's still a lot of room for improvement here, and I think at this stage studying the underlying muscles more closely would be beneficial. The back for instance is especially bad and I had a lot of trouble with it, but I'm happy that I tried to do something harder - I think the visible spine is cool, even if it didn't turn out very well.
  
  
• The face is more detailed and WAY more expressive in the newer pic. There are visible lips and a nose, a subtle cheek rather than a flat line for the right side of the face, slightly more detailed eyes (nicer lashes and "bags" below the eyes, I wanted to draw one eye gouged out but never did) and a more passable ear rather than triangles. I didn't get around to drawing eyebrows, but even so the face has this sort of oxymoronic expression - it's crazed yet placid, and has this sort of distant longingness to it. It's really weird and unsettling. This is exactly the expression I was trying to execute, I was honestly really happy to feel like I got it.
  
  
• The hair is more detailed and natural looking. I want to practice drawing hair more honestly. I want to start doing thinner strands but more of them, rather than clumping it into one shape. There's still a lot of work to be done here.
  
  
• The pose and angle is more dynamic. Rather than a really basic front view picture, the character's body is at a weird angle facing away from the viewer. They're hunched over, on their knees and looking over their shoulder. It's just a lot more interesting (and harder to draw).
  
  
• I think what I'm least happy about with the new picture though is the gore. I want to practice drawing nicer looking gore more as well.
  

I also never use any references, ever, and I think it probably hurts my ability. It's not necessarily out of stubbornness, I've just never really been able to find helpful references for things I've wanted to draw. I think the only time I've used a reference was when I did that 3D model I showed. But my reference for that was a 2D character design sheet that I did... without a reference.

One thing that I guess should say though that like... for various reasons I don't get much of an opportunity to spend time on my hobbies these days (in the context of drawing this means only sitting down once or twice a year to draw for example, really bad I know). When I do draw I end up spending only a short amount of time on line art and then never finish it, as is evident from the pictures I showed (since by the time I return to it I'm bored of the idea and want to do something new). Between those pictures I probably only did a handful of drawings, which were also incomplete sketches.

I think a lot of my improvement comes from thinking rather than doing. When I look at other people's art, I like to analyze it as much as possible. For example, some things in the AI picture that immediately grabbed my attention:

• The visible palmaris longus muscle below the wrists, as well as the cubital fossa on the right arm. The left wrist looks quite weird though, pretty typical AI stuff.
  
  
• The prominent jugular notch in the neck. Whenever I draw characters from the front I like to add the jugular notch and clavicle bones, they're a really efficient way of breaking up the neck / chest areas and making them look less flat. You can at least see the latter in the 3D model, although they look a bit deformed and the default Blender lighting doesn't emphasize them as much.
  
  
• The lower ends of the fibula and tibia bones around the ankle, as well as the (vague implication of) arteries in the foot.
  
  
• The creases on the jeans are a little random in places but still look really nice. I really love drawing cloth but haven't done anything crazy with it in a long time.
  

There are also some significantly less graceful elements that jumped out at me:

• Hands (obviously).
  
  
• Both feet are abnormally twisted, this is especially visible on the left foot (which looks like it's on sideways).
  
  
• Where the pelvis should be based on the midriff doesn't line up with where it actually is based on the jeans (i.e. she has two hips).
  
  
• The creases in the shirt make no sense.
  
  
• Inconsistent lighting.
  
  
• The hair is imbalanced in a really weird way, and the eyebrows look like they were painted on and then smudged.
  

Obviously despite its flaws and the fact that it's AI it's still better than what I can do, but what I wanted to say is that when I look at art like this, these are the sorts of things my attention is drawn to. Then when I do get around to drawing, I try to pay more attention to these sorts of elements that I think are cool in my own pictures. Actually I think my journey as an artist has pretty much been identical to my journey in being able to appreciate other people's art; being able to identify and appreciate the subtler components of other people's artwork seems to be the main thing driving my improvement in the absence of constant practice.

I guess to finish this long rambling, there are also some aspects of my stuff that I think are bad but that I'm not too concerned about. For starters my art style is pretty exaggerated - you'll notice in all of the pictures that I draw elements that I want to draw attention to really big, like eyes, eyebrows, mouths, ears, extremities and so on. This is just how I draw, my art style has sort of trended towards less cartoony proportions over time but I still have no interest in going all the way. I think this roughness and lack of subtlety separates it a bit from more traditional anime aesthetics, it gives it almost a kind of "Western" look which I'm not totally opposed to. The other thing is colour - I pretty much exclusively draw in monochrome, since I never get past the line art stage. I have experimented with lighting a long time ago, and it's really fun, but it's an inefficient use of the little time I spend on drawing (at least in terms of outcome). The last time I did anything with colour was probably this:

https://github.com/Delphinoid/SDLOpenGLB...Lenticular

I basically drew sprites of a character standing and running from 5 different angles. You can see it in action by downloading the binary. Alternatively here's a GIF of the running animation when viewed from the front. The framerate is low since I had to animate this character from 5 different angles (front, 3/4, side, 1/4, back).



Doing all of these animations took a while even at this framerate, but I did it iteratively over the course of a year. I was motivated due to wanting to use them for a game idea in the future.

[~JBG~]

 

Candy gore sketches?

[Different]

I think the subject matter of what I like to draw is cringey / not very appealing to most so I can understand not wanting to look at it much (especially since it's kind of amateur), so maybe I can save you the trouble and elaborate on what I mean with words.

If it makes you feel any better, I have a strong interest for artwork that’s disturbing in a strange sort of way. I used to draw things that would be considered very disturbing to most people. It really depends on who your audience is that you’re showing these off too. The same thing can be said about cartoons. THIS cartoon got taken down because of copyright issues around “What’s up, doc?”.

I used to watch a lot of MeatCanyon on YouTube. It’s incredibly disturbing, but it’s unique in a strange sort of way because it’s his own version of cartoons.

I also never use any references, ever, and I think it probably hurts my ability. It's not necessarily out of stubbornness, I've just never really been able to find helpful references for things I've wanted to draw. I think the only time I've used a reference was when I did that 3D model I showed. But my reference for that was a 2D character design sheet that I did... without a reference.

One thing that I guess should say though that like... for various reasons I don't get much of an opportunity to spend time on my hobbies these days (in the context of drawing this means only sitting down once or twice a year to draw for example, really bad I know). When I do draw I end up spending only a short amount of time on line art and then never finish it, as is evident from the pictures I showed (since by the time I return to it I'm bored of the idea and want to do something new). Between those pictures I probably only did a handful of drawings, which were also incomplete sketches.

References are your friend. It's what allows you to stay inspired by new forms of art so that your mind won't develop artist's block. Use Pinterest as your avenue of inspiration. Their algorithm is pretty damn good at picking up on what your interests are. For example, I've just gotten really engrossed into the Japanese art culture. They just kept on sending me an abundance of different, Japanese artwork. Some of them were AI generated, some were paintings, and some were sketches. Here's an example of mine, below:

On the other hand, you just need to discipline yourself and make time to work on and finish the things that you love to do. Break the drawing projects into small chunks if you think you don't have time to finish them in one day. Keep a daily planner on your pc and look for intervals that allow you to spend time working on these drawings.

[Delphinoid_]

Candy gore sketches?

Pretty much. I love anything cute, but I also love stuff that's creepy / weird / offputting. I don't necessarily find the super bright colours in candy gore appealing, but I do like the general style a lot. Something funny is that even though I like drawing gore, I hate drawing (physical) pain. I think this is the main thing that what I like to do shares with candy gore; rather than having gore arise through torture or the like, it's an inherent part of the character's design. Rather than using it as a tool to communicate extreme physical suffering, it emphasizes the intrinsic aesthetic beauty of gore, or is used as a metaphor of some kind (such as a metaphor for strong emotions, for instance).

References are your friend. It's what allows you to stay inspired by new forms of art so that your mind won't develop artist's block. Use Pinterest as your avenue of inspiration. Their algorithm is pretty damn good at picking up on what your interests are. For example, I've just gotten really engrossed into the Japanese art culture. They just kept on sending me an abundance of different, Japanese artwork. Some of them were AI generated, some were paintings, and some were sketches. Here's an example of mine, below:

*pic*

I have no shortage of inspiration when it comes to drawing, actually I usually find it really easy to come up with ideas (which annoys me a bit since I just end up collecting a million ideas that I'll never finish). I was more talking about using references in the sense of like... having some picture that's similar to what you want to draw in order to guide you. I.e. if one wanted to draw a panda for instance, most artists would look up pictures of pandas in the kind of pose they're envisioning in order to help them execute that idea (unless they draw a lot of pandas, in that case it's probably unnecessary). I don't really use references, and I think that hurts some of the technical aspects of my art.

Although I don't use Pinterest, I do follow a lot of artists on Twitter and occasionally check websites like Pixiv. Here are some artists I found recently whose work I really like:
https://twitter.com/the_ba97
https://twitter.com/wuwuren4
https://twitter.com/nousi_nasu
I find their work appealing both in terms of style and subject matter. I'd really like to be able to draw like they can.

On the other hand, you just need to discipline yourself and make time to work on and finish the things that you love to do. Break the drawing projects into small chunks if you think you don't have time to finish them in one day. Keep a daily planner on your pc and look for intervals that allow you to spend time working on these drawings.

I agree. I think I used to be better at this, but for the past 5 or 6 years I've been finding it increasingly difficult doing the things I need to do, let alone the things I want to do. Getting out of bed and going outside are constant challenges, I find it difficult to concentrate on things due to relentless intrusive thoughts, etc., but like... I understand why this is the case for me and I know that it always will be the case, because I don't want it to be any other way. It can only be this way, to be any other way would be to betray my personal immutable values - in other words, it would be pure delusion. Despite all the planning I've done for my future and my career, it has mostly been for the sake of taking my mind off the present. The real plan that I've had for the past few years has been to kill myself at some point during 2024. Ironically, the thought of suicide is what gets me through each day. I'm just waiting for the right time to minimize any damage to my brother.

I guess that was a long way to explain why I don't work on my hobbies often.

[Different]

The real plan that I've had for the past few years has been to kill myself at some point during 2024. Ironically, the thought of suicide is what gets me through each day. I'm just waiting for the right time to minimize any damage to my brother.

I guess that was a long way to explain why I don't work on my hobbies often.

Why would you ever want to kill yourself?? I don't understand. That would be a huge mistake. Listen, I'm not trying to derail the thread here, but this is a temporary exception since you've mentioned it. You're a really smart guy, and the fact that you would ever consider committing suicide is beyond my knowledge. Look, we've all had shitty days where we feel like the world or something is kicking our asses. But, you can't let those demons dominate you like that. You're giving them power over you.

You need to stay mentally strong, and find better coping mechanisms to deal with your suicidal thoughts. Figure out what the source of your suicidal thoughts are, and then go talk to a psychiatrist about dealing with those intrusive thoughts. You're 25 years old. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Don't **** it up by killing yourself because it's going to lead to a life time of regrets. There is no after life when you commit suicide; only hell and darkness.

Getting back on track: You have incredible gifts, ok? One of your gifts are the gift of knowledge. Remember, knowledge is power, and the more you realize that the more prone you are towards making smarter decisions.

@Mia Please help me tell him that suicide is a bad decision.

[Northadox]

i wish i had some solid pictures to post here that wouldn't get me 🅱️eleted off the face of this forum. my main source of income nowadays is from a particular form of art commissions, which is the bulk of what I draw, though obviously I draw all the time as a hobby. 

jiggmin is one of my many inspirations (though my heart goes mostly to edmund mcmillen's line of work). those I admire most are those who are adept at all the skills at authoring video games. jiggmin is (was?) a programmer, artist and composer, all skills I would like to work on.

i wish i had much of my old original JV-era art saved. if I did it'd be on a busted old laptop which was misplaced long ago. much of it was embarrassing hand-drawn art of the various OCs I had at that point, of that ninja-terrorist or of that plunger dude. playerz, the silent artist, tank titanium, mr. black and mr. white, those fellas...honestly, I'd say those guys were inspirations as well. i made ms paint doodles in an attempt to fit in, to embrace that artistic side, to try and be like them. that and my silly little forum games I ran (and then aborted), no matter how utter gutter-trash they were, they were steps on my artistic journey. guess i can thank all those people and some people from school i went with. i guess i learned to draw out of envy and spite!

i've saved the mass of my art since 2017, though as I've said I wish I had art from earlier on, because it's always nice to reflect on how far you've come. i mean i'd like to think I've improved, enough to make a minor living (even if what I produce is pretty taboo), 

here's a character I designed for something. i've never been wholly set on her design, though.



i tend to make hobbyist art for a functional purpose, i.e., for games and the like, rather than mere eyecandy. a project i'm working on is a mod of one of my favorite games, the binding of isaac rebirth, to give some of its textures a little kick of soulfulness. i like to work in a variety of different artstyles to push my skills further in a lot of directions.



i always like to push myself with my art and try new things, though i think i still have a lot of improvement to make. my anatomy isn't so hot and some of my gestures are stiff. i also tend to struggle with backgrounds and locations in contrast to characters.

while i am capable-ish at programming (in one language with one framework) and capable-ish at drawing (...certain things), my composing skills are seriously lacking. i don't know how those musicians do it, it's like an alien world, i tell you hwhat. i try sometimes though.

of course combining all of these skills for the ultimate purpose of making games I have done, but not to a satisfactory degree. i did post about my clone of Orbit, one of Jiggmin's old games, and I can safely say THAT is a finished thing you can play, but it's basic and derivative. i did also have that aborted platform racing clone but that was, again, basic and derivative. someday I'll make something cool! i hope!

[Mia]

@Mia Please help me tell him that suicide is a bad decision.

@Delphinoid_ There are times where you probably feel backed into a corner and suicide seems like the only option left. I know that feeling because I've been there. It's not true though, and you should try to open up to a professional. If you're uncomfortable doing so, you can always PM me here or on Discord. I can't offer you professional advice, but I can lend an open ear. But if you ever have an overwhelming urge to terminate your own life, I urge you to call whatever suicide hotline you have in your area. Just remember, you have people that care about your well being.