To be taken for what it is - ramblings of a weirdo. A weirdo with a heart of gold, and good intentions.
Look for Inspiration Outside of Your Medium
One of the biggest mistakes I see is people only gathering inspiration from art made out of their own medium. Admiring your fellow -insert artist type here- is fine of course, but make sure to mix in a slew of other sources as well. This will help keep your art unique and fresh and help you steer away from trends.
My personal inspiration tends to come from digital and oil painters, fashion photographers, movies and my favorite: people watching. :stare:
Don't Blame Your Equipment, or Lack there
Tools of the Trade: Choosing Stock by AbbeyMarie, journal
Tools of the Trade: Choosing Stock
What to Look For
When it comes to stock images there is no better time to be picky. With both free and purchased stock, be discerning. Once you start being picky about what stock you use, and even better when you start using premium stock, you will notice your quality of work will increase a significant amount. Better ingredients means better results.
ClarityYou want a crisp clear image with a very very low amount of noise, no motion blur caused by a shaky camera, and completely no artificial effects and edits. Noise is the most common issue, but also the easiest to deal with (to an extent) as long as the image is a good size. Which brings u
Tools of the Trade: Helpful Hardware by AbbeyMarie, journal
Tools of the Trade: Helpful Hardware
Pen TabletsPen tablets are probably one of the most sought after pieces of hardware among the digital artist crowd. And while you would be highly mistaken if you think that a pen tablet will instantly make you an amazing artist, it is a very handy tool. I personally use one, and while it took me a good year and a half to actually use it after I bought it, once I began using it I loved it.
Huion 8 ExpressKey 10 x 6 Inches Graphics Drawing Tablet
Price: $55.97 on Amazon
Pen Pressure: 2048
Size: 10'' x 6''
Review
I am extremely intrigued by this tablet. 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, 8 expresskeys and 16 User-defined Keys that are al
Hi everyone,
So . . . for our "The Wow Effect" month here at we-HEART-photomanip (https://www.deviantart.com/we-heart-photomanip), I wanted to show some of my favorite photomanipulations of all time and explain why they are so amazing to me. Let's get started!
I'm starting with something a little bit older, but it is my favorite piece on deviantART. Foxfires (https://www.deviantart.com/foxfires) has captured a very precious moment for the main character. See how the light seems to make her glow, illuminating and softening her expression, lifting her hair, giving her dimension? The light around the model is hard but not overpowering, and the lamps are clearly lit without being overdone. The surroundings, while bright and col
Art from we-HEART-photomanip (https://www.deviantart.com/we-heart-photomanip)'s amazing members!
Celestial Warrior LeahCarlos-Quevedo (https://www.deviantart.com/carlos-quevedo)
Till death do us part neverdying (https://www.deviantart.com/neverdying)
A Siren's Song annewipf (https://www.deviantart.com/annewipf)
Kitsune tamaraR (https://www.deviantart.com/tamarar)