I know this is a very personal question that y’all may not even have the answer to and I probably just need to sit with myself but…I have recently gotten out of an art drought where for some reason I just lost interest in making art for a few years. Idk why honestly, possibly phone addiction. But now that I’m finally out of the drought I have applied to colleges already and I’ve been telling myself for literal years that all I want to do is go to art school. But when it came time to apply I literally had nothing to show lol. I still make art and came up with ideas but never executed anything grand like I once did. I’m thinking of doing biology freshman year to get some art out there from my head to the physical since I have so many ideas saved up and then transfer. But honestly should I just go with biology instead and learn art by myself? I’m not all that passionate about biology, it’s interesting and I like oddities and stuff and dissections are really interesting, but that’s about as deep as the rabbit hole goes with that. But other than art it’s the next best thing.

So I'm trying to get an ipad for art, and I'm stuck between a 13" M2 (6th gen) ipad air for $620 or an 11" 5th gen ipad air for $420. Which one should I get? Not sure if the bigger screen is worth the extra $.

Hello everyone, I've been asked by a painter friend of mine to help them with a project. It's supposed to be a view from a balcony over a seaside, painted on the ceiling, walls and the floor, where a person can stand on the floor and pretend they're on the balcony.

Image explaining the illusion: https://i.imgur.com/v0F9DhV.jpeg (just an example photo, not the real project)

We don't have a problem with the sketch or painting per se, but we aren't sure how to warp/stretch the parts that are supposed to go on the ceiling, side walls and the floor, so that when you look at it from a distance, it looks like one, continuous photograph. The only wall we can paint the image on as-is is the front facing wall, obviously.

I hope you get what I'm trying to explain, sorry, English isn't my first language.

Do you know of any techniques or tutorials we could use to make this project happen? Should we use some kind of a grid maybe? We will have a digital sketch prepared in photoshop and we're thinking perhaps we could use the perspective warp somehow but we have no idea how to make the actual modification.

I have an assignment for school that requires me to make a colour wheel with warm and cool colours. I currently don't have access to the paints at school, but my sister has a plethora of many paint colours.

Are there any alternatives to warm/cool red, yellow, and blue that look the exact same, just with different names?

Individual pencils are cheaper here so I'll get them anyways. But should I choose the set colors or choose my own ones? What do you think about the colors in the sets? I want to get 36-46 pencils.

These are my renditions of Eva & Sparda DmC. Finished Eva, so I'll be coloring Sparda soon..

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. But anyway any feedback is cool...I know there's some mistakes on it. So I'll likely be more consistent on making sure they look much better

Eva colored piece https://youtube.com/shorts/HuJ4hZpbnas?feature=shared

Sparda lineart https://youtube.com/shorts/--UF2WtAN8c?feature=shared

I started uploading my art a while back and some bugger stole some and palmed it off as it's own. I know I need a watermark now but come on guys. I put hours into it and you've got that little respect and the thought of people pouring it into midjourne or something makes me sick. I was thinking about patreon but I don't really want money for my art or want to be locked into the content grind. So any methods of doing this?

In title, just curious if any one knew any communities where this is practiced!

I really don't know what's wrong with me lately, the titles a little bit click bait as I do have some motivation, but I just can't get myself to MAKE art. Everytime I try drawing for more than 5 minutes it feels like someone's sticking needles in my arm mentally. I want to make art, but actually making it makes me want to die and I'm not sure what to do. I've been doing some art study's occasionally which are fine, they just get boring really quickly. I'm not sure if I just have a lack of inspiration or if it's somthing else, but whatever it is it's driving me insane. All I can think about is making art, I've even tried just taking a break from art but I didn't help. I found myself just trying to draw even more even though it felt like Somone bashing my head against a wall. Maybe this is serious mental issue idk lmao I just wish it would stop

I am 21, and geez I feel old even though, I am still young and still alive. I feel like this since I know many people younger than me are better. Like I feel like my art isn't where I want it to be. Also these people are more succesful than me like getting more money and the worst part they act very ungrateful for the following they have.

I want to go back to the days where I just drew stuff because it is fun and I like it. Not a chore where I am competing against others or feels like a checklist of ideas I might not get to.

I want to know if other struggle with this and what do you do about it?

Recently I’ve wanted to study values and colors and looked up a video on how to study those. I watch the video and after finishing it I’ve lost all motivation to even study bc of the art shown in the video. I’m aware there’s no way I could be as good as someone that has practiced for years but I can’t do anything about his disheartenment. Everyone always says the find inspiration in other peoples art when all I feel is dread and and sadness that I can’t and might never be able to draw as good as them. How do I fix this or is this even fixable? I’ve been trying to beat it for so long but it just makes drawing impossible for me.

Hi! I'm planning to change my art account username and need a suggestion on which one should i use:

yurimano77

or

yurimano_77

My issue is just whether I should use underscore or not lol. The names without numbers are already taken, so I decided to add numbers instead (I don't like adding extra letters/words or adding underscore in between letters).

Personally I think using underscore helps to distinct my username, but I've seen some platforms that don't allow underscores so I think it might cause confusion 🤔 any thoughts?

I recently bought some acoustic wall panels from Home Depot and I’d like to paint them, but they’re PVC material.

What kind of paint can I use for that?

Hey everyone,

I’m an artist who wants to start working on a series inspired by Black history and culture—both in Africa and across the diaspora. My goal is to bring attention to the strength, resilience, and hardships within these narratives through visual art, but I want to approach it with the utmost respect.

I’m very aware of the risks of coming across as exoticizing, performative, or speaking from a top-down lens, and that’s something I want to avoid entirely. I’m reaching out to ask: How can I represent these stories in a way that’s informed, authentic, and respectful—without overstepping or speaking for the community?

I’d really appreciate any advice, thoughts, reading suggestions, or feedback. Thanks in advance for your time and energy.

Peace and respect

Hey Folks! So I just recently tried to create a portfolio and I just wanted to I could get good feedback for my future endeavors. I don't think this one is that good or like makes me seem like a "Hireable" Artist but still, I needed to make it to get my diploma.

along with it, I think I have a problem in that I am inspired by a lot of sources (like niche games and pop culture stuff ) so I do not want to settle over an art style yet (even tho I used to wish for that before but the pressure hindered my growth)

and also I am not sure of what niche of art to go to like I wish to generally become an independent artist who can work on his personal projects but also get some projects from outside so that I can earn...and also foster a community of artists, because where I'm from, I feel we still do not have one (we do have some but it is on very macro levels )

Other than all of this, I am open to any amount of feedback or anything else you feel like to mention!

Here's the link:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/220737675/2D3D-Artist-Portfolio-%282025%29

Thank you so much in advance!

I bought my first posca. it was 16 pack and I used all pens and the white pen was not like the others

1- when used it it wasn’t new 2- it’s so watery

Idk if it was used or something but I hope it’s not :(

Hello,

I've picked up on some patterns just from videos I've seen here and there. Like using multiple layers, and setting one to multiply for shadows, for example. Or quickly using the select tool to make it easier to quickly color in an area.

I'm struggling with a lot of technical aspects. Like finding the right brushes, and what different uses are for each. I'm just at the "drawing basics" part of my journey, but I'd like to dabble into other stuff as I slowly get through this, but am not sure of how to navigate a lot of the rest of the digital side.

Also, I'm wondering what other "tricks", shortcuts, optimizations could be beneficial that I might not be aware of. I'd rather not have to stumble into them all accidentally and was hoping there is a good course somewhere for teaching some specifically some of the digital aspects of learning.

Thank you for any help!

I'll preface this by saying I'm in the UK. I use acrylic paint pens a lot in one of my practises. I know some refillable ones exist, but has anyone got any experience with them please?

I know I'll need the paint to be a bit thinner, but do I need to use a specialist acrylic ink, or can I dilute my standard acrylics with a liquefying medium of some form?

If so, is there a known ratio?

Will I need to replace nibs regularly?

I'm disillusioned with the provision of some colour shade groups in pretty much all acrylic paint pen producers I've tried; and I keep hitting points where my existing pens are constantly running out of specific shades. I would love to also be able to be more sustainable.

(As well as being an artist, I'm a sustainability procurement researcher for a furniture company and am aware acrylics aren't sustainable; but I believe that functional sustainability is about picking your battles and baby steps towards something better are better than nothing)

Thanks in advance!

Hello, i would like to learn to color my works but when i am using the bucket tool, the color goes over the lines when I select "expand" when the lines are thin. Do you know some methods or programs that make coloring easier? I am using Firealpaca currently.

This feels like an age old question but I was surprised after googling and watching several youtube videos I couldn't find a thread or video that directly answered my question.

So I have a Huion tablet currently, it's a Kanvas 13 not sure which generation (I've only had it about 2 years and it was a gift from my brother). But it handles all of my drawing needs just fine and I've gotten very comfortable and use to drawing on it. But I am coming up on alot of money from my tax return and thinking of possibly getting a new tablet.

Why get a new tablet if you're comfortable with what you're drawing on?

Great question, although I enjoy my Huion and have gotten used to a work flow, I can't help but wonder, what is the "Drawing Feel" specifically on other tablets. From my experience drawing digitally there is a learning curve to getting used to a screen but you generally get over this over the first few days. That being said I switch alot back in fourth between sketchbooks and will frequently bring my drawings to the computer so although I am used to switching back and fourth. I just wonder is that small window of time it takes me now (maybe an hour or two) to get used to drawing on the tablet artificial? When I see people draw on the ipad it certainly seems like the drawing feel is more paperlike and less glossy across the screen, although I don't know I've never drawn on one. I have a paper like screen cover for my huion and this has made things better but is there something I'm missing out on? If this helped my efficiency finishing a drawn I'd definitely see this as a plus. If it matters, I am a student about to graduate and I'll be working in this field. So I am considering efficiency if it helps me get done with projects faster. Anyway sorry if this post seems redundant but I never see anyone talk about this point, they'll mention every other talking point under the sun, even hitting on responsiveness between tablets but yet they fail to mention how does it feel to you subjectively. I don't care about the technicalities of this many hertz, this graph of drawing pressure, etc. Art is pretty intuitive and everyone here should be able to easily explain to me what feels better.

TLDR; I'm only considering the drawing feel comparing Huion and Apple. Does the drawing feel of the apple feel better and if so is it a signficant difference, do you feel like you can get your work done faster because of this percieved difference? If so elbaorate, 50% faster or very slim margin. Efficiency is the main thing driving my curiosity. Also kind of a side note, I rest my hand on the tablet a decent amount while I'm drawing, (i know you're supposed to use the shoulder but I like drawing this way lol) will this be a problem if I'm switching to a ipad which is touch screen? I don't want to constantly be moving my canvas or accidentally drawing things.

Hey all,

I love drawing and own many art books. I'm just having a hard time on drawing action scenes and making them look alive (dynamic). It's something I havent nailed yet.

So any good recommendations on drawing action/dynamic and or violence? I love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.

I've been using my iPad Pro (2019) for the last 6 years and while I've been pretty happy with it so far since I've started wanting to work on bigger illustrations, it's been giving me some trouble. I'm always hitting the layer limit and very detailed pieces are starting to lag too. I love the general interface / drawing experience still though.

So I've been looking into screen tablets to use with my PC and I have a few questions and would love to hear other people's experience. I read through the FAQ, but I have some questions about people's personal experiences so I hope that's ok.

- Would it be worth going for a touch screen tablet? I'm so used to using touch for rotating and zoom (it's so bad I constantly try to pinch my physical sketchbook lol), but I wonder if it's worth paying for / how good the touch feature has been on screen tablets you've tried. Maybe it's just a matter of getting into a new habit?

- I know that Wacom is generally the 'standard' go-to brand for tablets, but I'm not sure if it's worth the premium price. How close in performance / consistency would something like Huion or XP Pen be in 2025? I've seen some comparisons but they're mostly from a few years ago and I know how quickly technology can change.

- I currently have a 12.9" screen and definitely want something bigger. Also maybe dumb question, but the 'borders' around the actual screen count as part of the size, right? I'm thinking at least 20 inches, but I feel like there might be a point where you just have more space than you would realistically need. Curious to hear from others who do bigger / detailed illustrations about your experience wrt size.

I don't have a super specific budget, I mostly just want something that feels worth the money. I'm not a professional, but a dedicated hobbyist who wants something good.

I’ve heard some artists use thumbnail stretches to help them draw a pose, scene, or character from scratch. But I’m still kind of confused on how you’d go about doing something like that. Has anyone here made a thumbnail sketch before? If so, what do you usually do them and whats the process of making one look like?

Hi everyone! I’m a 21-year-old illustration student from the South, and this is my first time really being active on a platform like this. I’m currently a junior in college, working toward a BFA in Illustration. My dream is to work in visual development and character design one day!

Lately, I’ve been wanting to be more involved in the art community to connect with other artists, make friends, and ask for tips and advice. I have a few questions I’d love help with if anyone’s open to sharing their experience:

1. For other art students currently in college: How do you balance school assignments with personal work that’s portfolio-worthy or just fun? My classes often give us vague prompts without breaking down illustration fundamentals, so I feel like I’m not really learning the core skills I need. On top of the work being three times more then an introductory course and It’s hard to find resources in my area, and I feel a little stuck.

2. Has anyone taken online courses that really helped improve your illustration/character design skills? If so, I’d love any recommendations especially ones that are good for pushing your art or just useful. One course I’ve been eyeing at is Jackie Droujko

3. Any tips or advice for someone wanting to pursue visual development and character design?

Thank you all for listening and sharing! I’d love to hear your thoughts! :)))

Hello all! I am a beginning stage artist that received an artist residency with partial funding. I am so excited and proud because many mid stage career artists won the other placements. However, I cannot afford the costs associated with it as I am a U.S. citizen on a study visa in Europe (unable to legally work) and the residency will take place in another European country. I’m searching for funding. Does anyone know of good resources?