i just wanted to send you something letting you know just how absolutely gorgeous your art is. It's clear you have spent a lot of time to get to this point and I find myself zooming in on every piece you post.
You make me want to share my art again. I stopped because people constantly accusing me of AI or photobashing even after I showed layers ticked me off so badly, the thought of having to carefully document all of my wips and then save every process and maybe even have to show my rl hands drawing on my tablet just triggered my paranoia and anxiety to an insane degree that I just abandoned everything.
But! Your art is truly inspiring, it truly does make me want to come back to sharing art. I hope you keep making art and doing what you love. 🩷
Thank you so so much for these sweet words. ;;o;;
It's always so great to hear that I can inspire other people, it really does put a smile on my face!! Also, I completely understand you with what you've mentioned.
My reply to you got a bit long!
I also have been accused of AI in the past, I've complained about it before. I'm extremely against generative AI and have never and will never use it or support anyone that does. But what you've mentioned about feeling paranoid regarding obsessively documenting your work process is something I've felt recently too. It's hard being an artist right now, but I feel like it's really hard if you're an artist who's style veers into realism or is realistic. 😭
I barely ever save time lapses to save storage space, and when I do toggle the time lapse button on it's after I'm done sketching and making a layer to render on. Also, with how large my canvas size is in procreate I literally merge whatever part of the piece I'm working on (the face, the clothes, whatever) then move on to the next part, which means that by the time I'm done each section are just 1 single layer, you won't see the layers I made for shadows or highlights or the base or anything.
I tend to make duplicates of my pieces while I'm working on them In case I make a mistake I can roll it back to a previous version, but because my pieces are so large (because bigger canvas = more detail) I tend to delete those duplicates after I'm done. I screenshot them In my gallery, but now I don't think even those WIP screenshots of my gallery is enough. And opening up my layers on the finished piece would just show each section merged with the textures I add on top of them.
(Also even with the screenshots of my gallery, like I mention I sketch it, then when I'm done sketching I block out the shapes I want in white underneath the sketch, delete the sketch THEN I make a clipping mask layer attached to that shape to render, so it looks odd without knowing that and I will admit I have actually gotten worried over that like oh are people gonna think I didn't make anything at all because of the way I paint???)
So what this means is the few process videos I do have don't have the sketching process, it's just me rendering on a clipping mask layer I made, which without context doesn't look right at all.
Because of all of this, It's gotten to where I've been thinking about my art process, because it doesn't look like a lot of others processes, and it stresses me out. 😭💀
From now on I think I'm just gonna have to keep the time lapse turned on for the entire process instead of just the rendering like I was doing previously, because like you I'm also becoming paranoid that people look at my stuff and just assume it isn't mine and I'm like a lazy hack or something. 😭😭😭
And worst of all is that I don't even blame people for being cautious because AI advanced to the degree where people are justifiably very skeptical and concerned.
And I feel you with the photobashing comment as well...I mean I spent so long rendering the clothes the skin and whatnot now you're saying you think I didn't paint all of that and just put a photo in?? It definitely bums me out I admit. I mean if we go back further in time, people used to accuse realistic artists of just photoshopping everything too, so this isn't necessarily anything new but it does still irk me, I am only human. ;;__;; (I spent so much time getting to this point in my art, too. I've been drawing since I was a kid and I've always loved art.)
It seems like artists (especially realistic artists) will have to document a lot from each piece they work on from now on. And I understand that a lot of artist will see that expectation, and just opt to not share their art online at all. (Also I wonder if Vincent Van Gogh would be accused of AI if he was alive now, would people look at the wobbly strokes of Starry Night and conclude it's too imperfect? 🧐 It's weird to think about!)
I foolishly thought what I have been documenting was enough but I guess not. Sometimes I see artists have to pull receipts just to dispel AI claims and I sit there and think "oh if she didn't have that documented she'd be labeled a liar and a fraud." 💀
Like I mentioned earlier, people lying and forcing themselves in art communities with AI generated imagery is a real problem, so it's not like the suspicion is unwarranted, but I can see how it would make people not want to share art online anymore or be anxious to share it. And I'm saying this as someone MASSIVELY against generative AI.
I do think art is still worth sharing with others, creating in general is a very human thing to do and I would hate it if generative AI prevented people from connecting via art and admiring art. The internet is great for sharing creativity that otherwise I never would have seen had I been born in any other point in time. I also don't blame anyone for looking at the state of things and deciding not to share anything, even though it makes me a bit sad.
Thank you for sending me this!! It made me smile, and also got me thinking on this subject again. I wish you the very best in your creative journey regardless of whether you choose to share it online or not! 💕
VYou draw very well, I think you've heard that before, but it's true, it looks like I'm seeing an old piece of art or an old movie, very good, incredible!!!!!! :-) (eu estou começando agora a desenhar no digital 😭)
THANK YOU.....It means a lot to me every time anyone says anything kind about my art it really does. ;;o;;
I love how you drew Demoman! How do you draw so good and realistically?
Teach me your WAYS! OSBWJDJEHDJSISJJDHWJSSJ! *EATS YOUR ART*
Thank you so so much!! I would heavily recommend learning art/painting fundamentals, I learned entirely from the internet save from a few books I bought (bridgman's life drawing book was super helpful for me) and just kept on making art! I also would recommend this video by Stephen Travers art! And a bunch of other artists too, just off the top of my head; Stephen Bauman's playlists on drawing fundamentals, block ins, and educational videos. Marco Bucci's playlists as well! And foster a joy of learning and just watch whatever pops up that interests you! ^__^
That being said I wanted to try to make some sort of very general guide on how I go about rendering specifically, I did try my best to explain but it was difficult for me to articulate. ;;o;; Hopefully it still makes sense regardless!
Examples of what each layer looks like under the cut + a screenshot of the layers on my most recent drawing I finished.
Here you can see what my layers end up looking like in an actual painting. It's a lot of making new layers and merging them down once I'm satisfied with how it looks.
Here's what the texture looks like, not sure if you can see in this image but I erased some parts of It that I felt was too harsh.
I love your paintings. I don't know how to describe it but I feel like when I first discovered pointillism. Your art gives me the feeling of a nice day outside or the fresh inside of a museum in a sunny hot day. I think that if my art teachers had shown me your drawings I would've pursued art a lot more. Amazing art!!!!!
!!!!! Omg thank you so much!! 🥺💞 It really is such a huge honor to hear this, especially that my art could give you those feelings! Thank you!! 💗💗
I CAN'TTT😭 Your art is genuinely so captivating, inspiring, and phenomenal. Every time I look at it, I keep thinking, how can someone possibly be this good at drawing?? I can't even imagine how much effort and time it must've taken to reach this level. You're an excellent artist. I think I've saved almost every single one of your drawings. I'm trying to get into semi-realism, and it's honestly humbling to see someone so experienced and skilled. I'm genuinely in awe!!!!
After seeing your Medic art, I can't help but think about how fem Medic would look in your art style. I'm so tired of people portraying him as too feminine and completely ignoring his facial structure; I feel like you'd actually keep the features that make him recognizable💕 Would be awesome to see something like that in your artstyle!
So sorry for the yapfest!!! Best wishes on your art journey 💗💗💗💗
You are genuinely so sweet oh gosh. Here is my attempt at a female Medic!!
