“Use limited colors!” when you start out with colouring more complex pieces or in pieces that have a time limit that prevent you from experimenting. A limited palette will help you think over values and shadows more carefully than you would with a bigger palette, but also too many colours at once can overwhelm you if you’re unsure where to start.
“Use lots of different colors!” in your own personal pieces when you practice experimenting or feel bold enough to try something new. Gradually add a new colour or palette every time you sketch around, experiment with a different lighting technique or practice painting the inside of an oyster shell to understand how colours work.
“Carefully plan each piece” if it is thoroughly complex, needs proper composition for its execution, involves controversial messages that require considerable thought, or has a specifically deep, pre-determined meaning. Take breaks when you can to step away from the image before continuing so that you can refresh your perception of the image and see things you previously missed.
“Draw faster” in order to practice your drafting skills so that your ideas can be visualised much faster than if you were to spend an hour on then lose interest and to find shortcuts in your own method. Drawing faster also helps you learn how to draw lines straighter with less effort, especially if your hand is not conditioned to draw steadily. Drawing faster does not mean it has to be polished right away, you have a concept down and you can come back to it later.
“Be as neat as possible” when presenting your best works in a portfolio that is meant to be published for work. Use neatness only in details that need to be neat, so when they’re viewed from a distance they don’t appear out of place. Neatness is meant specifically for styles that are meant to be neat, things like technical drawings, anatomical studies, etc., not storyboards, sketches or concept art unless the concept is about specific details.
“It’s ok if your art is messy” when you’re sketching something, doodling for fun or practicing a new method of colouring. Messy art is just a style as well, but there’s a specific kind of messy that should be left out of your portfolio unless you consider it one of your best works. If the focus of the image is just a study of a hand in dark lighting, then the rest of the background or finer details can be omitted and as messy as you want. Concept art can be considerably messy, but it’s the concept that matters, not the details. Not every piece needs to be a masterpiece.
“Don’t draw stylized work” exclusively if you still struggle with various poses, perspectives or anatomy. Limiting yourself to stylized work will lead to stagnation and you will be discouraged to work on something new so stepping out of your comfort zone by learning from life can lead to learning new things. Drawing from life is the best way to learn how to draw- no amount of art method classes or books can teach you this valuable skill, they can only guide you.
“Try lots of styles” to understand how those styles work and why they’re so appealing to you. Cherry-pick the parts you like when practicing those styles so you can shape it into your own style, but also you’re stepping out of your comfort zone by doing so. Stylized artwork does an extraordinary thing with turning symbols and lines into something that we will perceive as an eye, a person or a background, and so experimenting by tinkering with another artist’s style will help you understand what they did to create an image that way. After all, it is only a representation.
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