I know this sounds super cheesy, but it’s simple!
Lots and lots of practice. I know you’ve heard this thousands of times from artists of all sorts of mediums but it’s true! References, tutorials and practice is how every artist grows from a beginner to a master. No one starts out as amazing as their eventual potential will be. No one starts out knowing how to pose like a god. No one starts out being able to edit like a professional. No one starts out being able to create complete professional-grade models. It’s all a part of trial and error.
For me, it took me eight years to get to where I am today. I was slow at the start and, since two years ago, my progression has skyrocketed. I still have plenty to learn and I am learning something new every single day! But so long as you keep an open mind and you strive for improvement, I know you’ll get there in time.
My advice is, try to master multiple mediums before trying to model things. I promise you, it will help you in the long-run if you already have a fair grasp of anatomy and a sharp eye for detail. But please don’t try to rush yourself. The key to improvement is lots of time and patience. Good things come to those who wait.
Please don’t give up on your dream, your job or your hobby- but please also don’t stress about yourself not doing enough. Take it at your own pace. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not good enough. Everyone started from the bottom (and now we’re here!). So long as you stay in good spirits, I know you’ll make it far.
Thank you for asking me, Xeliicious~! <3 -Howl
Additional from Mod Antisignia;
I agree with the "learn multiple mediums before modelling" thing. I got good at life drawings/drawing from life, which focused on realism and shading/values, which got me to have the tutorial for adding cheekbones to models via texture editing.
Practice is always gonna make perfect, I guarantee, and the more time you put in, the better the final result (*cough cough* like my model Etienne). As for posing, I'm a broken record with saying this and y'all are prolly sick of me, but references/acting it out yourself are the ways to go. Really study the way the pose works, find the "s" and "c" shapes in your references and once you have the movement of the pose down flat, you just do the details.
I'll have to include an example as to what I mean later, since that last part is something I learned from drawing from life. Please someone remind me. But yeh, Xelii, you are great at MMD in my opinion, I love your aesthetic and hope you are comfy with it too. 👍👍
