#lineart exercise

[cinnastray]

Much like the cat exercise that I did, here’s the results of an exercise for me to learn face structure and expressions :D

[atydraws]

Linework exercices

OK guys i was ranting that i couldn't find anything on lineart so here's some exercices I gathered. The ideal is to do some of them every day, but it's not always possible, so just do them often as you can.

• Straight lines :

Ok this one might make you want to jump off a cliff, but istg it's useful. You need straight lines to draw basic 3d shapes, and just generally rigid structures. Also you know how every artist has a "lean" ? (Like you flip the canvas and BAM it looks like your character suddenly leans in one direction) well this helps fix that.

Also notice how I went over each line multiple times ?? That GREATLY improves the quality of your lineart, since you can build your lines in a few strokes without it being noticeable. I go over each line 8-10 times.

Vary the direction of your lines. Horizontal, vertical, in every direction.

• Curves

Same thing. Characters and organic forms overall are made of cURVES. This improves dynamism and accuracy, since you can get the exact curvature you want with fewer tries.

That's the boring version, but this exercise can actually end up looking quite cool

Find ways to enjoy these exercises ;)

• Ellipses

These mf's are everywhere. However if you have never specifically looked at an ellipse, you DO NOT know what they look like. They are NOT rugby balls, they are not ovals, AND their shape changes at each degree. So look for an ellipse template on the internet because and practice all Ellipse degrees/widths.

Go over each ellipse 2-3 times, in fluid motions while keeping your arm loose. Pay special attention to the curvature at the two opposite ends, cause that changes at each degree.

• Circles

Same thing really. Save space and draw other circles on the first circles

These look terrible but you get the idea.

Now GO PRACTICE 👊✌️

[cinnastray]

I decided I might as well share some of my exercises here! I took some cat photos from Pinterest and threw them into Paint Tool Sai to trace them. This helped me understand cat anatomy a lot better, while being an amazing exercise for drawing digital lineart. I only trace the rough outline and directions of fur, and then I delete the photo for the "proper" lineart; giving weight to the lines, drawing details and shadows, etc. I'm planning to do this with more animals (and likely more cats, ngl). I used to draw only animals as a kid, and I want to go back to that and make animals my main focus ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ