#methodically going through every procreate brush

[justanothershadeofblue]

hand study #1

[itsame-domi]

Art evolution tag game

I loved drawing since I was a kid, but I dont have anything from before 2023 to share unfortunately :/ Moving to the US I left a lot of my childhood stuff in Korea, and studies/career took priority since. I took some art electives in school and doodled for fun sometimes, but I had to move every year and ended up throwing away a lot of my arts (ngl pretty bummed about it). 

Apr 2023: pencil + sketchpad

Then in 2023 I started having a quarter life crisis and asking myself questions like “what if I explore other hobbies again?” Digital illustration was always in my bucket list. I decided to get back into pencil-sketching first and ease into it. I watched a lot of videos to learn basic stuff like the loomis method and breaking anatomy into simple shapes. I also started following more artists on ig for inspo.

Jul 2023: pen tablet + Krita

finally took a stab at digital illustration. I started with Krita and a pen tablet. It took some time to learn the tool and develop the hand-eye coordination, but once I got it I was on a roll. It was such a cool feeling to cross out a bucket list item, and draw as much as i wanted to 😭 It reminded me just how much I loved drawing. Around this time I started making HL fanarts and posting on ig and tumblr.

Nov 2023-Present: Procreate

Black friday came and i finally decided to invest in my first iPad!! Krita is an awesome tool, but I found Procreate more intuitive and its community more active. With Procreate I got to experiment more with editing features and custom brushes. Drawing was never more fun - I was drawing like I was possessed lol my hyperfixation was at its peak at this time.

Reflections:

I thought I’d cringe looking at my old stuff but not really! I’m actually appreciating how experimental I was given my lack of skills back then. In fact I realize I’ve gotten more conservative and risk-averse over time - I’ve become afraid of failures. It feels terrible, having poured hours into something and finding it not to your liking. But it is also natural to not produce a perfect drawing every time. After all I’m still learning!! I have to accept the fact that most of my drawings will not be up to my satisfaction, or be as good as other artists’, and that is okay.

I tried traditional painting before, like with watercolor, but I never like it. Pencil was the most comfortable medium for me and I was not willing to explore past it. But through digital illustration I finally got to understand colors and shapes better, and it was really empowering. The joy of self-learning I got from this experience affected my overall attitude about learning too. You really have to just put your worries aside and go for it. (easier said than done tho 😭)

I haven’t been drawing as much lately, I think partly because there are sooooo many things I want to try and learn. I want to get better at drawing backgrounds, anatomies, portraits, comics, and so many other things and I feel lost on where to begin. Classic decision paralysis 🤪 Maybe having a clear goal will help me decide what to learn next. HL used to be just the motivation I needed - I loved the engagement I got from sharing my arts in the community, and I still deeply appreciate it, but lately I’ve been wanting to explore past that too. Still not sure what that would look like though

I had more thoughts but if I try to word them all now this post might never see the light of the day 😅 next time hopefully

Thank you @syaolaurant @bassicallymaestra @traceyc-uk @diana-bluewolf for the tag, and @lynnsartsworld for starting this game. I’ve always wanted to document my art journey and this post gave me a chance to do just that. Even then I almost didn’t do it... I know I took sooooo long... but I had friends remind me and encourage me to do it. idk I feel really lucky to be part of this community and have met you amazing people 😌🙏

np tag: @lil-grem-draws @theladyofshalott1989 @shanaraharlyah @honeyed-blossom @accio-bagel @gothic-lottie @raenegade-accio (sorry this was from so long ago and yall might have done it already but I’d still love to see it! if you’d be so kind to tag me/send me the link 🥹)

[sharkuraa]

sharkuraa's drawing tips and tricks !!

i recently got an ask from @cheapmovescheol (thank you very much for the question! <3) about my process specifically on procreate for drawing/coloring, so i thought i'd make a little summary of my process as well as certain things i do to achieve stuff like lighting and softer line art!

step 1: sketch

I typically always start with a VERY rough, incohesive sketch to summarize my idea onto paper. here, I'm just doing an extremely simple sketch of dokyeom to demonstrate! my idea for this was comfy, oversized hoodie vibes. you can see the face looks super wonky and the body is way too big, but i'm not worried about that rn.

I should also mention I do all of the lineart and flat coloring with the same modified default procreate pencil!

step 2: line art

going back over everything more carefully, I can focus in on my idea and create a more cohesive final line art. you can see here i really brought in the body proportions, as well as changed my mind on the hair and expression.

step 3: flat color

this step is where I start laying down my flat colors and adjust any last minute details. for my coloring, i'm most comfortable working in a very muted, cool-toned palette. i tend to work off of the same base colors for every single drawing and expand using the color wheel when necessary. you can see i'm using a dark purple for the "black-brown" of his hair, and a light pink for the "beige" of his hoodie. i just like the effect this cool-toned palette gives, especially when i use warmer overlays later.

!! one of my personal style choices is making the line art a dark maroon. i absolutely never skip this step. i feel like it makes the line art look way more cohesive with the overall drawing, as well as add some warm contrast to all the cool toned colors. in my opinion, it adds some life into the subject i'm drawing.

step 4: shading

I achieve shading using a light blue on a multiply layer, as well as a larger more textured brush. personally I'm always experimenting with textured brushes for this step, so I'd encourage you to just find one you like and use that. (I also added blush earlier but that's pretty self explanatory)

step 5: finishing up

some people call this step the "rendering" step, but i do so little here that i find it hard to call it that myself LOL. either way, I start this step by adding a neutral colored background--using this slate(ish) blue grey that you can see here. when the background is neutral, both the light and dark colors of the subject pop a lot more.

after that, i create an overlay layer on top of everything (including the multiply layer) and airbrush an orangey-pink color into the center of the subject feathering out without extending past the subject itself. then i use the gaussian blur tool just slightly to blend it out even more, and finally turn down the opacity until i like the look of it. it adds that really soft life-like glow to the drawing that i really enjoy. you can see I also add some harder lines of pink on the edges without blending them out to create a sort of "back-lit glow" effect, just for fun!

sometimes when I think the drawing needs to be brought forward some more, i add a thin white border behind it. thats just personal preference tho, not really necessary or important for the drawing itself LOL.

I hope this answered some of your questions, or inspired you with some ideas to try out yourself! i started doing all of this simply through trial and error, so definitely embrace the exploration process and find methods you enjoy and feel capture your own personal style the best!!

-sharkypoo

[kyanite-shards]

Your art is so cool! I keep seeing the art trades you’re doing and I love how every character comes out so nicely and clear

Do you think you could talk about your process a little? Especially how you can get such nice pieces out so quickly! I’m working on my own artstyle right now, understanding it and getting better, so I’m asking some of my favorite artists how they learned and practiced theirs! Lots of practice, but what kind, what things have you learned from that really helped create your vision?

Thank you so much!!!! ::D ✨ That means a lot to me!!!

I decided to record the most recent art trade I did of Gossan to accompany my process! ::D

Explained process is below the cut ⬇️

⚠️ Beware of flashing lights ⚠️

Important things first! Practice practice practice! On everything! Do not be afraid to experiment with colors, brushes, textures, perspectives, ect, because: you might just come up with a process that works for you/produces the results you want. Study color theory, study anatomy, study the way fabric folds, study the way light hits objects and casts shadows (I’m still working on that one myself, lol)

That’s the other thing, you’ll be constantly learning, improving with new knowledge. Keep learning and experimenting and trying new things with your work, it’ll only help you. Even if it doesn’t come out the way you expect: you can always try again with a different process and see what happens!

TAKE BREAKS. I cannot stress this enough. Listen to your body, if something hurts, or if you’re tired, you need to stop. Don’t try to “push through it”. That is the biggest regret of mine. (I’d still end up with osteoarthritis no matter what, but I could’ve prevented some of the specific damage done had I listened and treated my body better years ago.)

Process Explained 🎨✨

Okay, specifically for these art trades, I’m using poses from The Pose Archives, so that certainly helps on time, but I only use poses like this for studies. (I feel its important for me to note that for any commercial/commissioned work of mine, I take my own reference photos, but since these are just studies purely for practice/gifts, I’ll use The Pose Archives.)

I’m currently using Procreate on my iPad, using a gen 1 Apple Pencil.

With a pose down, I use the Narinder Pencil brush to sketch over the pose, and figure out how clothes/fabric would drape over and around the body.

Once I’m satisfied with my sketch, I lower the opacity on the sketch, and create a new layer.

Then I use the Technical Pen brush to “ink” over the sketch. (Whenever I ink things, I try to have a good variety of line weights. It helps keep the drawing from looking flat.)

Now with the ink layer finished, I duplicate the layer. On this duplicated layer, I use the paint bucket tool to fill the colors in, and hand paint in places that are too small to use the tool.

With the flats done, I paint in the colors that’ll be blended, like on their ears and their throat. I’ll use the smudge tool (using the Flat Brush) to blend those colors together.

Then I’ll put down a background color, and then on a new layer, I’ll experiment different colors on a low opacity to get a feel for which color would look best for the shadows. (Complimentary colors usually work, but again, don’t be afraid to experiment!!)

I then paint down the shadows, and blend them using the method I mentioned above. I’ll then use Gaussian Blur filter over it at like 2% or so, just to smooth it out a little.

This piece didn’t have highlights in it, but I use the same above method for those as well. 👍

Once everything looks how I want it, I save the image (sometimes with or without the background depending on the effect I’m going for.) so everything is now flat (I do this to keep my layers where they’re at, cause once they merge, they’re merged!)

Then I’ll import that saved image onto a new topmost layer.

I’ll then add a Noise filter to the saved image at anywhere from 1-3%, just to give it some texture. (In the past I’ve used paper textures, but haven’t gotten around to experimenting with that on Procreate just yet!)

Then I slap my signature and my @ on it, and Tadah!!! It’s done!! ::D

Thank you for reading and I hope this knowledge is of use to you!!

[fantasticalleigh]

I saw your reblog about asks and then you gave me an ask and I realised I've never asked you anything before so I sprinted over here to reciprocate the favour (and now I'm a little out of breath because my cardio is shocking!).

So... my main problem as an artist is having a thousand ideas popping into my head but not being able to put even a fraction of them on paper - if you have the same problem, would you like to share any of those ideas??

haha aw, thank you! and same about the cardio 😰

this is a really interesting question!

I struggle with the exact same problem tbh, it's always really hard wrangling so many ideas! I wish I had some like groundbreaking tips to help manage this but my methods are pretty basic:

-as ideas come, i try to write them down (i usually fail at this) but if it's a good idea it will stick in my mind for days or even weeks, so when i get the chance i will sketch something out. it usually turns out really bad but that's ok bc it's just to get the barest essence of the idea, and i'll write down the actual idea down on the paper or canvas of whatever i'm working on so i can decipher that later. (i like to have a good bunch of these drafts ready at any given time so i can pick and choose what to work on next once i complete something)

-this one might not apply to everyone, but: i cycle between a few different art styles. sometimes it depends on what brushes i use, or if i know i want something to be a casual sketch, a whole sketchpage, or an illustration. it also depends on knowing how much time i want to spend on it. faster drawings done with my favorite chunky pen in a more cartoonish style usually rank higher in order of what to work on, because i know i can finish it in a few days (or even hours). stuff that's more detailed/rendered is lower on the list of execution because i know it'll take longer to finish because of details and the linework, and that i'll definitely want to take breaks from that one to work on the faster ones. (i have two pieces for Bad Blood i've been working on for MONTHS now bc they have so much detail and i still don't know when they'll be done lol, just chipping away at them bit by bit)

-sometimes, depending on what art projects i'm currently working on, i won't get a chance to actually develop that new idea until much later on. or maybe i try and just don't feel into it anymore. in that case i try to just focus on something else. i usually have about four or more other art ideas in various stages of completion to work on in rotation which has really helped. and then some days i really don't feel like working on one particular thing and want to work on another, but i compromise with myself that if i get decent progress done on one then i'll switch to the other after a point. just as a little treat :3

i also think a large part of managing all these ideas is accepting that some of them will just never be made. every now and then i go through my procreate files and delete drafts that i know i'll never actually draw. either because i don't love the idea anymore, have no time, i don't think i can execute it well, or just pure laziness.

it kind of sucks but it's just the way things go, and the ideas keep coming anyway so it's not like that's the end of the line if you decide to toss a few out the window! (ESPECIALLY considering we draw a lot of wwe based art and since it's a weekly show there's just so much more potential for new art every few days.) it's great to be able to get anything out at all tbh! i do feel a lot of pressure sometimes that i have to get things out as fast as possible but it does work as a great motivator and i'm just always so excited to see what everyone else is working on and posting! it's a very inspiring environment.

this turned out so long, but i hope it helps! :D

[librained]

fool’s gold

“Granger, I need a favour.” 

  Pansy Parkinson had certainly grown up since Hogwarts. While Hermione never agreed with the pug-face insults the boys used (she thought it was rather misogynistic of them to critique her looks when her personality was much more unpalatable), she was taken aback by how striking the woman had become. 

  Her hair was shorter, hanging in soft waves just below her ears. Her bangs fell straight across her forehead, drawing attention to her blue eyes. Hermione didn’t think she’d ever seen eyes so blue. 

  “Pansy, please, sit.” Hermione watched as the witch sat in the chair in front of the desk, her ankles crossing and revealing her stocking-clad leg under her robes. “What is it I can do for you?”

  “I need you to be my girlfriend.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I need a girlfriend and you are the perfect candidate.”

  Hermione chuckled kindly, “I’m sorry, Pansy, I’m not a lesbian, I don’t know what you-”

  “It wouldn’t be real, I need a fake girlfriend. For a while,” Pansy interrupted.

  “Oh.” Now Hermione was even more confused. 

  “You know the repopulation thing the Ministry is enforcing?” Hermione nodded. “I don’t want children. Not now, probably not ever, and definitely not because the government is forcing me.”

  Hermione shouldn’t have been surprised. It was perfectly normal for a woman to not want children, however, she would have assumed that there was some sort of Pureblood rules about having an heir. 

  Hermione nodded, “I understand, I’m just not quite sure how I’m involved in this.”

  “You don’t want children either. That’s why you and Weasley divorced, is it not?”

  Hermione bristled at her bluntness. “Where did you hear that?”

  Pansy shrugged her off. “Doesn’t matter. The Ministry is ensuring that every heterosexual person, or at bears some attraction to the opposite sex, is responsible for procreating. You know as well as I do that means the one with the uterus is going to end up bearing the brunt of the work.”

  Pansy’s burgundy lips smirked while she spoke, showing she knew just how to appeal to Hermione’s feminist side. And gods if it wasn’t working. She nodded, not wanting to interrupt Pansy’s clearly well-thought-out argument. 

  “Homosexuals are exempt. While the Wizarding world does not discriminate based on orientation, same-sex couples are no use to the Ministry as they can’t reproduce.”

  “But they can, there are a variety of scientific methods-”

  “Ah, ah, Granger,” Pansy cut her off playfully. Hermione felt effectively chastised. “They can’t reproduce magically , which is all the Ministry cares about.”

  Hermione stared at the witch before her. Pansy used a manicured finger to brush her bangs from where they were falling into her eyes. Her nails matched her lipstick and were kept short, clean, unlike the traditional claw-like length of most witches. 

  “Alright, Parkinson. I am intrigued by your plan. If I agreed, how would you propose we proceed?”

  Pansy’s smirk deepened, clearly recognizing she was close to closing the deal. “Simple. When the Ministry sends out the official summons, we reply stating we are exempt due to our relationship. When asked, we tell people we had been keeping it a secret due to our tumultuous history and the conservative nature of your Muggle family,” Hermione’s eyebrows raised. “We have enough mutual friends that it isn’t inconceivable that we would have reconnected over the years. Your resistance to motherhood is a help, as being unable to conceive a child with a woman would make sense to the simpleminded like Weasley.

  “Then, when the law is overturned or when the baby boom begins, whatever comes first, we split amicably and go our separate ways. Maybe you have an epiphany and realize you were just waiting for the right man or some other offensive explanation for bisexuality, and we live the rest of our lives childless and happy.”

  Hermione contemplated the plan. It seemed Pansy was thorough, and, while Hermione was not opposed to finding someone to spend the rest of her life with, she was in no rush to stop working the number of hours she did to be able to develop a relationship. Waiting a few years while fake-dating Pansy wouldn’t really impact her daily life all too much. 

  “Before I agree, I hope you don’t mind me asking, are you a lesbian?”

  “Come on, Granger, do you really think Draco Malfoy could have dumped me if I wasn’t?” She gestured to, what Hermione could admit, was her very attractive body. 

  Hermione laughed nervously, “Right, well, you have a deal.” 

  She stuck her hand out to shake. 

  Pansy stared at the proffered hand, then looked up at Hermione through dark lashes. “I think you can do better than that, Granger.”

  She stood from her chair, placing her hands on the edge of the desk and leaning over so she was almost eye level with where Hermione sat, eyes wide. 

  “Have you ever kissed a girl, Hermione?” Pansy whispered

  Hermione gulped, then quickly shook her head. 

  Pansy closed the distance between them, applying firm but restrained pressure on Hermione’s lips. Hermione began to kiss back, trying to stand to deepen it, but Pansy pulled away. 

  “My lipstick suits you, Granger.” 

  At that, Pansy made her way to the door of Hermione’s office. Hermione didn’t hear anything she said after that, something about owling for dinner later. She just stood behind her desk, cheeks hot, chest heaving, listening to the sound of Pansy’s heels click down the marble floors away from her. 

fool's gold - pansy x hermione One Shot

part of flourish and blotts by librain