Hii, thank you so much oh my gosh? ;_; I rarely think my art is worth anyone's time, thank you for your kind comment!
Boring answer is I liked drawing since a kid and never stopped, albeit I was one of those kids who copied only and didn't create original stuff at all. I started seriously drawing around uhm...14? 15? yo. I love cartoons, anime, colors and generally I really love sketching!
Art makes me happy. To learn and study and observe puts me at peace and it has been one of the few things I can do easier than other stuff in my life, so I stuck with it and despite the many struggles, it's my thing.
If we talk about digital art, I started with medibang and an intuos small i saved for! Free program, made me get used to hand/screen coordination since I don't draw with a screen tablet most of the time and how generally speaking the art programs work. They mostly share the same basics so if you learn one, it's easier to learn another.
Nowadays I use Clip Studio! I think it's ..10 years? or smth , often goes on sale and it has one time licenses for pcs. Easy to learn, has a lot of tools, truly comfy for me. As for tablet I have an Xpen ..don't remember the model, it has a screen I needed for school, but I admit I wanna go back to screenless tablets.
During the years I simply drew and drew whatever it came into my mind, badly and with a lot of tutorials I tried to memorize ( not many worked for me ahha). With art you gotta be patient and constant at first, progress goes faster than you think but don't focus on finding your personal style or put yourself in a box, you have to have fun. Really, my fist advice is to have fun, doesn't matter if art comes out wrong or awful, the fun in using anything and creating is what you have to learn first.
I started drawing my own things vaguely 5 years ago? maybe one or two years more but it hasn't been THAT much. I stick with ocs now mostly, they bring me joy and I learn much faster if I draw smth I like.
I'm stubborn, I collect images like cards everywhere I can so I can look at them anytime, be it for the style, for the pose, colors or else. I look and look at things until something clicks, at least that's my hope whenever I do it.
Never be afraid to look at others' art and try to see what you like, try it how you can and so on. Competition and Comparison are things I feel everyone struggle with, including myself A LOT, but closing your eyes to art due to that is more harmful.
Go to museums, look at paintings on google, anything, watch cartoons, play games, art is everywhere and it's there to inspire you.
I could say grab references everywhere and draw over and over, but honestly that's only a small part. Repetition is the key, yes, but , for me at least, it's more enjoyable if you have fun than treating it as a boring study. Try a lot of things! Scribble the same stuff over and over! Watch the same anime you like and grab screenshots to redraw in your own way! Play games and do the same, and when you feel brave, grab a reference or try to draw from scratch yourself. Never be afraid to try.
Art is an exercise in many ways, what works for me could not work for you and viceversa.
I went to an animation class for 3 years which probably settled a few things for me, HOWEVER, art school isn't required, I still think myself as a self learner. I do my own things, hoping something cool comes out. Find your own path you like and go, doesn't matter if the path sticks around for a week and you find something else you like, the more you absorb , the more your mind and eyes can create and imagine.
Also! A lot of people think drawing daily is what helps the most, but never force yourself to create unless it's needed. Sometimes resting from it is exactly what's needed.
In a practical way there are so many more guides and tutorials now than when I started drawing digitally, it's much easier to learn.
Sincerely! Find things you like, the itch to create and share in that joy is a powerful drive you gotta grab and cherish.
There isn't a wrong way to learn to draw, be mindful of others' work and find something that works for you and you like to do. If it sparks joy, that's what matters first.
I'm not sure if this can help but! I hope it does and thank you so much still for liking my work, it brings me so much happiness hearing it. I hope you have a lovely day!
