I wish I had taken better notes when I did the first yuki paintings. Last night I did some cyan/crimson and cyan/magenta blended tests and decided I'm going to do a cyan/magenta mix for the markings. The mixed colors give more variation than directly from the pan (duh, also since I'm not amazing at color mixing).
Dad never asked for a size, but he probably wants something bigger than a 3x5 or whatever these sizes I've been practicing are. Since I like the cold press texture better, I can do different sizes.
painting a cat for my grandma's birthday, which is tomorrow and I'm once again fashionably late
spent one hour and a half applying the masking fluid on the whiskers, because I kept applying it too thick/shaky etc, removing it, accidentally removing the perfectly good whisker right next to it, and having to start over, so you get a process pic just for that
Dad asked for a painting of yuki - so here's the line sketch for my first test run. Its been a while so I want to do a test (or two) first. The photo he gave is focused around the face and cuts off on the ear tips so the right ear is a little wonky. I have some slightly better photos I think I'll do for the next one?
As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.
Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.
šŗHere is my list:
Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)
Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)
Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)
BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)
Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)
Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)
Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)
Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)
SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)
Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)
The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)
Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)
Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)
Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)
Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)
Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)
Pikat (art advice and critiques)
Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)
Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)
Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)
Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.
šHere is my list:
The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.
"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.
"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.
"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.
"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.
"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.
"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.
"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.
"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.
Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.
šAs for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.
For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.
š»As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.
Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )
Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)
Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)
PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)
Krita (Free)
mypaint (free)
FireAlpaca (free)
Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)
Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)
IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)
Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)
NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.
So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.
I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.
Hope this was helpful and have a great day.
"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"
Boosting this in case any of the programs and books suggested are useful.
All the photos on this tumblr ad the animal photo reference site I run is another resource available for artists to use!
As long as youāre not using AI to create your art, you can reference / trace / draw / recombine / make any sort of art you want, with any of the photos, for free.
So you can avoid them stealing things from you, the artist/writer, etc.
Note: The list has gotten so long that I had to reorganize. (Thanks for the suggestions.) I UXed it best I could. I'm updating the best I can as notes come in. As such, I'm adding an update date since Tumblr doesn't update the old blogs with the newer version.
Update: US time. January 12, 2026 I changed UBlacklist so there are clearer instructions on how to add to Duckduckgo's search engine. ^^;; Feel a little dumb it took me this long to figure out.
There have been several requests to add programs, but either they aren't well populated, their projects are short, or they have the murkiest anti-AI statement I've ever read.
For example, I was told about this company, here, they were forced into anti-AI, but this seems a bit passive aggressive corporate speak for we hate you.:
Companies building AI tools must be ethically responsible in their products and with their audiences.
AI systems developers need to make a genuine effort to educate their users on how to use their tools responsibly and how to find ways to promote ethical practices.
As AI integrations become more commonplace for creative design tools, we feel strongly that it is imperative for developers to consider the impacts being made to the creative communities at large, and if need be, be willing to take a stand and adapt or forgo unethical AI models.
The industry must monitor the impact of new tools in terms of both positive and negative effects.
We believe that itās our responsibility to build art tools, which ultimately make us smarter and more skilled - contributing to a happier and better society.
So no talk about environmental impact, passive aggressive around the edges, "AI systems developers need to make a genuine effort to educate their users on how to use their tools responsibly" is really passive aggressive considering it was users trying to get them to change their policy.
And even when they have support for the artist, the statement seems to undercut it...
Artists who have devoted years into developing their skills and individual style made generative AI possible, and they deserve recognition.
I also attempted to contact the company with no response.
So I'm reluctant to add them because it seems like they really, really want to add it, and will backstab the userbase as soon as possible.
Additional Note: GenAI, an algorithm and AI tools aren't the same.
GenAI requires vast servers to constantly run 24-7, kicking up harmful fumes which are killing people, absorbing hospital energy, vast amounts of water, and generally killing the planet using data stolen from real people. This is bad. (links at the bottom)
Algorithms I've gone into detail before what they are and how they work on my post about Why Spell Check is not GenAI. Click the link. Too long for here.
AI tools run on your computer and are programmed using your power, not external servers. It depends on your RAM. It's not taken with stolen data from other users. Things like Gaussian Blur, etc might borderline be considered AI to some people (though not really) and things like smart tools (smart lasso), but this is not equal to GenAI in an ethics violation. So environmental impact depends on where you live, but certainly isn't purposefully giving other people cancer because they want a picture of Miyazaki-style selfie of themselves while totally being ignorant of the meaning of Miyazaki's films making people want to bash them over the head with a clue stick. These tools CAN run on large servers, but most scientists aren't running say, how to find the next prime number on vast huge servers in poor communities. GenAI, which is being used for cancer cure stuff, etc is in poor communities. Chess AI is run locally on your computer, but doesn't have as huge ethics issues. Tools the save time, but don't kill people isn't an ethics problem.
As such this focuses on GenAI, itself and the servers it runs on being an ethical violation on so many fronts.
Pro AI Stance is:
their user's data in and data out.
All companies that are willing to sell their customer's data for AI.
Gross support of GenAI, saying GenAI is the future, screw the poor people, goes here.
GenAI is added to the program at any level belongs here. App or program is a deliberate add.
Neutral Stance is:
For websites only: No data into GenAI or an easy opt out, but doesn't protect against AI content of any kind for websites explicitly. Sliding scale for how much of each. (Why different rules for websites v. programs/apps is about the bots.)
I try to tell you by how much with links.
For program/Apps, where they don't have a clear stance, or it feels like they might want to add it anyway and backstab the userbase. (See Toonboom. They are about to slide to the evil side...)
Also some not sure or no clear Anti-statement goes here.
Freeware and shareware without a clear statement also goes here.
Anti AI Stance is:
No data into AI no GenAI machine.
No GenAI added AND a clear anti-AI statement in their TOS and policies.
No Chatbots, LLMs anywhere in the program. Cannot prompt.
Open source, but do not list any third party plug-ins with genAI/LLMs on the website.
Extra points and higher listings for programs that are well populated, older and have a stable UX.
Pro GenAI websites/Programs:
Social Media
Facebook
Threads (owned by facebook)
Instagram
X/Twitter (Remember, Grok's servers gives people cancer)
Duolingo Language learning App
Discord went pro-GenAI:
Youtube went pro-genAI. This is different from the algorithm. They are owned by Google. They are using people's handmade subs for hearing impaired for the Large Language Models, which has shaky legal ground. It's currently being sued over. They are also adding to it anything to detect facial scans. Which has shown problems with racism before: (ACLU): https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/news/biased-technology-automated-discrimination-facial-recognition (Facial recognition note by Buds-and-baubles. See reblog.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjnQ-s7LW-g They are also forcing creators to look like they are GenAI, genuine people, so they can pass their GenAI users under the radar. Creators aren't happy. Things like forced GenAI translation and weird "improvements" to art on shorts so that creators are complaining that their genuinely made content looks like it is genAI. This is where we're at. If they can't make creators embrace them, they will make human-created art look like GenAI.
Writing
Pro Writing Aid
Grammarly
Re: Grammar Programs
BTW, I'm firm on the idea that grammar programs are really racist. So asking about grammar programs to replace Grammarly, will always be met with, use your own brain. If you want a long linguistics reasoning for this, or my long rants about Google Docs being too Texas-based on its grammar corrections, I can give it, but you wouldn't give a shit anyway. I know English is a fucked up languageāI struggled through learning the illogical of it. I've said as much, but you know what you can do to get around that? Ask another human. Rely on the community around you to teach the rules instead of a machine and you'll maybe make some friends along the way. If you think this is cruel to actually be asked to interact with the writing community, and other humans, I would think more about what stances you are taking that you are that afraid of other humans. You shouldn't be using crutches for life and the best of grammar programs are also wrong. Longer linguistic/programming essay here: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/805143849449275392/why-grammarly-and-other-grammar-ai-is-secretly?source=share
Google Docs/Google- Going full on pro AI including Youtube. They are also suppressing anti-GenAI results on their search engine. (Duckduckgo isn't, BTW because I can see it on SearXNG.)
Microsoft Word/all Microsoft products Takes from and will feed their machine.
Proton as suggested by SF Stories (see reblog) is pro AI (as the reblog from McBitchTits pointed out) They are missing a spreadsheet, but have online and offline capabilities, plus a built-in VPN. They came out with their own AI tool: https://proton.me/blog/lumo-ai But also swears never to use their user's data: "Acknowledging these concerns and recognising that three in five (60%) workers would like to use AI despite four in five (79%) being concerned about the use of their private data for training purposes, Proton Scribe promises never to use data from usersā inboxes. The company backed up its claim by asserting that the standard end-to-end encryption makes this impossible." (https://www.techradar.com/pro/proton-is-launching-an-ai-tool-to-help-you-write-better-emails) I'd feel wary about that, especially if they get close to GenAI collapse. (Also that stat is crazy, either you're for it, or you're against it, if you're for it, you need to be on board with it using your data to feed the machine.). Proton's CEO also supported Trump.
Notion (I feel this was like a troll).
Novlr While they say they have an Anti-AI stance (last post) here: https://www.threads.com/@novlrofficial/post/C_immJrotiC Earlier thoughts on AI here: https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/ai-and-you-emerging-technology-and-what-it-means-for-writers/ Unfortunately they are still partnered with ProWritingAid, which is pro GenAI.
So it goes like this, originally Nanowrimo crashed out over GenAI because of ProWritingAid. Then Novlr SWORE they were anti-AI. Then they decided to backstab everyone and INTEGRATE ProWritingAid when got its data from GenAI. Not all grammar programs use AI as I've delineated before, but this one uses stolen data and their TOS is very murky. In case of total ignorance, I pointed this out to Novlr on Blue Sky (because what's the point of lecturing when you don't take action yourself?) They tried to back that it was integration only and would not correct either the claim that theirs was the first program to be made by a writer (As I said, I fact checked this and the creator of Scrivener was also writer first, a programmer second. And then Ywriter was on its heels soon after and blatantly said they were a writer when they created it).
Lifting open projects on grammar isn't that difficult since word processors are one of the first programs to be made. So making a grammar integration isn't that difficult, especially one without GenAI and LLMs attached. But they continue to blatantly support ProWritingAid. This makes them pro-GenAI.
They KNOW that ProWritingAid is pro GenAI and that Nannowrimo crashed out over it, 100% because I told them so. And then they doubled down. I would say this makes them shady at best and pro-GenAI. When they kick out ProWritingAid they can be anti again. In this case they are fat-faced lying their butts off on two counts and continuing to do so even after being notified. If a company lies while doing the thing they swear they aren't doing while making false claims, should you trust them? I say no.
Art
Sites
Deviant Art Not only supports AI, but put a tool in and said they are going to steal your work if you like it or not for their machine. There is an opt-out, but they made it labo[u]r intensive. You have to check it off EVERY TIME. And you can reduce, not eliminate GenAI in the results. This tips it over into being Pro-GenAI still. (last note modified per Usagi-Zakura's reblog) Find a better site below.
Pinterest went pro-GenAI [link] making the site unusable since it was often used for inspo from the REAL WORLD and REAL images to create weddings, etc. There is a way to "opt-out", but it's overrun with AI images even then.
ArtStation Leaned more pro-AI. Bills itself for "portfolios". Has no restrictions against AI in the TOS, but you can do the Deviant art thing of "check it every time if you don't want it". Urrgghhh No thanks. They also don't protect from AI scrapers, which they selectively could. They do "sternly warn" that AI has no copyright protection, and don't think it's morally wrong to put into portfolios AI art. (Yes, snark) Oh, yes, that'll really help. (Sarcasm).
Instagram As part of Facebook's meta, of course they are pro-AI, there is a way to opt out, if you're willing to give up your left kidney to get it. (i.e. they make it really difficult.)
Art Programs (Raster, and Vector)+ Suites
Adobe Products. All of them. If you HAVE to use them (Some businesses require it), save offline because there is a film of at least some privacy protections there, so if you have to sue, you can say it violates US privacy law. Remember, contracts do not circumvent US law. Adobe wants to claim they don't feed their machine with your art, but that's not in the legal agreements and famously the legal agreements changed. Legal agreements can supersede other claims on the website, though one could theoretically sue for predatory practices, it's a harder case.
Corel won't feed the machines, but still uses AI stolen from other artists. Which sucks since Corel Draw is the second best overall for vector programs. (Plus I love Painter, but I bought the offline version to avoid AI). (Canadian company)
Photopea which is an image editing program went pro GenAI according to cat-of-many-faces in comments.
Affinity (Suite program) swore to be AI-free and does Vector and Photos (I haven't checked out their InDesign equivalent). They SOLD to Canva (so much for that promise. This is in the same realm as Novlr. A huge backstab.)
Canva then officially added GenAI to Affinity and took the three programs and combined them into one. Then made it "free"
After version 2, do not download or buy. It's likely to use GenAI and is giving Canva profit. Right now it's borderline because it's a moral panic of if you want to give Canva profit.
My review for Affinity Designer is here: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/776698728716337152/affinity-designer-2weaknesses-and-strengths
Online Art Programs
Canva Takes and feeds their machine. Alternatives are Presentation software. (See LibreOffice) and Moodboard software. Not sure? Milanote doesn't have GenAI (or the search engines are suppressing the results, which I found recently is a thing), but also no anti-AI stance. Creativit on Mac has a Moodboard function without AI (for now) No anti-AI stance, but snap.
Snappa has GenAI
Pixlr (This one hurt me personally)
3D Modeling
Sketchup went Pro-GenAI. The thing is that you can do the same thing in Blender these days with precise measurements.
Epic Games: Sketch Fab Caveat:
Autodesk has stated they are Pro-Gen AI here. It is not clear if they will use your models to feed their machine. But be on guard. They make Maya and 3Dmax. You can replace it with Blender.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
DropBox went Pro-AI causing massive backlash against the company.
QuarkXPress added GenAI in 2025 [Link]
Figma has GenAI
Pro GenAI Colleges and Universities
Ah, yes, we're at this stage of late stage capitalism. DO NOT submit to these places without a clear contract and writing that you do not consent on every piece of art to feed a GenAI machine. Or simply instruct all people to not submit.
Please, please add to this list. You can send it to me anonymously. I am safe because I'm going to an anti-GenAI college with no plans to try to get a BA or a Masters. I will check your claim. They can be within the US or outside of the US.
Cal Arts is Pro GenAI. Students are protesting, but they are suppressing their free speech. This confirms Walt Disney is also Pro GenAI. It's risky to even apply here. Scraping is next step. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cbpu7IQEts
Otis College of Art and Design is pushing GenAI (according to the comment section of the previous video) and I confirmed it here:
Otis College LibGuides: AI Literacy: Defining AI, GenAI, & LLMs
They couldn't even bother to have pictures of real students at the college?
Neutral ground:
Social Media
Tumblr (there is a way to opt out [Link] and they don't have an active AI machine.) https://www.tumblr.com/dookins/743519550598987776/heres-how-to-disable-third-parties-like-ai They did sell the data to OpenAI, but there is an opt out, and they block GenAI bots. The report about it is here. Shaky ground. Leans more toward Pro-AI. (See comments for correction and added last sentence).
Etsy allows GenAI, but still has some (minor) restrictions. I'd still be cautious. (Also be cautious of drop shippers). Complaints about too much AI and AI images+patterns made by Ai still exist on the website. They lean slightly more pro-AI, but still won't let it run completely amok, say like Facebook. They won't feed your work into a machine, but also don't ban it through robots.txt.
Bluesky They don't use an AI algorithm except for in the "Discover" section of their website, but while they are anti-GenAI strongly, they don't seem to block the Gen AI bots from entry, so you'd still have to use Nightshade or Glaze (links below). They also still allow people to post AI images/text on the website. There is no opt-out because they don't need an opt out. (Leaning towards strong position on AI, but I wish they would block GenAI bots). Theyrrefused the restrictive Mississippi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku3VpRIFEcM
Mastodon *might* have some anti-AI art community servers on it. When I looked there are some servers that are explicitly aggressive about being anti-AI in moderation. It's a bit difficult for those not tech savvy to use. Because of its decentralized nature (more so than Blue Sky) it's easier to filter for anti-AI art. Because it's decentralized, though, the rest of the servers ould have AI art.
Cannot find AI stances for:
Final Draft who refuses to make a stance either way.
Celtx threatened to go proAI/LLM during the screenwriter's strike of all times. I wrote them a really strongly worded letter (without swearing) which basically was a, "Are you serious when you know what this strike is about?" and then they went radio silent. I think they are hoping it blows over so they can be pro again.
By the way, I worked on two (free) templates for Scrivener to replace Final Draft and Celtx somewhat:
UK version: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/791598143262392320/better-uk-screenwriting-scrivener-template?source=share
US/AUS/NZ/CAN: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/791465354153082880/better-screenplay-scrivener-template-north?source=share
Here are two extra language charts I also worked on.
š¬ 0Ā Ā š 1Ā Ā ā¤ļø 4Ā Ā·Ā Sorta an easier way to language chart Phonemes within Scrivener?Ā Ā·Ā So I spent 2.5 days in really bad heat TT HTMLing the ch
No one else is making Scrivener templates on this website... so...
PaintTool Sai *only* works on Windows. Located in Japan. Updates are slow. It only does raster (Clip Studio Paint technically does both raster and vector). As it's shareware, it's not reliable to say if the creator is anti or pro. Unlike the defenders say, it's NOT open source, so no, that doesn't guarantee anything at all.
Search Engine Replacement
Searxng- If you super want to screw over Google, in general, and have some tech savvy, you can set up your own search engine through searxng. It's easier on Windows and Linux than it is on a Mac. (Mac you need Docker), but if you're determined on privacy, Searxng adds a layer of privacy. Some of it sometimes uses bits of AI, but most of it doesn't and you can fuss with the settings so it doesn't spit out AI results. At sheer minimum Google will stop spitting out weird videos on Youtube at you because in your private browsing, you searched for the origin of ball bearings while not logged in for a book and Google likes to break privacy laws.
DuckDuckGo (Find in the pulldown menu)- You can turn off the AI results for images and AI. Link shared by selkie-on-land in reblog. It's not perfect, but can be done. Change the default search engine default to: noai.duckduckgo.com (This is better results than web.google.com) DuckDuckgo (from my searxng search engine) also gets consistently non-slanted results for topics like ai, etc. For Firefox go to Search->Search Shortcuts->Add->plug in for the Site Name: No AI DuckDuckGo; URL: https://noai.duckduckgo.com/?hps=1&q=%s->scroll up and hit "Default search engine" and change it to "No AI DuckDuckGo"
Ublacklist extension: DuckDuckGo is not perfect, so how do you make it perfect so it'll block places like Diffusion AI and the other egregious and gregarious websites? Firefox version: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublacklist/ Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublacklist/pncfbmialoiaghdehhbnbhkkgmjanfhe?hl=en Note that the default setting is for it to work ONLY for Google, but you can expand it to other results.
Options->"Other search engines"->flip the switch on the search engines you want it to apply to.->It'll give you a dialogue box when you first do it, confirm.
There will be some blank results on your page and it might take a little longer to load, but it is better than having a fit every time you see another picture of waifish waifu in non-hanbok. (And yes, I know waifu is a Japanese word, that's the point) or historically inaccurate clothes that make you want to stab someone, preferably the programmer who thought that Victorian clothes all look the same by decade and location. My search results are much, much better.
Remove GenAI from Firefox
Super annoying. Especially with pop ups. 2. The person who had this idea needs to be corrected repeatedly. 3. Poor implementation.
Not going to click the link... even though it gives you visuals. Three hamburger menu->Settings. Uncheck "Use AI to suggest tabs and a name for tab groups" This results in annoying popup menus. (The link misses unchecking this)
Under General->Browser Layout->Show sidebar Uncheck AI chatbot in the sidebar.
Then go to about:config, accept the risk, search for "chat" and change the settings for: "browser.ml.chat.menu" to false (click the double sided arrow). If you hate it that much, you can also change the footerbadge, menubadge, shortcuts, shortcutscustom, and sidebar also to false.
Go curse the people who decided to add this and implement it and ask them to permanently remove it.
Writing
Obsidian-It's a writing and organizational tool. Plugins may contain genAI company doesn't vet them according to borealtwilight in comments.
AO3 (Archive of Our Own)- Gets Data scraped. So they made an AI statement, but it's on Neutral ground. They are protecting lightly from scraping: https://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/25888 But you still have to do the work yourself to block the bots and put yourself on private. They will allow GenAI words. They've been scraped twice already. https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/comments/1k6a3t6/ao3_has_been_scraped_again_for_genai_purposes/ O.o; I've never seen a site cooperate this much with "researchers" that they are willing to get scraped and not block scraping. They are blocking the specific GenAI bots. Your choice in this case. Leaning more neutral neutral, in this case, given the statement.
If you would like to block scrapers (suggested by Benwvatt, see reblog), then try:
WARNING, though, that it will block text readers, so may block dyslexic, Low vision, blind, etc readers.
It randomly inserts words into the sentence at random intervals when the fic is downloaded.
Art
Sites
Newgrounds: Stronger on the no AI art side, but still allow pieces in specific cases, it's not a total ban. Allowed AI is highlighted in bold to make it easier to skim.:
AI-generated art is not allowed in the Art Portal. This includes using tools such as Midjourney, Dall-E, and CrAIyon, in addition fractal generators and websites like ArtBreeder, where the user selects two images and they are combined into a new image via machine learning.
There are cases where some use of AI is ok, for example if you are primarily showcasing your character art but use an AI-generated background. In these cases, please note any elements where AI was used so that it is clear to users and moderators.
Tracing and coloring over AI-generated art is something best shared on your blog, as it is much like tracing over someone else's art.
Making art from scratch that is inspired by an AI piece is ok. Here are two good examples: Maiden of Flames and Hermin. Both pieces reference the AI art they are based on while being original pieces in their own right.
Bottom line: We want to keep the focus on art made by people and not have the Art Portal flooded with computer-generated art. https://www.newgrounds.com/wiki/help-information/terms-of-use/art-guidelines
Cara is totally anti-AI in contrast. You would be too if someone profited from your artwork by simply reversing it and changing the color scheme a little.
BTW, It's BS to call Backgrounds not real art. Tips it more towards pro-AI.
Wacom?: This one confuses the hell out of me, but apparently Wacom is running contests, etc with GenAI. Apparently they did this a few times. Proof: https://x.com/meganroseruiz/status/1743759432268607843. Honestly makes me a bit reticent about Yuify... https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/yuify Look, I love Wacom, I really do, and was a loyal customer long before screen tablets were a thing, but this seriously confuses the hell out of me. Why support the technology that will make your tech obsolete? The problem is Wacom has done this repeatedly. For contests, promos, etc, in Japanese and Japanese people have also called them out repeatedly. (They are now owned by a pro-AI company testing out users). I get you want more reliable source, so here: https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/9/24031468/wacom-wizards-of-the-coast-mtg-artists-against-generative-ai
This is seriously confusing where to put Wacom. It's split loyalties at this point.
Other tablet companies? Huion continues to "teach a course on AI" and XP Pen says they don't promote GenAI and got scammed by an artist, but have not used AI art in their promotions since. Reddit, but they link to the evidence in the thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/190lubo/promoting_ai_art_and_forgoing_real_artists_just/
Suites:
ToonBoomHarmony- This is an animation suite, since it has a set of programs. No Anti-AI statement. There are AI tools (not the same as AI) which is heavily being questioned on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ToonBoomHarmony/comments/1j8s9yc/ai_tools_harmony_is_cooked/ with some implications they are stopping listening to customers since they took down their forums and are now switching to the next mode of enshittification Stage 3. People objected heavily, hating on the AI tools, the implementation was horrid, they didn't fix any of the base bugs before launching (which UX people would tell you not to do). When customers flooded in to complain about the AI tools being terrible, they shut down ALL of forums by DELETING THEM (which is enshittification step number 3). While not GenAI, it's implied that might be a next step to please the investors.
They are a hair way from putting in GenAI anyway, despite objections to the AI tools.
Enshittification
1. Good to their end users, but needs to find a way to lock those end users in.
2. Platforms abuse their users to tempt in business customers. Business customers become locked into the platform.
3. Claws back all the value from business customers and end users.
(Oh look, a cloud the company owns. Oh look, we own that cloud. You're OK with that, RRRRIIIGHHHTT). And then it's betraying the customer base for the stockholders and the program becomes hell and then the company shuts down when it loses it's customer face in a huge Pikachu move. I Didn'tKnowYouHadtoPleaseCustomersFirstToMakeMoney So they are at step 3 out of 3. Harmony essentials is USDĀ 29.00 / month, Advanced is USDĀ 73.00 / month, Premium is USDĀ 133.00 / month. Storyboard Pro: USDĀ 75.00 / month Producer "cannot access files unless they are uploaded" How much is your first born worth? Oh and UX people would have effing told you to fix your bugs with the release of new features... say like SIMS4, without adding new ones. SIMS4. I paid over 5,000 dollars for a game that functionally breaks because it's built on a house of cards of not fixing the base code and doing patches instead. (My Dad [a programmer] had an hour lecture on why this was a terrible idea too and told me this was why Microsoft Windows kept getting hacked).
Online Art Programs
Milanote?- Moodboard software. To get full features you have to pay per month (which isn't ideal since the free version is very, very limited) There is no pro or anti-genAI statement I can find. But so far there is no GenAI on the platform. This is a *not sure* category.
Creativit- is offline, free and on Mac only Moodboard software. It's a pretty straight forward program, so no AI. Has snapping features and no frills. Since they are small, it doesn't have AI, but there is no anti-AI statement either.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
WeTransfer has a murky TOS statement. https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/789157028107010048/we-transfer-went-to-the-genai-dark-side?source=share which I covered here. They swear they won't, but then they didn't specify they wouldn't in the TOS. As I said, you can sue for deceptive practices, but doesn't mean you will win.
Strong positions against AI
Social Media
Pillowfort- This is a social media website. Somewhere between Tumblr and Deviant Art. They banned all AI images. They don't have a social media algorithm. (So you won't be on top of each other. You have to earn your own followers.)
Item 13 of the Banned images section of their terms of service: https://www.pillowfort.social/termsofservice
A bit of a jab to put the item between "No prohibited images of minors" and "revenge porn". (basically lack of consent)
Suggested by lindwurmkai
I read the other TOS too, and it seems pretty fair and in plain language.
Thunderbirdmail (not released yet)
At DarkHorse IT, we love seeing tech that aligns with our valuesāprivacy, transparency, and putting the user first. Thatās why weāve always
Released to be competition to Google mail without the privacy glitches of Gmail and have NO AI. It's open source, yet private, and has a lot of the features of Gmail, no equivalent of Google Docs and no equivalent to online spreadsheet, but still free. But will have other appendages, like scheduler, etc.
Writing
Offline (mostly)
Scrivener (Creator vowed against adding GenAI during Nanowrimo scandal #2 on Twitter. Request for AI features has been denied.) Writing program. There is an active forum, and versions for Mac, Linux and PC. It is paid, but at ~60 USD, it's cheaper than most programs. There is usually a holiday sale around Christmas. It has a learning curve, but with an active forum with the programmer of it there to ask obscure questions it's not a dead zone. They often take suggestions and implement them over time. (Especially if you rank the importance, applications, etc) US company.
Scrivener works with Mac, Windows and Linux (with some fussing): https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/tutorial-running-scrivener-3-1-5-1-under-linux-w-wine-64bit-with-activation/136046
Also has sharing and comparing versions capability as long as you have a cloud harddisk. (Be sure to check out cloud services that are safe)
There was a question of if they added GenAI, but that proves to be false. Up through November 2025 they have sworn against GenAI. https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/scrivener-and-ai-why-do-i-see-ai-prompts-in-my-scrivener-projects-on-mac
I have made a Better Script Template for US/CAN/AUS/NZ:
š¬ 0Ā Ā š 0Ā Ā ā¤ļø 3Ā Ā·Ā Better Screenplay Scrivener Template (US/ CAN/AUS/NZ)Ā Ā·Ā Posted: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Updated: Monday August 11, 2025
I
One for the UK: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/791598143262392320/better-uk-screenwriting-scrivener-template?source=share
I have a Better Novel Template as well: https://www.tumblr.com/kimyoonmiauthor/750865969317052416/better-novel-scrivener-template?source=share
I am in no way affiliated with Scrivener. If you have issues, with the program, please direct it to the forums.
With any of the templates, be sure to read ALL instructions first BEFORE downloading, including the Read Me in order to get it to work. I never write any instructions that are unnecessary.
LibreOffice Open source and free Spreadsheet and Word processor program that can replace Microsoft Office (Word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, drawing, formula, database creator). Some people might have seen older versions where it was called Neo Office (now extinct) and Open Office. LibreOffice is still populated, plus the forums are super helpful if you get stuck. The UX is pretty intuitive if you've used Microsoft Word. Scrivener, BTW, supports exporting to odt (the native file) as well as .doc, and this can open both. The slight thing is that sometimes it doesn't export to .doc smoothly. And I DO wish more magazines, and agent (big clue here) supported .odt files since it is free. Part of the reason .odt isn't as supported is because Microsoft and Adobe have a deal with the devil with each other, so Adobe's Book formatting program InDesign doesn't support ODT. (BTW, if you have a good open source replacement for InDesign that supports ODT, let me know.)
yWriter is a free Writing program and like Scrivener, and has vowed against AI Last I looked it had some UX issues, but some people swear by it. The learning curve is higher than Scrivener because of the worse UX.
Dabble (as suggested by SF stories, see reblog) is a writing program. Similar to Scrivener. Has vowed against AI and to resist it. 108 dollars a year for Basic. It is almost twice the price of Scrivener who lets you update for fairly cheap. 29 dollars a month, v. 59 dollars for the whole program (Scrivener). Scrivener, for the 59 dollars a month has all of the same features of Dabble at Premium, making Dabble in total more than triple the price of Scrivener. You choose.
NovelWriter is an Open source writing program done offline. It has less capabilities than Scrivener or YWriter or Dabble. (Can't make templates, Can't save to cloud to compare) The GUI isn't as slick, but because of that it's super easy to use and lower entry in learning curve. (anonymous suggestion through inbox)
StudioBinder- is a script to video production software. Made an Anti-GenAI statement on their Youtube channel (see below).
This is not an official Anti-AI stance and might be tongue-in-cheek. But does look serious as something they are NOT interested in. Pricing is here: https://app.studiobinder.com/pricing
Phone/Online Writing
Ellipsus is an online writing program and vowed against AI [Link]. The main feature I like (which Scrivener doesn't have) is the ability to change spellcheck based on region/language. It is a requested feature of Scrivener, but lower priority. So if you have a Brit, you can get the spelling for the character. They are a German-based company in Berlin.
Writer P AKA Writer+ (app for when you're on the go) is a simple word processor app for your phone that doesn't use AI. (Find on the Android app store) The original programmer stopped updating, so Writer+ programmer took over and isn't out to make a profit since it's free in the spirit of the original app. It has subfolders you can use. Since it was programmed before GenAI it doesn't have AI. Intuitive, easy to use. Fairly easy to upload the files through three dots->share. The files can save to your card or phone with some settings fussing. Simple word processor.
Art
Sites
Cara.app (The creator of the website sued GenAI there is no chance they'll convert) is an artist website. Cara is trying to institute an auto Glaze/Nightshade into the website if given enough funds. People see it as a soft replacement for deviant art. (which went fully AI) If you believe in human art, please donate if you can. Zhang Jingna, the creator, is Chinese-Singporean. She lives in Singapore.
Artgram is an art posting website with a super strong Anti-AI statement It will delete all Ai art and has detection measures in place. And signatures added to the art so they can form you legal protection and make takedown requests. It is free to use.
Fur Affinity Hard ban on All AI use, not even backgrounds. Furry Art posting website. BTW, found this and Artgram on this website: https://brushwarriors.com/art-websites-that-ban-ai/ which does not show as any kind of result on Google, because Google is trying to block anti-AI content as of last week from the search results. (About the day after I posted the Grok gives poor people cancer). You can only find it using a searxng search.
Handmade vowed against AI (Selling any artwork with AI, and also drop shipping, etc) and promised to never sell itself for stock prices to prevent AI (as a replacement for Etsy.)
Discover a world of creativity and craftsmanship through Handmade, an innovative platform connecting passionate artisans with discerning buy
Art Programs (Raster, and Vector)+ Suites
Clip Studio Paint is a mostly raster, somewhat Vector program that does comics, illustration and animation. They added genAI, but saw the light and decided to protect artists instead because of protest and removed it. It can do 2D animation, and generally is a replacement for Corel Painter and can do manga/comics, etc. I'd still recommend paying for the offline version rather than monthly subscription just in case they change their minds back, at least you'll still have the program AI free without worry about them stealing directly as you're drawing. There are tutorials and a good forum if you get super stuck. Based in Japan, so the UI and UX is really clean [Explanation].
Tahoma2D is anti-AI and open source animation program. Takes a little getting used to, but is good for animations and doesn't crash as often as Animate. Programmers are in the forums and some bugs are fixed within hours. The forums are super responsive and helpful.
OpenToonz is an anti-AI open source animation program. It's almost identical to Tahoma 2D, but has less responsive forums (I tried both) and on a Mac, you can't customize which drive it saves to. Tahoma's forums responded within hours, Opentoonz, I gave a week and got no response. Tahoma, in these regards is ahead. Tahoma has their own forum, v. OpenToonz which is on github, so your response gets lost. (If anyone wants to fix it). (Suggested add by anonymous via inbox, opinions my own.)
Krita is a raster-only open source and free, no AI. I'd rank it secondary to Clip Studio Paint (which is paid) I haven't tried the forums, but it's pretty intuitive and can stand for a lower level replacement for Painter, and do a lot of the basics of Photoshop. It's usually ranked higher than the equally open source Gimp.
Rebelle- Honestly tipping towards Neutral with their Anti-AI statement found here: https://www.escapemotions.com/blog/escape-motions-stands-by-artists but just enough to make them anti. I'd keep an eye on them. Here are some of the neutral statements I'd red flag: "Rebelle's NanoPixel export, for example, allows you to scale your images up to 16x for larger export files, which would not be possible without machine-learning technology. Many artists agree that AI art is a powerful tool but believe it shouldn't be celebrated in the same way as human-created art." "We believe images created with AI can serve for inspiration but to just put a whole painting together through AI is not in alignment with our vision."
They are on Cara, though and their protections against scraping and attempts to prove copyright for their artists is heartening. Still, GenAi is terrible for the planet and doesn't serve as great inspiration.
Inkscape is a free vector program and no AI. It is harder to use than illustrator and has less features. But if you're doing smaller vectors for one-offs with less complexity, it'll do you after some learning curve. Best of the lot. I hate Affinity Designer which is the same thing, only paid. (Neither Affinity program was worth the money paid)
StudioBinder- is a script to video production software. But I put them also down here because it can also do Moodboards. Made an Anti-GenAI statement on their Youtube channel:
This is not an official Anti-AI stance and might be tongue-in-cheek. But does look serious as something they are NOT interested in. Pricing is here: https://app.studiobinder.com/pricing
GIMP- Open source 2D Image editing software. Works natively on Linux, can kinda port to Mac, and kinda works on Windows. It has less features than Krita and has generally fallen out of favor with the public for not being able to keep up as well. The UX isn't bad, but use Krita instead. You'll be happier. Krita is Mac and Windows stable and works on Linux. There isn't any extra fancy things you need to do with Krita to DL it and Krita is fairly intuitive if you know Photoshop.
Moho- is a 2D animation software. Anti AI Stance is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMFeLjLWFd4 . This was originally made by Mike Clifton at Lost Marble and then the name changed to Anime Studio under Smith Micro. Then it was changed back to Moho and then sold back to Lost Marble, LLC, who now has taken a strong stance against AI. There is a Pro version and a Debut version. The pro version is 399.99 USD (as of 2025) Debut is 59.99. There is a student discount too.
Online Art Programs
ProCreate: Anti AI Stance as noted by mortavaine (in comments). It's an art Studio and can be used on an iPhone. 12.99 (currently) for the Art Studio one, time dealie, not reoccurring. 19.99 (currently) for the animation software. Based in Australia.
3D Modeling
Blender is a 3D art program and does not use GenAI. It can do 2D animation, but Tahoma is easier to use in this regard. It's open source and free. Plus there are plenty of tutorials. The forums can be touch and go sometimes, but there are plenty of sub Blender communities that might be responsive. It can also do animation. After Version 7-8 the UX vastly improved and a ton of features were added.
Art Sharing Clouds, Website Creation, etc (Specialized, not part of a Suite.)
Swiss Transfer: The Swiss government is going to put strict restrictions on AI and have pretty strict privacy laws. So they can't steal your content.
It has a better deal than WeTransfer did after the buyout.
In the fallout from WeTransfer there is also this list (but I haven't vetted it).
We compared 8 WeTransfer competitors based on functionality, use cases, user reviews, and of course, price. Which one is best for your needs
Because you need to send files to clients without breaking NDAs.
Scribus is a replacement for InDesign and can layout magazines. It doesn't use GenAI, BUT be careful since there is a AI gen named after the program. (Because of course they would.) The learning curve is hard and it's not as advanced as Adobe for things, but it can layout magazines decently. So click the link instead.
Davinci Resolve Pro is a film editing software that's super good. Their CEO came hard against GenAI: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=205673 when it was brought up in the forums, as a request to add, there was a hard no from the CEO. There is a free version and a paid version. The forums are responsive. The programmers aren't always present. There is a healthy group of tutorials. Black Magic is an Aussie company, but the program's core was DaVinici Systems, a US company (Florida), where the program originated. DaVinci Systems was bought by Black Magic. Black Magic has offices in US (Bay area/Los Angeles), UK (Manchester), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Australia (Melbourne), Singapore, China (Beijing), Japan (Tokyo, Osaka), Korea (Seoul). Clean UX. It does take a little bit of time to remember the shortcuts. primary-blog-nothing-here asserted that they took data in order to create AI, but this turned out to be not a true claim. AI Tools are not the same as Gen AI. All of the tools claimed on Davinici Resolve 20 are AI tools that existed before GenAI existed. (Mostly about precutting up the timeline based on different shots). If you object to AI tools, stop using Gaussian Blur. Really they put AI in front to make it seem fancier. It's only a little more complex than the smart selection tool. They won't take your data. Cloud won't be used to train AI which they added after the whole Dropbox debacle. https://nofilmschool.com/blackmagic-ai-training-stance Note that AI tools is not the same as GenAI.
ANTI-AI Colleges and and Universities
But you need a professional website...
Look up robots.txt and AI bots: https://www.cyberciti.biz/web-developer/block-openai-bard-bing-ai-crawler-bots-using-robots-txt-file/
Use cloudflare:
Use Nightshade:
https://nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/whatis.html
which will poison the algorithm and collapse the algorithm faster. I've seen Youtubers who are popular use it on their images they post to videos, and it made the AI bros irate. Some tried SOOO hard to argue how hopeless it was and how programmers would break the consent of artists. (Yeah, and they might wonder why they are single).
There are claims Nightshade, etc doesn't work, but the evidence it does is in this video.
I can go over the programming reasons it does as well. If it doesn't why are so many AI bros so upset every time someone uses it?
Use Glaze:
If you can't use Nightshade, use Glaze. You can't use Nightshade and Glaze at the same time, but some OS's and machines can't use Nightshade, so the secondary option is to use Glaze. This will blur your image enough in a particular way to make AI unable to read it.
Push companies towards anti-AI
Protest and Petition
Several sites gave in at least halfway or partially when people protested openly to the application. Crowd beats company every time. (Unless there are shareholders, in which case the next tip will help)
Don't buy monthly subscriptions when possible
This tip was on several Youtube videos (don't remember the creators' name, sorry, but I know one was a guy a long time ago). Newly made features every time you want to buy helps motivate the company to update, but also gives leverage to you, the consumer to actively protest the application and write a (Audrina) letter to the company.
Protest Monthly subscriptions. There was a really good video on the enshittification of Adobe, and it started around then, because that's when they became a Stock power. Don't give Stock Power to companies.
Look for Open Source Projects
They aren't rich enough to run servers, so won't add AI.
Convince Employers/Institutions that AI is not copyright protected and bad for branding.
Our biggest obstacle is here. As long as institutions get kickbacks from Adobe, etc and get donated funds, they are more than likely to use it as primary teaching material, which then undercuts their policies about no plagiarism. Point out that free programs are good or sometimes better than the paid ones AND it doesn't undercut their own message and they might convert.
Take Away
The thing is you think you doing it alone will do nothing, but the more AI feeds on itself, AI images, the worse they become, and the less detailed so, denying it the images, adding poison or not being able to read the human text is eventually going to lead to an AI collapse.
Analysis shows that indiscriminately training generative artificial intelligence on real and generated content, usually done by scrapi
And why not help that along?
I don't want to give cancer to poor people [Link] or make the planet burn faster [Link]. So GenAI collapse is everything I dream of. GenAI apocalypse is not.
BTW, the information about poor communities having cancer from GenAI servers I got from Reese Waters who pointed out it's usually poor Black elderly communities. But especially Grok. Timestamp is 16:28.
For general graphics: use GIMP
For vector graphics: use Inkscape
For drawing and illustration: use Krita
For print and web publishing and design: use Penpot
For PDF authoring: use LibreOffice
For PDF reading and form filling: use Okular
All are free, open source and cross-platform. None use AI.
Paper review: Fluid 100 Cold Press Finish 140lb/300gsm
3/5 āāā Ā
The paper dries extremely quickly and is thirsty on the water usage. The bleed between pigments of wet on wet washes is minimal and requires encouragement from the brush pushing it around, so the bleed is less organic than it could be. The color isn't as vivid as one would expect upon application, and due to the fast drying problem blending is difficult. Re-wetting is also difficult. When using extremely water heavy washes, the pigment tends to sit on top and wander into corners.
As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.
Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.
šŗHere is my list:
Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)
Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)
Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)
BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)
Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)
Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)
Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)
Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)
SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)
Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)
The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)
Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)
Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)
Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)
Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)
Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)
Pikat (art advice and critiques)
Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)
Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)
Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)
Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.
šHere is my list:
The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.
"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.
"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.
"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.
"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.
"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.
"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.
"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.
"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.
Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.
šAs for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.
For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.
š»As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.
Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )
Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)
Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)
PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)
Krita (Free)
mypaint (free)
FireAlpaca (free)
Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)
Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)
IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)
Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)
NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.
So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.
I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.
Hope this was helpful and have a great day.
"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"
Boosting this in case any of the programs and books suggested are useful.
All the photos on this tumblr ad the animal photo reference site I run is another resource available for artists to use!
As long as youāre not using AI to create your art, you can reference / trace / draw / recombine / make any sort of art you want, with any of the photos, for free.
There's also MORPHO, a really good book series on anatomy by Michel Lauricella, with very clear explanations and sketches!
And for pose references, there's @adorkastock who shares a ton of them for free, with different models and props, and her website is amazing <3 you can also buy pose packs from her.
being a self-taught artist with no formal training is having done art seriously since you were a young teenager and only finding out that youāre supposed to do warm up sketches every time youāre about to work on serious art when youāre fuckin twenty-five
when i was in undergrad, it was kind of mentioned in and offhand way that we should do warmups, but we were never shown what that meant. And, yāknow, we were young so it didnāt matter so much.Ā
Being older now and having an art job itāsā¦kind of essential.Ā
So: a quick primer for those of you who are likeĀ āok but how do i actually go about doing this warmup thing.āĀ
1) you may be tempted to doĀ āa warmup drawingā which is just a drawing that will take longer than it needed to and probably be frustrating and kind of bad because you didnāt warm up first. Itās tempting but always a trick your brain is playing on you! Do not trust!Ā
2) warmups will vary based on what feels good to you/what task youāre about to do/what motor skills you want to practice. That being said, some good standbys:
a) circles. Just a whole page of circles on whatever drawing surface youāre going to be using, whether thatās your tablet or your sketchbook or a drawing pad on an easel. For these circles you should make sure that youāre drawing from your shoulder and not your wrist. In fact, you want to be drawing from your shoulder rather than your wrist most of the time! forever! your wrist is delicate please preserve it!Ā
In order to ensure that youāre drawing from your shoulder, when youāre holding your pencil or whatever drawing tool youāre using, the only part of your hand that should be touching the drawing surface is part of the last two fingersāsome people prefer the finger tips, but I tend to favor the first knuckles. Either way, the fingers should really be ghosting over the surface, providing guidance rather than support.Ā
I usually start with big circles and then go to smaller circles and lines of ellipses, and then try to fit circles and ellipses inside other shapes iāve already drawn as a precision exercise, but i donāt do that unless iām feeling loose
b) spirals! i donāt always do spirals, but if iām stiff and the circles just arenāt cutting it, spirals are a good fall back. I start from the center and work outward, going both clockwise and counterclockwise until i feel comfortable with the whole range of motion. Some people really care about getting perfect spirals but for me itās all about making sure iām comfortable with how iām moving so who really even cares about how the spirals look. Not me!Ā
c) lines! straight lines! in parallel! i do a mix of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. These are often more from the elbow than the shoulder, especially if Iām working on a smaller surface. For this exercise, I recommend holding the drawing tool perpendicular with the surface
d) connect the dots. This is a precision and accuracy exercise and takes two forms. The first is to draw two dots and then draw a straight line between them. The second is to draw three dots and draw the curve that connects them. This sounds a lot simpler than it is in practice. Take time to ghost over the line you plan to draw before actually committing to your line. (I donāt always remember where I picked up my warm up exercises, but Iām pretty sure I got this one from Scott Robertson. His how to draw and how to render books are very technical but also accessible and worth checking out)
e) cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders. These help get your brain into a more volumetric space. I draw multiples of each, rotating the forms around, and Iāll often take the time to do some rough shading on at least a few of them
f) spidermans! This one is really good if youāre going to be storyboarding or working on dynamic poses. Just fill a page full of spidermans doing all sorts of acrobatics.Ā
g) beans. I donāt do beans too much anymore, but I know a lot of people like it so Iām mentioning it here. Fill an area with different size bean shapes without lifting your pencil off the paper.Ā
h) short medium and long line repetition. draw a short, medium, and long line on your page, and then draw directly on top of them 8 to 12 times, doing your best to exactly trace what youāve already drawing. Repeat with a wavy line. Iām bad at this one, which means I probably need to do it more.Ā
And there are lots more options too! Hit up youtube to see what other people recommend, put together your own go-to list, mix it up when youāre getting bored, etc.Ā
This is a long list, I know, but I usually donāt take more than 10 to 15 minutes to warm up, and I can warm up one handed while Iām drinking coffee, so, multitasking hurrah.Ā
Sometimes Iāll advance to a precision warmup and find that I havenāt loosened up enough yet; itās totally ok to go back to an earlier exercise! Also, all of this has the added benefit of kind of ritualistically getting you into the drawing mode so even if Iām not feeling it before I start, by the time Iāve gotten to the end Iām usually Ready For Drawinā. Brain hacks.Ā
so, yeah! thatās a lot of words, but! Warmups are important! Save your joints, take less advil, do better drawings!Ā
Something like this would be so colossally helpful. I'm sick and tired of trying to research specific clothing from any given culture and being met with either racist stereotypical costumes worn by yt people or ai generated garbage nonsense, and trying to be hyper specific with searches yields fuck all. Like I generally just cannot trust the legitimacy of most search results at this point. It's extremely frustrating. If there are good resources for this then they're buried deep under all the other bullshit, and idk where to start looking.
another addition as far as physical media goes there is the encyclopedia of national dress (that i still need to buy myself bc this kind of thing is super important to my sort of fantasy designing) but yes i do agree i wish there was EVEN MORE documentation on this
