Ponybooru annual collaboration
Jb33124 
Resident Lurker
@Barhandar
How can you just sketch up something that good? I mean, it’s not even finished and it’s 10,000x better than what I can ever possibly hope to do.
How can you just sketch up something that good? I mean, it’s not even finished and it’s 10,000x better than what I can ever possibly hope to do.
Jb33124
Resident Lurker
@Barhandar
Where would I even start? Diving straight into free hand doesn’t make much sense, by which I mean just coming up with something I want to draw and just doing it, as whatever I’d end up with would be catastrophically disappointing in comparison to my aims.
Where would I even start? Diving straight into free hand doesn’t make much sense, by which I mean just coming up with something I want to draw and just doing it, as whatever I’d end up with would be catastrophically disappointing in comparison to my aims.
Barhandar 
@Jb33124
You are just starting, literally at point zero. Of course you’d be disappointed and fail constantly, you don’t have the skills - yet. And you will need to learn said skills one by one, because “drawing” isn’t a single skill that magically makes you good at any art - its thousands of different small skills.
Being able to draw smooth lines. Understanding shape of objects. Understanding light and dark. Knowing methods to represent light and dark. Knowing colors as a whole. Knowing mixing colors. Knowing how to apply colors. Structure and behavior of objects. Motion. General anatomy. Motion as applied to anatomy - which you’ll have to learn for every thing with distinct anatomy, because a crocodile doesn’t move the same way as a deer, and monkey doesn’t move the same as a human. Specific anatomy - human faces, human hands, and human feet are ALL a subject to themselves due to humans being able to parse failures in those incredibly easily and them being very finely detailed. Knowing detailing in general. Knowing how to avoid level of detail problems (a.k.a. “vore artist mouth” and “foot fetishist feet”, a combo of overpracticing something and being unable to tone it down when out of focus of the image). The list goes on.
You will fail at every and each of those. And then you can learn from that failure and fail a little better next time, until, one day, you succeed. And move on to another skill, because if you’re not improving and learning, you’re degrading.
Would you be disappointed that you’re not instantly at the top of the mountain you see in the distance when you take a single step in its direction?
As for “starting”, yes, diving straight into free hand is one of the options. Another is replicating (NOT tracing, tracing doesn’t teach you anything that you won’t learn better in other ways) things, to figure out what makes them “tick” - having them up on your screen or similar as reference, then trying to “rebuild” them from scratch on paper, or on another part of the screen.
And figuring out how OBSCURED parts of thing look like without rotating it.
Basically, you want to know how to draw [thing]? Draw it 100 times from different angles and different situations, figure out how it’s built and moves.
P.S. My first artworks were complete garbage. The only difference is, I didn’t stop.
You are just starting, literally at point zero. Of course you’d be disappointed and fail constantly, you don’t have the skills - yet. And you will need to learn said skills one by one, because “drawing” isn’t a single skill that magically makes you good at any art - its thousands of different small skills.
Being able to draw smooth lines. Understanding shape of objects. Understanding light and dark. Knowing methods to represent light and dark. Knowing colors as a whole. Knowing mixing colors. Knowing how to apply colors. Structure and behavior of objects. Motion. General anatomy. Motion as applied to anatomy - which you’ll have to learn for every thing with distinct anatomy, because a crocodile doesn’t move the same way as a deer, and monkey doesn’t move the same as a human. Specific anatomy - human faces, human hands, and human feet are ALL a subject to themselves due to humans being able to parse failures in those incredibly easily and them being very finely detailed. Knowing detailing in general. Knowing how to avoid level of detail problems (a.k.a. “vore artist mouth” and “foot fetishist feet”, a combo of overpracticing something and being unable to tone it down when out of focus of the image). The list goes on.
You will fail at every and each of those. And then you can learn from that failure and fail a little better next time, until, one day, you succeed. And move on to another skill, because if you’re not improving and learning, you’re degrading.
Would you be disappointed that you’re not instantly at the top of the mountain you see in the distance when you take a single step in its direction?
As for “starting”, yes, diving straight into free hand is one of the options. Another is replicating (NOT tracing, tracing doesn’t teach you anything that you won’t learn better in other ways) things, to figure out what makes them “tick” - having them up on your screen or similar as reference, then trying to “rebuild” them from scratch on paper, or on another part of the screen.
And figuring out how OBSCURED parts of thing look like without rotating it.
Basically, you want to know how to draw [thing]? Draw it 100 times from different angles and different situations, figure out how it’s built and moves.
P.S. My first artworks were complete garbage. The only difference is, I didn’t stop.
evan555alpha 
Head Administrator
UwU Chwyasawis my waifu
@Jb33124
Always. Use. References.
And then as @Barhandar said, it’s just practise, practise, practise.
Hell, I didn’t start drawing until well after I had just been colouring stuff for a while. My first self-drawn piece is up on the site for your viewing misfortune:
Wanna know what I did wrong with it? I tried doing everything from memory. No references, nothing. Just me and my pen (this one was actually traditionally drawn first). As you can see, just about everything with it is pretty awful.
Even some of my more recent draws (as in, this year!) have pretty crap pony anatomy. Just look at
The anatomy is disproportionate with itself all over the place, even when I did use references.
As someone who I can’t remember oh so eloquently put it: you gotta draw all the shitty stuff before you can start drawing the good stuff.
Keep at it, and you will get good eventually. Trust me, I’ve done it.
Always. Use. References.
And then as @Barhandar said, it’s just practise, practise, practise.
Hell, I didn’t start drawing until well after I had just been colouring stuff for a while. My first self-drawn piece is up on the site for your viewing misfortune:
Wanna know what I did wrong with it? I tried doing everything from memory. No references, nothing. Just me and my pen (this one was actually traditionally drawn first). As you can see, just about everything with it is pretty awful.
Even some of my more recent draws (as in, this year!) have pretty crap pony anatomy. Just look at
The anatomy is disproportionate with itself all over the place, even when I did use references.
As someone who I can’t remember oh so eloquently put it: you gotta draw all the shitty stuff before you can start drawing the good stuff.
Keep at it, and you will get good eventually. Trust me, I’ve done it.
Luzion 
Senior Moderator
pingus
@Adan Druego
We received reports against this comment. Please refrain from antagonistic comments, especially ones that may derail the thread or result in flame wars.
If you are critiquing art, please try to keep it professional and avoid referencing incest.
audit log entry
We received reports against this comment. Please refrain from antagonistic comments, especially ones that may derail the thread or result in flame wars.
If you are critiquing art, please try to keep it professional and avoid referencing incest.
audit log entry
Adán Druego
@Barhandar
Sorry. I didn’t mean anything as an insult nor I was attempting to antagonize. I was referring to this.
I was just thinking the banner could say: “Welcome To Ponybooru” or something similar, but like in the show, we’d unfortunately run out of room and it’d end up as “Welcome To Ponybo”.
The other thing, not going to mention the topic, was joking about the name of the meme itself, We couldn’t fit it all in.
That joke was inappropriate and very off-topic and I do apologize about that.
And I apologize about not being clear and making my intent known. Sorry for being weird and confusing. I don’t actually have anything negative to say about all the ideas expressed here or about any of the art and discussion. I was hoping to just make a reference to the Princess Celest- banner. I, also, felt that I should explain myself so that I might try and clear up any perceived ill intent.
Sorry. I didn’t mean anything as an insult nor I was attempting to antagonize. I was referring to this.
I was just thinking the banner could say: “Welcome To Ponybooru” or something similar, but like in the show, we’d unfortunately run out of room and it’d end up as “Welcome To Ponybo”.
The other thing, not going to mention the topic, was joking about the name of the meme itself, We couldn’t fit it all in.
That joke was inappropriate and very off-topic and I do apologize about that.
And I apologize about not being clear and making my intent known. Sorry for being weird and confusing. I don’t actually have anything negative to say about all the ideas expressed here or about any of the art and discussion. I was hoping to just make a reference to the Princess Celest- banner. I, also, felt that I should explain myself so that I might try and clear up any perceived ill intent.
DTavs.Exe 
Échale vampiro
My entry. At the end I couldn’t make her airborne, I tried several times but it just didn’t come up good enough so I gave up and let her standing.
Jb33124
Resident Lurker
@Barhandar
@evan555alpha
This is some incredible advice. Thanks! I’ll get working on it! Though I know I’ll have some mental failures due to depression, I’ll try my best! That’s ok you can ask for, really.
Thanks do much! I’ll (if I remember) report back to both of you with an image of sorts in the future!
@evan555alpha
This is some incredible advice. Thanks! I’ll get working on it! Though I know I’ll have some mental failures due to depression, I’ll try my best! That’s ok you can ask for, really.
Thanks do much! I’ll (if I remember) report back to both of you with an image of sorts in the future!
Dex Stewart
Can I submit a second oc? Sorry about the background here. I thought it was transparent,but I guess not.
This is my newest oc,Amber Alert.
Ecto-Phase,Activate!
Can I submit a second oc? Sorry about the background here. I thought it was transparent,but I guess not.
This is my newest oc,Amber Alert.
Adán Druego
@Dex Stewart
I’m not sure which editing program you’re using but if it’s GINMP, then open your original file that you thought would have the transparent background and right-click on the layer that Amber Alert is drawn on and click on:
Add Alpha C__h__annel
in the menu.
The spoilered text may or may not apply because it depends on the original image. So, it might not happen.
The area surrounding your OC should turn from black to the checkered light-gray and dark-gray pattern.
Then export as a .PNG file or save it as a .PNG file.
That might fix the problem with the black background.
I’m not sure which editing program you’re using but if it’s GINMP, then open your original file that you thought would have the transparent background and right-click on the layer that Amber Alert is drawn on and click on:
Add Alpha C__h__annel
in the menu.
The spoilered text may or may not apply because it depends on the original image. So, it might not happen.
The area surrounding your OC should turn from black to the checkered light-gray and dark-gray pattern.
Then export as a .PNG file or save it as a .PNG file.
That might fix the problem with the black background.
Dex Stewart
Ecto-Phase,Activate!
@Adan Druego
I figured out that when I tried to crop out the dead space,the background wasn’t transparent anymore.
I figured out that when I tried to crop out the dead space,the background wasn’t transparent anymore.
Barhandar
You know, this would probably get more submissions if you’d stick the notification up and didn’t unstick it until the end.
You know, this would probably get more submissions if you’d stick the notification up and didn’t unstick it until the end.
Luzion
Senior Moderator
pingus
@TheGamerPainter
Are you asking if thats ok to be your submission? I cant see why not other than it doesnt have a blank background
Are you asking if thats ok to be your submission? I cant see why not other than it doesnt have a blank background
