Old fanart and other things.
A post full of fanart I haven't posted outside dA before and a couple of tips on improving from someone who is always trying to improve.
May be helpful.
WARNING: Image heavy
My dA stats say I've uploaded 37 pieces of Sherlock fanart. That's a lot of fanart.
And if you put my oldest piece and my youngest piece side by side you would think they were done by different artists!
Yeah, that's weirdly happy Sherlock on the left with a dubious John, and dying Sherlock on the right with a bamf John. I'd say I've improved, but you may disagree.
(I need to know something. I need to know if I'm the only artist who finds looking over old works a cringe worthy experience. It was so absolutely horrific collecting all these pieces together, all I can see are the flaws. And yet these are the same pictures I willingly posted up onto my dA and was quite proud of!)
Tips on improving fanart from someone who is not an expert
(in no order of importance)
1. Avoid tracing or eyeballing screencaps/photos.(*) You're not saying anything new, and you're severely reducing your artistic creativity by just recreating scenes that everyone has already seen already. That being said ...
2. Use references! A lot of fanart from new artists really could be any dark haired guy and short blond man. These dudes, like most British actors, are really quite unique looking. Use that to your advantage to help you differentiate between characters. If you're drawing the same nose and mouth over and over again, ask yourself why. Try to change it.
3. Try to draw scenes rather than portraits. If your whole gallery is just endless pictures of faces or people standing still and facing the imaginary camera, push yourself and try to draw a scene. So much cool stuff happens in the Sherlock Holmes universe, so get out and draw it!
4. Experiment often. Try using different methods (or programs, if you're a digital artist) and different colours. Use the show's awesome visuals as inspiration. Do something weird (like a shimeji ...)
5. Draw lots and lots and lots. That should be a given. When drawing lots and lots and lots, remember to shake it up every now and then and try something new. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
6. I find looking at other fanart helpful. You can see how other artists have handled expressing the characters, and you can get a few ideas of your own. But remember, never rip off another artist's fanart! That's not cool.
(*)Although that doesn't mean heavily referenced art can't be awesome. Check out this Sherlock fanart by Lyvyan
May be helpful.
WARNING: Image heavy
My dA stats say I've uploaded 37 pieces of Sherlock fanart. That's a lot of fanart.
And if you put my oldest piece and my youngest piece side by side you would think they were done by different artists!
Yeah, that's weirdly happy Sherlock on the left with a dubious John, and dying Sherlock on the right with a bamf John. I'd say I've improved, but you may disagree.
(I need to know something. I need to know if I'm the only artist who finds looking over old works a cringe worthy experience. It was so absolutely horrific collecting all these pieces together, all I can see are the flaws. And yet these are the same pictures I willingly posted up onto my dA and was quite proud of!)
Tips on improving fanart from someone who is not an expert
(in no order of importance)
1. Avoid tracing or eyeballing screencaps/photos.(*) You're not saying anything new, and you're severely reducing your artistic creativity by just recreating scenes that everyone has already seen already. That being said ...
2. Use references! A lot of fanart from new artists really could be any dark haired guy and short blond man. These dudes, like most British actors, are really quite unique looking. Use that to your advantage to help you differentiate between characters. If you're drawing the same nose and mouth over and over again, ask yourself why. Try to change it.
3. Try to draw scenes rather than portraits. If your whole gallery is just endless pictures of faces or people standing still and facing the imaginary camera, push yourself and try to draw a scene. So much cool stuff happens in the Sherlock Holmes universe, so get out and draw it!
4. Experiment often. Try using different methods (or programs, if you're a digital artist) and different colours. Use the show's awesome visuals as inspiration. Do something weird (like a shimeji ...)
5. Draw lots and lots and lots. That should be a given. When drawing lots and lots and lots, remember to shake it up every now and then and try something new. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
6. I find looking at other fanart helpful. You can see how other artists have handled expressing the characters, and you can get a few ideas of your own. But remember, never rip off another artist's fanart! That's not cool.
(*)Although that doesn't mean heavily referenced art can't be awesome. Check out this Sherlock fanart by Lyvyan