when i previously answered this question, i was still on clip studio
since changing to krita, i've recreated the settings..
so this answer applies to all paintings since they are mostly all painted the same way (except the stuff made in kolourpaint)
i tend to prefer more simple/basic kinds over textured brushes
other software i like/recommend:
workrave ~ good for avoiding RSI and taking breaks
gpick ~ nice palette program
sxiv ~ good photo viewer for x11
before 2023 i used clipstudiopaint for painting
and in some older paintings i used drawr/pixiv simple draw
fanart of any sort is super ok, and fan characters too! i don't mind fan interpretations, writings, etc. as long as theres a sense of respect ...?
reposts are ok, though it depends on the site and if they link back. if ya source to me, sofa/yogurt200 then theres usually no problem..
but i'll ask here to please not put my pictures up on pinterest! i don't have anything to do with all the stuff of mine thats on pinterest, and i have a bit of a gripe with that site. if you really feel you MUST put stuff i made up on there, source me as the artist at least..!
but on a yes note if you want to link to yogurt200 on your website, you can use this button:
there are endless ways to go about drawing, but the core thing for getting better at it is to just draw. draw everyday, or almost everyday if you can!
if you are primarily doing digital, always supplement with traditional drawing. sit down with some paper as often as possible.
studying is the best friend. i've done 'master copies' a lot in the past, you can take anything you feel like you'd learn from and copy it. sometimes tracing can help you learn things too.
while you are learning, you aren't focused on making finished products for people, you aren't drawing to make a post.
sharing art and the things that come with it are a second, extra step. it seems to become harder to enjoy drawing when getting caught up on what people (could) think.
you are drawing because you want to draw.
and even a seasoned artist will be ok with drawing a lot of things that never see the light of day.
what matters is that you are doing it and as long as you are doing it you're doing good!!!
almost every artist you ask this kind of question to will say observation is key. observation involves drawing from life, but also observing life too.
give a patient eye to all things even slightly visually interesting.. this will give your mind more to work with
make sure your visual diet is things that inspire you or make you happy. its easier to draw when you keep your mind on that track.
experimenting is good.. a style and aesthetic should just come natrually with time, so just consume anything that interests you. (surroundings, reading, looking, music, ..other media too..) & it will come out in your work in different ways
and likewise, if theres qualities you don't want in your art, no need to remind yourself of that everyday if you can help it. 'hate' can worm itself into your work if you're not careful. you can't control your subconsious, but you can certainly regulate the diet of what goes into it
on anatomy specifically, life drawing is really great and invaluable
practice, fill up pages with specific body parts you aren't familiar with
skeletons are a good starting point
warm up! give yourself some time to suck each day. warm up! this is real shit! you can make up your own warm ups, or take the old fashioned route of drawing much of nothing for a couple hours before the real heat comes in
websites such as posemaniacs help you warm up and keep your ability to draw bodies sharp. their models are samey and not a very good representation of what bodies are really like, but there are plenty of websites that use photographic references that are better for learning & study. 'line of action' is cool.
i highly recommend all the morpho books.. these are amazing!
i think giving yourself assignments can be fun as well. roll a dice and draw that amount of girls or something.. just get into it.
the pain can be daunting, but its with every skill that you experience some pain as you grow into it and gain ability..don't let this stop you. ride it out..take a break then push through and keep drawing.. :)
i get asked advice questions like this a surprising amount.. i'm still young & learning myself so, don't take this like its golden or anything. any advice i write is just my own experiences
i know itch has some limitations with who can buy what, so thats my main reasoning for putting stuff on steam besides desiring a livable wage.
& in regards to merch, i will probably not do keychains again!..or anything of that sort!..
i'd like to do some printed media kind of thing sometime..
there could come a time when i make stickers.. i've had my heart set on that for a bit
i have written some pages about second life, which answer some questions i recieve on the matter.. those articles are in the information booth part of the site.. i'll be writing more of them over time
well, people are mostly curious about the window manager/look of the OS.. so i'll put a short answer here in the mean time
the overall set up is really minimal: i use i3wm, a tiling window manager that has good shortcuts & nice config..
my current terminal is xterm, but i used kitty in the past. i like xterm because i've got aliases set for changing the color on the spot. so i can have a red terminal, blue terminal, green terminal, all together.. with little trouble :) its not the most advanced feature packed terminal of all time but its the default x one and i like it a lot & works for my lifestyle
i tend to have the windows floating 80% of time, but when i tile my windows i have gaps configured, which makes it kinda look floaty
i use i3blocks for my i3bar.. the weather, time, printed text is thanks to that
i've edited my i3wm config according to my tastes with the help of the documentation. this is where you learn to use the shortcuts and evertyhing too. the documentation is good!
i use the terminal whenever i can, its low-stim is nice combined with colors that make me happy. really that is all the 'look' is, blocks of color
there may be little details that came out of time spent tinkering so i dunno if thats something i can ever fully lay out for someone
also, from time to time, i use a window manager called FVWM, which i have configured to work similar to i3wm with the shortcuts.
if the screenshot has title bars, or the little root menu is present, then im using FVWM
.. i love my FVWM config, and FVWM itself, so so much! but i always find myself wanting to mess with the config & getting distracted..i'm probably gonna stay on i3wm for now
but yea there is a line that can be and has been crossed, where its not merely similar inspirations and visions but an obvious bite! well. i try not to be angry about this.
i don't want people to be ashamed for being inspired..
still i'd prefer people were a lil more honest about it all
taking tips from the art is fine but there are times where it feels like its more about taking on an identity
there is alot of warping there
i usually feel uncomfortable encountering that
i try not to let it bother me when i see it, or hold against
there are instances of being ripped off where i'd maybe do something about it, like if it involves a lot of money, something more tied to my ability to live..
that hasn't happened yet, but that is a case where i'd like to know and address it directly
otherwise, fussing about 'imitators' is too much energy for what its worth.. i'd rather not deal with it unless it's a harassment situation.
i feel in tune with myself, and have my own connection to whatever stream of ideas..
everybody can reach this if they try,
i try not to feel threatened by people who haven't