(Part 2) Best products from r/drawing

That right shoulder looks much better with the shading, it doesn't look like it's floating now - good on you for giving it go!

Keep track of your light source and always think of where on whatever you're shading that light will hit, and where it won't - this way you'll know where you highlights and shadows will be.

For a good introduction into shading I recommended reading the grpaphic novel 'The' Drawing Lesson' by Mark Crilley. It's a good starting foundation in the basics of drawing. His YouTube videos are quite good too.

I'd also recommend these channels and learning resources (I'm a novice myself) :

Mark Crilley - YouTube

• Mark has many videos and is a phenomenal artist, though many videos are How to Draw X-Thing, there are lots of tips along the way.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilley
  
  Draw with Jazza - YouTube
  
• Jazza's newer content isn't as good for learning from - it's mostly YouTube entertainment - but his older videos have a lot of great information in them.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/DrawWithJazza
  
  Alphonso Dunn - YouTube
  
• Alphonso's YouTube channel isn't as popular as the others I've linked above, but he is a great pen and ink artist and I love the way he teaches. I highly recommend his videos to help anyone get a better grasp on perspective and drawing 3D objects with depth.
  https://www.youtube.com/user/LighterNoteProd
  
  The Drawing Lesson - Book
  
• This is the grpaphic novel I mentioned above - the price is pretty good if you get the eBook version. Amazon has a web reader too, so you don't need a Kindle to get use out of it.
  https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Lesson-Graphic-Novel-Teaches/dp/0385346336
  
  Draw a Box - Online Drawing Lesson and excercises (free). See also r/ArtFundamentals )
  
• This website takes you through a number of fundamentals and sets exercises and homework to help you practice. You can submit your work to the Subreddit and the community will help by providing feedback. If you use this service for receiving feedback, don't forget to give back to the community where you can. But I recommended you learn to self critique and correct your work as well, it will help you improve more quickly.

Hello! If you like the feel of standard wood pencils, you can easily pick up a set that will give you a broad range in blackness, some charcoal and a kneaded eraser, a normal eraser, and a sharpener! This would be everything you need in terms of pencils/drawing equipment you need to get started.

As for paper, your preference may change over time. I know mine did. My current favorite paper to use right now is Bristol board/paper. It is very smooth and I find it quite forgiving as well. Bristol does not "absorb" the graphite/charcoal the way a more grainy or rough paper would. But if you love that texture and what it adds to the drawing, then go for it! Like I said, you may find you develop a taste for a certain type of paper later on.

I personally love mechanical pencils and graphite holders. I love the consistency in point size and they have a range of hardness and blackness just like standard pencils, however, it is not as wide a range. I just find the weight of the pencil paired with the consistency to be exactly what I need. However, they can be expensive and good ones are often sold individually, as is the graphite you want, so you'll end up with a set and many packages of graphite types and sizes. This can be a bit costly. Starting out, I would go with a standard pencil set, as it has everything you need!

One thing you'll need to know about pencils, that you may already know is that H stands for hardness and B stands for blackness (you'd think they'd use softness but whatever) HB is right in the middle, and then up the scale on either side means the graphite is hard or softer. The harder the graphite, the more pressure needed to make a line. This is great for drafting, as you will be making light lines (with light hand pressure) that will guide you and either be erased or worked over. The softer the graphite, the blacker the line you get with less pressure. These are great for adding darks, doing large areas of black, adding dark details, etc etc. One thing to remember about graphite is that it can be polished. If you are overworking an area, the area can become shiny and metallic. This can really take away from the drawing. If you need something to be really black, use a very soft graphite pencil. In the set that I linked you above, that would be the 8b pencil, or the charcoal would also work, though the tone of black may differ from the graphite black (in reference to the shade of black that is seen on the paper) if you use charcoal.

Charcoal is much softer than graphite and does not polish. I do not have a lot of experience with charcoal yet (I only know it's much messier), but would like to transition into it at some point (I like rich blacks, and hate the shine from graphite) but this might be something you want to dabble in early on so you can get a nice set of skills with multiple tools. =)

I hope this helps! Good luck and remember to share what you produce!

what kind of drawing are you interested in doing?

This will sound a little silly but I picked up a book on how to draw horses ( http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Horses-Simple-Steps/dp/184448372X ).

While I'm not personally interested in drawing horses a lot, it helped me realize my greatest weakness in drawing and perhaps why I had stopped drawing ages ago -- basically that I had a very poor idea of how to approach drawing proportional subjects. after doing some exercises from the book, I started trying to draw images from photographs. I would draw the image 4 or 5 times before I had something that actually looked like what was in the photograph. yes, repetition can be boring but it is the only way you can critique prior work you've done and take the opportunity redo it and make it better.. a challenge but a worthy one.

ok.. so, without having looked at something you've drawn, here is what I think if you've already done some drawing. Let's say you draw something and you think it's pretty good. Well, try to draw it again. Is it better? what did you improve? what did you include or not include from the previous drawing?

the above is what I want to say to some of the posts that popup in r/drawing or r/art. If you think something you've draw is good, take the time redraw it (this is specifically for the drawings I've seen that appear very crude and need more than just encouragement, they just need practice).

also.. don't think of drawing as 'practice'/work think of it as fun! when I draw, it is fun. I draw what I want to draw and feel good about the drawings I do. repetition has helped me see my strengths and things I need to improve on.

I'm no pro by any means but I have a lot of fun drawing after work and certainly I'd love my SO surprised me with something like:

• Faber Castell 9000!
  
• Lumograph 100!
  
• Prismacolor Premier Verithin!
  
• Polychromo!
  
• Bristol paper!
  
  Also you can always include some nice accesories like blending stumps, different types of erasers, a good cutter/blade or sharpener.
  
  Does she like books? Andrew Loomis' books are incredible! Drawing the Head and Hands!
  
  These are (for me) good options for a present. Depending on budget you could increse/decrease the count on the color set but 24/36 is a good starting point.
  
  I hope this helps.

Two years ago I used to think the same thing, with enough practice (the right kind of practice) you can very likely get to this point to in about the same amount of time. Of course, once you do get to this point you'll see much better drawings and think "I wanna be able to draw like this", it's a never ending cycle haha

If you want to try and get better at it, here's something that will help:

1- stick to ink, ditch the pencils. It won't give you a chance to fix mistakes and spend hours trying to refine and adjust a sketch until it's "perfect". You'll just have to live with the result and improve it in the next drawing.

2- look at other people's art you like until your eyes fall out. Why do the trees look the way they look? How did they do their crosshatching? How loose are their marks? Why does the composition work? If you want to learn to do something, replicate it in your own way (see: doing studies)

3- don't spend longer than 5 minutes on your sketches. Obviously that applies to sketches you do for practice, if you have a commission you're working on or want to do a very refined drawing, then spend as much as needed on a sketch, but when sketching to learn (be it figure studies, landscapes, objects, etc) do it quickly. As a beginner you need to get into the habit of just drawing a lot, and often. If you see a drawing as this event that could take up half your day, you'll be much less likely to put pen to paper than if you knew you could do a sketch while waiting for your gas tank to fill up.

4- draw everywhere. Get the cheapest sketchbook you can find (I have a 5.5x8.5 Canson sketchbook that I think was around $6), and ideally some pocket sketchbooks as well (I like [Moleskine cahier journals] (https://www.amazon.com/dmp/8883704940/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_a7sLDbCE838VM] a pack of 3 is around $7). The regular sketchbook you can use at home or wherever you can carry it, the pocket ones you can just put in (you guessed it) your pocket so you can draw literally anytime and anywhere.

Then just draw what's around you and do some imaginative stuff too. Just keep at it, keep adding drawings, and you will improve. You'll also start having questions on techniques and such, at that point you can seek out classes, tutorials, videos, etc to help you out.

That was a lot of type in reply to one sentence lol but hopefully it'll help you or someone else interested in getting into it :)

It does stimulate my brain being creative, and I definitely feel myself becoming more creative the more characters I do, It's really helpful having the previous row to look at because you can see your work habits for creating characters and change them accordingly. I started with pen and ink and went over it with with Prisma color grey markers. I'm glad you like it and thank you for all your kind words!

This is great!

It seems she's practicing expression and posture. Might I recommend This book.

She seems to like the animation style and this is the holy grail of beginners learning how to draw in that style. I discovered it for my own use after reading this touching letter of instruction from legendary animator John Kricfalusi. You should read that letter.

Something you can contribute to your daughters hobby is helping her know the artists behind the things she loves.

I second that! It is a really great book! I also found Lee Hammond's book, "How to draw Draw Life-like Portraits from Photographs," to be extremely helpful as well.

No worries! These are the black fineliners I use, they're cheaper than the usual Staedtler or Pigma Microns, but I haven't noticed any difference in quality, if anything they might take longer to dry out. For the white ink, I use These and these. Because they're ball points they tend to get gummed up if you draw on pencil, so what I do is sketch > black ink > erase sketch > white ink. Hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!

From what you said above, you need a graphics tablet which is portable and decent in quality. As a beginner in digital art and also a professional person in drawing, I think you can choose Huion H610Pro or 580. And I think H610Pro would be much better for you.
Active Area: 10'' x 6.25''
Pressure Sensitivity: 2048 levels
Resolution: 5080 lines per inch; Report Rate: 233 resolutions per second
Uses a battery free stylus, which is rechargeable, silmmer and lighter
A new version for the H610 model with a clean, edgy new look.
H610Pro can meet all your needs. By the way, "Pro" means professional. And it comes with a rechargeable pen which can be continous use for a long time after two-hour full charged.
http://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Graphics-Drawing-Tablet/dp/B00GIGGS6A/ref=sr_1_3?m=A30BRCK3LE6SB5&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1411012749&sr=1-3

yupp! grab this book by Jack Hamm about landscapes and drawing scenery. it has everything from trees to rocks to clouds and composition etc. its an awesome book and just practice :)

I'm using a Gaomon PD1560 right now, and it's been working wonderfully for me. It's $359 right now (282 in pounds, 320 in euros). Works well w Krita and Sketchbook. Fairly large screen, and it comes w a pen, glove, and a stand for the pen (w replacement tips).

If you wanna check it out, the link is [here](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075WSRLC6/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B075WSRLC6&pd_rd_w=xIDYk&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=RmpJb&pf_rd_r=YD2TPX6ZK0AFXT0793JT&pd_rd_r=860ecc25-8001-11e9-9b09-4f16de09a724).


EDIT: Format didn't work. oof

Looks like a brush pen perhaps, but I'm not for sure.

Pentel Brush Pens appear to be the most popular. Here's an Amazon link.

http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Pocket-Includes-Refills-GFKP3BPA/dp/B002LJRKN8

Thanks, I appreciate it! I used this brush pen.

Thats all about the ink, but generally the rapidograph ink is waterproof and fadeproof. I do my inks then watercolor on top with no problems. I have this set.

When you get comfortable with them it's a lot of fun to make yout own colors.

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Scenery-Landscapes-Jack-Hamm/dp/0399508066

This is a cheap book with a lot of really good information on drawing landscapes. I recommend it.

Sketch on paper, digitize and then vectorize... or, if you want to do it by hand...

Sketch on paper... overlay with clear acetate, and then trace and clean with a rapidograph pen, or set of pens.

There are other brands, and packages, at different cost levels. This is close to the set I started with doing paste-up for screen printing, about 30 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Koh-I-Noor-Rapidograph-Stainless-Steel-Artists/dp/B001J5MBKW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=YKAQBYJXIJ7M&keywords=rapidograph+pen+set&qid=1550864648&s=gateway&sprefix=rapidograph%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2

This is one of my favorite books for things like this.

Check this work out! Thank You Oppy!!!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NV9YHTX?_encoding=UTF8&customId=B075384WHP&fbclid=IwAR14gvzAbaJN4W4xhrybhxT9u4d4yLsO9UBVkVNcOf1CVPDuwmBJor6S4OA&th=1

Burne Hogarth's book Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery is a good book on it. He explains the underlying concepts so you understand how fabric folds and creates wrinkles.

Thank you very much. I had a big assist from Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencil by J.D. Hillberry. Highly recommended.

Well to actually construct the head shape I used the Loomis Method, then I implemented my style by making the outlines solid and adding more line weight to lines near more heavily shaded areas. To shade the piece I used cross hatching, but in this case, I put the lines so close together to create the smoothness that you might see here.

Is this freehand? did you use a graph to do any mapping of the face? I highly recommend this book for learning how to do portraits http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Lifelike-Portraits-Photographs/dp/089134635X

I use the Pentel White Gel Pen, the trick is to go really slow with it so you give the ink a chance to really flow out of the pen. And if your curious, I used the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen to get different thicknesses for the line work.

Pentel White Gel Pen

First, we need a price point. If it is under 100 dollars, I would suggest the Huion H610. http://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Graphics-Drawing-Tablet/dp/B00GIGGS6A

Amazing value, 10x6 inch working space, 2048 levels of pressure, and a decent build quality. Also, the Monoprice Tablet is a good alternative. You only have 1024 levels of pressure, but you still have 10x6 inches of working space.


If you have the money to spare, Get a Wacom Intuos 3 or Intuos 4. The decent ones, that aren't a hilariously tiny size are at least $150. If you don't have the cash, Get a Huion H610, or a Monoprice Tablet.

a book that helped me immensely was this book.

Start out by drawing spheres, boxes, etc with different lighting; there are lots of beginning tutorials on the internet (and that book) for stuff like that. Then, begin to post your work on here and ask for feedback.

I also recommend you check out cartoon animation by preston blair. even a google image search has tons of pages from the book as example