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sometimes I forget that rulers work with tablets and I get really frustrated with my inability to freehand straight lines
I NEVER
REALIZED
YOU COULD DO THIS
BUT IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE
omfg for real I thought this was just me?
er, dear artists of Tumblr:
WHY DID THIS NEVER OCCUR TO ME?
pspspss
you can also trace things
Because true.
OH SWEET JESUS I WAS SO DUMB AND BLIND THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING—
This is like the most obvious shit I feel like I’ve just ascended or something. How the fuck did nobody realise any of this?… HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS I AM DONE
reblog to save an artist’s life.
Depending on which program you use there’s a straight line option
1. Hold your pen at your start point then hold down Shift
2. Pick up your pen and bring it to your end point and just tap then release Shift when you’re happy.
That should make a straight line in any direction
It has come across my dashboard again, and this time I’m on my comp, so here’s the copy-paste of my last reblog (plus minor additions and clarification):
You don’t need a ruler for straight lines. Your program provides you with tools to do this.
Photoshop: Touch the screen/tablet where you want your line to start, lift pen, hold shift then touch where your line ends (varying results on line variation from thick to thin)–you can even keep holding shift and just keep clicking away. You can use your mouse for consistent line weight. If it’s just horizontal or vertical, then hold shift and draw your line. You can use the pen tool (P) to create a path, right-click, then select ‘stroke path.’ Checking ‘simulate pressure’ will taper your lines–be sure to have the brush size you want selected before stroking the path. Pen tool also lets you create easy curves. The line tool (U, or shift+U to cycle to it–looks like a rectangle in the tool bar–called ‘rectangle tool’) will let you start at point A, then drag to point B.
Image 1: Both examples are set to the same size and tool. For smaller brush sizes, the brush tool has the potential of becoming lost if enough pressure isn’t applied–unless a mouse is used for consistent pressure.
Painter: No line variation: press V then click away–it will create a straight line between each point you click. Vertical, horizontal, and 45° (with variation from pen pressure): hold shift then draw in that direction. Line variation in any direction: use the pen tool (P) to create a path of the lines you want (don’t worry about the ‘shape layer’ this creates, you can delete it later if it bothers you, Painter likes to make extra layers when you’re not looking), go back to your brush (B) then select ‘align to path’ option from the toolbar, great for making curves, too–or perspective if you’re drawing in perspective (you’ll want to have set up your grid beforehand for this to work nicely).
Image 2: These tools allow you apply varied lines along paths you have laid out or along a perspective grid you have set up.
As you can see, even though the programs are different, they have similarities. If I remember correctly, GIMP should be similar to Photoshop’s setup (with different hotkeys, of course–that was an eternal battle for me). Most programs are going to follow either creating a path/vector line, or drawing in conjunction with the shift key. But you can always look up ‘[art program] straight lines (or whatever function)’ when you become lost.
If you still have issues, the easiest and most reliable way to get your angled straight line would be to create it on the horizontal or vertical path (usually just some combo of shift and drawing) then rotate/transform it. Even if you have to rotate a horizontal/vertical line, at least you’re not fighting blind ruler placement and still having to correct your line via rotation/placement.
Also, you never know what potential damage the ruler may cause to your pen nib or tablet.
As limited as some programs are, they’re more powerful than you think. Different programs have different perks. I like Photoshop’s transform tool better than Painter’s since it’s all right there and right-click accessible and it has ‘warp.’ I think Painter has better default brushes and sensitivity to pressure.
As for tracing, I would either just scan or take a photo (no matter how crummy the photo), bring it into the program, then trace/clean up. Better results, no chance of slipping.
The best thing you can do for yourself is learn the program(s) you’re working with.
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Drawing basic facial expressions is not the hardest. Most people can draw a sad face, a happy face, angry etc., but making more multidimensional expressions is more of a challenge. I have gotten a lot of compliments on how I draw facial expressions, (specifically “angsty ones”) telling me that they are very dramatic and well… expressive! And there are actually only a few things I think about when I draw faces that take them to the next level, so I thought i’d illustrate them all here!
SUPER IMPORTANT TIP BEFORE WE START: Look at your own face when you draw faces. Even making the face when you are drawing (you don’t even have to look at it), will give you some sense of how the face muscles pull and where things fold and stretch, because you can feel it. You are the best reference when it comes to facial expressions!
Angles
Draw the head in an angle that matches the expressions you want to make. It is not a requirement, but is going to add to the effect.
Symmetry vs asymmetry
A face is rarely symmetric. Unless the face the character is making is 100 % relaxed or even dissociating, the eyebrows, mouth and facial muscles will have different placements of their respective side. This image shows the dramatic impact asymmetry has on a face:
That’s the difference between a smile and a smirk!
The first one’s like “oh yeah?” and the second is like “oH YEAH??”
The “balloon squishing principle”
This is something I did subconsciously, and I didn’t know about until I made this tutorial. And this principle goes hand in hand with an asymmetric face. Basically, if you squish one part of the face, you need to even out the empty space by “inflating” the other part of the face so that it doesn’t appear shrunken. The picture hopefully explains it:
Teeth
Don’t forget to add the gum when the mouth is open to its full potential!
Squinting and folding
Adding folds around the eyes when a character is squinting makes a HUGE difference. It makes a smile more genuine and a growl more intimidating. Adding folds to the face in general makes your characters more lifelike and ‘visually relatable’. Like, they look human, and less plastic or fake.
and so on..
Pupils and irises
The placement of the iris and pupil in relation to the eyelids is very important! The less of the white you see, the more relaxed the character is.
And then of course eyebrows and eyes go hand in hand!
Gestures, spitting, sweating…
Adding more elements than just a face is key to making the character actually look like they are feeling what you want them to feel. Just the tiniest sweat drop adds to their anxiety, spitting adds frustration to their rage, slouching shoulders, waving hands, a double chin, extreme angles, the list goes on! Add whatever and see what kind of impact it makes! Does it do the trick? Great! Add it!
Over exaggeration!!
Remember that you can almost always exaggerate more. Don’t be afraid to do draw “too much” because you’re just experimenting. See what works and what doesn’t. What do you like to exaggerate?
Now that you know some theory, it’s time to practice!
Practicing!!
The 25 Essential Expressions (a classic! I’ve done it multiple times)
And the one I do when I’m bored:
Fill a page with circles and fill them in with different expressions. Try and exaggerate as much as you can!
This is mostly for experimenting. They are quicker to draw than complete faces, but the same rules should apply!
And that’s about it!
I don’t know if I covered everything in this tutorial, since some things might be obvious for me, and this post perhaps only scratches the surface. So feel free to send me a message if you want an explanation about something more in depth! Thank you for reading! And now DRAW!!! ✨🎨
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Wake up! It`s a new great day!
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