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Pseudolonewolf — Generic Dragon Lineart
Published: 2012-12-31 18:41:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 1078; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 16
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Description
Something that I've really struggled with over the years is nice, clean, neat lineart. I've always wondered how people did it; what magic tools they used or whatever. I thought maybe everyone used the Pen tool, which I could never get the hang of... but I suppose that the main thing behind it is simply time, patience, and experience.After the previous thing I did, where I felt like I was just using techniques I'd used years ago, I very much decided that now was a time for change!1 That I should try to actually work on things I can't do rather than just feeling bad that I couldn't do them.
So I looked at pictures of dragons by artists far better than I am, to get a better feel for dragon anatomy. I looked on YouTube at some of these artists drawing their lineart, and saw that it WAS simply practice and patience; that is was done with a normal brush and a steady hand.
I practised a bit, and ended up with this generic dragon thing! There's nothing interesting about it, but one step at a time! Its whole purpose was to practise lineart and patience.
Eventually, after I've done a few things like this, hopefully my skills in general will show some improvement, as I draw more carefully, take my time, things like that. Hopefully this next year will be one of significant improvement in my style! Yes!
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Comments: 10
Very nice! How would you like to join a group that I just recently made [link] the group is devoted to any kind of fantasy art. Keep up the good work!
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If you really want to get better, I strongly recommend studying not just other people's dragons, but actual animals from nature and how they can be incorporated into your creatures. That's the best way to get a real feel for anatomy, too, particularly the bodies and wing structures of birds, bats, and predatory dinosaurs
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Yes, I've already been doing that for quite a while now, and I've got things in my gallery like this: [link] [link] [link] [link]
This was the first time I'd looked at dragons by other artists instead of just using animal references, apparently... so it's not like I've ever relied on that or anything! But it is a useful shortcut, because there are no real creatures that have forelegs AND wings like dragons do.
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Ah, yes, the winged wolf approach. Personally, I've never or at least almost never used canine anatomy in my dragons. Very occasionally feline structures, but as dragons are most usually portrayed as reptiles, I usually take my inspiration from the bodies of fast moving, pre-avian dinosaurs like velociraptor. I even use that concept of primitive feathers as an excuse for why some dragons appear furry. Not all dragons have 6 limbs, you know. Anyways, it makes for a more believable looking beast, which is usually what I strive for, though I know that not everyone does. And there are ways to fit multiple limbs into that frame too. Gosh, I'm just too nerdy, ever since I watched the Dragons's World: A Fantasy Made Real documentary.
[link] here's an example of my typical dragon.
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I have a sort of love-hate relationship with outlines. My hand always wobbles, and I'm never quite happy with the finished thing; but I actually struggle a bit in defining things in the picture if there isn't a good, solid outline
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I'm not fantastic with lineart, but I learned the trick is to give no time for your hand to wobble. If you make a really quick stroke it may not hit the line you want to first time, but after a few attempts it will and it'll be incredibly fluid too. Slower and more careful strokes end up more sloppy.
Apologies if you already know this. Just thought I'd share my own limited inking knowledge with a fellow artist
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I have been trying that kind of thing, apparently! It in annoying having to Undo the line loads of times to get it just right, but I'm hoping that with more experience, I'll have to do it less and less!
It's something I only started trying to do recently, but I think it's leading to improvement.
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Yeah. I find it's easier in SAI because you can rotate and flip the canvas easily to match the way your hand naturally flows. I wish Photoshop and SAI were combined somehow...
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If you want to see improvement, perhaps upload stage by stage drawings so you can compare each stage of different drawings which might help.
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