Whatever you think id what you think. Don't let anyone try to change your artistic vision. If you are driven and motivated, you will be sucessful without other people. People can think what they want, but it can't change what you do with your art.

I know this is really obvious and stuff, but it's very important to stay positive while you draw. Negativity can really effect your art.

ATTENTION PLEASE! Tell congress to say NO WAY to SOPA and PIPA! These new bills will NOT stop piracy! IN FACT, it will take sites like this away! AOL, EBay, Facebook, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo, etc. wrote a letter to Congress saying that these bills will, “pose a serious risk to our industry’s continued track record of innovation and job-creation.” GUYS! 41 human rights organizations and 110 prominent law professors express their concerns about the bills and have said NO! We need all the support we can to keep the internet from being censored! GET THIS! SOPA and PIPA were created to prevent pircay-- BUT these bills won't work! Pirate sites will change adresses and continue their crimes! SUPPORT AND SAY NO WAY! See Google for deets.

Really, you can only be all that you are as an artist is if you just be yourself, whether from abstract to multi-art, to manga, cause people like us have these extraordinary abilities to take all of our thoughts and bring them to life on paper, hope your art takes you to many places.

On Portraiture (and on most everything else we draw, paint, sketch or create): Observe your values (Darks and lights). Pay attention to your reference photo, but NOT to the point where your just copying the photo, line for line, shade for shade. (The camera has already done that for you.) Make it look better, deeper, and richer than a mere photo. Make it contain a little piece of your soul. Make it uniquely yours. Own it. Photography lies to our eyes and tends to make things look a bit flat, shallow and lifeless. Photos do not give you what your eyes and mind are capable of seeing. Only we can deliver that. That's why we're called "Artists". - John F Willis

befoul yourself!!

The first thing you don't wanna do is narrow your view of what art is too you. Look at all kinds of art and environments. This will help with "Artist Block" and inspire you create unique works you wouldn't have attempted at first. I was a traditionally trained painter but after a 4 year hiatus from art entirely I now enjoy painting and drawing on my own terms. Also experiment with all the mediums you can.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of media. Going outside your comfort zone can introduce you to new and exciting techniques and expand your artistic vocabulary . Using different types of medium, mixing and combining can create extremely complex and interesting pieces. Test different combos on a piece of scrap paper or canvas will help you to figure out the technique or look you are going for, or introduce you to something new.

It's true, mastering the art of gesturing is what leads to a good piece of work, however I find that what comes after the gesture is all personal choice. After perfecting my gesture I focus and complete one section, for example, an eye before moving on to another part of the face. I do not fill in the drawing with basic coloring. This is not to say that this approach is wrong, it's just not my personal preference. A lot of teachers are going to tell that there is only one way to make art. Keep yourself separate from their opinion, consider it, decide if it's right for you, and move on.