NEVER compare your art or skill to another artist. NEVER consider any composition of art to be negative. We cannot use the mind of another artist to capture our own personal vision. All creativity is correct and perfect. Knowing the difference in what is original and what is influence is knowing the ledge. It's Knowledge.

The best art imo comes from your inner self. No matter how you feel, angry, depressed, happy - all these emotions will be confined in the pieces you create. For instance if you feel depressed get lost in the piece you are creating. Your painting or drawing...scultpure will end up having an inpact on how others feel when they view your art. That is was makes a sucessfull work of art. That is just the way i create, I hope someone can find my advice helpful. :), it is also very therapuetic. Dave Gold

Apply at least 4 or 5 layers of your color(s), and then take a hairdryer on the highest heat setting, and hold it overtop of an area you colored approx 3-5 inches from the paper. After about 20-30 seconds, pull the hairdryer away, and rub in a circular motion your warm area with a paper towel. Helps to create a really smooth look & is great for backgrounds! :) (ps. i dont know if this works well with ALL types of paper, but it worked very nicely with smooth bristol board)

As we all know, being an artist can be very taxing, especially emotionally (I don't know about you, but I have quite literally cried multiple times about things not coming out right). Feeling stuck and uninspired is not always a quick fix. I have found something that helps me, and I hope it can be used to help you. Simply compliment the artist on any work that you like and offer advice for those who ask. I find that it boosts my mood and my morale. An artist is always grateful to know that someone appreciates them, and it will spark an interest in your portfolio. The main people who inspired me to write this are Michael2688, teepee1124, JDMagee, icecreemy, and PWaters. It's the passion that unites us all. Don't let anyone bring you down.

For many artists drawing hands can be a nightmare. Many budding artists I know go to herculean lengths to avoid drawing them, afraid they'll be too big or too small. Thankfully there's a general rule that will help keep your hand proportions in line with the rest of your figure. While all our bodies are unique and different, as a a general rule, a persons hand (from finger tip to the heel of the palm) is as long as the subjects face (hairline to chin). Keeping this in mind while roughing out your figures can help avoid painful revision work later once you've spent hours filling in all the detail and shading. Hope this helps. :)

turn back to previous pieces that you have created. duplicate. fix some of the mistakes originally created. brainstorm think of the weird and wacky ideas that no ones ever thought of. draw or paint one of your favorite places in a movie cartoon or in the world. just go out to a park and draw things that maybe difficult or new,

Complimentary colors are so important in making pictures, especially realism. They tone down a color for depth and also make the color less vivid so it looks more like a real life object. for example, if i was going to make a red apple, i would add green to tone it down some, instead of a darker shade of red, so it looks more real. take a look at a color wheel to help you out with which colors compliment another color.

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.

If you find yourself running out of ideas. The best thing to do is take a short break. During watch a movie, listen to music, read a book or even go for a walk outside. I find that you can often find the best ideas off these things around you Another thing you could do is sit down and just doodle, even if you think it's silly it may help you find ideas as well. Good luck and have fun!

Nearly everybody gets one of those days where they feel like giving up on a picture, or they aren't any good at art, or giving up completely. But you can't! If art is your passion, keep at it. Keep practicing. I draw all the time and I push myself! If a picture doesn't come out how I wanted it, I tack it up and use it as a reference for what I should/shouldn't do on my next one. Art isn't easy, but as long as you practice and push your limits, you can accomplish a lot! Oh, try different mediums too. You might like one more than another. But, you will never know it you don't try. I hope my tip helps! :)