[Mari]

Hey! I just registered to this place cause someone said she'd been getting very good at stuff by lurking on this forum.
I'm 17 years old - almost 18 - and I live in the Netherlands.
I'm mostly an anime artist but I used to do animals when I was very small. Anyway, I picked up anime in 2000 when the first nicer anime series was aired here and then I got better and better.
I guess I'm still getting better though... there's always room for improvement, definitely with me

Anyway, now that that's outta the way, here goes my problem.

I can't draw fanart for beans.

Well that was short wasn't it?
I was just wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on how to practice other people's characters, because at the moment I can only draw my own and they're mostly fan created characters. In order to have something other than boring portraits - not that they're boring, but they start to bore you when it's all you do - I'd have to be able to draw fanart.

Can any of you gimme some pointers on how to practice this and develop "fanart skills"?

Very much appreciated ^_^

[Tomasis]

if you had enough of copying or doing fanart

then try make own manga style yourself and it will become more fun with your creative ideas

it is never fun to make fanart or copying

[Mari]

Well, the whole point is that I don't mind drawing other people's styles... I have a pretty flexible style that changes easily and easily changes back to what it was, too.

It's just that if I draw someone else's character, that character has to look genuine. Like it just stepped out of the series he's in for a moment to pose for me
If you thought I didn't have my own style, I do. I very much do.
I hope you get my point.

You made it sound as if you thought I was one of those bloody copycats that draws <i>only</i> fanart. Hell, I haven't even done one good fanart in my life!

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply. Newbies are often ignored in forums until they start screaming and I seriously despise screaming for attention on forums.

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post.

[CwStone]

well, since its manga, it really only takes alittle practice until u become as good as the original artist who drew the characters. But fanart, IMHO, isnt really all that rewarding. heh, i used to draw all this dbz stuff when i was 12, and everything i drew (not to toot my own horn) came out just as good or better than what u would see on the show. Plus, people dont respect it as much as if it were ur own creations, and its just not that challenging. If i were u, id drop the whole anime/manga seen for a while and go for realistic stuff like still lifes and life drawing and stuff like that (or pics with the same fantasy/sci-fi feel as anime, just realistic ppl, not deformed ones with big heads and big eyes)- thats really the only way u truly improve. after u'v become good with realism, drawing manga (of any style) is a sinch.


ps. u can improve by drawing manga, but it wont be actually improving. sure, u'd be able to draw anime like a pro, but if some1 asks u to draw somethin else, well, ur screwed.
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-Chase

[Phyrexial]

*newbie warning: take advice at your own risk*

After just plaing copying/tracing for awhile to get a feel for someone else's style, try getting down relative measurements. For example, try to figure out how tall a given character is in terms of his/her own head. How many heads tall, heads wide, etc. Getting proportions down and being able to mimic linework is usually my first priority. Afterwards, I begin to try to mimic his/her coloring style.

[Mari]

Oh, I wasn't actually trying to imitate colouring styles just yet - and I might not, either.

It's the lines that I got stuck on already - I had a basic circle down for the head and got stuck there already.
Thanks Phyrexial.

And CwStone: I know how most people who draw realistic stuff look at anime - I think most even flame it, and the lovers. But trying to get an anime freak OFF anime is like trying to learn an egg to fly... I enjoy drawing anime, for a simple thing - I can't draw realistic noses/eyes. They always looked deformed when I tried when I was younger. So I stuck to animals, and they did not look very realistic either.
Then I discovered anime, and everything became much easier. Now I can do most anatomy stuff - just not some poses I suppose - but the heads remain anime-like - even if just slightly. I just don't mind. If you dislike anime, just don't look at it, I don't mind. But realistic faces just isn't me, I suppose, or I'm not ready for it yet. I must be the least talented bum in here, so please let me stick to my anime
Thank you for your help, though - it's just that I have many fan characters (oh another thing that's so horrible, right? ) that are actually anime. Some aren't, though, and I might try to make them realistic some day, when I learn how to normally paint digitally.
Thanks again!

[AndyT]

In this case it's that fanart is almost only appreciated if it's a new interpretation.
There even was a fanart thread

Studying the characters should do it ...
if you know the art basics (perspective, facial expressions and stuff like that) you should be able to draw fanart.
Maybe you can tell what your main problems are? Do you have examples of abandoned pieces?

As CwStone said ... learn drawing realistic things. Then you'll be able to do what Phyrexial wrote about.

[edit]Ok didn't see your reply until now.
Guess if you don't want to try drawing realistic things it will be hard to get better ...[/edit]
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[Mari]

Well no... I actually tried one "realistic" thing... I found it's pretty easy to go from anime to realistic stuff... But still. I'll never manage to have photograph-like pieces like everyone else in here

But, say what you want - I know what I can do and what I can't do.
Thanks!