hello everyone :]

art books are a way better resource than online tutorials, when it comes to learning. my observation is, that books more provide a thorough reference, than ready-made solutions, crafted to suit the artist's style. of course, it depends what you're looking for, sometimes a ready-made solution is exactly what you need, but the fact that somebody shared theirs doesn't absolve you from independent work.

i also discovered, that with lack of practice, my skill deteriorates. in order to memorize certain things, so that i won't have to look them up every time, like details of anatomy, i have to repeat them over, and over, and over again, so i've been keeping a regime of drawing at least 2 big pages of sketches a day for the last 2 weeks or so. and it's paying off already.

i've started drawing toonsy stuff again, but very sparingly. cartoons are, simply put, vast simplifications, and simplifications tend to stick. nasty bastards. so before i submerge myself in that again, i want to explore other styles more thoroughly, to keep my art from getting bland and predictable. it's always better to draw something full of mistakes, than something boring. that way, at least i keep myself entertained, and maybe several other people too. otherwise, what is the point of doing anything?

which brings me to another issue: i often find myself wondering, how can an artist produce their drawings that look like they've all been taken off an assembly tape, with slightly changed numerical values. for every drawing, they employ the same algorithm, the same themes and similar looking characters. i'm watching several such artists, even here on dA. good artists, with established names, and less popular ones, that are still good artists. but i don't find myself anticipating their new deviations, like i do with others, who always leave me thinking, like this guy: [link] . isn't this getting boring for them? or is not getting bored with oneself reserved only for hobbyists and nonconformists? perhaps they draw other things without publishing them. it would be interesting to see that. how they fare on something that is seemingly terra incognita to them. i might be surprised.

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