Quote repost with 1 helpful piece of art advice you wish you knew earlier than you did! ✨ Let's get an advice train going

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drawing good hands is more about expressiveness than anatomy 🫰

I have another smaller thing i learned way too late which is honestly just funny: “Shape” and “form” are two different things. Theyre not synonyms. (Context: the words shape and form are both “form” in swedish. This art advice made zero sense to me for most of my life lol)

Think of art as music, final pieces are performances to display all the practice you’ve put into it. It’s okay to repeat the same piece!

Something I often tell my partner who is learning to draw: It doesn't matter what you draw as long as you enjoy it. When you're starting out, do not make drawing feel like work. We learn best when we are playing, & while art is certainly a lot of work, it shouldn't feel that way when it's for you.

Just because a method exists doesn't mean it's the best method. Experiment. My partner is great about this, and changed the way we stain wood! He found you can remove most excess stain from flat wood with a squeegee. It's easier, less wasteful, & more efficient than wiping with a cloth only.

you don't need to know how to draw and paint in every style ever existing.

Drawing on a horizontal surface like a desk or table WILL catch up to your neck, shoulders, and back. Get yourself a surface you can tilt. Be it a tablet stand, a desk easel, an art board, or even a TV tray. Drawing on that tilted surface is FAR less painful in the long run!

Shadows are your friends. Runner up:Loosen up that death grip on your art tool.

Tracing over references is really helpful for learning anatomy! And copying other peoples art (just for practice) is super common throughout history, it’s called a masters study. Those things aren’t cheating, they’re honing your skills.