This isn't my first post, but I decided to start with a fresh slate.

It's time to actually live up to my blog title.

Art. Or more importantly, the subtle techniques of art.

A few of my friends asked about my art, and wanted to know how I draw them.
I have no clue.
I never have a single style...but I do have some tips for any other artists out there.

TIPS:

1) SKETCH SKETCH SKETCH!
Whenever you want to draw, be it a traditional paper-and-pencil art or a digital painting, it's always nice to draw some sketches! Make designs, make concepts for the background, subject, or other objects. Unless you already know what it is you want to draw and already have references, this is always a nice idea to have some concepts for reference.

2) ABSOLUTELY NO TRACING OTHER'S WORKS!
I cannot emphasize this enough. Many times newbies fall victim to the temptation to trace. I, myself, have done this sin once in my very youth, but luckily, it wasn't major. However, you can get in serious legal trouble, not to mention the disdain of the art community, if you're using a site like DeviantArt or SheezyArt. (Both are EXCELLENT sites for artists wanting to "strut their stuff".) Numerous times the offending artists are spammed by artists out for blood, because no one likes to have their art stolen or copied.

3) Art Equipment:
Though this has many different items depending on art-preference, the following are the most preferred in the art community:
-Pencils: Can be mechanical or ones you have to sharpen, whichever you prefer. I recommend using the mechanical pencils to sketch the figure or object, and use a normal #2 pencil to shade or darken lines.
-Sketchbook: Can range from the cheap, lined notebooks to the heavy duty drawing pads specifically designed for sketching and/or drawing. I personally use up these sketchbooks quickly, so you might want to stock up if you tend to draw alot or throw out alot of messed-up sketches.
-Tablets: No, I'm not talking about those medicine tablets you take for vitamins. I'm talking about the ones with a stylus and lets you draw on the computer like a pencil. These great pieces of technology allow for accurate drawings on the computer, and sensitive enough for a small detail in a piece of art. Though most are compatible with all operating systems, I recommend checking it out for your personal OS (operating system) if the tablets are compatible with yours.
[Some good starter tablets: the Wacom Graphire 8x6, a relatively inexpensive tablet that works extremely well for it's price range; if you have a little more money to spend and will use the computer for many digital drawings, inkings, or paintings, I'd recommend the Wacom Introus. It's a trusty little thing one of my friends draw amazing pictures with.

4) Inking:
This is extremely important if you tend not to outline your works on the computer or with markers. Inking allows for the image to remain, even if the pencil smudges. This may sound like a no-brainer, but you must be careful with what pens you use. If possible, avoid odd-color pens unless you plan to color your picture. Certain scanners may not detect it the first time around. In another post, I will describe this in further detail.

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Well, that's all for now. It's late here on the East Coast, and I have school tomorrow. If you have any questions, please email me at wesleyjen@gmail.com or send me a note in my DeviantArt account.

Good night and see you later!