Hey I'm back! I was trying to avoid drawing individual flowers and instead, clumping them together. I experimented with a couple of different methods.

I wasn't really sure what to draw so I decided to do some pearl studies. Pearlescence/iridescence has always mystified me and now I think I understand a little more about it. Kinda rushed at the end, hope I'll get do refine the dress next time.

Also brush testsssss

This painting is referenced from a screencap of the movie To the Wonder. I thought the lighting looked really cool so I painted it.

Stroke count: 2856

I'm back with another art tip :)

There will probably be one more page on hard vs. soft light, including a few examples for you to identify yourself, then I think I'll move on to the next topic.

Timed study with lasso tool, around 1 hr 30 mins
I feel like the lasso is kind of hard to use on Magma.

Stroke count: 1568
Ref:
https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/8b/63/a0/8b63a017e4e1364bed026cf4b1645996.jpg

Proud of myself for drawing every day this week! Probably gonna take several days break.

I'm not sure where this is but it looks a bit like Santorini or Mykonos. I visited last October and there were so many friendly cats there, really well taken care of by the locals v

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/e2/c7/e1/e2c7e137803506686a09719e31358af9.jpg
Stroke count: ~3900

500 shades of citrus later... I am cursed. This reference is cursed. Citrus fruits are cursed. And you are cursed as well as a result of having clicked on this image.

Seriously though, this one was so hard. I took way too long on it. And the unpeeled tangerine looks more like a tomato, but I'm too tired to adjust the hue. Gonna sit on my bed and deflate now

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9c/df/a4/9cdfa43002b749e4e842434b1155a3f8.jpg
Stroke count:4318

:)

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5a/ff/f0/5afff0f9a1ce0efe533f6df5b327261a.jpg

Stroke count: 974

I was obsessed with horses as a kid lol

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/14/57/26/145726b086ea148eb092cc32c90ed099.jpg
Stroke count: 1777

The process of creating my last painting, hope this is helpful!

You don't have to use any specific hard brush. I mostly use the square brush, but the standard round works perfectly fine.

(How do I reply to people in the comments? I tried to type @ but that doesn't make it into a hyperlink :'( )

Hope everyone has been having a good weekend :>

Psst, if you do a study with the same photo refs I use I would love to check them out!

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/07/cf/f3/07cff3e2ec87aa13daa882b9d6ad8b66.jpg
Stroke count: 2794

Some of you have been wondering how I do my paintings, so I thought I'd share a few tips I've learned over the years.
(I am still, always, in the process of learning myself!)

I'm not saying hard light is "better" than soft light.
They serve different purposes for our learning.

In general, for those not very confident when it comes to painting, I find hard light easier to work with for these reasons:

- Following the hard boundary between light and shadow easily divides the image in 2, which is important for the graphical "read" of the image. (When we squint our eyes, we should be able to group the shadows into a region, and the lights into another region)
- You can achieve the effect with hard brush OR lasso. No need to blend.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment and I'll try to get to them. Replying is a bit wonky on this platform ;_;

Hey! I'm back after a brief absence; I was sick!
I used to paint a lot more humans and stopped because I wanted to focus on other things. But I always come back to the eye because it's such a fun subject.

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/31/9d/55/319d55c19eed5e0e52b32ed22bc4dcc6.jpg
Stroke count: around 2200

Color study :)
Stroke count: 3077

Ref: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0d/8a/65/0d8a65e388a4fc3f601097cfe74df07e.jpg

Merry Christmas!

I'm going to start a series of studies which I will dedicate to loved ones who are no longer here today. This is for my late father, whose Chinese zodiac sign was the snake. Snakes are a symbol of protection to me in spite of their poor reputation :)

As for the viewer, I hope you have a warm and enriching holiday season, wherever you may be. If you for any reason can't spend it with family or friends, I'm sending you wishes — be well <3

Stroke count: 5436 (man, scales are tough...)

The square brush probably wasn't the wisest choice for all those curves... :'(
Stroke count: 1741

ref: https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/e2/05/f0/e205f0e95340920643e63ebab6bf144c.jpg

Still testing out brushes! I am a big fan of the square brush and vine brush. Lighting was tricky in this one. Stroke count: >1200

I'm new here! Just testing out all the features.