Art Advice I'd Give Myself If I Had to Start From Scratch

[@ccayco]

It's always interesting to see seasoned artists' advice on this kind of stuff.

[@bargoroth5609]

Indeed. I gives you more wisdom on what approach to take.

[@jmanninja]

I think personally I wouldnt start off with buying alot of accessories that cost alot of money, because i remember a few years back in high school, i bought photoshop, illustrator and the whole adobe suite, but i didnt have the talent that i needed to actually use them, so for atleast a few years it almost felt like a waste of money because at the time my understanding of how to use the programs was high, but making good work was low. Now i see it that i only buy something when i actually need it to discipline myself.

[@jamminoutrexan5474]

This is a video I keep coming back to. The _Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain_ has really convinced me that drawing doesn't need to be an inborn talent. Your recommendations for just inspiration are a great starting point, and the anatomy book is fun. To put together all these videos... thanks so much. It takes a lot of patience and dedication to make a living off drawing and helping others as you do. ('Cept I don't know if the videos are a source of income or not! At half a million subscribers, I'd guess so.)

[@dulledmemory4776]

If they weren't, they should be. Sycra and a handful of other artists have really helped me actually start art after years of just "doing" it. Sycra's insight and knowledge in particular is with very few peers.

[@marcusandersen6091]

The most generous guy right here! Love how you like to help younger artist/new artist to get better and maybe become really talented :D Thank you

[@Dylanquinn666]

Thanks for the advice. I recently dropped out of art college. I was there for four years and was not getting the education I wanted. It seems that in art university (here in Ireland anyway) they skip fundamentals and go straight to the pretentious conceptual stuff. I've been drawing for most of my life and digitally painting for about 3 years but since the summer, I've made it my goal to start re-learning the fundamentals and build up a decent illustration portfolio. I feel I have been rather lucky with my choice of resources so far... 3DTotal's books (particularly Art Fundamentals and Beginners guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop) are really good, I'd definitely recommend those. And also Will Terrell's "People Sketching" videos are brilliant. I learned a ton about the art industry from watching him

[@BlackXSunlight]

@13:41 Bakuman is amazing, it's like the creators were making a continuous homage to manga as an industry, and you can pick up so so many tips from it. Especially if anyone interested in comics and animation, every chapter shows examples of a storyboard, a revision of that storyboard, and the final work. If your public library doesn't have Bakuman, you can read them online.

[@tugsuumovies1999]

Blackbyrd IKR? It's like a huge gem to aspiring artists

[@lisiastar8441]

Blackbyrd wait,we can read it online? where? ...just asking...q-q

[@Mechwolf]

+Lisia Star Are you trolling or have you been living under a rock...? Not to be rude. Anyways, you can find nearly ANYTHING online if you dig deep enough.

[@lisiastar8441]

humm...sorry...I'm not that super into news...so..I..kinda don't know that much....q-q and,is ok... well,I think I'll try looking in the internet though...:/

[@markostamenkovic8350]

+Lisia Star I recommend watching the Anime, it adds a lot of stuff that manga didn't have, it fleshes out the artworkd and story of the work Mashiro and Takagi are crafting in comparison to the manga. It teaches a lot about the manga industry as well, and the creation process of comic books. And it's a beautiful love story, as well as tale abou rivalry. One of the best motivational materials out there for young artists. It's a show i would recommend to anyone who likes drawing and/or writting, regarless if you watch anime or not. Or just anyone who enjoys a well crafted story :D As for where someone could watch it....well, just google "Bakuman episode 1" and pick a website that pops up, there are tons. Or you can download the entire show in HD from places such as Baka.bt via torrent.

[@phatcartoon]

Nothing better than traveling back in time and giving yourself advice... and warning yourself about the future. Thanks for the video. Great advice and tips.

[@Radenska512]

2B or not 2B? that is the question

[@savannahlevy97]

get outta here you piece of trash.

[@adama.4622]

+Dove from Above You must be a nice person...

[@savannahlevy97]

Adam A. I was joking. ^^ Why would anyone respond like that and actually mean it? (well I mean, there are SOME people...)

[@Radenska512]

+Dove from Above I thought you were joking but didn't know how to respond :P

[@savannahlevy97]

Radenska512 aw, that's OK. I don't get upset when people don't respond to my comments because I do that too sometimes.

[@MrMhornberger]

I appreciate you frequently mentioning how much you have worked at this. When you said you spent that many hours just studying values, that really puts things in perspectives for us newbies.

[@hmleao]

Thank you, Sycra! I started about a year ago and keep coming back to your videos for advise.

[@eleganthavoc]

Thanks soooo much. The Marshall Vandruff videos alone has helped me learn perspective so much quicker and thoroughly.

[@robheaney8217]

I love that you started this video with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Everything changed for me after doing the exercises in this book almost 40 years ago. I'm an architect and have sketched almost every day of my life, and nothing I've encountered has made a bigger difference in my ability to draw. Its like a light coming on.

[@aspektx]

I'm delighted you mentioned Bakuman. There are actually a lot of great tips and advice for learning to draw and even finding your own style.

[@jamess.7981]

Kim Jung Gi.....absolutely mind-blowing....from another planet....I now understand why you recommend his sketch book collection. He catapulted up to being my favorite artist in about 45 sec. I must have his books. Thank you for the introduction !!

[@whipsawh]

2 videos back to back Sycra? You're spoiling us! Thanks for sharing this!

[@samdavepollard]

+1 for the Perspective lectures by Marshall Vandruff. Ridiculously good value. Sure, the technical quality isn't what you might get from a more recent course, but wow, he sure packs in a ton of good material. With no camtasia, no powerpoint, no snazzy stuff, just his knowledge and his enthusiasm for the subject. Excellent.

[@teaonabag]

Just bought the Marshall's courses and have to say. If I get the same attitude as the intro had, this truly is a worthy buy.

[@SlinkyRock]

You're an angel sir. I am going through tough times, and I'm going to be very happy to spend time into learning all of this information and knowledge, thank you very much.

[@tw1nwizard]

I'm 27 and am new to sketching and drawing, this helps thank you!

[@Le_beaubrun]

Got myself a cintiq 13HD and CS5 and I'm having lot's of fun!

[@T2Designgaming]

This is just what I needed. Thanks a lot Sycra, you never cease to help.

[@vexusvexed]

@Sycra I recommend using a MOO brand eraser for art, especially for traditional works. They can be bought on Amazon for cheap, about 4.29$ USD (5.20$ Canadian)for a 2 pack. I've been using these erasers for about 4-5 years now. Unlike most erasers, MOO brand erasers clump up flecks of eraser dust into neat disposable lines, which I know sure helps me when I'm sketching and need a rather clean workspace.They're made from a softer rubber(?) and can glide across the page. They're also rather hardy despite being so soft, which means they won't tear near as easy as a regular eraser. Another great thing about them is that when extra pressure is used when cleaning sketch lines or even making clean lineart, the lines you're erasing virtually disappear, almost as if you never drew them in the first place. They're great for most pencils including traditional, mechanical and colored. The only true downside I can think of is that they're not the best when cleaning up charcoal or pastel mistakes.

[@LoledAt324]

2 Videos on the same day!!! So happy right now.

[@SenorEuphoria]

This video frightens my wallet

[@SenorEuphoria]

***** You wouldn't download a Wacom

[@min4029]

This is the second time I've seen that comment and I laughed again lol

[@AlexChama]

You should try photography, ouch...

[@Jeenine]

Edit.

[@Mechwolf]

+James Rustles Go and do your own research. This isn't a one size fits all video.

[@maxmishchenko3043]

Thank you Sycra for all the inspiration that you gave me to begin drawing. It's just mind blowing how far I've gotten with the progress in my drawings. I'll definitely use this list while I learn how to draw.

[@theoldwillowgirl]

this is the video I wish I saw before going to art school. Incredible, so much great advice !

[@xyz8871]

I'm watching a third video by you now and I'm finding it very useful and eye opening. Just wanted to say thank you!

[@kilyenbalazs6398]

Bakuman. . . It was the anime that made me want to be an manga artist....after all that time, i dont want to be anymore, but it started me on the artist path. I soooo feel you brother. :)

[@Ciara0]

As someone who has no knowledge of drawing but is interested this is amazing. Thank you so much for making this Sycra!

[@InverseDestiny]

This was really helpful, i have been slowly picking up my passion for drawing agian and i have been looking for usefull books and digital equipment to use. These are some great tips and will definitly be added to my collection. Thanks and keep up your videos i learn a lot

[@jamminoutrexan5474]

Sycra, thanks so much for the links and information in the video description! So helpful to check back and have the links right there.

[@AtomekKotalke]

I would also recommend a book called "Color and Light" by James Gurney, it's super useful for learning how to paint more realistic and along with the last book "Framed Ink" that was shown in this video it's great to learn basic stuff for painting and composition. ( art student here ) Also I wanted to say that Sycra ( you are awesome man, keep up the great work you put on your videos and art ) videos are very helpful in many ways ( for me with digital art because my major is traditional painting and I like to experiment with digital media too ) and to encourage people to make drawings or paintings but I wish that someday you would make a video about traditional painting with oils, it would be very helpful and interesting.

[@richardthagreatest188]

Sycra thanks so much for your advice you have no idea how helpful it has been for me to hear your tutorials, keep going bro'' and God bless you hands and work.

[@monkeytates]

Bakuman!! It's not just on the art style... it's about giving you inspiration as well~

[@Mangaman50000]

Thank you sycra!! I'm gonna embrace everything you taught me so far :) I'm a rookie seeing this and all you video helps me a lot

[@SmileyCrossbones]

Great book! Betty Edwards knows her stuff.

[@boardlife27]

This video was just the thing I needed. I just got an Intuos Medium a couple days ago hoping to get better digital painting. And then I realized I have no idea and was absolutely clueless on how to use Photoshop and all those other programs. And I was also getting into realization that my basic art knowledge (anatomy, composition, values) was really really lacking, almost close to zero! So I just wanna say thanks Sycra for really guiding me to becoming the artist I want to be! :)

[@alidan]

i honestly suggest you just use the tablet as your mouse for a while, force your ass to get use to it. not just for drawing. kill 2 birds with one stone.

[@seifren4489]

Being an artist, from the outside looking in, seems undoubtedly the absolute hardest thing any human being could ever attempt to be. Just watching _basic_ theory on drawing makes me want to give up because I just don't get it. Even if I think I get it, I try to recall what I was just "taught" on the video and see it in an applicable way, but I don't see it. And if I don't get it at all, I am told "you aren't supposed to understand this fully right now, you are only just beginning." I find that statement hard to believe. What if I _never_ get it? Some of this seems beyond human comprehension and spoken to us through divine intervention. I want so badly to be able to draw; in fact, it is the one thing in life I want to be good at, but I don't see how it's possible. I'm apparently not imaginative enough to just do it, so that is a hindrance. I don't get geometry at all apparently, so that makes it harder. There isn't one moment in time where I can say: "I used the right side of my brain to come to that conclusion," and since creativity comes from the right side of the brain, and I seemingly only use my left, this seems like something I just can't do, no matter what I do. I seriously doubt reading a book would just make it possible for me to be more creative and make drawing possible. And I already know from experience that practice doesn't make perfect, so am I doomed from being an artist at all? Did I just need to be "that special child" that was born with the ability to do this through dumb luck? I would really like an answer, because my options for the future are getting slimmer and slimmer as the days go on.

[@seifren4489]

Supreme Gentleman No, I feel if I stay on the planet longer I can piss more people off just from my presence. That's my life goal now.

[@ravenhana4841]

Sollesi I know what you're going though, I thought the same thing when I was studying art. I was usually told that someday, it'll just click. like magic right? But it sort of does, Art takes along time to learn, through a lot of perseverance and observation. Practice does make perfect, but it's also permanent, so make sure you get good advice. Consider taking classes through CGMA, cg society, CDA, videos from gnomon are fantastic (especially light and colour by jeremy vickery). They're a bit pricy, but so worth it. make sure you get your fundamentals down; perspective, light and colour, viz com is really important (took me forever to drill those into my head -_-). Be observant of your surroundings, see how light interacts with it. I learnt a ton through deviant art too. What I also do, is really look at your artwork when it's done, and see what you can do to improve to next time. It's a tough road to be an artit, but you can do it :) Good luck

[@seifren4489]

***** The part I hate the most is that you said it took you two years to finally improve substantially. I don't want to have to draw for 2 years to finally start showing improvement. I actually considered pursuing a career in the field of concept art, but, since I am going into my final 2 quarters of community college, it doesn't seem possible. I don't have 2 years to just show improvement, that is mostly why I want to give up (among the other reasons, such as it being practically impossible to draw anyways). Also, I don't know what you expect me to do when you say to just start drawing from the right side of your brain; if that is the part that takes 2 years, I don't see any point in continuing. I love drawing when I can actually pull anything off, but if that feeling takes 2 (if not more) years of agony and failure to accomplish regularly, I don't think it it will be worth it for me. Maybe if I were 3 years younger this wouldn't be a problem. For the record, I am not mad at you if you may be getting that vibe from what I am saying; this whole idea of me pursuing a career in this field has had me on the edge of violent outlashes and tears for the past several months.

[@seifren4489]

***** I don't really ever expect to achieve that paradigm shift anytime soon, if ever. I still will draw, but I seriously doubt I will just "get" it. I have lived my entire life being a left-brain thinker, I don't believe it can just change after having been like that for so many years. Maybe it can, if so, I don't know how long it would take. I actually unsubbed from every art channel, including this one, about 3 weeks ago. I don't learn well from online videos, I am too much of a hands on learner. These videos only angered me each and every time I watched them because the teacher seemed to have achieved transcendence from this mortal realm, and is attempting to speak to us from beyond our understanding, and only a select few are actually able to comprehend it because it was their destiny. Because of this, I wanted nothing to do with any online "art teacher." I still draw; they are still at the level of a 4 year old; I am still not getting any better. Maybe the art class I signed up for in this next quarter will help me "get better." Though I find it hard to believe that when I can't understand 1-point perspective or basic proportions when the lesson is targeted at 3rd graders.

[@seifren4489]

***** The difference between an artist and a lawyer or doctor is that to be a doctor or lawyer, you don't need to have a creative mind that is capable of making anything imaginable possible. I have only shown one drawing to one person. I showed a drawing I had of a phoenix's head to my mother. She was blown away at the quality, but mom's will always be impressed at anything you do because they raised you. So her word doesn't mean much to me. I thought the drawing was atrocious. There was little understanding of proportions (because proportions of a phoenix exist...), little understanding of perspective, and no understanding of addition of detail or line work. It doesn't help the fact that I just guessed to make it while working off of a reference image; something that is truly pitiful. I don't see how drawing something upside down would help me at all for a few reasons: I can't draw anything, so what would I draw upside down? Since I can't draw anything rightside up, I would only be angrier when attempting to draw something upside down, so what would be the point? I don't see how drawing upside down would help with "right side" understanding, so again, what would be the point? It may seem like I just shouldn't draw, and maybe that is the case. Really, I want nothing more than to be good at it. Not even great, just good. But it just seems like I can't get it, I don't have any faith in myself to learn it, and I give up too early and too easily to learn it. I guess I am just not cut out for this sort of thing.

[@JimShadyUK]

I stumbled across this video today and I wanted to thank you for pointing me in the direction of the "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain" book. I used to draw in a very amateur fashion when I was young, but I lost interest as a teenager. I've recently wanted to have another go, but wasn't sure if it was worth my while as I don't consider myself particularly talented (although not helpless). I had a look at the reviews on Amazon and I've just bought it in the hope that it will give me the tools to express what talent I do have. Also, after having seen your work, I think that if you're recommending it, then it's good enough for me!

[@vonviolet]

Something I really needed to see today, thanks for the upload! I've felt the need to start from scratch and get down to the basics to improve again, because I feel stuck. I'll be going through some of your vids for sure!

[@damancandance1]

once again sycra very awesome video! got mad respect for all the work you put out to help the little guys like us! im in art school in canada and often i think about the points you made at the end with the time and money that would be saved by just doing self-studying . thanks again bro!

[@minamellott8824]

Thank you so much for sharing all this information! It is very useful. I've been wanting to put up art,but, have always been stuck on where to start and with what. I asked friends whom art artist but somehow they were always very secretive about what and how they got to where they are, which was/is frustrating! So thank you for being so open!

[@Anna-hk1xw]

Thank you so much Sycra! I've always wondered what the best resources are when starting to be serious about developing my artwork. I love your videos. You always give amazing advice (and you voice is also so soothing to listen to, haha).

[@510sethml]

Dude, thank you so much, I've been trying to find ways to learn to draw without art school, I don't have the money or the time, I have about 3 hours a day to myself where I can just practice drawing. 2 years seems optimistic as hell. I'll let you know :)

[@TheYoghurt42]

Some of the books you recommended are available from the library. I'll be placing a request and will be keen to do some reading and practicing from them. Thanks for the advice.

[@brufbrufbruf]

This is amazing! Got my Intuos in October for my Video Game Art & Animation Program, (An birthday upgrade from the bamboo wacom) and this is great to keep me busy for the week off I get. Have a happy New Year Sycra! ^.^

[@KillTheJester]

I might not necessarily want to take your path but for me the foundation books might be really interesting to take a look at. It's very helpful of you to show us the way since you had to figure it all out on your own.

[@lnferal]

oh, great tips, really thanks for sharing with us!

[@meowl_lover]

you and your videos are just amazing.

[@sonofpatrick9898]

I can assure you of one thing, and I hope it goes straight to your heart, mind and soul: .....you're the man. I do not have problems with my drawings, I consider myself as great and I truly think an artist improve with each drawing he do. I know my skills and I know that out there, there is a bunch of artist better than me. anyway I just wanted to say that I do not watch your videos to improve my drawings, I listen to your videos because it seems that youre passionate by your drawings. it touch me because I have the same feeling, I do not draw for money, I hope one day I will and at end, it will be only for the fun I had when I did all this. thanks man. p.s: Sorry for my English, I actually speak French in everyday life.

[@conkpit]

Well, I'm 46 and after a 15 year hiatus from drawing and painting, I just started getting back into illustration heavily after I was laid off 2 years ago form my IT job. Like you, I never committed myself entirely to my art skills although I was even offered 2 scholarships when I was in high school). I'm JUST STARTING to learn how to apply digital media to my work and your advice on the drawing pads and Photoshop info is a plus. Thanks.

[@webs1545]

I came across this comment and I’m curious: do you still draw now?

[@conkpit]

@@webs1545 Yes. Still drawing and scratching.

[@webs1545]

@@conkpit that’s great to hear!

[@FaeriMagic]

Woah, I was surprised that Bakuman made the list! I have to agree though, the story is rich with information on the difficult process of manga creation. I also have sketched from the comic from time to time; it occassionally has good perspective references.The Bakuman manga is also available through online scanlations. (You know, I usually get my manga fill through online scanlations, but I decided long ago that I wanted to read Bakuman in it's physical copy. Well, that's just me, though.)

[@LearningByDoodling]

I have just started Sycra's school of art. :-) A bunch of books ordered, movies dowloaded etc. Let the fun begin.

[@lllllllllllll]

As for tablets: I recently switched from my old wacom pen&touch to a huion H610 Pro, it's 69$ and has a bigger active area than an intous medium. I've heard people say that everything except for wacom is crap but I think this is only partly true and definitely not for that huion tablet. I personally like the pressure curve of my huion tablet even more than my wacom one and both tablets have the same jitter(p' much none^^). The only issue I found huion tablets have atm is compatibility with 'not-so-widespread-programs' like SAI or opencanvas(both only with dual monitor setup) but if you stick to photoshop it's very unlikely to run into issues...and for that price overall performance/build quality is unbeatable. I personally wouldn't go back to wacom even if I had the money...they deserve some competition :D You should read ray frendens reviews of huion tablets if you want a professionals opinion.

[@alidan]

its recomended to install the intous 3 drivers, some programs only function with tablets if they see wacom. and as for wacom, because of the huion 610 wacom is now basicly a lifestyle product, the same as a mac "i got a mac because im creative and need a creative platform, so i spent more on the mac than an equal pc because creative"

[@Auxora]

This is good advice but a lot of artists start young, like I did 19 yrs ago, and all I did was rely on watching anime, reading manga, and observing nature. I didn't own a sketch book. I used notebook paper and cheap mechanical pencils. I think as a beginner, one should stick to simple tools at first so people don't have to feel like they have wasted their money buying expensive materials. I have found that the internet has been the best resource to finding various tutorials (including Scrya's) and owning several manga magazines helps keep the inspiration and motivation pumping. I have my workstation literally covered with my favorite artists' drawings tacked up on the walls, that way when I'm working, I stay inspired. And, YES, Bakuman was one of the greatest anime inspirations I've had by far. Just draw every chance you get and you don't even need to buy a book to study. Look around you. If you want to improve with drawing anime, do what my sisters and I did: pause or take a screenshot of your favorite scenes and try to recreate them on your own.

[@anonymous-yy3vg]

Thanks for all your hard work to share this and all your knowledge. Much Appreciated!

[@PrincessOfMisfortune]

I'm really thankful for you Sycra because you've helped me so much through your videos! It's helpful and it's not hard to follow because it doesn't give the '' just follow the feeling'' and I now have a basis of where to start drawing since I would usually just draw one time and go through another video without analyzing anymore or trying to master it with time so I'm really really thankful! ; _ ;

[@nneo100]

thank you for posting this video. i i have been wanting to draw for over a decade. i never was able to find the right path. i got so many how to draw manga books, hogarth books, and every other book except the ones you suggest. i talked to some artists but most of them were not interested in teaching or did not have a stable enough life to teach. i have a wacom bambooo pad with Retas pro demo. the retas pro animation software was too complicated to be practical. I tried a lot of stuff that did not work. thank y9ou for showing me the way to do self study1

[@hicamajig]

One thing to note on the digital art portion: You will need a reasonable Mac/PC to operate your software and connect your peripherals. Opting for Wacom Companion or Surface Pro, you will essentially be getting a mini Cintiq laptop bundle which may save on costs. Both also are capable of display out to a larger input device/monitor as well.

[@47ex1]

Thank you very much Sycra, that was really helpful and Happy New Year!

[@JeffreyXL]

Great vid! Just what I needed as a beginner! Keep up the good work sycra

[@MsDaudur]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm half way through my foundation year in visual arts and I found this very helpful! :)

[@cramquila2801]

Hey Sycra this is a superb video! You've motivated me to follow your list (as far and my monetary situation will allow) and jump back into art/illustration. Cheers fella!

[@Osjey]

HAHAHAHA Sycra at 08:00 looks like a old school british boy band singer :D that made not only my day but the whole week!

[@priceles971]

As usual this video is full of great infos ! I'll definitely take your advice ( well probably not all, but the training with values and so on ... At least until i can pay myself these things. Lol )

[@domenicopolo]

Thank you Sycra! I love you bro seriously!

[@TheArtOfJman]

BAKUMAN

[@Lydomina]

I would have mentioned how the none how to draw books are helpful for learning how to draw. Also, I'd put this video from you before anything else: Drawing - How to Get Started if You Haven't Drawn Before I know when I was first starting out, people would say "just practice" which was completely unhelpful to me. It wasn't until way later that I learned about the fundamentals, and when I saw that particular video I couldn't help but think I would have progressed a lot faster if I had direction like that before.

[@alidan]

right and wrong. most of the how to draw books i have seen have had many of the concepts in them that most others try to teach, they just dont give you the right concepts in the right order.

[@Lydomina]

alidan Not sure how that's relevant to my post, but ok, thanks for sharing.

[@SaltedMallows]

Ikr How to Draw books suck They tell you what to draw but not why Markcrilleys How To Draw Manga for example. I love him as an artist but come on there's got to be more to it than guide lines and drawing boxes in place of body parts

[@PcGameHunter]

Big thanks on recommending Bakuman, found it incredibly inspirational :)

[@YVZSTUDIOS]

Perfect! Very useful stuff for artist and those who want to became one :D

[@akinojohns6914]

ayy Kim Jung Gi. i met him in person and he is AMAZING. It is always a treat to see him do his magic

[@patrikfloding7985]

I wouldn't spend money on ransomware like Photoshop (yeah, £10 a month forever, right..), unless you are a pro, or will soon be one. Check out the totally free Krita. The more people that use it, and perhaps even contribute to the project, the better it will be. It's pretty amazing already. Very nice video tutorials, BTW!

[@jude_210]

Before starting any of this I highly recommend reading The Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner, there's some great insight in there that'll keep you grounded your entire art journey

[@felicia6162]

Takeshi Obata is so great. I first appreciated him first in Hikaru no Go, but if you go back he just has so much great stuff.

[@ashtheruler5253]

This is a very helpful video. I'm a sketch artist and I hope to evolve that into digital art one day, thanks for pointing me in the right direction:D

[@anima94]

Keys to drawing by Bert Dodson was a way better starting book than drawing on the right side of the brain for me personally (I worked with both, but dropped Betty Edwards' book)

[@seriousmax]

***** you don't even need to read it fully. Her book can be distilled to a few pages. Basically draw what you see and do not analyze, and a couple methods for that like negative spaces and probably something else I don't remember. I don't think I even did the exercises properly (maybe just one of them) but I immediately applied the concepts successfully to redrawing something pretty good, which gives you confidence you can put something looking 3-dimensional on a 2-dimensional surface. But then it quickly becomes insufficient of course, but that's another story...

[@UberPossu]

Max Webster So if I can already draw what I see, instead of 'a nose here, and eyes here', I should skip the book?

[@seriousmax]

UberPossu Yes. Watch sycra's video on negative spaces if you haven't and you are good. That's a useful technique described in this book.

[@thosebastards4279]

Anima I have the Bert Dodson one and I'm glad someone vouches for it so I can ignore this one

[@Brazealen]

Some of the more expensive books I would just skip, (unless you don't take formal art courses) - you will get great books in your college art classes, which will be part of your semester budget. Don't go in debt over books - you can also buy the recent discontinuations from the college book stores or Amazon. You'll get them at less than a quarter of the price, as they are no longer used - colleges regularly update their text, but the information is still as valid. The major likely exception to this would be digital art forms and cinematography.

[@Yoni123]

Dayum son, this guy's loaded. I think I'm just gonna go with ipad+apple pencil and free tutorials

[@Tacka4Fun]

Thank you for sharing this Sycra! Mad respect for you bro :)

[@GiaTheSweetPotato]

Bakuman was the first manga I ever read and it seriously taught me everything I know about everything and more x_x I never even would have decided to become and artist if I hadn't read it.

[@FamastChannel]

totally agree about watch everyday the collections by Kim jung gi xD it make me always want to draw something

[@Shinesketches]

those are school tuition numbers scared me.

[@kristhebard]

For the record, my Cintiq Companion was bought for $2000 at launch. They also had a $2500 one. And shipping was free.

[@SacredShiro]

You really do not need tp buy a Wacom tablet. Huion make perfectly good tablets to start with and are half the price. I've been using it for years. and it's still good enough today.

[@DraculaNosferatu123]

Thanks for the advices, I will get the books :) ... Also I'd like to say that I recommend for digital sckechting a tablet with a active wacom digitizer like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and 10.1, or the Lenovo Thinkpad tablet, or Surface Pro these are really good for drawing

[@reiicakes8795]

Bakuman is a really good source for advice on a how to manga. I have 4 volumes and I feel like I've have better myself with my art. It's not a whole lot, but I see improvement.

[@TheBcoolGuy]

I am getting the cheapest Intuous Small tablet. I'm not per say going to become an artist, but it is gonna be nice to have that ability to draw digitally. I do like drawing.

[@capnsmirkz2201]

Thanks so much Sycra!

[@ASIRA89]

the most important thing i learned from reading BAKUMAN was to get the idea of how much work you have to put into getting "to the top"

[@xiaomu9297]

Asyra Cat WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW.

[@xiaomu9297]

Cy Isip READING*

[@tugsuumovies1999]

Cy Isip There's an anime too

[@TaskerTech]

I've watched your video at 1.5x, I loved your tip =D

[@nostos_]

Like 3 years later, I finally watch this video and I realize that I use almost the exact same art supplies as Sycra for traditional drawing. The only difference is that I use HB lead since I have no lead preference. That's pretty cool

[@klaud1]

Lovely, informative and inspiring video -- thanks for sharing!!

[@Shadowcam00]

Great recommendations, and good timing too; I was already planning to order a Wacom intuos pro medium soon, to use for things like Photoshop. I've decided to get back into drawing, since i haven't really done it much in a very long time, and I've found that i like using digital drawing software quite a bit.

[@scottadsett5803]

Thanks for the great vid. I am starting out again. I was an architect but after a brain tumor and left sided paralysis ( I am left handed but used a mouse with my right, pencil in my left - slowly getting better). I was advised not to do a stressful job so I thought about digital art. I have some questions; Is Photo shop that great? I have trailed it but couldn't find any thing much that blew me away that corel couldn't do(I also use Corel CAD so can draw 3d machines and render them, then export to paint. Grey scales, is this a Ps thing? I under paint in colour and use layers with tints and highlights. I can go back to a layer and adjust it. For a horses mane I will use 3 layers and 2 hand made brushes. For a dogs coat I will use 2 layers I bought a tablet - try using one with your other hand, you will see my frustration. Can I get away with my mouse? (I am holding it like a piece of chalk as I was taught). Sketchbook pro - why? Autodesk , I thought you were busy enough catching up with Archicad and Vectorworks (who are catching up to Solidworks with beam engineering - better make things simpler Dassalt) The biggest question is, can I get a job using Corel? (yes it was a dog 10 years ago but has leapt forward) Oh yeah the back half of the right side of my brain is gone, thanks to the tumour, so I don't know if the book will help :)

[@PHeMoX]

For those looking at the Wacom Companion acking because they can not afford it, the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 might be a great alternative. I use a Surface Pro on a daily basis to draw with and it's really great. Install the WinTab drivers and Photoshop or Painter and it's a very cool all-in-one tablet / laptop combo very suitable to draw with.

[@eyepatch1157]

Yay!!!!! My favourite anime/manga is on the list.

[@MaxYari]

Goddamit. They all connected, they all like elluminaty, it gives me shitload of scares. I'm watching Marshall's pespective lectures right now, I know about them from proko, which tutorials is awsm, proko was mentioned in Sycra's interview with Will Terrell (I enjoy Will's video's 2, and he's such an adorable person with hillarious laugh and cool caricature drawings and thoughts) and i saw Will's comment on Mary Doodle's video (Another adorable person, making funky art). Wierdest thing is that i stumblet upon all those art guy's and lady's videos by myself and now i'm figuring out, that all of them are connected. Listen to me ppl, they are up to something. Illuminati is everywhere, EVERYWHERE!

[@McDudes]

Vegabond, Green Blood and Berserk has amazing art, best manga art ever! Sycra just do a google picture searching on them! Vegabond have amazing realistic faces/proportions/backgrounds. Berserk has amazing detail and some really crazy double spreads. Green Blood is amazing because it rarely uses white just different tones of grey and black.

[@alidan]

bakuman isn't there just because of its art. but berserk... dont look at the first 3-5 volumes or so for the art.

[@McDudes]

yea true they all become better with time. :)

[@zycane]

very nice, getting some of those books, starting to get myself into getting a couple of books, and this helped me a lot, so thank you, Sycra! oh and yeah Bakuman! Best advice ever. :-)

[@VilsonTalks]

Thanks for the advice Sycra!