I Made Studying Art Easier

[@theotheroduma]

I think I understand now: starting with complex subjects is overwhelming, so starting with simple subjects and getting comfortable with them is what will make the more complex subjects easier! 😅 Thank you so much for this!

[@ZephyerArt]

Essentially, yes! It can also apply to when you make things too hard for yourself when you're studying (which I believe we all do 😅). For example, if you were trying to get better at composition and you've never done it before, instead of some 2pt perspective environment, try characters that are more flat to the picture plane, like pin-up art. As you start absorbing some of that composition knowledge you can increase the difficulty of what you want to achieve like 1pt persepective with a simple background and keep going from there!

[@katm8128]

this is how I learned too)) I began with still life since the objects are simple while still able to be put into 3d space, and slowly moved to portraits and gesture

[@ZephyerArt]

@@katm8128 that’s a great example! I’m sure it helped a lot☺️

[@nunyabis89754]

On the feeling of overwhelm: The phrase “all boats rise together” comes to mind-learning one thing helps you grasp the next thing. They’re all interconnected! As you improve on one aspect, you will learn transferrable skills that will apply somehow to the next thing!

[@ngndnd]

youre so right about drawing specific things. Gave up on art because i was getting overwhelmed. Recently started drawing again and this time im just sketching random things in my room and its much less stressful

[@ZephyerArt]

lol that sounds like fun and less stressful but you may get bored awfully quick drawing random things. Is there anything you liked to draw before?

[@Paopao621]

Oh my god, I just tried that triangle thingy and Im finally able to overcome one of my major problems, thank you so much for existing, I love you.

[@ZephyerArt]

Haha you're welcome, and thank you for the love

[@huyphamquoc8923]

I'm a web developer and have just started drawing recently as a habit, I agree with you that breaking down the subject into different shapes can help you build your drawing better but sometimes it is hard to figure out what shape of that object should you break into so that you don't break the shape of a whole subject before learning a basic of anatomy.... and organize subjects affect the subject output a lot especially with human. I'm still learning to improve my art skills by scheduling a daily practice with a timelapse record to check if I am doing right or should I need to spend more time on some parts before progressing further. Btw, thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@ZephyerArt]

That’s awesome! Your daily practice sounds great 😁 Hmm I would say it’s mostly personal preference to which shape. As you learn, boxes are usually the more helpful shape since they create a 3D form, but eventually you’ll start drawing anatomy in simple forms directly - meaning more organic shapes that match the anatomy then they do a simple basic shape.

[@krusticun8126]

As someone who is being overwhelmed by the vastness of art, this helped to continue my learning-thank you! I just found your channel and I'll be subscribing & checking out more of your content!

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! 😁Omg I'm gonna start being embarrased by my old videos, please check out any new ones lol Yea I remember when I first started that vastness felt inescapable sometimes. I'm shocked that I made any progress at all sometimes. Having good people around me with positive messages helped a lot.

[@giulyanoviniciussanssilva2947]

These videos that show how to feel good about drawing are always welcome, taking this path more calmly.

[@ZephyerArt]

Happy to hear it! 😁

[@wahidali783]

Peak thumbnails, straight to the point, W advice.

[@ZephyerArt]

Omg I struggled so hard to find the right thumbnail lol thank you

[@Lobstrique]

the triangle for the human form is genius!!

[@ZephyerArt]

It really helped a lot! Not just with placing the figure on the page but the proportions too 😄

[@DazzlingAction]

It does help that every shape is based on the triangle. I wonder how they got that idea to use it though. @@ZephyerArt

[@ZephyerArt]

@@DazzlingAction I think that’s for all polygons, but I’m not sure 🤔 My guess is it was the simplest shape to capture a general area for the subject!

[@makasia_x]

omg using a triangle to fit the subject on my paper is such a great idea! I might have needed this advice! Thank you!

[@ZephyerArt]

Woohoo, I hope it helps!

[@marcos.a8814]

as someone who has just dropped out of computer science to persue 3d animation I really appreicate this video, you have no idea how much it helps, thank you

[@ZephyerArt]

Aww I'm glad to hear it. I'm gonna share that story a bit more in my next video so hopefully it will resonate too

[@glixonz3728]

Samee, i stopped learning web development and started taking 3d animation more seriously. The cool thing is that the coding skill wont go to waste since we can utilize that with 3d animation! It gives us a unique advantage !

[@R-hh9gm]

Would it be possible for you to make a live video of drawing and actively making use of this concept? I'd love to see you using this, as it helps a lot observing how other artists do these things.

[@ZephyerArt]

Ooo! That's an incredible idea It can be hard to demonstrate this concept because it's so specific to your own journey - where your strengths and weaknesses are. I can definiteyl do some live drawings and exercises since I'm using the concept to help me now too! I think I can squeeze it into the next one ☺

[@lcdesigns6145]

Yes more show, less tell

[@MpRq3]

this just brought me back to the earlier days of learning animation, we studied a lot almost all of it from perspective drawing to designing and concept,i will be having my thesis again next year i took a break from it and it's really a struggle

[@graveyardshift2100]

I figured something like this out a while back when I noticed another artist drawing a hand and the start was a triangle. It just worked so well!

[@ZephyerArt]

Ooo, I've never tried it with a hand, that sounds great!

[@graveyardshift2100]

@@ZephyerArt it isn't perfect of course, but it helps me figure out where all the important bits will be and what angle the wrist is bent at.

[@ZephyerArt]

@@graveyardshift2100 hell yea, whatever helps you approach it works ☺️ you can always improve on it or try a new method as you get better at drawing hands 🙌🏼

[@tejeraillustrator3810]

This is the first video Ive seen from you. Loved it. Subscribed. Will come back for more on future uploads. Id like to add how most begginers (myself included) will jump from fundamental to fundamental and skip waaaaaay ahead in a very short amount of time. Sometimes you read a whole book on light theory without even doing one exercise. This is very detrimental as your understanding skill is way above your actual drawing skill, so you see how shitty you are. I've learned the hard way and started studying from 0 a month ago, after studying art for 3 years. Im studying shapes in perspective all over again, actually learning to draw those shapes in any angle and rotate em at will. To later study how to draw the simplified body. What I did in my journey was draw 250 boxes (without understanding shit about perspective), watch a 20 hour seminar on perspective and then jump right into anatomy. It wasnt my smartest idea. I could name most muscles and identify them on the naked body, but couldnt draw boxes.

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you, I appreciate it Honestly, what you're describing happened in a similar way to me and I find that it's pretty common for beginners. You dive deep into studies without really knowing anything because you haven't drawn it much or you only do studies and can't turn shapes in space or come up with your own ideas. Sounds like you're definitely on the right track now!Good luck with your sudies 😁

[@NullDonut]

Great video. I've been in a similar circumstance, swapped 4.5 years of Aerospace Engineering to drawing. I lost my passion in my old career path due to being struck with an illness that changed my perspective in life. So I sought passion elsewhere and went down the art path. I'm not anywhere near the skill level I want to be yet, but you have the right idea about approaching art without being overwhelmed

[@ZephyerArt]

Oh wow! That must've been a big change too. I hope you're enjoying the art journey 😁

[@_xianno_]

My head has been aching for thinking what I’m learning or if I’m doing it right. I’ve been doing lots of studies about forms, the fundamentals, prespectives, simplification, anatomy, but I rarely do coloring or shading. If I were told to copy or capture the gesture of someone ifront of me I could do it right away in a short time but when I tried to make something of my own, it would take me hours to do just one pose. and not to mention coloring. I’ve learn color theory from time to time through youtube videos even if it’s not as frequent as learning the form. When studying, I understand what the video is trying to say. But when applying, I became overwhelmed and confused as how to do it “should I use a layer blend to shade or just shade it in one layer?” so mostly I understand the theory but I would struggle to apply it and I feel like I’ve been chased by the time itself, because time goes by so fast and I barely finished any targets of my studies. I cannot afford college or art school and I’m still aren’t qualified enough to apply for any jobs. I feel like my brain is about to explode 😭😭😭😭 sorry if I vent too much I just want to know if you have any tips for me😭😭

[@ZephyerArt]

lol no worries, you sound frustrated and it's good to vent that out! You're experiencing similar struggles I've gone through and am going through now. Definitely one of the hardest things to do, which I'm in the process of now, is working from imagination - ESPECIALLY when you've done studies all your life and so there's a huge disconnect between the quality of your studies and your imagination work. It's difficult but you have to draw from imagination to get better at it. Not just in terms of the quality of the drawing but how you think critically and design in your head before you touch the paper or tablet. It's going to suck at first, like your gesture is taking you hours, because you've never practiced it. Rest assured, it will get better in time! 😁 As far as the problems with color, stop using layer modes for now and just do straight painting to understand color and value relationships. And of course, with this principle of general to specific, use a simple selection of colors first. Focus on the light and shadow and getting that to start to look right. As you get more comfortable with more colors, rendering, then add in those layer modes and see how they can help your already developing skills in color. If you get frustrated with something, scale back the difficulty. For your gesture exercise, try to draw some gestures yourself, don't even bother with anatomy, just some simple lines will do. You might not be happy with them but go through the exercise and I'm sure you'll find at least one you like! Then, the next time you sit down, study poses. Try to be specific to make it stick better, like poses for going to bed or getting ready for school. Then again, on another day, try to remember some of those and redraw them, draw them from different angles, push them further, etc. There's so much variety and levels of complexity to how you can study. You want to challenge yourself but not go so far that you get overwhelmed. I hope I can help with this and future videos

[@askialuna7717]

That's exactly how I see it, too. I have also found that it is easier to start with the rough overall shape and learn it first. I once made the mistake years ago of learning the body parts one after the other and so first the basic shape of a torso and then working it out more and more finely before going to the next part. The result was that I couldn't connect them together so well in the end, and the proportions weren't that good as a result.😂 I've been having trouble drawing boxes correctly for months and was stuck with simple boxes in perspective. Basics first, before I go any further, was my approach. It was the wrong approach for me and only led to frustration and the fact that I hadn't practised for days and my muscle memory couldn't retain what I had learned. For me, it's easier to put the things for practice together from circles and ellipses and leaves that, become wide and then narrow again. If I do need a box, then I use a ruler. That's how I've made quite a bit of progress. 😅 It also helped that I have the habit of looking at photos for longer and thus notice the things in them a little better and how they relate to each other. As a teenager, I often took screenshots of landscapes and buildings that I found interesting in the games I played. I think I developed a good feeling for composition as a result.

[@yushaare]

Thanks for listing resources like the books you recommended the titles of in this video too! Knowing where to learn certain specific things from is very useful to know and I am always looking for more books to learn from!

[@ZephyerArt]

Of course! Let me know if you're looking for something specific and I can recommend a book or even go into how I study one of them 😁

[@AEInYOU]

Very well made for smuch a small channel. Glad youtube put this in my recommended. The general to specific pipeline definitely helps shrug off the paralysis that comes with realizing the scope of what you're setting out to do.

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! I keep trying to improve with every video 😁 Gotta be a filmmaker out here to get things to look good lol And I love the way you put that with the paralysis, it's very real.

[@kaiamaseton]

I'm very happy to find you! I am a civil engineer who feels too right-brained to do this complex left-brained stuff that I desire to become good at. I enjoy this breakdown so that my feeble engineering brain can begin to understand the path to creativity.

[@ZephyerArt]

Haha well I'm glad to have found you too! Don't dismiss your engineering skills as anti-creativity. That right/left brain stuff is nonsense. I'm positive you're creative as an engineer and your experiences there will help you bring unique energy and ideas to your art

[@Noctem0wl]

I like when someone finds a not-so abstract way of doing things, then they know how to put it into words and they share it. I always thought drawing was like this magical thing that you're lucky to learn. But this is really helpful and fun. It takes weight off your shoulders. Thank you so much!

[@learnartwithme3766]

ctrl+paint has this on his beginner (free) modules as blocking in. And this is basically the essence of drawabox.

[@Cqat1]

I've been drawing for 8 years now (i'm 15), entirely self taught, well with youtube tutorials of course. I really think i should go to some classes though and get some critique as well as more techniques. The progress you've made in such a relatively short amount of time is really good.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe thanks but omg no I’ve been drawing for like 13 years my progress has been slow 😭 You’re 15 now and if you apply yourself you could have some serious skill very quickly! Getting a good teacher to provide feedback is one of the best ways to learn. You don’t need it but it speeds up the learning process for sure. I’ll have some videos about studying in the future if that helps so I hope you stick around 😁

[@Cqat1]

@@ZephyerArt this video was pretty informational in a way, that i haven't really seen anyone else talk about. So i'll definitely stick around!

[@redbeeans]

I’ve been sketching out different gestures for some time now, but i really can’t seem to get perspective and foreshortening down in my art. It has been getting a bit better with some practice but nothing too noteworthy. I’ve been breaking down my work, but by bit into simple shapes, trying to get the distance correct. It’s a process for sure, haha. I’ll definitely try out these tips tho! Thanks for the awesome video!! ❤️❤️

[@ZephyerArt]

You're welcome Keep at it! Don't forget to create your own projects and move on to other things. You'll get better at perspective and foreshortening naturally the more you learn and draw.

[@desertbloomke]

When I started drawing as a kid I started directly with drawing fully clothed figures I saw on fashion shows on TV. I can draw the human figure well. But I began to notice (last year) that my figures are stiff and lack perspective, and I would REAAALLLYYY like to be able to design my own characters in settings that tell stories, so I've been doing human figure drawings with dynamic poses and perspective✨️ Overcoming the tendency to draw my characters from the straight front camera angle has been a challenge😂😂 but a good one

[@ZephyerArt]

Wow, that's so lovely! I've never heard of an art journey like that before, you're fascinating 😁 Hehe I think we sometimes underestimate how powerful perspective is and just want to show off our characters straight on so you see all the work that went into the design. You're gonna come up with some really powerful storytelling shots by studying poses and perspective, good luck!

[@desertbloomke]

@@ZephyerArt Thank you!!🤗

[@peachenelle]

This was such a great watch, I also had no idea this kind of technique had a name. Love the video quality/lighting/shots/content, you got a new sub!

[@ZephyerArt]

[@michaelhill959]

Genius has struck, no one I’ve seen talks about this

[@chilllife3574]

Loved your content, makes me get the book and pencil out and start learning again.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe happy to hear it! Have a blast

[@notcornelius123]

Absolutely phenomenal video, followed instantly. Can't wait to see more of your videos!

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you I'll try to make the next one even better!

[@Tsakarus]

omg I''m gonna have to try this triangle method!!!

[@Lors0909]

I am an amateur artists, and one of the things I am currently struggling with, is anatomy.

[@ZephyerArt]

It's a deeply complex topic, so I totally understand. I think it's something we learn in layers and constantly revisit to understand more and more. If you're an amateur artist, starting with boxes in perspective, combined with gesture, is honestly the best place to start. You get a handle on the major parts of the body. When you study, be sure to draw from your imagination too so you can recall what you've learned (and then study again what you struggle to remember). A good book that breaks down anatomy in simple shapes is Figure Drawing, Design and Invention by Michael Hampton. It will help you make sense of how to layer on the anatomy to your boxes.😁

[@Lors0909]

Thank you for the advice. I will give Hampton's book a look. @@ZephyerArt

[@sourgreendolly7685]

Thank you algorithm for doing something right and bringing me here! Instantly subscribed. You explain in the way I explain, which means I understand it better 😅

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I guess it's good you found me then! Thank you for subscribing (and thank you algorithm too)

[@ZXAMVs]

Great video especially the summary at the end with the study stages. Also, I was really happy to see Alchemy Star references 😍

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! Yea, I hope the examples help, it's a little hard to tailor it to everyone when it's specific to the person and their experiences. OMG the designs for Alchemy Stars are to die for, I will put them in every video lol 😁

[@GLMike77]

Really grateful you made this vid and your newest one. Very relatable to me and encouraging to know I'm not the only one. Curious to know: How would you go about breaking down comics/manga?

[@poppasacc4276]

I like storyboarding I've been trying to break it down recently like you mentioned but even then it still seems like so much, but i have still been trying to practice things that might be required for it like exprestions and scenes. I practice fundamentals like 3d shape regularly but I am unsure where to go from there. I also have some anatomy knowledge but struggle to apply it.

[@ZephyerArt]

Ooo story boarding is cool! And takes a lot of knowledge. It looks simple but you’ve got to know so much for it to work well. I would give yourself a project, like a simple scene to storyboard, and figure out how to make things simpler if they’re too difficult (gives you a little context). So you know some anatomy and fundamentals. I would restrict your scene to a still BG so you don’t have to worry about the environment and let the character(s) you draw (in simple shapes) act out a scene by moving far away and close to the camera in that one room. I’m not sure if you know environments and perspective very well lol but this is one example of how to make the approach simpler. 😁

[@poppasacc4276]

@@ZephyerArt @ZephyerArt thank you I'll definitely try this out I know and understand a lot of perspective theory but I just need to practice it more so the exercise would be good for that too the only thing you mentioned that I might have trouble with is moving the camera I've tried to do it before and don't really know how to transition/place it in an interesting way. I'm sure there's videos on this but thanks so mush you just gave me some great ideas, also I forgot to subscribe and I'm about to now lol

[@ZephyerArt]

@@poppasacc4276 Thank you for the sub For this example though I meant for you to not move the camera, pretend you set the camera down and the characters are interacting in the room but the camera never moves. It's the characters that move closer and farther away from the camera. Then you can add basic camera movements to increase the difficulty. I'm excited for you, I hope it helps!

[@poppasacc4276]

@@ZephyerArt ohhhh thanks lol I think it will help 100% appreciate your advice

[@worldwidefunnyguy]

this is a really nice short video with a lot of information packed into it

[@ZephyerArt]

thank you

[@THUNGUNS]

great vid guide for all levels of art-pursuers. also sick art on ur insta.

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! I'll post more soon

[@KuroiPK]

I think you manage to explain this concept extremely good, sometimes the algorithm really recommends something good! BTW awesome shirt

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe thank you

[@Panischa]

I watched a few of your videos today and I love how positive your energy is! Keep it up :) Love your vids!

[@amywoolsey6591]

Any suggestions for discovering resources, not just for specific how tos but for inspiration? At school you're exposed to so much from the other students, I think, not just classes and teachers. And inspiration, what others are interested in, it seems like that's what's missing from my art journey. I no longer live in the city and I have no graphic design friends so I'm always on the lookout for things on the net that bring me closer to what others are doing. Thanks.

[@WobbuffetBoy]

Hey, I'm subscribing because I like how you explained the subject, and also, I would like to hear about your story as an artist. You see, I'm studying computer science and aiming to become a web developer, but there's this need of learning to draw better, so it's a bit hard for me to find balance between the two, so after you mentioned that you were a developer I felt somewhat identified, so I want to see more of your videos to see if I can find the anwser I'm seeking. I guess that what I'm trying to say is, thank you, and I expect great things from your channel, nice video, keep it up!

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! I really appreciate your kindness Wobbuffet My older videos are worse lol but I'm improving with each one and I'll definitely share more of my story. Computer science was a lot of fun, I just realized I had another calling. My next video should touch on some of things you're looking for!

[@benjicomix]

I am definitely gona try this with my art !

[@ZephyerArt]

You got this!

[@jonmatheson6767]

Loved this video! I spotted a few books you were using in the video such as an artist anatomy one; would you be willing to list the books you use please?

[@ZephyerArt]

Of course! Let's see, I think in this video we have: Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters by TB Choi, Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis, Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling, Color & Light by James Gurney, Drawing People by Barbara Bradley, and the Morpho series by Michel Lauricella.

[@dobi26jo37]

thank u for this video it really helps, i hope u make more helpful content like this as its simple to understand when u explain it!! im really struggling to work with perspective its just seems so difficult and technical and I dont want to abandon the challenge maybe u could make a video simplifying it thank uuuu - i watched krenz's drawfest video it helped but its still hard

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you! 😁 After the next video (in the process of editing now) I actually want to do one on figures in perspective so hopefully that will help you out. Ooo I'll have to check out Krenz's video to see what he did.

[@happyturtle95]

Brilliant video - instant subscribe. Makes me feel slightly less overwhelmed about everything I need to learn, and it's nice to know I'm not alone in this feeling. Also, I can already tell the triangle method is going to make placing my figures so much easier. Out of interest, who was your drawing teacher/coach? I'd love to become their student too.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe thank you I'm happy you can find some relief! The triangle method was something I learned in one of the first classes I ever took during a summer course at another college, I'm not sure of the teacher, unfortunately. However, the reason my figures are so good now has more to do with my teacher from Concept Design Academy - Kevin Chen! An absolutely incredible teacher and artist - I would definitely take his class if you ever have the opportunity. 😁

[@happyturtle95]

Thank you SO much! I've bookmarked several classes. I think I'm going to complete VIS COM 1: DYNAMIC SKETCHING this fall and then INTRO TO FIGURE DRAWING WITH EDWARD CHANG before I start ANALYTICAL FIGURE DRAWING WITH KEVIN CHEN😊@@ZephyerArt

[@ZephyerArt]

@@happyturtle95 That's awesome! I'm so excited for you, CDA is amazing. I can't speak to Edward's ability and the teacher is different for Vis Com but Kevin hires great teachers for his classes. And Kevin himself is a beast of an artist and teacher, you'll learn a lot. I took his course like 4-5 times and would always learn something new! Good luck with the classes and have fun

[@happyturtle95]

Thank you so much! 🤗🤗💛💛💛💛@@ZephyerArt

[@rizwanzaman1793]

This approach makes things so much easier to understand! Thank you!

[@Anwah]

another tool for the kit, thank you.

[@albejoyart]

Coloring and choosing colors for an art work is hard like I took also went to art school for a bit and they went over color theory with complimentary and all of that jazz but I don't get how to choose colors to make the composition pretty and pleasing. Saturation and what colors to use for shading and highlights I struggle with coloring so much!

[@ZephyerArt]

Ohh yea, color is a tough beast to conquer. It's something I'm still dealing with myself. To simplify things, I think I would try not to worry about getting all the colors right. If you want to apply this concept, you could first focus on just getting a color for the light and shadow, and using simple variations of those colors for shading. That will go a long way in simply making your work look nice. Then I would try using what's called Hue Harmonies - the simplest choice being monochromatic, where you paint in variations of one color. Then you can start challenging yourself with additional colors and more challenging hue harmonies. Also, don't forget about value when you're doing color work - there's full value, high-key and low-key. You can play with those and the hue harmonies to mix up the difficulty

[@checkeredlemons79]

thought I was the only person struggling with putting a figure on a page I swear people make it look so easy.

[@ZephyerArt]

Definitely not the only one out there lol

[@agirlwithcrookednose8787]

Kindly share the books that you would recommend to start this journey or make a video if possible ! will be highly helpful.

[@E.Hunter.Esquire]

Great video. Informative and to the point.

[@mmn_el]

i'm struggling to learn storyboarding for animation and i've spent a lot of time looking for how to break it down

[@vio7607]

It would be really useful to know some of the art books you use. the one you were drawing the arm and shoulder from breaks the body down in a way that makes sense to me I'd like to get it

[@ZephyerArt]

Of course! That first one is Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters by TB Choi. I can make a future video about all the art books that I've found most useful. Suprisingly I find that most of my significant learning came from studying other artists instead of the outrageous number of art books I've purchased (they're too pretty 😅)

[@wzvy]

Awesome video aside, where’s the T-shirt from?? I love it so much

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you ☺️ Check out the site Bibisama! They have some really cool stuff.

[@idisagree1587]

Woah this is really helpful

[@jessenotmessy6549]

Congratulations on all the views I've been waiting for this to happen lol

[@ZephyerArt]

Hey Jesse! Omg yea, I had to improve the process of making videos lol Thank you for being with me since the beginning. We're gonna keep on going!

[@quit3118]

This video really did help me, I was thinking about if there was a way to learn animation in a simpler way? That is the subject I always overthink

[@ZephyerArt]

Happy to hear it! I'm sure there is a way to simplify learning animation. It's not my area of expertise but there is a lot of overlap. You still have to learn the fundamentals, meaning working with basic shapes, so you can animate basic shapes squashing and stretching before you move on to real objects or figures. And even if you do move on to something more complicated like the figure, you can keep the figure in basic forms to not worry about the detail. Think like storyboarding first and then make the inbetweens. Things like that will definitely help you simplify the learning journey. A basic rule of thumb for you to follow; when you sit down to try animating something see if it frustrates you or not. If it doesn't you might need to challenge yourself more and if it does you probably went too far with the challenge. Figure out a way to scale back the difficulty, what can you do to simplify what you're working on? An easier perspective? A simpler shape? Critical thinking like this about your learning process is something you learn as well, you'll get the hang of it! I hope this helps

[@Zhinoi]

This is pretty much was drawabox teaches. I think all art courses do this direction actually. Starting with basic shapes feels like nature progression because you get to make sense of your subject's being before trying to capture all of its details.

[@ZephyerArt]

Drawabox is literally just a watered-down Visual Communication class. The class seems to have an "origin teacher" because it's the exact same no matter who teaches it lol. Unfortunately, most art classes are not structured in the same way. Yes, they may start you with basics like boxes instead of figures, but that's usually as far as they go. You can continuously do this throughout every step of your art education to make subjects more approachable, and thus easier to learn. It might feel like it's obvious to you which is great! Sadly it's not for many of us and it's not emphasized in our curriculum.

[@julikr]

Hey! First of all, great video, thanks a lot for these tips! Honestly I got quite curious, when you told that you went from computer science to drawing.. This is because I am a software developer myself and think about studying art in university. Anyway I find it quite hard to make this transition, especially because getting accepted for art courses is super super hard. Could you make a video about your transition from IT to art? Would be super interesting!!

[@ZephyerArt]

That's awesome, I hope you get to study art too! Next video will definitely be exploring this 😁 For my transition to art, I was about to graduate and then switched. I took courses at my university, then a couple of summer courses and made a portfolio for an art school in California and managed to squeeze my way in. Sadly, getting accepted into art courses is less hard and it's more that some school are allowing more people per classroom (which means less focus on each individual student). There are pros and cons to art school though, that might require a separate video 😅

[@emmacook3065]

This is one of those KZbin videos I wish I could like a thousand times.

[@ZephyerArt]

[@matthewdavis9437]

What's the book with the arms called?

[@osvaldouribe]

Great video! Love to listen the complete story in your latest video too!!!

[@alextimilehin9255]

This was so helpful. I’m a new artist from Nigeria and I hope to be a very seasoned artist. Please what book has the drawing of the arm from the beginning of the video. I’ll be very grateful if you told me

[@ZephyerArt]

That's awesome! I hope you have a great start to your journey 😁 The book at the beginning is TB Choi's, Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters and it's incredible for designing the figure. I would definitely recommend it.

[@alextimilehin9255]

Thank you so much . I’m glad you replied my text.

[@muskannarula9564]

Great advice man . Really loved it Can you please make a video on how to become an animator and open a studio like disney or pixar

[@ZephyerArt]

Thank you 😊 I’m not as familiar with the animator path of study but there’s a lot of overlap so I’ll do what I can! I can definitely help with the opening a studio in a future vid!

[@muskannarula9564]

@@ZephyerArt looking forward to it

[@eno_7206]

Thanks for the tips

[@afiffarakhan4992]

Dang, I too from computer science like what the heck! 😂

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I actually met a couple of similar stories when I went to art school. I think a lot of us go into CS for programming in games and then we're like "hey wait, I like art instead" 😅

[@ImPewPew4]

what should i draw for fun as a absolute beginner? Currently i’m using draw a box website to learn drawing, and the other half of my time I’m having hard time thinking of things to draw for fun… I like drawing anime and buildings and ez stuff. Is it ok to use reference and draw from them in my fun drawing time? or would this be considered a bad practice.?

[@ZephyerArt]

The things that excite you! I would make a project, like you're making an art book, around a show or game you really love. It will give your consistency with practice a vibrant direction 😁 Right now, I'm doing a project around the manga Bleach! And you can definitely use references to draw from, that's great practice. Just don't forget to draw from imagination and try to recall what you learned. You need both to make progress

[@issovaidaumtrabaaaaaalho8987]

Do you have any books to recommend for drawing anatomy and perspective? I've been trying to get better, but even starting at the basics it all seems overwhelming, maybe i would learn more by reading haha.

[@ZephyerArt]

The one I have open in the begining of the video is really good for anatomy and figures in perspective! Also, the artist has some great example sketches beyond that on her social platforms. Her name is TB Choi and the book is Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters.

[@aa898246]

wehre did you buy your shirt?

[@ZephyerArt]

Bibisama

[@rajendra-2023]

Do you invent poses or take references ? I would like to know on other videos

[@ZephyerArt]

Typically, I like to study from reference, from other artists - to see how they simplify forms and what kind of poses I can do. Then I'll try to come up with my own and do poses from imagination. Sometimes I'll also try to study from photos to see if I can make those same kinds of design decisions as the artists I studied. I would say right now I do about 50/50 (from reference/imagination) but I'm shooting for more of a 70/30 split as I get better. It helps you get better too!

[@jetblk3798]

Thank you

[@orias4048]

I want to draw backgrounds and creatures. I'm making a piece right now, and I realized I don't know how to simplify shapes and accurately draw something detailed, without almost tracing the shapes. I don't know where to start in studying, I just know what I'm supposed to study. Is there an easy order to learn things in, or specific fundamentals/knowledge you need to learn other things?

[@ZephyerArt]

I think it depends on your current knowledge in the different areas that demand the list of skills you need for backgrounds and creatures. First, definintely stop tracing things (if you are already doing it). Not only is it detrimental to the learning process but you'll develop a huge crutch. Even if it comes out terrible, it's always better learning to draw next to something as one to one copy than it is to trace. Like I said, it depends on what you've learned already and where you excel. If you're having trouble simplifying shapes, I would study artists that you really like and see how they simplified their creatures and backgrounds. Ideally, you can find their sketches and see how they broke things down. Then you can apply how they do it to studies from life or photos, and finally your own work. There's no specific order you HAVE to follow but if you get overwhelmed easily with this stuff it just makes it more approachable to start from the fundamentals. Draw creatures as boxes, like you would a human figure. Think in terms of simple shapes for environments. Then go into the details. Part of it is really just trusing the process. Even if you had no artists to study from, you could still try to think of how to simplify a tree down to a cone and then add on layers of detail. You're not going to be "wrong" by trying things, that's how we learn. We find ways not to do things and then keep trying till it feels right lol Don't be afraid to try your simplified shapes even if they feel wrong

[@orias4048]

@@ZephyerArt thank you! :)

[@LaLaLA-ue1ho]

"I don't think it made me any better at figure drawing, but it did help me get better at figure drawing."

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I apologize if that was confusing. I said it didn't help me get better at figure drawing but it helped me approach it - meaning it gave me the tools to START drawing the figure even if it didn't help me learn how to draw the figure. Sometimes starting is all you need and you figure the rest out as you go.

[@Xepter_]

i loved this video! i want to be completly selfish and ask a very specific question: i noticied the book of TB Choi, than i also have, but for the life of me i dont know how to best make use of it! do i copy EVERYTHING? do i use it only for reference??

[@ZephyerArt]

Oh nice, her book is one of my favorites! I'm happy to help I would use the way she breaks down the figure and apply it to other studies from reference and imagination. You can definitely copy her drawings to start, it will show you how she simplifies the figure. (She's an incredible designer!) You can look at photos and see how she took what's on the figure and simplified it for great design, then try it yourself on poses that aren't in the book and use the book as a reference to fix things. If you go to her Twitter you can find more figure drawings in perpsective and study those as well! I like to supplement the anatomy with a more detailed book like Anatomy for Sculptors, purely from an understanding standpoint. And study her for design and simplifying the anatomy and forms. The end of the book touches on everything really quickly so I would use a different source for things like light/shadow, but it's certainly not a bad place to start.

[@darksoul5621]

I suck at anatomy especially anatomy in perspective (3pt). Could you please recommend me just one book which can help me become completely good at anatomy, not good the best? And by the way your voice is sooo soothing.

[@ZephyerArt]

Haha thank you I would go for TB Choi's I Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters and also go to her Twitter and find more of her figures in perspective drawings. Her designs are incredible and she's very good at simplifying the anatomy from any angle. If you need more detailed information about anatomy, I would supplement that book with Anatomy for Sculptors.

[@darksoul5621]

@@ZephyerArt thank you so much 😊

[@GhwanStudios]

eYYO~~ this vid blew up! congrats dude.

[@ZephyerArt]

Hehe thank you! I'm excited to see people enjoy it so much! I hope I can keep making them better and better 😁

[@michaelgebru3436]

Can you please tell me the name of the Japanese book in the video?

[@ChairWithScoliosis]

who was your teacher?

[@ZephyerArt]

For figure drawing it's Kevin Chen. His school is called Concept Design Academy. He also works with Disney and Marvel and is just generally a pretty amazing guy

[@blvckwrld3970]

Name of the background Lo-Fi?

[@seriousame]

Can i start drawing in age 24? I mean from 0

[@YourLocalAnonAccount]

It's never too late to get into art as long as you practice and dedicate yourself into it! :)

[@ZephyerArt]

Hell yea you can! Actually, my next video will answer this question and more my friend so stick around 😤💪🏼

[@mrmawster9786]

Im into illustration and seem like it has pretty much similar skill required to do character design i guess?

[@ZephyerArt]

True there's a lot of overlap! I would definitely start learning about design and composition from the start, they go hand in hand. Always be designing, as my teacher used to say. It will help you create more impactful characters and illustrations in the long run

[@MANIAKRA]

damn that's a cool tshirt

[@connormchale2039]

whats the book at the start

[@ZephyerArt]

Design your own anime and manga characters by TB Choi

[@mifaat3666]

I've wanted learn Environmental art, where should I start in the general to specific, it will be a big help to me if you could break it down.

[@ZephyerArt]

It really depends on where you're at! Applying this concept will tailor to the experiences, interests and needs of each person. If you have no experience in environment art and very little in drawing, this might be a good start: First you want to learn the basics of perspective - 1, 2, & 3 point will do just fine and won't take you too long. Then we want to find interesting ways to implement them. Start with one point perspective (move to 2pt for one if you want more of a challenge) and draw a couple of angles of your room and/or house, keeping all the objects in those rooms as simple shapes, focus on nailing proportion and perspective. Next day or two, I would go outside and try a couple of angles of your apartment or house. And while your still outside, try to draw your room again from memory. After your done, go inside and fix the proportions and perspective of the room you drew from memory. This should be a good starting practice to get you familiar with perspective and proportion. Finally, I would create a small project based on an existing property you enjoy (fanart is easier because the designs are already made for you, you can focus on the fundamentals instead). Decide on a few indoor and outdoor locations to recreate, but this time try to turn your simple shapes into the actual objects in the environment. If you find this is too difficult, find easier (simplified) environments to reference. After some time, recreate those rooms from memory from different angles and fix what you got wrong after the fact. Keep in mind, this is just ONE possible solution and designed for someone who's at a very beginner level. You can adjust based on your experience and interest! I hope this helps get you started though.

[@mifaat3666]

Thanks, this will be really helpful@@ZephyerArt

[@mifaat3666]

Sorry to bother you@@ZephyerArt. I wanted to ask, what do you do when you enjoy a certain type of art more than another type of art, but you want to learn the art that you don't enjoy more. Recently I did some drawings but I learnt that I liked drawing anime art (mainly the characters) more compared to environmental art. Do you just force yourself to do the less enjoyable art or do you try to somehow combine the 2, like draw the one you enjoy first than put a background environment? Thanks for your time and help.

[@lucky_luck5411]

Whats the name of that first book with arm muscle reference?

[@ZephyerArt]

Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters by TB Choi and it's awesome. Definitely recommend it 😁

[@stumpedtroper]

What is that first book that with the arm contour?

[@ZephyerArt]

That is TB Choi's new book called Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters

[@stumpedtroper]

@@ZephyerArt Thank you! I've seen that exact arm from pinterest, is why I'm asking haha

[@PakoParola]

Where can i get the shirt?

[@ZephyerArt]

Bibisama!

[@glorybringer1545]

where the tee from

[@ZephyerArt]

Bibisama

[@cextheartist]

stu"DYING" T_T

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I hope this makes you die less

[@samandy24]

Ohmygosh. We're the other way. I really wanna take up coding and study it. But I am sooooo intimidated, and I feel like my memory just isn't the same. Give me drawing any day 😂

[@ZephyerArt]

lol maybe we can switch places

[@samandy24]

@@ZephyerArt it would be cool if we can just do both easily! XDD

[@Project.09]

what book is that?

[@ZephyerArt]

Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters by TB Choi and it's awesome!

[@M_Deez]

made me sub!!

[@DJSHADDY2K7]

Interesting.

[@ugtyujuser-yb4eu9jx6v]

Can you teach us coding??..

[@ZephyerArt]

lol as much as I’d love to, I don’t remember much of it at all 😅

[@ann_nnn]

boxes are for losers, i only use octagons and trapezoidal prisms!

[@ZephyerArt]

[@ngndnd]

damn so we all studied computer science? kgkdjdjd

[@ZephyerArt]

Haha I guess so

[@isfunart]

Cute shirts

[@flourishd1]

We are distant cousins, I also cant seem to make things fit at times despite my guidelines

[@ZephyerArt]

lol I still cut off the body the first few times but it got much better over time. You'll get there too

[@kurisu9239]

Nice Shirt. Sauce?

[@ZephyerArt]

Check out BiBisama, they have some cool stuff!