Drawing advice

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- Use reference images, and if you have the object you are drawing in front of you feel free to move it around and study it from different angles.

-Consider the subject area of what you are drawing. If you are drawing an animal, you might want to look into why an animal has a certain attribute and how it affects things such as movement if you're having trouble capturing that particular aspect.

-Map your progress. I know that it can be easy to get caught up in finishing your work to the highest standard. This was one of my biggest hurdles and it often prevented me from putting in the time because it felt pointless. However, it's important to remember that the process is an important part of creating. As you practice, you'll begin to improve.

I have an art blog with a small following that I update every so often. At first, I was initially hesitant to share my work. However, I was pleasantly surprised. There's a saying I've heard that you know you've made it once you start to get hate comments. At this point, I'm still obscure enough that the feedback remains positive and constructive. Unfortunately, I do sometimes get spammed by bots but it's worth it since a few art societies and independent artists follow the blog.

So, I should probably note that I'm not the best artist. I'm just a determined amateur. Sometimes people like that though. They want to route for the underdog, to see them improve. My most popular posts tend to be where I talk about the creative process behind the work and show the stages of how I got to the end product. You'd probably have a difficult time roasting my work since I already tend to mention the negatives and positives in my notes.

-Think of your work as an experiment. You're probably going to look at your work in the future and hate it. As you improve, you'll probably look at your old work and think "Oh wow, this is terrible". This is normal. It's actually a good sign since it means that you've made progress since then. This ties into not getting caught up on creating a masterpiece. You're going to make mistakes on the way. The important part is continuing anyway. Be stubborn. Keep going. Practice, experiment, and ask for advice.

I could do with experimenting as I will be needing to paint backscenes for ky model railway. I am used to building 3D creations but 2D is an area where I will be almost starting from scratch.

Personally, I'm the opposite. I'm used to creating in 2D and I have less experience with creating 3D work. However, I have made a few 3D digital models using computer software before. I can make certain items in isolation such as a snooker table, but I've never rendered a complex background with a foreground.

Alas, I don't have much experience with creating physical 3D models since most of what I do is digital. I've always struggled with drawing vehicles; I personally find animals much easier to draw. Perhaps at some point I'll put some more practice into drawing methods of transport.

Interestingly enough, I know a guy who is the complete opposite of me, he's great at drawing vehicles but struggles with drawing animals. Out of the animals I have drawn, I would say that I find squirrels one of the easiest and humans to be frustratingly difficult. Humans have such weird facial structures. I haven't quite got the jaw right, I tend to make it too short and rounded so it ends up not looking human enough.

Researching into perspective might help so you can get the scaling and spacing between objects right. Feel free to keep us updated on your progress. What kind of back scenes? Is it going to be countryside based or primarily focused on the different stations in a city area?

I am not ready for backscenes yet but they will be some sort of scenery rather then a built up area. Scenery as in countryside. I have something in mind.

This is what part of the model railway layout looks like, as I have just cut a gap under the track so I can make a bridge.

It's looking promising. Keep up the good work. The train-tracks are nicely spaced out.

I used my finger to space the sleepers. It is a bit time consuming making track this way but worth it. A bit of a learning curve. It is narrow gauge track so the spacing is a bit different.

I am going to run things like this on it.



It should be fun. The backscene is hopefully going to hide the track at the back of the layout.

I can draw airplanes but not cars. I can draw animals adequately too.

Like Mountain Goat I have more recent experience with making 3d stuff.

Sometimes I like to bring a few types of my art together...