Any Tips?

[forks]

I am currently working on a new style of art, I am trying to make my drawings look more real. You can go to my art page
http://www.feral-heart.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=2&jfile=index.php&topic=45531.0
to check out how I draw, the bottom ones are usually the newest, so, yeah. If you guys have any tips on how to make the fur look more real and whatnot (without getting any brushes by download). Thanks!

[Kastilla]

For realistic fur I use the smudge tool on GIMP and Photoshop then blur tool on Paint Tool SAI. (naming what I use as well as the possibilities) That's all I got, really. unu -Wolfie

[Wolfie_Lover]

Well, my pictures aren't the most realistic (digital or traditional), but it helps if you draw a jawline and work on the eyes. If possible, it also helps if you look over a real picture of a wolf/lion/etc., as it might help you out more - atleast, if you want your pictures as realistic as they get.
With colors and markings, I try to get it as close to my character's as I can, to be honest, but it's completely on what you want to do. I'm sure a lot of the programs (MSPaint, FireAlpaca, Photoshop, etc.) have a RGB scale for colors and whatnot, which helps if you're making a character in FeralHeart, since you can just open it and blah, blah, blah.
Anyway, I hope this made sense to you.
-Wolfie

[Spottedbears]

the best thing to do is to use a reference. if you use them often, try looking harder! as for fur, try shading or using your lineart! both shading and lineart are good ways to add texture.

i'll use my art as an example


look at this! do yo usee how the lineart is very smooth? that's because this is a dragon like character and she has skin instead of fur.


see this one? the lineart has ruffled/pointed parts to appear as fur. as well as, the shading is jagged and follows the pattern of fur.

[greenart6]

Maybe it's not for fur, but for a more realistic drawing in generals I has a few suggestions.

Shading helps a lot. I suck at shading, since I just draw it wherever, but it really helps.

(Best example I could find since I hardly do shading xD)

I usually don't do shading, but some times I make sure to make the front and back legs that are facing the other way a bit darker, since the front and back legs in front are facing the light source. You can see that in there.

You can also tell that there's no light coming from behind her and that the light source is in front. I am kinda just explaining what I do so maybe listen to someone who knows more than me xD

But yeah, shading helps make it seem more realistic, like they're in an actual place. Just another thing, her eye is kinda glowing in the darker part, imayhavejustaddedthatwhiledrawingthissinceicouldn'tthinkofanything

Also, my favorite part of drawing anything, dem eyes

I use a lot of different methods for drawing my eyes, depends on what I like and how lazy I am

This is the one I've been using recently. I have the iris a certain color, blue here, then I select that with a select tool in GIMP and fill the bottom with a darker blue, then the top with a lighter blue, and sometimes I'll carefully use the smudge tool to make them a bit more... pointy I guess xD

Next one is the one I use when I'm not lazy

I fill the eye up with a certain color, green/yellow here. I select the iris and make my background color a darker shade of green/yellow (can't tell what it is xD) while keeping the foreground color the same color as the iris is now. Then I use da.. blend (had to search for a while) tool, angle it a certain way, then let go, and yay~ Now it changes colors smoothly! c:

This one I used to use a lot but not as often now. I just change the size of my brush to as low as possible, change the color to either a lighter or darker color than the iris, then I just draw mountains almost near the pupil or whatever it's called i don't know things but it makes it look pretty good

Also, I'm not sure if you do or not, but I almost always use base lines.

I can't find an example but they're very single yet help a lot to get stuff right and make sure that the character's posture won't look weird or anything.

That's about all I have, it's early in the morning so this might be a bit confusing Hope this helps!

[wolfdog01]

Here are some steps I do in order to make my drawings look realistic (Oh snap! A look into how I draw!):
Sketch & Anatomy

Now even I am still learning how to get anatomy right, but I'm best at canines so I will use a wolf. The basic sketch is very simple, I use the smallest pen and do circles where the main muscles are and it's pretty easy, you just have to know how the body moves on the animal. The body parts I did in order were: Head (black), Body, Legs, and then the Tail. Now it does NOT have to be perfect since it is just a simple layout of the pose.

LineArt

Depending on what animal you are drawing also depends on the line art. If is a big ol' fluffy wolf like this one, then you make the fur spiky and all over the place, if it is a lizard or something reptilian then maybe a bumpy outline for the scales, etc. Notice how the lines are a bit thick, I make them this way usually so it is easier to erase around the lines, simply make the pen you used for the sketch a bit thicker. NOTE: If your character is mostly black, use a lighter lineart then black, I used RGB scale of: 12,12,12. It makes the lines more seeable, especially if you add in the muscles and such. Thyme for example, she is mostly black so I always use 12,12,12 for her.

Coloring

Now I usually don't color in the lines because that is way too hard when you're gonna use different colors. I used a big paintbrush, any kind will do, to just slap on some color and then used an airbrush for the highlights, and a pen for the eye and nose. NOTE: For certain markings, don't use the airbrush, if it is very pointed markings like ear rims, striped legs, ect. use a pen for that and you may choose to smudge it and blur it if you like.

Erasing

Simply said, you erase around the lines, it makes it look good if you go into all of the cracks between the fur as well.

Shading

For shading I used a very dark brown for it all, shading is actually pretty simple, you just have to see where the dips would be on your own body. Like under your arm, it is darker so behind the shoulder bit on a wolf like this it would be darker. Inside the ears, behind the leg bones shown, fur layers, etc. It also depends on where the light is hitting it, if it is from the front, like this one, then you would put the shading in places that are not exposed to the light. I used the airbursh again and smudged it then blurred it. NOTE: Do not use one color for shading the whole body if there are very strong changes in color, such as a bright blue and a bright green, don't use one of those colors, use them both as a darker shade for each other. Makes it look better.

Lighting (optional)

Lighting can help make your drawing seem more dramatic and beautiful, though it is optional. Again with the airbrush, since I picture it to be sunsetting or maybe dawn, something with a lot of yellow light, I used a yellowish tone. Same with the shading, find the areas that the light would hit or any more predominant body parts, such as the shoulder blades. Make sure to smudge it and then blur it for the best effect. NOTE: Using this method does not always work, only use yellows, red, etc. (sunset/dawn colors) when the sky is near that color, if it is a clear day with blue skies then use a lighter shade of your char's color since the sky does not have a hard edged light to it.

This was just a basic How-To on realistic drawing, well realistic enough. ^^; Hope this helped you! NOTE: I did all of these steps on their own layer except for the shading and lighting. In order from the top layer to the base layer were: Lighting/Shading, LineArt, and Coloring (I used the sketch layer for the coloring). Now the background is another story.

[forks]

Ahhhh my gosh thank you guys so much! I really appreciate your halp ill be sure to try this stuff out!! :DDDDD