hi hi hi, to no one.
it's currently september 2023 which marks my sixth month on procreate.
going to jot down notes on some useful reference i've made during my transition phase from traditional to digital art for my own reference in the future & for whoever who might need it,,,
*disclaimer* most are free resources hence they might be limited, but this is a cheapskate thread anyway :)
1. currently my device is ipad pro 11 and i draw on procreate (bought on shopee for rm1). beforehand, i was on ibispaintx, but it was a very short journey hence i would like to share more about procreate explorations.
first of all, take some time to watch tutorials on the basic (how to use the program's tools) so you don't get lost exploring. i recommend this comprehensive procreate tutorial by luma_llama on youtube (10 min)
you don't have to follow every artist on the Internet. there are many hacks / additional features you can learn over time through tik tok or other yt channels, for example how to create a colour palette from an image. soon enough, your algorithm will bring up various artists and you can always choose the ones whose tutorials fit you most.
take time exploring, because it'll be more fun that way!
2. brushes
brushes for procreate
there's a lot of free brushes here, only download what you need— like if you're drawing fire, only download fire pack, or if you're drawing tree, download tree / nature related pack to save on storage. purchasing brushes pack on shopee actually profits not the actual artist / brushmaker, it's better spent as patron on gumroad if you want to support.
jingsketch basic brush (free)
i love the flat square brush a LOT. other brushes are nice, as well, but the flat square is perfect for both sketch & colouring.
theariyaki procreate pack (free)
grainy thea sketch is my personal fav. it is a sketch brush but if you're not a fan of art line, this brush actually makes your drawing look smoother after colouring. in the same pack, i usually switch between grainy block to colour and lasso tool if the area is big. there are three texture brushes in this pack which are all decent in giving details to drawing.
3. references
figure drawing
this is perfect for speed sketching practice. you can set the time on your own and choose what image you want to practice. a croquis feast. the only downside is that its free ver is a bit hard to control.
headlight
this is a face lighting study by william nguyen. haven't tried this one on my art but it's definitely helpful to shade a character's face.
body poses
bodies in motion
provides reference for body poses, 3d scan with lighting shift, expressions. this site is very convenient for body pose study. although, to experience more features especially on 3d scan, you must register an account.
posemaniacs
anatomy study would be good for this since the 3d bodies are literally anatomical lab bodies (all the muscles and whatnot). i can say this is very convenient to use, you can change angle and size, very helpful for human perspective drawing. they also have hands and both female and male body references.
3d models / assets
most 3d programs are paid, and that's understandable because building 3d models takes a lot of time and energy. as an alternative for people who are not willing to learn blender / sketchup to design their own models, you can always use free 3d models from websites.
one of the most common problems arising with 3d models is art style consistency. this is where tracing comes handy. you can use the 3d model as perspective reference and snap the specific angle you want or trace over it to make shape of what you want to create, then fit it to your artstyle (using your brush your always use / colour schemes you're comfortable). this is also a solution for paid ones & to save on storage, but the cons is that you cannot adjust to other angle afterward (as it has been documented to 2d).
some websites i would recommend for these purposes:
free3d
free options are very limited, and simulation is not accessible. however the range is quite big if you include the paid ones!
sketchfab
endless options & accessible simulation. you can try moving the model before you purchase (to enable download). however after downloading, some models can't be used due to uv overlapping / missing uv, and it needs to be unwrapped in another software but i have yet to learn it.
backgrounds
i rarely draw backgrounds, and once i did draw one from scratch. it took too much time and energy. honestly, this sounds template but from the reading i have done, many artists either take photos themselves / use games like sim4 to avoid copyright if they blindly pick licensed photos from google. for reference, though, here is one of the great free sites people have recommended: pexel
these are all the findings that i have tried myself and think are fit for a beginner! will update my learning progress + nice art hacks i find from time to time ^^
