drawesome

Just found this very helpful and anxiety inducing post by

unforth which talks about the appearance of AI generated danmei "fanart" on Tumblr and how to recognise the signs.

Tumblr post

ETA: The same post on Dreamwidth: https://duckprintspress.dreamwidth.org/41496.html

TLDR: There are obvious and less obvious signs, but one big thing that AI generators apparently cannot do well (yet) are hands and shadows that make sense.

Relatedly, here is a tool (also found via Tumblr) by people at the University of Chicago that currently lets you protect your art before posting. It doesn‘t help any older pieces already online and is geared towards professional artists who don‘t want their style copied. It‘s free though!

https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu

seleneheart

If anyone here is concerned about AI bot scraping their art, the University of Chicago has developed a tool that cloaks your artwork. I haven't tried it, but as I understand it, the program put markers on your art that fools the AI bots and when they try to mimic an art piece it comes out as nonsense. The markers are mostly not visible to the eye.

Link --> https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/

seleneheart

Find My Style Post

Last winter, I had grown a bit frustrated with my art. I felt that I was reasonably competent, especially if I really worked at it with multiple thumbnails and drafts, but I felt I was lacking because I didn't have a personal style. I had watched several YouTube videos on finding your style, but their advice seemed haphazard and random. One in particular said something like "burn the end of a stick and draw with it" or "draw with rocks." Basically, 'get out of your own head'. Not helpful.

However, I found a class on SkillShare that has blown me away and I can't recommend highly enough.

The Style Class: Work Out Your Illustration Style in a Daily Project by Tom Froese

After

goss encouraged me, I decided to put this post together, because this journey has been eye-opening and rewarding, and I've barely gotten started.

( very long with lots of rambling and pictures )

tl:dr - it's a lot of work, but I'm enjoying the class and the process

mekare

So, I‘ve heard of this book for long time but never got round to check it out of a library (my current one doesn‘t have it and interloan is reserved for academic books only). So I got the audiobook since that is what I can most easily fit into my day.

ETA: I forgot to mention the full title: Julia Cameron - The Artist‘s Way, first published in 1992

I have a couple of questions after having listened to the first chapter:( Read more... )

mekare

I'd love to do it again this year, but that depends on others wanting the same. :-) So, how about we brighten up the last month of the year with some cheery mail?

minoanmiss

For a Halloween Costume, draw your favorite character wearing this:

( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

goss

The Inktober Brand

So ever since

drawesome got started, we've been using the annual Inktober challenge as an incentive to not only get more familiar with inking techniques, but also as encouragement to practice drawing through daily/weekly word prompts. It's been awesome to see the productivity and creativity of everyone inspired by this challenge each year. :)

Yesterday during our monthly chat post,

olivermoss mentioned Inktober coming up, but also the fact that its originator Jake Parker has become quite protective of the brand name and its use by others online.

Re-naming Our Challenge

As an art comm, we would still like to engage in a month-long ink challenge, but we're thinking of simply re-naming the challenge itself, in order to avoid using a trademarked word without permission. Two options so far are:
1. Drawtober
2. October Ink
Which do you prefer? If you have any other suggestions, please let us know.

This month-long challenge would be to create art using ink, or an inking style. Traditional and digital art would both be welcome. :)

Well, this is...icky.

Er...I was just about to put up the above discussion post, when I stumbled upon this video on YouTube this morning. I think it might be worth it to share with you all: ( Video by Alphonso Dunn: Jake Parker Plagiarized My Book )

So in light of all this, I'm conflicted about whether we should even be promoting this particular challenge anymore. I mean, a month of prompts for doing ink drawings is a GREAT challenge, and I would hate to have to abandon the idea altogether, but now it feels all weird to be giving this guy more exposure through the comm.

Here are some options:
(1) Abandon the Inktober challenge altogether
(2) Re-name the Inktober challenge to something else
(3) Keep the inking idea, but move it to a different month - maybe November?
What are your thoughts?

minoanmiss

Hi all! I'm giving away postcards of my art in my journal. But/and I also have an idea. I recently found a company, Sticker Mule, that makes sticker sheets of assorted stickers. Would anyone want to choose a work and have me make a Drawesome Sticker Sheet featuring a bunch of us?

Current Mood: curious

sexycazzy

Hello, hope you all are well during these strange times.

I've been doing some drawings/colouring lately (I've done two new ones which I will share later this week!)

However, the cards I've been using has run out. However, I have been using a different sketch pad but no tear out but found myself disappointed with the quality. There are some bleeding around the lines when I use the sketch markers (pictured below) while the ones I used for the Prompt Bingo Challenge (29) didn't have any bleeding around the lines. Also, the colours on the sketch pad are not as bright as the cards.

I use:

( pictures of sketch markers )

I would like your suggestions for a tear-out sketch pad with this size (pictured below)

( size for new sketch pad )

Thank you in advance for your suggestions/advice.

goss

How is everyone doing? Many of us are basically homebound these days, and have started thinking about maybe channeling our free time into developing certain skills.

clevermanka is considering taking up drawing once more, and would like to focus on creating artwork of a more stylized, less realistic look. I thought you guys might be able to provide suggestions for where to start.

She is seeking:
"Advice, or suggestions for books/websites geared toward former fine arts majors who want to get back into drawing."

Links to drawing tutorials and other resources would be most welcome! :)

mekare

Hey everyone, I‘d appreciate any input into this. I came across a post this week where someone reposted artworks on DW with credit to the artist but clearly without the artist‘s permission. These were about 9-14 years old and originally posted on LJ. I sent them a private message with my thoughts which stated that I‘d be angry if my stuff turned up somewhere else.

We continued to have a civil discussion which now boils down to the two points in the subject line:

- the artist has kept the LJ but hasn‘t posted anything for a long time
- there is no information on the LJ about repost or archive preferences

- the poster wanted to save the art from disappearing (since community posts where the art originally turned up don‘t have it anymore, though it is still available via the images archive of the LJ)
- the poster has taken a lot of effort in contacting the artist but been unsuccessful

What do you think - does the desire to preserve fanworks for future generations of fans trump the artist‘s right to have complete control over where their stuff is posted? Especially in a case like this where the artist doesn‘t seem to be active in fandom anymore and can‘t be asked directly about their preferences?

mekare

So, I'm moving this month and have started packing things. That led me to the question which indispensable art supplies to put aside for easy retrieval and which ones I could probably do without for some time until I get to the box.
So far these made it into my list (because I still have art to do for a challenge and also need stuff for spontaneous inspiration):

H pencil

my watercolour sketchbook

two brushes, one medium, one very thin for detailing

my palette of watercolours (I think I have 16 colours in there)

I think might get by for a month or two with these if I had to (I'm hoping to get unpacking done earlier, but you never know).

What about you? Say, if you had to choose 4-5 (including paper) which would those be?

mekare

Since we are in between challenges atm, I’d be interested in what you are all working on. Do you have a specific skill you are trying to learn? A technique or new medium? A subject matter you haven’t portrayed a lot? Is making time for your art a challenge right now?

What are your personal challenges right now or your successes?

goss

Hey, Drawesome's half-birthday will be coming up on Christmas Eve, 24th December. :)

Anyway, we formed this community almost a year and a half ago, and it's really been a joy getting to know everyone. As the holiday season approaches, we'd like to propose a Card Exchange as our next community activity. This is meant to be informal and fun.

Basically, we make and exchange cards with each other, and use this community post as a common meeting place by which to share mailing info (via PM), etc. Cards may either be posted by physical mail, or sent digitally as an e-card. They can be seasonal or not, it's up to the individual.

I'm thinking maybe each person could simply reply in the comments with their preferences, to get the ball rolling:

1. Are you interested in a card exchange?
2. Would you prefer a one-on-one exchange with an assigned person, or should we leave it up to the individual?
3. Physical mail or e-card?
4. Seasonal card or other?

goss

Hey guys, I came across this video today that's right up our alley. It has some really useful points for those of us participating in Inktober:

"" (Watch on YouTube)

It also got me thinking that since the comments section of our INKTOBER MASTERPOST has really taken off with everyone sharing their daily Inktober offerings there, we could have a separate space as an Inktober Discussion Post during this time, for questions/comments/suggestions on topics like:

- What kinds of tools and art supplies are you using for Inktober?
- Are you limiting yourself to just black ink, or using a variety of colours and values?
- Are you using a new medium for the first time, like dip pens, or are you experimenting with particular products?
- Do you prefer everything being organised in one sketchbook? Are you using varying kinds of paper?
- Have you discovered any new tutorials or inking techniques that were useful to you?
- What kinds of challenges and frustrations are you encountering?
- Do you need a boost of encouragement to keep on going?
- Are you having issues with time management? Is it affecting your RL/work life?
- Or anything else about Inktober that you might want to talk about.

So feel free to use this post over the next four weeks for discussing all things Inktober-related. :)

mekare

So, I‘ve been looking at my art and was wondering how to develop a style. I experiment with different media which is fun but it always leads to such different-looking results. Which can also be fun but I think I want to try make my art more recognizably me, you know? So, seeing as several of you have a strong style, what did you do to develop it, did it happen by accident, did you make deliberate choices? Do you have artistic styles that inspire you or even artistic idols?

Should I focus on getting better at the basics like anatomy or backgrounds first? I really want to push my art skills this year but I’m wondering what direction would make sense to focus on. (Maybe not style at all? Maybe that’s more of a long term goal?)

mekare

So, a thing I thought about just now, after having done the recent challenge in pastels...

What is your preferred medium of choice? What exactly do you like about it? Is it special techniques or effects that other media don't provide? Is it the haptic experience? Is it the cost? Childhood experiences? Art from artists you admire? The "comfort zone" due to practice?

What brings you to push yourself into trying a less practised/or new medium? (Is it a mood, a character/situation, just variety, inspiration from other artists using that medium ...)

Do you ever play around with a mix of traditional and digital media?( my own thoughts behind the cut )

mekare

...is here in my journal. Feel free to share your thoughts on the topic over there: https://mekare.dreamwidth.org/88231.html

It’s also about buying and selling art and I hope to get some writer’s responses as well, that’s why I didn’t post it here.

olivermoss

In my Sketchbox this month I got Derwent blender pens meant for pencil drawings. I've used those little paper rolls for pencil blending, but using those effectively can be wearing on the wrist.

I decided to do a quick drawing and blend one side only:

( Larger image )

olivermoss

The most recent box I got made me decide to renew my subscription. I may review individual products, but I feel that 3 box reviews are plenty :) Or, who knows, maybe I'll become a YouTuber who does those slo-mo unboxing videos.

The box had a few items, but the star was a tin of 12 Derwent Inktense pencils. I've tried watercolor pencils a few times and they've always made me feel inept. These 'ink pencils' work how I always wished 'watercolor pencils' would.

( Read more... )

My overall review of Sketchbox is this:

The boxes seem to contain a few awesome things and a few things to pad out the box. Using their products has solved a ton of things holding me back. I was impressed by them providing translations for the packaging on Japanese pens in a previous box. The product demo videos they've started doing are also a nice touch.

I've checked prices for the box items on Amazon. The boxes are a chunk of change, but they do give good value and the items are very well chosen. A lot of the money I've spent on art supplies before was pretty much wasted. On a ROI basis, this has been money very well spent.

Profile

DRAWESOME

October 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Syndicate

Page Summary

mekare - How to recognise AI generated art
seleneheart - Glaze Project
seleneheart - Discussion & Resources: Finding Your Own Style
mekare - Discussion: The Artist‘s Way - renewing your creative energy
mekare - Question: Seasonal Card Exchange 2020?
minoanmiss - Discussion Post: Random Silly Unofficial Challenge
goss - Discussion: Jake Parker and Inktober
minoanmiss - Postcard Offer and Sticker Discussion
sexycazzy - sketch pad suggestions / advice
goss - Resources Request
mekare - Question: artist‘s right of control over their work vs fanwork preservation efforts
mekare - Question: Indispensable art supplies
mekare - Discussion: Art skill development
goss - Discussion: Holiday Card Exchange
goss - Inktober Discussion Post
mekare - Discussion: artistic style
mekare - Discussion: Different art media
mekare - Poll: copyright and fanart
olivermoss - A drawing tool I didn't know existed
olivermoss - My final Sketchbox review!

Active Entries

Style Credit

Style: Green Machine for Lefty by sarken

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Nov. 1st, 2025 11:58 pm

Drawing Community for Fan-Artists

Entries tagged with discussion: general

Navigation

How to recognise AI generated art

Glaze Project

Discussion & Resources: Finding Your Own Style

Discussion: The Artist‘s Way - renewing your creative energy

Question: Seasonal Card Exchange 2020?

Discussion Post: Random Silly Unofficial Challenge

Admin Post: Discussion: Jake Parker and Inktober

Postcard Offer and Sticker Discussion

sketch pad suggestions / advice

Resources Request

Question: artist‘s right of control over their work vs fanwork preservation efforts

Question: Indispensable art supplies

Discussion: Art skill development

Admin Post: Discussion: Holiday Card Exchange

Admin Post: Inktober Discussion Post

Discussion: artistic style

Discussion: Different art media

Poll: copyright and fanart

A drawing tool I didn't know existed

My final Sketchbox review!

Profile

October 2025

Links

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Active Entries

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags