30 Days Of Art Improvement Challenge

30 Days of Art Improvement Challenge

Are you tired of feeling like your art just isn’t improving? Do you want to do a 30-day challenge that’s actually useful? Welcome to 30 Days of Improvement Hell. >:D

I made this because I’ve been feeling super ‘blah’ about my art these days, and I needed something to kick-start myself. Who wants to do this with me!? Start now or whenever you can (now you procrastinators!). Challenge yourself and have fun at the same time!

Tag your posts with #Improvement Hell so everyone can follow along and see each other’s awesome artwork. I may even create a blog and reblog them! :D

What are you waiting for? START!

Self-Portrait - Introduce yourself

Draw a figure using a reference - link to reference

Draw a figure that’s in action, using a reference - link to reference

Draw a part of the human anatomy you have trouble with. x20, with atleast 5 being skeletal/musculature studies.

Draw more figures. Quick gestures and silhouettes. x20, with atleast 10 different body shapes

Let’s have some fun. Design a character from this character generator. (created by PreservedCucumbers)

Pick the weirdest object in your house/room. Draw it. Shadows and Highlights.

Find 2-3 objects, make a scene with them. Draw it. Bonus points for creativity. Double points for dramatic lighting.

Draw a landscape of a place you’ve never been or drawn.

Draw a BG with 1pt Perspective. Negative points if it’s a railroad or an empty street.

Draw a BG with 2pt Perspective.

Look out a window. Draw what you see. Bonus points for adding something interesting.

Draw an interior setting with the character you designed on Day #6 in it.

BG with either bird’s eye or worm’s eye view.

Halfway there! Draw three 'action’ scenes with different compositions in each. Quick sketches are fine, just make them interesting and understandable! Bonus points if it’s the same scene, but different composition.

Draw a single page comic with 5-7 panels (the story begins and ends on one page). 

Draw an animal you’ve never drawn before. x10  Link references.

Draw a car. Negative points for whining. Hint: Use a perspective grid.

Think of the thing you hate drawing the most. Guess what? Draw it! Negative points for lying to yourself.

Pick an object in your house/room. Now design a character from it, using the shapes, forms, textures, purpose and colors as inspiration. Also link/post the object you used. Negative points for using a humanoid action figure.

Draw a character/object/scene, and shade them using ONLY solid blacks and whites. Bonus points for good use of lights/shadows

Draw a different object/scene/character. Shade using hatching, crosshatcing, and/or pointillism. Bonus points for lights/shadows and textures.

Colors! Pick a color palette, and paint a scene/character/object using only those colors (some blending allowed). Bonus points for good use of lights/shadows.

Draw and color a scene/object/character - no lines allowed! (aka - lineless art). Don’t forget light and shadows!

Draw a scene/character in a style you’ve never drawn before. If emulating an artist, credit+link. Bonus for color style.

Draw a character. Draw 10 emotions/expressions. Bonus points for 'uncommon’ emotions. (i.e. anxiety, guilt, despair, loneliness etc.)

Draw three random shapes using your opposite hand (or your foot). Now design characters from those shapes.

Turn on the tv (or load your illegally downloaded movies). Pick an actor and draw them.

Almost done! Let’s have some fun. Draw some fanart. Bonus points if it’s super obscure and unknown. Make people guess what it’s from.

Last day! Find a drawing you did within the last year. Now draw it again using what you’ve learned! Link it for comparison!

 Look at all that amazing improvement! Congrats!

[Update] There is now a sequel challenge, Draw All The Things!

Which webcomics do you read and like? (if you read them of course)

DO I READ WEBCOMICS?!? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM? I don’t think anyone can be a good comic artist if they don’t read a billion comics. I feel like this list is just a fraction of good online comics out there, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten some really good ones, but without further ado, here’s:

~ARIEL’S ENORMOUS WEBCOMIC REC LIST~

Brainchild by Suzanne Geary

I’m so proud to have Brainchild as Witchy’s sister comic because it is SO AMAZING!!! Please read Brainchild if you like coming of age comics, cool mutants, mysterious powers and cute girls dating. Even if those aren’t usually your thing you should still check Brainchild out because Suzanne’s execution of the entire thing is fantastic! I’m so excited to see where it goes. Suzanne has a fantastic grip on colour and her panelling is always beautiful.

Knights Errant: Pavane by Jennifer Doyle

Knights Errant: Pavane is actually a reboot of the original, but let me tell you it is a reboot that WORKS. Jen is a fantastic storyteller and the pacing of Pavane compared to KE is amazing, and I’ve immediately been drawn into the world. Read if you like chivalry, political intrigue and queer knights! Jen’s pages always have this perfect balance to them, and I feel like she gets the most out of every panel. 

Best Friends Forever by Mickey Quinn

If there is someone that really knows how to write a good character drama, it’s Mickey. BFF has been running for a couple of years and I swear every update leaves me crying and kicking the wall in sad, horny frustration. Recently BFF has switched from a traditional webcomic format to more of a serial, heavily illustrated story, but that doesn’t make it any less gripping. It deals with the fine line between intimate friendship and romance, sexuality, and all that other good high school drama stuff. It’s also incredibly stylish and cool!

HERO by Hwei

I’m pretty sure Hero is the comic on this list that I’ve been following the longest, and for good reason. I don’t think any comic has ever made me feel sadness and yearning as strongly as Hero has. The dialogue and prose is beautiful, as are the illustrations, and Hwei draws fantastic page layouts. The first time I discovered it I stayed up till 3 am reading it, and it still has a lot of sentimental value to me. This was one of the first comics I read that really made me want to work in comics.

Raedus by Yossra El Said

Yossra is a fantastic artist and I wish more people read her comic! She has such a great sense of colour that immerses me in the world so well. It’s still relatively early on, but the story follows two children and a mysterious man who can commune with the spirits of a long gone civilization, and it’s super intriguing. 

(I’m sorry I had to stop inserting pics here bc the post would be WAY too long and also it was eating up my day)

This Is Not Fiction by Nikki

TINF has travelled so far since I started reading it; back when it was a little high school collab project on Smackjeeves. Nikki has such a unique art style it’s such a joy to see what she does with her pages! It has another high school setting but is unlike any high school story I’ve read, where the main characters hunt down a mysterious author named Sydney Morgan. 

H&J by G.C Houle

H&J is a super stylish murder-mystery type comic where the two main characters, Helvetica and John, run a slapdash private investigation agency. The writing is hilarious, fun, and engaging and I am in love with Helvetica.

Kill Six Billion Demons by Orbitaldropkick

I only read KSBD last week but I was immediately hooked. It has the most beautifully, intricately detailed art I’ve ever seen, great colour, and some SUPER interesting world building elements based on indian and other deities. It’s just super dynamic and interesting and you should read if you love a good blood bath (conversely, avoid if you’re feint of heart. also warning because the first few pages have a bit of sexual cohersion)

Hotblood by Toril

GAY WESTERN ROMANCE WITH CENTAURS? how can anyone say no. Hotblood has a great sense of atmosphere, probably because of Toril’s nuanced colouring and the balance of slow and fast pacing. It’s rare in webcomics that there are just pages that give the audience time to breathe, and I really appreciate that in Hotblood.

Arboreta by Kara A

Another comic that’s still in early stages, Arboreta has begun with a beautiful slow pace reminiscent of a ghibli film. I love that it takes the time to linger on the little details of life and nature. 

Agents of the Realm by Mildred Louis

I have a weakness for magical girl stories, and Agents of the Realm is super promising. It has all the good stuff; magical amulets, scary monsters and weird and mysterious mentors, but at the same time feels more grounded in reality because of the down-to-earthedness of the characters.

Bouletcorp by Boulet

Boulet’s comics are weekly strips, but on a whole other level to what I’ve seen before. Most of it is slice of life stuff, but then he’ll knock you out of the park with a huge strip that keeps you scrolling for minutes, about a man who adventures down into the center of the earth. You never quite know what to expect when Boulet updates, apart from the fact that it’ll be amazing.

Balderdash! by Victoria Grace Elliot 

Do you like slice of life comics about witches and female friendships? then you should read Balderdash! It has a super cute art and some beautiful world building ideas, and a headstrong main character who just wants to bake.

Monster Pop! by Maya Kern

Another slice of life comic with some really great character development. I’m super invested in the lives and relationships of this cool, diverse cast of interesting monsters and humans. A lot of well executed queer relationships!

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona just finished up and I recommend that everyone give it a read. It’s just an all around good comic. Great writing, great art, and some really sweet and unexpected character interactions. It subverts a lot of Hero/Villain tropes.

TJ & Amal by E.K. Weaver

TJ & Amal is another comic that finished recently and it was so, so amazing. I had been reading it from the very beginning and while I hated to see it go, it ended wonderfully. It is seriously one of the most subtle and wonderful comics out there, and E.K. Weaver has such a knack for small character details. I don’t know what you’re doing if you don’t read this comic!

Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G.

If you’re into comics and you’re not reading Cucumber Quest hurry up!! do it now!!! It’s one of my favourites and has amazing art, hilarious writing and reminds me of my my favourite nintendo game so it feels cozy and comfortable and nostalgic to read. If you’ve ever played the Mario & Luigi RPGs or the Paper Mario games, I can bet that you’ll love this comic.

Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran

Another one of my faves, another one of those “how are you not reading this if you say you like comics” kind of comics. There are a lot of stories about young people living in New York but I want to say this is the best of them. Super hilarious when it wants to be, super poignant when it wants to be, the story about the mysterious visitor legit made me cry. One of the few things where I care about the straight characters smooching.

So SORRY this turned into a colossal post, I hope everyone who’s interested in broadening their comic horizons will take a look! each comic here is gold.

PSA

hi!! ok so one of my goals for the new year is to work more in journals and sketchbooks. so recently i’ve been searching for resources to help me. i figured some other people might want to see the resources i found too, cause journals/sketchbooks are really cool but they can seem difficult and hard to get into. so i made this masterpost! i hope this helps anyone who’s interested and happy journaling!

get started

how to start a journal

journaling 101

art journaling 101

lots of blog posts about journaling

start a sketchbook

start a sketchbook and stick to it

what to put in a sketchbook

sketchbook ideas

random art prompt generator

giant list of sketchbook ideas

100 sketchbook ideas

149 sketchbook ideas

sketch using a grid

journaling ideas

119 journal prompts

365 journal writing ideas

journal prompts about memories

more ideas

ideas from keri smith (creator of wreck this journal)

one word prompts

50 art journal prompts

52 list prompts

101 list prompts

lists to keep updated

how to collage in your art journal

collaging 101

other masterposts like this one

how to begin journaling

what to put in notebooks

what to do with a new notebook

journaling ideas and inspiration

ok that’s all i’ve got! i hope some of these links and resources help, and have a great year!

Since I noticed that I RARELY draw backgrounds I decided to do a 30 day background challenge!!!!!

I hope Darla and Stacy (the girls walking) will keep me motivated to do this! Please lazyness don’t overcome me!

If you would like to join me on my challenge please do so I would love to see your pieces!!!

I believe in free education, one that’s available to everyone; no matter their race, gender, age, wealth, etc… This masterpost was created for every knowledge hungry individual out there. I hope it will serve you well. Enjoy!

FREE ONLINE COURSES (here are listed websites that provide huge variety of courses)

Alison 

Coursera

FutureLearn

open2study

Khan Academy

edX

P2P U

Academic Earth

iversity

Stanford Online

MIT Open Courseware

Open Yale Courses

BBC Learning

OpenLearn

Carnegie Mellon University OLI

University of Reddit

Saylor

IDEAS, INSPIRATION & NEWS (websites which deliver educational content meant to entertain you and stimulate your brain)

TED

FORA

Big Think 

99u

BBC Future

Seriously Amazing

How Stuff Works

Discovery News

National Geographic

Science News

Popular Science

IFLScience

YouTube Edu

NewScientist

DIY & HOW-TO’S (Don’t know how to do that? Want to learn how to do it yourself? Here are some great websites.)

wikiHow

Wonder How To

instructables

eHow

Howcast

MAKE

Do it yourself

FREE TEXTBOOKS & E-BOOKS

OpenStax CNX

Open Textbooks

Bookboon

Textbook Revolution

E-books Directory

FullBooks

Books Should Be Free

Classic Reader

Read Print

Project Gutenberg

AudioBooks For Free

LibriVox

Poem Hunter

Bartleby

MIT Classics

Many Books

Open Textbooks BCcampus

Open Textbook Library

WikiBooks

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES & JOURNALS

Directory of Open Access Journals

Scitable

PLOS

Wiley Open Access

Springer Open

Oxford Open

Elsevier Open Access

ArXiv

Open Access Library

LEARN:

1. LANGUAGES

Duolingo

BBC Languages

Learn A Language

101languages

Memrise

Livemocha

Foreign Services Institute

My Languages

Surface Languages

Lingualia

OmniGlot

OpenCulture’s Language links

2. COMPUTER SCIENCE & PROGRAMMING

Codecademy

Programmr

GA Dash

CodeHS

w3schools

Code Avengers

Codelearn

The Code Player

Code School

Code.org

Programming Motherf*?$%#

Bento

Bucky’s room

WiBit

Learn Code the Hard Way

Mozilla Developer Network

Microsoft Virtual Academy

3. YOGA & MEDITATION

Learning Yoga

Learn Meditation

Yome

Free Meditation

Online Meditation

Do Yoga With Me

Yoga Learning Center

4. PHOTOGRAPHY & FILMMAKING

Exposure Guide

The Bastards Book of Photography

Cambridge in Color

Best Photo Lessons

Photography Course

Production Now

nyvs

Learn About Film

Film School Online

5. DRAWING & PAINTING

Enliighten

Ctrl+Paint

ArtGraphica

Google Cultural Institute

Drawspace

DragoArt

WetCanvas

6. INSTRUMENTS & MUSIC THEORY

Music Theory

Teoria

Music Theory Videos

Furmanczyk Academy of Music

Dave Conservatoire

Petrucci Music Library

Justin Guitar

Guitar Lessons

Piano Lessons

Zebra Keys

Play Bass Now

7. OTHER UNCATEGORIZED SKILLS

Investopedia

The Chess Website

Chesscademy

Chess.com

Spreeder

ReadSpeeder

First Aid for Free

First Aid Web

NHS Choices

Wolfram Demonstrations Project

Please feel free to add more learning focused websites. 

*There are a lot more learning websites out there, but I picked the ones that are, as far as I’m aware, completely free and in my opinion the best/ most useful.