Hello there! This page has a list of helpful links/resources that have made my drawing journey a lot easier! Feel free to check them out!! Also, take it with a grain of salt, these are just the things I've found personally to be helpful! Please feel free to recommend more in the comments :)
(And fyi, this chapter is still VERY in-progress.)
On Youtube:
^Note: Because this is a social media, there are algorithms. In addition, anyone can post anything, and misinformation can run rampant. Though I've listed many channels here, all of them have good and not-so-good parts. With some, their personalities don't mesh with mine. With others, I've found myself getting so easily influenced by them that I feel as though I HAVE to draw certain things, or complete my drawing process in a particular way. Please, please, be mindful of the way you consume information anywhere. (This includes my book, too!). I still decided to list all the people here that I did because there was something valuable I learned from each. I know you'll be able to figure out which ones work for you :)
In general, I believe that the right people for myself are those I feel good around (generally speaking). This includes internet personas. Check your mood after you've listened to their content: Do you feel great? Inspired? Joyful? Nervous? Anxious? Do you feel seen, or disregarded? Do you feel like you can be yourself? These help me a lot to figure out if I should keep watching the content of someone.
In general, if you're being mindful of the way you use it, social media can be a great, wonderful place! For the most part, it is for me now, though it hasn't always been that way in the past.
Digital Art:
-Brookes Eggleston does some really neat fantasy-themed digital art. He also has some guides to using Procreate, for anyone who has that program!
-Ergo Josh has a lot of helpful information about digital art, as well as info about drawing tablets. He also has a very cool, more realistic style!
-SamDoesArt has some helpful information about drawing tips for digital art. Really cool style as well! I think I learned about blend modes from him and Ergo Josh.
-The video by Brooke Glaser "Best iPads for Art in 2022: Why you DON'T have to buy new" is really comprehensive for trying to figure out which iPad you should get for digital art! Of course, you don't have to get an iPad, there are many other options too.
-Lavendertowne also has a lot of helpful tips for digital art!
Color Theory:
-Search up the video "Color Theory for Noobs". I was definitely a noob when I watched it, but it was soooo unbelievably helpful!
-The channel "Light Ponderings" has a lot of great information about color theory. One thing I've found particularly helpful that they've talked about is saturation/desaturation of colors, and why desaturation can actually be a good thing. (Lol, I'm very prone to making my colors exceedingly vibrant).
Composition:
-The same person who did "Color Theory for Noobs" also has one called "Composition for Noobs"! Again, really, really helpful!
Lighting:
-The channel "Light Ponderings" has been immensely helpful to me for figuring out lighting! Really practical, awesome guides to using lighting. I can really see the difference it's made in my work!
Inspiration/Cartoony Styles:
-Nerdforge. Lots of cool fantasy-themed creations, in a wide variety of mediums both 2-d and 3-d.
-Jazza. He has some really interesting ideas! He works in 2-d and 3-d.
-DrawingWiffWaffles has a wonderful style and tests out many different mediums. She's really great for finding inspiration and learning new things!
-Moriah Elizabeth has a very cool style and personality. She was one of the people I watched the most when I was first getting into art! She does lots of crafty things.
-Lavendertowne has a very neat cartoony style! Like with Moriah, I watched her a LOT when I was first getting into drawing.
-Neytirix. This artist has such a wonderful vibe for me. I almost always feel inspired and validated after I watch her content. It's kinda strange, a mixture between gore/horror and cutesy things/fluffiness/rainbows. Her creativity is astounding; she has so many cool ideas!
-Mattias Pilhede is super creative. He does storytelling with his drawings, and really makes you think. I usually feel inspired after watching his pieces. "Time is Short in Ikebukuro Park" is one of my favorites, and is great to listen to whenever I'm struggling with my perfectionism.
Character Design:
-Brookes Eggleston's channel is a great way to learn more about character design.
-Lavendertowne has a lot of great information about character design. It's also very beginner-friendly!
-Overly Sarcastic Productions. This channel is a lot more fantasy based, but for designing characters (personality wise, and for the part they will play in your universe) they are quite helpful!
Tutorials:
-Winged Canvas has very helpful tutorials/drawing information. The one on drawing wings was very helpful for me!
-Marco Bucci also has a lot of helpful tutorials/art talks on his channel!
-Markcrilley has a lot of helpful art tutorials, as well as some pep-talks and things like that.
Animating:
-Andymation has a lot of inspiring videos about animating, if you're interested in getting into it!
-Marco Bucci also has some information on animating characters.
Painting:
-Cesar Cordova's channel is in Spanish, and most videos have closed captioning. He does a ton of traditional painting, mostly with oil paint, and has a lot of experience and wisdom to share. Very cool!
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Learning from Books!
This will be a list of some of my favorite books for drawing!
-The explorer's guide to drawing fantasy creatures, by Emily Fiegenschuh. This is a blast from the past for me! It's one of the first books that taught me how to draw fantasy creatures. It's really helpful for learning how to make up your own fantasy creatures! It goes through a step-by-step process for each creature. Jaggedmistle29854, I think you might like this one! :)
-Dragon Art - Draw Dragons and Fantasy Creatures - This book is great for learning how to design and draw fantasy creatures, particularly dragons! Wow, there are so many cool dragons in this book!
-Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. This one isn't strictly speaking a how-to book, but there are many cool images of mythical creatures in it that I've learned from. I have a lot of old sketches in my drawing books from this one, lol.
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School!
Not everyone has access to this option, but learning from your school's art teacher (if you're at one) is a great way to learn how to draw! I've learned a lot from mine. It might not teach you everything you want to know—particularly when it comes to fantasy creatures and cartoonifying your style—but it can still teach many important things!
YOU ARE READING
How to Draw: Fantasy
FantasyHello! This book is a how-to guide for drawing fantasy-themed characters, creatures, and items. I work with a variety of art mediums and will try to give tutorials using all of them. This book most likely won't be published until I've done a few cha...
