Hey all. I was given a Wacom Bamboo last year for Christmas and slowly got the bug, but it was only until a few months ago that I decided I would like to really knuckle down and take things as seriously as I can. I already have a seperate career so this is I guess, a hobby. But I have some goals, mostly realistic portraiture, still life and landscape in digital. A part of me is interested in comic narrative too but I guess I'll cross that bridge later. Now for questions!

How do you guys organise and consolidate the endless heaps of information out there? I've started writing down stuff in a sketchbook every time I come across something new that isn't covered in a book I've read, but I also have a giant spreadsheet full of links to DA tutorials, videos, forum posts; then there's my inspirational images folder, my reference images folder, books, etc, etc. The list goes on, I'd love to hear how other people organise all this stuff

Schedules - I work 9-5 weeks, so I have an hour in the morning and roughly 6 at night, plus weekends so I'm not short on time. But when I sit down, I'm totally at a loss for what I should be doing. I feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over, and missing other important fundamentals. What kind of skills honing work do you guys do when you're not applying it to original painting? So far I'm thinking:

Warm ups (lines, ellipses, curves, etc)
Gesture drawings
Contour drawings
Perspective study
Anatomy study
Still life
Master copy
Work through a book

I'd love to see any links you have to example schedules or course itineraries because I'm just totally overwhelmed at the moment. So in summary, I need a bit of guidance how I can roadmap and organise myself to effectively absorb all this stuff!

Hello!

It's nice to meet you all! My name is Alexandra, but as I was born in a generation where parents simply adored that name, I opted for Marla as a nickname.

I have to admit that I'm quite scared of making my first post here, even tho I've been lurking for a while now. I feel so intimidated by the fabulous art of those who are pillars of this community, however, I decided that I need to put aside the silly fears and just jump into it already...

I came here to improve, and to seek motivation to study smartly, and learn steadily. I am currently a freelance illustrator, focusing on children's fantasy art, tho I fear that economic trends will move me away from this, at least for a while, by the end of this year. I want to make sure that art remains an important aspect of my life, and for this purpose I seek knowledge, honest critique, and the warmth of a community to motivate me to continue.

I look forward to getting to know you!

Hello hello im new to things like this im a shy guy who hides his sketches! Hehehehe!

I joined this forum cause i wanna be serious and be really good at illustrating and also to learn realistic drawing cause my art style is "animeyish" if that's a word (i don't think so. . .) and im not that good at coloring stuff but i'll try. I hope i get little help from you guys cause im self taught Im currently doing my first realistic art i tried the character generator and so far Im having fun! i just wanna ask you guys if Im going to study realistic art style where should i start cause i dont know where to start. . . Ohh thanks for reading and have a good day!

Hello my name is Andre Kling David, im a brazilian artist and live in Germany now. I want to get back at the industry and would like to improve my art skills, so I will try to work very hard this year and I think this forum can help alot.
I have been catching up with the videos at the youtube channel and the information there are gold, so im in love with this community and I wanted to be a part of it.

Cheers guys.

I'm Kezia. I've been drawing for around 7 years but have only just started getting serious about my art for the last 3 of those years.

Last year I was able to take Intro to Visual Art and Effective Drawing as electives at Uni, but now I'm back to being a self-taught artist.

Anyway, here's to hoping that joining this forum will foster improvement :)

Hello everyone!

My name is Lucio, 21 years old, stuck and living in Brazil.
Took this date of new beginnings and stuff to start some new goals in life, but most important and foremost to actually get better at drawing and digital painting.

My goals for 2014:
-get better anyway I can at drawing, painting, rendering, sketching and so on
-lose half my weight and get healthier so I can keep motivated!
-get a job in the gaming industry, be it as an indie developer or in a dev group. That's my passion and goal in life.
-finish a presentable portfolio.

2013 was the worst year for me. I hope 2014 is the new page I can soak ink into and make it worth remembering!

Nice to meet you all! :)

My name is Paula. I'm a shy person working up the courage to post her art and to accept needed feedback. My goal is to improve as a hobby artist. I work full time. Art helps me to focus outside of work so I can shed some stress.

I also enjoy reading lots of different webcomics like Unsounded and Homestuck.

Best wishes for the New Year everyone!

I'm Sloane. I like comicbooks of all kinds, but I have a soft spot for marvel.

I'm a wannabe art student currently preparing for my exams at St.Luc in Brussels, comics department. I love art and stories, and it seems like the way to go.

I've been training consistently for 9 months now, and I thought I now feel ready to hit the forums! (as soon as I find a good way to digitize my work - it's too large for my scanner)

Here's a quick expression sketch I did for my avatar ^^ (which is due to change soon)

Hey, everybody !
I'm just another little man with big dreams wich i want to fulfil so i'm happy that i can join here :D

I'm drawing graffiti for 2 years straight so i tought i'll try some new things wich will make my mind and creativity bigger for fullfiling my dreams !

I was always interested in fantasy, sci-fi, game characters and art and always wanted to make something on my own so i hope i'll learn many things and tricks here with everyone :D

Peace out !

What's good Crimson Daggers!

I'm Mario and I'm happy to have found this community. Came upon this place from a blog post by Noah Bradley (Check it out here if you get a chance). I am from Atlanta, GA, but currently, my wife and I live in Naples, Italy for my current job. If there is anyone here in the Naples (Napoli) area, let me know!

Anyways, I am here to get into an art community to get better. I have always been interested in fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming art and I even went to school for animation, but am not working in that field, due to...well…life. After, being in my current job for the last six years, I have come to a cross road. Either, be afraid and plan my future in my current job, or man up and follow my dreams.

You all are now part of my pursuit of happiness and I hope that I can help you all as well. Thank you in advance for the camaraderie, the critiques, and the overall accountability that I believe will help improve our artwork.

First stop after this post, i will be setting up my Crimson Dagger Sketchbook thread and browse the forums. Looking forward to meeting you all.

Much love and respect to all.