Aw, they worked when i posted 'em, idk why they aren't now...

Aw man I need to redraw one if my things too at one point lol

OMG, I just dug through my old files and found some of my first digital... uh... "paintings"... they were done at this terrible size and resolution, you can still kind of see the pixels. When I started this card set I was working with a mouse, but this was probably tablet already.

It's not exactly a redraw of the same character, but the subject is similar enough to showcase the improvement I suppose.

2003:


2014:

oh god. the new one. it's absolutely incredible, oh my god?!

OH and before i forget, i literally just redid the main costume for one of my OCs, i have the concept stuff from last year to compare

last year:


today:


still working on the big dress and the casual outfit, but essentially, even my design skills are improving, as well as my freehand poses. (ok, anatomy is still awkward...it's an uphill battle.)

Thank you! :)
And oh, that dress design is adorable! The anatomy looks fine to me, too, but then I really need to practice anatomy, so maybe you see something I don't...
It's encouraging that you say your design skills are improving, mine really have me worrying that they are just... going to remain absent forever, lol.

It's the hands, mostly. I tried holding my arm up like that? Nah, doesn't work at quite that angle.

The trick is research, really. Look up sewing book pages, learn the names of necklines and dress shapes and shoe types. Be familiar with a few historical, ethnic, and pop culture clothing styles, enough that you can recognize them in a general sense and can know enough terminology to look further into specific styles. Same with hairstyles and body types and anything else you can think of.

Most things have a specific function, for looks, for protection, for comfort...know how things function and move and what they're used for, and be mindful of what your character does most often -- exposed skin often makes for weak design, since that can result in injury or illness or death if they're not protected from their regular activities. If a thief character is too bulky, they can't move quickly, etc etc.

It's a lot of practice and research. I always recommend creating a pinterest and polyvore account, as well as getting acquainted with a few dress up game sites. They're good for ideas and inspiration, just never, ever, ever directly copy anything. Drawing existing clothes is fine, but be sure to point out it's not your design.

It's work, but it's fuuuun, and the results are sooo rewarding.

I'm not sure this is an entirely appropriate comparison since these 2 pictures were drawn in different mediums and very different styles (cartoony vs realistic), but I don't draw birds that often so it's the best I could do lol
Also sorry for the quality of the newer picture. I was too lazy to actually use a scanner so it's just a snapshot from a cellphone haha
Aaanyways:

(Clickable for a larger version)

Always love seeing people's style change and how their art improves.
I'm in one of my more uninspired/unmotivated periods at the moment; the last stuff I drew were some unicorn skins on Beastkeeper I based off of this animation I made:




I did this little thing several years ago in a similar spirit as the topic of this thread, cataloguing a cross section of my stylistic journey since my beginnings of drawing as a hobby (at age 11).
It's a timeline that shows both my wildly fluctuating style, as well as a bit of my changing interests XD
The timeline only goes until 2007, so as an additional comparison here's the same character as the one titled 'homo depressus' in the timeline, drawn more recently:

Ok, marking this. Now to go dig up some old art...


Ok...

2016 vs 2014

hi i'm on BK too.