I've seen a bunch of artists who have AMAZING art. But mine? bleh. I want to get better at digitally drawing, so does anyone have any art tips?

example of commission being worked on

hello! im no expert at digital art, but i think im doing good right now & am more than happy to share some tips.

1. definitely use multiple references, but don't trace them! by giving yourself multiple references, you can crstuff cheekse more dynamic poses as you'll be able to visualize and see a specific pose from different angles & be able to alter it until youre satisfied. [if that makes sense].

2. sketch or practice anatomy at least 10 minutes a day or just draw a lot. it can be frustrating at times, but it will overall improve your general sense of anatomy. sketching dynamic poses is also good practice. having a basic sense of anatomy is important!

3. talking about sketching, i find it easier to turn everything into shapes and then refine it. for example, for heads, i draw a circle and for muzzles, a quick rectangle. remember, your sketch doesnt have to be perfect because you'll be going back to refine it/alter it as much as you want!
if you can, i would sketch on paper then finalize the lines digitally. or do all your linework traditionally & then take a picture to import into your preferred program and digitalize it. also, if your program has a stabilizer/correction tool, i highly recommend utilizing that.

4. linework! something i recently figured out was that lining in black can actually make your drawing look less vibrant & lively. try using darker hues - depending on your character - to line. my three most recent pieces are some examples of "colorful linework." additionally, i find shading in hues of dark purple looks better than black - this one is just a personal preference.

5. when shading, dont be afraid to mess around with layers and opacities! also, a general tip for shading is to imagine what direction the light is coming from. bounce lighting also makes a big difference & adds a whole new level of depth to your artwork. bounce lighting is light that hits the ground & reflects back onto your subject.

6. also take into consideration line weight. i tend to subtly change the size of the brushes i use depending on what area im lining.

lastly, digital art is fun! these are all tips i found helpful when i first started, but don't be afraid to experiment a bit with tips you learn from tutorials or figure out on your own - especially in the beginning when youre still searching for a style.

Well I'm really bad too XD

To crstuff cheekse my digital art, I usually first draw it on a paper, then take a picture and open it in my art program. Then, making another layer, I trace the lines with my mouse,and when I remove the first layer, there you go!

And then, I color it in.

Some tips would be to retry and redo if you don't like it. Yes it's frustrating, but if you keep trying, you'll get there eventually, it's always proved right for me. :) hope this encouragement helps!

sekizen; thank you so much! I appreciate it, and i'll definitely try some of these ^^

Stalker of acorns; thank you too! I like recieving criticizm so I can build to be a better artist :)

I doodle in every class, so that helps me get to practice. When I try drawing something new tutorials can help. References also help a lot (I really should use them more XD). Also, on digital it helps to flip the canvas while you work, sometimes your drawing will be leaning and this will help you notice and fix it.