Art Resources
The internet is a vast resource of information, and learning how to draw/ paint has never been easier. However it can be overwhelming to know where to start, so here I'm going to list my favourite art resources which you may find helpful!
Pose Maniacs- more pose references
Deviant Art Pose Emporium- yet more poses!
Design Doll- this is an amazing simple to use program which allows you to pose any human figure however you want! It has male and female models which you can compose any way you wish- either skinny or overweight, muscled or untoned, you can customise the model however you wish! Much easier than scouring stock image sites for the pose you want, as you can just create it!
You can use it for free (the trial version doesn't allow you to save models), and the full version is just a one-off payment of $79. Personally I find it well worth it for the time it saves looking for poses.
Note- it can be a bit fiddly to begin with, so check out the helpful tutorials if you're struggling.
Human anatomy skull references
Drawing Den's Beginners Masterlist- has a whole host of art tutorials from figure drawing, lighting, perspective and more!
3D models for drawing- this is an amazing 3D flash piece that lets you rotate to draw various hand poses, and recently they've added a torso and a face. Great to get ideas about light sources and shading, too!
Hairstyle Resource- while this is for UK hairdressers, it's also a wonderful resource if you want reference images for hairstyles, and there's a plethora to choose from!
Drawing and Painting Lessons from Proko- Proko has a youtube page with many tutorials but also a website, these are all his tutorials in webpage form!
Character Design Resources on Pinterest
Youtuber Artists
See my blog post
Digital Art Software (free)
Want to try digital art but not too keen on the price tags for Photoshop/ Paint Shop Pro/ etc? Then here are some free alternatives!
Fire Alpaca- I use this for my lineart! It's a lightweight digital drawing software, so it doesn't take ages to load like Photoshop can, and it also works on my Microsoft tablet which is nice. It doesn't have a lot of the feature Photoshop has, but this is a great way to start into digital art, and I find its lineart and stabiliser feature absolutely brilliant. It does lack a bit in terms of brush options and there's no smudge tool, which is why I don't use it for colouring, but give it a ago, and there are plenty of tutorials on youtube if you want to learn its ins and outs.
Krita- another free digital art software, this has a lot more features than Fire Alpaca and can rival Photoshop. Again plenty of tutorials and tips online, and in many ways it's actually better than Photoshop as it's primarily designed for digital drawing/ colouring (and not photo-editting). I did try it out, but my problem is that I am too used to Photoshop and I found it too fiddly to change all the shortcut keys, plus how certain tools work is very different and I ended up very frustrated as things that take seconds in Photoshop took hours here! Thus personally, I think this is much better as a gateway into starting digital art, rather than an alternative for those already drawing in other programs.
Inkscape- allows for vector image creation (good for webdesign/ graphics etc). Haven't used it myself.
Autodesk Sketchbook- available on multiple platforms including iPad and tablets, this is a great software. I did try it on my own tablet- it works well enough but it doesn't have pressure sensitivity so not for me, but many others find it amazing!
Digital Art/ Photoshop Tutorials
Photoshop Elements shortcut keys- a lot of crossover with the full Photoshop and very very handy to know!
KillWhite Photoshop plugin- this is a filter that removes white from a background, so for example if you scanned in an inked image, this removes the white making the lineart transparent!
Adding copyright information to Photoshop images- very useful!
Lazy Nezmui Pro- this is an additional tool for digital art software which helps you draw smoother lines by use of a 'stabiliser'. I haven't used it myself as the free FireAlpaca has one built-in, but it might be useful if you have a preferred digital art software and need some help making less jittery lines!
Redheadstock Photoshop Brushes
Deviantart Photoshop Brushes
Fantasy Maps
Peter's Guide to Map Creation- I used this to help me with my Azaria map!
Colouring
Colour Blender- pick any two colours and this nifty piece of webpage will show you what colours you need to blend them!
Paletton- this is a colour scheme designer, great for web design!
Colour Fundamentals: Shading- a great page for teaching you about light, value and colour!
Stock Image References
Most of these are free, but not all are free for commercial use, so if you're planning to use this for a book cover etc, always ask the owner first!
Pixabay- these images are royalty free and can be used for a variety of purposes!
SenshiStock- lots of poses
Freestock.ca
Aled Jones Digital Art Stock
Eve Livesey- she also does premade stock backgrounds
IM FREE- free for commercial use stock images
Bigfoto.com- royalty free photos
Pickup Image- free high res photos
Search Creative Commons- all photos here are under a creative commons license
StockPhotos- these are all free for commercial use
Free Digital Photos- more royalty free photos
1001 Fonts- these are all free for commercial use
Most of these will focus on digital art but the basics are the same no matter the media so it's still sure to be useful!
If any of the links become broken do let me know so I can update them.
Human/ Figure Drawing
If any of the links become broken do let me know so I can update them.
Human/ Figure Drawing
Deviant Art Pose Group- various pose references
Pose Maniacs- more pose references
Deviant Art Pose Emporium- yet more poses!
Design Doll- this is an amazing simple to use program which allows you to pose any human figure however you want! It has male and female models which you can compose any way you wish- either skinny or overweight, muscled or untoned, you can customise the model however you wish! Much easier than scouring stock image sites for the pose you want, as you can just create it!
You can use it for free (the trial version doesn't allow you to save models), and the full version is just a one-off payment of $79. Personally I find it well worth it for the time it saves looking for poses.
Note- it can be a bit fiddly to begin with, so check out the helpful tutorials if you're struggling.
Human anatomy skull references
Drawing Den's Beginners Masterlist- has a whole host of art tutorials from figure drawing, lighting, perspective and more!
3D models for drawing- this is an amazing 3D flash piece that lets you rotate to draw various hand poses, and recently they've added a torso and a face. Great to get ideas about light sources and shading, too!
Hairstyle Resource- while this is for UK hairdressers, it's also a wonderful resource if you want reference images for hairstyles, and there's a plethora to choose from!
Drawing and Painting Lessons from Proko- Proko has a youtube page with many tutorials but also a website, these are all his tutorials in webpage form!
Character Design Resources on Pinterest
Youtuber Artists
See my blog post
Digital Art Software (free)
Want to try digital art but not too keen on the price tags for Photoshop/ Paint Shop Pro/ etc? Then here are some free alternatives!
Fire Alpaca- I use this for my lineart! It's a lightweight digital drawing software, so it doesn't take ages to load like Photoshop can, and it also works on my Microsoft tablet which is nice. It doesn't have a lot of the feature Photoshop has, but this is a great way to start into digital art, and I find its lineart and stabiliser feature absolutely brilliant. It does lack a bit in terms of brush options and there's no smudge tool, which is why I don't use it for colouring, but give it a ago, and there are plenty of tutorials on youtube if you want to learn its ins and outs.
Krita- another free digital art software, this has a lot more features than Fire Alpaca and can rival Photoshop. Again plenty of tutorials and tips online, and in many ways it's actually better than Photoshop as it's primarily designed for digital drawing/ colouring (and not photo-editting). I did try it out, but my problem is that I am too used to Photoshop and I found it too fiddly to change all the shortcut keys, plus how certain tools work is very different and I ended up very frustrated as things that take seconds in Photoshop took hours here! Thus personally, I think this is much better as a gateway into starting digital art, rather than an alternative for those already drawing in other programs.
Inkscape- allows for vector image creation (good for webdesign/ graphics etc). Haven't used it myself.
Autodesk Sketchbook- available on multiple platforms including iPad and tablets, this is a great software. I did try it on my own tablet- it works well enough but it doesn't have pressure sensitivity so not for me, but many others find it amazing!
Digital Art/ Photoshop Tutorials
Photoshop Elements shortcut keys- a lot of crossover with the full Photoshop and very very handy to know!
KillWhite Photoshop plugin- this is a filter that removes white from a background, so for example if you scanned in an inked image, this removes the white making the lineart transparent!
Adding copyright information to Photoshop images- very useful!
Lazy Nezmui Pro- this is an additional tool for digital art software which helps you draw smoother lines by use of a 'stabiliser'. I haven't used it myself as the free FireAlpaca has one built-in, but it might be useful if you have a preferred digital art software and need some help making less jittery lines!
Redheadstock Photoshop Brushes
Deviantart Photoshop Brushes
Fantasy Maps
Colouring
Colour Blender- pick any two colours and this nifty piece of webpage will show you what colours you need to blend them!
Paletton- this is a colour scheme designer, great for web design!
Colour Fundamentals: Shading- a great page for teaching you about light, value and colour!
Stock Image References
Most of these are free, but not all are free for commercial use, so if you're planning to use this for a book cover etc, always ask the owner first!
Pixabay- these images are royalty free and can be used for a variety of purposes!
SenshiStock- lots of poses
Freestock.ca
Aled Jones Digital Art Stock
Eve Livesey- she also does premade stock backgrounds
IM FREE- free for commercial use stock images
Bigfoto.com- royalty free photos
Pickup Image- free high res photos
Search Creative Commons- all photos here are under a creative commons license
StockPhotos- these are all free for commercial use
Free Digital Photos- more royalty free photos
1001 Fonts- these are all free for commercial use