huh

transparent version. don't put him anywhere too dangerous.

genuinely awful pictures of some of the ones i couldn't find online

and actually just jayfeather

Place Yourself As The Viewer

This is pretty basic composition but basically how the viewer's gaze is redirected throughout the drawing. Areas of high contrast or detail naturally get more attention. When drawing I use lines to help visualize this.

Few tips for this:

try and pay attention to where your eyes naturally rest while drawing.

look at your drawing zoomed out/far away.

test how it looks on the sites you plan on uploading it to.

ask someone else where their eyes are drawn to.

Using Crowfeather as an example.

There are two groups of panels, Group A is darker and stays in its square, while Group B is lighter with no borders so that subject can easily break out of of its designated boundaries. Panels 2-4 are all looking at Hootwhisker, while the background in his panel both frames him and then runs back into the other panels. Panel 1 is also the busiest to guide your eye there, and keeping a limited palette helps with cohesion.

Does it work? I don't know, but it was my thought process behind it.

Rules And Repetition

I'm getting a migraine so this is going to be rough.

Rules are basically how you expect a drawing to work. Comics are a really good example of this, you just kind of innately know what they're about. That understanding makes them easy for the average person to play with.

If you repeat certain elements throughout a drawing it kind of becomes a rule. Colors, shapes, iconography. Whatever you want.

Using Bristlefrost + Ivypool as an example

Here you can see how the flowers are actually in their own sections. This keeps them in-line with the rest of the drawing even if you don't notice it.

Bristlefrost's flowers are clustered together, matching Ivypool's more rigid composure. And the bleeding hearts are in an arch like how the deer is bounding away. Anything inside a panel is literal, where everything outside of is more expressive.

But I'm going to be so real with you I don't think symbolism matters that much, most people don't think about that kind of stuff, and if they do they might come to a different conclusion then what you intended. Art is only kind of yours and it is warped when it comes in contact with other people. That's what makes it art.

I actually use squares because they're easy to measure. It's easier to work backwards to justify something. Refer back to the last paragraph.

Start Big Go Small

Basically pacing in art. If you make one small part super detailed you have to make the rest of it detailed, and you're screwed if you get tired. Make sure you aren't zoomed in all the time, and keep everything around the same level. I find it easier to sculpt over time rather than get it right the first time around.

Other Advice

i'm saying too much for too little so here's a list of everything else

Your art should fit your needs. Do what you like and just focus on using whatever you can to express your ideas. Not just psychologically but physically. I draw like this because i have an unstable shoulder + tremor and i can both hide it and use it. sometimes you just can't draw like someone else because it doesn't suit your needs.

Do what you want and set yourself up for failure. Try different mediums and brushes. Use different programs. You'll already expect it to be bad at it so you'll focus more on the process. If the drawing sucks it's not surprising, and if it's good you didn't spend time worrying about it. Either way you learned something new you can apply to the next drawing.

This is for kid me, but if you see anyone with crazy texturing it's because they have good brushes. get good brushes. don't try drawing it out. my brushes. my other brushes. also make your own brushes.

check your values throughout the drawing process. the easiest way to do that in krita is to create a filter layer. this is so it applies over all of your layers.