What drawing/writing tips do you think are most important?

I can only answer from an artists perspective. Practice as much as you can! Also use as many references you can. Find an artist whose style really inspires you and go from there! Try different techniques, or different art mediums. In my honest opinion practice doesn't make perfect, however it does make permanent. If you find a style you really love, but are having trouble nailing it down, practice practice practice!! Art improvement can seem like such a downer because you won't see it right away, and I've personally gotten very frustrated over it numerous times. It definitely takes a lot of patience, but I promise you can do it <3

 

• Practice is definitely a big one.
• As cliche as it may sound, having fun is important too. Improvement will come much more readily if you're doing something you enjoy.
• For beginners I would suggest using references frequently. It might also help to learn about single/double point perspectives when learning to do backgrounds.
• The most important advice I could give, in my opinion at least, and in the words of Bob Ross, there's no such things as mistakes, just happy accidents. So don't worry about messing up. In fact, try to incorporate mistakes into your art. You might discover some new tricks that way.

 

Practice a lot (I try to draw daily, and plan to keep to it this year as I failed last year), ask other artists for help or advice, don't be afraid to use references, don't be afraid to experiment! Although a lot of people like to say that they 'don't need to study realism/human anatomy' they really do help with drawing cartoon/anime characters-I don't regret the months I spent studying the human body in a artistic manner! Don't be discouraged by someone else's talent, you're amazing in your own way <3

 

Practice, but don't neglect yourself - you need time to recharge.

 

These two are specifically for writers.
1. Always make sure your grammer, spacing, spelling, word choice, and story flow are all top notch. Simply put edit your work. If you can't spell or use words correctly, then how can a reader expect you to write a good story.
2. Look at example of good writing. I can go on and on about the dos and don'ts of writing, but to save time for everyone its better to find a good example and to know why its good. The why bit is important. Examples will show you how to write certain things a certain way to be effective without me or you having to constantly check to see if it fits a list of dos and don'ts I've compiled. You can find good examples everywhere, use those as a baseline for writing a good story.

 

--Write what you know, but research what you don't
--If your story deals with tough stuff, approach the topic with respect
--Don't just read the good stuff, but read the bad too--so you know what NOT to do
--No idea is ever completely dead--it may just take a few attempts to get it right.
--Write what YOU want to write, no matter how harebrained and off the wall it is.
--Don't be afraid to walk away from your story if you're really stuck.

 

in a way, writing and drawing are really alike!! both require practice, time, and hard work to produce an actual quality piece also, looking at other people’s works is important bc you can learn from them !!! like what’s already been mentioned, never be afraid to seek help from anyone, and ask for feedback that’s all i can think up off the top of my head, and there’s definitely more, but yep

 

Practice has already been mentioned quite a lot so... Be open to critisism and use it to improve yourself. It can be rough to hear about the mistakes in your work (even though none of us are particularly proud of our skills) but it's thanks to these mistakes that we can hone our skills at all. It can feel like a personal attack because it's our creations, but the fault is with the work and not with you. Try and recreate your art or writing to amend the mistake(s) or create something new with the aim of fixing the fault in a fresh piece. Spending too long on one thing can blind you to its faults so often it's better to move onto something new rather than linger on the same thing.

We all make mistakes so never be ashamed of them, even if they're obvious in retrospect!

 

I can answer from both an art and writing perspective but I'm way more knowledgeable on art so I'll answer from that perspective only.

• ALWAYS know whenever you post something, somebody out there WILL hate it and you. They usually don't come up to your face and say it but when they vague about you or shittalk your art, it's always important to know you won't impress everyone. I had to learn this the hard way and I was pretty devastated for a few days but then I realized someone out there hates me no matter what and that helped me a lot.
• This has been said so much, but practice! It's the only way you get better! Alongside that, practice new things for a bit and then do a "final" piece using the new practice. For example say you wanted to improve backgrounds. Try to do backgrounds on sketches for some time and then use the new knowledge on a full fledged piece!
• This one is so overlooked but please take care of yourself, especially your hand! Once the damage is done you can't reverse it!
• NEVER feel discouraged when you see "better" art! Art is only as good as the beholder thinks. It's basic knowledge that the artist tends to be their own worst critic, so your audience likely won't see that weird shakey line or that ink blob there. You have to silence your inner critic if you want to get better.
• Look at references or art you like to know what to do!! Contrary, look at bad art so you know what NOT to do.

Those are my own personal tips, I might add some more later haha.

 

From a writer's standpoint, I have a few tips. Practice, practice, practice! You don't even need paper to do it. Sometimes if something is happening, It will play out in my head, but like it was a book. And write what you love and what you want to write about. Just speak your mind. And don't forget you can critique your own work. one of the best ways to get better is to look over your older work and see what you can fix. And don't let others critique affect you. Let it fuel you and make your work better! That's all I have for now, but feel free to ask for more if you like.

 

Only do it if you can, if you should, and if you want to. All three.

If you can't do it, then change to something else. Everyone has limitations. Know yours, and don't be afraid to push them, but don't try to move mountains if you're a beginner at moving rocks or if you're really more of a river-diverting type of person.

If you shouldn't do it, then adjust until you should. If it causes unnecessary strife, or if it's outside your knowledge/experience/traits, or if it objectively and subjectively contributes nothing to anyone (and one moment of thought or happiness or satisfaction does count as "something"), then either change those circumstances or pick another project.

If you don't want to do it, then don't. Feel free to quit because you feel like it. Even tortured writers and starving artists find some enjoyment, however masochistic, in what they do. If you're gaining no enjoyment, then it's not worth any amount of popularity or promised money. Your happiness is worth more than all of that.

 

I used to write poetry and fanfictions a lot years ago so here are my personal tips for writers:

• Feel free to let your mind wander. I feel like the biggest reason why people get writer's block is because they tend to really overthink whatever stage they're at in their story/fic or whatever instead of letting their mind just... flow freely and going with that flow. In short, just vomit whatever sort of stuff your mind is thinking on paper and make sense of it later. This is actually far less effort than it seems

• Feel free to use your writing as an outlet! I don't do this myself anymore for whatever reason, but it's so much more refreshing when you're going through a rough day you want to use that energy on something productive. Tackle a character conflict issue, story climax, or really just listen to music and let your mind drift off. The more free your mind is, the more creative you feel and the more tools you feel like you have to work with

 

I have zero expertise in drawing. Writing however, I can point to.

• Details! This also applies to grammar, capitalization, punctuation and formatting your paragraphs. Before you even start writing any piece, you should have a good grasp on when to apply all four of these characteristics as it can make or break a story.
• Do not be afraid to try new ideas! Sure, some may seem unorthodox, but deviating from predictability can keep an audience excited. Some of the best written fanfictions out there have mind-blowing plot twists.
• On the contrary to above, you've got those cliches. Make sure you commit to them if you're going to input anything at all.
• Make sure you commit if you're going to be establishing a set schedule in terms of updating. At the same time; DO NOT rush if you're in danger of missing a deadline, this marks a decline in quality. Write ahead if you have to.
• Proofread! Cannot stress this one enough! Simple mistakes can sneak their way into your work, so it pays to have yourself or a beta reader to look your chapters over two or three times.
• There is no shame in taking a hiatus. Although I hate leaving stuff unfinished, I make sure writing is something I do for pleasure and fun. You don't want it to be a chore.

 

I know almost everyone has said practice, but it's so true! I also believe that you should draw what you love and have fun with it! Another thing I've learned is that you shouldn't be afraid to look up things as references! I've personally learned to draw through tutorials and even anime bases (for those who know what those are). Anything you need you can more than likely find online and use as reference to make drawing or even stories more realistic! I'm not a writer but even I've looked through my feed on other social media sites and found how to make story details more realistic! It really it incredible what you can find online if you look!

 

I Am Most Experienced In Art Although I Did Write Too

From Art Experience:
-LIke What Everyone Said,Practice And If You Can,Try To Remake The Old One!
-Don't Be Afaid To Use Reference But Make Sure Don't Copy Exactly.Try To Make Something A Little Different From The Reference Like How I Use A Image Or A Reference Of The Actual 'Cassini' Spacecraft To Create A Modify Version Of 'Cassini' Spacecraft!
-If You Cannot Make A Detail Sketch,Make It Simple One.You Don't Want Stress Yourself Out From A Complex Level.

From Writing Experience:
-Do Write Story Time To Time,Althought It Can Be A Mixture Of Different Theme And Idea.You Never Know What Will Turn Out!
-Research The Theme Or The Idea(It Will Help You A Lot!)
-Use Your Pervious Story as A Foundation
-Write A Extract And Keep Changing It Until You Feel That The Extract Is Ready To Convert Into A Chapter.
-Say A Friend To Edit Or Find Mistake.(I Did Once But It's So Useful)
-If The Story Focus On One Theme,Keep Repeat It Or Use The Repeating Word In All Area.

A Bonus That Can Use In Both Art And Writing:
If You Have A Lack Of Idea In Writing Or Art,Look At Your Drawing Or Story And Try To Convert It To A Artwork(For Story) Or A Story(For Art).You Other Work Can Inspires You Next Work!

 

For art, I think learning anatomy is pretty important. Even if it's just the basics. For example if you are drawing, say, wolves, it would be a good idea to learn where all the leg joints are and how they work, head shape, basic muscle placement, etc. It doesn't have to be 100% perfect and you don't have to draw every muscle or bone each time you draw a wolf or other animal, just map out the basic shapes. That's what I do anyway

 

Draw everyday. Of course it would be better if you're doing master studies everyday, but getting into the habit of drawing all the time is more important than what you're drawing sometimes. Especially if you get older or have health problems or other responsibilities, being able to be in the habit of drawing at least something everyday is important and something that I wish I did more often. It also helps with when you get burned out, to be in the habit of drawing.

(this isn't too old to reply to is it, it's still on the first page..)

 

When it comes to writing... I think it’s important to always plan ahead, especially if you’re doing a multi-chapter story. Although winging it and making stuff up as you go along can work, I personally wouldn’t recommend it, especially because it can be stressful to keep certain details and plot points together. Know what you’re doing beforehand!

 

More writing tips because I dislike my generic first two

• Plan ahead just like @Junkrat above said. I tried winging it with a huge original story (like the last airbender(it wasn't like TLA that's just an example of story structure)) with very lose ideas of a beginning and end. I ended up running through the content far faster than I hoped, (like the northern water tribe in episode 4). I unfortunately had to scrap the project all together. I am starting a new huge original story (oddly its very different from the other) and I'm spending a lot of time developing a plan and story structure. I will emphasize though that its good to leave some room to wing it. Sometimes the best content you come up with is in the spur of the moment. Don't limit yourself to follow your plan religiously.
  
• Diversity. This is a rather difficult subject for novice writers that really haven't experienced much in the way of meeting diverse people RL. If you want to write a character that you have no knowledge of, say a male writing a female lead, the best way to write this character is to write the character and change all the pronouns from he to she. This isn't how you should write these characters, but its the perfect place for people who are just getting started. Once you start writing to this effect, you will start to ask questions that will make you see the world from their point of view. Experiment with different genders, race's and disabilities. Do research when necessary and practice makes perfect. Writing about people you have no knowledge of is a hard thing to do, but once you start and once you practice, you should be able to do it with ease.