Hi there - there are a few ways to approach coloring/ outlining but, the main thing is knowing what your mediums do. So, in this circumstance moving forward, if you intend to use the same supplies, I would suggest you color first, let the markers fully dry then do the outline. What I do sometimes if the artwork is too complicated, after I erase my sketch, I gently/ lightly outline the artwork with a ballpoint pen. That way I have something to see if the coloring masks the pencils completely. Option B would be to outline the piece but, when coloring, don't go to the edge, give yourself "bleed" room but, I find option B to be a much trickier process. On the actual artwork itself... When doing outlines its always best to try and create smooth lines. This is best accomplished by putting down confident single strokes. What I do is I "practice" my stroke before I put it down. So, I hover over the line Im trying to create a few times so I get the distance, angle, and shape into muscle memory, then finally, I hold my breath while putting down the line. The dimensions/ 3-D - The proper way to accomplish this is to create a "vanishing point". A vanishing point is a point on your paper (or outside your paper) where all the lines eventually meet. So, if you took your ruler and extended the lines you currently have Id bet they never meet at the same point. Lastly, make sure all of the lines you create outward are the same length. Hope this helps. Keep up the good work!
thanks a lot, i tried doing the vanishing point thing with the 3d, but im an not the best at 3d and shadows. also can you tell me what you think of the letters? ive always had trouble with making the letters flow with each other and finally feel like im getting better
Well, layouts or composition is a skill set on its own. The main thing to consider is... How to make it interesting to the eye and for graff there typically are no golden rules like in traditional art. So, its more of how your eyes perceive it. What I like to do when attempting to accomplish something fresh or new is to hand style is first. I find that your brain can process that easier than trying to create something "cool" or complex. Once you have a nice handstyle down you can make two-dimensional "block" letters, then once that is complete, you should step back from the art and look at it from a variety of different angles. This is super important because your eyes/ brain will let you know if what you are looking at makes sense/ looks nice. This happens with no prior training, its something that naturally occurs. Like when you see two identical pictures on a wall that are supposed to be in the same but, opposite distance/ position, your eyes/ brain will tell you something is off. The same rule applies here. In reference to your 3-D comment... I would say that you dont need to add 3-D. In fact, you should probably do without it until you grasp the fundamentals of what your are trying to accomplish first but, for learning purposes, the easiest way to do shadows, in the beginning, is, to begin with, one light source. So, what I do if Im creating art that needs shadows, is I lightly draw a circle or some sort of mark on the paper that shows me where my light source is. The shadows of that light source are created on the polar opposites from where the light is coming from and that shadow is being manipulated by the shape is casting on. See my example below. Hope this ehlps. Good luck!
thanks again, when i first started abt 2 yrs ago, i went straight to trying to draw those cool wildstyle pieces i loved to look at. that slowed down my learning process a ton, until i finally made myself just work with handstyles, then straightletters, then throwies then eventually pieces. i remember in my first year i got so frustrated that i couldnt come up with letters that looked good and i would rip up the pages of my notebook. yeah, that sucked.
Embrace failure, study the artwork (and videos if you can find them), and practice, practice, and then practice some more... I would also suggest focusing on one thing first... The most basic then slowly get more complicated...
I like those letters. Some sort of background could go along way in terms of making it really pop or maybe dimension going towards the center?
Does it say Cesz? You or we should not be seeing scratchy lines and coloring outside the boundaries. Streaky coloring is acceptable as long as its done neatly. The design of the letters are good but, fixing to make those outlines crispy sharp (with a flow) and tightening up that fill would improve the overall value tremendously. I know a lot of folks on this forum are young and with that comes the typical traits BUT, if you take time and present your artwork with pride, meaning not rushed, then its outcome will present itself in that way to the viewer. Lastly, what I always do, is ask myself a question... Am I happy with "this"? and if Im not, then I keep at it until I am or quit while Im ahead and live to fight another day. But, I dont present my work until Im happy with it. Look at it like your taking a penmanship test that your looking to ace! Hope this helps