'If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants'. Isaac Newton (Feb, 1676)

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I Asked Steemit for Help and Steemit answered

So over the past week, after not doing so well on quite a few posts I started to look at my posts objectively and think why would or would not people up vote these. The answer became very obvious to me; my posts didn’t have that “Waw” factor. But instead of giving up there I decided to go out and use this steemit platform to do some research. At first the project was to get tips, look at similar art and generally get inspired but I got so much wonderful feedback that I thought that I would share it with everyone!

So what was I trying to do

I wanted draw a picture using my current skill range or anything that I could learn in not a long length of time. Yes, I was looking for a quick fix but it didn’t go too badly. So out I went looking for advice. First stop was generic advice blogs and a quote that stuck out to me was you need to “Add Value to your Steemit” by @allasyummyfood. At this stage I still had no idea what this meant but I kept it in mind for the rest of my ‘research’.

The Tear Drop and the First Tip

Here lies the first tip I am going to give you and it wasn’t so much given to me as shown to me. Your drawings need a purpose. While sometimes you can get away with producing a really cool image and have a lot of people like it for someone like me who’s ability is still developing you need to have a purpose. I and all you reading have @artsyppl to think for this one. One way to entice a larger audience is to incorporate a meaning behind your image. It creates a talking point in comments and discussion which only strengthens a post.

Final Image

My Tear Drop to me represents the cycle of water and how we must endeavour to keep our waterways clean. Clean water brings new life to the world and without respecting it we are in danger of losing it.

Tip 2

This tip was given to me by @kima173 and that is that people enjoy not just the finished product but all the steps along the way. That means take the time to stop and take a few extra images. It proves that you drew the image which is a bonus but more importantly it adds another depth to your post. “Adds value” ‘Creating pictures of the various steps is very simple but stopping while drawing is complicated’. Luckily because I chose to draw a computer edited image it was easier to save the images than taking a photo. This process allows for what I think is a really great GIF’s:

Gif of Process

Tip 3

Get the right tools for the craft. Just like any trade you need to get a tool that you not only know how to use or are capable of finding out how to use but also that suits the purpose. I personally use Inkscape because it is free and I had been made to learn how to use it for work so it made sense. But just because I know how to use it doesn’t make it the right tool. It turns out that one thing that Inkscape doesn’t do well is gifs or animation (Either complex or might as well be non-existent.) Drawers use a wide variety of software but also hardware too. From high end sketch books to expensive mice to expensive pens and colours. My advice here is if you can afford it make sure you purchase the right gear for you. One example here is from @raizel who uses rather expensive Prisma Markers but they make his drawing look a million dollars. @raizel also happened to give me the tips to 'draw very lightly on paper' and to 'explore on how you hold your pencil' to find the style that 'works for you' both I thought were absolutely great advice.

Tip 4

Layers. This tip came about for multiple people but in particular @sethsprengers and @scarlet-rain are two I would like to look at. @sethsprengers gave me the advice that Layers are your friend by that being able to add contrasting colours and shades. @scarlet-rain gave me the suggestion to making sure to name your layers. This comes about when you have designated layers in an image which allows you to work on one section of the drawing at a time. This tip I found thoroughly useful for my first attempt at layering an image.

Tip 5

Develop your background When next drawing an image try recreating an existing image. This will give you skills and techniques to keep in your bank. @classemedia said it rather nicely: 'Copy, copy and copy. Not only to make drawings of observation but also to copy the great masters of painting. This will provide a repertoire for you to develop your personality when drawing from memory and your own creations.'

Final Tip

A final tip that I came across is that if you don’t know what something looks like, how do you expect yourself to draw it? Admit when you don’t know. We live in a beautiful age of the internet in which you can look up an image of almost exactly what you want in seconds. Do not let it go to waste.

Thank you
A big thank you to everyone who gave me advice and apologies if you aren’t mentioned! If you enjoyed this post or you simply liked my Tear Drop please upvote/resteem/follow. If you have any further tips and tricks to add please leave them in the comments below. Lastly is that don’t forget that we draw to relax and have fun so don’t fret if it doesn’t come out exactly the way you want it. Here at Steemit we will love it either way.