DatRandomGirl

First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. First things first; I have a quick, but essential assignment for you.  Read the following three sentences below, out loud: A weird name does not a unique character make. A weird name does not a memorable character make. A weird name does not a good character make. Say it.  Say it twice.  Say i

First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. I've run across an odd myth about fictional characters here on good ol' deviantART:  If my character isn't a Mary Sue then I've definitely written a good character.  Sadly, this is not so.  A Mary Sue (see here for more) is just a specific kind of bad character.  Not all bad characters are Mary Sues.  It would be like saying that sinc

 First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. Is your character feeling a little bit stilted?  Do you want to find a way to flesh him out a bit so that he'll be more three-dimensional?  Well, here's an activity to get you started on the right path. I call this activity  Running the Gamut  . Everyone feels the same feelings.  Everyone feels happy, sad, angry, afraid, in

 First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amatuer at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. If you were to look at my (currently small) gallery, you'd notice something: all of my character designs are done on a white or simple gradient background. Everyone is wearing a plain t-shirt and the same pants and shoes. Most don't even get the luxury of a full body shot. It can be pretty boring. Why Do That? Unlikely tho

First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. Once upon a time, I ran out of things to complain about.  And so it was with a heavy heart that I hung up my tutorial-guide hat forever, never to be heard from again… Just kidding, my life just got massively complicated for a year or so and I didn’t have the time to write anything.  I doubt I’ll ever stop c

First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. -zzzzzt- “Greetings, human writers.  It has come to the attention of Planet Zorgaborg that you humans have been abusing terrible clichés and tropes for far too long.  We pirate your Earth TV shows, movies, books, and more for entertainment, and we demand better from you!  Therefore, we have abducted one of your d

First of all, I freely admit that what I say isn't gospel. I am a total amateur at art and writing. I've learned everything that I know via the internet and a few drawing books. It's just that I appreciate all of the tutorials here on dA that have helped me out, and I want to put a little bit of my own methods back in. If you’re a regular reader of mine, you might think that I’m an overly negative person.  The truth is that I’m really not.  It’s so easy to get passionate over things that you dislike that you forget to remember the things that you do like.  I don’t make these guides because I think that deviantAR