Art Help!

Hey! 
i have been getting into the swing of things here and am dabbling in art, however i am not great and want to improve, i'm looking for tips and tricks anyone has. or even if someone is willing to talk me through basics.
i only have GIMP so any help with that would be appreciated! :)

Here are a few examples of my recent work:

Link
Link
Link
Link


Last edited on 2019-08-27 at 14:06:03 by Tye

Your shading is looking pretty nice, even though I can tell you're holding yourself back a little bit from doing anything more complex. Don't be afraid to play around with darker shadows and lighter highlights. If you utilize layers for this, you can always delete the layer if you don't like the way it turns out or if you feel like you've made a big mistake. 

Try shading with a soft-edged brush as opposed to a hard-edged one, this will help your shading blend a little better. You can also use the smudging tool to help blend things out so you get a more natural look with the shading. 

Study pictures of horses in different poses and try to teach yourself about how the different muscle groups look and act together and what the shading gradient looks like as it goes from shadow to highlight. I really recommend using reference images, especially as you're learning. I use reference images for most dynamic poses even if it's just to look at how the light hits the different parts of the body. 

Thank you! I will try that :) 
I am lucky enough to have horses so I wil definelty be trying to learn muscles etc 

I second every point that Kate has made. I also want to add that you should also play with your program and play around with brushes and filters once you're comfy drawing the thing you want to draw. GIMP has tons of amazing tools! It's like a clunkier Photoshop lol. If you need any help feel free to ping me. :3 

I will try that thank you! I wish i had tons of free time. Thank you, I will do :)

I've always been a fan! My Autumn, Miaka and Pinocchio have never looked better although I do agree with Bela and Kate and also would like to add just play with different concepts and really refine your style

Thank you so much! I agree too, thank you :)