Hi Mothie, Uh sorry to bother you. I really love your art, it's such an inspiration. I want to get better at drawing the skeletons (and even try my own self inserts) but I often find myself struggling so was wondering if you had any tips? Like how did you practice drawing them at first? Sorry if you've had this question a million times, I couldn't find anything on your blog.

Also your colour placement, shading and BG's in all your comics are incredible! Thank you for sharing your amazing art with us <3

Hey there, thanks so much!

I never really answered anything like it, because what I'm going to say is going to be annoying

but PRACTICE.

I am so serious, you have to take these characters (be it skeletons or your own creations) and become so obsessed with them that you draw them over and over.

You will not see your growth and it will be frustrating. I feel people get trapped at seeing the finished product in their mind rather than focus on the steps to get there.

My art was definitely a rough start. I didn't know how I wanted to draw them and I just kept drawing them. I eliminated elements that didn't work or appeal to me over time and then did what would be easier for my wrist.

Examples

2022 vs 2023 Red looked SUPER ROUGH.

And Swap! 2022 vs 2024!

It took me a few years to draw them even close to how I wanted and I'm still figuring things out.

If you're looking for a distinct style, then you have to play with your style. And you have to embrace inconsistency.

But if you want to get better at drawing more realistic skeletons, I highly reccomend using Sketchfab and look up skeleton anatomy. (You can look up about just anything there and get it in 3d for all sorts of angles)

I also say definitely just practice gesture drawing and figure drawing. You can apply this tools to your OCs. And if you want to get better at expression then I recommend studying Tracy J. Bulter's expression tutorial. I still stand by this tutorial today.

I hope this helped some 🙇‍♂️