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GazeRei — [Guide]: How to draw from character references
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Published: 2016-03-28 23:41:55 +0000 UTC; Views: 6825; Favourites: 68; Downloads: 0
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Hello, everyone!
Being someone who both likes to draw other people's characters and getting art of my own, I've run into lots of interesting if not troublesome problems lately. Obviously these aren't such a big deal to be utterly upset about, but in my opinion as an artist, it is important to portray the character accurate - both inside and out.
For instance on the in and out, even if there are two characters that might look the same (the outside), or very similar, if they have differences in personality (the inside) it's so much easier to tell them apart. Also as celebrities are recognizable even on the street hidden under a big shade, OCs/FCs are also recognizable from their traits, such as hairstyle, the outfit they wear, the color palette they have, the body type, their skincolor (either by race or simply darker/light shade of colors), and their own UNIQUE little things. (An unique tattoo, a recognizable scar, something about their past that's uncommon, etc).
With that in mind, it's important to me to portay them as accurate as we can both visually and personality-wise - after all, we would be happy to receive an art of our characters, especially if it's accurate. So here's a guide with suggestions from me on how to acheive this!
1. Always use the given references!
References are made for a reason. How could you draw the character correctly if you don't use the references given to you? And even if your memory is the best in the world, mistakes can happen anytime, so it's good to use the references until the last moment. Even when you're finished, do check the references again just in case you missed something!
Important things to pay attention to and tips while using the reference:
♦ Keep using it all the time to be as accurate as possible
♦ NEVER mirror the reference! It doesn't matter if it makes it better for you to draw a hair or something on the outfit, unless the character is 100% symmetric (which is very rare), NEVER mirror it. This is because chances are that you'll leave the reference like that and end up mirroring the character's outfit details/hairstyles, and that can be really awkward to look at.
♦ With that said, mirror your artwork only when needed. If you forget to change it back, chances are high that you'll draw the correct details from the reference - but mirrored. You wouldn't want to see that being done with your OC, aren't you?
Just look at this. It's weird isn't it? Not only the headprotector is on the wrong side, the sign isn't correct either, even the hairstyle looks different. Let's not forget the placement of his sharingan got changed too, which is an important part of his background!
♦ ALWAYS use the eyedrop tool if you are drawing digitally! I can't stress how important to use the CORRECT colors. Not only on the outfit, but the hair, the eyes, moreover the skincolor. How many times people had their OCs being "white-washed" (mostly because people are either lazy to use the eyedrop tool, not caring much for stuffs, or don't use the references), it's really sad to see that! A change in color palette really can make a difference.
- Obviously if you're a traditional artist, your colors are more limited, so of course it's not expected to get the same colors. Just try to get it as accurate as you can, though. You can even note the person about it and figure something out together.
♦ If you aren't sure about something, ALWAYS ask the person you're drawing for! This is really, really important. You wanna change the outfit because it's hard for you to draw? Okay, ask the the chara owner BEFORE you decide to change it to some random outfit which not only might not fit the character, but may also mistake the era/period the character is from. Imagine your OC is from the 18th century and you get an art of them drawn in jeans and crop top when you gave period accurate clothes in the reference? It never hurts to ask the person you're drawing for, from my experience most of the time the person will either let you change the outfit with guides or give you more options to choose from.
♦ Talking about outfits, please try to draw the details as correct as you can! Obviously if it's a small pixel or a small chibi, it's hard to fit everything; but just always imagine yourself in the other's shoes - would you be happy to get an art of your character where the outfit is barely resembling to your own references? Of course I'm super happy to get any type of art, but I'm always a little sad seeing how much they miss from my characters, things that could've been avoided by asking me, or simply looking at the references more.
2. Avoid changing stuffs unless specifically asked for/given permission!
As I've mentioned, always draw what you're given (unless specified otherwise). If it's hard for you, simply ask if you can change things. If the person isn't feeling happy with the change, please be understanding - this also goes for the person trying to be understandable and helping as much as they can.
After all, not everyone can draw everything, I know people have harder time drawing outfits with lots of details. To bring up an own example, I usually ask for Rei, sometimes specifically asking for her D.Gray-man uniform. DGM (shorten form of D.Gray-man from now on) uniforms are tricky to draw. I got art of her in it where the uniform details are entirely mirrored, or drawn really lazily (basically only the red lines) or adding detals that weren't there to begin with.
Then there is the case when people redesign the outfit without ever asking me, or letting me know ahead of time.
Now, I've got some really cool new outfit/modifications I loved, but I'll be honest, I'm picky with outfits my OC would wear, and I don't really like seeing my OC wearing something totally different. Again, if you wanna draw the OC in something else, it's better to ask the owner - otherwise the person you're drawing for may end up disappointed or not liking the change.
I've had cases where my OC's outfit/power was redesigned because the artist wanted to mess around. Now if this had been mentioned before by them, I wouldn't have signed up for it because I want my Ocs to look the same. - If someone wants that, that's cool and have fun with it! But it's certainly not for everyone.
Let's look at this gif just to show what I mean:
I'll explain later why it's super important to draw as accurate as possible!
Please keep in mind, even though I'm perfectly aware that this is more common and acceptable with requests and the artist who does the free art isn't obligated to do anything specific for people, it's not only sad to see the OC being changed (either outfit/hair or colors) but also makes you seen as an artist who can't work from references. As a result, people may not request from you and be turned off by this. It doesn't always look like the same character to the owner when artists decided to draw the character in another outfit or when they fully redesign outfit, change hairstyle drastically, and uses colors that weren't on the reference at all. The character could end up unrecognizable to the original owner, and that's a sad feeling!
3. How to use references while drawing?
The easiest way to draw the character is having the references right next to you - either on another monitor/tablet/iPad/mobile, or in the program you're using. Since I use SAI, most of the time this is how I put my references in it while sketching down the character:
I used my own OC/arts just for an example
Another way to have the reference before you is actually putting it on the same canvas you're drawing on, so it's always before you and don't have to switch between tabs!
There are some softwares you can also download and use while drawing; I have no experience with these, so I can't tell you how effective they are, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments!
Of course you can switch between tabs too, sometimes I do that as well - but use the references as often as you can to avoid any possible mistakes.
4. Why is it important for me to draw the characters correctly/use references all the time?
Well, aside from you making a good job on the art and pleasing the other person too? A lot!
Not only will you give the character justice and make the other person happy as well, you will also be seen as a reliable artist - especially if you're drawing requests first and thinking about doing commissions after. If you can't draw a character correctly (I'm not talking about 1-2 missing minor details but big ones), how do you expect people to trust their characters to you, especially when they're paying for points/money for it?
Again, I would like to mention: People who do free art are expected to have more artistic freedom with the characters (since they're doing it for free), but I honestly think there is a limit to that as well. Reason being, when you get a free art but the character's skincolor is changed, the bangs/hairstyle is totally different, and they're in a very different outfit, it can be disappointing - and that will reflect badly.
Please know, I'm not pointing this towards anyone negatively, or telling people who do free art that they're bad! I'm only trying to raise attention to important things what me and many of my friends experienced these past years, and what can disappoint a person you're drawing a request, gift, or commission for.
I'm always, ALWAYS happy to receive any type of art, and I won't complain (maybe simply mentioning what's not correct?) unless it's something disrespectful/tasteless. I love getting art just as much as I love giving them, and it's important for me to do them justice as much as I can. Occasionally I give the Ocs new outfit if I'm doing a special project (see my GSQ art here: [DGM] Wow, very fancy, much cheeb, such GSQ where I added them elegant outfits, but I ran the idea by 2 of them to see if it would be okay); otherwise though I stick to the references as much as possible!
5. What to do when you did mistakes and the artist asks you to change parts?
This is something that might not or might have already happened to you, especially if you did artworks for others. We're all human, we make mistakes. It's up to you if you wanna fix the error. I think if the person asks you kindly and it's not a super big change (just fixing the eyecolor or maybe skincolor, a little part of the hair) it won't hurt you to change it, especially if they're being respectful. Of course that still doesn't make you obligated to change anything - it's your personal choice in the end whether you wanna fix errors not, especially on free art.
With commissions it's a little different though. If you're doing a commission and you're getting paid for it, then you finish the art but you did huge mistakes, it's pretty important to correct those mistakes. Again, mistakes happen, don't stress over it. Just simply fix the errors you notice/commissioner points out so both you and the client are happy - this will help you to get costumers who will come back for more later. After all, not many people want to pay for mistake-filled art of their character!
This also plays a part in requests too. If you do a nice job on an art (even if it's free) and you open commissions later, there is a chance that one or two, or maybe more people will commission you who got a request previously that were really satisfied with. I know I commissioned people in the past because I knew they would do a great job, I had a positive experience with them so it was a pleasure to commission them!
6. When you're finished with the art, always compare your art with the reference!
Look at the finished art and the reference. Try to find differences - or vice versa, try to see if you got the details correctly!
One trick is to compare certain sections. Are the colors accurate in the skin, eyes, and hair? Are the colors on the clothes accurate? Does the way you drew the hairstyle look like the hairstyle in the client's reference? Are all the small details there - such as belts, jewelry, etc?
I use different shadings and shades of the same colors to experiment, obviouly it's two different art I just put together for example.
And that's it!
Some side notes / disclaimers:
So please, never be afraid to ask - both for small changes if it's necessary, or if you want to change/add stuffs when drawing for others!
Some questions to feed our thoughts:
-> Have you ever drawn an OC of someone else's incorrectly? If yes, what did you do after it/what did the artist said about it?
-> Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what was your feelings about it? What did you do about it (if you did)?
-> Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? If yes, why? If not, what would you advice for people to avoid it?
-> Anything else you would like to advice regarding the topic?
Thank you very much for reading all of it! I hope this small journal can be helpful for people, don't be afraid to share it, it would be highly appreciated!♥
I'm really looking forward to hear your opinion/thoughts; even if you disagree, I'm open to hear out anything, as long as it's reasonable and done in a polite manner. Don't be afraid to start a conversation. It's good to talk about these things so we can learn from each other!
Credits:
Gifs mostly found on tumblr, I don't take credit for them!
Kakashi/Kakashi picture © Kishimoto Masashi
Screenshots and Rei gif are made by me, Rei is my own OC, copyrighted to me!
Many thanks for ChikitaWolf for proofreading it for me and helping me correcting my grammar, or anything else! ♥
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Comments: 51
No worries!
It's when a dark skinned character is colored much much lighter, taking away who they are, and pushing an agenda, whether on purpose or not, that dark skincolor is not pretty. Of course it can happen accidentally that the person don't have the exact colors in traditional art, but digitally, you can pick the color from the reference picture, so there is no excuse to color the character much much lighter skinned!
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I've never drawn someone else's OC incorrectly, BUT I HAVE drawn them in a story in a manner they found offensive. 
I've had my OCs whitewashed before, and I did not like that and asked the person to change that.
I think it's okay to draw a new outfit on an OC for a request, BUT if it's something way different you should definitely ask, but basically, I agree with you and what you said.
Personally, I think it depends on the OC. For many characters, they are defined by their hair and the exact outfit they wear, but others wear regular clothes- or different outfits for their time period- and it's something else that makes them special.
I don't have anything else I can add! 
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Mhm, well that can happen. If you don't get feedback, you can't be sure if they like it or not. That's why I always try to point out things I want/don't want to avoid such situations.
Mmh, if thy fix it, I don't really mind, but gosh OTL
Hmm, I think even with a request, either they should write it down "I might give other outfit" or ask the person BEFORE they change the outfit. Granted, it's a free art so you can't complain that much, but it shows you more professional if you ask it beforehand, and will show people you are worthy to be even commissioned - or well that's what I think.
Mhm, honestly, my utmost advice would be: always ask/check before you decide on something.
Thank you, and thank you for the feedback as well! c:
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I've had my OCs "white-washed" more than once, so it stood out to me that you mentioned that is a problem.
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Mhm, it happened to my bestie's main OC a lot ;; She has a medium skinned OC, not too dark, but dark enough not to be colored white. Even so, people colored her Oc so white ;o;
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Great journal entry! This is definitely a journal that artists that work with commission should read, I can never stress enough how important it is to follow a reference when it's given.
Unfortunately I've had several commissions where the artist didn't pay close attention to my character references. I sometimes complain but others I stay silent (and later regret it 
I really hate it when artists change my character's outfits, this is something that they should ask before doing. Fortunately this hardly ever happened.
My only advice for artists with commissions is that if they want to charge money (and commissions have become very expensive these days in my opinion) then they have to be professional about their works, and I think that following a reference is absolutely a must.
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Thank you!<3
Mhm, especially when people pay for the art, it's absolutely sad to see they fail to draw the Oc correctly.
I know people usually send a sketch to make sure it'll be okay, even with requests too (it happened to me several times).
I think you should ask the people to fix the OC, after all you paid for it! Just do it nicely and hopefully they'll cooperate ;o;
Mhm, changing things is always risky, either they succed or not with what they create. Most of the time I'm not happy with the outfit they give my OC ;;
Mhm! And it's okay to make mistakes even as a professional! Just they should fix the errors if they see it/asked to.
So as long as they are willing to fix, I don't mind if there are mistakes here and there.
Thank you for the feedback! c:
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thanks for sharing, this is such good info. about how reference should be used and what to keep in mind.
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You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it! C:
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This is fantastic, and full of great advice/info. Thanks for this Rei!!
Also, I need to know what those gifs are from ;A; they're gorgeously animated!
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Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! c:
The first gif is from Kotonoha no Niwa and the second is from Kiki's Delivery Service. The other 2 I couldn't find .
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Of course~
And thanks! :3
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-> Have you ever drawn an OC of someone else's incorrectly? If yes, what did you do after it/what did the artist said about it?
Yup. I can remember one specific case, and it was only to make the character a bit more modest. It was kind of a big change, though, I guess. I think they said it was alright, if I remember correctly.
-> Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what was your feelings about it? What did you do about it (if you did)?
Not really. I haven't had many people draw my OCs because I have no money to commission people.
-> Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? If yes, why? If not, what would you advise for people to avoid it?
For a request, if they aren't specific (they rarely are, with requests), then I don't think it's so bad. But you shouldn't make a new outfit for them without knowing their history and personality and looking at example outfits.
-> Anything else you would like to advise regarding the topic?
Not that I can think of. Although, concurring with others, style is an important part of drawing a character, and changing colors a bit to match the mood of the drawing is often a good idea.
Just a quick question: Of course you shouldn't draw a fat character skinny, but how do you feel about bust size? I know that a lot of people have styles that basically require them to make characters flat chested (especially many shoujo mangaka), so is it alright to draw a skinny, busty character skinny and flat-chested?
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Mhm, well if they were okay with it, that counts c: Just it's always good to stick to the references, haha!
Ahww, I see! Well hopefully you'll be able to get art of them soon, and they'll be done wonderfully! :3
Mhm, that's my thoughts exactly! Usually I don't mind new outfits, but at least they should ask me haha ;;
Yeah, those are important parts as well. Again, as I've mentioned before to many people, I didn't add the style part because I thought that goes without saying. Of course it won't look 100% the same, we aren't drawing clones after all.
If the whole picture has a mood, I don't mind, but if it's only one color that's changed, then it's really weird and unnecessary.
Hmm, that's a good question. My main Oc, Rei is really busty, but I got art of her where she is almost flat. I'm not sure if that was their style, or just didn't bother to look at the reference correctly.
If you don't want to draw the character correctly, just decline it, I guess that's what I would say. Better to decline than draw it but incorrectly. Both party have wishes to follow, so if they ask you if you can draw the OC busty, but you wanna draw it flat, I think either ask if they would be okay with it, or just decline.
I'm pretty open to changes for OCs, if I get a flat Oc, I'll try to draw them flat, if it's busty, I'll try to draw them busty.
Hope it helped! Thank you for the feedback! c:
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I'm not going to answer your questions because I'm not that long on dA yet and it would be quite obvious who I'm referring to when I talk about art that I got owo"
Gosh, I remember one time I saw a request that somebody did for you... It was of Rei in a dancing position with a dark skinned guy in a weird outfit, and when I read the comments I realized that this wasn't at all what you requested xD I mean it isn't so bad if there are a few minor errors, but drawing something completely different to what was requested? That's a little weird I think.^^"
To me it's really important to get everything as accurate as possible, because I want to make the creator of the OC happy when they see their art. I think it's a matter of respect to take the time and look at a character closely and make it as accurate as possible. One should do their best when drawing someone else's character, and make the same effort as when drawing for oneself.
The only thing that could be difficult here is different drawing styles. I think it is okay to draw some things differently as long as it doesn't change the whole aspect of the OC. For example, if someone has a particular style of drawing hair they might not draw every strand in the same way that the creator does. But as long as the general look of the character comes across, I think it's okay. It would also be weird if an artist changed their style just to draw a character exactly the same way the creator does. But I guess when one is requesting someone, one is aware of the style the artist has and therefore knows what to expect.
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Well you can just note me privately if you want, but I totally get it, don't worry c:
LOL tbh that artwork omg.. I had a hard time commenting on it. Not only the outfit was totally off, even Rei's hairstyle is badly drawn, but supposedly it would have been Kanda but what they drew was a dark skinned guy with some random brown/black hair OTL
Mhm, exactly, well said, Trashed! It shows how much the artist want to make the person happy, even if it's a doodle. I know with sketches the accuracy is less, and certain details will probably missing, I do that too, but with full draw artworks it's just so nice when everything is on its place.
Tbh why I never considered the style part because I thought that was something go without saying. Obviously, an anime styled OC will look different in semi realistic and vice versa, but even so, you can try your best to dra wthe hairstyle for example really similar. I have MemoRei for that example, she is anime styled, and I got art of her in more realistic style and they still added the eyes inside of her hair and added the cat ear parts too, that made me feel really happy!
Right though? That's why I didn't mention styles, obviously when you draw a character, that'll be done in your own style, not making a 100% copy of it.
Even when you expect something, it's sad to see people failing to draw your OC correctly aha ;;
Thank you for the feedback! c:
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I definitely think researching before requesting/commishing plays a large part when it comes to getting your character drawn by others, especially if you're picky about how your character is drawn. As you said with hair styles, if the artist is - for instance - someone drawing in a more realistic style compared to the person who owns the character, it'd be pretty weird for them to draw a select number of strands in a heavily cartoony manner, and doing so might even imbalance the piece of art xD
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You just phrased what I wanted to say in a much better way then I did xD But yes, that's what I mean 
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LOL 
It's really interesting with charas like your bab Helena though, since her hair naturally shifts around from being swept back xD Do you ever have nitpicks with how it's drawn?
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Hmm it's a little difficult with her because sometimes I'm not really happy with how I draw it myself xD
I just don't want it to look like it's glued to her head, or like she used some gel or something to pin it back. It's supposed to be flowy and go with the wind xD
I just don't want it to look to tight (I'm just so used to drawing it back that sometimes it gets too tidy). I also want to bring some variation in it, if you look at some of my traditional art from the beginning you'll see that it sometimes looks like she has more of a middle part. I think I just want her to be flexible with her hair, she could be drawn with a middle part or sidepart too as long as it's not too stiff and flat, it should always have this look of being swept back a little... Does that make sense? xD I hope I didn't blabber too much^^"
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LOL no problemo, it makes total sense xD
I can totes get why it could be hard to draw and color too, it was interesting to pixel as it was xD
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Your pixel of her is so pretty ;w; <3
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+ Have you ever drawn an OC of someone else's incorrectly? If yes, what did you do after it/what did the artist said about it?
I seem to have issues getting Rei's hair right for some reason - if it's not the long parts in the front it's the bangs ;; but ever since I was linked references on how to do it right and shown where the inaccuracy was, I've been more attentive to do it correctly in the future. [I also edited the drawings I'd done incorrectly because it's just courteous I think??] Aside from that I may have colored things wrong on my old computer because the screen was so terrible that I didn't even color my own characters correctly, but that's also where the eyedropper saves lives
-> Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what was your feelings about it? What did you do about it (if you did)?
Yeeee, one time the person drew the completely wrong character - which admittedly was probably my fault for using an image with two characters for reference. There have been a couple times where Mali was white-washed too, then I have an art of Owl that seems to have been drawn rather lazily that I haven't commented on yet because I legit don't know how to show gratitude when so many things are wrong orz
-> Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? If yes, why? If not, what would you advice for people to avoid it?
If you have the permission of the artist, or the artist knows beforehand that you want to be designing outfits for them, then I say it should be fine. But if someone links you specific outfits and clear references and you decide to do your own thing regardless, it's not so good ;; for one it's kinda rude to disregard the resources the person gave you, but it also reflects badly on you because then future clients don't know whether you'll actually use what you're given
-> Anything else you would like to advice regarding the topic?
Nah I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head ;u;b this is such a cool and informative journal Reisy homg, and I think it'll be helpful for people who may not have thought of some of these things before
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Ahww it's okay bbu <3
Haha, I dunno why people seem to have problems with Rei's hairstyle but can perfectly draw hard, spikey random hairstyles xD The mystery of life >D
But yeah, that's why I said that using the eyedrop tool can be veeery useful, especially if screens show colors differently.
Crais poor Chika ;o; White-washing is one of the wrost thing OTL Sometimes people even do it on purpose?? Like wtf man.
Omg that Owl picture I remember it x_X Good luck commenting in it! ;;
I had hard time commenting on artworks that got Rei so badly I couldn't even recognize her.
Mhm, exactly! If you have the option, sure use it, but if you are asked specifically to draw them in a certain outfit, then either go with it, or if it's too hard, just simply ask if you can draw anything else or if they can give you another outfit/other OC.
Mhm, the last part is so true ;; I wouldn't commission someone who got my Oc so badly tbh. No matter how cute/pretty the art was.
Thank you very much, for the feedback too! <33
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Thank you for sharing this journal, it was really helpful
Have you ever drawn someone else's OC incorrectly?
mmm..there have been a few times where i mirrored the references to match with the point of view i had chosen, but at that time i didn't notice that mirroring the character changed some details 
Did anyone ever draw your OC incorrectly?
probably. there were a few times in which i wasn't really able to recognize which of my OCs it was, but i don't care. Any fanart of my babies done by someone i don't know is a huge honour to me, doesn't matter how it's drawn
Do you think it's ok to add a new outfit etc..?
personally, i've changed the outfits only in a few contest entries where it explicitly said "you can design new outfits if you want". As for requests, i think it would be better to ask the owner first; i would also suggest to read the character's bio carefully to make sure the new design matches their personality/likes.
Anything else?
mmmm...nothing in particular
btw, do you perhaps know what anime are the gifs from? was it written in the tags?
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I'm glad you enjoyed it! c:
Well, if the OC is symmetric, that's not a problem, but as soon as they aren't, I don't like when people mirror the reference TvT Especially because, let's say on the ref the Oc looks on the left. You draw them looking on the right, so you mirror it. But her hairstyle would be mirrored, I never understood why people would do that TvT I would rather ask for more references on the character then.
Hmm, well it's good that you liked them anyway haha!~ I just think it's pretty sad when you can't even recognize your Oc in the art. How could you then feel happy looking at a character you don't recogize as yours? Makes me feel like loving a mother who doesn't look like my own mother?
Sure, when the option allows for outfit changes, that's totally cool c:
However, even though they read my Oc's bio, they wouldn't be able to draw outfit for my Oc which would fit perfectly, or if yes, that's really rare. Some of my OCs has strict rules on what they wear (for example one of my Oc wears only black-white-grey gothic outfits), so if they want other outfit, they can a) ask for another outfit of the OC b) they can ask me to look for a new outfit c:
It wasn't, but let me see if I can find them c:
1. gif - Kotonoha no Niwa
2. gif- Kiki's Delivery Service
I have no idea where the other 2 are from, sorry! ;o;
Thank you for the feedback! <3
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No problem, thank you so much too >u<
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Mmmmmm very interesting journal 8) I've experienced few times when ppl change my characters' outfits and hairstyle/length without asking me (sometimes even totally out of character and era). Used to happen a lot too when I was still into drawing canines. I'm very picky with outfits as well and I hate it when ppl suggest new outfits (yes sometimes they want me to use them canon) for my characters. Like ples they are not your characters, why would you think you can change everything in them and make them look only pleasing to you. fisurage. I do tell my opinion about these new outfits to these artists ofc. Some ppl however like to do as they please and then I'm like whatever.
But then again I have self changed some of the palettes when drawing someone else's character. Just because the colours hurt my eyes and they didn't look "natural" at all. I wasn't even able to shade my work. I have also done mistakes with character details, usually when I'm doing surprise art and I'm too afraid of asking clarification 8___D
This journal is perff, I would have wished you mentioned that everyone has a different style to draw characters so everything isn't 100% accurate to what you have originally created~
applausee ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)//
Now I feel bad now that I draw the small hair tufts on the top of Rei's head >D
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Crais I feel you senpai OTL I don't think it's okay to just change the outfits or hairstyle of any OC, no matter what artwork. It's always the best to ask the person first, and not just be like "Oh, here is your art, btw I change your Oc's hairstyle and outfit , but hope you like it" like ahhh--
I think as long as the artist is willing to change the errors, mistakes aren't bad. I don't mind if people use a bit darker or lighter shades, but don't change the entire colors to something x_X (like brown to orange or red??)
Well, that's because I didn't think that should be mentioned? Of course your OC won't look the //exact// same as you draw. But I can still draw him/her the same outfit, the same hairstyle, using the same colors, aiming for the same bodytype if my style allows it.
It didn't run through my head people would think the art they get would be 100% copy of theirs : D
Thank you!
LOL yeah, I'm really sensitive to her and her hair especially, so many people drew that thing on the top of her head, it made me feel really picky with people xD
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-> Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what was your feelings about it? What did you do about it (if you did)?
Yeah, this happened to me. ;-; I asked for a request and this person drew mine and two other requests together. She sould have asked first if I wanted my character to be with the others, but she didn't. But, apart from that, she drew my OC completely incorrect. That OC is Tess, btw. She has purple hair and this person colored it pink "because of the lights" (<-quotes). Ummm, okay? I mean, hellooooo, purple=/= pink!! x-x Then, her jeans and jacket are black, but she colored them grey "because black was too black" (<-quotes again). Ahem.... Whaaaaat?! o-o Then, the green she used for the eyes was also incorrect... And well, my OC was totally OOC in that pic. T-T
I nicely told her what I thought and all that, but she took it wrong. She even made a journal to rant about it and she made it look like I were the bad one. .-. And her friend called me "perfectionist bitch". :'D Welp, yeah... I just blocked her and her friend to avoid problems, but I had a bad time. ;~;
-> Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? If yes, why? If not, what would you advice for people to avoid it?
Ummm, in my opinion, I think it is okay if you ask the owner of that OC first. If that person doesn't mind at all, then go ahead. 
Also, this guide is awesome! owo
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Hmm, it's a really tricky issue ;o; Sorry it happened!
Usually when people get my OC that badly, I either ask if they could at least correct the importan tparts (like eye and haircolor, the rest I mind the least) and most of the time either they redo/fix it, or just let me know they won't have time/mood, so I'm like okay with it.
But making a journal wow, that's something oO I've run into people where I asked for an art, and you know me, I'm super behind with everything, so when I wanted to catch up, I started first with replying to comments I got on my art (because those will go fast) and then move on to comment on artworks I got (because I spend lots of time on each of them) and it wa sonly 3 days since the person made the art for me, and I was moving on commenting on the artworks I got when they made a call out journal on how I don't thank the artworks I get and how I'm unthankful and etc etc (literally people was waiting patiently for me for weeks and months - I had a hiatus) but they were so furious because I replied to the comments I got so how "egoistic" I am and stuffs. My friends had to comment on the jounal to effing take it down. They even blocked me xDD
But I saw they unblocked me later. People are weird x_X
Yes, exactly! If the person is okay with it, go ahead! But don't just decide it yourself. You won't know what style the Oc would wear, also recoloring the same outfit is really weird too orz
Thanks for the feedback and thank you! c:
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It's okay now, but yeah, it sucked when it happened. ;n;
Yes, I would have tried to ask her to correct a few parts if she hadn't gone crazy. .-.
Awww, I'm sorry it happened! :c I totally agree with you. I mean, if someone is on hiatus or going through rough times, just wait... (and do note that I'm not too patient irl, but I'm working on that lol x'D), but seriously, making the person feel worse or hurring them if they're already busy with other stuff is so rude. :/
Oh and maybe they forgave you but didn't tell you? I dunno, that's weird lol. People are so weird sometimes... >_>
Yeah, I always worry about drawing a character oocly, so if I doubt, I bore the owner with loads of questions in order to make it right. x'D I usually look at a lot of references, even at art that other people have made of the OC.
It was my pleasure, dear!! And you're welcome! <333
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Yeah for sure OTL
Yeah, it's always weird when the artist gets so defensive or just plain rude aha ;;
Yeah patience is a great thing honestly. I get that people get hurt because many people don't thank them (I saw people do it) but I'm trying my best to catch up with everthing now ;;
I dunno, but honestly I don't even care :'D If they get so rude and immediately make a call out journal without firstly note me privately to talk it over, I don't need their "forgiveness"
Mhm, and if it's a gift, you can even note their friends and ask them to check if you got the details well, I'm sure they would gladly help out.
<3
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I know you are. I am too. x-x I got like 30 minutes to reply to messages, notes and watch some deviatons, but it gets difficult. And it's right before going to sleep, so I'm very tired. x'D Sometimes I can reply to a few at school (break time).
Yeah, that's right. It's better to just forget about those people. -.-
Yup! That's right. ^w^
<33333
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This is very informative~ Rei, what would be your tips regarding
drawing eyes. I know some characters have special designs in their
eyes and sometimes it may be hard to tell if it's just their style or
it's an important part of the character ' O '
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Thank you, glad you found it informative! c:
Hmm, I think the best would be to ask the artist about it! I know I put special designs in some of my OCs' eyes, but I don't expect people to notice or draw it, so it depends on the artist. Just ask, it won't hurt and it's always the best to make sure!<3
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OK I'm so sorry for this huge comment I just have a lot of feelings on this topic quq
Have you ever drawn an OC of someone else's incorrectly? If yes, what did you do after it/what did the artist said about it?
In all honesty, I would disagree on one thing in this piece - I really don't think the eyedropper tool is always the best way to go about colouring someone else's character.
I think altering the colour balance to fit your piece and art style is important. It's good for building mood, making the character fit in the background, or with the tone of light you've chosen. Particularly with D Gray Man uniforms, tbh. I use coloured line art often, and not all colours directly 'dropped from the reference look good together with that line art. I do concur that the eyedropper tool is a good place to start though. That's why often I try to give more than one reference so people get to see how the character looks in different colour schemes or lighting.
I often find that some OCs are so pale, they look essentially white against the backdrop of the canvas. I feel no qualms about taking a little artistic liberty and adding some colour to their skin tone so they look/feel more alive and real to me, unless they're meant to be albino. But, having said that, it is also important to try and stick as close to the original colouring as possible. Dark skinned characters shouldn't be lightened. That's just awful and disrespectful.
Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what was your feelings about it? What did you do about it (if you did)?
I've had some people bizarrely choose to draw my OCs with dark skin not just paler, but literally white (particularly my black or native American OCs :/ ). The issue I encounter more often though is people drawing my overweight characters thin. I once paid quite a bit of money for a YCH I was super excited about, but was completely gutted when they drew all my other characters perfectly except one fat character thin despite me writing on their reference I dislike that. I feel bad about how I've handled it, but I was so disappointed I don't think I've ever spoken to that artist again.
Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? If yes, why? If not, what would you advice for people to avoid it?
In my opinion, you ought to ask if it's alright to draw OCs in a custom outfit, even if it's done as a request. If there's other outfits on their reference, though, and the requester/commissioner doesn't specify which one, then I think it's the artist's choice. I see a lot of people mention in their request journals or whatever that they won't do overly complicated character designs, which I think is a good idea for avoiding things you think you can't/aren't bothered to draw. Same with mentioning that you can't draw old or muscular characters. Doing that is for everyone's sake imho.
Anything else you would like to advice regarding the topic?
I would like to mention that art style can be a huge factor in drawing someone else's character. Imagine being asked to draw a character whose reference is in the Adventure Time style in your current art style. There would be an awful lot of interpretation involved. That's how I feel about some cartoony art styles. Anime styles - especially chibi styles - give me a lot of trouble because they tend to have quite generic faces, while I try very hard to give each of my characters different faces. So often I do interpret, and no one has complained to me yet.
For example, in the last commission I did I know full well I drew the character's hair a tad too long and her palette relatively desaturated compared to her original reference where her hair is almost a neon orange. But changes like that suit my style and the look of the piece a lot more, leading to a much higher quality commission/request overall.
Nowadays I tend to pick artists whose art styles I think will fit my characters or give artists characters I think they can draw, but not everyone does that in return. That's why some of my characters have a huge amount of art from other artists and others have very little even though I do love them and their designs haha. For example, this is how I draw Evie , but I love how she looks here , here , here , and here , in styles and colour schemes relatively different from my own.
If I'm asking for a character I suspect may be difficult to draw (which sadly enough means my OCs with 'interesting' face shapes or darker skin tone) I'll usually tell the artist I don't mind giving them another character if they think the first one is to difficult to draw. But that just means I'm even more disappointed if they accept that character and then draw them incorrectly anyway.
So ultimately, my advice on this issue would be to just use discretion and have respect for someone else's art. Don't be an absolute slave to the reference, or it's hardly worth asking another artist to draw your character. Just use common sense and have respect for both another's character, and your own art style. Have respect for a character's skin tone and design, and you can strike a great balance between your style and the original that pleases both the commissioner and the artist.
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Ahw, sorry for late reply, life stressed me out TvT
Also it's okay for huge comments, I love feedbacks c:
Well, I guess I didn't take into consideration when you work with certain color palettes or darker night colors etc, my bad ;u; However, when you start to draw the character, it's the best to use the correct colors for base colors. For example, if the character has dark brown hair, the night effects will look different on it, but if you use light brown, that'll also look differently, not sure if I could express it well TvT;
It's okay to play with colors! Artistic freedom is very welcomed. But I saw people coloring characters's skin and hair to so many different colors, not even just shades, it was really weird tbh. And not just mine, many of my friends' Ocs had to go through that.
For example, Rei has a medium/darker brown hair. I use at least 5-6 different brown for her hair, so it's not entirely constant. However when I give references, even if it's a bit different shade of brown on the references, when you get an art of her with either RED or ORANGE colors, that's just throw me off.
Mmh, I'm really sorry that happened to you! DD: I know I've had people draw Rei really flat despite me emphasizign that she is pretty busty, plus even giving reference of her with correct chest size.
I know that many people refuse to draw big breasts, which is cool, but sometimes they don't even mention is beforehand.
Mmh, I agree with that fully! As long as they ask and the person is okay with it too, that should be okay c:
Oh, of course, style plays a good part of it! I didn't add that part because honestly I thought that was understable without saying anything about it haha. However, especially if you're a skilled artist, I think even with a realistic style, you could very well draw weird hairstyles and such. Like let's say, your OC has a hair like Goku has with rainbow colors, while it'll be realistic style, but you still have to go by the ref and draw the hair as accurate as you can.
Hmm, that's another topic too, I guess. Because I know I usually draw pretty similar faces, but I try to draw the character as accurate as I can in my own style. Plus it's kinda like.. when you ask for an art, you know what to expect looking at their style. If my Oc has a big nose and big lips, of course in chibi it'll be simplified, because well, that's the ""rule"" for the style.
Variations in faces and bodytypes is a good thing though!<3
Hmm, well if the person was happy with it, I don't see any reason not to do it then c: I just think if the commissioner asks someone specifically to draw something in a way, the artist should stick with it, but of course the artist has every right to decline if they don't want to do it. (Just an example)
I think both sides have right and wishes we all should respect when it comes to draw characters correctly.
For example, if I ask my OC in someone's style, I kinda "imagine" how she would like so I know what I can expect. But when people change her drastically, that just makes me uncomfortable x_X
Mhm, those looks really nice, though I can see how some really differs from your original reference. I think these things are a bigger problem usually when people ask their Oc in a style that's different from theirs. Since I mainly ask for anime style, even if their style is moe/cute/young, and even though Rei is a mature lady, I still enjoy it.
Oh gosh, I feel that so much OTL I gave options to the person, like different outfits of Rei's, so they can choose any they like or they think they can draw. Out of the ref, they chose the hardest and barely added any details. Honestly if it weren't for the dress + sleeves + boots, I'm not sure if I would've recognize her. Like why not choose the outfit which they could draw easily? (Even then Rei's easiest outfit were drawn so badly before aha ;; )
There wasn't any mention about "being a slave to the reference" though. What I recommended though, is to use them as much as they can, because sometimes even a mole on the wrong side, or a badly draw outfit can be bothersome, especially if the rest of the character doesn't resemble to the Oc either.
Thank you so much for the feedback, I'm sorry if it seems a bit random haha TvT ♥♥
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I reaaaally like that you expanded on color palette lighting/shadows and art style differences/interpretations. Hadn't even thought of that, but they're both excellent points!
I also believe your advice/conclusion sums up perfectly the balance between staying true to your art style while still doing the owner's character justice. Best wording I've read so far on the subject
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Én azt az egyet nem értem emberekben, ha lerajzolják a karakterét valakinek, miért nem fogják a ref képet amit kaptak a karakterről, illesztik be és veszik fel a szint róla? Vagy keresnek a galériába olyat pl amin nincs effekt vagy valami. ovO Én mindig ezt csinálom, ez a legegyszerűbb módja hogy az ember azt kapja amilyen a karakter színe.
Meg az szerintem csak az emberi lustaság vagy figyelmetlenség, érdektelenség amikor küldesz egy olyan refet amin totál kivan dolgozva a karaktered még a részletei is kivannak emelve, de mindig lesz valami ami hiányzik róla....Adennél is kb 2x 3x ha kaptam olyan képet ahol mindene ott van rendesen. XD
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Nem tudom, mert buták c": Főleg amikor olyan képet kapnak sokszor, hogy ott vannak az alapszínek külön kis részen stb OTL Vagy hát basszus, meglehet ám kérdezni, hogyha nem biztosa benne.
Ehh, igen :'D Én is ritkán kapok olyan rajzot Reiről amin az egyenruháján a cuccok jól vannak, pedig azért a referencia sheetjén ott vannak külön kiemelve :'D Vagy hogy NEM tudnak olvasni az emberek. Hülye módon úgy rajzoltam meg a haját hogy hátul "kettéválik" hogy megmutassam hogy hátul is van 2 vörös csík, erre az emberek azt hitték olyan a haja. A leírásban kb 2x kiemelte naggyal odaírtam hogy nem válik ketté:'D
Jól megszívtuk xD
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Na bakker hát meg XDDD De azt is észre vettem amugy hogy sokan a leírást se képesek elolvasni :,D
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Have you ever drawn someone else's OC incorrectly? If yes, what did you do after it/what did the artist say about it?
Yes. Due to my old computer screen, the two times I've drawn Amy's Karen I colored her hair too far in the red tones for her shade of brown ;__; Amy said it was fine, but it still bugs me personally and I keep forgetting to go back and fix it, haha;;
There's also the sketch commish I did for Alyssa of her DGM OC Silverton - her bangs are slightly incorrect, and Alyssa showed me how and it's still on my to-do list to find that art file and fix it for her.
Did anyone draw your OC incorrectly before? If yes, what were your feelings about it? What did you do about it?
Yeeeees. It's always poor Kira. Her skin is reddish brown, but everyone colors it white, haha. Or the change her eyes from blue to brown. Or they draw her hairstyle incorrectly despite my how to draw her hair guide. I find it really hard to appreciate an artwork of my character where my character doesn't even... well... look like my character. Sure, the art might be pretty, but I can't appreciate it fully - if anything I feel bad looking at my character drawn incorrectly.
I've tried making more detailed references (for instance, I drew the DGM OC third uniform small details in a corner of the artwork reference - zoomed in too!) and went so far as to make an actual picture I include in my reference links that says "MY SKIN IS BROWN!". Even with these, though, people have still gotten her wrong ;-; It's made me sooo picky when requesting and commishing haha;;
Do you think it's okay to add a whole new outfit on an OC if it's done as a request? Etc etc
I think if someone has gone out of their way to make a detailed and clear reference and request that their chara get drawn in the clothing in said reference then the artist should stick to that. On the flip side, if the artist lists in their journal or offer that they'll probably be changing outfits or details, then I think it's fine if the artist gives a new outfit - because they warned the folks requesting/commishing them that they would.
I know I've commissioned folks before that would ask if they could draw my chara in another outfit, and I've said yeup sure; if they never warned me beforehand, it's rather disappointing - especially if I don't like the outfit xD //if it's a request, I usually overlook it and think twice about requesting again - but if it's a commission, I'd never commish them again haha;
Anything else / advice / etc?
To me it's also really important to at the very least try and get a character's details as accurate as possible - especially when you're getting paid for it. Details are what MAKE a character. If you change important details on a character without permission or without warning, a lot of times that character will no longer be recognizable to the owner or others. It's quite frustrating too for chara owners who spent hours designing their characters and drawing out said designs on a reference sheet only to have someone they gave money to draw them incorrectly, haha.
Personally, I never commission or request art from people who I've seen draw character's inaccurately, or miss important details, or without warning change details //shrugs. When I request or commission someone for my character, I expect them to draw my character, not a person I can't recognize with the wrong hair style or wrong skin color and clothes, etc. People who draw characters incorrectly often have less commissioners, from what I've seen.
On the same token, I've requested and commished art before where the artist was like 'yo I dunno if I can draw this right but I'll try!' In which case I was like yeh sure bro, thanks for the heads up. At that point I wouldn't mind certain errors - like, say, the details on the third uniform being messed up; this is because the artist warned me beforehand and acknowledged they may fall short but still try their best. I've overlooked a lot of skin color inaccuracies on traditional art as well, especially since a lot of my charas are dark-skinned and the artist usually told me beforehand they didn't have that pigment or color.
With that said, as you pointed out reptitively, communication is key. Never be afraid to note the owner of the chara you've been asked to draw - 9 times out of 10 they'll appreciate being warned beforehand rather than excitedly clicking on the result only to find surprise surprise their chara was drawn incorrectly or not as they expected them to. You'll find too that when you draw characters correctly, people are far more inclined to request and commission you - and you'll have a higher percentage of pleased clients!
Those are my thoughts anyway lD
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- Mhm, that happens of course, I remember when I was still in high school, the computers there had such a different contrast, it was weird to look at my own artworks x_x
Mhm, and I think that's really cool, that you're willing to fix it! Good luck with it!<3
- Crais don't even mention, poor Kira bby ;___; I mean one or two cases, like ok, shit happens, but then you have sooo many references for her, it's a bit sad to see people ignoring them :'D
Mhm, I agree, like the artwork can be as gorgeous as ever, but if you can't recognize your character, that's a hard case then OTL
Yeah, that's also important, because it'll make people's reputation go bad, and obviously no one wanna pay money/points to people who got their characters wrong - and didn't even tried to fix it or look for a solution.
- " I think if someone has gone out of their way to make a detailed and clear reference and request that their chara get drawn in the clothing in said reference then the artist should stick to that."
This is so true, defintiely agree! And I do agree with the second part as well, if it's mentioned, people can't complain - as long as it's done tastefully (you know what I mean aha)
Yeah I mean, it's not that hard to simply ask? I'm pretty open to new outfits and such, just ask me, and I can even add ideas or guides to help them with it.
I know I've had people to draw Rei in different outfits despite me asking them directly to keep the same outfit c":
- Right though, if you're paying for it, it's a hug turn off when they get it all wrong - and I'm not talking about 1-2 small changes, but how could you be trusted when you can't even handle drawing a character in the same outfit/looking like themselves.
Yeah, I mean, I still would rather have my Oc in that outfit, since I'm paying for it, but it's okay if they say they want another outfit, because too hard to draw, then I'll give them others. And if they come up with some random, that's just... weird to me c":
- Definitely! Inside and outside traits are what making the character OUR character, even the most cliché/simple looking. As you've said, people worked on those references for hours and hours to provide the best source (most of the time) and when they're mainly or mostly ignored, it's pretty disrespectful too.
Crais, exactly OTL Some minor missing details are ok with requests, but with commission you expect them to do a good job - as much as they can on their level, since I know what I can expect from them.
Mhm, as long as we're warned beforehand, I don't mind if it's not exactly the same. Or I can always offer them another chara/outfit as well, I have more simplier OCs so they can choose.
Mhm, in traditional art, it's extremely hard to get the colors right, I couldn't even get the colors right with my markers either, so I have elss expectations toward trd artists regarding this.
Mhm, that's the most important thing. Always ask and ask, it's alway the best to ask 4 times than doing something terrible wrong.
Thanks for the feedback!<3
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#THIS
is something I will keep in my fav forever and ever :3
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Ahww, thank you, Nagi! *hug* <3
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This is a great way to help artists. I always come across people who draw my characters and take their own 'creative' view with them to the point they are hard to recognize. Thanks for making it, I'm sure many can benefit from reading it. ^^
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Oh gosh, sorry to hear that! D: Stuffs happens sadly, I hope it won't be common in the future!
Me thank you very much for reading and sharing your feedback! <3
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It happens, and thanks. XD
Yeah no problem, it's a great little article.
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