Good day! Since the beginning of the year, I have made an agreement with myself to improve my skills in drawing. The weekly art activity of ArtPark helped me do that actually since it challenged me to consistently draw.

To check my progress, I have redrawn an old drawing I did when my drawing tablet was still a few months old.

My Digital Painting, Then and Now

The drawing on the left was my first try on digital painting. I named her "Cleopatra" because of her thin and pointy nose, piercing eyes, and the gold accessory on her hair. I was actually trying to draw LiSA (Demon Slayer singer) but this was how my hand interpreted it.

Meanwhile, the drawing on the right is my recent digital painting. I did this drawing last week and forgot to post it because I've forgotten to write it on my list so it was totally forgotten until I checked my drafts few days ago. Yikes! Well, I tried not to think of LiSA on my redraw and went on how I would just draw a character on my style.

The Noticeable Change

After redrawing, there's one major thing I have immediately noticed.

I have improved drawing parts of the face. It's not the best if you would compare it to other artists' drawings, but at least I can draw their shapes better and make better proportion. (Pats myself on the shoulder.)

I guess I have also improve a little in coloring and drawing those gold heart accessory on her hair. Look, I have even put some freckles on her nose and cheek area now! Hehe.

Looks like I made her lashes too thick and exaggerated. But that's alright! Guess I should refrain from getting excited to draw lashes. On the other hand, I've also learned to use blending tools like Add(Glow), Overlay, etc. I have no idea about these tools when I began painting.

There's still a lot to learn and improve on as I am not very satisfied with the result, but I am still happy because I can definitely see my progress. Getting great at art is something you really can't achieve overnight or in a short span of time. But to be fair, there are fast learners too. And of course, there are the slow learners. I am one who belongs to the latter. Lol. Art is a journey that we should savor and enjoy each step. And when you get there, it will be a joy to peek on how far you have been and how you have overcome those hurdles and difficult roads.

Cleopatra isn't actually my first redrawn character. There's one that I made a redraw of last 2017, months after drawing Cleopatra. I was supposed to make a redraw of it last November but art block had striken and had forgotten about it totally. Hopefully, I could redraw her soon or in the coming months.

Drawing Process

I applied my current drawing technique for Cleopatra and I was able to draw with ease even though I quite felt anxious at some point because I felt a pressure to make it look better because it is a redraw. Lol.

I used a watercolor brush for painting most of the drawing and a softer brush for the blush and another brush for the freckles. The brushes' names are in Kanji characters and I can't read it. Sorry.

To complete my drawing, I overlayed an oil paper texture.

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Medium: Digital (Wacom Intuos Comic)
Program: Clip Studio Paint Debut
Time: Approximately 3 Hours
Gif made on Photoshop CS6

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Do you also redraw your old drawings?