More Pictures

@mytwistedsoul I don't know about amazing but thanks!

@WorkingitThrough2 Thanks. I'm always hesitent to show anything because I don't want to be viewed as showing off (which I'm not). 

@IchooseLife79 Thanks. I generally don't like sharing because I've had people be quite critical but I decided to chance it.

@slowdecline48 I could try to find a reference for Bill the Cat. Opus was done because I was trying to remember Christmas specials/episedes and I recalled that one. I even did Ziggy in the oversized Santa suit from his Christmas special. Not many people recognized that one either.

@slowdecline48

@Enthenia It's mostly a matter of skill & training. Seriously.

My father was an artist when he was alive; it runs in the family. He was never as good at it as I was--he admitted as much, once--but he was entirely self-taught, whereas I learned from several others. Dad was my first teacher but I took lessons in high school & college. Also learned from art books. Then of course we have the Net now...."YouToob University" has taught me a few things, mostly about pen & ink, & watercolors. My old man never had any of those advantages. I did...& so do you.

If you like cartooning & want to stick with your current style, that's cool. But if you want to use pencils & draw super-realistically, you can start with this book. I've had a copy on my bookshelf for well over 2 decades now & still refer to it occasionally. Even if you only use half of what's in it, your art will change markedly. The author has video courses, too. They're on his own website & you have to pay for access, but they have instruction that, I've been told, one can't find anywhere else. (Also, you only pay once & you can watch as often as you need to)

Other recommendations if you (or any artist here) wants or needs them:

• for anatomy: George Bridgman is the source. He was an artist & instructor in the early 20th century; his books are among the best ever written. If you can only get one, go with his Complete Guide to Drawing from Life. His The Human Machine is great if you want to do comics-type illustration with superheroes.
• If you like realism in ink, go with The Technical Pen. I've never seen anyone else with Gary Simmons' approach, & it has influenced my work for the better. Even if you only use fineliners or gel-ink ballpoints, you can still use his techniques. Alphonso Dunn also has a book out, plus how-to vids on his YT channel....he's got skills. Many younger artists like him a lot. If you're retro & like old-school penwork, look for Arthur Guptill's book.
• For realism in colored pencils, jeez, I dunno...there are quite a few books out there. If you're into animals/wildlife, you could try using this book. I'm unfamiliar with the author but she seems competent enough. Kristy Ann Kutch's manual is popular now. I do not recommend anything written by Ann Kullberg...who knows, maybe you'd like her work & can learn from it. Her style & approach don't appeal to me.
• A major part of realistic art is depicting light & dark. This little tome is literally under 20 bucks & will tell you everything you need to know about it. There are also 1,001 YT vids with similar info; Vimeo probably has quite a few on its own site as well.

@luckylistener Thanks! I seem to be able to match colors well. At least on paper.

@compassionateCar7091 thanks! They aren't print quality but if a fee seem to like them, I guess that's fine.

@lovelyButterfly2844 That's difficult to pinpoint. My father did some drawing and I guess I started up then but got frustrated because I couldn't do it like him. Took art in high school and went on to graphic design in college even though I had a teacher tell me I had no skills.

Got interested in 3D modeling in college but was more interested in environments because I couldn't see how to turn the basic shapes into characters (tried a couple times & they were pretty bad). Realized I didn't have what it took to be successful in the field and quit school. Threw pretty much all of my pictures away.

Didn't really do anything again for quite a few years. Only started up again to keep myself from getting bored at the job I had at the time.

The fact that I "drew" came up in an online chat with someone and he was interested in what I could do. Was hesitant to show anything but someone else persuaded me to. And the challenge of trying to do a picture a day started. 

None of them are museum quality but they kept me occupied especially when things were shut down back in 2020. 

Who's in the 2nd pic? It kinda looks like Spawn...