/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>32784537
A common mistake that beginners tend to make is overusing their wrist for line-making. If you think of your various arm joints - shoulder, elbow and wrist - as being able to move in circles of varying size, you'll realize that the wrist movement, having the smallest "radius", naturally creates the smallest circle. This translates into a tendency to curve over smaller distances.
If you lock your wrist and make most of your movements by pivoting further up the arm, you're extending this radius and thereby creating a larger circle of movement when you draw - which will lead to smoother and less pronounced curvature.

The angle and direction at which you're creating the line are also contributing factors - lines going towards or away from you are naturally harder, since you're controlling multiple muscles and joints to extend/retract the arm. A line that follows the circle of movement created by your pivoting point will be easier, since you have a stable fixed position that just needs to be swung in the right direction. Even then, whether you're moving the pen inwards towards your chest or outwards can also impact the control - I personally find it easier to control when moving the pen outwards, but your mileage may vary.

>>32785640
This is because you're probably used to writing with the wrist, but you're completely unused to using your elbow or arm as the main moving part for precision actions. It will get easier with practice, and will be much more stable in the long run due to the reasons mentioned above. Try practicing this traditionally as well - it might be difficult matching your hand-eye-screen coordination at the same time if you're working on a non-screen tablet (which I assume you are).

It's certainly not easy - took me quite a few hours to just grasp the basics, let alone get used to it - but the payoff is significant, especially if you intend to learn art in any notable capacity in the future. Less physical strain, better stability, and less muscle pains. Just keep practicing regularly and you'll get it eventually.

A common, simple exercise you can do is plot two points and attempt to connect both in one fell stroke. If you're unsure where the line goes, try "ghosting" the line - ie. making mock movements of the path you're going to take before committing to the line. It'll be pretty wonky at first but you should be able to see improved results within a few days of practice.

Good luck, anon. Keep at it.

>>30697713
this is true