Hello everyone! I would love to know some tips about shading. I struggle with it and my drawings ends up looking rather muddy. Is it because of the value difference? Do I have to use more pencils to achieve the correct value I need? Here is my recent drawing and reference. Thank you very much for help!

I have always hoped something like this was out there. I study mostly on my own at home online. I have attended Watts Atelier in person a few times since I live relatively close, but due to a demanding non-art career, that can be very difficult. Studying online is a godsend (Watts Atelier and New Masters Academy, and Chris' YouTube channel!). I will share where I am in my art journey, which I started in 2020 (I talked about this in my comment to Chris' "welcome" post.) I look forward to interacting with other artists here very much! I have mostly been focusing on charcoal, ink, and watercolor, but I hope to start learning oil painting next year. I consider myself a "hardcore hobbyist". I don't really aspire to be a professional, but I want to study and train to get to that level. Maybe when I am older and retired, I can open up my humble little art gallery and sell something every now and then but mostly look forward to having more free time to focus on art. :D

Hello and Welcome to the Society of Figurative Art. This community is the home of the most beautiful art in the world. We are a community of: - Creators of all skill levels - Professionals, experts and masters of the craft - Art lovers and appreciators - Collectors and curators Thank you for being a part of our community and supporting our mission to restore beauty in our modern world. Reply below to get started... Step 1: Introduce yourself in THIS THREAD below! (✄ copy/paste template 👇) Where are you from and where did you study? What are you working on? Who are 3 of your favorite artists or influences? Step 2: Review the community rules and check out our resources in the Classroom...

A quick post to highlight how important it is to find good references. It is not just about 'finding a horse,' for example, but more about 'finding a horse with a pose that works aesthetically in art.' A strong reference can give you 50% of the work already done. I am sure Chris already mentioned this, but if you choose a portrait with the right lighting, you are already halfway there. After that, it is just about applying your theoretical knowledge to the rendering.

This Friday, I had the chance to visit The Met in NYC with @Tim Dosé , and we spent time exploring the breathtaking John Singer Sargent exhibition. While Sargent’s finished paintings are always a showstopper, what truly moved me this time were his sketches — the raw, intimate studies done in pencil and charcoal that rarely get the spotlight. Some of these sketches struck me immediately — especially those that echoed the figure of Madame X. Though the exhibition doesn’t explicitly connect each one to the final painting, I noticed what seemed to be recurring studies of her across different works. It’s a reminder of how much groundwork Sargent put in before arriving at his iconic compositions. He didn’t just dive into the masterpiece — he explored, iterated, and refined through thumbnail after thumbnail. But here’s the other thing that really inspired me: not all of the sketches were tied to a final painting. Some were simply exercises. Practice figures. Random musings in line and form. And honestly? They were just as powerful. They showed a master staying loose, curious, and committed to the process — even when the goal wasn’t a gallery wall. @Chris Legaspi has always emphasized this: thumbnail, explore, stay connected to the work. Whether you're planning a masterpiece or simply studying for the sake of growth, those reps matter. So I’m sharing some of the sketches I found — both the deliberate studies and the spontaneous ones — because they remind me (and hopefully you too) that every drawing counts. Whether it’s a warm-up, a throwaway, or a deep dive into a final piece — it all builds your eye, your hand, your connection to the work. Let me know what you see in these. What do they make you feel about your own process? Let’s keep drawing. Let’s keep learning. Let’s keep growing.