This is a meme for artists who want to improve and feel more confident about their art. It works best for artists who draw or paint figures. Just pick a piece in your gallery that you think you can make better and ~ redline it! Generally, your supposed to politely ask another artist to redline your work, but in the case of this meme, we are going to proactively help ourselves by looking at our own work objectively. Post your original work on the left, and post the redlined drawing on the right.

DOWNLOAD Adobe Photoshop .psd version here [link]

Example: [link]

What are redlines?

Redlines refers to when an artist draws over an existing piece of art, to help correct mistakes. Usually, when someone makes corrections, they use a bright red pen for the sake of visibility, hence the name.

Good Examples - [link] [link] [link] [link] [link]

Why are redlines important?

Sometimes when we draw, it's really hard for us to see our own faults even when other people can see them easily. An experienced redliner can help show you what other people see and explain how to fix it. In short, they really open your eyes. Also, many artists tend to be visual learners and have a really hard time fully understanding a lengthy written critique. Redlines (although I suggest they be accompanied by some written explanation) might help others when critique had failed them.

Before You Start

- Pick a piece in your gallery that you are legitimately unhappy with.

- It doesn't have to be old, it can be last week so long as you feel confident that you can improve it.

- Examine the piece you have chosen. Think hard. Imagine what you wanted it to be. Regain the vision you had for it. Picture the character, scene, etc. in your mind again and hold on to any emotions you get.

- Be honest and harshly critique the piece. Fully analyze and dissect it as if you were in school. What do you absolutely hate about it? What doesn't look so good?

- An optional step is to ask your friends on DA or post around in other art forums and ask others what they think you should do. You don't have to listen to everyone's opinion, but if a couple people say the same thing, they're probably right.

- Now that you have re-familiarized yourself with you art, it's time to form a plan. Ask yourself, what tools do you need to succeed? Is there a particular part of the anatomy you'll have to look up references for? Should you consult a tutorial? What will make you feel comfortable?

- Pick a focus. What is the biggest issue with your anatomy? Are there other issues? The lineart? The coloring? The lighting? Shading? Perspective? Set a goal for yourself to tackle the biggest hurdle.

When drawing

- Open a new file with the drawing you want to redline. Don't try to do it in the meme. Drop it in after your done.
- Lower the opacity of your original drawing before you draw over it. This way you have more visibility.
- Trust your gut. Even if a small detail looks out of place to you, it is worth fixing.
- Keep drawing until you're 100% happy. If even one part of your drawing you don't like, work on it until you LOVE it!


Clubs



This idea is based off the "Draw this Again! Meme" by *Bampire [link]