There hasn't been an artist out there who hasn't gone through some form of "Art Block" every now and then in their lives, and it's never any fun when that happens. Well, today we introduce our new series "Art Block Blaster", which is a series of features we're putting together in order to inspire you and to help you get through those rough patches of art blocks!!! When an art block happens, nothing better than try new things and learn new techniques!!!

Writing Tutorials:

9 Qualities Readers Want in Your Story's AntiheroPLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND RECORDS, IT IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEWEST VERSION.
9 Qualities Readers Want in Your Story's Antihero
One of the most trending archetypes in modern literature and movies is the antihero. As such, it is also one of the most abused, used often to gain an automatic audience following, or to add sex appeal to a product. Alternatively, I see many beginning writers use the term “antihero” do describe a gritty, dark, or moody hero. All that being said—when created correctly, the antihero story is one of the best types available; which leaves only the matter of knowing the qualities which make a c :thumb517160534: 10 YouTube Channels that Will Improve Your WritingPLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND RECORDS, IT IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEWEST VERSION.
10 YouTube Channels that Will Improve Your Writing – With Links
There are a plethora of resources for the beginning writer: from books on writing, to amazing stories, to published writers who regularly blog. Today, I want to share my compilation of important YouTube channels for developing your writing skills, and share why each is important—organized by what purpose they serve. Watch them when bored, listen to them as you clean or when you feel uninspired, and be sure to subscribe to their channels.
Writing Tips and Tricks:
8 Things Publishers are looking for in your Poetry8 Things Publishers are looking for in your Poetry
While I am, primarily, a novelist, I have had a bit of experience with poetry. I've been published, worked for a small poetry magazine, and was promoted to Editor-In-Chief of the magazine for about a year. As such, I know quite a bit about what magazines look for when selecting a poem to publish, and would like to share my knowledge with you. Writers of fiction will also do well to note these suggestions, as they also apply to fiction.
Quality 1: Your poem must speak to universal human experience.
Don't get me wrong, many good poems come from personal experience. However, they must speak to universal human experience—not feelings and thoughts that are unique and meaningful to only you.
Quality 2: Your poem should firmly engage multiple senses.
As an Editor, I far too often saw poems that exclusively engaged the sense of sight. Humans have five senses, if not more, at your disposal—all to help craft the verbal picture you wi 7 Guidelines to Carefully Craft Story ParagraphsPLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND RECORDS, IT IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEWEST VERSION.
7 Guidelines to Carefully Craft Every Paragraph in your Story – With Reference Links
One of the most unexpectedly difficult tasks in writing is learning how to craft paragraphs. It's simply not a skill that we learn in most schools, and mostly relies on our reading and slowly learning the skill from those authors who have mastered it. However, from what limited resources exist on the internet, we can build a checklist to make sure that all of our paragraphs have a solid foundation, as we learn the craft.
Guideline 1: The first paragraph of your chapter must reveal POV, location, se 5 Qualities Readers Want in Your Story's Villain
PLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND RECORDS, IT IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEWEST VERSION.
5 Qualities Readers Want to See in Your Story's Villain
A story is only as good as its villain. And while the antagonist of your story does not have to be a “villain,” they do have to live up to certain reader expectations if you want your story to be of any merit. So here are the top 5 qualities that readers want and need to see in your story's villain.
Quality 1: Your villain should be a dynamic, true-to-life character.
Remember, we are talking villains here, not monsters. And unlike a monster, a villain should be a person. This means that no matter what race, gender, or even 6 Suggestions for Overcoming Writer's BlockPLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN ACTIVE FOR PURPOSES OF EDUCATION AND RECORDS, IT IS OUTDATED. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE NEWEST VERSION.
6 Suggestions for Overcoming Writer's Block or Lack of Inspiration
A writer writes, always. But sometimes there is simply no motivation—our muse simply does not motivate us like it normally does, and we have to think of ways to cope with the situation so that our writing does not depend on fleeting emotions or feelings. Here are my top suggestions for overcoming “writer's block” and for continuing writing no matter what.
Suggestion 1: Remind yourself that writer's block does not exist.
Except for as an excuse not to write, writer's block does not exist. N  

Drawing & Painting Tutorials:

Artists Toolbox: Digital Tutorials and Fur BrushesArtists Toolbox
Work With The Best
As a Digital Artist our world of creativity comes with a wide variety of tools at our disposal. Here you will find a list of tutorials that will help you with your Digital Art. Whether it's with backgrounds, details, or just brushes.
Why Should I use Tutorials For My Digital Art?
Digital Art is becoming increasingly popular for artists transitioning from traditional art to another medium. It's a medium that has a wide variety of options available to every artist out there and that's why it's so appealing ( among other long listed reasons )! Tutorials are essential but how do you know which one to choose?
Who's The Artist? This might seem like a silly question but it's important to look at the artist in which the tutorial is created from. Does their tutorials exhibit an array of skill that will be helpful to you? Is it clear and concise? Does examples of their own art display What Ruins A Painting?
What Ruins A Painting?
(or makes it better)

            We all had those kind of paintings at some point, looking at which we felt something is not right – something is not right – But could not find it. What went wrong? We have put every finest details and all our patience in it. Then?
Art has its own science. Science that makes a successful art – something that comes out exactly you thought of and leaves the same impact on your audience. That science is known as composition in art and music. Where your eyes will go at first, how you will draw attention, how much attention you will draw – these are not luck, but pure science. A well thought designed piece is always successful. So mastering the brushes are not enough, we have to learn about the basics that make a successful art!
Hence, today, we will talk about the 'bad' elements which are solemnly responsible for rui :thumb504933921:

Photomanipulation Tutorials:

:thumb507691301: :thumb507528674: Photomanipulation walkthroughStep 1: Idea (message, composition)
You decided that you want to make a photomanipulation. But what to make? There are so many photomanipulations already out there and mostly with the same theme. So you decide you don't just want to stick a pretty girl onto a beautiful background. No you want to be original and have your manipulation portray a message everyone can relate to.
Think of things that are important to you, that lay close to your heart. They can be emotions (love, hate, sadness, anger) or experiences, hobbies (art, sports etc), things you are struggling with. Or they can be global themes like (beauty, money, economy, eating disorders, war, relationships etc.)
Of course if you choose to portray something as love there are many ways to do so. Do you want it to be a surreal depiction of love, or dark, fantasy, sci-fi, conceptual, humourous... your choice will of course decide the whole 'feel' of the image.
So choose wisely as they say.
Now that you have your theme you nee

Traditional Art Tutorials:

:thumb485767180: PencilsArtist's Toolbox
Let’s talk about pencils, the handy tool that every artist uses. The pencil can seem pretty basic at first glance, just a mundane everyday object. But the pencil can create magic:
     
There are a variety of brands of pencils that you can use for art and a variety of kinds. Let’s quickly look at some examples:
Graphite Pencils: This is your humble every day pencil. It is useful for sketches and full scale black and white work. There are many brands ranging from cheap to expensive. Art graphite pencils vary in hardness. The best way to think of hardness is how easily the graphite smudges or applies to the paper.  F is the lightest and the hardest lead (the graphite filling of a pencil) and 9B is the softest and darkest lead Artists Toolbox: MarkersArtists Tool Box: Markers
So today I want to talk to you guys about one of my favourite colouring tools: markers.  We've all seen them and used them, from the scented ones that some of us tried not to lick in grade 1 to the Crayolas that are everywhere to Sharpie Markers in the back-to-school section to the fancy markers that can only be bought in art supply stores.  So here's what you need to know about markers
The Basics
Cheap or expensive, easy to find or not, markers can be easily broken down into 2 types: water-based and alcohol-based.  For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to stick with 4 of the most common brands of art markers: Sharpies, Prisma Colors, Copics and Lyra Aqua Brush Pens.  Of these, only the Lyra markers are water-based; the other 3 are alcohol based.
Lyras, Copics and Prisma Colors tend to be double ended; one end tends to have a wider, wedge shaped tip and the other end typically has a finer tip or a brush.  Sharpies are single ended :thumb487997225: 9 Reasons to LOVE YOUR INK!1. - Ink can be used for drawing, writing or painting, anything you chose! You can use it with a brush, cartridge pens or drawing nibs, even a goose-quill will do!
2. - Ink can be water-soluble or, unlike watercolor, waterproof. Once dried out, it stays where you left it, it doesn't run away from you!
3. - Ink can be watered down and used as washes, just like watercolor, but it can be used at full strength, achieving more consistent results!
4. - Ink, when dried on paper, results in a very appealing velvety surface.
5. - Ink is in many cases a lot cheaper than watercolor, even school quality (very cheap) inks bring lovely and very satisfactory results.
6. - Inks are colorful! Forget the black ink, you will be able to buy whole variety of colored inks. Also, you can mix them together to create many more colors & hues!
7. - White ink is a perfect assistant in many other techniques, use it to create highlights and special effects!
8. - Ink 9 Reasons to PAINT WITH WATERCOLOR1. - Watercolors are FAST. They dry fast and you can finish a painting within one day. Given that you learn with every finished painting, you learn fast!
2. - Watercolors don't stink. No dangerous chemical fumes, no headaches, usable around little children. Isn't that a wonderful reason!
3. - Watercolors are easy to clean. You don't make a lot of mess, and if you do, what water fouled, water will clean.
4. - There is no need for white paints. All the lightness is already given by your paper.
5. - Watercolors are practical to use outdoors. All your tools will fit into a small pocket.
6. - Watercolors are RELAXING. It must be the flooding, but whenever working with water and brush, your mind is set on ease.
7. - Watercolors bring transparent, delicate and ethereal results. Sometimes even a few well-lead brush strokes deliver sightly accomplishment.
8. - Watercolors are DIVERSE. They can be used in many very different ways and are ea Artist's toolbox: Watercolor Equipment
✿   Watercolor Equipment

Watercolor is a painting technique in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder. Usually, the result is transparent and appear luminous because the pigments are laid down in a relatively pure form with a few fillers obscuring the pigment color. This medium was never taken as seriously as "high art" techniques such as oil painting and was rather seen as pale and miniaturist, but it's gradually reclaiming it's place as a vehicle for the most beautiful and unexpected artistic expression. Watercolor can be vibrant and large, very vital, spontaneous and leaning a little on luck. All these aspects make watercolor painting a medium with great potential for new discoveries. 


✿     This article will introduce the most b

DA Related Tutorials:

How to Make a Good Group Senior Week
Have you ever wanted to make a group? Or already made?
When you made one, is it active and do you like it?
I want to express in this article my experience on how to make a group! - Hopefully a good one!
Make A Group
About us
When you want to make a group, you need to think of an idea, what the group should be about and describe it with your own words first.
Such as, « Project Educate, originally launched in 2008 by the Community Relations team, is a project to promote and support artistic growth and knowledge throughout the community. The project includes contests, interviews, and various other events for artistic and community involvement. » - projecteducate
Location
After the description DeviantArt ask to pick the location of the group. It may be a Global group or it is specific for a continen Do's and don'ts for flawless interactionNot much to say about this.
Just some basic tips and tricks for flawless interaction on DeviantArt  
Watching
Do
Watch people when you honestly find them interesting.
 Watch your friends, even if they don't have amazing art. It helps you stay updated with their progress.
 Watch groups. They'll offer you a fine selection of art you're interested in, and will help you discover new (interesting) artists.
 Check the faves of people you watch. As you like their work, you might have similar tastes in art. Checking their faves might help you find cool art.
 Recommend art from people that you watch for a Daily Deviation (if good art, of course).
Don't
 Uncheck all boxes when watching. There's nothing more disappointing than an empty watch.
Avoid That dAramaAnyone who has been an internet user for a period of time should know that drama is one of the hallmarks of the absolutely wonderful technology that allows us to be connected 24/7. It's like glitter, one moment all you see is just a fleck of it then suddenly, it's everywhere. DeviantArt is chock full of massive amounts of it (drama, not glitter!) at any given time, so let's talk about what you need to know to avoid it (aaaand what to do if you find yourself in it)!
I just caused the argument because... I wanted to get more pageviews, I wanted to be popular, for the lulz, I was bored
 
Girl, bye.
I ALWAYS have to reply
If you think the interwebs is the only place you'll find people you don't agree with, I think it's time you spent a little more time away from your computer. First off, let me say that there's nothing inherently wrong about disagreeing with someone. Nothing at PE: Presentation mattersPresentation matters
It's not just the artwork that tells you something about it's creator - on the internet, the way you present it is at least equally as important. Your painting can be a masterpiece, hanged in a local gallery, but as long as you post a blurry, badly cropped picture named "1564873" along with "..." in an artist's description, nobody will ever bother visiting your gallery. Creating a nice, representative profile page and setting a certain visual quality standard takes extra time and effort, but if you really care for your work (even if it's just a hobby), you should treat it with some respect.
I've already written a related article called The power of context that tried to explain how to place your work in a context in order to better connect with your audience, this one is focused Tips For Commission ArtistsHello! I thought of making this small guide, based from my personal experience, to give tips to artists, mostly beginners, to be more successful at selling commissions, since seeing from my previous journal many had difficulty with it. So here are some tips to help boosting your sales.
Have your commission info somewhere visible
Possibly, people won't even know you are taking commissions or if they are open if you don't put your commission info somewhere they can see. You can do this in a journal, that I mostly recommend, since it will be showing into your watcher's inboxes and most of your watchers probably rarely visit your profile page. You could still also use the commission widget, or donation poll to write your info. You can also link to your commission info in your signature or the artist's comment of new drawings you upload.


Keep it simple
Don't add too many unnecessary rules or in You CAN Do It Too! Commissions, Exposure, and...
Do you feel like no one cares about your artwork?  That no matter how hard you try, you'll never improve?  Well, I've been there before.
A little less than a year ago, I didn't even have 100 watchers.  It was tough trying to find commissions, even though I priced them around 10 - 100 an hour.  Sure, I had some wonderful people supporting me (thank you very much for that!), but when I looked at the thousands of diehard fans the "popular" artists had, I felt kinda useless.  It seemed like even a thousand watchers, or just being able to earn minimum wage was impossible.  Sometimes I wanted to cry from all the effort I put in.  I kept drawing and drawing but barely improving.  I was frustrated and felt useless.  But instead of giving up, I pushed myself even harder, and by God's grace it's starting to work out for me.
I now have over 16,000 amazing people encouraging me, and I know it's only a matter of tim :thumb471180916:

Photography Tutorials:

Please Release Me!Stock & Resources
PREFACE: WE ARE NOT ATTORNEYS AND DO NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. WE ARE ONLY SHARING BEST PRACTICES THAT WE HAVE USED INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, ART BUYERS, EDITORS AND PRODUCERS.ULTIMATELY, ONE SHOULD CONSULT WITH COUNSEL.  ALSO, THIS INFORMATION APPLIES ONLY TO COMMERCIAL IMAGERY, NOT TO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY, FINE ART OR PHOTOJOURNALISM.
There is an urban legend that adheres to the belief that taking a photograph takes part of ones' soul. I don't know about that, but I do believe that basic etiquette applies at the very least when taking pictures of people, animals, property, etc. that could ultimately be used commercially. In many cases, basic laws involving copyright, rights of publicity and rights of privacy also apply to these uses. At some point in your photography career, you will get a request to either sell, license or grant permission for someone to use your work. Getting releases in order will make that process a lot easier, and, u Artists' Toolbox: The 50mm LensAstrikos for projecteducate
Nifty Fifty
The 50mm lens is a great, great lens.
It's versatile, fast and bright, and mimics the view of the human eye (on a full frame. If shot with an APC-S size sensor, it ends up being more like a 80mm). It's also light and easy to carry around. Not only that, but the f/1.8 variety is usually very cheap. The one I use was priced at around $100. Of course, there's the extremely nice f/1.4 variety, but that costs a lot more. If you need a sharp prime lens on a budget, the 50mm f/1.8 is a great deal. 
Prime lenses: Prime lenses do not have a zoom range. They're often sharper than their zoom lens counterparts because they lack the extra moving glass elements that the zoom need. This allows them to capture clearer images and are usually sharper. Since prime lenses are simpler, they usually can open up pretty wide, making them faster and more useful in low light situations.
Versatility
One of the best th 5 Tools for Photographing JewelleryArtists Tools
There are quite a few photographs on DeviantART that depict Jewellery and in particular Jewellery photography is popular within the Artisan Crafts and Still Life galleries. So here are some basic tips to capturing your Jewellery at its best whether you want to sell your products or just show them off.. 
Light Boxes
I've recently used one of these to do some commercial photography and they work quite well. They're great for photographing small items on white backgrounds and having that clean, sharp commercial look. For those that haven't used them before, Lightboxes are translucent surfaces illuminated from behind which are designed to highlight the shape laid upon them in high contrast. Think about those boxes used to highlight X-rays in a hospital - just like that. They can be fairly decently priced and you can pick up bargains on places like Ebay. There's also a great article talking you through how to create your own. Check it out DIY Photography ToolsArtists Tools
Articles focusing on DIY tools for Photography are numerous.... therefore we're not going to repeat one this week! Instead we are going to point you to ten awesome tutorials for doing it yourself with regards to Photography. These easy, cheap and often very successful ideas will help you now and in the future, some will stay with you for life and some are great little 'life hacks' to get you through until you can afford and justify purchasing the top notch equipment!
Canon users - DIY Remote Trigger
This is an American idea so it estimates the cost to be around '3 bucks.' To the brits reading this article, that's approximately £5...to the rest of you, well, it's pretty damn cheap regardless! Instructables have a great article explaining how it's possible to build your own remote trigger from a mobile phone hands free kit. :thumb468167011: How to tell a story through portraiturePeople & Portrait Photography
I'm sure many people will agree with me that the People & Portrait Galleries here on deviantART are often dominated by Expressive, Emotive and (depending on taste!) beautiful portraiture captures. Photographs capture a moment and can tell a story, but often these kind of shots are predominantly to showcase clothing, makeup, features or bodies. There is another level to Portraiture and knowing how to tell a story through your camera lens is one of the key elements of documenting a person
"It's not just about an image, it's about the person in that image, who they are, where they've been - what they're doing."
Here in the UK, particuarly in the Summer months, there's almost a daily opportunity to go out and capture a story. I recently wandered around an Art Exhibition and managed to snap a fair few artists at work. To tell someone's story without relying on emotion within their facial features and body language, :thumb441279785:

Miscellaneous and VERY useful Tutorials:

Time management and motivationDisclaimer: I have researched a lot all over the web including DA and very random sites. Most of this is from my own experience though. Happy reading!

Lots of deviants seem to feel stressed and unmotivated lately. In this article I want to tell you about how I deal with this and encourage you to find your own best way.

When you feel stressed your head is usualy overloaded with a pile of unsorted tasks, emotions and random thoughts. A mess you say? Yes, look around you. Looks familiar?
Before starting anything, go ahead and clean your desk and your room. If you feel stressed after that, you are probably dealing with emotional mess you should take care of.
Everyone has their own way of dealing with emotional stress already. Some of my favourite methods are talking to friends, creating or looking at art, watching AMVs, playing "Beat 'em up"s. If aviable, I always recommend talking to an unrelated person about this. REGARDING ART THEFTWe now live in a digital wild west where our files may be as valuable as bank vaults. Artists and writers ignorant of the flimsy nature of 'security' on ANY internet site are deluding themselves. There is no such thing.
I am old enough and have made enough art to feel ok about releasing it to the world to natter on it's own - but I do not anticipate a lauded art career anymore, and I hold back anything I hope to take to a publisher or gallery some day.
I've advised other artists here to ALWAYS keep their best work offline if one plans to exhibit, to get a manager, or formally move into ANY professional art marketplace. Publishing on DEVART is considered real, honest-to-God PUBLISHING, regardless of if YOU consider it just for fun! These (now published) images (OR STORIES!) are no longer considered viable for most galleries (or literary publishers,) unless they specifically state they are willing to accept previously 'exhibited' work Digital Art - Drawings and PaintingsGalleries Month
The Digital Art - Drawings and Paintings gallery is one of the fastest growing galleries here on DeviantArt. Within the gallery, members of the community will discover a wide variety of styles as the possibilities for Digital Drawings and Paintings are endless. So what exactly are Digital Drawings and Paintings? Is there even a difference between the two? Well, in this article I will explain exactly what Digital Drawings and Paintings are as well as why they are indeed different.
Digital Drawings and Paintings Defined
Let's begin with something easy such as defining what is considered Digital art. Digital art is any artwork that is created using digital software and/or tools. In the simplest of terms, your art is considered to be digital if it was created using a device such as your computer, digital tablet (ie: iPad), a Nintendo 3DS, or even your cellular phone! Digital artists often will use tools to PE: Procrastination and Creativity Procrastination and Creativity

"You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
What mood is that?
Last-minute panic."

Bill Watterson
You are well-aware of the importance of this project, in fact you can't wait to get to it! Too bad you promised your friends to go for a drink, and then there's that movie. Also, your productivity is at its strongest at Midnight, first Tuesday after the Full Moon, starting earlier would be a waste of time. Make sure you are well-rested! After all, is there a better way to prepare yourself for a productive tomorrow than an enjoyable today?
 Your diagnosis: Procrastination positive.

"Someday is not a day of the week."
Janet Dailey
<strong align="left"> PE: Developing your personal styleDeveloping your personal style
:iconprojecteducate:
You obviously love to create, you do it often and now the time has come when you realize that this is no fling, this is something you would want to do for the whole life. You can learn a lot about techniques from numerous sources, you can find the right audience on the internet but there is one thing nobody can help you with but yourself - how to gain a specific style of your own?
What is a personal painting style?
 - It's an identifiable style that enables the viewer to determine that the artwork was done by you
 - In some cases, your style can be viewed as an extension of your personality
How can one develop it?
 - Developing your style takes time, time and time once again. Don't have the time? No style for you!
 - It's not acquirable in an art class. While it can be helpful to study by an assistance of someone who's m PE: The Impact of Color1. - WHAT IS COLOR?
Color is the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them, as received by the human eye and processed by the human brain. It is a function of light and biology, not an exact science, no two people can see it exactly the same.
The human eye and brain together translate light into color. Light receptors within the eye transmit messages to the brain, which produces the familiar sensations of color. Newton observed that color is not inherent in objects. Rather, the surface of an object reflects some colors and absorbs all the others. We perceive only the reflected colors. Thus, red is not "in" an apple. The surface of the apple is reflecting the wavelengths we see as red and absorbing all the rest. An object appears white when it reflects all wavelengths and black when it absorbs them all.
"Colors are the deeds of light, its deeds and sufferings."
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
PE: 5 EXCUSES why you just can't do better!5 EXCUSES why you just can't do better!
You really want to, you've worked hard to develop the skills you have and you enjoy every minute of doing what you love. And besides, people say that your artworks are...nice. Cute. Doesn't that count for something? Sure it does, there is no reason to panic and pointlessly push yourself forward. Enjoy your coffee break!
Besides, even if you didn't like the current level as much, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it at the moment. So many unfortunate happenings stand right between you and your dream. Recognizing any of the following?
1 - You don't have the time
You're right! After all, you are a human being, not a machine, waking up early every morning, heading to school/work, afterwards taking care of the household/kids/your homework, studying, you barely even finish all the tasks during the 24 hours that's been given to everyone.
On the other hand, is there absolutely

DISCUSSION:

1. What do you think causes you to get in "Art Block" mode?

2. What usually gets you out of an art block?

Grab one of these tutorials and show us what you've made with it (in the comments here), it might get showcased in our Favorites!