I wish I could draw as well as the artists on this site... I wonder how long they have been practicing... I’ve been drawing since forever, but started taking it seriously about 2-3 years ago... I’m way behind compared to other people my age. Anyone have any tips so I could catch up? I’m currently trying to apply to an art school, everyone’s better than me XD

Also my question was “what is the Subeta art style?” I saw on artist job applications (was just looking XD) that they have to know the Subeta art style... how do you draw in it???

Thanks a bunch if you respond :)

I imagine everyone, everywhere will tell you to just keep practicing. With art there will always be someone out there who is "better" than you- even if you're the best at drawing people or something, someone else will be better at backgrounds or you might like their style even more than you like your own. But if it makes you happy, you should try to discourage yourself from comparing your abilities with everyone else and just focus on keeping at it. Drawing a fully colored picture every day will cause you to burn out, but try to at least doodle something when you find that you have the time and energy- if you're not motivated in the beginning, you might find it in the middle of your sketch.

I haven't drawn much for a few years now but I found that art communities help me progress a lot. When I was in highschool/early college, oekakis were a big thing and I grew faster in those years than I ever have before or since. Having a few artistic friends can help motivate you too, so maybe college/classes will benefit you in multiple ways.

For Subeta's art style, they're referring specifically to the style that the pets are drawn in (eyes, anatomy, fur, etc). Clothing and items see more diversity in overall style but there's still similarities in the thickness/etc of the lineart, light source and sometimes the shading. There's some tutorials for CWs and things of that nature. For pets (and many non-Subeta things) I find the most helpful thing to study are sketches. Sometimes you'll see these posted by Rah or another staff artist on Tumblr and it can help to see a simplified example without the shading and everything else throwing off your perception of it. Finding the fullsized versions of pets and items (also often on Tumblr or Deviantart) also gives a lot of insight to Subeta's shading styles.

http://rahlala.tumblr.com/tagged/subeta - Rah's Tumblr

https://www.deviantart.com/xiria/favourites/3181886/Official-Subeta-Art - A DA page with many fullsize images

In addition to what Kestrel said - all of it good insight and advice - there are a few other ways you can potentially accelerate your improvement.

Another big one that you'll likely hear from a lot of people is to draw from reference. This can be useful, even if you aren't attempting a realistic art style, as it will give you an idea of proportions and the shape of things/people but it can also help you with lighting, shading, and general composition of your art. If you want to draw people, there are stock photos, or you can sketch photos you see on instagram and pinterest. For animals, there are the resources above, plus things like nature documentaries. For landscapes or scenery, you can step outside and take pictures of your own to try drawing!

Aside from that, you can also take the time to really study your own art. Find what you do and do not like about it, and tackle it from that standpoint. Say you have a hard time drawing hair, or you just don't like how you're drawing it right now. You can draw a bunch of bald heads and then just practice hair for a period of time. This can be just fifteen minutes, or an hour, however long you feel like you can handle. Also, do look at other artists sometimes - without comparing yourself to them - to see what they're doing that you like. I'm not suggesting you directly lift aspects of their style, but if you really like how someone draws eyes, it's worth looking at why you like it. Do they draw really thick eyelashes and you find that pretty? or maybe the way they color them is nice? There's nothing wrong with finding what you like about someone else's style and applying it to your own art, I'd say, as long as you aren't just trying to copy their style to a T. You'll always improve more if you're letting yourself draw without copying a style, and just kind of going with the flow - in my experience.

Do try to challenge yourself from time to time! Finding what you're good at is great, but rounding out your art by still trying those things you struggle with is how you improve. Since I've stopped hiding hands in pockets or behind characters backs so often, I've improved drastically at drawing hands. Practice really does make perfect, but I understand that waiting is hard. <3 Do your best to talk your art up to yourself in the mean time. Find the things you like about your art and praise yourself for how well you're doing in those aspects, rather than putting yourself down for not being as good as other people your age, or in other areas.

Sorry this got so wordy, haha, but I wish you the best of luck in your art journey! :) There are also lots of youtube videos on how to improve your art, if you're still looking for more guidance! Some youtubers I personally watch are LavenderTowne and Drawingwiffwaffles, and I find their advice to be sound and helpful.