The following are some of the best links on the internet we have found, that contain insightful, practical, and helpful information on various aspects of creating images.

If you have links you'd like to submit, please PM or email one of the Admin, and once we have checked the links, they will be added here.

Niklas Jansson's (Prometheus) Mini Art Course
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really useful, complete and clear

Anatomy
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Great facial anatomy learning tool
For more anatomy see link at bottom (no pun intended)

Composition
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(No images, only the text)

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Many similar points with the following:
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Composition for Landscapes, but most of it also holds for any image.

Aesthetics in Symmetry:
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Gestalt Theory in design:
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Getting Composition Right by Gary Tonge
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Shading
Light and Dark
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(Cubes exercise, led by Craig Mullins)
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Color Theory
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Huge, but I recommend reading every word

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Not so huge, and less technical

eChalk Colour Percepton (amazing optical effects that show you how color is perceived is strongly influenced by surrounding colors)
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Drawing

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Series of articles in Animation World Magazine by the great Glenn Vilppu (vilppustudio.com)


Perspective

The long version (VERY complete)
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Lighting
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Art Movements
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Photoshop tutorials
Illustration tutorials and video demos, mostly in Photoshop
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Long and thorough photoshop video
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Concept Art
Thumb War by Paul Richards
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CG SOCIETY Reader Projects and Tutorials
Various CG SOCIETY Reader Projects (making of articles)
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Various CG SOCIETY Tutorials
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Tutorial threads in the Art Techniques and Theories Forum
Painting an eye (tutorial/exercise)
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Just some thoughts on smooth blending (examples in Photoshop and Painter)
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How to paint in Photoshop
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Thread of useful things (various tips and tutorials)
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Where the shadows fall?
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Painting with the fingers (photoshop painting tutorial)
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A brief look at diagonals (composition tutorial)
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Texuring a Painting
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Blending Tool For Photoshop CS
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Easy Way To Making Incredibly Detailed Skin...wrinkles, Pores, and now stone too
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Tutorial: Painting Hair
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Painting Tutorial: Lute Player
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Tutorial: Some doodlings and explanations on perspective...
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The Making of "Advice From a Caterpillar"
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About painting hair
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Making A Comic
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Trade Secrets (various tutorials)
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Earth Tutorial
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Texturing A Painting
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Fur Tutorial
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Coloring A Greyscale Painting
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WIPCritique: 2D, Illustrations and Concept Art Forum >
Artistic Anatomy and Figurative Art subForum
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Thread describing the highlights of the forum:
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An excellent and HUGE source of interesting useful threads right here on CGTalk, dedicated to actually "doing it" - 2d drawing, painting and sketching, critiquing each other, posting useful links etc, moderated and critiqued by the amazingly talented artist Rebecca Kimmel. A definite Must-Browse.
Also brought to you by Rebecca:
Hong Ly's Photo Reference, Human Texture Reference, and Concept Art Resource
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Recommended books:

All of Andrew Loomis's books - Andrew Loomis's artistic teachings are legendary, and his book are finally back in print after being out-of-print for decades. His books cover both easy stuff for beginners and advanced concepts, and they are arranged roughly like this:

-Fun with a Pencil
-Successful Drawing / Figure Drawing For All It's Worth / Drawing the Heads and Hands
-Creative Illustration
-The Painter's Eye

Alla Prima: Everything I know About Painting, By Richard Schmid - This is one of the best books I own, and it's a real revelation for artists of any level. There is so much that book covers that you will not find anywhere else, and Schmid's wisdom on matters about creativity, technique, foundation knowledge, artistic purpose...etc are immensely valuable, and even life-changing. Google this book and buy it ASAP.

Drawing the Head and Figure, By Jack Hamm - An excellent classic that is surprisingly in-depth considering it's not a thick book at all. It contains emphasis that I have never seen in any of the other books on anatomy and figure, and it's one of very few books that incorporates material about aesthetics, variations, and even a section about the clothed figure. It's the best book on the subject I've seen along with the Andrew Loomis books.

Harley Brown's eternal truths for every artist, By Harley Brown & Lewis Barrett Lehrman - Another great all around book on art foundations and drawing/painting instructions.

Timeless Techniques for Better Oil Paintings, By Tom Browning - Also very informative and helpful, regardless of what medium and style you work in. Some of the content about colors are especially eye-opening.

Problem Solving For Oil Paintings, By Gregg Kreutz - Interesting approach for a book, using examples of "failed attempt" as the basis, and then troubleshoots these failed images by finding ways to make them better.

The Artist's Complete Guid to Facial Expressions, By Gary Faigin - Excellent book about facial expressions. The best book on the subject, bar none.

Drawing People, By Barbara Bradley - A really good book about clothed figure, fabric folds, wrinkles...etc. This book is very similar to Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Wrinkels and Drapes, and while both books are very good, I prefer this book more because Burne Hogarth exagerates too much and his drawings have a severe lack of aesthetic quality about them (and for that reason I do not recommend any of his books). Some people may find Hogarth's books helpful, but I personally feel that his books may cause more harm than good for young and impressionable novice artists, due to his heavily biased and stylized way of drawing.

Atlas of Foreshortening, By John Cody and Ron Tribell - This is an immensely helpful book because the nude figures are photographed from all the angles and in different poses, showing how the body looks from even the oddest angles that would be nearly impossible to find references for (unless you shoot the photos yourself).

Artistic Anatomy, By Richer Hale - This book is highly technical and contains mostly text, but towards the end of the book, there are some very valuable illustrations that show the anatomy in both cadaver form and with skin, and from different angles.

The Figure: The Classic Approach to Drawing & Construction, By Walter Reed - Another classic book on figure construction/drawing.

Recommended videos:
All Richard Schmid DVD's
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The Richard Schmid videos are some of the most amazing displays of skill, knowledge, experience, insight, and wisdom ever captured on video. Live demonstrations of paintings done in a fraction of the time it takes lesser artists, yet are on a superior artistic and technical level, along with detailed live narration that explains every creative decision and technique. The Sea Captain volume is especially impressive, with Schmid painting live in front of a large audience, interacting with them, and then answering some very interesting and thoughful questions at the end.

Advice on character concept art
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