How can I improve my art?

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@Whistle Blossom  
Just keep drawing. Draw, draw, draw, and then draw some more.
 
Like, even with one drawing. A lot of times setting something aside and then reworking it a few days later will really help it come together. Then a month later rework it some more. Always have some drawings that you are working on, and when those are how you’d like them, draw some more.
 
I wrote some more about reworking sketches until they’re where you want them to be here, with some examples.
 
I find it helps to look at my hero’s sketchbooks, too. Seeing them floundering and struggling with a pose helps me not give up when I’m having trouble getting something the way I want it.
HumanoSiniestro

Invisible Enemy
An advice by an ex-artist:
 
If you can find references, use them. Some people say the references are useless or they make you someone dependent of them. But is not true, they could be truly useful for someone without experience with the anatomy, especially if you want to draw ponies or humans. Humans are easier to find references; In DeviantArt, in Google, Pinterest, etcetera. But the ponies are another theme, you’ll find horse references in your firsts attemps.
 
Also, I recommend to use ClipStudio® Paint, is a better software than Paint Tool SAI®, and is avaliable in MacOS, not only in Windows.
HumanoSiniestro

Invisible Enemy
@Soobel  
Yes, I said it is avaliable in MacOS and not only in Windows, which means it is avaliable for Windows too.  
But the difference is that Paint Tool SAI is an exclusive software for Windows, not for MacOS or Linux.
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I don’t think the software really matters when beginning art. Unless it’s severely limited, of course. But when starting from scratch, first step to reach is to actually become able to translate the idea from your head to some canvas, and for that, even a pencil and paper may be enough.
 
Then you discover how much transform tools are great for fine-tuning the result of the said idea, so you try using some software. Then you realize you need better brushes and rotating canvas and high-depth colour precision, thus it’s time to upgrade to another, better software. But the important thing is to try things and see how it goes…
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@Whistle Blossom
 
When it comes to improving your work, I personally believe that being able to effectively reflect on the quality of your art while being honest to yourself is the biggest thing, followed by knowing what you’re aiming for style wise, and then followed by being able to take good critique and act on it.
 
With that being said, I’ve taken a look at some of your art on Derpi. Here’s what I think Whistle: the biggest thing you need to work on is anatomy and line quality. The lines for both your digital and traditional stuff are very wavy, and because it’s present in your traditional work where line instability caused by the program/tablet isn’t a factor, that tells me that it’s just your hand being quite shaky. Practice drawing freehand lines and curves in order to build up the muscle memory needed to be able to draw smoothly.
 
For anatomy, I can’t be of much help since I primarily draw anthro ponies but there’s plenty of good refs for feral pony anatomy around. The last piece of advice I can give to you specifically is to not underestimate the importance of construction. It’s something that I think a lot of artists overlook, and if I had to take a guess at why, they might think it’s not relevant to them because they don’t intend to do perspective drawing. Don’t do that, it’s almost always relevant, especially for characters.
 
Just take things step by step so that you don’t overwhelm yourself. Focus on improving one aspect of your art at a time.
 
 
@HumanoSiniestro  
Some people say the references are useless or they make you someone dependent of them. But is not true, they could be truly useful for someone without experience with the anatomy, especially if you want to draw ponies or humans.
 
References are always useful, but I think the one thing that people forget to mention alongside this point is that when you’re looking at a reference, you should be aiming to reconstruct what you see, not copying what you see. When you have the mindset of reconstructing a reference, you’re analysing things on a deeper level rather than just taking what you see at face value.
 
@HumanoSiniestro  
Also, I recommend to use ClipStudio® Paint, is a better software than Paint Tool SAI®, and is avaliable in MacOS, not only in Windows.
 
A tool is only as good as the person who uses it, but once you reach the point where you know what you’re doing for the most part, better tools can help you produce better results. I started out with Medibang, but I eventually tried out both CSP and SAI. I preferred CSP, and once I got used to it, I noticed that my shading improved due to better blending tools, and lineart was much less painful to do because of the vector line editing tools it has which allow you to adjust your lines after you drawn them.
HumanoSiniestro

Invisible Enemy
@Clear Vision  
Thanks for adding the compliments to my comment. My english is not that good, and I have problems writing a good advice for the rookie. Also, thanks for add the detail of not coping, only analise for the references. Some people forget that the references are… Well, references after all, not something to copy and paste in your drawing. Is necessary to make it in your own style. Complicated, but necessary for the progress.
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