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5 Easy Hacks To Make Your Art Look Great

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an easy, surefire way to make your artwork look awesome?

Guess what, there is!

And not only am I going to give it to you, I’m going to give you FIVE ways to make your art look cool in under two minutes without the use of Photoshop.

Hack No. 1: BLOCK OF COLOR

Great-Looking-Art-1Notice how a single block of red really makes the character stand out? No need for much else!

Hack No. 2: FAT OUTLINE

Great-Looking-Art-2Again, a cheap trick to make your pin-up really stand out.

Hack No. 3: COLORED PAPER AND HIGHLIGHTS

Great-Looking-Art-3In this case, just a crappy piece of recycled gray paper and a white pencil for highlights. Works every time!

Hack No. 4: DON’T DRAW EVERYTHING

Great-Looking-Art-4Leaving the character open likes this leaves space for the imagination of the viewer. Never underestimate the power of suggestion! Combine with a few faux sketch lines and viola!

Hack No. 5: INK WASH

Great-Looking-Art-5Add a few splashes of ink wash to your drawing for that extra three-dimensional feel. Splatter at will!

Hope these easy tricks to make your character shots look great was helpful. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for the newsletter for more practical advice like this.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elias says

    November 13, 2013 at 6:16 am

    Thanks a lot, you are a very generous person and I get really excited every time I get one of your emails, the one about making mistakes is very encouraging, I thank you a lot and find you as a great inspiration, one day I’ll hopefully show you my stuff and thank you even more!

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      November 13, 2013 at 12:42 pm

      Thanks, Elias! Glad you find inspiration and encouragement in what I do. That means a lot. Thanks for your feedback, aprreciate it!

      Log in to Reply
  2. nick kypros says

    December 10, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    Keep up the great work. Thank you. Nick

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  3. Haris Varajic says

    February 9, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    Thanks for tips ๐Ÿ˜‰

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      February 10, 2014 at 9:17 am

      You’re welcome, Haris ๐Ÿ™‚ Glad you found this useful!
      -Palle

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  4. Chris Barnes says

    February 14, 2014 at 3:37 am

    Cool thanks for the tips! I really like the color one

    Log in to Reply
    • Palle Schmidt says

      February 14, 2014 at 7:30 am

      Thanks, Chris! It’s all about making the character pop, amazing what can be achieved with just a block of color.

      Log in to Reply
  5. Yinka says

    April 28, 2014 at 1:27 am

    Thanks for the tips Palle! You are becomming my Stan Lee !

    Log in to Reply
  6. jason says

    May 13, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    Thanks good tips. Like the one with off color paper and white highlights. New member and I have been enjoying the news letter. Do you have a Facebook page I can join?

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      May 14, 2014 at 6:40 am

      Hey Jason, welcome on board! I do have a Facebook page, just search for “comics for beginners”. Thanks!

      -Palle

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  7. Jonathan Romp says

    August 1, 2014 at 12:25 am

    Thank you so much for these the block of color may be just what I was looking for, for my background when I don’t have enough room in the frame to justify all the details.

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      Hey Jonathan, if you’re looking for quick ways to draw backgrounds, be sure to check out this post as well: https://comicsforbeginners.com/art-tutorial-5-hacks-drawing-backgrounds-quicker/

      Thanks!

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  8. Diego says

    August 7, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Thank you very much
    Your web and resources are the best way to enjoy and learn.

    Diego

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  9. Accoush says

    September 23, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    Hi Mr Pallet, I love the way you present comics and how simple is your ideas, unfortunately I’ve been trying to draw comics but cannot break through it, do you give really basic courses for drawing, I mean really the basics?

    Log in to Reply
    • Palle Schmidt says

      September 24, 2014 at 2:11 pm

      I don’t have a drawing course as such, but the video tutorials is a basic course in how to make comics. I will continue to give out little hacks and hints like these in the future. Thanks for the kind words!

      Log in to Reply
  10. Dorothy says

    November 6, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Thank you for the tips! They come in really handy!
    Your e-mails really help me staying motivated! I hope i can send you my comic ons dat to let you see with what you have helped me! Thank you very much!

    Log in to Reply
    • Palle Schmidt says

      November 11, 2014 at 11:34 am

      Staying motivated is key! Especially since you can’t expect any support from family or friends ๐Ÿ™‚ Glad you find the e-mails helpful! Thanks, Dorothy!

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  11. hcir87 says

    November 26, 2014 at 7:51 am

    I’m making a crime drama graphic novel like you made. you and i have the same taste in crime comics. maybe we could work on a comic together one day.

    Log in to Reply
  12. EDEM says

    March 28, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    awesome tips thanks

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  13. Don says

    September 17, 2015 at 9:59 pm

    Hey Palle,,

    nice tips man, thanks i will most certainly use those.

    Don

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  14. Scitel says

    September 19, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    Thank you so much for all your wisdom. Every email video is insatiable and helpful it’s like getting a college education minus the 45,000 US dollar tuition a semester..

    Log in to Reply
    • Palle Schmidt says

      October 13, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      Thanks Scitel, I really appreciate you saying that!

      Log in to Reply
  15. Plamen says

    October 19, 2015 at 6:53 am

    Thank you for sharing with us your knowledge Palle!

    Log in to Reply
  16. Blest says

    September 1, 2016 at 11:07 am

    This tips help me a lot, i am making my first ever graphic novel right now, and with your help i noticed that sometimes i waste times on drawing every details. Reading “Devil’s concubine” help me a lot as well. Thanks Palle!

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      September 22, 2016 at 8:49 pm

      Yeah, knowing what details matter and where to cheat is a key point in creating comics. Normally it takes years to develop that skill. So if you’re not quite there yet, have patience ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks for the kind words!

      Log in to Reply
  17. Carla says

    November 28, 2016 at 7:38 am

    I am diggin d fat outline n toned paper… thnks. M glad i opened my mail dis mornin????

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  18. imijericho941 says

    April 21, 2018 at 7:11 pm

    If you only own pencils and liner pens, how do you suggest making the splashes of ink?

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      April 24, 2018 at 6:15 am

      Well, you can’t, really. I use black Ecoline watercolor for pretty much everything. Ink is pricey, messy and tricky to work with. Ruins your brushes too if you’re not careful.

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  19. Leyla says

    January 1, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    Thank you for all the helpful tips, Palle. Ink washes make me happy. I love the transparency of a watercolor-like effect against solid lines. A nice contrast, I think. You can make some really cool effects with them when using color holds too. With the right brushes, it also works for digital art. Thanks again!

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    • Palle Schmidt says

      January 3, 2020 at 6:27 am

      I do almost all of my comics work in inkwash these days. Never heard of color holds tho, what is that?

      Log in to Reply

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