OH JEEZ I'm so sorry! I wrote a reply and I think I forgot to send it!
I'm just so flattered ahhhhh seriously my work is nothing to admire-- I've been super self-conscious about my style for so long. My biggest tips:
- Use the stablizer if you're drawing digitally with SAI or FireAlpaca. It helps smooth lines~!
- I used to have a 'style file' of images I considered to be the closest to how I wanted to draw. I would do small sample pieces, closely examining techniques they use and trying to emulate them while drawing a totally different character & pose. It was a challenge but after a while I developed my own techniques that I liked and the style kind of diverged from there. (To be clear, I was zooming in on things like the eyes and seeing the proportions, how it was shaped and colouring techniques and tried to do similar stylistic elements on different pieces without referencing it.)
- I literally could not draw six years ago lol I just practiced everyday until I got better. Even now I struggle with certain pieces.
-The BIGGEST most IMPORTANT thing is: create for yourself, not to please others. I made this mistake so many times. I never understood what it was like to have fun drawing. It was always a chore for me. I learned to enjoy what I was drawing and started to create exclusively what made me happy and somehow that did the trick in helping me improve <3
Thank you again! Your comment still brings me so much joy! I can't wait to see what you create!