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Devin -Dragon Con AA 401 Profile picture
Devin -Dragon Con AA 401
@DevinElleKurtz
Illustration, VisDev, BG • She/Her • Literary/Publishing rep: @sethasfishman • Other inquiries: devinellekurtz@gmail.com
Mar 28, 2021 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
The serpent & the rays - tutorial thread on painting shallow water! ⬇️ A brown sea serpent swims through shallow water with manta r Steps 1-4

Painting the light patterns feels complex at first, but it forms a repeating pattern of interlocking triangles & diamonds that we can replicate with soft brushes! I set my sketch to multiply and paint a base. Any cyans/blueI use an overlay layer with a creamy yellow color to add theI paint my creatures! Make sure to keep them on their own laI use desaturated greens or blues to shade my creatures and
Mar 26, 2021 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
My personal advice for artists daunted by painting backgrounds is to cut as many corners as u need to until you get to a result you genuinely like. That 1st success will light a spark that will carry you through the process of slowly uncutting corners & filling knowledge holes! That might mean starting with tracing grids over direct photo reference, using 3D models, choosing one narrow thing to exclusively focus on (eg: fields!), using pre-made assets; genuinely whatever gets you to the feeling of "I made this background and I LIKE IT."
Mar 4, 2021 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
🌃Cityscape Brushset for Photoshop, Procreate, and Clip Studio Paint 🌃

-114 responsive brushes + multiple demo videos
-Free with optional donation
-Royalty-free for all personal and commercial work

Download link threaded below!

Cityscape brushset download link:


More examples of the brushes threaded as well as a link to the demo video! I made these to speed up my own process and hope you guys will enjoy them! https://t.co/gOGBxlW3F8gum.co/YLfEvh
Dec 29, 2020 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
✨Thread of free drawing & painting resources I've created ⬇️I will add to this as I create more!✨ How I visualize 3D space (Twitter thread):
Oct 19, 2020 • 11 tweets • 8 min read
Devin’s Rough Guide to
TIME OF DAY VARIATIONS (thread)

The 3 key steps to time of day variations:
1) Plan key components you can differentiate
2) Build a neutral base & save 2 copies
3) Keep every element layered out for individual adjustments

Lets go through all three! (1/?) PLANNING AHEAD OF TIME
Ask yourself: What story do I want to tell? What unique elements can I add to this image that will change with a time of day (or seasonal/weather/time-jump) difference?

I find the brainstorming process to be very important.
Sep 27, 2020 • 8 tweets • 6 min read
Devin's very rough guide for... (thread)
🌊Simplifying Water!🌊

Here's a bunch of little tips I've figured out from my personal water studies. Starting with the water's surface from below. My fav references for this are Ponyo and Lilo & Stitch, combined with lots of photo ref. ImageImageImage Water's Surface from below 2 - I recommend gathering a lot of photo reference and playing around with colors alongside shapes. often contrast of hue (greenish vs blueish) and saturation (grayer vs more saturated) will play a huge part in realism and separation of shapes. ImageImageImageImage
Sep 21, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Skater Aang's camera roll 🌅 ImageImage Inspired by @_gabrielpicolo 's teen titans insta stories haha

Sep 20, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Zuko finds Iroh ImageImage This is for my 200k follower celebration on IG! The comment that won with the most likes was this! Thank you so much for the suggestion! Image
Sep 19, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
My biggest piece of twitter advice is that my art tweets do best with 2-8 words of snappy text & nothing else in the body of the tweet.
Links, hashtags, long sentences etc usually only hinder it. There are exceptions for trending hashtags. This is based on my personal experiences Here are some examples of the exact tweet structure that works best for me.

Short, witty or intriguing text. The art. Nothing else. Any links, storytelling, descriptions etc will be threaded and used to bump the tweet.

ymmv! This is what has worked for me. ImageImageImageImage
Sep 8, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I can't believe I've actually done 7 of these Avatar story arc sets already, it feels like I just started this series! I've still got a good few I want to do! And then... skater kid AU? 👀 I really like this format, I think I'm going to expand it to other series & media I like in the future too. Korra & Haikyuu are on my for sure list, and probably Ghibli fanart since it's been a while and I miss it
Sep 4, 2020 • 13 tweets • 8 min read
How to Visualize 3D Space - A quick DIY thread guide

If this is hard for you, you’re in good company; this was one of the hardest learning curves for me & for many others.

Here are some exercises to kickstart your visualization.

1) HOW TO FIND THE BACK WALLS p1

(1/?) HOW TO FIND THE BACK WALLS p2

This is a fun building because the roof slants up, it adds more interest than a simple box.

Go out and collect photo references using your phone, and start drawing over them. Draw ALL THE WAY THROUGH and find the back walls.
Aug 31, 2020 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Thread ⬇️ My honest (not sponsored) reviews of the XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro and Artist 24 Pro!

@xppenusa provided these tablets free of charge in exchange for my open and honest review. My goal is to bring awareness to all the tablet options, especially more budget friendly ones! First up: my review of the 12" Artist Pro 12. I painted the piece on the left with it! I think the quality of this painting easily holds up to my average quality, and I only had minor speed and comfort issues, mainly due to size. Review continued in next tweet. ImageImage
Aug 31, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
A new friend who looks like me! ImageImage I was inspired to draw these because people always tell me my shiba looks like a fox 🦊

These were painted on the XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro (left) and the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro (right). I will be QRT-ing with my reviews in a bit, I am very impressed with these tablets!
Aug 15, 2020 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Process of painting the grown-up Gaang! 🌟 Tips threaded ImageImageImageImage Sketching a scene this complex, with so much going on, can be a bit chaotic. I focus on storytelling, emotion, facial expression/acting, and above all *silhouette*. These characters will need to be collapsed in value to avoid clutter so their silhouettes need to read clearly. Image
Aug 5, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
⬇️BG PORTFOLIO REVIEW SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS⬇️

For the August 9th Background Stream!

Submissions are OPEN now until 10am PST on August 7th.

Email: portfolioreviewsubmissions@gmail.com Image TIPS
-Please make sure to include your name & a 1 sentence bio. Please don't include a long bio.

-Make sure to note whether you're interested in BG Design or BG Paint (more generalized environment submissions should be marked BOTH)

-Please do not attach files. LINK to the page!
Aug 3, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Hey all, the person who reposted it to Reddit reached out with a heartfelt apology. I wholeheartedly believe this was an honest mistake that took place because its been culturally accepted to not credit in the title. This was a learning moment for a lot of people. (1/3) I cropped the redditors name out specifically because I didn't (and never) want harassment to take place. I want to reinforce this is a *cultural issue* that we can slowly shift and and harrassment toward the individual goes directly against my wishes. (2/3)
Aug 3, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
When someone reposts art with no credit attached, this is what happens. Yesterday my Toph painting was on the front page of Reddit with the only credit buried deep in the comments & my signature cropped out. Now its been set loose all across the internet with my name gone. ImageImage I've been on the internet a long time; I know that "this is just what happens". But I believe we can change this culture. I have pretty much the most lax rules: I allow credited reposts. Please, just make sure my name stays attached. Thats all I ask! Add my name in the title!
Aug 1, 2020 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
BACKGROUND ART STREAM - Sunday, August 9th, 10am-2pm PST

Join artists @Chuwenjie, @ZacDRetz, @ling_extra, @faith_schaffer, Jackie Lee, and myself in this 4 hour FREE educational event. More info threaded ⬇️

Please spread the word! Image Read these slides for all the information about the artists and what will be offered during the stream. Ask questions live! Interact with pros and learn about painting backgrounds for animation! ImageImageImage
Jul 25, 2020 • 11 tweets • 7 min read
THREAD: How to build a watercolor kit for $25 - paint, paper, brushes, highlight ⬇️ ImageImage Initial Disclaimer: This is a kit I built myself when I was a teen! It was what I could afford & worked for what I needed: learning and fun.
This kit is not archival, its just (in my personal experience) the best bang for the buck.

Feel free to leave your own suggestions below!
Jul 21, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Something I've learned about environment art is u can get away with a lot of wonkiness if the colors/values are in the right spots & the perspective lines converge to some general ~vanishing area~
I learned this from doing quick studies & now apply it to my finished paintings. BG art got a lot easier for me when I realized i could BS a whole lot of it as long as certain elements are in place.
Feb 19, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I have no qualms with the fact that I'm a quantity over quality artist. My method is to do 10 paintings over a short period of time without looking back. Without fail 3 of them will be good, a couple might be decent, and the rest will be forgotten. If I get caught up in a painting that isnt going well or let myself think it reflects on me as an artist in any way, I get stuck. I like working fast and dirty, and iterating over and over again, and then I end up with a solid pile of good art and dont sweat the rest of it.