Vent: Someone said my character art looked 'flat' and I couldn't unsee it

I posted a portrait here last week and one commenter pointed out I was only using soft brushes for everything, which made the whole piece feel like it had no structure... I switched to a hard round brush for the initial sketch and blocked in the basic shapes first, and it actually helped a ton. Do you guys have a go-to brush for fixing that 'flat' look in your own work?

3 comments

3 Comments

samjohnson7d ago

My friend Mike had the same problem with his landscape paintings looking like a blurry mess. His teacher made him do the entire first hour using only a square brush set to 100% hardness. It forced him to think in big, clear shapes instead of blending everything right away. The difference in his finished work was honestly night and day.

jamesfox7d agoMost Upvoted

My cousin's art teacher did that "square brush only" thing, and her paintings got way sharper.

thomas.parker6d ago

Totally. That square brush trick forces you to make actual decisions. You can't just mush colors together and hope it works. You have to pick a spot, commit to the shape, and lay it down. It builds way better habits for the long run. My buddy tried it and his stuff stopped looking so muddy and unsure. It's like training wheels for seeing the big picture first.