Not happy with procreate art

Hi all

I'm currently experimenting alot with procreate drawings etc.
Currently i'm trying te recreate already made designs but for some reason i think my drawings are made by a 10yr old.
If i go online and search for related artworks i think there is a big difference in the work they do and what i do.
Can someone give me some tips and trick on why this is? I know drawing style is a big difference but it's very frustrating. And i also am trying alot of different things to see where my "style"is.



References used:



But compared to this, my linework/overall finish looks like crap:

I'd say, if you're tempted by such designs, that you have to check first if you can print such stencil.

With my fax printer machine, i have to simplify my original drawings so they can be printed on stencil paper.
And when i tattoo, i add freehand all the details and textures.

Around digital art, you can try to use assist tools to make perfect curves, instead of relying on your manual abilities.
Digital softwares usually respond badly to human inconsistencies, so you better get help from the software.
Sometimes it'll autocorrect your lines in a way you don't like, so you will have to play with ON/OFF with the autocorrect option.

Also, you may have to establish a personnal selection of tuned tools to emulate a 7rl needle, a 13 mag, etc... So you can already appreciate what your design will look like when printed at 100% size, and choose your tattoing tools accordingly.

It's quite infuriating to do a great design, then you have to do it at 40% of the size in which you drawn it, because it will end with a totally different set of needles, and lost details.
I use vector applications to be able to quickly adapt my scaled designs' lines widht.

Your designs are okay to me, you may just lack a "how will i tattoo it?" questionning before you're doing them.
If i look at the pest doctor you posted, it is done to be tattoed.
Your design is ok in terms of lining, but you'll have to get more contrasted shadows. They seem to be in place, but wouldn't need to appear on the stencil.
You'd better put them on another layer which you'll desactivate when printing your stencil, and do the shadows directly on skin from the reference.

Also, i guess that the change of line widht in the pest doctor are giving a more dynamic look, when your lines are all the same widht.
You should try to define your shadows with different line width.

Peace,

DKJ

Do another 100 and you will see Maybe also try to use whole spectrum of Grey not only 2 tones, then 2 line weights and IT will be better.

2 things pop out at me. First, you're trying to cover every bit of the design with some kind of value. leave more white space. Second, your choice in brushes doesn't work for you. I have no idea which brush you're using to shade with, but it looks like you're trying to simulate a needle setup and it's just looking scratchy. A good stock brush I found that closely matches a needle setup is the "vintage>buzz" brush. But, I usually just use the medium tip spray paint and lower the brush opacity. For lining, stick with the "inking>technical pen". On an A4 canvas, the size of that brush is nearly exact to a lining needle the same size.

Here's a quick mock up I did for a piece I'm doing tomorrow. The whisp of air is done with the buzz brush (I left it unrefined for times sake), the quill of the feather was also quickly done with buzz. The rest of the feather was done with the spray paint.

What does your work look like when you work on paper?

When I draw in procreat I usually use the airbrush tool to create shading. It’s easy in the sense that it works like a pencil, the harder you press the darker the shading and also you can layer it creating a shade. When it comes to lines I find it easiest to work with a delay so the line doesn’t follow my exact hand movement.
With all of that said, I’m not a pro at all, but these are some things that have helped me forward ?

I do the same thing except use a multiply layer with a low opacity and soft brush. It helps with my tonal values.

You have to learn the tools, but you can only do that if you understand fundamentals and use a tool to apply them . simple as really. There’s a notable skill gap between the top image and the bottom image as far as an understanding of form, line weight and composition. Dont get me wrong the bottom sort of thing can be bashed together from refs pretty quickly if you know what you’re doing but theres clearly a better general understanding of fundamentals in general. There’s just a lot more to it, this is a bit like asking how to draw in a single post. Don’t take it as an insult or anything but the sooner you accept you don’t know what you’re doing the sooner you can remedy that. Take it back to basics