The first example is pretty much Left: School Photo Right: Actually Happy

The eyebrow controversy: I put my eyebrows visible most of the time, it’s so much easier to show expressions especially if you have a more simple style

My personal hell is being able to picture what I want to draw to the detail and then not be able to do it. Like, I know what I want, pls god let me draw it 😭

"Give them something to do other than posing, unless their canonically a model" Hirohiko Araki: *Nervous Sweating*

Lebleblebleh is the real mvp here, they’ve been here since the beginnings

I genuinely recommend that when you guys think the image in your head is exactly how you want the drawing to be, pay a lot more attention to the details, but in your head. What I mean is that usually the "detailed" drawing we have in our heads is not really that detailed, because our brain finishes what's not complete. Therefore, if you force yourself to see the little things in the illustration you're imagining, all the problems it actually has will come up.

I know that it doesn't interest everyone who draws, but I feel that my art improves significantly when I start drawing comics! It forces you to think about the context around your character and what do you want the public to understand from each scene. I recommend it as practice for anyone who has difficulties at the moment to come with those kinds of things naturally. No need to do a big comic for that, just a one-page comic makes your brain practice those things.

Lavendertowne is a better art teacher than any I have ever had in school.

I don’t think i ever mentioned this, but your Intro is so cute! 🥺✨

The second tip about the poses was so helpful and it literally felt like a bonk on the head since I have been drawing head down this whole time and I had no clue that it was stopping me from making my character more relaxed, thank you so much! I love all of your videos and your artstyle!! :))

The first picture looks more like a school picture than an actually living person. Making drawings feel alive is how people can draw better. I feel like that’s one of the differences of art that is “good” or “bad.”

the dont side is literally what all of my art looks like 100% of the time.

I’m glad that you talked about your art block and insecurities, because I think it’s important to recognize that many of the talented artists we look up to suffer from the same creative problems. We’re all human and we are all learning, so thank you for being honest because it teaches a lot.

This was probably the most helpful advice I will ever get in my art career. My teachers (since I haven't hit high school yet) have done nothing but say "that looks really good! Keep working on your art!" and that's it. Like. Boi

ive been having sm trouble with bodies lately and it made me so frustrated to the point of not drawing. seeing how you drew them on the "do" side was such a big "omg you can do that???" moment cuz i never thought of starting from the bottom but it makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE. im actually actually excited to draw now ty

For me, characters with bangs usually depend on personality. If a character is supposed to be seductive and attractive then I layer the hair over the bangs and half of the eyes. If the character is more happy and energetic then I will show the eyebrows and eyes above their bangs to show their emotions. Hope this helps anyone.

Me: Stares at drawing of girl smiling straight at me and equal Lavendertowne: Come, I am God and I am here to guide you

I will admit, I don’t like hearing artists being self deprecating, especially since I have a bad habit of doing that. HOWEVER, I always appreciate it when artists explain that they want to improve on something or when they explain about how they have been struggling with art block/motivation/etc. I remember looking at artists that were better than me and feeling bad because I thought they never struggled at all. But sometimes they would mention that they have been struggling with a part of their art in one way or another, and that makes me feel less alone. I know a phrased that to make it sound like “I enjoy seeing other artists suffer,” which is not what I mean. Whenever art it is are honest with their struggles but also talk about how they want to improve or help others by learning from their experience, it makes me feel so much better about my own art. It also makes me look at other people’s art in admiration and respect instead of thinking “I will never be as good as them.” Even something as simple as “I’ve been trying to get better at (blank) lately, and I wanted to practice it in this drawing. I don’t think it turned out the best, but I’m proud of myself for trying and I know why I can try to do next time!” There’s a difference with being self deprecating and being honest. Thank you so much for sharing you experience with us! I know it can be intimidating, but hearing your experience and having the desire to improve makes me feel better about my own insecurities with my art. Sorry this was a long ramble, but I just had a bit to say on the matter

"Your final product doesn't look like what you had in mind." Me who can barely draw a square and was imagining the Mona Lisa: *Yes.*

Wide smile with scrunched eyes: Happy!! Wide smile with Wide eyes: Welcome to Ba Sing Se

The very first drawing felt expressive to me somehow. The character was simple but to me that made her read as a nervous people pleaser meeting a new group (my though being like a college freshman) and presenting a pretty blank slate at the meeting. That's at least the story it told me lol A neat analogy for how the dos and don'ts is like when you see family photos and they are posed and smiling directly at the camera, versus still life or photos of activity.

3:20 I think one thing worth adding is that a smile with narrowed eyes tends to present as "mischievous" (including in this very image Haley is drawing), so a lot of artists get around it by drawing a smile with closed eyes instead. It's another one of those style-over-realism things; very few people actually close their eyes when smiling, but in artwork it just looks more friendly than narrowed eyes

man this is one of my biggest issues art-wise, honestly. so glad this video came out at the right time lmao

I wasn't aware there was an eyebrow controversy. And to that, I have to say: OH NO, THIS CARTOON DRAWING ISN'T PERFECTLY ACCURATE TO REAL LIFE! WHATEVER WILL I DO?!

Your art tips are always in my mind, just shows how well you can teach other people and how amazing you are, thank you

I've missed this series, so happy to see it back!

Who else wants to see her make a video on drawing full body shots? It's 1 of the things I struggle with the most.

I'm so glad you started this series because it's really helped me a lot. I'm not one for "practicing" art, as in I won't just draw hands over and over again because for me art is a hobby and I want it to be fun, and hands are literally the bane of my existence, but having these tips kind of just floating around in my head when I'm drawing is still super helpful for me, and my art is definitely improving because of it.

these days I've been trying to shift from a cartoony style to a style like semirealism but more stylised and that put me in art block. She just solved all my problems . Thank you so much

Love how she made a whole new tip for the TikTok tip she didn't think was helpful 😂

I hear how more confident lavender has gotten over the years

An advice for eyebrows, I usually make it dependant on the visibility through the hair style, if there's no hair, the eyebrows will be 100% visible but if there's hair over them, I take the opacity to like 50%. It's a very good compromise between people who want to show them no matter what and people who don't.

I love doing gaps between pieces of the hair, I’ve been doing that for a while, because I color hair solid colors most of the time. As long with giving hair random strands coming off the sides. Just gives it a pop to see the background through.

why is nobody talking about the drawing at the end, it looks so good!

I recommend thinking about posing and like hairstyles and backgrounds and stuff for a couple of minutes, around 5 - 10 mins. It can really help because you won't have to think about what you're going to draw while you're drawing it, you can just start drawing what you planned which makes drawing much easier, make sure you don't plan stuff too stiff or dull, which is basically what Lavender's saying. Also put on a video from your favourite youtuber, listen to your favourite song, watch tiktoks, etc etc. It makes you super calm and comfortable. This may not work for everyone but it's really helpful for me so I recommend it. Hope this helps!

I was gonna take a shower but it can wait, this is more important

This was SO helpful!! My characters usually look like they're in "create a sim" mode, standing in the void. Backgrounds and activities are such a good idea. Plus, it allows me to better my life drawing skills.

Drawing the gesture before the anatomy is HUGE in making expressive art! Drawing the anatomy first can make the artist unintentionally ignore the pose, which you said perfectly in the video. Also, drawing the gesture can help generally place things, like where clothing wrinkles fall, because it helps show where weight is distributed in the character. Thank you for this video!

funny thing: when I was small I always drew head first. But then I was going to have art classes and thought that I'm gonna start drawing from feet then. The shoulders and head came out too big. I went to kindergarden back then though.

When her don't side is better than your drawing that you thought was good. Me: *Sed Panik* :')

omg I was literally JUST struggling, tysm!!!!!

I actually feel like this is the “Do This Not That” video that helped me the most! I have been plagued with the problem of nothing looking like I want it to since like 3rd grade when I tried to draw Mario for the first time, and ever since I noticed how bland and dead my art looked. Plus, even with the help from the other videos in this series, I still found it difficult to apply, because no matter how much I improved on everything, it still looked dead. (This was longer than I meant for it to be, sorry)

Being an artist and an actor, i never realized how much the character building and stage business aspects of acting transfer over to drawing dynamic characters in art!

Her style has improved so much! I absolutely love this channel :)

I used tracing poses as a crutch for a long time, and now starting to get back into drawing my own poses this video really helped me understand why it looked like crap when I tried to draw poses without tracing, thank you

Can you do a do is not that on: How to make each gender look like their gender: how do you make a male look male type, how do you make a character look androgynous? How do you do faces: eyes, mouths, noses, placing How to add clothes: how to make it look natural over the body, layering, gravity How to do body types: how do build fat and stuff How to add details/make art more interesting: how to make your line-art more interesting easily (without using a pressure pen because my app doesn’t have one), how glasses, bags, makeup and stuff like that work How to make simple but interesting characters: how do you make a character TvT

Thank you! This is really helpful. I always have trouble with poses and drawing, so I always find it helpful watching your videos 😇

UR ADVICE IS SO GOOD TYYSMM

i was actively struggling with this yesterday 😭😭 thank you

These are very helpful tips, thanks for making my journey in art a bit easier! Thank you for all the videos you make

What I often do is take out a pad of paper and start doing small sketches of characters in different positions and angles for practice, and if I happen to like one, I'll make it digitally and turn it into a finished peice.

It’s only been 2 minutes! And this has got 500+ views! Also the tips really do help, and the art is really good btw

A good way to add a personality to a characters pose, is to try waking around while leading with different body parts. Start with leading with your toes, knees, hips, stomach, chest, chin, nose, and the forehead. While you’re walking around, try adding a bit more to it. Like, if you’re leading with your chest, and the character you’ve created in your mind with that is very bold, try swinging your arms out wide. This can help find a dramatic, fluid pose that can go well with the personality of the character you create.

Could you do a draw this not that for effects (or whatever you'd call it) like fire, smoke, water, and clouds? Or maybe plants?

The bubble letters thing makes so much sense to me!! I can't draw people very well yet but I really want to practice more, this is great advice, thanks!

I think the first drawing is adorable and perfect for a comics for example, when you don't want to add too much detail and you don't need to convey personality in every single drawing.

I loved the new intro since it came out. Such a glowup👏

you've really put into words what I've been feeling lately about my art. I find it difficult to get inspired lately.

I just started getting into digital art after like a decade of me not drawing at all (because bad motivation, bad teachers, etc.), and I find your tips actually help me develop my skills. So thank you, it was much needed and I am happy I found your channel.

I was drawing a full image with the Random aesthetic generator to give me a prompt, and every time you brought up a new thing i was like "Did i do this? uhh.. actually yes!" and it made me feel a lot better that i was doing thinks okay. Thanks for the advice, that drawing at the end with all the plants is stunning, i love it so much

Now that's what we call 💕 UNDERRATED 💕

what i usually do to eyebrows is draw them in kakegurui style - the part that isn't covered by bangs is a darker color than the one that is so even if the bangs are obscuring the brows u can still see them :)

I’ve been watching your videos for years and I’m finally at a point where I can support you financially, so to hear you say my name means the world ☺️ thank you lavendertowne!!!

“Try to look up fashion youtubers” I actually got into clothing and fashion through art! It’s so fun to see how art makes you more interested in the world it’s inspired from!!

The art at the end is so freaking beautiful omg- ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

that final art piece is SO PRETTY! I love it so much!

Mama lavender has posted another video

Yay! I love these Draw this not that videos, you explain things so well and they’re so helpful

I love this series

Your videos are so helpful, thanks!

The illustration at the end was gourgeous!

Thank you for sharing this with us! It really helps ❤️

I figured a way out the eyebrow controversy is that if you want to make your character really expressive and still are stubborn about showing the eyebrows through, I feel like curving the top or bottom of the eyes in an extreme manner would help a lot in somewhat conveying that specific emotion but that's just a thought

Your art style is so cute😻

I've learned so much from you! I really feel like I've grown as an artist from watching your videos 💕

I was legit almost about to cry because my art didn't look right when I tried to draw a character and I tried again after watching this and it honestly doesn't look as bad now, thank you LavenderTowne

This was so helpful, thanks! I’m so used to drawing my characters posing in blank backgrounds this kinda opened my artistic third eye LOL

lablablabla is so lucky, getting a special meantion every time-

You’re a literal life saver. I started watching you in 2017 if not early 2018 and your art tips helped me improve sm! You have all of my support and I hope you will continue to make this series

Dude ur a life saver. I swear, so many of ur videos line up with my own little struggles with illustration. They're a HUGE help and I really appreciate it.

AGHHH long time no see🥺 (saying this to the series lmao

Wow, I was drawing right as the notification popped up! NOICE

14:21, Just kinda wanted to say that you pretty much single handedly taught me to draw, so someone out there definitely looks up to you.

I loved watching your process for making a full piece with a background! I often struggle with having my characters look like they aren't actually there in the scene, but seeing how you for the sketch built the background around the character, then for the colouring started with the background and worked your way back to the character was super helpful for me and I will definitely be trying out that method!

Me: has these bold, dynamic images that I want to draw My bad art skills: no

can you do a dtnt for blushing and like- making skin look more skinnish? idk if that makes sense, but i struggle with making my skin look better, so a few tips would help me and many MANY others :}

I think we can all agree that this is the video all of us need. edit was typo lol

It's so great to have this series back! Especially now, that I'm binge watching the 17 you've made before! Thanks lavender

Oh my god, I had my drawing tablet infront of me and thought "Why not try this, i mean it couldn't hurt, plus i have artblock so anything to get me out sounds good" and so i tried that final method in which you draw from the feet up and damn wow i feel a lot more confident in my work and it looks so lively! And that's that i've only drawn the basic body shape with the face!! Really good advice, would recommend trying! :D

3 SECONDS AGO-

Thank you for making your videos, especially these ones! They're super helpful and while I usually have an idea of some of the tricks, they're really hard to work with without an explanation of how or why! Thank you for all the "do this not that" videos! And thank you as well for the entertaining videos!

I really appreciate videos like this, since I have been trying to learn how to draw for a while now, and channels like this one are really helpful.

Personally for me because of my art style it's better for me to start from the jawline of the head and then move on to everything else like the actual head and the body you know arms legs etc because building the body up first never really worked for me

My art style is on the "dont" side a lot but Im slowly improving to the "do" side. 2 years later edit: Welp - I definitely managed to improve haha.

I’ve been watching you for years and you really helped me with my art. It’s also been so cool to see you improve so much.

I literally love your art style so much

I was suffering from this problem (probably cause I hadn’t drawn in weeks) so this just answered my calls!

"Every 60 seconds in Africa a minute passes" "We live in a society" "We are always in an environment" Wait... they are all the same!!

I've been watching your videos for about 3 years now and i have seen how much your art has improved. You are an incredible artist, thank you for motivating me to be better and helping out fellow artists!

"It's really hard to tell what she's feeling other than her smile." Damn, man. Dunno why, but I felt that.