The Fundamentals of NSFW Art

This is a guide to becoming a great NSFW artist and learning the fundamentals that will let you hone your craft.

Because as much as we meme that anyone can drop what they’re doing and draw tiddy, drawing NSFW is actually pretty darn hard.

So I commend you on taking the first step to learning the fundamentals.

As an NSFW artist you probably want to draw naked people. That’s the bare (hah) minimum you’ll need in our field. And this is the guide for you.

I started this series after reading HBR’s “On High Performance” (I’m an Amazon Affiliate, so all products linked will help me earn, at no extra charge to you. Thanks for the support!). We want to improve at our craft, but it’s easy to be overwhelmed with everything to learn. As an NSFW artist of 8 years now, it’s easy for me to forget that my routine is someone’s brand new.

While I’m writing and sharing examples primarily of hentai, what you’ll learn will work regardless of your style.


Each section will have a project that’s put together everything you’ve learned, with the goal of making portfolio-worthy art. You’ll learn the most by doing, so I encourage you to do each one. Feel free to email it to me for feedback at hbeats.art@gmail.com!

Part 1: Intro to NSFW Art

Part 2: The Body

  • Proportion: Relationships and sizes
  • Construction: Thinking with shapes
  • Anatomy
  • Gesture: From stiff to flowing
  • Figure drawing exercises

Color & Lighting

  • Values: Thinking in black and white
  • Light and Shadow
  • Shading your art
  • Color theory basics

Perspective

  • Thinking in 3d space
  • Depth tricks
  • Art study exercises

Storytelling

  • Focal points
  • Contrast
  • Composition
  • Drawing motion

The Horny Factor

  • Teasing through art
  • Is taste subjective?