1324 replies to this topic

[Alestance]

Alestance: Look around you when you color stuff. The way you're doing it right now is very unnatural and makes the drawing look even more cut-out/flat than the pen drawing.

Rather than going immediately to drawing all those lines so definite try instead doing more shading. Noses for example, shouldn't be one solid black color. We have ridges there, and that should be reflected with a less defined line of some sort. Same with cheek bones, and the lower neck (which right now looks really weird).

Also the purple effect thing doesn't look good at all. I'm guessing it's supposed to be some black magic of some sort, but the main problem I have with it is the way you tried to show the light from it reflecting on him.

Find some pictures online of someone standing next to a light bulb, put yourself next to one in that sort of fashion and just observe the way light works. You'll find it so much easier to make these things look amazing if you just get the lighting down.

Lemon, why are you the only one who's willing to actually tell me "Alestance! You suck! Do it better next time!"? Srsly. Thats advice I could have used a week ago.

I want to attain a professional level, and the only way I'll be capable of doing that is if people tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm never satisfied with my work, I let other people be satisfied for me. Look where it got me, I guess.

[Sheik]

Sheik: It's an apple man. Everyone draws those for practice.

Mhm, sort of. It's actually a study for a big still life with a basket with apples (and other stuff) I'm drawing at art's school.
Well, I think most still lifes are boring as hell, but you gotta get the craftmanship from somewhere, after all =P Actually, I enjoy drawing humen and more important things with message. But well, I stick with my art teacher and I improoved a lot since I started weekly art's school about ... a month? ago. Seriously, that guy is a genius explaining how to draw.

Well, Alestance, there is one thing I'd suggest you if you want to attain professinal level: Do not draw Manga. Yes, we all do, but it's actually bad for the artistic character. Once you can draw (real) humen, you can return to Manga, and you'll SURELY notice how the anatomy and stuff is better. Also, before drawing Manga one should actually draw realism, because Manga is a personal interpratation of real life, and copying Manga artists is no way to get an own style. Also, I'd recomand using references (from real life if possible, other: photos), it's much easier, and also the learning is much better with them.
But more important than that: do NOT draw flat shapes, but volumes. I can't possibly scream that out to loud. Always think about bodies as arragements of lots of forms with volume rather than drawing lines where you think the arm "ends", because it does NOT end. I suck at explaining that in English :S

[Siguy]

Well, Alestance, there is one thing I'd suggest you if you want to attain professinal level: Do not draw Manga. Yes, we all do, but it's actually bad for the artistic character. Once you can draw (real) humen, you can return to Manga, and you'll SURELY notice how the anatomy and stuff is better. Also, before drawing Manga one should actually draw realism, because Manga is a personal interpratation of real life, and copying Manga artists is no way to get an own style. Also, I'd recomand using references (from real life if possible, other: photos), it's much easier, and also the learning is much better with them.

I definitely agree, about the manga part. Anime does not exactly teach anatomy well.

However, in my opinion it is still good to draw cartoonish characters or caricatures. Exaggerating certain features lets you become familiar with drawing individual parts of the body and face, while on the other hand anime and manga is stylized to reduce those features, sometimes to extreme levels (think Lucky Star).

[Golden Chocobo]

...while on the other hand anime and manga is stylized to reduce those features, sometimes to extreme levels (think Lucky Star).

I disagree on the, er, breast factor. Ahem. Just saying.

*disappears*

[Lemon]

Lemon, why are you the only one who's willing to actually tell me "Alestance! You suck! Do it better next time!"? Srsly. Thats advice I could have used a week ago.

I want to attain a professional level, and the only way I'll be capable of doing that is if people tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm never satisfied with my work, I let other people be satisfied for me. Look where it got me, I guess.

Yep yep. You'll never be satisfied with your work, or well, not 100% of it. I wonder sometimes what mistakes in the Mona Lisa Da Vinci could see, or what obvious errors Picasso saw in his Stary Night.

I also think we should enact a rule here that declares if you post artwork you have to critique someone elses. It's a large let down to see 4 people post their stuff and see that none of them seemed to actually look at anything people did before them; or don't want to share their opinions.

Even if you don't think you have anything to share on someones work; just say what you think. Comments like, great job! are fine for motivational boosts, but actual critiques are far more valuable, and I really like getting them more because I think that means the person actually took the time to think about the work and such.

Annyyway, yeah, compared to most of the stuff I spend my day looking at your stuff sucks, but that's just because all we ever see are the finished products. The internet enables us to see the best of the best, and it can be pretty discouraging to see all the fantastic stuff out there, but keep in mind everyone started somewhere. Just keep at it pretty much.

Finally I'm mimic what everyone else is saying on learning how to draw figures instead of anime characters. Anime is popular cartoon form of humans, but you'll be 1000 times better at drawing people if you learn to do real people first. It's much easier to mess with arm lengths, head proportions, and other things if you already understand how they should look. If you want to see the terror of people who stick to anime drawing, browse DeviantArt.

My old art professor recommended me a really great book on figure drawing published in like, the 50's (though the human body hasn't changed so age is rather irrelevant). When I get around to it I'll post it here for you to enjoy.

Edited by Lemon, 19 March 2010 - 11:24 AM.

[SpikeReynolds]

Me drew an apple and me scanner made it way too shiny. Oh well.

I guess going with what Lemon said, and since this is the most recent art that hasn't been critted. I guess the only thing I can really say is...smoothness. Apples aren't so line-ey, I can't think of a word. The shading should be smoother, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

And now, for mah art.

Fictional band I'm going to be using for a comic strip. I'm not exactly pleased with how this turned out, mostly the second guitarist's face, but I'll work on that. That's the basic style I'm going at for the strip. I guess it's kinda a mix of Sabrina Online, Concession, Lackadaisy, Ozy And Millie, and a bit of my own style.

[Sheik]

I agree that the hatching is too line-y, and I told my art teacher it looked like hair but it was the task to do exatcly like that and not anyhow else :S I'm quite satisfied with the result whatsoever. But yeah.

I'd like to say something constructive about your band, but I'm no professional in terms of animal-humen (? ), thus I keep my mouth shut =P

[SpikeReynolds]

I agree that the hatching is too line-y, and I told my art teacher it looked like hair but it was the task to do exatcly like that and not anyhow else :S I'm quite satisfied with the result whatsoever. But yeah.

I'd like to say something constructive about your band, but I'm no professional in terms of animal-humen (? ), thus I keep my mouth shut =P

Go ahead and say it. A little constructive crits couldn't hurt.

[Sheik]

Go ahead and say it. A little constructive crits couldn't hurt.

Very well. I'll stay pretty un-detailed, though, since I am a little busy right now.

First of: the instruments need to show some more side. Than they look pretty small actually. Especiall the gittuar needs to be bigger, it's "body" is almost as big as the upper body of an adult, actually.
Second: The anatomy isn't proper. But I can't really judge that one, dunno how animal-people are build, thus, I keep it shut again =D
Third: The eyes. Manga eyes are okay, if you like them badly, but those are a bit too much on the cute-side. They might be intented to look like this, though.
Last: It's drawn pretty rough. But I guess it's a scetch, thus I shut up once more.

Well, don't know if that was constructive. I have a feeling that spending an extra 30 minutes on it (maybe even drawing some shading), using references for anatomy and instruments and giving it a little more "mature" look might benefit the over all thing. Some more love for detail always gives the pictures the special something.

Yeah, that's pretty much redrawing it D: that's why I hate my criticism on art D: Sorry D:

[Lemon]

I think I can help add some more detail to what Sheik's describing, because for the most part I think he's spot on just not specific enough.

First of: the instruments need to show some more side. Than they look pretty small actually. Especiall the gittuar needs to be bigger, it's "body" is almost as big as the upper body of an adult, actually.

You obviously understood where the neck of the guitar bends out as you scribbled in shaded areas for that. However, it'd be a lot more effective to have the lines themselves change (I'm lookin at the far left one here, where it's basically a rectangle. Don't be afraid to make your lines more curvy).

Second: The anatomy isn't proper. But I can't really judge that one, dunno how animal-people are build, thus, I keep it shut again =D

Agreed; though this is only something you'll get better at by drawing live people. Proportions are something that come with a ****ton of practice young padowan.

Third: The eyes. Manga eyes are okay, if you like them badly, but those are a bit too much on the cute-side. They might be intented to look like this, though.

No, they're way to big. Cutesy or not, you tried to make everything else in the picture semi-realistic, therefor the fact that their eyes consume half of the total space on their heads is very weird. Especially because you apparently ran out of room for detail for their noses and mouths.

Last: It's drawn pretty rough. But I guess it's a scetch, thus I shut up once more.

Draw the thing out in pencil first. Draw lots and lots of lines; eventually one of them will work perfectly. Don't go to pen until you're 90% certain (I don't think anyone can be 100%) that they correctly outline how you want this piece to look.


On another note; why fox people? I will never understand the desire to put fox heads on human bodies. Of course, that's probably a symptom of knowing /b/, but man. The internet has ruined animorphic people.

[SpikeReynolds]

Thanks for the crits. I'll have to look into fixing that. Some of that has to do with being stylized, but looking back, I guess the eyes are a little overboard. The body proportions are supposed to be a little different, especially the one on the one on the very far left, cuz he's supposed to be a husky.

Also, as to why fox people...I dunno exactly. It's been something I've done since...About when I first joined PZC. I dig the old Disney Robin Hood, and stuff like that.

I guess I could go on defending how my drawing isn't that botched all day, but it'd be pointless, I'mmuna basically redraw and play around with proportions and the like.

[Mr. Pimpy]

New stuff, just sketches:

NEVER FORGET - This is a drawing of a crucified sausage, based on the inverted spelling of "Jesus". It will probably offend people who can't take jokes about their religion. If you cannot take jokes about your religion do not click it.

Sunflower - NSFW. It is a breast with sex toys lined around it to resemble a flower, but it's got a Mature Content filter on it so you shouldn't be able to view it if you're under 18 so bleh.

Edited by Mr. Pimpy, 28 March 2010 - 01:48 AM.

[Lemon]

To be honest the NEVER FORGET thing looks more like a penis than your NSFW one, which I wouldn't have assumed to be NSFW unless you had pointed out that yes it is actually a breast and dicks.

As for the dick sausage (I'm sorry, but the placement of the ring and top bit...) the colors seem a bit off, and nothing really ties the thing together. A joke image sure, but if you're going to try to be artsy about it, go the whole ten yards. Or however many yards it is.

The sunflower thing is pretty cool, colors are f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c. The subject matter itself seems almost irrelevant and could easily be replaced by something else though. Not sure if it would add or subtract anything from it, but just the thought I had lookin at tit...


Ha-HA see what I did there? Anyway I can't help but feel it's images like this that make my mind automatically locate dicks everywhere.

[Nathaniel]

You guys really love penises. But hey, that's your prerogative. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Oh, thanks for the pre-warning, Mr. Pimpy. Those who are easily offended, as he said, just don't click, and I will be quiet as long as the complaints don't start flowing in. I don't have a deviantart account, so I can't view the second one. As for the first one, anybody who has cooked sausage would know what that is all about, despite the indirect reference to two other things, one of which is Jesus as a sausage nailed to a cross of toothpicks. Interesting similarlity there. Good art work like always, and I like the choice of background for it all too.

[Lemon]

Hm. I'd critique stuff, but nothing news been added since I last did so soooo...

Friend 26#

Not the finished thing, there's a lot I changed since I uploaded this (fixed border, leg, sunglasses, and skirt) but that's the general gist of things. Took a picture of this person, used the picture as a guide and drew it on paper with a pencil, scanned it in, made it B/W and colored it in photoshop. Boom boom!

Shading skin is the easiest thing in the world, but clothes. It's bordering on impossible for me... so tedious and boring. I can trick myself into caring for 20 minute periods but need extra effort to go further. Hopefully I can get decent enough at this where 20 minutes will be enough.

EDIT: New one. There are a lot of job offerings around me currently for cartoons for stories... so I'm going to do a lot of the upcoming portraits in this kinda style. This girl reminded me a lot of Red Ridin hood.

Edited by Lemon, 13 April 2010 - 06:06 PM.