o hai
(which one?)
*
If people learned from their mistakes, there wouldn't be this thing called bad habits.
YOSH!
Fixed it, sorry about that.
When All Else Fails, you have fun and flirt wit da ladies, dats da Drawings way!
o hai
The guy's right hand looks rather odd (unless you intended for it to be like that) and I don't think shirts work that way naturally (unless the shirt is specifically shaped like that) and the cloth is oddly hanging off the person's wrist and the sleeve's opening looks really boxy. The creases also look more like lines you just added later than something which should make the clothing look more..cloth-like.
I shouldn't be criticizing others on their drawings of hands, though.
edited 20th Oct '10 7:23:10 PM by Edmania
If people learned from their mistakes, there wouldn't be this thing called bad habits.
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
His left sleeve looks decent, but his left hand is much too symmetrical - he looks like he has three fingers and two opposing thumbs. On the other hand (...that pun was not there when I started typing it, honest), the right hand looks fairly okay but the sleeve looks like it's experiencing some kind of repulsive force that keeps it away from the arm.
The bottom of his shirt seems to be billowing out in several directions - if it was only in one, it could be passed off as a strong breeze or a recent movement from that direction, but it doesn't look right as it is.
The guy in the lower left is cross-eyed, but you probably knew that already.
Everything else looks good. (Nice goggles!)
The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable
YOSH!
The creases also look more like lines you just added later than something which should make the clothing look more..cloth-like. the right hand looks fairly okay but the sleeve looks like it's experiencing some kind of repulsive force that keeps it away from the arm.The bottom of his shirt seems to be billowing out in several directions - if it was only in one, it could be passed off as a strong breeze or a recent movement from that direction, but it doesn't look right as it is. The guy in the lower left is cross-eyed, but you probably knew that already. Thank you very much for your comments, I may be sticking around and help with other art pieces.
edited 20th Oct '10 7:49:04 PM by ACDrawings
When All Else Fails, you have fun and flirt wit da ladies, dats da Drawings way!
This tutorial
is really good for folds in clothing and the like.
Oh, Noaqiyeum, thank you. I didn't notice anything strange about a hurrican from a cloud corner, I didn't even think about that. I guess I should look at more tornadoes.
Edmania, although there's a slight stiffness or other small irregularities in your drawing, for the most part it looks fine. Your shading job does a lot to add depth and volume to the drawing. However, the biggest thing that sticks out to me is the head, and that makes the whole rest of the drawing a little off. It's very big, and makes the body seem unnaturally small, and not in a naturally 'she's tiny and of slight build' way but a 'something is wrong, is she going to tip over?' way. It would be easy to rectify though, with that dark hair, to slim the face, lower/add to the bangs a bit, and make the eyes a little smaller. Also, the way you draw faces, the shape, makes them seem a little flat or deformed; like a curved triangle? Remember to draw the slight dips for the jaw.
Other small things are the left upper arm could be lengthened a tad (a bent elbow like that tends to be longer than you'd initially suspect, which I had to learn myself), and I think you can omit the heel of the left shoe and shoe it full-frontal. However, if you fix the first problem I think regardless of these small things it'll much better overall. The whiteness of the face is also quite noticeable next to the shading of the rest of the body.
The detail you put into the strands of hair, the attempt of a more dynamic pose, and the flow of the dress all work out for a more impactful drawing. Also the higher contrast of dark/light was effective, such as the black border on the paler dress.
AC Drawings, I'll tell you what I think of your drawing skill in general as well as the drawing you posted, since you seem to be looking for improvement all-around.
The colors you use are quite ineffective. They tend to be grayish, dull, flat, and colored in crudely. It looks like you're using colored pencils; have you tried blending colors, or shading? I think even a little bit of shading and/or blending would a lot to your coloring, as well as learning to color smoothly and evenly (there's a bit of technique to it) and choosing more appealing colors. Unless you're going for the messy grunge-ish effect, but even then, there are better ways to achieve that.
The way you add creases is indeed very unnatural. If you don't know how to add them properly, I would suggest sticking for now just drawing the clothes without them, or with very, very minimal creases. You'd be surprised, looking at lots of cartoons and anime, how little creases they get away with while looking great. When you do put in creases, a few tips; don't look at the flat plains of the body like the upper arm, thigh, etc.. Look at the joint areas, and add a few tiny dips to the outline there, maybe one or two crease lines onto the clothing itself, (many creases have a downward slanted directionality) . In the drawing you posted I only see maybe two creases that look right, and the rest detract from the image. Another spot than joints is the waist, where it often drapes like in the third image in that tutorial link posted earlier. Also, remember that clothing always hangs off the body. Unless they're in the middle of a fall or some other very unusual circumstance, this is always true.
Do you draw the basic body outline before the clothes? How much anatomy practice do you have? There are lots of problems here that could be eliminated if you drew a basic sketch outline before the details. The wrist is too narrow, the lower and upper body look dislocated (though it may not be immediately obvious, so that's good), that big crease in the leg looks too deep for a man of his stature, and something seems wrong with his bent arm (too thin, too long) .
However, the best part of this image is the face(s). It's obvious you've practiced them a lot, and it seems to be your strong point. Nothing looks off about them, they have volume and shape and great details like the hair , goggles, expression, etc.. For the head at least, I wouldn't be surprised to see a drawing of that quality in a published comic.
What you really need to work on is colors, body, clothes, and hands. I think with the clothes you may be holding yourself back; the creases are an impediment, I would really recommend trying to eliminate as much of them from your drawings as you can for now, and add them once you know how, or else it just detracts.
- - -
...And I think that's it. Sorry, I ended up talking more than I should have.
<3 ali
My iMood
o hai
a bent elbow like that tends to be longer than you'd initially suspect, which I had to learn myself It actually did appear longer before, but then I covered it with a couter.
The whiteness of the face is also quite noticeable next to the shading of the rest of the body. I was too lazy to re-shade it after cleaning up the dirty bits on Photoshop. The brightness of her face in general is intentional, though.
Also, the way you draw faces, the shape, makes them seem a little flat or deformed; like a curved triangle? Remember to draw the slight dips for the jaw.There actually are some (although they are rather small and virtually invisible on the shrunken version I posted) but it is sort of flat/deformed out of stylization(If you are talking about one of the eyes, though, it's because it's kinda half-open because she's generally in a "moving" position and wind is getting in her eye.) I tried to make the head "softer" which resulted in that shape.
edited 20th Oct '10 9:29:06 PM by Edmania
If people learned from their mistakes, there wouldn't be this thing called bad habits.
YOSH!
It looks like you're using colored pencils; have you tried blending colors, or shading? I think even a little bit of shading and/or blending would a lot to your coloringNow shading is definitely something I agree I need a lot of work in, I'm never quite sure how to go about it becuase I think too much about light sources.
Do you draw the basic body outline before the clothes? How much anatomy practice do you have? There are lots of problems here that could be eliminated if you drew a basic sketch outline before the details. The wrist is too narrow, the lower and upper body look dislocated (though it may not be immediately obvious, so that's good), that big crease in the leg looks too deep for a man of his stature, and something seems wrong with his bent arm (too thin, too long). on them after and while I haven't practiced using actual human models I've been building towards human bodies. The Psy-Kick picture is from a combination of both,, and I noticed the disjoint between the waist and torso and it bugs me when I look hard enough.
And uh, yeah, the right wrist is a definitely a problem The arm looks too thin.
And creases... Fine, I can lay off the stupid things until I learn a thing or too, It just infuriates me being behind my sister who used to be worse than me and her skill with creases is definitely one of those things working in her favor...
Okay then, faces are fine, as always, everything else, as usual, needs work, thank you.
edited 20th Oct '10 9:30:11 PM by ACDrawings
When All Else Fails, you have fun and flirt wit da ladies, dats da Drawings way!
AC Drawings: I posted a folds/wrinkles tutorial in my previous post.
o hai
Even with that tutorial it isn't as easy as it sounds.
At least, to me.
If people learned from their mistakes, there wouldn't be this thing called bad habits.
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
Thoughts, please?
Exhibits A
◊ and B
◊ are drawn from photographs (but not traced), and C
◊ is not.
o hai
First one looks kind of rough and his ears are too...blocky...or something.
Second is mostly fine except for the bottom left person, with the hair looking kinda unrefined (for lack of a better term) and there's something kind of Uncanny Valley about that face.
Third one has the same problems as the first and the white part of the hair looks kind of incomplete (again, for lack of a better term.)
If people learned from their mistakes, there wouldn't be this thing called bad habits.
Zanter
Noaqiyeum: (1&2) The basics are good. It's just very unrefined. The lined paper hurts it a lot. 1 Looks a bit more elderly then I think was intended, but if it was the intent, you could have gone farther.
The upper left one on 2 has a good facial structure, but the hair is a bit lacking. The upper right's face is good, but the line down the middle hurts it. The scale of the shoulder seems off.
Bottom left if iffy. Proportions are funky. And the chin is to pronounced. Bottom right is very nice. But some darker value outlines would help a lot.
I'm looking for some feedback on some of my stuff. I'm going to launch a comic fairly soon, and am finishing up the character designs.
http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/#/d318ie8
Latest set.
http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d30z97u
Sketches of their development.
Any critique on their personalities (in first link) would also be much appreciated.
edited 23rd Oct '10 4:01:05 PM by Zanter
Behold, art. http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
First one looks kind of rough and his ears are too...blocky...or something.
The basics are good. It's just very unrefined. The lined paper hurts it a lot. 1 Looks a bit more elderly then I think was intended, but if it was the intent, you could have gone farther.
The first one is from when I first started trying to draw from photographs, so... roughness is pretty understandable. (I did a lot of sketching on lined paper then, too.)
The person in the photograph is around his mid-to-late forties. Is that older or younger than you thought was intended, Zanter?
Second is mostly fine except for the bottom left person, with the hair looking kinda unrefined (for lack of a better term) and there's something kind of Uncanny Valley about that face.
The upper left one on 2 has a good facial structure, but the hair is a bit lacking. The upper right's face is good, but the line down the middle hurts it. The scale of the shoulder seems off. Bottom left is iffy. Proportions are funky. And the chin is to pronounced. Bottom right is very nice. But some darker value outlines would help a lot.
- Is it at least obvious that the two on the left are based on the same photograph, or do I need to do practice more consistency?
- Could you hazard a guess at each person's ethnicity?
Third one has the same problems as the first and the white part of the hair looks kind of incomplete (again, for lack of a better term.)How about the nose and mouth? I suspect the first is too wide, and I can't quite place what seems wrong with the second.
- Jachai
- His eyes seem to be off in a way that Damien's and Adrian's aren't, even though they all have Tsurime - I think his left eye is consistently either too close to his nose or too low on his face.
- It also looks weird how he has exactly the same expression in every sketch. It does make him look like a sleazy jerk, but don't his mouth or eyes ever move?
- Damien
- The name is rather overused for sinister characters, in my opinion. -_-
- I just noticed that none of the guys in your height reference sheet seem to be standing straight - and I think their torsos are all twisted the same way. (Not true in the sketches, though... except for Jachai.)
- He doesn't really seem either emotionless or stiff - more "extremely irritable but self-confidently relaxed".
- His right hand and foot look... off.
- Adrian
- Looks okay visually, though the Fashionable Asymmetry could probably be a bit more subdued.
- "Snarker with hidden angst" seems a bit of a cliche personality...
- Kerrah
- She does come across as emotionally rigid, but she doesn't look nearly as "strong" as she does "moe" - more likely to be the Damsel in Distress than the Only Sane Man your description implies.
- I like the glove-mounted dagger whips, but as short as you've drawn them they look almost unusable - too short to get much momentum when swung, too light to leave much of a mark, and they'd swing right back into her fists before she could react. If you allowed them to extend about six times further they'd make better whips; about three times as long and with heavier daggers, they could be used more as pointy-ended flails.
edited 23rd Oct '10 5:34:53 PM by Noaqiyeum
The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable
Zanter
The person in the photograph is around his mid-to-late forties. Is that older or younger than you thought was intended, Zanter? That seems about right in retrospect. First glance had me trying to decide between a thirties or late forties. Some more facial detail would have helped, but seeing the size you were working at, that would have been difficult.
Hmmm... What exactly is wrong with the lower left face? I'm trying to pin it down, but the only thing is that the eye seems to be in not quite the right place. For the angle, the nose line is to far forward I think. Hairline seems to receded. She looks to young for it to be that far back. The visible ear is to small. Her neck looks rather like it's jutting forward.
1: Is it at least obvious that the two on the left are based on the same photograph, or do I need to do practice more consistency?
2: Could you hazard a guess at each person's ethnicity?
1: Same person? Yes. Same photo? No. Her hair and posture noticeably changes. Plus, the earring is clearly visible in the first, covered in the second. 2: A) Caucasian, Possibly Asian, due to eyes, but I doubt it. B) Left side: Caucasian. Though the pronounced lips throw me off a bit. Right: Top: Not sure. Mildly Hispanic? Bottom: Africian. But the facial structure is nondescript enough that i wouldn't guess that first if not for skin tone.
I think I'm a little unsure about how ears should look from the front... Grr.
Ears slant a bit outward toward the back. So you can still see the folds of cartilage. Ears are very smooth and curved, their basically two oval shapes. So most shots have them as two simple curves as the outline.
His eyes seem to be off in a way that Damien's and Adrian's aren't, even though they all have Tsurime - I think his left eye is consistently either too close to his nose or too low on his face. It also looks weird how he has exactly the same expression in every sketch. It does make him look like a sleazy jerk, but don't his mouth or eyes ever move?
His face is kind of screwy for me, I'm trying to spice it up from my usual faces. Which means I'm still figuring out how to work it. Mainly his sharp eyes, and exaggerated mouth length. Hence, weirdness.
The name is rather overused for sinister characters, in my opinion.
-_-
I'm fully aware... It just really rings with him. And i have yet to find a better one. Thinking of retconing it to "Darias" at the moment.
I just noticed that none of the guys in your height reference sheet seem to be standing straight - and I think their torsos are all twisted the same way. (Not true in the sketches, though... except for Jachai.)
That's a thing I do a LOT. Mostly by reflex when drawing a boring pose.
He doesn't really seem either emotionless or stiff - more "extremely irritable but self-confidently relaxed".
That's likely the angle I'll give him in the final personality... Been juggling around with him a bit, so the pics vary.
His right hand and foot look... off.
Like many (read = all) Learning artists, those suckers are a beast to draw. I'm trying to do them more to combat this, but, they're still screwy.
Looks okay visually, though the Fashionable Asymmetry could probably be a bit more subdued. I was afraid of that. I think I'll even out his hair, lose the strap on the pants, and give him the other boot. The whole "missing toes" idea was that he can walk in shoes, but has one hell of a limp barefoot. So I don't think the sandal will cut it....
"Snarker with hidden angst" seems a bit of a cliche personality...
I'm frustratingly aware. But the intent is more of a Rick Castle Kind of snark, rather then normal sarcastic jerk snark. With the angst being repressed, and (hopefully) rather worthy of the drama. Still not to fresh I admit.
She does come across as emotionally rigid, but she doesn't look nearly as "strong" as she does "moe" - more likely to be the Damsel In Distress than the Only Sane Man your description implies. I'll see what I can do. I can see your point. She's intended to be, as implied, a [[onlysaneman]] , with some Big Damn Heroes due to her position outside most primary conflict.
I like the glove-mounted dagger whips, but as short as you've drawn them they look almost unusable - too short to get much momentum when swung, too light to leave much of a mark, and they'd swing right back into her fists before she could react. The (poorly illustrated) concept is that the bulky wrists on the glove store extra wire, which runs down to the knuckles. [1] , I'm aware.
Her main technique is to throw them as [2] style throwing knives at first, with the whip as a follow-up attack and means of retrieval.
Edit: (My word! typos and code error abound! Sorry. New to the forum/editing. Working on it. Stuff edited in.
edited 23rd Oct '10 10:04:47 PM by Zanter
Behold, art. http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
[[quoteblock]] has no capitals in it. :)
Also, CamelCase, no [[]], and missile has a second i in it.
edited 23rd Oct '10 10:10:31 PM by Noaqiyeum
The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable
Zanter
[[quoteblock]] has no capitals in it. :) That would do it. [1]
edited 23rd Oct '10 10:07:06 PM by Zanter
Behold, art. http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/
Trans Siberian Anarchestra (it/they)
For the angle, the nose line is to far forward I think. Hairline seems to receded. She looks to young for it to be that far back. The visible ear is to small. Her neck looks rather like it's jutting forward.1: Same person? Yes. Same photo? No. Her hair and posture noticeably changes. Plus, the earring is clearly visible in the first, covered in the second. 2: A) Caucasian, Possibly Asian, due to eyes, but I doubt it. B) Left side: Caucasian. Though the pronounced lips throw me off a bit. Right: Top: Not sure. Mildly Hispanic? Bottom: Africian. But the facial structure is nondescript enough that i wouldn't guess that first if not for skin tone.2: (A) is indeed caucasian. (B), all four are actually African, just not shaded (I think the girl on the left comes from closer to the east coast, and in the upper right from the west).
Ears slant a bit outward toward the back. So you can still see the folds of cartilage. Ears are very smooth and curved, their basically two oval shapes. So most shots have them as two simple curves as the outline.I am very bad about remembering to add earfolds (I did the same thing with all four pictures in B).
That's a thing I do a LOT. Mostly by reflex when drawing a boring pose.Like many (read = all) Learning artists, those suckers are a beast to draw. I'm trying to do them more to combat this, but, they're still screwy.I was afraid of that. I think I'll even out his hair, lose the strap on the pants, and give him the other boot. The whole "missing toes" idea was that he can walk in shoes, but has one hell of a limp barefoot. So I don't think the sandal will cut it....edited 23rd Oct '10 10:30:14 PM by Noaqiyeum
The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable
Zanter
(B), all four are actually African, just not shaded (I think the girl on the left comes from closer to the east coast, and in the upper right from the west). Ah, ok. I can see it now that I'm aware. But without knowing that the non-shaded ones are hard to recognize.
Do you have a sloping desk you could work on? It could be a result of looking at the paper at an off-center angle when you draw. Sadly no. I work on a flat glass desk. But I'm rather tall, and I lean over it quite a bit. Which helps. My pose lines normally use much more overblown posture then the sketch over it, which likely contributes.
Behold, art. http://insanelyzanter.deviantart.com/
^ That's...really good. I don't think I would have pulled off the hand that well. The fingers look a little...claw-like, I guess? Kinda flat. Hands are hard.
That's all I really see that needs work.
edited 26th Oct '10 8:20:55 PM by Latia
Fractally long
I like the hand tutorial. I do something similar for my hands, but I think your method captures the anatomy better than mine. The advice about letting hands talk and interact with each other is apt, and something I probably need to work on (my hands usually play a secondary role, though I'm not so lame that I hide them behind my character's back as I did when I was younger :p).
Your drawings are expressive and give me a lot to think about. I may well use them as well as references (which you rightly emphasize) on my next few drawings.
One thing you didn't mention much is digit length. Some people's index finger is longer than their ring finger; for others, it's the opposite. My ring finger is so much longer that my index finger's closer in length to my pinkie! I like to play around with it, but it's important to be consistent from character to character. Women tend to have the longer index finger, whereas men are likelier to have a longer ring finger.
Here my Deviantart. Feel free to critique anything. Though the Luigi is really old.
edited 27th Oct '10 9:32:43 AM by Longfellow
It Just Bugs Me
I figured if I have any chance of improvement coming here would probably help, so, one of the few impressive things I have... Have at it
edited 20th Oct '10 7:05:09 PM by ACDrawings
When All Else Fails, you have fun and flirt wit da ladies, dats da Drawings way!