Shadowfalcon's art

[Shadowfalcon]

I\'ve decided that I should start posting my WIP\'s, both PS related and not. Basicly I would like to know what people like or dislike about my style and technique, so that I may get better.

This is one of my final projects I am working on for school. I would like some comments and crits before I go any further with it. Mostly I\'m concerned with proportion. Also any tips for drawing faces, \'cause I\'m bad at it, and don\'t have much experience there. And any idea for a background. I have a few, but I would like a fresh mind to throw things at it.



Lastly, I\'m not sure how I sould render it. I have two final projects that need to be drawn, and one MUST be rendered in pencil. The other I will do in Photoshop. So which one? This one, or my Enki character I am going to draw later? Reply people!

[Karyuu]

Keep in mind that non-PS art will probably be better off in its own thread within Hydlaa Plaza ;) A few works that have nothing to do with PlaneShift are okay, but try to keep the greater majority of it tied to Yliakum. That said, to th\'critique! :)

The body itself is quite good, and I believe that you\'ve nailed the basic proportions. There is nothing major to change. However the first thing I noticed is her neck - it\'s too thick for her otherwise dainty character. Thin out her neck and extend her collarbone and shoulders a little, and you\'ve got it. Scrolling down, I can\'t help but feel that she has no hip on her right side (that would be her right side) - there\'s no transition between waist and leg, and it\'s something that you\'ll be able to fix by looking at several anatomy studies. I lack the words to describe it. Maybe someone else will come along and do it better :) The legs themselves are great, but I think the arms need a bit more muscle, more definition. And look at studies of hands, too - if possible, pose your own in such a position and either snap a photo or use a mirror - they\'re a bit smaller than they should be.

I can\'t give much advice on the face as that area is rather blurry, but it seems basically okay. A better image could be... better ;D How much work do you want to spend on the background? A western tavern is most appropriate, but may be a bit much, depending on your schedule and willingness. Or a western street. A desert. Sand dunes. I\'m biased :D

Don\'t be afraid to use references, and heavily, when you\'re starting out. Print out several photos, gather together magazines, have images on your screen, etc. - and constantly refer to them for proportion, poses, props, and the like. It\'s always better to draw from actual reality, but in its absence a recording of such a reality, photos, are better than nothing ;) I had a list of awesome stock imagery sites somewhere... ah, here. Search for what you might need - it\'s one of the best ways of learning.

As for rendering, since you\'ve already drawn out this character and so well, I\'d say go ahead and render this one. If you posted the Enki to compare, maybe it\'d be different. I\'ve always loved creating a fur texture in graphite. Oh! Speaking of which, arm yourself with as many different pencil hardnesses as possible - don\'t just stick to lead or a 2H. You probably already know this though ;) So ultimately, good luck and have fun!

[Shadowfalcon]

Alas, your post came a bit too late. I have already started rendering, and could not change some of the things you pointed out. However, I am very happy with the results so far. I forgot how fun it can be to use good old HB pencils. I did make her neck a little thinner, and up-sized the shotgun a lot. I made her face a lot better looking too, but yeah, the pic was blurry, so you couldn\'t see how bad it was. Here\'s an update! I will go over it with a 4B pencil when I\'m closer to done, I just don\'t want it smearing right now. More crits please!



BTW, I will draw my Enki tomorow, havn\'t actually started it yet! Oh and great links! I can never have too many textures!

[Karyuu]

You impatient critter you ;D Not too bad! Is that toned paper, by the way, or did the scan just come in dark? It looks like you can use or have already used a white pencil to bring out the highlights. And you can still give definition to her arms - just add some more slight curves. Make sure not to press too hard with the pencil, by the way - that\'s what the different hardnesses are for, beyond the HB ;) And cheers! You have your light source figured out!

Can I make what I think is an excellent suggestion to immediately check if your drawing looks \"right\" or not? Just flip it over. Either mirror it in an imaging program, or flip the paper and hold it up to some light - all the little faults and inconsistencies immediately make themselves clear, and it becomes a lot easier to correct, flipping back and forth. This is something that I myself have tried only once, unfortunately, but the results were soooo worth it :3 Granted, it\'s a lot of work - and works best with a digital image - but if you have enough paper and some sort of tracing device (be it a window or a light box), and willingness to stick to an image through several redraws, you\'ll thank yourself :)

So! Decided on a background?

[Shadowfalcon]

Nah, It\'s just white paper, and a dark photo. I dodged the highlights in photoshop to bring them out more (like on the actual paper) And yes, I know. I have many different pencils, compressed and vine charcole.

Thank you, lights and shadows have always been one thing I have been good at, and working in 3D really helped me hone that skill. I will try to make the arms more defined, I also think the muscle structure doesnt show through like it should. And I will thy your mirroring technique. Ive never heard of that before, and I hope it works.

No, I havnt decided on a background yet, but I am thinking a fence, horses, and a windmill, storm clouds brewing in the sky. what do you think?

[Karyuu]

Go for it :D And vine charcoal is a lot of fun. I\'ve never mixed it with graphite myself, but thinking about it, it\'s light enough to work really well. A thing I noticed just now - the V-shaped cuts on her boots are rather different. Perhaps you can try either widening the one on the right (seems easier), or closing a little the one on the left?