Art...sort of

[Rigwyn]

Damn Mari... nice work 

[Jacula]

Nice work indeed. Clear improvements can be seen when overlooking the thread as a whole, and I like the idea of depicting characters familiar to the game.

A study of symmetric proportions should be of use however, if only to improve what talent you display.

Keep on drawing

[Mariana Xiechai]

@ Rigwyn: Thank you  I might add some designs to his sword. And bracers. I think he wears bracers but for the life of me, I couldn't remember.

@ Jacula: I'm glad you enjoyed flipping through my doodles Though I'm curious, on the topic of symmetric proportions, if I understand you correctly, do you mean the size of one arm in comparison to another, or one leg, or the face, etc. I've noticed often I make the mistake of having one limb just a tad longer than the one on the other side. Is there a trick to that, or is this just learned experience? Either way, thank you for the constructive criticism, it is appreciated. 

[Jilata]

I think it is different for everyone Mariana. I didn't really train to draw fitting proportions. It comes to me rather naturally. I usually draw that, what looks the best in that specific situation
You might try using a ruler and look at the exact length of each limb. But it won't work if they have a different angle, in a way, so the limbs shorten. What I mean is you draw a person and that person has one arm stretched from where you are looking at. That arm looks "shorter" due to the angle it is looked at. It makes it rather difficult to draw the right length.
What might help is using a wooden puppet. But seeing something and being able to draw it can be quite a difference sometimes.

[MellasFenixxes]

I think it was imaginism on DeviantArt who said: If it feels like there's something wrong with a drawing, there probably is. How to know what it is and how to fix it? Draw, draw, draw, and draw some more.

At school we get a lot of exercises like: Make 5 sketches each week of the people you see around you for 4 years,  each sketch taking no longer than 5 to 10 min. Use pen or markers. Also, make around 40 self portraits each 6 months, using a mirror. And then there's 3 hours a week of model drawing in class

And guess what? I'm still not getting it right XD

[Mariana Xiechai]

@ Jilata: I know exactly what you mean. It's simple if the figure is just straight-on, but the moment you start to add fluidity or movement, things tend to get more complicated. Forshortening and the like has never been one of my strengths. 

@ Mellas: Good advice, but sadly as a science major and not an art major, I don't have that kind of time to draw so many doodles, even if I wish I did.  I'm afraid it'll be a gradual process for me. Slow and steady wins the proverbial race!

[Aramara Meibi]

mari, if your prison deathtrap moneydrain endlesssoulsuckingabyss educational institution offers a course in figure drawing, i'd recommend taking it at the first opportunity. Some other things to try, just as sketches and practice to help get the idea of form in your figures, are gesture drawings and contour line drawings

as far as foreshortening goes, it's a hard thing to master, but when you do it creates so much depth and dimension in your pictures. Basically, it's a mentality you have to hold while drawing, the things that are closer to the viewer should appear larger on the picture plane. Easier said than done, but it's mostly a trick of the mind. Practice drawing from observation first, so that your eyes overpower your mind, learn to draw what you see rather than what you think you see. Then take those lessons learned from observation and apply it to the mind's eye. Then... where it gets real fun, is when your mind's eye overpowers your eyes. Most people call that insanity, I call it fun.

[Mariana Xiechai]

* Mariana Xiechai cackles at Aramara's description of college.

Hey hey. It really isn't that bad after scholarships. Anyway, thanks for the tip. If I can fit it in, I may just take such a class, I think I would enjoy it. I like to vary up the monotony with more creative courses.

[Mariana Xiechai]

I'm starting my first ever "scene" drawing. Cheating a bit, since it was never actually RP'ed. This will eventually be the bit where Evirea discovers her dead parents. It'll include a background, but so far, only her image is hashed out.

[Phantomboy86]

Torso seems just a bit too long, and the placement of the hands looks like she's yodeling.

The rest of it is pretty great though.

[Mariana Xiechai]

I've always pictured Evi as being very long and lanky, I guess I just went a bit too far with the concept here, but I wanted to emphasize that she's physically quite frail. As for a yodeling...well hopefully it won't look like that when the image is done.

[Aramara Meibi]

it looks kinda odd with her hands turned outwards like that, I'm trying to mimic it and I can't without it being painful. Maybe klyros have extra joints?

[Shangshi]

Hey Mariana,

I think you did a great job is drawing Shangshi, thanks for doing it so well . And FYI - Shangshi hardly ever wears bracers.

And who in their right mind had been calling me Shangsquatch, that's crazy talk if i even did hear any.

[Mariana Xiechai]

@ Aramara: Yeah, I know. Actually that's on purpose, I want her hands to be at awkward angles, even painful ones, since she's currently in a rather painful position. But I did shorten her torso a touch

@Shangshi: I'm very glad you like it. And glad he doesn't wear bracers. 
(I dunno who calls you Shangsquatch... )

[MellasFenixxes]

That Klyros drawing has so much emotion in it! Very beautiful, especially the pose, it's just gorgeous! Since klyros can fly I'd say she's floating based on the positioning of her legs, but if that wasn't your idea, then maybe this site will help: http://www.posemaniacs.com/ I can usually find a reference for a fun dynamic pose here. (Not that I look it up often, I'm too lazy T_T )