Rookie needs advice and criticism on her drawingsss please =)

[blissfullydead]

well im young, and im a total newbie. i've experimented a little with the anime/manga style before, but my characters always turned out too sort of casual, so i thought i'd try something totally fantasy-ish. its all dont by hand, but i don't have a scanner, so you might not be able to see much in the picture, because i had to resort to using my camera. hop eits not too dodgy :P

the first one, was my original drawing. t'was a quick sketch in biro, but the wings were really dodgy, so i re-drew it first in pencil, and then in those funky drawing pens, [which i've never used before] and then in pencil. i'm still not sure im happy with the wings, and her right hand is a little undeveloped, and yeah, she doesn't have any feet =S i wasn't too sure how to go about those things. but yeah, like i said, this is sort of like a first time, and i know there's a million ways i can improve it, but i need a bit of advice...especially on the lower background ^_^

i was trying to create the atmosphere of like...beautiful chaos, sort of. like you weren't sure whether she was in a trance or not, or whether she had created the chaos behind her or not. whether she was innocent or guilty. please tell me if i have completely failed at this :)

eek...i've written loads...sorry if i bored you all...thanks in advance :)

[SAB-CA]

Yeah, she looks kinda lost, amidst the beginnings of something that's kinda chaotic. It's good that you "thought big" about the concept; that's a good start, it's more of a full work rather than just a floating character (even if I myself like to do floating characters -ahem-) ANYWHO! How to cover the bottom of the ground? Maybe put a bit of rubble on the ground? You wanna convey chaos, and the potential that she's linked to it, so having some junk from the background, that suggestively leads towards her, helps make her "She mighta done it!" situation all the more realized.

As far as what to work on in overall art... I always find that hard to say, based off a single picture. I mean, there's all those basics: Anatomy, making things appear 3D, making a scene interesting, perspective, blah, blah, blah. And trust me, those things will really help! But to come up with what you personally "lack" is hard to say off of one drawing, so don't be afraid to post more!

So then, until next time! -wave-

[Anime_Empress]

Yeah, she looks kinda lost, amidst the beginnings of something that's kinda chaotic. It's good that you "thought big" about the concept; that's a good start, it's more of a full work rather than just a floating character (even if I myself like to do floating characters -ahem-) ANYWHO! How to cover the bottom of the ground? Maybe put a bit of rubble on the ground? You wanna convey chaos, and the potential that she's linked to it, so having some junk from the background, that suggestively leads towards her, helps make her "She mighta done it!" situation all the more realized.

As far as what to work on in overall art... I always find that hard to say, based off a single picture. I mean, there's all those basics: Anatomy, making things appear 3D, making a scene interesting, perspective, blah, blah, blah. And trust me, those things will really help! But to come up with what you personally "lack" is hard to say off of one drawing, so don't be afraid to post more!

So then, until next time! -wave-


SAB!! :cheers:

*ahem* Hi Bliss. Very pretty drawings! I agree with SAB, she does look like she's in a trance. Maybe it's my own personal preferences, but maybe adding alot of "wind" effect will help acheive the chaos feel. Have her hair or dress twisted in the air or being pulled in a direction (but not too sevearly *sp*) with soft or eerie lighting effects. Making things sort of disorentaited will add to the feel of chaos. Your pictures are already giving off the feeling though, so I think you're doing fine. They're really good drawings and it's great that you want to improve! :j Some artists want to show their art and hate to get critques. (Other times, which I'm sure you know, it's frustrating to hear someone say "her arms are too long" when you worked your booty off. >_< )
Be sure to post more!

[K' Dash]

my art looked the same way when i started a looong time ago, and im pretty good so thats a good start for you. try to stick to black an white sketches for practice, and try to use more shading. once youve got these elements down, you can add some color.
overall i like the fact that you started with a full work and not a floating character, it makes it that much harder to make a good pic but far more rewarding.

I hope to see more from you, till next time! :heart:

[onemanareme]

an artist cannot fail creating something new is a victory....thats true but if you want to push yourself expression(this is how i would handle myself so like whatever)..hm hhm...i would loss the graph paper it (and lined paper) distorts the eyes perspective of the elements that matter, the ones in your minds eye. also remember lighting and contrast are your friends they can help with the mood thing. happy trails and have fun.

[Shiroiyuki]

Well the first thing that I will suggest is to try to avoid 'static' poses (i.e. poses that make the person look pencil-straight, unnaturally positioned, and uncomfortable). Try instead to create some dynamic poses--poses that look more natural to the eye and convey the sense of a relaxed atmosphere. First of all--if it bends, bend it. This means place the arms and hands in different positions (maybe one playfully on the hip, one straight down at the side), give the torso a little twist (not too much though, don't want to break her in half), and perhaps jut out one of the legs to keep your figure from being too vertically placed on the page. Bend her head to the side, bend her legs a little--anything to avoid the pencil, straight-as-an-arrow pose. Not saying that your picture is bad--actually it is a very good attempt at the human figure.

Everything seems to be pretty well proportioned--but unfortunately, the fact that the pose lacks a dynamic flair makes the picture seem too 'plain'. She looks so alert and uncomfortable standing there (almost at attention); try to aim for an 's' shape next time perhaps--where the curve of the body creates an 's'. This is easily achieved by shifting the hips slightly to one side and compensating for the transfer of weight with the placement of the feet. You should always try and picture where the center of weight (what keeps a person standing without tipping over) will fall, and try to balance out the figure accordingly. If the girl leans forward with her hands on her knees, spread her legs out slightly to keep the placement of weight equal on each side. A balanced figure makes a balanced picture, so it is very important to portray a character 'standing' (or otherwise interacting) stably on the ground.

Another thing I would recommend is to try and draw more on regular paper. Graphing paper is fine in order to keep the figure in proportion, but it takes away from the image quality as a whole. Just like notebook paper, it really should be used just for rough sketching and practice if anything. White, 24lbs or higher paper (can just be printer paper if you don't want to spend too much money) allows for a more 'completed picture' look. Nothing distracts from your drawing, and the eye stays on your figure(s) without drifting from line to line (on graphing/notebook paper).


^_^ Keep practicing, and try to expand on your artwork with new poses and styles! I usually carry around a sketchpad with me to different places (mall, library, etc) where tons of people will be walking around. That way, I can quickly sketch different poses/ideas as I see them. Gestures (quick, rough sketches meant for getting the basic placement of a figure down) are EXCELLENT practice for improving your artwork. Not only do they teach you how to roughly get a pose onto paper quickly, they also provide you with new poses that you can use later in your artwork. Getting yourself a small sketchpad and going to places of high people-traffic will benefit you greatly.


Remember to keep up with your drawing in order to increase your skill level. An artist only gets out what they put into their work--devoting time and effort is key to improving. Post more of your artwork as you develop new skills, I know we all want to see it ^_^. Hope I didn't scare you off with this long-winded post....I am a critique fanatic you see :P.

[blissfullydead]

thanks for your advice guys. its really helped. im not normally the type to draw on graph paper, but i did because my drawing started out as a crappy quick sketch, which i decided to develop. thanks for all your tips, you've been a great help =)

[Anime_Empress]

thanks for your advice guys. its really helped. im not normally the type to draw on graph paper, but i did because my drawing started out as a crappy quick sketch, which i decided to develop. thanks for all your tips, you've been a great help =)

Hehehe. Ah, no worries. That's happend to me lots too. Just start doodling and it turns into one of your favorite drawings. XD Post some more!

[inuyasha_junkie]

its really good for sum1 who just started.i saw that the head was a little bit too wide tho. other than that looks good.^_^. Shiroiyuki said on another part of this forum to sum1 that you shouldnt hide the hands no matter how much it will !@#$ up the picture you just drew. all it takes is practise.^_^.

[blissfullydead]

yupyup. her face is too wide. i never noticed that before. thanks =)

SAB!! :cheers:

Maybe it's my own personal preferences, but maybe adding alot of "wind" effect will help acheive the chaos feel. Have her hair or dress twisted in the air or being pulled in a direction (but not too sevearly *sp*) with soft or eerie lighting effects.

you have a point there 'anime empress' in that picture, her dress is being blown sideways, but her hair isnt. aah well.

here's some stuff from merr skethbook. some of it is from before the last drawing, and some of it is really quite bad, but at least you'll all see, and maybe be able to tell me whats wrong. i'll try to put them in the order in which i drew them. once again, i had to take pics with my camera, so the quality of these pics are pretty lame.

a lot of them are D N Angel characters =D yay.

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7417/babydarkdaisukers4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

out of all these, this is probably the drawing i am happiest with.

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8836/daisukeanddark1kb7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

there's something not right about this drawing...

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9879/umwf4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

...i was just kinda experimenting, and this was the outcome...=$

[blissfullydead]

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7264/5397cn4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

im kinda disappointed with this picture because not only does every one of them look different from the rest, none of them really look like riku...

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7933/shrugsshoulderspj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

i drew this one yesterday. i drew and re drew the hand so many times, but its still not right. her body isnt really in proportion, and i couldnt really be bothered to shade it or anything.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3571/babyrisakz8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

i think her skirt might be a little bit too 'poofy', but otherwise, i'm quite happy with this drawing.

so yeah. what dya think? got a long way to go...


whoops...they're all a bit sideawys. sorry!

[inuyasha_junkie]

your drawings are pretty good, but if you could take pictures of them in better lighting and if they wern't sideways that would help lotz.^_^

[blissfullydead]

yeah, i kinda figured. =$ maybe i should delete that and repost them, the right way round this time...

[Chef Wun]

From what i can tell they look pretty good, and you should just continue to get better as you keep practicing

[Anime_Empress]

It's okay if the hand looks crappy. 99.99 precent of us have a difficult time starting out, but facing them "head on" helps, so you're on the right track! Don't get discouraged. I look back at my old stuff and cringe. Hard work is worth it all though. You'll reach a point were, even though even a big thing is off, you'll still like it. Don't try copying everyone else all the time either. It's okay to observe and all, but expanding on your own will help...at least it helped me. Stay sharp about perspective, strong confident lines and just...just have fun. :spin: (btw: I like how "poofy" her skirt is XD So cute)

[blissfullydead]

Don't try copying everyone else all the time either. It's okay to observe and all, but expanding on your own will help...at least it helped me. Stay sharp about perspective, strong confident lines and just...just have fun. :spin: (btw: I like how "poofy" her skirt is XD So cute)

yeah, i probably shouldn't draw so much d n angel stuff, its just i'm forever finding little frames and stuff i really like and think it'd be cool to draw. i have been trying to develop my own style, drawing characters that are supposed to resemble people i know, but generally dont :P but yeah, i'll keep that in mind.

btw thanks about the skirt =)

[LadyAkuma]

Don't focus on defining a style too soon. It's best to just understand that basics and expand upon that. A style will most likely come to you. I would say to look at a lot of different styles in the anime realm and take note of what works and what doesn't work. Like in anime art, I really like thick lines with a lot of weight, but I also like a nice painted look with the colors that adds a lot of depth. Those two don't work together, so I neglect to draw thick lines. Does that make sense?

[inuyasha_junkie]

can you show some of ur current art plz?

[shin_gyokakuran]

An advice from an old man like me? :lol: avoid procastrinating and have fun drawing :lol: The picture are really cool :thumbsup:

[inuyasha_junkie]

do u still work on this forum?

[blissfullydead]

Don't focus on defining a style too soon. It's best to just understand that basics and expand upon that. A style will most likely come to you. I would say to look at a lot of different styles in the anime realm and take note of what works and what doesn't work. Like in anime art, I really like thick lines with a lot of weight, but I also like a nice painted look with the colors that adds a lot of depth. Those two don't work together, so I neglect to draw thick lines. Does that make sense?

i think so...style will come with time, because certain things will clash if i start making decisions too early, so i should just practice with basic stuff, and get used to different kinds of materials and stuff, and generally just practice...am i right?

can you show some of ur current art plz?

was that directed at me, or the comment above me? and yeah, i do still use this forum, but haven't really had a chance to get on here properly recently

An advice from an old man like me? :lol: avoid procastrinating and have fun drawing :lol: The picture are really cool :thumbsup:

why yes shin san, advice from an experienced fellow like you would be much appreciated ^_^ and thanks. i probably should have shown you them upright though...*looks other way in embarrassment*-that really was a schoolboy error...

[inuyasha_junkie]

was that directed at me, or the comment above me?
yes it was. i really like your art

[blissfullydead]

wow, thanks Mr. Inuyasha Junkie sir! its good to know somebody does like my work! *does little dance*

[blissfullydead]

ok, so sorry to double post, but ive got a few other drawing i'd like to show you all. unfortunately its fanart again...i do have a whole bunch of my own stuff in my sketchbook, its just some of them are so terrible i am way too embarassed to show you lot. once again my pictures are really bad quality, and if i may say so myself, dont really do the work justice, but at least this time they're not sideways!! :P so yeah, tell me what you think.



http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4889/faustcloseip9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

im thinking about getting rid of the crappy shading here, and maybe colouring it with pencils? im not sure thats a good idea though...


http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/122/faustelizaie8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

i was thinking of maybe inking this, but then i'll lose all shading, plus i've never really properly inked something before, so im not really sure...any ideas/criticism would be a great help. thanks

[inuyasha_junkie]

sweet! :smokin:

[Kyro]

your arts awsome its way better than mine and ive been at for more than five years now how bout you give me some help on these crappy drawing :)

[Anime_Empress]

I think everyone would love to see your personal work! Then you can really work on what you don't like about it or the little things, and blow us away! =D

[blissfullydead]

ok then. maybe i will post som eo fmy other work. ^_^. i really wanna post some other stuff, but my computer's got really messed up, and thins one is really slow, so i'll probably just have to wait for a while.

kyro-i'm not as great as you think. there are people on here waaay better than me. check them out and post some work. they'll be more than happy to give you advice, and it'll probably be better than mine too!

thanks for all your encouragement, and critique. XD. hopefully be posting soon

*crosses fingers*

[TiranoX]

Congratulations¡¡¡, my friend you made the first step, is so dificult and need a big courage to show others your work, I try to be objetive, let me tell you anyone in the beginning have dificult to draw, I try to give to you a objetive view, don't think I am destructive, I focus in the errors, but only trying to help you to improve your skills, cause I think you have potential to be a good manga drawer; let start it¡
First, you need to make more detailed work, if you want to draw manga, must to think in metrics, you must to decide waht method use, the 7 heads, 7 and half or 8 heads metric, cause that proportions make a bether results, then think in the femme figure, is very complex, because they are the most wonderfull in earth; then, they are a complex structure, the shoulders must to be 2 and half head width, and will be the same width of the hip, the Breasts need depth and the teats must be placed 2 heads down, the navel is placed almost 3 heads down.
Well, other thing, the position isn't natural, don't be afraid to atemp draw hands or feets, if you don't try it, you will be limited, try to draw a complete figure, use photos to see how people looks, to can have a guide, with the time you don't need it anymore, don't be afraid, I know with practice you can get it very well, don't worry about is exactly, is only a guide, your style flow slowly with the time, but be strict with you, in this work the left leg is thinny, then you must to be perfectionist.
Try to drawing with free feeling, the clothes are the meiddle of success, the hair, don't draw static positions, remember your characters must be dinamics, use more curves, to get a fluid movements of hair and clothes.
And light reflexes, the eyes are liquids, have reflexes and try to make more thin the head.
Well, my friend, thats I can say, don't think all I said means that I dislike your work, is only an opinion based in my own errors at begining, and I never lose my time posted this if I think you cann't draw, you have a big potential that I said, I hope to see more about you soon¡¡¡¡
CONGRATULATIONS is really more better than my first work.

[blissfullydead]

First, you need to make more detailed work, if you want to draw manga,

i was meaning to ask about that on this forum. i have noticed that a lot of my work is much too simple, and that is why it looks so...well, basic. so i had been thinking that i should try and add more detail to my work-you are absolutely right, but what i was going to ask, was i have had a few ideas which i thought would look really good, however, i really dont think i am good enough to draw them particularly well as of yet. should i go ahead and atempt to draw them, or should i just make a quick note and come back to them? =S

[Mavin Maverick]

Well, for a self-proclaimed "newbie" they look great. You can only get better. :-) You should try your hand at coloring some of your favorite pieces and see how that comes out.