Beginner's Corner

[stormrider85]

OK! It's finally here the official Beginner's Corner!
(even though there was no help from the moderator's thanks a lot!)

Basically this thread is a place for beginner's to share a learn new things together what ever that may be, everyones here to learn something different but we will try to go through everything. Me and Grenogs are going to try to lead this monster of a thread in some sort of linear direction so it doesn't get out of control. We will basically be giving out the "briefs" every so often,we or I expect everyone to try and participate in each of them.

As well as different projects/briefs i want to welcome anyone at any point in time to post some tutorials on either how they achieve their work or some sort of technique or brush they think greatly helped them in their journey through the digital art world.

Some of the projects we will be going through will be some beginner's stuff such as anatomy, value study, colour study, angles, etc. Then some fun stuff like creating environments, monsters, worlds, and scenarios. Maybe some other projects like creating a single work using only certain brushes/ colours and much, much more.

ok now it's time for some rules on the Beginner's Corner thread:

1. No thrash talk about other peoples artworks only purely art based criticism.

2. Do not come to ConceptArt.org just for this thread, in other words don't spend all your time here. Check out other peoples artwork on this site especially the pro's here. Ask them questions find out what they do, what they use. Don't segregate yourself to the beginner's corner or you might not end up learning as fast or as much as you can.

3. After you post something tell everyone what program, brush, filters, or techniques you used to create your artwork.

That should do it! :xpld:





Time for the list of members in the Beginner's Corner Thread, hopefully everyone will still be on board with this, ill find out who's still in by the posts on the first project.

Beginner’s Corner List

1 grenogs
2 MeTaL-Mike
3 Anthis
4 Mischieviant
5 Pyroclasm00
6 Nigh7shad3
7 krigbrann
8 ChopperDave
9 bobot
10 Ampersand
11 qbertp
12 Jake Kobrin
13 viran
14 lmnop
15 saamsaam
16 realitychek
17 PaTXiNaKi
18 Myszt
19 Greenjack
20 BalanceSheet
21 dan.man.86
22 jiga
23 Beeker
24 LooneyMann
25 Nightblue
26 immortalindigo
27 Pandragon
28 Rist
29 tsabu
30 Thunderrobot
31 Vyliss


If your on this list and want to still be counted as in you will need to post something for the first project.

Grenogs or anyone else if you have anything else to add to the description or rules feel free to do so.

[stormrider85]

PROJECT #1
This really isn't a project, but still very necessary.

OUTLINE
Everyone on the Beginner's Corner list needs to post 3 of their best Digital and/or traditional artworks they have made.

After everyone that wants to participate in thread has finished posting everyone needs to choose at least one person or more and give a short critique on some of their works making sure no one gets left out.

The point of this project is not to show off or compare skill level but as a marker to see how much you have improved later on. The critique is to understand what you need to improve on so that you know what you need and not what you want.

Thats it! :$

Deadline: October 25th

Those who post will be counted as still active members from the list.

[stormrider85]

Seeing as I'm the one who posted this i guess ill go first.

[MeTaL-Mike]

Hey cool. didn't realize this thread has already been started :D
here's my 3 (so far) best works.

http://www.molszak.nl/cgtalk/anatomy1/24.jpg
http://www.molszak.nl/cgtalk/anatomy1/Bianca_Pole.jpg
http://www.molszak.nl/cgtalk/anatomy1/skull_final.jpg

[Ampersand]

Here are my three. They're all digital, since my traditional work is mainly pen and pencil doodles.

In chronological order, oldest first:

April '07, inked in my sketchbook then scanned and coloured in Photoshop Elements 2 with a tablet and hard round airbrushes:

209196

June '07, all done digitally in PSE 2, except for the background which was added in OpenCanvas 4. The background's what I'm happiest with, since I'm not very good at them:

209197

July '07, entirely in PSE 2 again, continuing where I left off with the first picture:

209198

At the time I finished each of these they seemed like the best I could do. I have yet to beat the last one. I really want to try something more painterly, maybe without lineart, but as soon as I have to go over my lines I'm completely lost. :(

[grenogs]

stormridersorry im late for this, its been a buisy couple days at moment. i should get mine up soon but whats the deadline on this?

BTW, theres some nice work here so far, hope to see some more joining in also.

[stormrider85]

umm dunno i was thinking ill give people maybe a week and a bit to post all their stuff. i can wait as long as people msg me that they need more time.

[Nigh7shad3]

3 best works? okay here goes :O

Pic 1: 2 pt Perspective Class assignment

Pic 2: Collaboration with a friend. Line art by http://greyhole.deviantart.com/

Pic 3:F'nor. Character from the webcomic Tales of Pylea http://talesofpylea.comicgenesis.com/


All mostly done using Painter X with my trusty Intuos 3 . I use photoshop mainly for colour correction.

[Skeedio]

Oh dear god.. you guys call yourselves beginners? Now I'll never fit in :nohope:
My work is nowhere near as good as what's up here already. Don't have anything on the computer either but I'll work on some tonight.. really want to learn.. :)

[Nigh7shad3]

Oh dear god.. you guys call yourselves beginners? Now I'll never fit in :nohope:
My work is nowhere near as good as what's up here already. Don't have anything on the computer either but I'll work on some tonight.. really want to learn.. :)

we all have to start somewhere :^^:

[Pyroclasm00]

Awesome, we finally got this started. I should have my stuff posted this weekend, though I don't really have anything finished thats digital. Stuff so far is looking pretty good.

[Jake Kobrin]

I'm much better with a pencil but here it goes anyway:

[bobot]

Well, all of these were done in Open Canvas v.1. They are fairly old and fairly basic I know - But I am here to learn! As you can probably tell, I'm hopeless when it comes to backgrounds - hence the lack thereof.

Oh, and these were all drawn with a mouse.


Also, I seem to be having problems with my avatar. It's uploaded but not viewable in forum posts. Can anybody help?

[grenogs]

Oh dear god.. you guys call yourselves beginners? Now I'll never fit in :nohope:
My work is nowhere near as good as what's up here already. Don't have anything on the computer either but I'll work on some tonight.. really want to learn.. :)

Dont worry how good or bad you are, the idea here is to become a better artist, but also to learn totally new technique which you may never have used otherwise, basicly to open your eyes up to ideas and ways you may not have thought of before, trust me, no matter how good an individual artist here maybe, we will find a way to push their limit and question their ability :) or at least this is the theory anyway, lol.

[viran]

this is a cool thread, exactly what I need to keep me drawing on a regular basis.
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs21/f/2007/271/b/b/44__Two_Roads_by_viran.jpghttp://fc01.deviantart.com/fs21/f/2007/252/6/4/41__Teamwork_by_viran.jpghttp://fc03.deviantart.com/fs21/f/2007/239/3/b/Burn_it_down_by_viran.png

[stormrider85]

shit, im getting scared the beginner's corner list just keeps growing.
It went from 20 to 30, well the more the merrier i guess!

oh and skeedio relax read the project outline these posts arnt for showing off their just for a future reference on your own progression, and believe me if you seen my work when i first started you'd piss yourself laughing, i am really still crap

[qbertp]

Here are my three. All digital. I use a tablet and painter ix mainly. But I dabble around with photoshop a little too.
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t203/qbertp/GangStardeleriousselfportrait2small.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t203/qbertp/slapdinobeforeandaftersmall.jpg
http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t203/qbertp/nightmareintechnocolor.jpg

[lmnop]

ok.. well here goes:
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r14/lmnopart/speedpaints/dsg1270.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r14/lmnopart/sketches/dudescarfmehdone.jpg
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r14/lmnopart/speedpaints/city.jpg

First 2 were done in opencanvas 1.1 and the last in photoshop 7.

Very impressed with all your pieces.

[saamsaam]

hope its not too late..

All images were drawn on A4 using a HB pencil and scanned in at 300 dpi
IMG01 (vehicle concept): Painter and Photoshop (brush tool only - changing opacity and size)
IMG02 (side and top of vehicle): Painter and Photoshop (same as IMG02)
IMG03 (background for a game case design): Photoshop only (not pleased with bottom-right hand corner)

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2007/276/3/0/FinalVehicleConcept_by_saamsaam.jpg http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/276/2/1/FinalVehicleConceptt_by_saamsaam.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs20/f/2007/276/e/8/RelativityBG_by_saamsaam.jpg

[realitychek]

Whoa- just stumbled across this thread, hope it's not too late to join! I'll have to try and get pictures of some of my stuff tonight

[MeTaL-Mike]

Nope, you're welcome to join.

[realitychek]

Great :)

Alrighty....here are my three then:

Acrylics on Canvas, decided to get a little creative but Death is a tad bit short...
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f6/Pinto777/CA/battleofevermore.jpg

Regular pencil on paper
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f6/Pinto777/CA/america.jpg

Did this one about a year and a half ago, acrylics on canvas again
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f6/Pinto777/CA/poisonberry.jpg
detail from same piece:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f6/Pinto777/CA/detail.jpg

[Krigbrann]

Oh what the heck... (I'm maxofthesouth by the way)

[bobot]

Are we ready to move onto next project yet?

[stormrider85]

sorry still waiting on heaps more people basically after grenogs posts his work ill start deadline

[Anthis]

These are probably the best I can do.
Topics from the Daily Sketch Group.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/sketches/FaerieTechdsg.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/sketches/wwIImechdsg.jpg
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb12/Anthis_/sketches/polymerridersDSG.jpg


Thought I'd share some crits and help, thats what we're after, right?
stormrider85; please correct me if I'm not following your schedule, if so, tell me and I'll edit this post.

stormrider85;
Portrait; Left eye looks great, right one is unfinished? Remember that following a photograph so closely won't necessarily make a good pic. My advice would be to add your own things to make it better.
Blue face; Bit hard to crit. Love your background, somehow. I'd watch where you "cut off" the picture. Exactly below his lip, and above his head, makes him look "crammed" in.
Skull; You're lacking a light source. Also try to set apart the skull from the wall with different texture/color/etc.
MeTaL-Mike;
face; Nice rough sketch. Little confused by the neck. Think the strong highlight on the hair, combined with the relatively blurred face make it a little unbalanced.
girl; I sure do like breasts but I think her right one is popping out too much, especially compared to the other. Nice job on the leather. Arm seems a bit rushed.
skull; Nice job on the texture. Not quite sure whether he's asymmetrical, or the skull is turned. Or bottom jaw is bulging out to the right. Either way, you probably know yourself. Or check with a ruler :)
Ampersand;
Water creature; Nice composition!, but I think the lights are taking some of the effect away. They draw a little too much attention. Darker background might help too.
Deerfoxsortacreature; He/she is casting no shadow on the grass. You'd also expect the forest to be a bit more "messy". Someone has been mowing the grass here ;). Nice mood, think its mainly due to the eyes. Lighting on the creature comes from the left, on the background comes from the back.
Last creature; Add some more structure to the background for a more mystical effect. I think the neck looks a little off, bit too 'strong' perhaps. Great job on the hair. Also hard to figure out her mood, which (I think) makes it interesting.
Nigh7shad3;
Mechs; I think you're lacking a focal point, because you have the two main characters on either side of your canvas. Nice architecture on the buildings.
Girl and buggy; The girl is your main focus, so make sure she gets the right attention and tone your saturation on the rest of the piece down a little. Or make her more detailed or textured. You have some great details, but they're scattered all over the place. I won't be nitpicking on the anatomy, thats a matter of practice. Strong piece indeed.
Dude with lightsword; Don't cut off the sword like that :) Nice job on the sword rendering otherwise. Hair looks a little too straight for a walking/running person. Seems a little unfinished.
Jake Kobrin;
Orc: Eyes are too white. Skin too green. Experiment a little with colors, throw in some red, or blue in the shadows. Nose looks great I think.
Alien portrait; Think you should have a little more consistent light source. Also not too keen on the background, too rushed compared to the portrait. Nice job on his skin texture.
Robot/android/mech/..; Nice design. Think that looks a little too much like a miniskirt though. Either go for more functional or more ragged clothing I'd say. Nice metal texture, especially on the breast part. Think the rest (cloth, unarmored body parts) are falling behind texture wise.

Might do the rest later.. got my own practicing to do ;P
Hope that was useful, just listing what comes to mind. Tell me if you need clarification or disagree. I'm not a pro or anything.

__________________
Sketchbook;
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=105027

[Myszt]

Hello <3

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/KarmaCondemned/Panther_by_Araceli.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/KarmaCondemned/Orchid_Faerie_.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/KarmaCondemned/Christie_by_Araceli.jpg

All photoshop save for the pencil one

[grenogs]

sorry if im a little late stormrider, its been a bit buisy here. ill post mine later today , BTW its great seeing the different styles here, hopefully everyone will learn something new from each other :)

[grenogs]

ok, these are what i choose, the masai is a quick 30 min, using painter,brushes not sure. The fish is another done with painter, brushes used are soft charcoal, chunky oil pastel, mainly for laying down base colour, and then just add water blender to soften in. The scarecrow is an old one, done using Alkyds(fast drying oils) on watercolour board
.http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x279/grenogs/masai-30mins.jpg http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x279/grenogs/scarecrow-cover.jpg
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x279/grenogs/cave.jpg

[ChopperDave]

Oh wow. Some really good pics in this thread. But I hardly think any of you qualifies as a beginner -- you're just too good. Time for me to bring down the group average a bit ;).

All of the below are done with pencil on paper and scanned in with my apparently crappy scanner (sorry if they're hard to see). They were all sketching exercises from Betty Edward's The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

The first two were upside down drawings to help me just draw lines as I see them, and the third was practicing with contours.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5198/pic1ec8.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/513/pic2in1.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/322/pic3xy6.jpg

[Mischieviant]

Ok guys, sorry this is so late. I was away on holiday and haven't been on since I was moving my p.c. around. So here's my first three, two of them obviously aren't finished yet but I'm working on it.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd26/Mischieviant/ffgf.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd26/Mischieviant/yi.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd26/Mischieviant/skydancer.jpg

[stormrider85]

every things going great so far i was thinking of putting a deadline on this project soon but only 16 out of the 34 people who wanted to join beginner's corner have posted something. I don't know if i should message these people as a reminder but then again i shouldn't have to. hmmm

[Nigh7shad3]

time and tide waits for no man :D

[Greenjack]

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Didn't get my name down in the list of interested parties, but hope I can be included.

Started airbrushing (yes, a real gravity fed double acting airbrush) about two an a half - three years ago, have been digital for about 12 months. Mainly use photoshop CS2 and Corel Painter.

First is a potrait of my Dad, airbrushed on Bristol board using acrylic inks and eraser techniques. The second is pure photoshop with no filters, the third is CS2 and Painter, some colour adjustments but not much else by way of filtering. Looking to improve my technique and develop some stye and spontainaity, not too good without photo refs.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o21/greenjackCA/021.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o21/greenjackCA/050.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o21/greenjackCA/082.jpg

[Weeda]

I should probably let you know, I'm probably not going to be doing this because as of right now I'm kind of in over my head with all the stuff that's been going on...

Also, that last guy, Greenjack... waaay too good. So damn good. Awesome. First two especially.

[bobot]

I think we should be considering putting deadlines up - otherwise people are going to become disinterested.

[Krigbrann]

Who cares if their good... bring it on.

[saamsaam]

I think we should be considering putting deadlines up - otherwise people are going to become disinterested.

I second that.

[grenogs]

dont stress about whether or not people are good or not, everyone here is to learn,and one of the best ways to learn is to find out how things are done, and if that means be getting other artist that may be concidered to good into this thread, then so be it. Of course we could say, only people who have litteraly just started drawing, and a certain ability, which may make everything a lot more comfortable, however the only problem by doing it this way, the learning process becomes much slower becouse basicly everyone is in the same boat. Then the question comes up what happens if an individual excells and becomes really good, do we then kick that person off the thread for achieving their goal? No matter how good an artist maybe,there is still things a so called beginner can teach that artist. So what i'm trying to say is try not to judge this thread to much yet, its still in its workout stages, And yes its slow starting, possibly even crawling, but be patient. miracles don't happen over night. We're all here to learn whether your a beginner, professional, myself or even stormrider. And one last thing, if your thinking about quiting becouse you don't have time, well join the club, i think a lot of us are in the same situation, jugling between work, family, friends, relationships and life itself. So to be honest now is probably the best time to join, becouse at moment things are so slow and relaxed. In the mean time be parient, and i'll try and contact stormrider to see about a deadline or something. cheers ;)

[PaTXiNaKi]

Hi, how can i join to that list?, i just need to post 3 of my works? o does something else get required?

[stormrider85]

ill add you to the list now PaTXiNaKi then post your work straight after,
and as for the dead line i think you guys are right ive waiting a fair amount of time for everyone so ill post one up.

the deadline has been made to October the 25th, remember that after the deadline everyone must give a short crit on all the work posted by every member

[PaTXiNaKi]

Yai! Im in!

Ok, here are 3 of my last draws.


This is a char i created for a friend of mine, we wanted to do a fantasy comic, he is very good at writing.
I did the lineart with Painter IX (because i can handle better than pothoshop with the lines ), and was painted with Photoshop Cs (im used to color with this one)
No special tecniques, i used Hard brushes for the base colors, and softer for the shadows.Normally i blurry a bit the shadows with the "Finger" tool.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3788/angrenvw1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This draw was a gift to our warcraft main tank (yup! i play that shit :P) Done the same way the others

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5696/merewenfinalxj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This was done during one night, i couldnt sleep and the sun started to shine through the window.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/8693/sunwarriorzh6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



That`s all

[Heptagonal]

This is my first post here and my first reaction is "Wow". I'm baffled. Most of the stuff posted in this thread is, according to me, amazing; my skill level is miles below the quality of these artworks. My question is, where do you start learning? At the moment my drawings are complete rubbish, so I want to improve and learn the basics. I'm mostly interested in drawing human characters, but later on I'd like to progress to other areas as well.

Thanks in advance, everyone :)

[Nigh7shad3]

This is my first post here and my first reaction is "Wow". I'm baffled. Most of the stuff posted in this thread is, according to me, amazing; my skill level is miles below the quality of these artworks. My question is, where do you start learning? At the moment my drawings are complete rubbish, so I want to improve and learn the basics. I'm mostly interested in drawing human characters, but later on I'd like to progress to other areas as well.

Thanks in advance, everyone :)

Everyone has to start somewhere, even if it's rubbish;) Drawing/art is just like learning how to play a musical instrument. The more you play and practice the better you'll get. And of course like in music there's music theory/notes/chords for you to make better music. Whereas in art there is colour theory/composition/anatomy for you to learn how to make better art.

Look at Mindcandyman's thread http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870

look at his progression from the first page till the last. Dedication and passion was all he had when he first began his artistic journey.

[PaTXiNaKi]

Everyone has to start somewhere, even if it's rubbish;) Drawing/art is just like learning how to play a musical instrument. The more you play and practice the better you'll get. And of course like in music there's music theory/notes/chords for you to make better music. Whereas in art there is colour theory/composition/anatomy for you to learn how to make better art.

Look at Mindcandyman's thread http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=870

look at his progression from the first page till the last. Dedication and passion was all he had when he first began his artistic journey.

I agree 100% with u, u need to practice a lot, i think its the only way to improve any skill in this life.The only reagent required to reach that goal is illusion and patience.
;)

[bobot]

I agree 100% with u, u need to practice a lot, i think its the only way to improve any skill in this life.The only reagent required to reach that goal is illusion and patience.
;)

Lulz, you play alliance...>:D

[PaTXiNaKi]

Lulz, you play alliance...>:D

Whahaaahah yup!, but i must say in my defense, "FOR THE HORDE!!"

I prefeer the horde desings/skins, but all of my friends play ally.

[stormrider85]

in about a week im going to drop some big money on another human anatomy book just for me and you guys to study with arn't you guys lucky?
anatomy sucks but we all have to learn it.
p.s were not going to be going straight on to anatomy after this deadline it will be a bit further in the future

[bobot]

in about a week im going to drop some big money on another human anatomy book just for me and you guys to study with arn't you guys lucky?
anatomy sucks but we all have to learn it.
p.s were not going to be going straight on to anatomy after this deadline it will be a bit further in the future

I looooove anatomy!

[Nigh7shad3]

I looooove anatomy!


IF you have a chance, go visit a cadaver lab-very educational and eye opening experience :wink:

[BalanceSheet]

Hey, just started on this site.

Hope I might be able to get in on this, I'm only now starting to get off my rear and practice...I'm so flipping lazy.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e20/BalanceSheet/Return.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e20/BalanceSheet/Robot.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e20/BalanceSheet/Bubblesfinal.jpg

[stormrider85]

ill add you to the list now BalanceSheet

[jiga]

I just joined the forum, and would like to be a part of this. My only problem is that i have 1 unfinished piece of work...

Can i join in next challange thing? So i have more than 3 days to do somthing :D

[grenogs]

jiga, you must have 3 drawings, they dont all have to be digital, all media is accepted in this first challenge, just pick out your best 3, finished or not

[grenogs]

in about a week im going to drop some big money on another human anatomy book just for me and you guys to study with arn't you guys lucky?
anatomy sucks but we all have to learn it.
p.s were not going to be going straight on to anatomy after this deadline it will be a bit further in the future

Have you checked out any of the andrew loomis books, their very informative especialy on human figure drawing and perspective drawing. If anyone is interested you should look around the web, it is possible to find them to download as pdf files. But if you prefere real paper you can buy also buy them online, i think amazon has a few, theres 6 loomis books altogether, but beware, they can be pretty expensive. I've seen one place selling his figure drawing book for 80GBP. :(

[Beeker]

hey stormrider85, I'm hoping you have room for one more on your list?

[stormrider85]

ill add you now beeker be sure to post before deadline, and jiga ill add you to the list im sure you can get in by the deadline for this first project even if you have one piece of work you can just do 2 short sketches that you can do in like half an hour this just has to show what skill level your at, not to impress ppl.

[stormrider85]

oh and grenogs i don't really know much about loomis but i have heard his name around this site alot of ppl have his books if i can find some at a bookshop when i have the money ill check it out but i cant really be bothered waiting to get something delivered for the internet... im very impatient

[dan.man.86]

Yay! I'm totally excited to see everyone's work, and judging but what I've seen so far, we are definitely going to have some talent here and some great diversity.

Here be my best, and most accessible :P pieces.....

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/dan_man_86/Farmland.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/dan_man_86/Hairless_Mouse.jpg

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd46/dan_man_86/Bipedal_Walker.jpg

Granted, they are nothing special, buy that's why I'm here! :D

[bobot]

IF you have a chance, go visit a cadaver lab-very educational and eye opening experience :wink:

Unfortunately, I doubt that I would have access to anything like that here :(

I was supposed to go see the plastination bodyworks thing, but never got around to it :/ shameful.

I have some really beautiful anatomical books though.

[grenogs]

oh and grenogs i don't really know much about loomis but i have heard his name around this site alot of ppl have his books if i can find some at a bookshop when i have the money ill check it out but i cant really be bothered waiting to get something delivered for the internet... im very impatient

good luck with the loomis books, let us know if you can find them in print. I have heard their out of print, and thats the reason they can be so expensive.

[MeTaL-Mike]

stormrider85 - check this out man. you can download them :D
http://acid.noobgrinder.com/Loomis/

[MeTaL-Mike]

stormrider85 - check this out man. you can download them :D
http://acid.noobgrinder.com/Loomis/

[stormrider85]

ty metal mike, grenogs gave me some links aswell im downloading them as i write this message. now ill have shit loads of reference material for the group and it will all be coming from a good source :)

[MeTaL-Mike]

cool!! loomis has some good stuff. nice learning techniques too

[grenogs]

metal mike, have you checked out the jack hamm book on heads and figure drawing. Also a very good book

[MeTaL-Mike]

no, i did have some Jack Hamm books once but don't remember which ones.

[PaTXiNaKi]

stormrider85 - check this out man. you can download them :D
http://acid.noobgrinder.com/Loomis/

Hey!, im downloading,i hope the language will not be an impediment for me.

Thnks a lot for the link

[jiga]

Managed to get a 3 things :] Have a look

Also do i need to post crit on everybodys work?

[Nightblue]

Is it too late to be counted in? If so, please disregard my post.

Here's my 3:

[stormrider85]

its not too late Nightblue ill add you to the list, jiga the crits for everyone will only start after the deadlines finished .

[LooneyMann]

All three pics were done in photoshop CS2 using varying sizes and settings of round brushes. In addition, I used a pic of real grass for the grass in pic 3.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/1730069160_f9b631414e_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/1730069684_2864c91c17_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/1730070578_beb12c3f6a_o.jpg

[throtailer]

Jiga : you amazed me with that girl, so awesome dude!
Nightblue: Wow, amazing, why u call urself begginer? O_o
Looney man: Dude, the first one is just amazing. Other two, i dont very like the anime or cartoon stlyle so ill keep words for that. But the background are very nice!

[MeTaL-Mike]

OK let’s do this….
here are some crits and comments from me. most of things i suggest is anatomy studies cause i think these are the most important.

stormrider85 - the only crit I woul give you it the size of the brush strokes I guess. If youmake them bigger you should get a smoother effect.

Ampersand - draw more anatomy studies. You're doing a good job so far so try to push yourself even further with this.

Nigh7shad3 - keep doing what your doing :D. watch proportions when drawing and try to minimize the lines as much as possible.

Jake Kobrin - keep studying that anatomy man

Bobot - Respect on drawing with a mouse :D don't really know what to crit here. I would say line work but if it's done with a mouse....

Viran - watch out with perspective and try to focus more on good composition

qbertp - more figure drawing and anatomy study. Color and value study as well

lmnop - good work so far. Try to work on your lines, color and values.

Saamsaam - also perspective, color and value study

Realitychek - keep up the anatomy study

Krigbrann - value study

Anthis - also value and color study, I think that's the most important

Myszt - WOW! That's nice.. I would also say values and anatomy. Though mostly the values

Grenogs - huhhmmm, values as well I think

ChopperDave - anatomy studies, try using basic shapes first and then refine them

Mischieviant - color and values. Also anatomy studies

Greenjack - anatomy studies and mostrly color and values

PaTXiNaKi – nice job. I would suggest anatomy studies!

BalanceSheet – anatomy studies and color.

dan.man.86 – cool style man. Anatomy studies are always good so that’s the only thing from me

jiga – anatomy studies, painting and color

Nightblue – nice works man. Color and anatomy

LooneyMann – anatomy man, keep practicing it.

[grenogs]

metal mike, what do you mean by values?

[MeTaL-Mike]

grenogs - Value= The amount of light (brightness) or lack of light (darkness) but that's a general crit.

[LooneyMann]

Ampersand - pic 1: this is really fun! I love your colors and creature. A critique I'd have would be to make the highlights from the body light bulbs much brighter and harder. Then again maybe they'd be softer underwater - I haven't really studied that.

pic 2: really cute! It seems a bit strange that the creature seems to be far less detailed than the surroundings.

pic 3: I think the background could be clarified a bit, and again, harder, stronger highlights from the glowy orb.

: D

[dan.man.86]

Alrighty, sorry in advance for the large post but it didn't feel right to leave anyone's work out of this, so here we go: *big deep breath*

stormrider85: The work in progress is looking good. and the details are starting to come through. The other two pieces are just creepy! The line detail on the purple face really gives a weathered feel to it, but I'm not sure if you were going for this or not but the proportions are a little off on the face. Other than that thought your work has a definte feel and texture to it.

Metal-Mike: Very slick feel to your work. It's almost as though it was made from silk. Hard to say too much here, except for your last piece. The skull has great detail to it, but I'd watch proportions a bit. I don't know what it is exactly, but there's something about the back cranium that seems a little too naroow. Maybe it's just me though. Great stuff nonetheless though.

Ampersand: Wowzers. I'm such a sucker for creature doodles. Looks really good though. Love the look of the first one...has a real feel oh underwater to it. The second one has a feature film feel to it. I don't know if it's the setup or the colour choices, but it immediately reminded me of an asian feature. Your last piece is just beautiful though. It has such a mood to it and really has a mystic feel. By biggest beef though is variety. I know animorphic characters are awesome, and It seems as though you lean towards the more asian style, but perhaps maybe just try something new and go a little outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes that's all that is needed to jump start the old creativity and drive to do something really awesome.

Nigh7shad3: Liking the overall work here. Looks cool, but overall I think things are falling a little flat. The mech in the first image really comes off flat. I know it is in the dark side if the fight a what not, but there would still be a little highlight found in all those crevious and that would definitely help pop out all the detail in the line work. In the second piece, don't use the grass brush in PS. Or if you do, try and blend it in a bit. It just looks way too out of place just popping out everywhere. The last piece is done well though, but I'd watch out for the hair, texture wise, and the face seems a little off proportions.

Jake Kobrin: 3 truly creepy pieces....and I dig creepy :P The first piece has great detail as far as the wrinkles in the face go, but I think it is lacking some texture to the actual skin. Something to keep it from looking too smooth where there are no wrinkles. Like in your third piece, the cloth hanging from the waist down has a faint texture to it, just enough so that it doesn't look generic and boring. I think that's it . Great feel to your work though.

bobot: Well firsty, cudos for using a mouse! I don' know if it's by choice or not, but I think a tablet would definitelt be your new best friend :P The colours are really nice here in all three pieces and I love the feel of your work. It has some character to it. My biggest beef however is the middle piece. It has such great detail in the head, what happened to the rest of it? But I'm sure your hand just got tired from using the mouse, and you thought "hey, that'll do." :P

viran: Moody....very moddy. Love those clouds in the first piece. They really have a gritty/polluted feel to them. The second piece has a strong frozen feel coming from it, but I think it could do with a bit more detail in those pillars, just to help things flesh out a bit more. The third pieces is just a bit too clean for me, considering the overall carnage and distruction around it. :P Nice landscapes though :)

qbertp: Great style! Definitely reminds me of traditional painting. Really something deifferent and refreshing to see. Even though your work is very sylized however, I think you still have to watch out for proportions and anatomy, such as the hand in your second piece. Just work on those things, and your work will become that much stronger.

Imnop: Great middle piece. He's such a sad looking fellow. The other two pieces are a little too blad for my taste. I think a real boost is contrast and detail could really flesh out those pieces. though. Especially where water is visible. Something like wripples in the water could really bring something to life.

saamsaam: I'd love to know how that vehicle works :P Perhaps a bit more detail to it to help flesh it out a bit more? Don't know what exactly is going on in the last piece, but I do know that those eyes really creep me out....but the otherall piece is a little too muddy looking.

realitychek: hahaha I agree, Death is a little on the shorter side :P Great work on the canvas though. Love the lightning effect. Pencil work on the second piece is great too. Is it from a reference that was in front of you? I'd watch out for proportions on that last piece though. I like the idea and the overall darkness around, but that beast seems very out of proprtions for the size of his paws and the angle it is on.

krigbrann: Loving the car. Looks very slick *thumbs up* The silhouette in the second piece is great, but I can't help but wonder where the bot's other foot is? Perhaps we need some background, or ground plane to know exactly what angle we are looking at this from? Nice. Ink drawings like this always intrigue me....maybe because I don't see them too often. But I'd watch out for proportions, they can easily make or break a piece of work.

Anthis: Wow. Those are some really great pieces. They are all really solid work and all have a certain mood and feeling to them. The only thing I would watch is texture and detail. Your first piece seems to neglect the texture your other two have, but I realise that it was probably done before the other two. Just watch out for that. It can really flatten a piece out if you forget about it.

Myszt: Pfff....."beginner?" hahaha Seriously, great work! Loving the layout and style. Pretty solid work here so it's a little hard for me to crit, but if anything, the grass in the last piece is overlapping the figure even though it is in the background :P just something to watchout for really. Awesome stuff though!

grenogs: Hmm...not much here to say from me. Three solid pieces. Three solid styles. I like all of the pieces, especially that scarecrow.....*shiver*.....great traditional work on him. Sorry if I'm not much help here, but your work is just too solid for me to crit :P

Chopper Dave: I. HATE. UPSIDE DOWN. CONTOURS......phew.....got that out of the way. Nothing against you though, just memories from when I was in school :P As for the last piece, yes the scanner is crappy :P, but that hand is looking nice. I imagine its your free hand while drawing? The line detail is there, but i'd watch out for proportions, especially that thumb, maybe even forshortening.

Mischieviant: 3 nice ladies. The first one seems to be missing her ear :O and her chest seems to be a bit lone for her bodt proportions.There also seems to be no real hairline on her head. The second piece is obviously unfinished, but that must be one tight shirt she is wearing to see her abs and pelvis definition show through. I'd watch out for that, I don't think you would see that kind of detail in a shirt like that. The last piece is just beautiful. Love the colours.

Greenjack: Holy hell that is a nice portrait. I have never used an airbrush, nor do I know how difficult it can be to use, though I'm sure it is :P All I can say is in reference to your problem with going outside of photo reference....May I suggest the Daily Sketch Group to you? It'll give you an idea every so often to run with and hopefully that will help get the creative juices flowing. Remember that you can still use photos as references, you just don't need to "copy" them. ;)

PatXiNaki: Great colours. Your second piece is my favourite, but thats probably because it is based off of such a solid design already ;) Your have some really nice usage of colour in all your pieces, but I'd watch out for proportions and foreshortening in your figures' anatomy.

BalanceSheet: Cool ideas, especially that middle robot. If anything, to strengthen your character design, and figure drawing, I'd reccommend some studies. Like draw some human figures, and still life to get a better understanding of how the body is built and how clothing and other materials hang and fold around things.

jiga: Reference shall be your new best friend. You definitely have the idea for the second piece, but reference and study. It'll make your work that much stronger and that much more believable. Trust me, i've been there.

Nightblue: Solid rendering and lighting. Loving the creature/character designs too....even though the last piece is slightly creepy :P Sorry, but I really have nothing to pick apart here. Everything is just very nice and beautifully done. Awesome work.

Looney Man: Your first piece is great man. I love the black and white tones and it's fairly well rendered. I really like the overally moody feel from it as well. The other two pieces, however are just meh to me. I know what you are going for and such, but I think you just need a little more human figure studying and what not. Also, try to stray away from, or at least re-invent, the anime-ish look. There are way to many people already out there trying to copy that look.

*gasp*

Oh, and all the work is really starting to look nice everyone. Can't wait to see how we all progress through this. :D

[Pyroclasm00]

Deadline is the 25th right? Sorry for being so late.

The digital one is only a sketch, but the best one I've done so far.

225286

225287

225288

[jiga]

I shal try my best here with the critisism :]


stormrider85

I like the drawing of the face, that is very good :D
But the purple mans face could be a bit smoother, and, i duno if the skull is the right shape.


MeTaL-Mike

Not much i can say here, i love the 2nd and 3rd one :D


Ampersand

Good work on the characters, mabye try some more background work to get them better!


Nigh7shad3

The first one, what can i say, it is cool :D If just a little more work on the background could of been done. The rest are very nice too, mabye just put a little more work into the non main bits of the picture :]


Jake Kobrin

Mabye a bit of the perspective is wrong and a little sketchy but thats it.


bobot

Drawn with a mouse o.0 awesome for a mouse, especially the first.


viran

Love it :D


qbertp

Try and make an intresting background


lmnop

Not much i can think to say, a little more contrast on the whole pictures mabye


saamsaam

I love the eyes :D mabye try to make them look a bit less cartoony


realitychek

Love the first two, the sketch is very good :]


Krigbrann

Love the 1st and 2nd one :D keep it up!


Anthis

3rd one, i love the effect of that animal thing!


Myszt

The woman looks as if she is sorta hanging,


grenogs

Love them :]


ChopperDave

Some ok shetching :] some bits look a little odd, like the fingers on the hand. Just keep sketching stuff :D


Mischieviant

Not bad, mabye some work on faces?


Greenjack

A beginner o.0 some very amazing work!


PaTXiNaKi

Again, some top quality work :D I love the wolverine type guy.


BalanceSheet

Just a bit more practise on colouring them, They genral designs are good.


dan.man.86

Awesome work :D the last ones perspective looks a little off


Nightblue

Love the style and colours in the last one, the rest is good too :D


LooneyMann

first one is nice, the last too are ok, do a bit of anatomy research, that might make them look better :]


Pyroclasm00

What can i say, awesome sketches, and i like the idea of the last one :D




In the end i just started saying how much i like them, but there is some quality work :D

[Beeker]

ok....these are my attempts at drawing. :/

[saamsaam]

Stormrider85
- I like the soft feel it gives. Maybe her left eye brow could have been more consistent with her right, but that’s minor.
- Your use of brush to obtain that rough texture pleases me. I have trouble mainly coming to terms with the eye and its placement in relation to other elements of the face though.

MeTaL-Mike
- You have a nice style going with the values.
- Hair in the first piece was really well done.
- Not much an amateur like me can critique on =/ just so good.

Ampersand
- The larger creature doesn’t really interact with the small fishy. Overall I like your style of creature design.
- The subjects in your second and third piece have an effective pose. You could have tweaked the ground just a bit more so that it has a higher contrast in shadow. To me it doesn’t look like they are really sitting/standing on the ground or giving much impact onto it, which questions their weight.
Keep at your creature designs they look great.

Nigh7shad3
-Love the mechs and your use of heat/light contrasts well with the dark.
What’s your technique for the hot light?
-In the second maybe the lady could have been given more attention, doesn’t catch my eye.
-Love your third piece. Again how do you get such a nice light like that?

Jake Kobrin
- Could make the orc’s facial expression a little angrier. Doesn’t really scare me. Yea the texture of it is too smooth.
- Your last piece’s armour design is superb. Maybe the feet could have more detail.

Bobot
- I feel for you man, I need to go get a tablet soon too
- You did pretty well with that third piece with a mouse.
- I like the head in the second. Again you did wonders with a mouse.

Viran
- Wow what could I say those are cool pieces.

Qbertp
- I like your head portraits, but I don’t think outlining with black in your second piece was a good idea.

Lmnop
- Your character has a nice pose.
- I really the enviro in the third.

Realitychek
- Love the blood marks in your third piece.
- I can’t comment much on acrylics, haven’t used them before

Krigbrann
- Love the car and your use of crosshatching in the third.

Anthis
- Great work

Myszt
- I’m in love with your last piece :O

Grenogs
- Can’t pick on much.
- Love each of your pieces.

ChopperDave
- After scanning you could tweak the value in photoshop, so your line work becomes more visible.

Mischieviant
- Keep at your anatomy and proportions.
- Love how you render your subjects though.
- Nice texture on the top in the second piece, shame she doesn’t have a face :(
- I love your detail in the third.

Greenjack
- Waaay cool portrait
- In the second the wires could have a little more emphasis.
- The lady in the third’s arms are a little out of it.
- Nice plane though.

PaTXiNaKi
- Love the characters especially their armour.

BalanceSheet
- A good start, that second piece looks cool.

dan.man.86
- very cool stuff.
- love your style with the blue and black line work.
- nice mouse-rat-like creature.
- the armour on the third subject makes it look ready for battle.

Jiga
- A good start, I like your second piece.

Nightblue
- Great second piece.
- Could be just me but is the lions arm a little off in that pose?
- Just a little awkward that’s all.

LooneyMann
- Proportions need some work. Love the first and second.
- I want to know what your subject is looking at in the first piece :P

Pyroclasm00
- Nice drawings, love the thirds pose.

Beeker
- Keep up with the studies :)

[Nightblue]

stormrider85:
Very nice study of the face. The moods in the other two are nice. It might be a good idea to develop the sketch a bit more before rushing into colors.

MeTaL-Mike:
Fantastic light/dark, and I like how you used different brushes, especially on the hair. The woman's head in the 2nd drawing seems a little small, but it's a very nice piece nevertheless.

Ampersand:
Great colors on these pieces - simple yet effective. The third one is especially nice in terms of anatomy and character design. The neck may need a little more attention, but everything else looks right.

Nigh7shad3:
You are good at story-telling with composition. The color choice are nice also. If you spend a little more time developing your paintings you'll have some really nice pieces. The human anatomy is a bit off, but that can be easily fixed with anatomy studies and using references.

Jake Kobrin:
Nice character designs with a lot of personalities. The expression on the first one is subtle but intriguing. One thing to watch out about the background is that repeating the foreground shape tend to flatten the drawing out. A simpler background that does not really follow the foreground may give these drawings a bit more depth.

bobot:
Nice start! Looks like you have a good feeling of values and are comfortable with your brush. The third drawing also have a nice complexity in color temperatures. If you want to learn how to draw backgrounds, some master studies may help.

viran:
Great atmosphere and depth. Nice use of colors. One thing to watch out is the textured brush in the first painting - it looks great in the foreground, but when it repeats in the background the depth of the painting is diminished. The building in the 3rd painting is especially nice.

qbertp:
Your paintings are very moody and communicate your thoughts with nice immediacy and clarity. Drawing more from life realistically may be helpful. The texturing and colors in the 3rd painting is wonderful.

lmnop:
The sceneries are very nice, especially the last one. Consider using more colors - the monochromatic approach is beautiful, but more colors may make your subjects really pop.

saamsaam:
Very interesting vehicle/city design. The 2nd drawing is nice and clear. A bit more attention to perspective may benefit your work. Setting up a simple grid will really ground your subject-matters in space.

realitychek:
Nice work. You have a good deal of control in your brush strokes. The texturing in the first painting is very nice.

Krigbrann:
The third drawing is simply beautiful. You are not shy with your pen strokes, and the clean construction of the lines really brings the drawing to life. The robot design in the 2nd drawing is nice. Practicing perspective and anatomy may also be beneficial to your work.

Anthis:
Your drawings tell unqiue and interesting stories. Your wide range of color themes showcase your ability to choose colors according to the subject-matter without hiding behind a comfort zone. Putting more subtle hue inside your colors may help popping out your drawings a bit more.

Myszt
Your rendering technique and color choice are simply beautiful. The fur of the panther is done very nicely. You have found a good balance between developing your illustrations and retaining a degree of looseness. The girl's head in the third drawing is a bit big, but her costume looks very nice.

grenogs:
Your rendering ability is very solid. It is clear that you understand how an object occupies a space from your wonderful light/shadows. The composition of the 3rd drawing works great. The only suggestion I can think of is trying more camera angles than straight-on.

ChopperDave:
Nice, clean studies. Your practice method is interesting, and it certainly produced some sketches with nice style. Hand is regarded as one of the most difficult body part to draw by a large number of artists, and you are practicing it with the best way in my opinion by drawing your left hand.

Mischieviant:
Beautiful, smooth rendering style, and your color choices are good. My sole suggestion would be more practice on human anatomy.

Greenjack:
The first 2 drawings are beautiful. The 2nd one is an exceptional study of human back. The 3rd drawing has a nice retro pin-up style to it, but the arm of the lady looks a little off.

PaTXiNaKi:
Very nice style with delicious colors and beautiful character designs. The proportion and perspective could use a bit more attention, arms and hands in particular, but overall these are very nice works.

BalanceSheet:
Nice exploration of some very different styles. It's a great thing that you are not in a hurry to settle into a known style. Your usage of colors and values are bold and give a special charm to your paintings. Keep practicing!

dan.man.86:
Your style is very fun! The quirky and cute creature design and robot design would look very good colored.

jiga:
Nice start, especially the study of the female. My suggestion would be spending a bit more time on your drawings and keep tweaking them. Quick studies are helpful, but a long-term project every once in a while can be very beneficial.

LooneyMann
The first drawing is hands-down beautiful. Keep drawing from life and you'll become an amazing artist. The style of the background on the 3rd painting is also amazing.

Pyroclasm00:
Nice studies. It is obvious that you paid a great deal of focus and concentrations to them. Keep at it!

Beeker:
Great pose studies. These are immensely helpful. The poses are convincingly drawn and the variety is nice.

[grenogs]

so far thanks for all the crits, im still waiting for some bad crits too, they cant be all great. Remember guys, we're here to learn and i know everyone is trying to be polite and not offend, but try to be truthfull as you see it. But of course no meaness. We just want honest crits, if you see a flaw in someones work, then say so. I know it can be a major piss off and upsetting, but Its sometimes the best way to improve.
And on the meaness subject, and i'm hoping stormrider agrees with me here, but i think it would be a good idea that, if anyone is being intentionally nasty, then everyone has the right to give them a groan. :)

Dan im glad you liked the scarecrow piece, me to, and i dont want to throw any accusations or anything but..., i lost the original of this piece in a publishing house, the explanation that i had back was "it was accidently misplaced" :( hhmm!!

Anyway nice work guys, keep it up, ill add my crits later on, and im sure stormrider will too when he gets the time.

[stormrider85]

Deadlines over finally, and ive updated the members list can you believe 45 people got sifted down to 25? thats what happens when people cant make the effort to participate!

Also everyone needs to post crits of everyone elses works, and people have done well so far but seriously some of you need to be more harsh a pat on the back isnt going to make someone get off their ass and work on their drawings.

[MeTaL-Mike]

Amen Dude!!

[stormrider85]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO CRIT ON EVERYONES WORK
here's my crit on everyone

since no ones been that harsh im going to have to be that guy!

stormrider85

1 your works shit, get off your ass and start drawing!
2your work sucks, get off your ass and start drawing!
3your work blows, get off your ass and start drawing!

MeTaL-Mike

1 your tones could be smoother for this one, and there is a certain lack of detail, proportions seem correct though.
2/B] the proportion of her neck to her boobs seems wrong you need to study anatomy more, the smoothness of the blending needs to be worked on, and the background is too bright compared to the foreground, maybe check out some master painting and see how they use like in dark in backgrounds and foregrounds.
[B]3 you blending seems alot more smoother here, but i think the cheeck bones are too thin and the top of the skull seems flat.

Ampersand

1 the composition seem well and the linework is smooth. The colours used seem correct but pretty bland looking, even though its meant to be under water it could be more vibrant or varied.
2 im just as bad at backgrounds, this background composition is done well but maybe you would benefit from checking out how movies look when the background is blurred and also some master painters approach backgrounds.
3 the blending for this one seem really good the background could be a little more varied in darker tones. its obvious you have studied animal anatomy or something similar i think its important for you to do something very different from what you used to maybe machinery concepts , human characters, landscapes, and some less cartoony and more realistic.

Nigh7shad3

1 the line work kinda ruins the illusion of a realistic scene here, its not bad it just doesnt fit in the painting specially on the buildings. textures could be more evident aswell.
2 theres to much happening here and the colours are good but to strong in some area's, you should study by copying some photo;s and painting them, i think your perspective and angles or ok but you need to study more of them and get alot more refined.
3 everythings a bit to muddy looking here you need smoothing blending and some more varied tones and values.

Jake Kobrin

1 you need to do some colour study and face muscle study, your colours here look bland, your values could use some work aswell the wrinkles dont look deep enough and the lighting angle need to be more evident.
2 the proportion and concept is good but everything kinda of blurry and muddy looking you need to make sure your line work is more realistic looking not as thick eveywhere.
3the angles on the face are wrong here the mouth needs to be on a different angle it looks flat, you need to study anatomy more and angles of faces/ bodies.

bobot

1 colours ok tones need to be stronger proportions and angles of the hand need to be studied, study more anatomy. If you want so seriously create work in the digital medium you need a tablet or a scanner, otherwise if you just want to work traditionally get a scanner and a camera to share your work with us.
2 your styles cool and this is really good considering you used a mouse but you definetly cant keep using one just get a cheap scanner if you have to and do traditional work if you cbf buying a tablet.
3your lines need to be more clearly defined and your tones could be stronger, colours nice though.

viran

1 textures colours are nice, you water or ground needs more detail and you planes need more detail also. You should study more angles perspective.
2 eveythings kinda cloudy here your rock surrounding could be more clearly defined and your tones could be more complex, you should study landscape photo's and copy them using photoshop.
3 your tones and values need to be more smoothly blending and some parts of the building are a little to sharp.

qbertp

1 your colours and tones are too strong you need to start with more neutral colours and then work you way up to stronger ones. your face angles and proportions are wrong you should do some more anatomy and face/ angles studies.
2 the angles of the nostrols are off you need to used a slightly dark colour to make the shapes deeper and 3 dimensional.
3 watch out with photoshop filters some of them look cheesey , check out some photoshop tutorials on how to use some effectively, the face kinda looks like edgar allan poe.

lmnop

1 colours seem a bit bland here try using varied values and more vibrant colours here and there. your angles seem off on the background and plane, try studying perspective, working on your blending and do some observational studies drawing and painting.

2 nice stylized drawing colours are flat , and line work could either be cleaner for a more cartoony look or rough and show more values to look 3 dimensional.

3 nice colour scheme here, composition is good too still looks a bit blurry try using darker tones to make the image sharper and ad more detail and maybe some textures too.

saamsaam

1 this concept is good the colours need to be more varied and your blending needs to be smoother aswell as more evidence of a light source.
2 the angles of the landscape dont really look correct you should study more perspective and angles aswell as maybe some observational's of buildings and some anatomy for your figure there.
3 you used to much black here made it look mucky, you blending need to be smoother you angles need to be corrected and your colours and values need to be more selectively chosen as well as a thought out light source.

realitychek

1 textures are good colours and tones are ok, objects could be a little more clear more refined.
2 tones seem correct and the composition is ok your background is kind of dull here maybe something a little more interesting could be then, texture maybe?
3 your blending could be smoother maybe colour scheme could be a bit more vibrant i think you would benfit from animal anatomy study also human and study on perspecitive aswell.

Krigbrann

1 perspecitve on the front wheel looks a bit off, the blending could be a bit smoother and the windshield could have some more reflective tones on them.
2some of the angles and perspective is off here. the viking looks like he's been sqwished , the blending of the tones needs to be smoother, you would benefit from some anatomy study, perspecitve and angles, and some observation tone based painting and drawing.
3 this artworks nice texture is great, maybe some slightly darker tones in areas.

Anthis
1 your blending could be smoother and this painting could have some more different textures in it, the shapes look a bit muddy looking, colours look a bit bland. i think you should study some anatomy, perspective , and some observation colour paintings of real and fantasy imagery.
2nice conept, colours could be more varied and outlines look a bit muddy, your tones could be smoother and you light source more thought out.
3 this one is probably the best in my opinion, the colour scheme and composition look good, the blending needs to be smoother and the rock textures need to be more clear and realistic in terms of tone.

Myszt

1 your tones and colours are smoothly blending , your background could use some work its kinda of flat looking, theres no real evidence of a stronger light source, the panther and the chick kinda look like they have been placed together from two different images.
2line works a little rough, you didn't really express any tones in pencil as oppose to you painted stuff, some of the perspective and angles look a bit off.
3the angle of the face and torso don't seem to match 100%, the frecels on her face seem a bit unrealistic they seem placed on top of the skin rather then part of the skin, i think you should study some more real images aswell as some landscapes as all your background look like their not really payed attention to or not as good looking as your figures.

grenogs

1 colours are selected well the blending needs to be smoother, the top of this head seem a bit flat, studying some anatomy would really help aswell as some face angles, background colour work well but you should porbably spend some more time on it.
2 tones colour and blending are ok here, something about the angle of the ground is a bit weird, maybe studying some perspective might help.
3compostion here doesnt really let the eye sit anywhere, you should study some master painter compositions, tones could be blended a little smoother and more detail could be added.

ChopperDave

1the proportions are a off, but thats probably cause it was done upside down, you would benefit from some anatomy study though, you should add tone to your drawings aswell, maybe some observational and tone studies might help.
2 your line work is smooth and clean but your composition here is cut off and tone would help with this picture aswell as some animal and human anatomy study.
3thumb angle doesn't look right and its a big smooth human anatomy and more observation drawing will help.

Mischieviant

1your blending and tones are smooth but almost too smooth is makes objects look to blurry on the inside and too sharp on the outside, textures look ok, proportion of the body isnt right, the boobs are too low down on her body, some of the shadows dont seem strong enough, i think anatomy study would help alot.
2 the rock texture look good but unrealistic think your light source needs to be more clear and the rocks at the bottom and middle have to much light on them. you should do some photo observationals.
3looks good, composition and patterns, i still think everything looks to smooth the be realistic , its clean enough but if you were shooting for realism i think the tones and textures, and values need to be more built up in areas and less smooth and even.

Greenjack

1 i've acutally done airbrushing aswell just last year still got mine lying around somewhere, this work is ok the double light source works well, the darker side of the face seems a bit cloudy and the hair could be more fine, the shoulders look a little too big and long.
2blending could be a little smoother is some areas, also the crease on the left side leg makes the hip and thigh look like their not properly connected, your anatomy is ok it could be better.
3 what happen to her hands? the face is gross looking cause you made the tones kinda blot on her face, anatomy study aswell as tonal study might help.

PaTXiNaKi

1 some of the angles and anatomy look a bit strange the thigh looks massive and the chest look pretty flat, the outline and the movement of the figure is ok but the colour sheme is gross looking i have the exact same problem, you should study some more anatomy and perspective aswell as soe observationals off photo etc and study some master painters and other digital painters colour scheme's.
2 this ones proabably the best out of the three becuase the angles look good and the anatomy looks right and the colour scheme is better except for the yellow glowing part under the shoulder it seems too yellow maybe try adding some white in there too make it look like it glowing instead of a yellow blob on a shoulder.
3this ones ok, pretty cartoony kinda reminds me of yu gi oh id really like to see you do some realistic paintings though i think you might get too comfortable with cartoon paintings.

BalanceSheet

1 the colours in the background are a little too stronger because theres so many of them maybe make some of them more mellow or only add the bright colours in the middle of the mellow ones, everything a little to smooth some kind of texture might help and more deatail on the tones of the figure, i think doing some observational might help and some value and colour studies.
2some of you blending of tones could be smoothing the proportion and perspective kind of look all over the place and the red glow looks a bit unrealistic, you should study some perspective and proportion as well a value and anatomy.
3 nice line work i think anatomy study might help a bit though the hands look a bit odd you could add more values of colours to the figure to separate him more from the background.

dan.man.86

1nice colour cartoony look, the barn look like its on a wrong angle though since its pointing straght ahead when the scarcrow is on the side, think maybe perspective on the barn needs to be changed.
2this ones ok back leg feels like it should be on a kind of slight changed angle then the front though.
3 the shapes look nice but the lack of tone and the way their placed together is kind of confusing to my eyes.

jiga

1 your anatomy, proportion and perspective need some work i suggest some observational drawing of both photo's and cartoons, the thumb on mario on his the left is on the wrong side and the perspective on the lifted foot is hard, after some more observational drawing you should try different perspectives and some human anatomy.
2 this is a good start you line work looks good you should work on expressing tones and shadows with a pencil espcially if you notice around her stomach is darker with different tones also use different penciles to express darker areas of shadow.
3your blending of colour needs to be smooth , start with weaker colours then build up to stronger ones, you need to work on the anatomy here and the different angles, with the hammer and metal and helmet.

Nightblue

1good blending an proportions and perspective it feels like theres a little too much of that same blue though, i think there should be a bit more colours here or at least something different from that same blue.
2nice line work black part seems really smooth almost to smooth also whats going on with the tones in the crouch area it looks strange and blotey
3nice line composition, still too much purple needs some differnt somewhere more build up colours i think, you should study or artists colour schemes maybe do some observationals with colours some landscapes and environments.

LooneyMann

1your blending needs to be smoother in some areas also the angle of the side of the face seem wrong with the body, some perspective study and angles and anatomy will, the backgrounds perspective seems confusing aswell.
2blendings smooth but almost too smooth so it looks weird with the sharp grass in the background values could use some work and the angle of the hand on the swords looks a bit awkward , theres areas where some things are to sharp and others are too blurry like the hair and face , some observationals might help and value studies and colour scheme study.
3 line works good the mouth angle and nose angle look a little stange and the wongs dont really look part of the character, i think studying some other artist compositions will help aswell.

Pyroclasm00

1nose looks good the right eye looks like it needs to be on a slighty differnt angle the tones and values could be a bit smoother maybe try crosshatching like da vinci does, also maybe use a darker pencil to darken tiny areas im sure anatomy and angle study and perspective will help aswell.
2tones are ok face angle looks a little strange areas could be darker and shading could be smooth, anatomy study would help animal anatomy aswell.
3cool position maybe the creases on the face could be more detailed and sharper with a slight darker grey or black, value study will help also.

Beeker

1looking ok so far line work could be a little smooth and less sketchy aswell as some tones in the skeletal shapes, so you can practice values and light source.
2line work could be smooth aswell as some shading to make them look more 3 dimensional
3 you should use a light pencil to get the shapes in then a dark pencil on the outline that way you'll get used to drawing the outline shape of figures, start with some tonal work will you do the anatomy stuff.


SORRY FOR BEING HARSH EVERYONE BUT I WANT YOU TO LEARN AND PUSH YOURSELF ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY BECAUSE YOU CAN EASILY GET STUCK IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION AND GET SHIT AT EVERYTHING ELSE

[True_artist]

Im a bigginer to the website not in art i havent got a sketchbook yet but its coming i was wandering if the pencil was be pretty much deleted by photoshop and what other type of media do i need to use

[grenogs]

HAHA, THANKS STORMRIDER, MUCH APPRETIATED, and yes quite brutal, heheheh. can i also defend any critisism i may have had later?
Oh btw, my girlfriend conciders this thread to be a kind of self torture, lol. i would have to agree :)

[stormrider85]

yeh toture is the only way to push yourself encouragement only works if your still very unsure of yourself

[stormrider85]

oh and for the next project and another one also isnt going to be any more pretty to what i have in mind

[qbertp]

I didn't want to waste words on praise so I looked for anything I could find that felt at all wrong. Cheers!
Oh and a note to stormrider: That is Edgar Allan Poe;)
Stormrider85 1st piece I think the lips need to taper a bit more. I think they are fuller than in the photo. 2nd piece the dark line that bisects his nose vertically might be to dark.
Metal-Mike I think your skul has some symetry issues giving it a little bit of a lopsidedness. this is most present in the lower jaw.
Ampersand IT would be nice to see if you can bring the backround detail of clarity up a bit so your creature don't look so much like thay are superimposed on the space.
Nigh7Shad3 I would pay attention to feet and hands.
Jake KobrinI think you end up with two issues, things either looks soft and blurry or very glossy. I know from your posts elsewhere your an airbrush fanatic and i think these problems will slowly dissapear as you become more comfortable with other mediums.
BobotIt would be nice to see you extend your colors into the environment.
Viran I think your atmosphere is good but you get a little lost when dealing with the details.
Imnop Id work on cleaner lines. While I like the character very much I think in general your sketchy approach makes the already soft environments lose realism.
Saamsaam In the non frisbee piece the forground is less clear than the background.
realitychek I'm not a fan of the drool on the evil ferret thing.
Krigbran I think your viking shading is a little off. The white on his back makes it look like his spine is popping out.
Anthis Some sharper elements, particularly in the foreground might make the images more interesting.
Myszt I think there might be something wiggy about the size of the last ones breasts. You might try reducing the profile a tiny bit.
grenogs Adding a little more detail to the masai's hair and jewlery might be helpful. just a shading color her or there.
ChopperDave Id say your thumb should be a tad longer but perhaps you have very stunty thumbs.
Mischieviant the torso on the green girl seems stretched. I think her breasts need to be higher
Greenjackrubbery arms and pointy nose on the third one.
PaTXiNaKi I think you may be going a little overboard or not far enough with the extreme perspective. Colors should be more saturated in the foreground than the background. This might work for your characters.
Balancesheet Id look at the legs of the third piece. The shorter one might be a bit too short. Or perhaps its just an illusion caused by the pant leg.
Dan.Man.86 I might try to work a little more of the shading you di on the stomach into the rest of the character in the first piece.
Jiga I would darken your anvil a bit so that what hes working on doesnt blend in so much.
NightblueI think your neck on the second piece may be a little long. But its 3:30 am here so I may just be seeing things.
Looney man I think there is too much of the distant eye visible in the last piece.

[Ampersand]

Hey guys, thanks for the crits and sorry if I'm late. Do I have to give critiques for everybody who's posted? I would like to but am a bit rushed for time at the moment and don't like giving one-liners, so I've just done as many as possible. Excuse any epic typos I might've made. :^^;:

stormrider85
[1] Looking promising, but application of colours is a bit uneven and scribbled. Possibly use a larger brush for blending?
[2] I think you’re going for a scribbled look with this one, but the subtler details like facial wrinkles are being lost as a result. Again some larger brushes wouldn’t hurt for better definition.
[3] I like the loose lines, but the anatomy of the skull isn’t quite right (the cheekbones are too prominent) and the colours need a little more contrast. For example, the wall has a lot of bright yellow while the skull is quite dark; since it’s the focal point, the skull needs to be brighter and clearer. :)

MeTaL-MiKe
[1] I like this one a lot, nice and painterly to look at. I find the fine, sharp highlights on her hair detract from the rest of the picture’s style, though – something more subtle and smudgy would fit better.
[2] The highlights on her clothes are very good, it really looks like leather. However, the face is quite crooked and not as realistic as the rest of her. The eyes are very far apart and the shadows between her jaw and neck don’t seem to fall naturally.
[3] Not much to say about this one, other than that I think it’s good. I love the texture around the teeth, it makes it looks pretty lifelike. The rest of the skull could perhaps have benefited from the same level of detail and sharpness.

Nigh7shad3
[1] Looks good, but I find the quality of painting very uneven. A few parts are well filled-out and rendered in some detail, while in others the colouring is blurry and doesn’t seem to be applied true to the lineart. The bot on the left could have used some stronger highlights and details to make him pop out.
[2] A nice scene, though again the varying level of rendering and detail is something to watch. The grass brush is also a wee bit too obvious, I try to stay clear of the noticeably premade brushes.
[3] This one could use some larger brushes – there’s a lot of scribbling going on, particularly in the background, hair and reflection on the floor. It roughens the quality somewhat and makes the picture look less solid. That sword (?) is pretty awesome though.

Jake Kobrin
[1] Not bad, though I think the choice of which parts to fully paint and which to leave outlined could use some work. Some richer colours wouldn’t go amiss either, to add a bit of variety to the skin tones.
[2 & 3] I think you mainly need to watch out for how you’re rendering shapes – some parts look flat and don’t pop out enough because the highlights aren’t as bright as they should be, while other parts pop out a bit too much (like the left side of the alien guy’s skull, though I’m not sure if that was intentional).

bobot
A bit tricky to critique because your pictures are quite heavily stylized and watercolour-y. I think you have a nice eye for colours, getting in some good colour variations. Your contrast could possibly use some work, mainly in the first and second pieces since the shading is very subtle. The only way to improve your backgrounds would be to do more of them, heheh – I’m terrible at backgrounds too but lately I’ve been trying to incorporate at least some simple ones. They can be unexpectedly fun to make. Overall they’re admirable efforts considering you’re not using a tablet. It’d be nice to see what you could do if you had one. :)

viran
[1] Good colours, but the heavy use of textured brushes could possibly be toned down a little, or varied more so the patterns don’t become too repetitive or obvious.
[2] I really like how subtle and misty this piece is. The photo textures are a nice touch, though it’d be good if you could make the rock textures from scratch. They’re buggers to paint but it’s easy enough to find some reference material. The foreground to do with a bit more detail, particularly on the left where the rocks just flatten out into a block of colour. Otherwise I like this one a lot, sometimes less is more.
[3] The clouds are good, but the texture of the ground doesn’t match their level of realism. The buildings are looking neat but I’m not sure of their perspective, unless they’re meant to be prismatic in shape. Apart from that it’s only really the ground that conspicuously needs some polishing over.

qbertp
You’ve got some interesting effects going on – that third piece is really eyecatching, I like it a lot. In the first and second you need to watch the values of your colours, though – when there’s not enough contrast between the different colours (like the faint pink on the man’s face in the first picture) it can make the image look muddy and undefined. It’d be good if you try to give a bit more definition to your edges too, possibly using harder brushes.

lmnop
I can only see two of your pictures (the boy with the scarf and the river scene), but here goes. A bit more contrast and shading would be nice to see; you have some nice colours going on in the third picture, but some more clearly defined edges would improve it. The water also doesn’t look especially watery, you’ve painted the reflections in but there’s not much lighting on the surface. The picture of the boy is nice, slightly difficult to judge because the proportions are cartoony, but there’s no such thing as doing too many anatomy studies. :D

saamsaam
[1 & 2] Interesting vehicle design, though keep a watchful eye on your perspective (I can’t really offer much advice there because my own perspective is worse than bad).
[3] I’m not sure what’s happening in this picture, since there’s quite going on and the focal point is obscure – is the viewer meant to be looking at the green eyes first, the fires, the little dude in the foreground…? The general rule of thumb is that the focal point of the picture should have the most saturated colours to draw the viewer’s eye, so maybe try applying that in your compositions.

realitychek
Wow, you’ve got some skills there. The whole idea of the first piece is very neat and different, I like it. I’m afraid I can’t find much to critique, other than the perspective seeming a little skewed in the third picture – you could perhaps have drawn in a line to indicate the bottom of the far left wall, as you did with the wall at the back, since at the moment the shadow there looks a bit lost and ill-defined. Some highlights on the animal’s fur would also make him stand out from the shadows more. :)

[realitychek]

Thanks everyone for your excellent critiques- they were all extremely helpful :)

Alrighty then, here goes!

stormrider85

1-Looking really good so far, would like to see it when it's finished ;) Only thing I can see is that I feel there needs to be a little bit more darker shading from the left side of the bridge of her nose to her eyebrow. Only a touch though.
2-Nice mood set in the colors and values, the eye kinda bugs me, and I also think the black to the left of the nose is too dark.
3- Inside of the mouth seems a bit flat, and I'm a bit confused with the top bit of the skull- was it crushed in?

MeTaL-Mike

1- Her neck seems too straight, needs more of a throat leading into her jaw line if you get what I mean. Nice range of values, could be a little bit smoother, and the shadow on her upper lip to the bottom of her nose is "off" I don't know how to put it really, just seems to stand out too much/ is cut off from the rest of her face in a way.
2- Excellent piece, love the background! Her face is a little bit too small, and her left boob is smaller than her right. Also confused as to where her right leg is.
3- Awesome range of values and excellent detail! A little bit lopsided but overall, very nicely done!

Ampersand

1-Really like the design of the dragon-like creature, coloring is a little bit bland, and I want a background! :) Also, left foreleg/arm of the creature seems too tense/held at an awkward angle. I also think the tail should be in front of the creature's right leg.
2- Again, love the idea! Excellent line work, and the only thing I can see to critique is the head seems to be turned around a little bit too far
3- Excellent! I want a background, but overall, wonderfully done! Love the pose.

Nigh7shad3

1- Cool piece, nice mood to it. The linework doesn't bother me too much, but it would look a lot better if it appeared more finished.
2- A little bit too busy, perspective seems pretty good, and the woman's left leg needs to taper off a little bit towards the knee. Also, the feet are, I presume, not finished?
3- Nice work with perspective! Also good overall mood and choice of colors and lighting! Could be a little smoother and he's a little bit off in some areas anatomy-wise, but overall very nice!

Jake Kobrin

1- Would like to see a greater range in values, esp. with his wrinkles- the don't look deep enough.
2- His cloak seems too flat, again, more values! Linework is a bit too choppy as well
3- Face is a little bit lopsided, and the lines are a bit choppy again, but overall I like it!

bobot

1- I like the colors you picked and worked with, proportion/anatomy's a bit off, but I've a feeling that's a bit of a style you're wanting to go with on this piece. Human anatomy studies wouldn't hurt though ;)
2- Cool idea- really like it! Overall, very nicely done
3- Clean up your lines a bit! Nice choice of color and great use of value though

viran

1-Really nice composition, really can't see anything to critique on :)
2- Again, nice atmosphere and overall composition!
3- The perspective seems a little off to me, and the ground could use a bit more work, but excellent job on the building.

qbertp

1- Study some human anatomy, and draw from life! Overall I really like the feeling of the piece, but the background is distracting
2- Interesting style with the outlining. Needs some darker values.
3- Wow! I really like this one, very cool idea, style, and composition. As much as I don't like photoshop filters, I think you took them in an entirely different direction and it compliments the overall appearance nicely.

lmnop

1- Would like to see more contrast/darker values.
2- Really like this one, really gets the mood across :)
3- Again, needs more contrast/darker values and more detail

saamsaam

1- Interesting design, not much to critique, but perhaps strengthen your linework a little?
2- Perspective is all I have to say :)
3- Looks a bit muddy from using so much black, could use more detail and better concentration on a light source.

Krigbrann

1- wheels could use a little more work, and might I ask if you were inspired by Bumblebee from Transformers?
2- Perspective's a bit off, could use some anatomy study as well
3- Excellent piece, would like to see some darker values though

Anthis

1- Colors are a bit muddy, and would love to see more detail anatomy is a little off as well
2- Pretty cool piece! Only thing I can see to critique is, where is the mech's other leg?
3- Very cool! Love the rider and the creature is really cool

Mystz

1- Background could use some work. The woman and the panther look like they were pasted onto the background as well. Really nice rendering on the panther's fur though!
2- Could use some darker tones, otherwise, looks nice!
3- Background needs a bit of work, and her face is a tad too big, but really nice job on this one!

grenogs

1- Needs to be a little bit smoother and the hair looks a bit flat, but excellent choice in colors!
2- Um, wow wow wow, and wow! Only thing I can see is I'd like to see a little more of a horizon line, I only just noticed the house on the right in the background.
3- Would like some more detail :)

ChopperDave

1 and 2- I had to do those studies! They take a while, but pretty fun stuff. Practice more, and work on anatomy.
3-thumb's "base" is too thick, and it could really use a bit of shading :)

Mischieviant

1- Needs a bit of help anatomy-wise, nice use of colors though, hairs a bit flat too. Would really like a background too, more detailed and all, really would like a story it is pretty much what I'm trying to say.
2- Clearer lighting source would be great, and I feel the rocks are a little distracting
3- Very nicely done- but a little unrealistic from being so smooth

Greenjack

1- Wow! Nice work! Can't see much to critique :)
2- I'm not really god with anatomy at all, so can't critique much on this one as I can't see anything that appears "off" But on the segment on the arm on the right side of the piece, would like some darker values in the electronic segment of her arm.
3- Face is a bit blotchy and her arms/hands are noodle-y.




Ok, I'll be back to critique the rest of you later :) Hope I wasn't too harsh!

[Greenjack]

Well, I wouldn't normally consider my skills to be at a level where I'm happy to critique the work of others but I guess this is all part of the learning process. I'll say it as I see it, without ref to others comments so apologies if I'm talking crap, I'm kind of lacking on the art education front. Numbers refer to pics in the order in which they're posted:

Stormrider
1. Difficult to crit as unfinished, looks good tonally and in proportion. Nose looks a little skewed to the left, but then it does in the ref pic.
2. Eye looks a bit raised and brow a little square, looks like the nose is vertical from one third up it's length. Might have done something to put a bit more emphasis on the eye and move it from being so centrally positioned.
3.Needs some highlights, the skull is looking pretty flat. Proportions are out, big mouth, square jaw....of course might not be human, in which case maybe even greater exaggeration might be a good thing

MeTal-Mike
1. Good portrait, but looks a little unfinished bottom left, would like to see maybe a bit more detail in the hair.
2.Heads maybe a bit small, along with the waist. Think I'm looking at hair tumbling down her back, but looks a bit divorced from that on her head.
3.Yep, good study, jaw maybe looks a little weak on the LHS, not quite in balance with the right perhaps.

Ampersand
1.A little flat perhaps, a little less detail moving backwards might help give the impression of depth.
2.Backgrounds good, but looks like an animation cell due to different style. Maybe that's the idea.
3.Like it, although not sure the weight distribution is quite right for the leg positions.

Nigh7shad3
1.Think it could do with a few more highlights.
2. Struggling to find a point of focus, composition is maybe a little weak.
3. Looks like he's dragging the hind leg (maybe he is?), I would say it's also highlighted too far up towards he crotch, think the topmost section should be more in shadow.

Jake Kobrin
1. A little flat maybe, could use some more modelling, probably best to avoid outlining, unless that's the style you're going for.
2. Too detached from background, if you're going to erase and drop onto a background you either need to take more care to make linework more consitent, or re-pen the outline.
3. Highlights are too far towards the back of the head, making it appear
mis-shapen, comments about linework from above apply.

Bobot
How do you crit someone who draws with a mouse? Keep it up, I'm sure
you'll do wonders with a tablet.

Viran
1. Good composition and tone but too much brush texture in the clouds for my liking. A little more detail and some brighter highlighting on the craft might be good.
2. Maybe a little more contrast on the central figures?
3. Shapes on the ground in the forground seem too smooth & regular, good oherwise.

qbertp
1. Lacking in defnition, not entirely sure what I'm looking at, some of the highlights seem pretty randomly positioned.
2. Needs more contrast/modelling.
3. Like this, don't know how to crit it really.

Imnop
1.More detail/contrast wouldn't go amiss.
2.Struggling to crit.
3.A few sharp lines and/or highlights for a bit of contrast perhaps.

Saamsaam
Think you need to work on your perspective and modelling. Maybe some
sketching from life would help.

realitychek
1. The sheepskin rug threw me for a minute...Like the idea and the execution's pretty good, I find the lines across the head a little
distracting though.
2. Yep, good flag, better with a bit more contrast perhaps.
3. Sorry, not too sure what I'm looking at, but I know paintings are a bugger to photograph.

Kriggbrann
1. Some of the line work could be a little tighter, otherwise good.
2. Looks unfinished, and some of the anatomy looks a bit off, back, left arm, left leg.
3. Cheekbones a bit severe and forshortening/proportions are not
right, Could maybe use more contrast.

Anthis
1.Perspectives not quite right on the mushroom cap, front edge is too straight. More detail would be good, although I appreciate that these are from the daily sketch group.
2. Like the composition and tone, not sure the style of the central figure entirely matches that of the rest of the piece.
3. Central figure looks a bit 'cut-out', not sure the transparency effect works 100% and right thigh looks a bit short.

Myszt
1.The girl looks to be laying on her back, down to somewhere around
her breasts then the perspective seems to change. Can't decide whether she is coming out of the belly of the puma or not. Maybe the puma could do with being a bit more grounded. Great detail and tone though.
2.Right arm seems a bit off, and she seems a bit thick waisted for a fairy. Not finished though so..
3.Really like this, but don't think pink arm detail LHS adds anything. Some more separation between the figure and the background towards the bottom might be good.

Grenogs
1. Great pumpkin head, but not sure about the weight distribution if he's not grounded, shouldn't the unattached side be hanging down a bit?
2. Hair at rear and 'head dress' seem a little flat, the highlight on the arm a little to large/sharp, maybe.
3.Seems a little unfinished somehow, maybe drops out to a blured outline too quickly.

ChopperDave
Sorry,difficult to comment as I don't have a feel for point of the exercises. Could do with some work on proportions though.


Mischieviant
1. Body looks overly long and/or head too short.
2. Vest stripes don't seem to follow body contours as much as they perhaps should.
3.Difficult as not finished.

PTXiNaKi
1. Inxonsistent tone/conrast values, foreshortening maybe exaggerated.
2. Hair and shins make it look a little unfinished.
3. Right forearm looks a lttle short when compared to left (his right/left).

BalanceSheet
1. Background perhaps too bright, insufficient highlights in comparison.
2. Too cutout, needs a background an some linework to soften the edges.
3. A bit sketchy...difficult to crit.

dan.man.86.
1. Looks very accomplished.I'm struggling to pick holes in it.
2. Unfinished, can't really crit.
3. As 2.

jiga
1. Proportions need work.
2. More contrast required, and maybe study some refs on drawing realistic hair.
3. More detail would help.

Nightblue
1. Cool, maybe a bit more contrast?
2. A little static, but a good ref for an ortho. Nice linework and shading.
3. Again, maybe a bit more contrast?

LooneyMann
1, Like it, but not sure about the large diagonal block in the centre of the image.
2. Looks a bit cutout and dropped onto background. Right arm could use some foreshortening.
3. Highlights look a litle bright, not sure they have a consistent lighting direction.

Pyroclasm
1&2. Some more work on the hair would improve things. Realistic hair with pencil aint easy.
3. Good start, like the pose.

Beeker
Good sketches, but difficult to crit, some of the developed figures seem a bit 'dumpy'.

So, that's my two penneth, take it with a pinch of salt and bear in mind that I've principally focused on those areas where I've thought there may be some room for improvement.

Thanks to all for the crits (though I hope we don't have to do this too often!)

[Krigbrann]

stormrider85: Hmm... the face really looks cool. Since its unfinished all I can really say is that the sharpness of some of the features isn't consistent. The Purple face looks really cool, and I really like the color, but I don't really know what to critique. The skull looks really wicked, deceptively well made.

MeTaL-Mike: I've enjoyed alot of your work for a while. All I can really say is color and balance in the composition.

Ampersand: Very interesting sense of style. I think its definitely a big plus. I think that distributing attention to detail, especially in the second piece should be a little more even.

Nightshade: Since this is all stuff you did in class or for a specific purpose then I doubt that my opinions can help. Very nice though...

Jake Kobrin: I have also enjoyed your work. The thing that really bugs me about all this stuff is the linework. A little more precision would be cool.

Bobot: This stuff is really cool and I really like it but I have no idea how to go about giving tips.

viran: Nice, you have a cool technique going on there, but really, with that sort of style having a sweeping sense of distance would definitely benefit. When I look at your first piece it seems that one ship is just bigger than the other, not farther away.

qbertp: Kind of confusing but cool. Linework is def a must. Also don't use the smudging tool so much... I think. I'm not sure what that is...

lmnop: The plane really needs to be on the city line or over but not under it. It just looks silly as is. The third piece is really cool though.

saamsaam: Kind of odd... I'm not sure what it is but nothing really looks that finished or interesting to me personally. The disembodied eyes really make no sense...

realitychek: your creativity is truly stunning. I really like your stuff just because it looks so different. Death does look a tad short, but other than that I can't find a prominent problem.

Krigbrann: crap.

Anthis: I think your stuff is deceptive. It doesn't look done at all, but it is on its way to being very good. The second piece is killer. Other than that I think the figure in the first piece needs to be more lively, she doesn't look to be flying.

Myszt: I don't think your a beginner at all. :P

Myszt: Or you...

ChopperDave: You go out today, after stealing some cash, and buy an andrew loomis book or something. You will really feel good about yourself later. Try to back off and show the whole vision.

Mischieviant: Your right there with those other two guys. However, the one pics horizontal arm isn't correct. DO a hand study.

Greenjack: *gawks*

PaTXiNaKi: Very cool style and quality but it needs refining. You really need to show more depth cause we cannot tell that your characters arm is farther back (1st piece)...

BalanceSheet: I think your stuffs cool too, but try to make them look more finished.

dan.man.86: Your since of humor is awesome. I can't really think of anything to say since its so cartoony.

jiga: The thind piece has just way to much solid black. The first two are too sketchy.

Nightblue: Right there with those other guys.

LooneyMann: I would say your right there with those other guys, buuuuuuuuut, the anatomy on the last two is fubar. Otherwise very cool.

Pyroclasm00: Sweet little mix here. What you have is done well enough for me to not be able to find anything to say.

Beeker: This sheds little light or how much of an artist you are...

Sorry for the lame comments but I'm about to pass out from exaustionnnnnnnnnn........./
gl;jkbnl'm,>

[LooneyMann]

I'd gone with the "one" from "comment on one or more," but since the general trend seems to be leaning towards "more" I'll do more comments. Take mine with a grain of salt, since I'm a beginner (dur..), so I could be way off. Okay!

stormrider85 - If the top-right and bottom parts of the face get the same treatment as the upper-left, it'll look amazing. That left eye rocks. The rest of the face obviously needs just as much attention to detail and hard brush use. I can't say I really feel the second piece - seems pretty haphazard. I like the third one as a classic comic style.

metalmike - I think the shading on the face should be blended more, especially on the nose. I like the brush used on the hair, though. I love the rendering on the second piece, but it seems like her right boob is fairly exploding out of her dress. Did you use a reference? If so, wowza. lol. Also, her neck seems a bit weird. And I'd blur the background a bit, since it's kind of distracting. Third piece is great.

ampersand - I already commented on your stuff a bit earlier. : )

nigh7shad3 - I think your stuff is great so far. The first two could definitely benefit from harder (brush) edges in the shading. The third's pretty cool too, but it looks like he's dragging his leg, like it's paralyzed. And the perspective on it's a bit weird. Also, I'd clean up the hands.

jake kobrin - 1st - cool start! more detail. 2nd - cool. some harder brush use. 3rd - freaky. in a good way. could use perspective improvement and some harder shading.

bobot - um, cool? not much to comment on. =\

viran - cool! i've got nothing.

qbertp - 1: I think this pic would benefit from less strokes, but larger. 2: cute, stylized. 3: photoshop filter?

lmnop - I like where your style is heading, but you need more detail. : )Your third piece would benefit from harder edges.

saamsaam - Not sure what to critique, since there's not much there. I guess if you're interested in vehicle design and landscapes, draw from references of those things, and then it will be easier to create your own.

realitychek - Can't really comment on the abstract, but the flag's good. Could use darker darks and brighter brights. (i.e. more contrast)

krigbrann - Interesting. I haven't really got anything, sorry.

Anthis - Harder edges in shading, and try to draw from reference if you can.

myszt - cool. : ) Got nothing.

grenogs - cool. : ) Got nothing.

chopperdave - Good practice. Practice more. : D

mischieviant - Some very cool stuff. The first one could use some harder shading in places.

greenjack cool. : ) Got nothing.

patxinaki - cool. :) harsher highlights on the 2nd one, and the swirlies don't go around the sword in the first one, they're just on top of it.

balancesheet - cool. harsher shading, detail.

dan.man.86 - cool. more shading. =P

jiga more time will benefit the 2nd piece, harder edges in the shading will benefit the third.

nightblue - cool. : ) Got nothing.

pyroclasm00 - awesome, keep going!

beeker - Good practice, certainly. Nothing to critique, though. =P

[stormrider85]

ATTENTION

im only going to post the next project after a few more crits have been done, you don't have to crit every single artwork if your lazy but you should go through every member. Going good so far, just try to look for things that dont seem right, it doesn't take a professional artist to see mistakes so even people who think they make shit artworks like me can pick out something nasty looking.

im still waiting on these people for their crits

grenogs
Anthis
Mischieviant
Pyroclasm00
Jake Kobrin
viran
lmnop
Myszt
BalanceSheet
Beeker


remember be harsh and suggest what you think would help them as in study wise.

[Krigbrann]

I mentioned in my earlier post that I'm maxofthe south. I just changed my name...

[PaTXiNaKi]

Im working on that critics, i want to post them all together soon maybe this night. ^^

Thnks for the comments, because i need that feedback to improve, i dont understand some coments but thats because of my poor english,especially when is refered to anathomy and technical isues. :/

[dan.man.86]

Firstly, THANK YOU EVERYONE thus far! :P

Loving the feedback, and honest critiquing. It's great to here the feedback. I am honestly taking it all in and will try to remember it all from here on it.

Thanks again! Can't wait for the next project now :D

[MeTaL-Mike]

Thanks a lot from my side as well all!! Great crits. Looking forward to the next project and some more comments, cheers.

PS, Ref used for image 2, BIANCA BEAUCHAMP totally hot!!! :d

[Nigh7shad3]

Nigh7shad3
-Love the mechs and your use of heat/light contrasts well with the dark.
What’s your technique for the hot light?
-In the second maybe the lady could have been given more attention, doesn’t catch my eye.
-Love your third piece. Again how do you get such a nice light like that?


I use the handy Glow tool in Painter :}

[Nigh7shad3]

wow alot of artwork to crit, I'll have to start from the top then..

Stormrider85-The face is looking good so far. Watch out for the values and tones. Keep in mind of the
face form and structure. Keep it up

-i dont like the purple dude-looks horrible :P

-nice sketch on the skull. The whole thing looked like you did it in 30mins or so.

Metalmike-Nice useage of bristled brushes. Does not have a full value range though.
Looks like you only have 5 out of 9 in the value range from the darkest dark onwards.

-Stripper looks good, could use a little more TLC (tender loving care)

-excellent skull study. Could use some more highlights.


Ampersand-watch out for highlights and shadows because your creature's tail has
it's own lightsource. The water background ought to be darker to make the glowy tail pop.
right now it looks really dull and flat and monochromatic.

-good job on your attempt at painting the background. The creature however looks
like it's pasted on and not part of the painting. The shadows and light on the creature
doesn't conform to the sun in the background. The forest should have more shadows because
of that.

-Again, study how light reacts to different surfaces. The glow doesnt have
strong impact because of the lack of tonal values. She should have
highlights from the orb. (rant: i hate furries and i find them visually unappealing ><)


Nigh7shad3-you are a lazy motherfucker, get to work and paint till your figers bleed!

Jake Kobrin-Practice, practice, practice. Draw from life and get a hold of bridgman's books
and the usual anatomy stuff.

Bobot-heh cute, you drew a mouse with a mouse. Save up for a tablet-in the meantime
practice on your regular sketchbook with the old pencil and eraser.


Viran-Sparth influence eh? Your perspective and composition needs work. Although your
named your paintings, i don't really see the story or feel the mood. Take Teamwork for example;
all i see is a bunch of little guys in a cave having starbucks or just hanging out. There os
no real danger or something for them to work together with-like fighting a giant robot or
something.

qbertp-sorry to say that the first piece looks horrible. Try mixing it with complimentary colours
and make an analogus painting.

-the dragon's cute but i'm not sure what's going on.

-the third pice looks like a photoshop filter


Imnop-study and draw lots and lots of buildings/architecture/vehicles and airplanes. (i should do that too lol)
i can see shanghai in the third painting :) Keep practicing! Do mastercopy of old oil paintings
to help you with colours.

Krigbrann-Nice sportscar! The rendering could be better with more glints.
really liking the pen drawing.

Mystz- why is the girl comming out from the puma's stomach? The third piece looks better
and more successful than your previous 2 though.

Grengos-nice scarecrow, really well done!

ChopperDave-welcome to the MMORPG known as Artworld! Keep doing quests
and missions and grinding till you level up! Here's a pencil for the level 1 artist :D

Mischieviant-the girls look really stiff. Especially the hair, looks sharp o.O Love what you did
on the 3rd one with all the motifs. How do you do that?


Greenjack-Fine looking gentleman right there. Well done!Keep it up!

Patxinaki-proportion issues here and there-the arm on the second dude looks stubby. Keep drawing!

Balancesheet-Good start. The second one looks flat and devoid of any depth. I'd suggest
you stay away from digital for now and draw traditionally.

Danman-looks like it's drawn using ToonBoom. Are you an animator? Really solid drawings you have
here, good job. Hope to see more stuff from you.

Jiga-ah another young beginner artist. The photo drawing looks much much more better than
the 2 horrible drawings of mario and the blacksmith. Put the tablet/ps/painter away and Take the sketchbook to the park and
draw everything you see :)

Nightblue-really nice character design/costume design on the girl! You deserve two thumbs up!

LooneyMann-at first i thought the first one was a photograph o.O but turns out to be a painting. Awesome!
And what happened to the 2nd and 3rd? Why did the quality of work went down the drain?

Beeker-anatomy as usual-excellent attempts at the figure. Try doing my figure drawing class assignment
of drawing 100 figures using only gesture and shapes :)



Phew, that's alot of critiques! I'm sorry if I've offended anyone for being so mean and Simon Cowell-ish. I believe that praise should be given to the deserving. Let's not look back at how sucky our artwork is and instead, we have to keep moving forward! :yayca:

[LooneyMann]

Thanks for the crits everyone! For anyone wondering why my first pic has such a distinct quality difference from my second and third ones, it has to do with two main factors: first, the first pic's my latest, and I think best pic so far. The other two are a bit older, but i think they may be my 2nd and 3rd best pieces. For better or worse.=\ Second: it's easier to shade grayscale than color! =P

[Nigh7shad3]

it's easier to shade grayscale than color! =P


that's true :)

you can always apply colour later

[Ampersand]

I find greyscale much easier too, since I have a tendency to muddy my colours. It's applying colours to a greyscale piece that I find really hard. :[

(rant: i hate furries and i find them visually unappealing ><)

Can't say I like the majority of furry art either. :tihi:

[bobot]

Thanks to all who have commented thus far!

I have actually picked up a tablet, but am yet to really start working with it.

Now, for the crits...
I'm going to try and be as critical as I can - so I hope you can all take it on constructively. :meow:


Stormrider - Your reference work is lovely, and you have built up dimension with colour really well!
However, the 2nd picture seems to have lost almost all sense of dimension and seems anatomically distorted and messy.
The 3rd has a nice raw dirty style, and looks suitable for comic work, but doesn't do a lot for me visually.

Metal-Mike - You seem to have a good grasp of monotones; it would be nice to see some works in colour!
1st picture is a little rough, but quite lovely.
2nd is overall a good picture, but body proportions need some work.
3rd is by far the best, and is an excellent study in anatomy.

Ampersand - I enjoy both your line-art and colour work! Your backgrounds lack slightly, but at the same time they allow you to focus on the main figures; so it's a hard one to crit.

Nigh7shad3 - 1st picture has some great elements to it, though studies in colour and line would definitely help make the image more 'solid'.
2nd picture has lovely colour choice but I feel there needs to be stronger detail in the petals/leaves which are closer to the eye - as the ones on the ground seem more detailed, which doesn't make a lot of sense. Also I think the girl lacks definition in her body & could use some work. I tend to find that on first glance it's quite a lovely picture, but the longer you look at it, the more you find the lack of detail - it seems somewhat unfinished.
3rd also has some really nice elements to it, but the colour work seems messy.

Jake Kobrin - I think if you could learn to ease up on the line thickness so much, and work on your shading, you would gain a whole lot more dimension to your work. Also, try drawing things from different angles, as it can become too comfortable drawing frontal views.

Viran - You have a really cool style with environments! I think you would benefit most from practicing foreground work. The detail in the buildings in your 3rd picture are lacking somewhat.

qbertp - Your colours are quite garish - I think need to tone them down. Try blending your colours more also, the thick lines create too much movement. Also, not sure about your last one - it looks like you've just put a photoshop filter over an image...

Imnop - I can see you have skill, and you have some basics down pat - but practicing drawing from reference would really benefit you most I think. The colour work in your last image is quite nice also.

SaamSaam - It's good to see you working on dimension! I think you would benefit most by practicing colour and shading as well as fine detail.

realitychek - Your pencil work is quite fine! Hopefully this will work to your advantage when drawing digitally. I can see you have some really good ideas floating around in your head, and if you keep practicing you will come out with some really nice stuff!

Krigbrann - Nice to see you've practiced several different styles. I think with time you will be able to sharpen your images up some more which will benefit you nicely.

Anthis - Some nice conceptual idea's here. You seem to have a good grasp on perspective and dimension. I would suggest trying out some colour techniques that aren't quite so dark.

Myszt - Your anatomy and colour work are lovely. I think you would benefit most from working on perspective - the woman in the first image doesn't seem quite right in that sense.

grenogs - Definitely some nice idea's here! I think your 2nd image is actually very good! The other two are a little messy and lacking definition.

ChopperDave - Try working on larger scale images. There is little context to go on and the larger picture goes unseen. Try working with colour and detail too. Anatomy studies will help you here also.

Mischieviant - You have nice figure studies but I think you could benefit most from working on the movement of clothing/materials.

Greenjack - You have done a lovely job on the first 2 figures, but the 3rd needs work; body and facial proportions are a little out of whack. The aeroplane also seems slightly warped. More reference studies will help this.

Patixnaki - Some studies on perspective and body proportions will benefit you greatly. Otherwise, nice portrayal of conceptual ideas.

BalanceSheet - Practice with colour technique and cleaner linework will benefit you. You seem to lack confidence with the line-art.

dan.man.86 - You have a cute style, I would like to see what the pencil images looked like digitally painted (without using a program like illustrator).

jiga - More studies of anatomy and reference studies will benefit you greatly.

Nightblue - I can see you have some nice ideas in mind. Nice outfit design. I am not keen on the style of the last drawing though.

Looneyman - First picture is good but it appears from the other two you would benefit greatly if you studied perspective, anatomy, proportions, structure, and colour theory.

Pyroclasm00 - Nice studies, would like to see some more finished works!

Beeker - Keep up the studies! Going well so far.



Okay.... that was a hard slog. Slacked off at the end cause I got tired.

[PaTXiNaKi]

Well first of all excuses of my bad english, if u dont understand anything ask me, i ll try to clarify.Also thanks for the critics given, they are worth for me.

so here i go!

stormrider85 : That face in progress looks nice, i only see his right side of the face a bit wide in comparation with the reference. Ur second face the purple one scared me a bit :P, the strokes in the skin looks linear, try to vary the angle, the background doesn´t fit well.The skull one have nice lineart, but the color is flat, looks like there is no ligth on that pic.

MeTaL-Mike : Nothing to say about that first draw,maybe the shadow behind the lips a bit softer?. Nice pose in the second,the hair over her back looks diferent than the heads one, maybe is because of the shadows,a curl over the shoulder would clarify that.The skull is great, i like the theet detail.

Ampersand : In the first one the left arm looks strange, with that shoulder over the wrist.The water effect would be better with strongs highlights coming from above, or distorting a bit the draw. I love the second one,the background seems a bit unfinished but hey!, mines are worst ;). The thirs is great too,maybe some strong ligths on her face coming from the hand would give a bit of contrast between so much darknes.

Nigh7shad3 : Nice detail on the first one, maybe some ligths on the left mech woul make it pop up a bit more.With so much explosions the buildings would need more ligth, almost the front ones.Try to make some soft lines on the arm/leg of the rigth mech where the explosions are, it looks like there is nothing there.Nice perspective on the second, The legs are a bit crapy,u need to go further with the coloring, try some hard shadows to define some parts (wheels, that gun,her legs).The third, the hair need more attention.Looks like it has no neck.

Jake Kobrin : Some mid tones on that orc will help to give some texture to his skin, also more ligths.The other two in b/w remings me to some kind of 60's space invaders.The third looks a bit static,too rigid.

bobot : Nice style, i love the red one's face,it scares me a bit ,but at the same time he smiles ^^. The body looks a bit flat, what about adding some shadows/lights.The mouse looks a speed paint, but the perspective isn´t bad at all.

viran : That backgroungs are fine, maybe u need to push them a bit more giving more detail. I love the way u use the texture,specially on those clouds of the first pic,but where the hell is the terrain? I mean no mountains, rivers o whatever?The second one is a lake? looks like there is a waterfall on the left,I can´t see it clear.The fire of the city the atmosphere is nice, but the buildings are simple, with no reflects on the water, no ligths on thar edges.

qbertp : Nice brushing on the first draw,What's that thing behind the beard?With a better background color would be nicer.The hand on the second draw is very strange.Is it moving toward the face?It looks static.The face of the third is great, i dont understand whats going on, but hey! im not the author.

lmnop : Good election in the colors of the ship's stela, very originals,but the background needs detail.The guy is great,nice pose,he is thoughtful,isnt it?.Needs a bit of shadows.The dock is too blurry in the foreground give it some definition.

saamsaam : Nice ship concept,trekkie style?.Use some darkened colors to give to ur desings a bit of depth.I cant see clearly what happens in the third one.

realitychek : Nice pencils on the flag.The death silhouette is great, almost the work u did inside him, i can´t see clearly the black parts,also in the third draw.The dog needs the outline to become more clear to know how it is exactly.

maxofthesouth : Yay! nice car man, i ll only suggest u add some stong ligths and more reflects to the car.The backbone stands out a lot in the viking,and the waist is too wide.The las one is great,nothing to say about it.

Anthis : Take care of the background, and the sky.In the last draw try to put some stones or arbushes (or a bit of detail to the terrain) to empower the perspective and the depth.Work more on the ligths of the mech, its a bit sketchy.Nice mountains on the last work ^^ some kind of colorado cannon,right?.

Myszt : Great work, In the first one,that panter,is in labor?where are the girl's legs? maybe is the perspective.In that fairy, the wings are too close betwen.The third is my favourite,the line art is a bit "dirty" but the face is ..... ^^

grenogs : I can say nothing else than WoW!. I love that africane guy.

ChopperDave : I ll recomend u to make more lines when u draw,and after that reject the bad ones,u can get better forms.Look at the proportions too.

Mischieviant : Im waiting for the final version of those two unfinished.In the first pic,she is running and thats why the hair goes left, ok, then the cloack should do the same.In the case she is rotatin, the hair should do too.If u divide in two the draw at the waist looks like 2 diferent poses. Anyway u tried a very very dinamic draw and that rises the dificult. Nice colors, and textures.I want to se Lara's face ^^.That clothes on the third are wonderfull, specially the motifs.Keep working!

Greenjack :Very nice that first two draws, the eyes,nose of the first .. wow.The right side of the face,just near the ears is too blurry.The wrist in the third needs a revision.

BalanceSheet : Nice pose in the first draw,the outline would need more lights,the sky also needs more work.The concept of the second draw is good but it looks like u have done it with erase tool, take more care about the outline, also some parts of the draw are dificult to distinguish, like his left shoulder.The ligths on the third need work too, the sking is to brigth in comparation with the clothe's light.

dan.man.86 : The scarecrow is great!nice style there love the colors u used for the sky. The second desing is nice too, i only see some perspective issues on the third, on the mech's legs.

jiga : Mario bros ftw! work with that perspective and anathomy.The forgue calls for a background ;) keep working!

Nightblue : The first two looks great, in the third i see some arms a bit short,others way too longs, but maybe is the style, nice clothes effects on the second one

Looneyman : The first one impressed me, maybe the arm is a bit too long,altough can be perspective's fault.The other two needs proportions study and perspective too.

Pyroclasm00 : Nice anathomy in the first two, i love the lions face,can´t wait to see them finished, the third one also need some work on the body. ^^

Beeker : Keep it up, some day i will have the patience to make some studies as u are doing. Im too lazy


And i think thats all

[Nigh7shad3]

I find greyscale much easier too, since I have a tendency to muddy my colours. It's applying colours to a greyscale piece that I find really hard. :[





Use the colorize layer in PS or Painter. Multiply tends to darken the colours.

[Nightblue]

another way is putting the grayscale layer on the bottom and lay "color" layers on top. choose "color" as blending method and the result is a clean if a bit boring colored work.

Then you can go in and touch up with very transparent but pure color brushes to make things more interesting.

[PaTXiNaKi]

another way is putting the grayscale layer on the bottom and lay "color" layers on top. choose "color" as blending method and the result is a clean if a bit boring colored work.

Then you can go in and touch up with very transparent but pure color brushes to make things more interesting.

I have never used greyscale layer to color, which are the profits?

[grenogs]

I have never used greyscale layer to color, which are the profits?

me niether, i find using an actual grey scale first creates muted colours, i find if i do have to use that technique, its usually becouse i want a certain overall colour or tone on the final image, like a sunset, or night environment. And if that is the case then i'll use a tonal colour that represents that particuler scene, such as dark blue tones for night or oranges for evening scene, purples for rainy scenes. I probably would never use an actual grey scale itself for anything, apart for black and white. And if you look at the top professionals, very few use an actual grey base. A tonal base, yes, but not grey itself. But then again that maybe where im going wrong :) . Maybe that could be one of the briefs later on, to use or not to use a greyscale to create an image, to see the pros and cons of such a technique.

[dan.man.86]

Nigh7shad3: Thank you very much :) and yes, I am an apsiring animator how could you tell? :P

Hmmm....seeing all this digital work, maybe I should take a crack at colouring some of my work......I believe I have a book about that kind of stuff around here somewhere......

[Nigh7shad3]

Nigh7shad3: Thank you very much :) and yes, I am an apsiring animator how could you tell? :P

Hmmm....seeing all this digital work, maybe I should take a crack at colouring some of my work......I believe I have a book about that kind of stuff around here somewhere......

I have a diploma in 2d animation and I've noticed that animators draw a certain way :P

[Nightblue]

Attached is a very quick visual explanation of what I mean. It doesn't really produce muted colors, just simple colors with no depth like a beginner's watercolor.

I don't use this method because it requires painting the same thing 3ce in a way, but some people use it to good results.

Please pardon my lame drawing skills in the visual explanation.

http://aycu15.webshots.com/image/32214/2001182018794647405_rs.jpg
http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/31810/2004454594385769534_rs.jpg

[Nigh7shad3]

Attached is a very quick visual explanation of what I mean. It doesn't really produce muted colors, just simple colors with no depth like a beginner's watercolor.





yep that was what i meant earlier. Oh checkout Steven Stahlberg's tutorial on the same subject http://www.androidblues.com/JealousyStepbystep/jealousystep.html

he does a much better job at explaining since he's a pro

[grenogs]

i agrea, it doesn't look muted, but, its a method that can sometimes take 2-3 times longer than normal, which is probably an even bigger problem especially if its for a client, when everything is wanted to be done by yesterday. Late contracts today can lead to no contracts tomorrow. :(

[Pyroclasm00]

Hey guys, sorry, not much time with school and work. I'll try and have my crits posted tomorrow.

[ChopperDave]

I have no art education, formal or otherwise, so take everything I say with a grain of salt:

Stormrider85 – Looks great. I especially like the bizarre coloring of the second pic. But the pic of the skull seems to be of lower quality compared to the other two. It doesn’t seem to fit.

Metal Mike – Phenomenal shading. If only they were in color….

Ampersand – Absolutely love the colors and style. It goes well with the uniqueness of the creatures. Are they based off of something you read, or did you come up with those from scratch?

Nigh7shad3 – Holy crap, that’s an epic battle. Really digging the second pic too. Reminds me of the girl from Vampire Hunter D.

Jake Kobrin – The orc’s face looks kinda flat. The features don’t really pop out at me. It’d also be really neat if you started providing background environments for these characters. Solid start though ;).

bobot – I love the soft colors in the first two drawings. I think they could benefit even more from having a background. The last drawing is an interesting sketch. It almost seems like the mouse is animated.

Viran – I really like the second picture. Shrouds the area in mystery, almost makes me want to explore it.

Imnop – I like the colors, but your pictures could use some more details. I’d really like to know what those skylines look like, and what’s going on around that kid.

Saamsaam – Interesting choice of colors for your UFO. That last pic looks like a dream sequence. What’s happening there?

realitychek – I really like how you had the environment shine through Death’s figure (so what if he’s a tad tiny? ;)). The last pic creeps me out. Kinda wonder what that thing did to the poor saps we can’t see.

Krigbrann – The car looks slick. Did you use a different style to do the interior? It could just be the colors playing tricks on my eyes, but it looks somewhat different. As for Vikings vs. Robots, I see no faults in the content of the picture. You took two of the coolest things to ever exist and placed them in a battle to the death. That’s a win in my book.

Anthis – Is that creature in the last pic made out of water? If so, some refraction and reflection would look really nice.

Myszt – Fantastic attention to detail, especially in the last one.

grenogs – The scarecrow image could use some more detail for the cornfields, but the scarecrow himself is top notch. And angler fish frighten me. Just FYI.

Mischieviant – I’d leave the pic of Lara the way it is. It looks great without the face.

Greenjack – The portrait of your father is so realistic it’s scary. Great shading.

Patxinaki – That has WoW written all over it. Nice, vibrant colors.

Balance Sheet – I really like the way the fire in the background brings out the character’s silhouette. You should try placing some stuff at his feet. I’d say skulls, but it’s too tacky. But something to make the ground around him seem as destroyed as whatever’s burning behind him.

dan.man.86 – I like the scarecrow. Good choice of colors and personality.

jiga – You look like you’re in the same boat as me. I’m guessing it’s anatomy and practice for the both of us. Nice line drawing of Britney though.

Nightblue – Really dig the variety between the pics. The first one reminds of a series of books I read called Alien Chronicles. And are the faces of the characters in the last pic based off of someone in particular? They look like they are.

LooneyMann – Fantastic hair in the first pic.

Pyroclasm00 – Something strikes me as odd about the skirt (is that the right word?). It doesn’t look like he’s really wearing it, it looks more like it’s just pasted there. Also, is the last pic finished? Is he meant to go from fine detail on the head to a rough sketch towards the extremities?

Beeker – Simple and straight to the point. Well done. I take it you’re a storyboarder/animator of sorts?

[bobot]

I have no art education, formal or otherwise, so take everything I say with a grain of salt:

Stormrider85 – Looks great. I especially like the bizarre coloring of the second pic. But the pic of the skull seems to be of lower quality compared to the other two. It doesn’t seem to fit.

Metal Mike – Phenomenal shading. If only they were in color….

Ampersand – Absolutely love the colors and style. It goes well with the uniqueness of the creatures. Are they based off of something you read, or did you come up with those form scratch?

Nigh7shad3 – Holy crap, that’s an epic battle. Really digging the second pic too. Reminds me of the girl from Vampire Hunter D.

Jake Kobrin – The orc’s face looks kinda flat. The features don’t really pop out at me. It’d also be really neat if you started providing background environments for these characters. Solid start though ;).

Viran – I really like the second picture. Shrouds the area in mystery, almost makes me want to explore it.

Imnop – I like the colors, but your pictures could use some more details. I’d really like to know what those skylines look like, and what’s going on around that kid.

Saamsaam – Interesting choice of colors for your UFO. That last pic looks like a dream sequence. What’s happening there?

Myszt – Fantastic attention to detail, especially in the last one.

Mischieviant – I’d leave the pic of Lara the way it is. It looks great without the face.

Greenjack – The portrait of your father is so realistic it’s scary. Great shading.

Patxinaki – That has WoW written all over it. Nice, vibrant colors.

dan.man.86 – I like the scarecrow. Good choice of colors and personality.

LooneyMann – Fantastic hair in the first pic.

Why did you miss out a whole bunch of people?

[Nigh7shad3]

probably lazy :P

[stormrider85]

hmm have any of those people from the list of waiting for crits, posted anything like a convo or anything lately. Hope they didnt get lazy and stop paying attention to the thread.

ive got the next project pretty much ready just waiting for crits because they are included in the next project. It's going to be a fair amount of work in a much shorter time limit, so everyone prepare to start drawing alot more.

Also i have another permanent on going project that will be posted at the same time, which will make everyone including me draw alot more. I think spending alot more time drawing instead of talking about drawing will really start to see major improvements from some people, hopefully me.

[Ampersand]

I can't wait for the next project. Sounds exciting. :D

Ampersand – Absolutely love the colors and style. It goes well with the uniqueness of the creatures. Are they based off of something you read, or did you come up with those form scratch?

Thanks! The second picture is of someone else's character, the first and third are my own designs. :)

[PaTXiNaKi]

Armed and Ready!

Can´t wait to see that project stormrider85.

[grenogs]

Sorry if this one is late, not much time lately. Also i oppologise now if anything i say is harsh or you disagrea, Its only my opinion, and at the end of the day who am i to judge. Anyway here goes:

Stormrider: I like the 1st image, it shows you know how to look at reference. looks pretty acurate to the photo. I think your biggest flaw however, is you don't use photo reference enough, and i think this shows in your other 2 images. Try not to stear away from good reference, for high quality and acurate art its a must. Even top professionals will often rely on it quite heavily.

metal-mike: i like your shading, you have a good sence of light and dark. Some anatomy problems on your 2nd image, mainly the neck and belly area. Also dont be afraid to use guide lines when first sketching, it'll keep everything straight and accurate, very important for objects that have 2 similer halfs to it, like the skull.

Ampersand: very nice images, nice colours, though some highlighted areas could be stronger, especially around the magical elements. Also maybe some linework on the scenery, to keep it all together. At the moment your characters and background looks like 2 seperate images.

nigh7shad3 good sence of light, nice vibrant colour skeme. But although i like the details in the 2nd image, overall your images looked slightly rushed and unfocused. Again i think lack of reference. Also do you use layers? 3rd image looks like you don't.

jake kobrin black and white has promise, but looks blured, a smaller brush for the detailed areas should help. Also problems with depth, the black line around the teeth on the 1st image mages it look flat. If your going to use black outlines, then do it on the whole image, not just parts. If you want certain areas to realy stand out, strong highlights often work best.

bobot Out of the 3, i like your mouse the best, its got a loose, natural look that i dont think the other 2 has. first two has no depth, and basicly lack contrast. Either play with the contrast in photoshop or painter, or better still add more light and shade yourself. Like i said, i like your mouse best, maybe quick sketches and painting is your best way to work. Experiment and Try some speed painting.

viran overall, good colour, good depth, though maybe slightly rushed. 3rd image is a little confusing, perspective looks wrong.Pay attention to your horizon line. Also try different angles, snail view, birds eyes views, etc...

qbetp good strong colours, plus not afraid to experiment with styles. But images looked rushed and buisy. If your intentions are a more looser and flowing feel with lots of movement, try a different brush. Maybe a larger brush or very textured.

imnop Some nice muted colours on the 3rd image, background looks great, but maybe the closer images could be sharper. 2nd image, crop the scarf and place character into the centre more, at moment its not working.1st image needs more depyh, again light and shade problems, also left side of image is looking empty, needs something to bring it together.

saamsaam you got the oposite of most people, i think you need to tone down your colours, Also focus more on your light and shade.

realitycheck i love the feeling you got going on the last 2 , defenetly your strongest image. Though i think if you could focus some more on the wolf? it would give your image more impact, at moment its a little confusing to what creature it is.

krigbrann i like the car, nice colouring, but egdes look rushed. take a little more time and keep them straight and sharp. black and white, mainly some anatomy problems.

anthis nice colouring, on 1st and 3rd. But 2nd image, colours look muted. main problems overall, give your images stronger highlights, to give it that WOW facter, also sharpen up edges, and give it a cleaner look.

myszt 3rd image, nice, good colouring, nice expression. 1st image, realy need a background, looks unfinished, maybe a brighter coloured background to compliment all the dark. 2nd image, what pencil are you using, for artistic drawings, a v-grade pencil should be your hardest. try using a 4b or softer to achieve those realy dark areas.

me my excuses are : 1st is a 3o min quicky, so detail and smoothness was no concern. 2nd , its made of loose straw,so no main weight issues, also no horizon line due to mist reasons. Dead young corn is to reguler though, i should have concentrated more, but deadline was to close to change, also working all night, tiredness kicked in :(. 3rd image, too dark, but it was an experiment, which although not great, i learned a lot from it. So it was worth trying in the end:)

chopperdave mainly anatomy problems. Also if your going to use line only, and no shadeing effects, maybe try experimenting with thickness of line. Use thicker lines in the foreground, that should give your images some depth. Also some artists use thicker lines to represent shaded areas.

mischieviant good sence of light and shade but anatomy problems. 3rd image is realy nice with the details, but it lacks strong shadow elements.

greenjack overall anatomy wise its pretty good, however the right foot and calf in the 2nd image looks a bit small. 3rd image, you need to look closer to your reference to the plane, 1st image i quite like, it reminds me of an arbrush artist i seen years ago, where he uses tiny dots, similer to those that can be seen realy close up to a 35mm picture.

patxinaki good sence of colour and light. But smooth some of your line work and add some stronger highlights.

balancesheet nice vibrant colours, maybe to strong in the 1st image, Also needs stronger lighting, At the moments your characters are being lost amongst all the darkness. Remember even the darkest of images have highlights, look at images of "aliens" to see what i mean.

danman not much to say on these, i love the colours, and good linework. my only crit is on the 1st image. If it supose to have some sort of text over the image above or to the left, then its a realy good image. But if not, then it looks slighty empty. maybe a bird or 2 in the sky could help?

jiga good to see your thinking about colour in the sketch stage, makes things easier later on. Dont be afraid to use guide lines or a grid system when copying photos, even the great masters like davinci and rembrant would use a grid system to turn their small sketches into larger finished paintings. Also try using a softer pencil, b grade minimum, 2b or 4b preferably, depending on how dark your tones are. Changing the contrast in your software program after image is scanned in can also be benefitial also, especialy if your concidering to use the sketch as guide lines for a colour image, but if you do, remember to turn the sketch into a gel layer, that way you loose all the white and still keep the pencil work.

nightblue i like your colour work, you seem to have an understanding of how light and shade works, but look closer when adding other light sourses into the equation. your 3rd image lighting looks correct, however, try adding more shadow, between your mainlight and the purple cast light/shadow. mix the main lightsourse colour with the purple and then darken it slightly, and that should give you the shadow you need. Basicly by doing this your characters should have a more 3 dimensional look.

looneyman 3 nice images, especially the black and white. But some anatomy problems, mainly elongation of the arms. Nice grass texture, something i find myself always contemplating on, do i do highly detailed grass with a basic grass texture, or do i try to give it a more traditional painterly feel? gets me every time.:( 3rd image river, its looking a bit straight, very few rivers run so straight like a road, next time try snaking it to give it a more natural and chaotic feel as rivers often are. Also either loose the tree stump or add some more, on its own there its a little distracting.

pyroclasm00 nice sketching, but again, try a softer pencil or add more contrast on a softeware program. 1st image, eyes are to large, also the rule of faces is the average face width is 5 eyes wide, making the width between the 2 eyes is approximetly an eyes width and the outer sides of the face are another eyes width each, depending on the angle of course. look for andrew loomis books on drawing heads and body for reference. Also when painting animals and people in an image, try to pay the same attention equally to both. There are so many artists who dont,its usually one or the other. I personally think boris valejo is a good example, his human anatomy is absolutely great, he knows what hes doing, and yet for some reason when it comes to adding animals, apart from horses, he seems to loose it, maybe its lack of enfusiasm i dont know, or maybe hes just one of these artist where animals are his flaw.

beeker fairly good technique to drawing humans, Always a good idea to work out the structure and proportions like your are already. However your legs on some are looking a little short. Also be aware if your planning to draw superheroes, some artists will often make the legs slightly longer than average. Again, check out loomis books, also jack hamms head and figure drawing books. Quite an eye opener and basicly books that i think every art student should have, no matter what level of art he/she is at.

And thats basicly the lot, i hadn't realised how long this would take. Hopefully theres something here that has helped everyone. If i offended i apologise, if i pissed you off, and didnt get it right then say so or prove me wrong in the next round.;)

ps: krigbrann yes patients may be for loosers, but without it you will eventually fail in this business.

[Nigh7shad3]

Grengos-the 2nd image's linart was done by my friend and it's painted over the course of 2weeks with summer holiday mood inbetween. I don't really like to use layers because i like to kick it old school. and yeah lack of reference :P

[grenogs]

nigh7shad3 i realy like the colour work of the 2nd one,the colour work is what makes this image. the pink cherry blossom and green realy compliment one another. But layers are realy benificial, mainly becouse if theres something you dont like in the image, it can easily be change without ruining the painting underneath. for example, if you wanted to change the girl to a cat, as one layer you would first have to paint over her, then redoo all the grass and detail , including changing the whole shadow area that goes beneath the dog. Basicly you'll end up having to repaint almost a quarter of the whole image.:( Give it a try to see, and if you don't like the results or you don't see any positives, then you can always go back to single layer, afterall you got nothing to loose, :)

[Greenjack]

Still here.......can we get going yet?

[Nigh7shad3]

Still here.......can we get going yet?

have patience young padawan ;)

[Krigbrann]

Patience is for losers. Lets roll.

[ChopperDave]

Why did you miss out a whole bunch of people?

Because my attention span ran out. Better to stop there then to continue writing and end up with incoherent sentences. Don't worry though -- that's why they invented the Edit button. I'll get to everyone, including you ;).

EDIT: I went and had a look at the people I missed and updated my OP. If you don't see your name on there, yell at me so I can critique your stuffs!

[MeTaL-Mike]

grenogs - thanks man, i agree, the second image has some issues. and the guidelines is a good idea too. thanks.

I would suggest to just start the next project. People should also learn to do stuff on time!!!

[LooneyMann]

Seconded.

[grenogs]

No probs mike, though hopefully next crits aren't going to take so long, these ones took me 2 hours, time i realy haven't had lately :( . Anyway i dont know if theres any more crits to be done, i think i was one of the last. i think its all up to stormrider now. and i got no idea what hes planning next, or even which direction he's heading. But by the sounds of things he's planning to up the pase a little which should hopefully get this thread roling.:)

[lmnop]

Thanks for all the crits guys, really helps alot. Im about just over halfway through my set of crits, so dont carry on just yet, will finish posting them tomorrow :D

[stormrider85]

When you finish imnop ill post the 2 new projects and yer i really do want to get this thread going alot faster alot more intense so me or you guys dont get bored and lazy.

[MeTaL-Mike]

Cool dude!

[dan.man.86]

Hizzah! I can't wait! Although I am a bit worried as to how intense this may get....bah....I shall tough it out! Work shall not tire me out! :D

[bobot]

Because my attention span ran out. Better to stop there then to continue writing and end up with incoherent sentences. Don't worry though -- that's why they invented the Edit button. I'll get to everyone, including you ;).

EDIT: I went and had a look at the people I missed and updated my OP. If you don't see your name on there, yell at me so I can critique your stuffs!

This is me yelling at you!

[PaTXiNaKi]

Wooooohee! we need action stormrider, u are killing me with ur secrecy about those 2 new projects!!! ^^

[Mischieviant]

Sorry this took so long. ^^ I hope I haven't missed anyone out. I tried not be unnecessarily harsh, and I've pointed out some things I thought were well done in addition to actual criticisms about the work. I didn't want anyone losing heart but that doesn't mean that I went easy on anyone either.

Thanks for all the crit on my own work. I can agree with nearly everything said and it's nice to have someone point something out that I hadn't noticed before because I find it's hard to spot even glaring errors when your working on something for a good while.

Someone asked about the patterns on the fabric in the third picture? I basically assembled a lot of clipart into strips and pasted them into a seperate layer above the layer I had painted the fabric into. It had to be solid clipart though. I then cleaned it up a little with the eraser tool and clicked the lock transparent pixels button. This allowed me to colour the pattern, that was solid black, into a suitable colour for the fabric with a few sweeps of the brush tool. I then carefully copied and pasted the strips over the fabric, into the positions I wanted and changed the layer properties to overlay as opposed to normal. This meant that the shaded areas of the fabric beneath were taken into account on the colour of the pattern above. And voíla!

Stormrider85:
[1] Colours are almost perfect. The left eye is very well done. The lips are slightly off in shape from the picture, I don’t think the left side looks right, but it could be because it’s not finished yet. The rest is well very well drawn anatomy-wise.
[2] I really like the texture you achieved here, the eyebrow line needs lowered though.
[3] Shape of cheekbones too pronounced maybe? Otherwise perfect, makes me think of voodoo :P

Ampersand:
[1] I like the colours you’ve used and the way the light reflects through the water onto the creature’s skin with the very slight rippled lines. Need’s a bit more shadow in areas, and maybe a thicker line beneath the right leg.
[2]The pose is great; however the background needs a bit more work. I find it hard to criticise because of the simplicity you’re going for.
[3] I really love this. Nicely detailed, smooth clean lines, and well placed colours and tones. The background here is very atmospheric.

Nigh7shad3:
[1] The perspective in this piece is very well drawn and the robot’s poses also. I do like the colours but I think the shadowed areas need to be more defined.
[2] This is really interesting! The colours used create an almost magical feel. The anatomy could improve a little, but it’s otherwise very good. The detail on the vehicle is amazing.
[3]The colours are great, and the perspective is good. The head is a little too far down though, and the left foot needs a little work. The level of detail on his clothes is really nice.

Jake Kobrin:
[1] The idea and the anatomy of the face are well done, maybe a little work on the colours and the shading so it doesn’t appear so flat though.
[2] [the right one] I think the background actually detracts from his shape, but the design is interesting and the shading much improved on the last one. I think it would look better with thinner lines? Some work is needed on anatomy but I can see that you have been working at it and it looks good proportion wise. So keep cracking at it!
[3] You need to look at the variation of light on different materials. The shading has again improved here, and I like the textures you’ve tried to create on the flesh as well as the expression.

Bobot:
[1] Drawn with a mouse? Waow, I couldn’t draw anything with my mouse so well done on that lol. I think the colours are a little too light, but maybe that’s the effect you were trying to achieve? Anatomy wise the face is well drawn and the pose of the hand and fingers but I’m not so sure about the body. The flower has cast no shadow on the hand, so it looks a little separated.
[2] I like the concepts you draw, they’re really unusual, if a little creepy ^^. The shadows need a little more definition and I think you need to get a little more creative with light sources.
[3] I love the way the lines in this create a sense of movement and the slight colouring works well. Even the anatomy is very well drawn. I really like this one!

Viran:
[1] The colours are very atmospheric and I like the contrast of the smooth lines on the aircraft and the soft textured background of the clouds. I think this could benefit from a little more definition and the clouds look a little flat.
[2] Very atmospheric. Could use a little more colour variation but the textures are marvellous and the layout leads the eye to all the main focal points.
[3] The perspective is a little skewed here, but the idea is there and the depth is well drawn. I think that’s a crashed helicopter or part of the building? It looks a little separate from the picture because it has cast no shadow on the ground. I like how the colours have created a claustrophobic atmosphere.

Qbertp
[1] I can’t really comment on the colours used because its not supposed to be entirely realistic ^^. But I think some of the shapes need a little definition, e.g. the nose. Nice effect though. Looks like you had fun with it, which is important too :D.
[2] Needs a little work colour-wise, but again I like the idea and the humour you convey in your work.
[3] I think this is amazing, the idea and manipulation of light and contrast is great. Maybe a little work on anatomy of faces is needed.

Imnop:
[1] You need to work on colours and perspective but the idea is there and the aircraft is well drawn.
[2] Again shadows and colour need work and also anatomy. The slouched pose is good however.
[3] Nice atmosphere and depth. The perspective is drastically improved here and the colours too. Well done. I would only suggest some sharper edges on the crane and the closer objects.

Saamsaam:
[1] Wonderful idea, nice that you included two different views. Maybe the lines could be cleaner and the shapes better drawn, use something to help you get a smoother and more accurate circle. I’d love to see more details as well.
[2] Again good concept, just needs a little perspective work. The shading on the vehicles is nice.
[3] Nice use of colour. You need to work more the shadows and highlight areas and some more anatomy. But keep practicing, you’ve got a good imagination and I think that’s important with art.

Realitychek:
[1] Very creative! I like this because it’s interesting. The painting itself is good too, maybe needs a little work with colours though.
[2] Pencil is definitely your forte at the moment. This is really good. The folds of the fabric and the overall composition are well drawn. Maybe it could be a little bolder though by working up the light and dark areas?
[3] Nice concept. Colours work well and bring out different emotions. The way the wolf almost surges from the corner is a great effect. Was that intentional?

Krigbrann:
[1] The colours here are realistic and the few highlights are well placed and although subtle are very effective. The wheels need a little more shadow maybe and the perspective seems a little off, but it’s clean and simple which I like.
[2]The anatomy could use some work, but it’s a great start. I like how you’ve tried to bring out the texture of the warrior’s clothes and the poses are very fluid.
[3] This is an interesting technique. I liked how you’ve experimented with something different in each picture; colour, tone and now hatching. Again the pose is very fluid but the anatomy could use some work. So stick at it!

Anthis:
[1]Good use of colours and nice integration of fantasy and sci-fi. The mushrooms cap could use a little more definition, as the underneath should be more clearly separate from the top. The anatomy needs a little work, but the pose is good and the basics are all there.
[2] I love the atmosphere you’ve created here. The robot is a little top heavy in appearance, but otherwise nicely drawn and designed.
[3]This is a really unusual concept. Very imaginative. I’m assuming that’s water but I could be wrong. If it is, I’m not sure it should be so blue, or the edges should at least be a little sharper. Again anatomy needs a little work. The colours and perspective are well drawn.

Myszt:
[1] This is really good! The anatomy of the woman needs a little work but the animal is almost perfect. The colours are good too but there’s something strange about the perspective. Maybe it’s because the animal is casting no shadow on the woman?
[2] The details here are nice but again, the anatomy needs a little work. Nice idea though.
[3]The colours here are very good. Though perhaps more shadows on the clothes would create a little more depth. The face is very, very good and the clothes are a nice design, though a little work on anatomy would make them look more realistic.

Grenogs:
[1]Anatomy is great, maybe a little work needed on the face though. I like his expression and the warm palette you’ve used.
[2] I can’t really criticise this for anything bad. I thing it’s amazing. Well placed colours and the idea is interesting. Even the fabric sits almost perfectly. Well done.
[3] This is really good as well. Those big fish always scared me :S The teeth are especially well done, and the piece has a menacing atmosphere.

ChopperDave:
[1] Needs a little work anatomy wise, but it’s a good start and it’ll only improve with practice. So keep going.
[2] Again anatomy needs work, but it’s a nice pose. And it’s an improvement on the first, even though I’m not sure they were drawn in that order. ^^
[3]Very good hand drawing, though the lines on the index finger shouldn’t be so separate; try to draw the most definite lines first.

Greenjack:
[1] Well you’ve definitely got talent, this is very good. I almost feel like I could reach out and touch him. Anatomy is to a very, very high standard and tones are perfect.
[2] Again, amazing figure study, but maybe a little work with colours is needed.
[3] The anatomy is a little off here, her arms appear too bent and the right is a little too long. The colours are good and the plane is excellent.

PaTXiNaKi:
[1]Nice colours but a tad unrealistic. The pose and anatomy are very well drawn but the shape of the head isn’t quite right. I like how you’ve shown some form of expression on his face. Nice design too.
[2] Well drawn concept. Fantastical colours but they need adjusted for a more realistic approach and maybe some varying textures would be nice.
[3] The face needs work and the arms a little too short, but a nice pose and again a great concept. Good background. Keep drawing!

BalanceSheet:
[1] Nice idea and good pose, but the anatomy needs work. A good range of values gives this picture a lot of depth.

dan.man.86:
[1] It’s hard to criticise something that isn’t supposed to look real. But this is well drawn and has a unique style that I like. The colours are nice and bright and the lines are clean. Nice drawing. ^^
[2] Again, hard to criticise but well drawn. Could use more colours to make it bolder, but it’s a nice idea.
[3] Good idea again, your lines are always very smooth. Perspective is something you’re very good with.

Jiga:
[1] The perspective’s a little off, but the proportions are getting there. Got to love Mario. ^^
[2] The details here are nice and you’ve made a good attempt at the anatomy side of things. Try blocking out the major shapes before going into detail and should be easier to get the proportions and shapes right.
[3] I like this, nice idea and colours. Maybe the background would look better with some warmer colours nearer the light source to add depth to the darkness instead of just a solid black.

Nightblue:
[1] The details here are amazing and the colours are great. The seas very well done; did you use a texture for that effect? The anatomy needs a little work but the pose is nice and fluid and looks balanced.
[2] Nice design! The anatomy’s a little off but its well proportioned and the basics are all there. Nice choice of colours but maybe some different textures on the fabric to add a little variation.
[3] This is nice and bold and the colours make it leap from the page but again the anatomy needs a few tweaks. The faces are well drawn.

looneyMann:
[1] Looking at this for the first time I thought it was a photograph. It’s very well done. Maybe just a few areas need a little more work tone-wise and the nose needs a little fixing.
[2] I like this but the anatomy needs work and the colours need to be more realistic. The backgrounds very good.
[3] Again the colours need fixing, and the anatomy, but I like the different textures you’ve included and the detail on the feathers. Interesting pose too.

Pyroclasm00:
[1] This is great, the nose is well drawn and the lips and hair too. But the eyes could do with some improvement.
[2] The muscles are well proportioned on this but the face needs some tweaking. The lion is excellent, nice idea too.
[3] I like this a lot, nice fluid pose, well proportioned and the anatomy has improved. Would look very good with some more definition.

Beeker:
[1] Good poses, proportions need work, but it’s a good start. Keep it up!
[2] Some very difficult poses here, but keep working at them.
[3] Again very difficult poses, but I can see an improvement with each one. Practice is the only way to improve

I tried to comment evenly on everyone's work, but bear in mind that it was harder with some than others because sometimes there's only so much to be said. :D Again, sorry about the lateness.

[Nightblue]

Thanks for the detailed crit ^^ I did cheat on the water by using a few filters. If I remember correctly I used noise + horizontal motion blur + transform/skew, and some such.

I'm working on my anatomy right now. Human body is so complex!

[Krigbrann]

The human body is so erotic. 0_0

[Nigh7shad3]

The human body is so erotic. 0_0

female body for me kthx :bashful:

[ChopperDave]

This is me yelling at you!

Ha. Of all the artists to miss the second go around.....

OK, I put you on there ;).

[Jake Kobrin]

Oh crap I didn't know I was supposed to crit people! I'll get to it this weekend probably...

[bobot]

Ha. Of all the artists to miss the second go around.....

OK, I put you on there ;).

Thanks for that :)

[lmnop]

Thanks for waiting, sorry these took soo long.
I dont have any art education either, as someone else already stated, these are just opinionated crits/observations.

Also my username is Lmnop hehe if anyone knows a way i can capitalize that thatd be great.

Here goes:
Stormrider85: Very nice colour choices in the ref piece. I like the skull one, but what are the two bits that jut out next to the eye sockets?

MeTal-Mike: Great faces on these, good use of values too. Although the 2nd girls breasts look a bit off, and the skull seems a bit skewed to one side.

Ampersand: Great linework on these, the first looks like a pokemon, love the depth you've created in the 2nd with the out of focus background.

Nigh7shad3: Awesome perspective work and a great atmospheric and dynamic piece, 2nd the girl tends to blend into the grass a bit, but i love the colour choices, and the third i love how youve done the lighting, the sabre looks amazing.

Jake Kobrin: First piece seems a little flat, not enough contrast/value, The 2nd face has a lot of character though, and the 3rd design is nice but the pose is a bit rigid.

bobot: Colours seem a bit washed out in the first but very nice design, 2nd seems a bit flat, could use some variation in hue and contrast, and the mouse is pure awesome. Love the pose you've captured.

Viran: What can i say? amazing landscapes, love the clouds in the first and 3rd. Above my level of critique, anything i find would only be nitpicking.

qbertp: Nice starts, but try and work on your brushwork, it all seems a bit too random, i prefer the middle one without the outline, hehe and the last ones trippy.

saamsaam: Nice concepts, i quite like the 2nd one. The third one the figures are a bit hard to make out, and the river seems to lack depth like its looking too much like its just sitting on the canvas. Nice colours on the fires though.

realitychek: First one is quite surreal, and i agree he does seem a bit short. Like the non uniform scythe blade though, The folds in the 2nd on the flag are quite nice, and i love the atmosphere in the 3rd but cant quite make out what the figire actually is.

Krigbrann: That car study is awesome! Love the look of the robot, i think id seen it before in your sketchbook or somewhere, and the 3rd shows some great technique.

Anthis: Great DSG's, id seen em all before. The figure in the first looks a bit short proportion wise, but nice pose, the sillouette figures in the 2nd are my favourite really help create the atmosphere. And the mountains and sky in the third are extremely well done, along with that polydsafdf..something or other creature i cant remember the topic.

Myszt: The Panter looks great, albeit a little short in length. All the forms are very nice, but the girl seems to have some depth issues, as my eyes read her coming out of the stomach of the panther. Very nice rendering though on the skin. 2nd seems to lack the quality of the 1st and third i find it a bit hard to read, the 3rd is just WOAH!

grenogs: Nice tones on the masai warrior not bad for a quick speedy, The scarecrow is amazing, great colour choices and awesome technique. The third is my favourite though, such atmosphere, quite awesome.

Chopper Dave: Nice line practice, hands seem a bit odly shaped and sized in the 1st, second one i like, and the contour piece the fingernails seem a bit small but nice linework.

Mischieviant: First piece has a nice dynamic pose, but seems a bit blurry. 2ns has nice shadows, and good texture work on the bricks. I like the colours in the 3rd but the skin tones on the face seem a little flat.

Greenjack: Old man is amazing, great values, although a bit blurry in places. Girl in 2nd looks great , but arm wires and stone in the back look a bit odd, and out of style. 3rd is amazing, love the face, love the plane, but the breasts out dont seem to really fit the piece.

PaTXiNaKi: Great comic feel to the first, love the skull on the hilt, foreshortening on his sword arm looks a little weird though. 2nd a 3rd great character designs, and awesome linework, colours look a little flat on the girls armour, but in the 3rd are great.

BalanceSheet: Great sillouette in the first, dont quite like the surreal background colours though, 2nd creature desing is cool, although the gun sorta melts into his head a bit. 3rd has nice lines, goggles look a bit skewed, and face a bit think but that could just be the character.

dan.man.86: Love the colours and character design in the first, although his hands and the barn seem a little flat. Then next are two great designs, love the blue pencils.

jiga: Mario looks a little strange, his arms seem of different builds and the hip region looks strange. britney is looking good but needs a hell of a lot more contrast, and the last one is great, love the lighting, character could use tighter some forms but.

Nightblue: Love the colours and the brushwork of the first piece, couldnt help to feel the character could have a more dynamic pose though, Great character and costuming on the 2nd, and on the 3rd some twisted colours that seem to work very well, especially love the bat guy.

LooneyMann: The first one is amazing, great values and rendering, but the other 2 arent near the standard of the first. The colours seem a bit too blurred, and the shape of the 2nds arms look strange to me. Work on your anatomy a bit. Digging the way you did the city in the background of the 3rd.

Pyroclasm00: Nice pencil work , the first face is great, 2nd man seems to have some anatomy issues, such as the muscle groups in the legs and forearm. Also he seems to squat/ out of proportion. Lions face is great, 3rd creature could also do with some anatomy work, the front arm looks off, nice pose though.

beeker: Nice studies, some great gestural work. Some seem a bit off proportion wise, but maybe thats just me. Keep them up.

[Krigbrann]

female body for me kthx :bashful:

Its all erotic to somebody... except maybe hermits...

[jiga]

<3 the female body :] Aslong as it looks nice,

Just a plug for my sketchbook :D

[dan.man.86]

I think we are starting to stray away here.......we need a new project or we'll be down to a handful of people.

No pressure though, as I'm sure you are a busy person as well stormrider and whenever you can is fine :)

YAY for self improvment!

[Pyroclasm00]

Ok, nice stuff guys. I know I haven't gotten all of you yet, I've given my criticisms on the few that I could for now. I'll try to keep editing this post with the guys I missed. Also, I tried staying away from giving too many compliments, so please don't think I'm tryin to be a dick.

Stormrider:
First face is well done, the rendered eye looks good.
On the purple face, larger brush strokes on the broader surfaces (cheeks, forehead, nose even) will make the image blend together better and look cleaner.
The lines of the skull seem too dark, and the colors too light, which flattens the image the image.

Metal Mike:
Not too much I can say, the second pic the facial construction could be tweaked a bit. Skull is nicely rendered.

Ampersand:
Nice colors and designs, however I think all of them could use some more contrast to accentuate form better. Breaking them up into blocks and spheres will help with rendering.

Nightshade:
In the second pic, I think you should have some harder edges on the vehicle and womans clothing.
The lightsaber guy has good perspective, however I think you could use larger brushstrokes. Also, the light on the clothing should have more of a matte (not so sharp, the cloth looks too shiny) reflection, while the armor (shoulders and stuff) should have sharper highlights.

Jake:
More contrast on the face will give it more depth. It also seemed like you were trying to draw in details with the shadows too much. The other two have a nice texture, however the dark outline is making them too flat. Be sure to do a lot of still life practice in pencil to learn how form works.

Bobot:
The mouse is looks pretty cool, as others have said. The other two could use a different color background and stronger rendering of forms. Try to stay away from using one color throughout though (the red guy).

Viran:
Clouds look good. I haven’t done many landscapes, but on the third piece the building mass on the left confuses me a bit. Perspective also seems a little off, try doing some perspective studies on pencil.

Qbert:
Your stuff has a unique style to it. The second piece should have more contrast in colors; check out some color theory tutorials.

Lmnop:
I like the style of the kid with the scarf. Its very simple, but I like it. Try to keep your lines cleaner and not so sketchy.

Saamsaam:
Stay away from using pure black in paintings. Practice rendering form in pencil, some of the objects in the painting lack some depth.

Realitycheck:
The flag is well done, however it seems you upped the contrast a lot after scanning it? Try to make the shadows darker. I’ve had problems with this as well.

Kigbrann:
Car looks really good. The other two could use a little work on anatomy and foreshortening. Hogarth is the solution for that kind of stuff.

[stormrider85]

PERMANENT PROJECT

This new project is one that will last as long as the beginner's Corner does, hence the word "permanent".
This is going to be tough but absolutely necessary for all us beginners, beware busy people your not gunna like this! Here it is.....

All members of the beginners Corner thread needs to create a sketch book on conceptart.org where we all will post our artwork, heres the catch..........:upset:

everyone needs to produce at least 2 sketches minimum every week. They don't have to be good but they have to be done, even if your busy you can draw a tiny sketch on a napkin or in the dirt and take a picture of it, as long as you get your 2 in every week. This will need to be done every week as long as this thread keeps going, which should be for a pretty long time.



Ill do you all a favor and knock out the first 2 for one week and the next by giving you a new project.

If you want to improve the only way is practice this will insure you are practicing!

[Ampersand]

Ah, cool. :teeth: So we post the sketches to our sketchbook threads only, right? Not this one? :)

[LooneyMann]

Oh, jeez. We asked for it, huh. But...

Ill do you all a favor and knock out the first 5 for one week by giving you a new project.

What's the new assignment..?

[stormrider85]

PROJECT #2

OUTLINE :

1. First we need to produce 1 original concept about anything, any size, any medium, colour or black & white, it doesn't matter it just has to be original and NEW, so just in case we cheat by posting old work , lets just say it has to have a chicken in it somewhere or somehow. Summary: Original concept, with a chicken in it.

2. Next we need to do 3 observational sketches, any medium, drawing or painting doesn't matter. Just 3 observational sketches from life or from picture or even movies/tv shows.

3. Heres where the crits come in, we all need to show evidence that we looked or studying something MOST people said was a problem with our 3 artworks that were posted, eg' if you have problems with tone you do some tonal study or if you had problems with proportion you study proporation.

That's it! pretty easy?

this is a fair amount of work and the deadline isnt going to be as long as the others, so yer this thread is gunna start getting way more active.

The deadline is gunna be around 2 and a half weeks should be enough.



DEADLINE: November 22nd

[stormrider85]

yer sketches in your own sketch book, there's the new project!

[MeTaL-Mike]

freaking hell!!! awesome man. now that's what i all assignments dude. Nice one stormrider.

[Krigbrann]

Sounds good. Give me a motive to work on new ideas. So we don't have to put 2 new sketches in this week or the next since we're working on those projects?

[dan.man.86]

YAY!

Very interesting indeed. Seems perfect to me though. This will surely keep me drawing!

Glad you didn't go soft on us either, stormrider :D

Now....I shall go organize a sketch book after work today. Oh, if we are starting a new sketch book on the forum, am I allowed to post other work I've done, or only new stuff from here on out?

[Ampersand]

'With a chicken in it' - awesome. :D

I know you said the sketches are knocked off this first week, but I've done a quick sketch dump either way. I'll try to keep up the updates since I'm usually pretty terrible at posting. :)

Better start thinking of a concept with a chicken in. :teeth:

edit// Oop...does it have to be a new sketchbook [thread, I mean]? Because I have one already... D:

[grenogs]

lol, nice one stormrider, as if im not flat out allready, hahahahaha

The sketches for the sketch book, can they be things that we've used on the other threads, like working sketches for chow or cow? but have never actually posted. ?

[grenogs]

btw, chicken concept, excellent :) oh is a cockeral ok?

[Nightblue]

woo a project...

Chicken eh. I'll get something going.

[ChopperDave]

Based on the feedback I've been getting, does anyone have suggestions as to where I should start with my 2-a-week sketches?

[bobot]

PERMANENT PROJECT

This new project is one that will last as long as the beginner's Corner does, hence the word "permanent".
This is going to be tough but absolutely necessary for all us beginners, beware busy people your not gunna like this! Here it is.....

All members of the beginners Corner thread needs to create a sketch book on conceptart.org where we all will post our artwork, heres the catch..........:upset:

everyone needs to produce at least 2 sketches minimum every week. They don't have to be good but they have to be done, even if your busy you can draw a tiny sketch on a napkin or in the dirt and take a picture of it, as long as you get your 2 in every week. This will need to be done every week as long as this thread keeps going, which should be for a pretty long time.



Ill do you all a favor and knock out the first 2 for one week and the next by giving you a new project.

If you want to improve the only way is practice this will insure you are practicing!

I'm completely supportive of the idea - I just wonder how something like this will be monitored??

[saamsaam]

new project!

sounds good to me. :teeth:

[stormrider85]

honour system im not gunna chek out your individual sketch books everyday for your 2. but it will kind of be obvious if you sketchbook has like only 5 sketches in it after 2 months.

yeh don't worry about this week you can use your project work as your 2 sketches for one week if you want

[bobot]

honour system im not gunna chek out your individual sketch books everyday for your 2. but it will kind of be obvious if you sketchbook has like only 5 sketches in it after 2 months.

yeh don't worry about this week you can use your project work as your 2 sketches for one week if you want

Yeah, that seems right - I mean, it's only going to be harmful to yourself if you don't do it. And so long as the projects keep running it should work well!

[immortalindigo]

Hi,

I'm brand new to CA, I just joined yesterday. I'm also a beginning artist. Can I join the Beginner's Corner?

Thanks,

Indigo

[Mischieviant]

Hi Indigo, welcome to CA, I hope you have fun here.

[Greenjack]

Nice one Stormrider...it's probably the kick up the arse I need.

First piece of chicken inspired art is up in my brand new sketchbook....is anyone else playing?

[stormrider85]

immortalindigo hmm well you kinda missed out one first important project i guess if the rest of the members can be bothered criting your work if you post the first project to catch up, ill add your name to the list in the meantime get the first project done straight away and convince some more poeple besides me to crit it, then continue with project 2. Btw greenjack that chicken looks awesome mines gunna be so much more crapper then that!

[Ampersand]

Welcome aboard indigo! I'd be happy to help crit your work if you post some. :) The chicken concept's lookin' good, Greenjack! I'm still beating my brains trying to think of something. :D

[immortalindigo]

Hi!

I've started a sketchbook thread and posted three pictures. Now I'm off to think about chickens.

-Indigo

[realitychek]

I'd be more than willing to critique some of your stuff Indigo....need to finish up my list of critiques anyways :)

[Greenjack]

Nice start Indigo. I need to find some natural lght and some subject matter, looks like a job for tomorrow.

[Ampersand]

Indigo - I've dropped by your SB and given some crits, as best as I am able. :)

[PaTXiNaKi]

I need some feedback with the draw im working for the Second Project.

I love that chicken idea,impressed me so much. Thats why i am trying to do an humour scene, a "mech" contolled by a cheff, killing chickens in a farm,he could be the owner of KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN muhahahha

The mech is supossed to be running,he want to step into the poor animal. I only have some perspective problems with the right leg (dont know how to draw it)

Crits are welcome guys ^^ be harsh

[stormrider85]

looks good PaTXiNaKi horizan line could be a bit more intresting though like maybe on a hill or something ideas awesome though

[Krigbrann]

Well I have something... The chicken sheds light on my sick sense of humor. Do we have to have a background and everything? All I have is the character. And a chicken.

[dan.man.86]

hahaha nice
Lovin' the idea thus far PaTXiNaKi, but here's me input:

- Watch out for balance on the mech. I know he is suppose to be running at a fairly fast speed but with the way the legs and body are built the mech would have to bob back and forth with each stride so just make sure that he isn't off balance while running.

- I agree with stormrider about the horizon line as well. I'm sure you haven't thought much about it yet, but pehaps some hills as was suggested or perhaps the building this monstrosity is coming out of :P

- finally, is the front left leg about to step on that poor chicken? I think I see a shadow there. If so, give the foot more of a tilt up so that we can see the bottom of it before it comes down on the unsuspecting poultry :)

That's pretty much it from me. I know that your worries lied within the perspective on the back left leg, but to me, it looks alright for a loose sketch.....but then again, perspective is where I need to improve as well :P so take that with a grain of salt.

Still looking great so far though :)

[PaTXiNaKi]

- I agree with stormrider about the horizon line as well.

- finally, is the front left leg about to step on that poor chicken? I think I see a shadow there. If so, give the foot more of a tilt up so that we can see the bottom of it before it comes down on the unsuspecting poultry :)



Hey thnks both, ill try to redraw the front leg, i think i ll rise a bit more, and show the bottom as u sugest.

The horizon is not yet done, i have added a destroyed fence, and the farm will be at the back of the mech,the wall will have mech's silhouette ^^ (like cartoon used to represent)

[Nigh7shad3]

looking much better now, but i kinda like the chicken running towards the camera in the previous version, bring him back maybe?

[Krigbrann]

One question isn't answered in your picture. What does he intend to do the the chickens? I can see that theirs a chef in there, but is he just trying to kill them all or is there some way his machine is going to catch them?

[dan.man.86]

Got a sketchbook setup now! Hizzah! :D

Now onto figuring out what to do for this other project......

Hmm....a chicken eh?.......

*brain begins to smoke*

[saamsaam]

Ill start the second project once my final high school exams are over (nov 16) :^^;:

dan: i left you a comment in your sb :)

[dan.man.86]

saamsaam: Thank you :D

[PaTXiNaKi]

I have worked a bit more on the background, can`t wait to color it.

[MeTaL-Mike]

hahaha, love this one PaTXiNaKi. your doing a great job here man. keep it up.

I should probably get started as well.....

[Def.I.D.]

Hi folks. I'm not as good as I'd like to be when it comes to digital art, but I tried my hand at that Herbivore Dinosaur contest thing anyway. Thing is, I caught on to the thread way too late and this is all I could come up with. I have years of practice ahead of me to try to be able to emulate all kinds of textures the way I'd like to.

But yea, I pretty much just gave up on it because deadlines tomorrow and I dont have anymore free time to TRY to finish it. I think I'm pretty decent with sketching, but I currently suck at using colors. I'm posting it here because I'm a beginner when it comes to extensive usages of color, so I guess I'm a beginner, haha.

I used this as a reference. (Whoever this artist is, the he/she is a god to me, haha, I grew up on dinosaur books with realistic depictions).
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/deloyisme/Edmont.gif

This was the preliminary sketch...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/deloyisme/edmontia2copy.jpg

The unfinished "final" version.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/deloyisme/edmontia2.jpg
(I threw in the thought bubble and conjured up a crappy background for the hell of it at the last minute.)

I'll get back to this and finish this someday...

p.s. I'm totally illiterate with how to use custom brushes in Photoshop (as well as half of the rest of Photoshop's ins 'n' outs). A buddy of mine hooked me up with some, and I KNOW I put the brush files in the right folder, but they're still not showing up. I skimmed through a couple of threads dedicated to custom brushes, but I didnt find anything. But yea, I didnt use any custom brushes, just the regular circular brush at sizes ranging from 2-4. The contest asked for "stylized" dinosaurs, so I kinda just went with this scribbly marker look.

Thanks for checkin it out! Peace!

[PaTXiNaKi]

Hi! color progress of the chicken-killer mech :D

[Krigbrann]

Guess I might as well post it...

[bobot]

I think we should we have some kind of sub-forum for the finished works. This ones getting a bit messy. I think it would be nice if we could look at all the subs in one sitting, rather than having to scroll through a bunch of posts etc.
Also, it would be nice for everyone to submit on the due-date. So as not to spoil the surprise!

[jiga]

I love the robot chicken thing, i had something like that in mind. But as i have to be original then i have conjured up a new idea :D

Better get to work, only done like 1 observational drawing :xpld: :xpld: :xpld:

Keep it going!

Also do i post all my works in here? Or my sketchbook?

[daveskogstad]

Hey i was wondering if i could jump in and join this? only just discovered it today

[Jake Kobrin]

Hey guys,
I started on my chicken concept... there's nothing more badass than a cyber-cock!

[Def.I.D.]

My bad, folks. I didnt realize that there were group concept exercises within this thread. I figured it was a place for beginners to kinda show where they're at. I've skimmed back a few pages and cant seem to find what the latest concept is. Is it a robot chicken? Am I too late? Enngh, I guess I'll wait for the next concept.

[Jake Kobrin]

not due til the 22nd...
It's a Concept with a Chicken in it. Anything as long as it includes a chicken. I choose to do a cyber chicken because they kick ass :P

[bobot]

My bad, folks. I didnt realize that there were group concept exercises within this thread. I figured it was a place for beginners to kinda show where they're at. I've skimmed back a few pages and cant seem to find what the latest concept is. Is it a robot chicken? Am I too late? Enngh, I guess I'll wait for the next concept.

You need to wait for Stormrider. We all had to go through a big process to partake in this thread.

[grenogs]

looking good so far guys, some interesting concepts so far.
patxinakilooking good so far but is there any reason why you've started on the main character first? i find that its usualy better to but a base colour in the background first, in the same way oil paintings are done. then its much easier to get all the reflections and colouring correct on the main character, especialy on hard shiney surfaces like crome or steel in which the colouring is very much influenced by the background. Also, are you working in layers? becouse if not, then your going to have a lot of problems later using this technique, plus it'll take you at least twice as long

[stormrider85]

hmm kinda confused does Def.I.D. and daveskogstad want to join begginers corner i can add you its no problem just look through the first projects posted theres only been like 3 so far you guys need to get through the first one get crits off people then quickly do this one, if you guys want to join that is.
Also yer i kind of agree this thread is kind of getting messy because of so much posts i really can think of how to organize it properly?

[stormrider85]

umm Grenogs or someone else if Grenogs doesn't have the time could you try think and make something to solve the messy thread problem like the sub thread or some thing. IF someone knows how to make one or wants to Just post a big announcement on here then create it please save me some time.

[MeTaL-Mike]

how about create a beginners corner comments/ discusstions thread and keep this one for project posts only. so you post your project results in here. don't know if that might help.

[daveskogstad]

Hey yep I would like to join. Sorry about the lack of quality in the pics these are the best so far all my school work is in being marked.

[bobot]

how about create a beginners corner comments/ discusstions thread and keep this one for project posts only. so you post your project results in here. don't know if that might help.

I would -personally- prefer if the finished projects were in a new thread, as this one is already 7 pages in and full of posts. We could possibly have a thread where the projects are announced, and then on the submission date, people can submit their final products. This thread could be kept open for crits/advice/whatever.

P.s. http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=79065 - just an example of a nice layout for a projects thread. (The links are advantageous)

[grenogs]

Or the other way could simply be once a new project starts up, simply delete the old stuff, except maybe the one project that had just been, that way the thread is never over clutered, Afterall the very old stuff is never much used anyway.

Or even better, every time theres a new project, make a new thread, eg - biginners corner week 3 then wait a week and delete the one before, in the same way all the other threads are done. But as you say, keep a second thread open, only with the final project pieces in, no writing or anything, just art

[grenogs]

i also think the step by step guide of how everyone is getting on doesnt help, example- dont post a line drawing one day, then the next day post the exact same lone drawing, except it has a tiny pice of colouring added. if anyone does want to show a step by step of everything they are doing, then maybe they could just first delete the old image themselves before putting in the new one.

[MeTaL-Mike]

I think that's a good idea, basically to do it the same way as the Character of the week. you the discussion thread and at the end ppl have to post their final work in a separate thread. that's cool. also i agree with Grenog about keeping it on a separate thread every project. that's much better, the Spartan thread is being done line that too.

[PaTXiNaKi]

Grenogs, i dont draw backgrounds normally,i think thats why i allways start with the main char than with the rest of the draw. Anyway i use layers (a lot of them) i can`t color in one layer.
But u are right about the lights and reflections, all that advices are more than welcome, thats because i like this forum.

About where to post the final version, or the progress , i didn´t know if it was posible or not to post the progresion of the draw, to create a subforum or thread would be nice for the final versions of the projects.
I only want to point that im to lazy and if i draw a hole lineart, and color it , and after all that work u guys tell me the hand pose doesn`t fit or the lights are wrong, i ll rarely change it (thats why i posted the previous states, to make that corrections much easier)

Krigbrann - a vampire! wow! i love them! Just one thing, surely its a sketch, but the upper section of the body, its a bit short, and i miss the neck. The way the machinegun is handed is a bit rare, looks like it has no weight (if i'd take that kind of weap i'd need a more consistent grasp, but hey im not a vampire!!) ^^

Jake Kobrin - nice concept let`s see how u finish it

[Greenjack]

Hey PaTXiNaKi, love the way the mech is coming on.

[bobot]

I only want to point that im to lazy and if i draw a hole lineart, and color it , and after all that work u guys tell me the hand pose doesn`t fit or the lights are wrong, i ll rarely change it (thats why i posted the previous states, to make that corrections much easier)

Just work on progressing the picture, and picking out as much 'error' as you can with your own eye. After you submit you are likely to get crits - everyone is going to get crits. So don't concern yourself so deeply with trying to please everyone in the stages leading up to the finished product. You are here to benefit your own learning experience - and that includes making errors along the way and being open and accepting of error and then moving on to learn from it.

[bobot]

i also think the step by step guide of how everyone is getting on doesnt help, example- dont post a line drawing one day, then the next day post the exact same lone drawing, except it has a tiny pice of colouring added. if anyone does want to show a step by step of everything they are doing, then maybe they could just first delete the old image themselves before putting in the new one.

Agreed. Also, its a good idea to perhaps post these progressions in your own sketchbook & if you want people to look at it, make a post with a link to your sketchbook. This cleans up the thread a bit more & also allows you to keep track of your own progression.

[PaTXiNaKi]

I have done the draw. I think is one of my best backgrounds (i have done one or two in my life so its easy)

Hope u like it

[Krigbrann]

I withdraw from the beginners corner for personal reasons.

[stormrider85]

sorry to here that krigbrann but ok.
umm yer as for the other stuff for thread organization to be honest i dont really know how to do all those links and delete entire whole threads if anyone else knows how to do this stuff like linking new thread or creating sub thread could you do it or show me how. I'm pretty crap still at messing around with threads on this site im still kinda learning

[grenogs]

stormrider i just been trying to find information about if theres any way to delete a thread or even if its possible for the thread maker to delete quotes and stuff other members could have posted into the thread. From what i can understand its not possible,which seems strange, basicly the only person with such capabilities are the administrators. So only other alternative from what i can see, is the one thats already been mentioned, every week or every new project, create a new thread and just let the old ones drift off to obscurity.

[bobot]

Stormrider - I can manage a projects thread for you if you like.
I would set the layout similar to this -- Click Me! (http://conceptart.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1053297&postcount=1) -- this simply requires having one thread in which the projects are listed (you can do this, or give me the info and I'll do it for you) and a thread for posting the finished projects.

Let me know.

[stormrider85]

id rather you do it bobot you sound like you know more about this stuff then i do

[bobot]

Sure thing. I'll send you a Private Message about minor details.

[ChopperDave]

Something I just realized -- the due date on this project is Thanksgiving day. We may want to consider moving the deadline back a little to allow for people who are vacationing. (I realize this is only an American holiday, but I don't know how many Americans we have in the corner here.)

[bobot]

Something I just realized -- the due date on this project is Thanksgiving day. We may want to consider moving the deadline back a little to allow for people who are vacationing. (I realize this is only an American holiday, but I don't know how many Americans we have in the corner here.)

I'll set up the projects thread either tonight or in a few days so people can start submitting before the due date if they have other commitments. Sound fair?

[Greenjack]

Something I just realized -- the due date on this project is Thanksgiving day. We may want to consider moving the deadline back a little to allow for people who are vacationing. (I realize this is only an American holiday, but I don't know how many Americans we have in the corner here.)

And there I was thinking this was going to be a weekly activity.....? Unless we pick up the pace a bit we're gonna lose people. Saying that I'm not sure how many 'active' participants we currently have anyway, strikes me that we could be down to a handful.

[BalanceSheet]

Well...this is what I get fer forgetting to layer before doing a nice sketch. :(

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e20/BalanceSheet/giantchicken.jpg

[daveskogstad]

This is my concept so far, dead chicken needs more to make it stick out i think. Stormrider im just finishing writing up everyones critiques now

[bobot]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1525505#post1525505

Here you go everyone, the official Project thread. Still working out a few bugs, but feel free to stick up your finalized works.

Have fun!

[Stephen Mason]

is this still running? urm i have 3 peices of work if you would like to see even though its a bit late im working on the chicken thing now, :D lol let me know post here or message me if you would like to see my work.

thanks guys

[Ampersand]

I don't think anyone will mind if you hop aboard. :teeth: You'll need to get some people to crit your three pieces if you can. I can have a go if you post them. :)

[Greenjack]

Well...this is what I get fer forgetting to layer before doing a nice sketch. :(


Nice Chicken! Happens to me all the time, if only there was an 'eliminate white' filter for CS2 as there was for 7.

[dan.man.86]

Sigh....I am trying my best to stay on top of this project and I've been working on an idea, but i', tellin' ya, work is starting to get intense and I'm not sure I'll be hitting the current deadline......which sucks the big one :(

[bobot]

Sigh....I am trying my best to stay on top of this project and I've been working on an idea, but i', tellin' ya, work is starting to get intense and I'm not sure I'll be hitting the current deadline......which sucks the big one :(

Just submit what you've done by the deadline - thats better than nothing!
I'm not sure I'll be finished either, but I'll submit what I can.

[Nigh7shad3]

don't mean to sound rude or anything but quite frankly speaking, i don't like the chicken project concept and don't find it interesting enough to pique my interest to start drawing chickens.

Do please Checkout my sketchbook in the meantime.

[stormrider85]

well then change your idea to make the project more intresting the chicken is not the centre of your artwork it just has to have one in it, create something you think is intresting then think of a way to add a chicken in it

[stormrider85]

also greenjack you have to remember this thread is still finding its legs you cant expect everything to be going faster when we still are learning how to control everything, i mean were still working on how to make the threads managable which is like really still beginner stages, when everythings controlled and running smoother you can expect more people to want to participate and my/ everyones ideas are changing this thread could have some new directions to go to. such as letting random people join in on project or letting a professional take a stab at one of or projects and comparing their result to ours etc.

[Stephen Mason]

Owky, im realy not great, my sketches are not too bad i like to think i can draw when it comes to colour im not so great but ive only just started. Ide love to hear what you think.... but please dont hurt me lol.
239301
Thought i would start with a sketch because i think im ok at that, lol. This is a self portraite done from observation but i used imagenation to twist it a little.
239303
my first attemt EVER of portaite painting with acrilycs, realy not my strong point but im trying, its no where near finished but its cummin along.
239304
First landscape digital paint attempt. The First time ive painted something totaly imagenary digitaly.

Be gentle,

:) thanks

[grenogs]

don't mean to sound rude or anything but quite frankly speaking, i don't like the chicken project concept and don't find it interesting enough to pique my interest to start drawing chickens.

Do please Checkout my sketchbook in the meantime.

how can you say chickens are boring? what about ninja chickens, samurai chicken or just your average blood craving giant featherless chicken. The concept is so open, you could take it anywhere.

[grenogs]

stormrider are only the chicken images supose to go in the final thread, or are the other 2 observation sketches also ment to be there to?

[jread]

Nice Chicken! Happens to me all the time, if only there was an 'eliminate white' filter for CS2 as there was for 7.


duplicate the background layer, then set the top one to 'multiply' in the layer options. now create a new layer under that layer to paint on, and there you have it...white all gone coz only the 'darks' remain on the layer with 'multiply' switched on. hope this helps :)

i will look into joining this group at a later point when i have more time on my hands.

[BalanceSheet]

duplicate the background layer, then set the top one to 'multiply' in the layer options. now create a new layer under that layer to paint on, and there you have it...white all gone coz only the 'darks' remain on the layer with 'multiply' switched on. hope this helps :)


O_O

...Where were you ten hours ago? lol
Went and did it the hard way.....gaaagh....thanks for the tip though, I'll remember that. :)

[stormrider85]

everything should be there grenogs any project has to have the finals all posted that way we can all see who's improving and whos falling into comfortable areas.

oh and balancesheet its probably good you did it the hard way because now next you do it you will remember what a bitch it was to do it the hard way

[Greenjack]

duplicate the background layer, then set the top one to 'multiply' in the layer options. now create a new layer under that layer to paint on, and there you have it...white all gone coz only the 'darks' remain on the layer with 'multiply' switched on. hope this helps :)

i will look into joining this group at a later point when i have more time on my hands.

Cool! easy when you know how. Cheers.

[grenogs]

thanks stormrider, i only asked becouse it seems that so far only the chicken images are being put in, hope people havent forgoten the other 2 images, or its going to be a mad rush at the end;)

[bobot]

Just letting you all know that I've fixed the links on the Official Project Thread (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110699)

And can anyone help me out with my avatar issue? Its still not showing up :(

[stormrider85]

ok im getting kind of confused now so what thread is going to be used for what?

[ChopperDave]

From what I'm understanding, Official Project Thread is for finished pieces, and Project Listing lists what we need to be doing for each project.

[bobot]

From what I'm understanding, Official Project Thread is for finished pieces, and Project Listing lists what we need to be doing for each project.

Yup thats pretty much it. Either we can migrate discussions over to Project Listing (and this is still stormriders thread), or we can leave as is, and when a new project pops up list it in the Project Listing thread. I'm sorry its messy, but there seemed to be duplicate threads and my links were directing to an entirely different thread.

If this is a problem, thats completely fine, just let me know (stormrider specifically) and i'll see what I can do to fix it up and have everything linked to here.

Sorry about all the confusion :(

[immortalindigo]

Hi Guys,

I just handed in a huge report I was working on for school, so I finally had some time to work on "The Chicken" and an observational drawing. I'm posting my WIP and my first observational drawing here. If this is NOT where I'm suppose to post them, I apologize. Just tell me where to "stick my chicken".

I really am a beginning drawer. I'm not used to drawing things from my imagination, so that's why I'm here. I have a question about digital painting. I've never done any digital painting. My father has an older version (Photoshop 5) on this computer and I download GIMP. I'm going to purchase the latest Photoshop in January with Christmas money. My question...

Is there a fairly simple straight forward tutorial about how to begin digital painting? Which program would be better for me to start with? (I know, that's two questions.)

I'm asking because as I surf around CA, I get a little overwhelmed because everyone is so much more advanced than me. I've also a little confused when I read the tutorials because I don't know all the lingo yet.

Any help is welcome. You definitely won't hurt my feelings, I REALLY want to learn and get better.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/2038789548_f7f0f67d0a.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2030/2038789044_634281e529.jpg

-Indigo

[Greenjack]

Indigo,

Ask the 'which program?' question and you'll get alot of dfferent answers. For painting the 2 leading packages are corel painter and photoshop and, like a lot of people, you're likely to end up with both. To get off the ground quickly I would suggest Painter as it has pens, pencils, chalks, pastels and brushes which mimic their real-life counterparts. You can create different brush shapes easily in Photoshop but mimicing any particular brush style takes a fair degree of skill and practice. Also you may find a free download of painter IX, albeit the basic version with a few less brushes.

Good Luck!

[grenogs]

indigo, i agree somewhat what greenjack says about the programs, Basicly there is no best program to start off, its all a matter of personal choice. but i have noticed a trend, if your wanting that tranclusent effect, the photoshop seems to be suitable for it, but if you want a more natural look, then painter. Also check out dogwaffle, ive hered soome good things about that to. But basicly try everything and see what works for you best.