Re: Assemblage (first post here)

[kombat-unit]

a recently completed work)

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm17/kombat-unit/Re_assemblage__Feeder_by_kombat_-1.jpg

[Dahami]

...shudders...

[derelic7]

Wow, kickass. It's abit flat, and i think you could've offset the red abit, but i love the detail and the setup. Very freaky.

[Ahim]

Some blue or green background and lighting to contrast the red would make the red feel more red and hot instead of everything being red... or something.

[kombat-unit]

Wow, kickass. It's abit flat, and i think you could've offset the red abit, but i love the detail and the setup. Very freaky.

To be honest, I've played with the hues in order to offset the red, but for some reason this variant pleased me the most, as I wanted the whole picture to be seen as through a reddish haze.

Though, yes, flattness here is an issue)
Thanks a lot)

[kombat-unit]

Did it yesterday. A remix of Edvard Munch's "Skirk".

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm17/kombat-unit/schmerz.jpg

[N D Hill]

I looked at your sketchbook and I gotta ask this because it's everywhere, even in your signatures. What's with all the swastikas? I think we may be missing some context.

[kombat-unit]

I looked at your sketchbook and I gotta ask this because it's everywhere, even in your signatures. What's with all the swastikas? I think we may be missing some context.
hm. I'm a nazi and I generally quite like inserting that symbol in my works.

[Bullsey]

You, my good sir are the epitomy of what I've been trying to achieve. Your concepts are so creepy I would deem them NSFW. I do not have the skill nor the nerve to reach your area of expertise.

[kombat-unit]

You, my good sir are the epitomy of what I've been trying to achieve. Your concepts are so creepy I would deem them NSFW. I do not have the skill nor the nerve to reach your area of expertise.


Why thank you) That's really nice to hear, since one never knows if the morbidity of his works is actually working or not.
But then, it's just practice, so thanks a lot and I hope you reach that goal you've set yourself:D

[derelic7]

hm. I'm a nazi and I generally quite like inserting that symbol in my works.

good for you. hope you grow up sometime

[Robert.B]

so your a NAZI huh...... ( critique coming soon) ... to be continued.

[Animation Idiot]

hm. I'm a nazi and I generally quite like inserting that symbol in my works.

Funny since Hitler would have you shot for subversion with the art you do.

so your a NAZI huh...... ( critique coming soon) ... to be continued.

How about 'critique coming never'?

Note: I'm in ventrilo with Robert B, who pointed me to this thread...we're making fun of the guy there.

[Tri_beer_gut]

your so far from Hitler's ideals of art i don't understand your alignment.

[Animation Idiot]

your so far from Hitler's ideals of art i don't understand your alignment.

Neo-nazis don't realize that when Hitler took power he actually rounded and mass-executed up all the young beerhall-thugging kids who had supported him into power. In other words if the nazis were ever to resurrect their dead ideology the neo nazis would be the first victims of the new reich.

What I'm saying is THEY'RE NOT VERY BRIIIIGHT.

Edit: Okay, apparently this guy fantasizes about how he'd be 'different' and possibly less angsty if he grew up in nazi Germany. Teenaged angst is a universal however, so I somehow doubt that.

[a la bapsi]

agreed with the last couple of posts, unfortunately.

but, very nice art. you've got a decent handle on color schemes and the morbid mood you've been trying to get on.
a better understanding of perspective and anatomy will kick up the quality of your works.

[luverly_marie]

Funny since Hitler would have you shot for subversion with the art you do.



How about 'critique coming never'?

Despite his beliefs, I don't think that was necessary. His art isn't bad, it's different, yet isn't that the point? Unless he drew something antisemitic, racist, or completely inappropriate, it's about the art and that's it. If I didn't notice the swastika symbols, it wouldn't have even come to mind this was anything "Nazi."

With all fairness, don't rule this person out because of their personal beliefs. Unless, he has committed some awful injustice in his work, I suggest you crit his work, not his lifestyle.

I'm just trying to be fair here, I wouldn't want to post a still life then be reprimanded for being a Christian or something. Even if I don't agree with Nazis, everyone should have a chance to a fair critique or advice. This is what this board is all about, right? :)

[Tri_beer_gut]

Despite his beliefs, I don't think that was necessary. His art isn't bad, it's different, yet isn't that the point? Unless he drew something antisemitic, racist, or completely inappropriate, it's about the art and that's it. If I didn't notice the swastika symbols, it wouldn't have even come to mind this was anything "Nazi."

With all fairness, don't rule this person out because of their personal beliefs. Unless, he has committed some awful injustice in his work, I suggest you crit his work, not his lifestyle.

I'm just trying to be fair here, I wouldn't want to post a still life then be reprimanded for being a Christian or something. Even if I don't agree with Nazis, everyone should have a chance to a fair critique or advice. This is what this board is all about, right? :)

Well you can be Christian without supporting the crusades right? I have yet to hear a Nazi say that the genocide was a mistake in all its form. At that point i become disgusted.

[Animation Idiot]

Despite his beliefs, I don't think that was necessary. His art isn't bad, it's different, yet isn't that the point? Unless he drew something antisemitic, racist, or completely inappropriate, it's about the art and that's it. If I didn't notice the swastika symbols, it wouldn't have even come to mind this was anything "Nazi."

With all fairness, don't rule this person out because of their personal beliefs. Unless, he has committed some awful injustice in his work, I suggest you crit his work, not his lifestyle.

I'm just trying to be fair here, I wouldn't want to post a still life then be reprimanded for being a Christian or something. Even if I don't agree with Nazis, everyone should have a chance to a fair critique or advice. This is what this board is all about, right? :)
Did you seriously just equate "I'm a christian, here's my still life" to "I'm a nazi, here's my swastika fetishism"?

Also the guy I said "how about never critiquing" to is a guy I'm in ventrilo chat with who pointed me to this thread, sorry for not making that clear since I realize that it sounds odd to anyone but him. Regardless, I personally don't think that this guy deserves a serious critique given his "I'm a nazi" comment, but I'm not going to stop anyone from pointing out how shallow and shock-value his work is.

[Animation Idiot]

Well you can be Christian without supporting the crusades right? I have yet to hear a Nazi say that the genocide was a mistake in all its form. At that point i become disgusted.

Neo-nazis fall into two categories generally; deniers and embracers of the holocaust. Both are horrible wastes of skin, of course. Think "lawful evil" and "chaotic evil"

[luverly_marie]

I think if he erased every swastika on his work and never mentioned Nazis, we'd be having a totally different conversation here.

Do you dislike his work because he's a Nazi, or because you really think it's bad? Or, if it's both, which influences the other more?

[Animation Idiot]

I think if he erased every swastika on his work and never mentioned Nazis, we'd be having a totally different conversation here.



Well duh.

Do you dislike his work because he's a Nazi, or because you really think it's bad?

I'm not a fan of black metal or slavish HR giger clones. Both of these things are dime a dozen at my and most people's art schools. But that's not all he draws. However, it's what he's drawn in this thread.

Really though the only reason I'm here (Edit: in the first place - not the only reason I'm here) is because someone said "nazi alert!" in ventrilo.

[Valkier]

Nothing about either pieces he posted is offensive really. Yes, yes. Swastikas are edgy and cool. Either he's just trying to impress his friends at hot topic, or he really believes in what the symbol means. Till he says one way or the other however, there's really no point in jumping all over it and flinging words like genocide and Christian. It's pointless.

As for the pieces themselves, the first one is strange enough to be likable, albeit hard to read in places. Bringing highlights into the piece and making it more clear what the action is would greatly help.

The second piece just seems campy to me, and not in a humorous way. There have been countless parodies on the piece you're mimicking, and the idea itself has been done to death. The anatomy and proportion of what you put there is really off.

My advice is start drawing from life, look at anatomy references, and stop using black in your work. They're killing the overall effect. If you tighten those areas up, I think you will have a much greater outcome on future projects.

[Animation Idiot]

Nothing about either pieces he posted is offensive really. Yes, yes. Swastikas are edgy and cool. Either he's just trying to impress his friends at hot topic, or he really believes in what the symbol means. Till he says one way or the other however, there's really no point in jumping all over it and flinging words like genocide and Christian. It's pointless.

"I'm a nazi and I generally quite like inserting that symbol in my works" seems pretty clear-cut to me. He's basically screwed until he says "guys I'm not ACTUALLY a nazi...I'm being IRONIC see!!!"


As for the pieces themselves, the first one is strange enough to be likable, albeit hard to read in places. Bringing highlights into the piece and making it more clear what the action is would greatly help.

The guys in ventrilo (you being one of them, heh) said it took them 5 minutes to notice the left figure had an arm.

The second piece just seems campy to me, and not in a humorous way. There have been countless parodies on the piece you're mimicking, and the idea itself has been done to death. The anatomy and proportion of what you put there is really off.

That and the alignment of the lines looks really awkward.

[luverly_marie]

Well duh.



I'm not a fan of black metal or slavish HR giger clones. Both of these things are dime a dozen at my and most people's art schools. But that's not all he draws. However, it's what he's drawn in this thread.

Really though the only reason I'm here is because someone said "nazi alert!" in ventrilo.

Thank you for proving that this has more to do with your own beliefs than the art or the artist himself.

All you've done is attack someone for saying they're a Nazi. How do you know if he's just maybe a closet Nazi? Or someone who's interested in masochistic themes, but only channels it as "Nazi"? You don't even know enough, or have heard enough from this person to come and attack him. Trust me, if he began posting with "ALL JEWS MUST DIE" I'd be the first one asking for his permaban, but he's done nothing wrong to our general knowledge thus far. He's only guilty by the association with the word Nazi, and the personal meanings most people carry about them.

[Angroc]

I would also believe that he was being sarcastic in the way he said it. I hope so atleast. :/

Still though. I support the notion that we should critique the art and not the artist. And in that regard, I really like the Munch spin-off. Still, I somehow miss some grunge there, for some reason. I just think it would really fit in.

[Animation Idiot]

:(

Wow. We are SO not having this discussion.

I reported kombutt's post to let the mods deal with it. I'm out of here.

Edit: In his deviantart journal page he calls himself a nazi http://kombat-unit.deviantart.com/journal/20997246/

Yes, I am a National-Socialist, a Nazi. Some may call me a neo-nazi, but I don't refer to myself as a neo-nazi because I follow the national-socialist ideology in it's older rendition, that of from the 1930 and up to the fall of 3rd Reich, concerning all issues the ideology addresses to: governmental structure, healthcare, eugenics, racial problems, art and etc. Of course, follwing it in it's pure form would be hard, so to this main ideology of course modern white supremacism and white nationalism are mixed in.

(sic)

I don't see why I should stop being myself just because some guy's distant relative died in a concentration camp. I don't care for the sob-stories or victims or human suffering. I don't care for those deaths at all. To me, it's all ash. Everyone has a story, and everyone, from the Queen of England to the hounds of hell have heard it. Value of dead people is zero.

Classy.

[luverly_marie]

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

[a la bapsi]

wow. animationIDIOT.


STOP.


[edit] lol batman.

[JFierce]

How about everyone stop talking about nazi's/arguing about trivial things and start giving critiques/opinions on the ART :)
Stop spewing your own beliefs when the focus of the Finally Finished section is for people to have a place to display their art and get some feedback


Oh yeah and I agree with people above that the complete red-ness in the first piece could use maybe some different color highlights
For example how you handled the second one, I think some highlights would just help sort out whats going on in the whole thing
And one last thing.... in the second pic.... is one of the people on the left not wearing pants?! haha

[chriskot]

Yes, he's a Nazi. Yes, it's a very disagreeable position. Regardless of his beliefs, this is an ART forum. Nobody is supposed to care. Comment on the art.

First picture: I think that the figure on the right could use a bit more contrast in the neck area.
Second picture: The chest looks a bit flat and the area underneath could probably use a bit of definition.

[kombat-unit]

good for you. hope you grow up sometime

Aren't we already so grown up, are we? Lol)

AnimationIDIOT
Funny since Hitler would have you shot for subversion with the art you do.
You're not the first person who tells me this, the argument is really getting old. In Nazi Germany I would draw other things, first because of the regime and secondly because I would have developed in a healthier environment. The current one, no doubt, damaged my conscience to an extent. And for those things NOW I would be put in jail, ironically.

Also, about teenage angst. It's not angst that I mean. I'm an adult person so I think you should quite being a hysterical butthurt girl and retreat to the chat you emerged from.

A la bapsi
but, very nice art. you've got a decent handle on color schemes and the morbid mood you've been trying to get on.
a better understanding of perspective and anatomy will kick up the quality of your works.
Yes, the perspective is an issue, I rarely seem to get a feeling of space in my works. As for anatomy, I do life drawings, so I think that the way I distort the anatomy has some base in it. But yeah, maybe I should practice more in realism though. Thank you for your comment.

AnimationIDIOT
I'm not a fan of black metal or slavish HR giger clones. Both of these things are dime a dozen at my and most people's art schools. But that's not all he draws. However, it's what he's drawn in this thread.
Oh now we're condescending are we? You know what else do you see in art schools and internet? People exploiting the same style of speedpainting with photoshop brushes and patterns, all after a few successful conceptartists.
I really don't see how working in the style of biomechanics is relevant here, sweetheart. Try better next time.


Valkier:
Nothing about either pieces he posted is offensive really. Yes, yes. Swastikas are edgy and cool. Either he's just trying to impress his friends at hot topic, or he really believes in what the symbol means. Till he says one way or the other however, there's really no point in jumping all over it and flinging words like genocide and Christian. It's pointless.
There is no Hot Topic in Russia, for your infomation:) It's funny how people are fast to deem anyone with controversial beliefs to practice them just because of their edginess. Not the wisest tactic, I must say.

As for the pieces themselves, the first one is strange enough to be likable, albeit hard to read in places. Bringing highlights into the piece and making it more clear what the action is would greatly help.

The second piece just seems campy to me, and not in a humorous way. There have been countless parodies on the piece you're mimicking, and the idea itself has been done to death. The anatomy and proportion of what you put there is really off.

As for the first work, I think my biggest mistake wasn't the coloring or highlights, but rather the fact that in order to achieve a more "organic" structure, I've blurred the edges too much. Sharpening the mechanic parts would've done the job.

As for the second, while I agree on the problems with proportion and perspective of it, I really think there's nothing wrong with the matter. It's not exactly a "parody", it's a remix. Perfectly fine and working in the postmodern era, from my point of view.


My advice is start drawing from life, look at anatomy references, and stop using black in your work. They're killing the overall effect. If you tighten those areas up, I think you will have a much greater outcome on future projects.
I actually do draw from life. As for black... I think the problem is in the post-tweaking of the images I do in Photoshop, basically, I don't paint black when I paint things in Corel, but then in PS I play with the contrast and hues. Guess that brings out the black too hard.
Thanks for the tips and advice, I'll certainly consider them in future.

AnimationIDIOT again:
Oh my. You went as far as digging me up on DA. Bravo:)

JFierce
How about everyone stop talking about nazi's/arguing about trivial things and start giving critiques/opinions on the ART
Stop spewing your own beliefs when the focus of the Finally Finished section is for people to have a place to display their art and get some feedback
I must say I was taken aback when I logged in now to see all this drama going on over a short and honest answer to some person's question.
I though Conceptart was about critique and encouragement of artists in an detached professional way. And what I find here? AGAIN the butthurt deviantart-like wussies flaming in an immature fashion? Omg lol. Crushed expectations)

Oh yeah and I agree with people above that the complete red-ness in the first piece could use maybe some different color highlights
For example how you handled the second one, I think some highlights would just help sort out whats going on in the whole thing
And one last thing.... in the second pic.... is one of the people on the left not wearing pants?! haha

The first pic - I actually wanted it to be really red, giving of the organic-like, inside-of-the-womb glow. But yeah, I should've used more highlights.
No, the woman is wearing panties, but her skirt is just upped :)

[Animation Idiot]

Aren't we already so grown up, are we? Lol)

AnimationIDIOT

Since I'm the one that put idiot in my name to ridicule myself, that's not exactly an insult.

You're not the first person who tells me this, the argument is really getting old. In Nazi Germany I would draw other things, first because of the regime and secondly because I would have developed in a healthier environment. The current one, no doubt, damaged my conscience to an extent. And for those things NOW I would be put in jail, ironically.

You're so cute with your fantasies.

No, no you wouldn't. Your personality is that of an l'enfante provocateur, doing deliberately what drives the most negative attention to you. In pre-war germany you likely would have wound up being a Bolshevick sympathizer drawing neurotic imitations of Picasso's cubist paintings with hammer-and-sickles or something. That was what was 'edgy and offensive' for the time after all.

Also, about teenage angst. It's not angst that I mean. I'm an adult person

What? You're 18 if I'm not mistaken.

so I think you should quite being a hysterical butthurt girl and retreat to the chat you emerged from.

Admitting being a nazi put me off for obvious reasons, but as matter of fact, I'm going to offer a serious critique:

For your work, here's my serious opinion - you claim to be self-taught, and like every person claiming to be self-taught, it shows. You learned how to draw digitally before learning how to draw, and that's going to hurt you terribly and hold you back in the long run. Your figure drawing needs serious study, and putting swastikas and HR giger/warhammer40k references over everything is not going to make up for the fact that your figure drawing and anatomy needs work. Even giger has a strong foundation of understanding human figures in spite of his more flat hieroglyphical pieces, and the warhammer artists (like my personal fav, Matt Dixon) all have intense understanding of anatomy and figure drawing.

For example in the first piece, the features in the face on the right look very flat and cartoonish. The features remind me of orthographic simplified figures I see in 'how to draw' books - one of the marks of being self-taught, and a tough habit for early artists to break. This is fine if cartoonish is what you're going for, but if you're trying to pull something dark off like say, Puddinhead does, then at least you should try to get a more plausible face as a focal point to a dark piece. Giger himself does that by including bits of polished realistic anatomy in between expanses of warped mass and dead space. On that note, your other big problem is I am seeing TEXTURE TEXTURE TEXTURE with noplace for the eye to rest. You tend to do this in your other pieces I've seen in your sketchbook as well. I would recommend studying up on composition to plot out a better strategy of how detail should guide the eye, because texture texture texture with no real rhyme or reason to it is very tiring to look at.
Then we come to perspective. You need to study it. Even Munch's the scream has a flat horizon plane and albeit-warped 'reasonably distorted' perspective. He knew the rules before he broke them.

Given it's a Munch reference I would normally give you a pass on the warped/flat anatomy of the chest and the scapula bone that looks like a washing ring, but seeing your other work in the sketchbook thread shows your anatomy problems are endemic of your work. Your nosferatu looks like his chest has been crushed 2-dimensionally.

Also, even munch had to master figure drawing: http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/10/23/munch_2410,0.jpg



I would strongly recommend enrolling in a class on perspective, color and composition, and anatomy. Oh, and life-drawing; preferably one where you get a mixture of people of different types. :batgirl:

The one good point I'll say is this; you can do scary things reasonably well. Unfortunately so can half the people at my art school who do shock-art. (Some also put swastikas in their work - except they do it for irony.) Your subject matter will generally provoke an immediate gut-reaction, but there's really not much to it beyond that. (I like to call it the "Rob Liefeld Syndrome" - the longer you stare at a 'neat' piece the more flaws you notice.) Consider exploring less-shallow less-repetitive subject matter more often, since at least a couple pieces you made in the sketchbook thread show you have potential for growth if you lose the playing-at-being-nazi pretentious angst and put your mind to it.

[kombat-unit]

No, no you wouldn't. Your personality is that of an l'enfante provocateur, doing deliberately what drives the most negative attention to you. In pre-war germany you likely would have wound up being a Bolshevick sympathizer drawing neurotic imitations of Picasso's cubist paintings with hammer-and-sickles or something. That was what was 'edgy and offensive' for the time after all.


You're so cute with your fantasies. I just adore e-psychologists. Please do analyze me more, it's so... sensual, might I say?

What? You're 18 if I'm not mistaken.
That's your other problem - assuming things about people without basis. You missed, my friend, by roughly 5 years - I'm 23.


For your work, here's my serious opinion - you claim to be self-taught, and like every person claiming to be self-taught, it shows. You learned how to draw digitally before learning how to draw, and that's going to hurt you terribly and hold you back in the long run
Of course it shows and of course it will hold me back, however you should really drop that habit about over-analyzing - I'm into CG for about 2 years, all the other time before that I've done traditional. So no, I haven't learned how to draw digitally before learning how to draw. Tut-tut, wrong, wrong again.

As for the following points. Yes. Perspective on the present moment is the area I lack most of all, too bad I can't find resources on that. I'd be thankful for pointing out such if they exist.
Overusing texture - too, I'm currently working on breaking the habit of slamming it everywhere, Thanks for the tips on using more realistic rendering in surreal environment.
On the anatomy part - I do life drawing and study anatomy, and apart from the problems with the chest area (ah, one has to see the chests of heroine addicts to fully embrace the concept), I haven't quite understood what exactly bugs you through all my works on the anatomy part, endemically as you put it - I actually know how to distort anatomy and I do it deliberately to achieve the effect I want to. Taking for example the Munch spin-off - it would be useless to render the character realistically from what it had been, so the wobbly warped figure on the original of course would be translated to a crippled and distorted counterpart.
I don't have an opportunity to go to classes, so I think I'll carry on with my friends and a mirror.
Please do elaborate.

As for the subject matter critique - I'm not going to be going into a hysteria over your attempt at condescending and comparison to your art-school mates or whatever. All in all you are right, expanding horizons is a must and freezing in one subject or style kills of progress. However, shock-value art has a market, and I target that market. I sell my pieces and as long as they do, I won't drop everything and delve into drawing floral still-lifes realizing that for a long time I've been doing the wrong thing.
And you need to understand that an advice or critique about subject matter coming from the mouth of a person who acted as immature as you and tried to fix it by posting a "serious critique", would be taken, er, critically, to put it bluntly.
But all in all, thank you for your opinion and advice, in respect to the time and effort you've used up when writing it.

[Animation Idiot]

You're so cute with your fantasies. I just adore e-psychologists. Please do analyze me more, it's so... sensual, might I say?

If you're going to speculate about your own fantasies, don't complain when people get Sigmund Freud on you.

That's your other problem - assuming things about people without basis. You missed, my friend, by roughly 5 years - I'm 23.

A shame that you haven't yet grown out of your angsty teen phase then.

Of course it shows and of course it will hold me back, however you should really drop that habit about over-analyzing

A tragedy of most art is that it is woefully under-analyzed.

- I'm into CG for about 2 years, all the other time before that I've done traditional. So no, I haven't learned how to draw digitally before learning how to draw. Tut-tut, wrong, wrong again.

What? You haven't learned how to draw figures OR perspective before taking on digital art. This is a problem, because all this means is your work is becoming the modern-day equivalent of airbrushed halloween carnival art, as airbrushing (hello, Giger) was 'the easy-to-fake' medium that was popular before digital.

As for the following points. Yes. Perspective on the present moment is the area I lack most of all, too bad I can't find resources on that. I'd be thankful for pointing out such if they exist.

Er, what? There's a thousand books on perspective out there at any given bookstore. Heck, there is even a comic book written entirely on the subject.

Overusing texture - too, I'm currently working on breaking the habit of slamming it everywhere, Thanks for the tips on using more realistic rendering in surreal environment.

You're welcome. Even surrealists understand how to direct the eye, you see. Otherwise it's a visual mess.

On the anatomy part - I do life drawing and study anatomy, and apart from the problems with the chest area (ah, one has to see the chests of heroine addicts to fully embrace the concept), I haven't quite understood what exactly bugs you through all my works on the anatomy part, endemically as you put it - I actually know how to distort anatomy and I do it deliberately to achieve the effect I want to.

What I'm seeing are not distortions; they're mistakes. Distortion and exagerration is not easy to pull off believeably, and is something I myself am struggling with. Specifically what I meant about your nosferatu is that his ribcage looks like it was crushed flat and pushed over to one side of his chest, while his scapula bone looks like a basin washring - which is not how a scapula looks. A scapula is more like a bicycle handle from which the figure hangs.

Also, even in distortion you need at least a couple areas where nothing breaks...in any caricature something's got to give way, you see. Think of it as a landmark for the exagerration of the character/creature/whatever.

Taking for example the Munch spin-off - it would be useless to render the character realistically from what it had been, so the wobbly warped figure on the original of course would be translated to a crippled and distorted counterpart.

Except I'm seeing similar anatomical flaws in your other characters in your sketchbook. If you were trying to distort it all you did was make your shortcomings more apparent - this is what i mean about understanding the figure before distorting it.

I don't have an opportunity to go to classes, so I think I'll carry on with my friends and a mirror.

Oh well, good luck finding classes in the future I guess then.

Please do elaborate.

As for the subject matter critique - I'm not going to be going into a hysteria over your attempt at condescending and comparison to your art-school mates or whatever.

All in all you are right, expanding horizons is a must and freexong in one subject kills of progress however, shock-value has a market, and I target that market.

My point with the art school comparison is that to set yourself apart from the crowd you're going to have to do more than just 'draw scary/offensive.' You're going to have to 'draw well.'

Right now you have made yourself into a living breathing stereotype - the 'shock tartlet.' If you have little interest outside your target market, then you're just going to endlessly repeat yourself and not get any better or worse. Just like furries, manga-kas, and other various subculture groups.

And you need to understand that an advice about subject matter coming from the mouth of a person who acted as immature as you and tried to fix it by posting a "serious critique", would be taken, er, critically, to put it bluntly.

I had a very human reaction to you admitting you are a neo-nazi. But there's more valuable things for me to be doing than knee-jerking. As people have pointed out this is an art criticism forum. Therefore I have opted to give you constructive feedback, as brutally honest as it may be.

But all in all, thank you for your opinion and advice, in respect to the time and effort you've used up when writing it.

I'm scanning my sketchbook work as I type this so it's hardly a waste of my time.

[Peter Coene]

Despite his beliefs, I don't think that was necessary. His art isn't bad, it's different, yet isn't that the point? Unless he drew something antisemitic, racist, or completely inappropriate, it's about the art and that's it. If I didn't notice the swastika symbols, it wouldn't have even come to mind this was anything "Nazi."
So what if he did draw those things? Its his choice to express himself, and if he chose to use that type of imagery to get a reaction then I'd be willing to bet that it would be pretty darn effective. If anything his use of the swazis have people talking, so I'd have to say that his use of them has gained more notice than he would have gotten without. In strictly artistic terms this choice in imagery was therefore effective. The fact that it offend is irrelevant.

With all fairness, don't rule this person out because of their personal beliefs. Unless, he has committed some awful injustice in his work, I suggest you crit his work, not his lifestyle.
Just out of curriosity, how could he commit injustice with his work? I mean, unless he is physically using the ashes of Auschwitz as a medium to paint with then the worst he could do is to express his ideas.

I'm just trying to be fair here, I wouldn't want to post a still life then be reprimanded for being a Christian or something. Even if I don't agree with Nazis, everyone should have a chance to a fair critique or advice. This is what this board is all about, right? :)
right.

[luverly_marie]

So what if he did draw those things? Its his choice to express himself, and if he chose to use that type of imagery to get a reaction then I'd be willing to bet that it would be pretty darn effective. If anything his use of the swazis have people talking, so I'd have to say that his use of them has gained more notice than he would have gotten without. In strictly artistic terms this choice in imagery was therefore effective. The fact that it offend is irrelevant.


Just out of curriosity, how could he commit injustice with his work? I mean, unless he is physically using the ashes of Auschwitz as a medium to paint with then the worst he could do is to express his ideas.


right.

I personally don't find anything wrong with freedom of expression, if he wants to draw it certainly he can. The only problem he'll be having is the audience response, as well as sites that have rules against the posting of such works. So, I was speaking in consideration of some of the censorship boundaries you'll commonly come across here. Technically, he doesn't have any limits, but socially he will depending on his audience. With enough negative feedback, some people will leave and find a place where their work is more widely accepted.

[Divine Oblivion]

Woooah. Arguing much, people? :P C'mon - this is an ART forum. Critique the art, not the person! Calm down guys.

Okay, Kombat - I just have to say, try and step back from the H.R. Giger approach from your style.

The first piece is pretty good; better then what I could accomplish, but try and develop your own feel to biomechania. And, though you wanted it to be red, as seen through a red haze, I still suggest adding, as someone else mentioned, a bit (Maybe just a tinge.) of some cooler colors in the background to make it contrast, and allow your reds to appear hotter and more dramatic.

The second piece needs a bit more definition, but really other then these - GREAT work!

Guys, seriously... So he's a Nazi, big deal. I hate neo-nazi-ism as much as the next sane (I'm sane?) person, but I'm not going to judge this persons artwork based on their beliefs.

If it was racially offensive I would be absolutely livid - but I'm seeing none of that in his art. And if he isn't pushing his beliefs, big deal. Lets move on? :P

[Animation Idiot]

Woooah. Arguing much, people? :P C'mon - this is an ART forum. Critique the art, not the person! Calm down guys.

Okay, Kombat - I just have to say, try and step back from the H.R. Giger approach from your style.

The first piece is pretty good; better then what I could accomplish, but try and develop your own feel to biomechania. And, though you wanted it to be red, as seen through a red haze, I still suggest adding, as someone else mentioned, a bit (Maybe just a tinge.) of some cooler colors in the background to make it contrast, and allow your reds to appear hotter and more dramatic.

The second piece needs a bit more definition, but really other then these - GREAT work!

Guys, seriously... So he's a Nazi, big deal. I hate neo-nazi-ism as much as the next sane (I'm sane?) person, but I'm not going to judge this persons artwork based on their beliefs.

If it was racially offensive I would be absolutely livid - but I'm seeing none of that in his art. And if he isn't pushing his beliefs, big deal. Lets move on? :P

On that taking a step back thing - One of my gripes with his piece is that it looks like paint-by-numbers Giger. I can point to a number of areas and think of specific Giger paintings that used those parts. (Which unlike Giger, apparently are being used to cover up very rickety anatomy.) It's one thing to be 'Giger-inspired' but the man has been around for quite some time and people have already done him to death six ways to sunday. He's also done the 'references to fascists' thing worlds better himself. I'm really not seeing anything new or fresh in kumbutt's work, sadly. Just the usual savagery with no real purpose that comes with drawing Gigerish black-metal nonsense.

[Divine Oblivion]

On that taking a step back thing - One of my gripes with his piece is that it looks like paint-by-numbers Giger. I can point to a number of areas and think of specific Giger paintings that used those parts. (Which unlike Giger, apparently are being used to cover up very rickety anatomy.) It's one thing to be 'Giger-inspired' but the man has been around for quite some time and people have already done him to death six ways to sunday. He's also done the 'references to fascists' thing worlds better himself. I'm really not seeing anything new or fresh in kumbutt's work, sadly. Just the usual savagery with no real purpose that comes with drawing Gigerish black-metal nonsense.

Okay, yes, Giger has been done to death, sadly. A man with such beautiful pieces of art and talent doesn't deserve this. D: But, yes, I have to agree once I took a closer look.

But, what if he's still trying to develop his own style to seperate himself from that of Giger? (I've seen an exceptional surrealist artist, not so different and yet he has his own flare from Gigers works... Unfortunately, I can't recall his name, or his website, and my artsy fartsy buddy ain't online to fetch it for me!)

Taking a few closer inspections after my initial post, yes, I see some of the cover ups, and, well, I can pretty much probably quote the paintings in question that were nicked from.

I'm such a dweeb. : B

[N D Hill]

Ah. Redundant drama and the little constructive criticism here is being repeated as well. We all saw this lock coming.