Cheetah

[Subconscious Peace]

Here is a picture I created for my sister. Started about 3 months ago, spent maybe 15-20 minutes a day shading parts of the head. Finished up in photoshop by adding some blur to the outside shadow...Any crits?


http://www.conceptart.org/gallery/files/2/7/4/3/2/Cheetah_386444.jpg

[madster]

This is a very nice piece, but I would lose the Photoshop blur. It really looks very noticible and out of place with the beautifully detailed work you have done on the cheetah.

The fur is so well textured that even at the size and monitor resolution it displays at, the viewer can almost feel the pelt. The soft, too fine blur just doesn't jive.

The lines look like odd, stylized "flames" airbrushed on cars and motorcylces, almost...I would suggest trying to make them more like vines with leaves, but am not sure if that would go against the effect you are striving for.

It's a very lovely piece, regardless.

~M

[Marie]

Aye it is a very nice rendering, when you spend so much time on making something look so good, its very important to make sure you have anatomy and placement of its parts down right on the creature. Something that caught my eye right off was the nose, its tilted the opposite way of everything else on the face:

http://neabez.home.comcast.net/postingart/cheetahimage.jpg

You might be able to fix it by raising his nose some its right side of the face to correct the angle.

Its a very beautiful picture and I'm sure you've made your sister very happy :) take care.

[Subconscious Peace]

Thank you all for your criticism. I will try and upload a higher resolution to give you better detail. As for the nose, with the image I used as a reference, the cheetah was at a slightly odd angle, and really what you see is all I had to work with from the ref. I'm still developing my life drawing, but am more focused on the surreal art. Once again thank you all for your honesty and help.

[Elwell]

Lovely drawing, form what we can see. The nose doesn't bother me. Cheetah's have longer, more "roman" noses than leopards (the photo Marie posted).

I am having issues with the background design, the way it looks almost like motion trails, but then runs into the cheetah's face going the other direction. I think it sets up some visual tension that might not have been intended.

[Marie]

Ok new crit then :) It looks uncannilly like a leopard.

A cheetah generally has less spots on its face, its head is small and the eyes are high set, which gives the longer more roman nose that elwell mentioned. There is also a very distinct black "tear mark" running from the tear duct area of the eye down the side of the muzzle.

I don't mind that you named it cheetah or if it is just a weird reference, without thinking about the name confusion I looked up photos of leopards anyway in an effort to be helpful. :wink:

The nose still bothers me quite a bit, but, Elwell has a much more professional eye that I do, so I'd take his advice over mine, its bound to be more correct. And I think your sister probably won't mind it either :) because its very well done.

[madster]

I'll be darned. I couldn't figure out what the fuss was until I looked again. It IS a leopard, even if it's called "Sally," and it's in need of a plastic surgeon for the bottom of its nose, along with getting rid of the Photoshop blur.

And yes, it will make a cool gift, regardless of what you call it...
~M

[Elwell]

Yup, you're right. Cheetahs' markings are completely different. It's interesting how SP's drawing looks like a cheetah-ish leopard, though.

[Subconscious Peace]

For the record, I was wrong on the title. Leopard just seem to vanish from my vocabulary. And "Sally's" appointment with the plastic surgeon is monday of next week. Damn.... =)

[Marie]

hehe thats ok, a rose by any other name... is still a rose.

I think the shape of the nose and muzzle area, are what is making it look a little cheetah like. The cheetahs seem to have a smaller nose (the black part) than do the leopards, and the forementioned longer looking muzzle.

Now that I compare the two, yes the muzzle nose does look like a cheetahs. :) I hope sally recovers well from her plastic surgery!

[Silly]

I thought it would look more cohesive with a black background, if you are going to photoshop it anyway - with perhaps some light spots suggesting foliage (only roughly indicated here):

http://tinypic.com/doknkk.jpg

This reminded me of a (rather pathetic) tiger I did as a kid - I do still like this effect of colored pencil on black paper, it seems to work well for big cats - perhaps an idea for if you want to redo it:
http://tinypic.com/doknxz.jpg