Kidnapped

[Corrick]

This is a sketch I started a while ago and am revisiting, as it's always stuck with me. It's incredibly rough, and a few elements are missing such as dock backgrounds, the ship, more pirates and the girl's parents.

C&C always appreciated!

http://www.geocities.com/effing_sheet/kidnap.jpg

[dogfood]

The body will actually bend more in the middle of the back to allow the shoulders greater range of motion. Were she to really not want to go to sea with these swarthy gentlemen, she'd try harder and it would show. You could probably get a good shot by hooking your arms around a bar (found on some walkways) at the elbow and straining to go forward. You'll find that the neck will also shoot out with a greater horizontal vector.

I do like the rest of the motion in this piece and am really looking forward to the progress.

[Corrick]

Ok, this is a test... this is only a test. I decided to revise the scene altogether, clean slate. It's been a while since I penciled the original, and I wondered if maybe there was something else lingering in the ol' fingertips, so I gave it a shot... this is work in progress, and the rest needs to be filled in, but tell me what you think...


http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Corrick/pirates.jpg

(1 hour, approximately)

[Kanji2000]

Liked the first one a lot more...There was a clear line of action that flowed from one character to the next...This new one has intersecting lines all over...It's heavy on the lower right...Not enough everywhere else...The first one had this line that extended from the head of the first guy, down to the shoulders of the second, and then onto the girl, who provides a stop in the action line...If you just gave the first one a little more thought and planning by slightly changing their poses and framing them, it actually works really well...

[Corrick]

The first sketch is my personal favorite, but I wanted to play around with the dynamics of the scene first. The second sketch is going to have more to the right of the scene (the town, townsfolk, raiders and general murder and mayhem), but of course why talk about it when you could show it, so I'm sharpening the pencils as we speak...

I'm going to try and work on these at the same time, more so on the first sketch, but the second has too much of my interest to just drop it.

Thanks for the critique!

[Corrick]

I've started on the sketch for what I hope is going to be the main work in progress for this scene. As always, there'll be townsfolk, town on fire, raiders, etc etc... man I'm getting tired of saying it and not doing it.

More to come soon, and C&C is always welcome!


http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Corrick/blue_line1_sm.jpg

[jubilee]

I like the general positions of everyone in the first one.. the expression of the woman in the second and the pirates wicked evil look in the third. I'm so helpful :) But logically thinking.. I'd say that a man is going to grab a woman around the meat of the arm, not the hand, to gain control of her, like you have in your first sketch. That looks like some serious dislocation of the shoulder in that last pic. Maybe have her kicking a bit more if you want to elongate the scene a bit?

I also have to say the one pirate looks to be tickling the foot of a would be captive. Which made me smile :D

all in all I think your sketches are excellent and I look forward to their progression.

[Corrick]

Bahh!... :^^: As much as I despise doing things over and over again, you're right. Pretty much corroborated what was nibbling at my brain. I will update accordingly, hopefully with better success.

Thanks!

[Corrick]

Finally decided to man up and convert this to digital completely, so from here on out I'm using the tablet. I need the practice.

Played around with more positions and expressions, added another pirate or two, and of course, even more will be included. Also roughed in the shore-front buildings, just to provide context.

C&C always welcome!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Corrick/blue_line3_sm.jpg

[Zhiwang]

Pretty sweet :O , Living.

I can't draw like you but i want to!!! :P

I want too see it finished!!

(Sry for bad english, i never speak in english here.)

[jubilee]

I'll second that! that's just awesome. Do you look at references when you're doing something like this or is it just all out of your head.

[Corrick]

Most of it comes from imagination and memory, except for random stuff like the horse. It's been a while since I've actually seen one up close, so I'll resort to photographic reference in a pinch. I guess I'm just all city-fied...

Thanks or the comments, and more will come soon!

[Chronic]

I really admire you for beginning it all over again, when someone comes with suggestions and crits....I would never have that energy!!

And I really like your style and the theme you´re going for...awesome drawings too, I´m not that familiar with interactions and image-balance and stuff, but I can spot a thing that looks a bit strange:
the pirate standing on the boards´ right arm is really long and it looks like his fingers would reach his lower legs easily...his biceps muscle is too long and his elbow would almost seem to line with his pelvis bone when standing up right. of course proportions can be a bit off when drawing whatever, but I think the girls and the other pirates has good proportions i general, so it would be strange to have one pirate that has been unfortunately struck with bad bones at birth.

but that is a thing that you can "repair" just by erasing one inch or so, really not draw it all over again...

I´m very curious to see how this turns out in the end!!!

keep drawing!!!! I´m amazed with your style (as far as I´ve seen)

*peace*

[dogfood]

I'm excited about the new layout! There are a lot of great things to catch the eye. Unfortunately, it could easily be two pieces (I originally thought it was). There's nothing to connect the action from the first group to the second.

Cool stuff, though!

[Corrick]

This update is just to satisfy some anatomy issues, as well as partially solidify the backgrounds and add secondary characters. I'm still buggered when it comes to figuring out a direction.

- Dogfood

In addressing the issue of it being two action pieces in one illustration, the connector is supposed to be the fellow carrying the girl over his shoulder (I've moved him over to the left and enlarged him a bit... bless you, Photoshop). I'm hoping it'll serve as a transition element from one side to the next, but I'm probably going to have to add more interaction between the sides than that to carry the idea.

I'm still workin' on it, although I've stared at it enough to want to give it up. Comments and critiques always welcome!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b51/Corrick/blue_line4_sm.jpg

[dogfood]

I think your changes made a lot of difference. Another way would have been to have another character on the deck pointing and looking at the far side. That would have been a more subtle connector, but still potentially effective.

I really like how this one is going. You might want to watch the short torsos, however. They seem to crop up in every figure.

[poise]

nice evolution.:) this is looking pretty good. The figures moveing from the lower right composition up into a diagonal to the left upper focal point.

A few things though... 1. The guys infront of the horse on the lower right, is doing some wierd ass dance, or he looks like he is going to punch the horse in the belly, give him something important to do and check the gesture, the torso and the hip look like they a are twisting away from each other.

2. The guy pulling the girl on the plank looks like he is going to walk off the plank into the water, maybe just have both of his feet down and push the angle of his body moveing towards the ship. Act it out with your own body.

Last thing..3. The extra guys in the background, like the guy behind the struggeling girl and the pirate on the plank is just in a weird place, it is too crowded. when you color this you don't want to disturb that silhouetted shape the two of them will make, you want to make it clear that they are the focal point. Tell your buddy to move up plank and join his friend. Maybe have them laughing or reacting to their pirate friend looting ang rapeing the women, like they are into it, and laugh and nudging eachother, or something.
you gave yourself a complicated peice my friend, but this is good to challenge yourself, you learn more that way. Good JOB!

[Corrick]

Yes, the ass-dance has been duly noted. :)

I also hadn't realized everyone was slightly stunted in the upper-body area, and I'm attempting to readjust. The figures in the backgrounds, as well as the backgrounds themselves, are waiting to be finished. I'm trying to nail down the overall composition first, given the fact that my first rounds of sketch comps were a little too hasty for my liking, so I'm merging comp study with the work itself. Measure once, cut twice, I know...

I really appreciate the comments and encouragement from everyone, and hopefully will be posting more soon!

[Kanji2000]

Okay...What you've done so far looks okay...Problem is, you've detailed it to the point of no return without planning like Normandy...

Start over...Do thumbnail sketches first...Plan out the action...Find a focal point...Start from there...Guy hauling girl onto bridge is fine...THAT would be a great focal point...Alter angle a bit to add drama...Lower the horizon line...Put more elements in the foreground really close to the camera to add depth...Why??? Currently, everything's on the same plane...Everyone is almost in a straight line...That's why all the elements get the same amount of attention...

Put more stuff in the background...This piece is suffering from lack of elements, lack of depth, and lack of drama...Do a very rough sketch first so you won't feel bad when drawing over it or when erasing it...Post it...Get critiques...Go over it again...When everything works, flesh it out...Add mass to those thumbnails and stickfigures...Figure out perspective, proportion, weight, depth, etc. Add details...Add values...And voila...Masterpiece!!!

Oh, and don't forget to use references!!!