Romeo and Juliet [GIVE A CRIT ON NEW ONE AT BOTTOM]

[.cfb]

Heres another WIP I'm working on. It's a final project for school: A book jacket for Romeo and Juliet. (I got away with not having to write anything for finals in English. Just make a "high quality" drawing). I just started it yesterday, and hope to make it my first "good" finished painting. I actually don't have any finished paintings yet, and need to (for school) and want to (for my self) to do a really good job on this.

Crits would REALLY be appreciated on anything. Expecially Technique, Anatomy and Lighting.

BTW: Yes, it's Cliche, it was actually supposed to (sorta) be.

1 (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/rjforweb.jpg)

2 (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/rj2.jpg)

3 (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/3.jpg)
^Ignore the right (her left) eye please. I haven't gotten around to it.

[.cfb]

[url=http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/anotherone.jpg]No point in keeping this posted here[/url[ < URL instead

Ok...I looked at the forms on the other one (the facial structure), and decided that it needed some work, so I started going over it with a harder opacity brush. I roughed out a lot of areas, and have the basic face down now except for the eyes. (Actually, if anyone has any good eye referances at this angle (I looked and couldn't find any) I would appreciate it)

So, is it a step backwards, is what I want to know, and does the general anatomy look off. Again, crits on anatomy and technique (<--That one especially right now) would be appreciated. I realized that when I started blocking it off that it looked better than an airbrushed look. Should I go for an airbrushed look or a more painterly feel?

[.cfb]

Hmmm...No-body can offer me any help. please. (<-- Shameless begging)

Actually, I'm looking for help on the eyes and technique, as well as how to progress the image.

[.cfb]

Hmm...Maybe just one crit would be nice. I'd really like to know what I'm doing wrong from all you experienced artists.

Or, if my continual bumping of the thread is getting irritating, fell free tell me.

[jester]

.cfb - I'm no pro, but I'll try to help.

Perhaps you should plan your book jacket first, i.e. make some scribbles where to put the title, where the portraits and so on. Do you want to create just the front jacket, or also the back?

Seems that you are only dwelling on this one idea of Julia in the front and Romeo in the back of your picture. So I suggest that you try some other compositional ideas before struggling with eyes and so on.

For inspiration, jump to my post (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10678#post10678) from late October last year, where I show some sketches I made while watching Zefirelli's Romeo and Juliet.

In order to get a good mark in English, you should perhaps also worry a bit more on the content of the drama. Why not put a fighting scene in the background, or the monk, or the nurse..., try to give it a Renaissance feel or break with this completely and let them be really modern characters, with piercing and all that.

Hope this helps.

Jester

[Erik]

I agree with Jester, the content of the story does not really show from the picture. It looks as if Romeo is scowling at Jlia there...

If you want an obvious front the balcony scene _has_ to be in it ;-) but as jester said there are countless themes in the play.

I think your english teacher did want you to read it ...

Boldly go beyond the Candlelight themed front page! This will be on the test!

Good luck

[jester]

Just an afterthought - go to amazon.com and check out on the covers of the various Shakespeare Editions right now in print (i.e. Arden Edition, The New Cambridge Shakespeare and so on).

Jester

[.cfb]

Jester: I actually have several layout sketches that I quickly did, including a balcony scene etc. I watched the 1969 version for inspiration, but in the end decided to do a more cliche romance bookish cover. I wanted simplicity, and Romeo is in the background because I thought that Juliet was a stronger character. Romeo is a pussy. In any case, his scowl/glars shouldn't be there, it just magically happened or something because I didn't draw his face right. I wanted to put the emotions in the story into the faces of the characters that I was to paint. (About the good grade in English, I've done several write-ups and reports/papers on it, and everyone is required to do a "high quality" cover to finish it off). OF the covers we could choose from you could to collages, paitings etc. I guess that I'll play around with diffrent covers, with more thought etc. Thanks you for your help.

On a side, note though, if I go down a diffrent path with the cover, I'd still like to finish this because I like it and I've never actually finished a painting before. So, in that case, how is it technically and anatomically?

[.cfb]

Ok, Jester, more like this?

A diffrent take (sketch 1) (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/rj1.jpg)

A diffrent take lighting test (sketch 2) (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/rj2.jpg)

I used a picture of the '68 box as referance (or was it '69). Anyways, I guess your right. This still doesn't show an understanding of the story, but, the other one I wasn't even happy with after I looked at it again. Man, this place is sure an ego killing shithouse. I have no idea, either I go to an art-incompetant high school, or I actually am good for a 14 year old (relativaly), but going here is is just fucking depressing. In a good way.

In any case, crits please, again.

And an advance thanks.

[jester]

.cfb - yes, that's way better (and I'll tell you why!)

1) this shows the relationship between both characters (they are "really" in love and want to overcome their families' quarrels).

2) the faces look better, anatomy looks better

3) you've included some space for the title. Don't underestimate the power of a rightly chosen font! And don't forget the author... ;)

4) the whole arrangement and composition looks better planned .

So you are 14? Good job for your age, really. Don't let yourself become depressed of all the high quality work here, most people are at least ten years older and have way more practise - just look at it this way: When you continue drawing you'll get there, too.

(BTW, I'm 37, had stopped drawing for more than 15 years because I let myself become depressed for not being let to any art schools around. Just re-started drawing about three years ago, just for fun and for myself, and that was one of the best ideas I ever had! I'm a bit partial to Romeo and Juliet because one of my orals for my M.A. in English was on Shakespeare's Great Tragedies :D).

I'm looking forward to your finished piece!

Jester

[.cfb]

Click (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084//rj3.jpg)

Ok, I got advice earliet to color out the whole picture with a big brush (60) and then work from there instead of working on one area at a time. So, I did that, and I'm not exactly sure how to develop it. Some advice on that would help.

So, yah. Same as always, crits please.

[.cfb]

Argh...Fuck.

*Rips out hair*

You know what...I'm still not happy with the old image. So, I spent the last two damn days redoing it yet again. I don't think that either of them are very good "book covers" either. But, then again, this new one isn't too great of a book cover either. Also, I've completely destroyed both images with my painting experiments, since I'm actually "learning" how to paint (actually it's more like picking up and practicing techniques), which is despressing, to a degree.

In any case, I took a whole new approach to this, and redid the sketch, spending more time to get composition right and Reducted to a link (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084//2.jpg)

Reduced to another link (http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084//1.jpg)

Ok, I need guidance on this also:

1. Is her chin too boxy?
2. Is her left eye (our right) eye too far right (her left)?
3. How could I fix his face? It looks competely off, and I am having trouble fixing it. (<-- Biggest help need)
4. The lighting on his and her face. Is it ok? I looked at refs, but still...
5. How dark/light should the shadows/highlights be?

I guess that I should crop the image as well, from cheekbone to cheekbone of the two characters.

Again, crits would be nice.

[.cfb]

Ok, I cropped it, fixed his face (although I think that his lips are a bit off, and he looks a bit Oriental, but it looks good enough so far. I'm 90% sure that I'm going to keep this one as my "final" idea/jacket cover, because (as I said before), it's (a) The most "bookeyish," and (b) it's turning out the best. The first one, although I liked it too, wasn't well layed out, and didn't convey the themes in the book very well. To me, and in the sketch, Romeo was kinda scowling at Juliet.

The second one, well, with some work I think I could of pulled it off, but I didn't like the layout, and I feel bad because I used the '68 box cover as a referance.

http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/8.jpg

* I fixed his face, repainted it, and finished her face. I added a pinkish-rosy color to hers, with orange highlights, and a orangy color to his with pinkish highlights. I'm not done with their faces, but I'm going to work on the hair and his arm/shirt before I do more to the faces.

Again, crits welcome, and appreciated. I'd appreciate brutal honesty, really. Tear it apart. Make me feel bad, because it's the only way that I'm going to get usefull input.

[.cfb]

This is the most frustrating thing that I've ever done, because for the first time, I have to make something presentable and (pretty) quality, as opposed to random sketches and doodles.

In any case, I was fucking around with various styles and painting methods and I finally came up with something I like. Because it didn't start off very serious, the anatomy is completely off, and I still need to fix some stuff, but I think that I'm happier with this than an of my previous incarnationsh of the project.

Well, what do you think?

This is also the first incarnation to have hair.

The colors look a little dodget-burney, but I didn't use the dodge/burn tools.

So, crits please, harsh crits, please.

http://www.pyxz.com/users/1046646084/experimentin.jpg

[amphex]

The anatomy and perspective needs some touching up imo.
I think you should prepare the 'perfect sketch' before you begin painting your final, if you werent planning on doing that anyways.
Take a look at some pictures of teenage females and males, and try to get the right touch on your drawing, also check out Loomis's guide to drawing the face and hands (i forget where to get it, maybe fineart.sk ?)
I dont say this because its a bad drawing, nor because I dont think they look like teens (in fact, this is very good, and looks just fine), just because Im SURE you can do better with some practice!
Also, regarding your painting, some great contrast between the two's faces would probably make this look alot better. If it were me painting it, I would keep Romeo's face similar in a similar if not same palette, but make Juliets much paler..I mean she is a Shakespearean lady, and they are pretty white I think. (I cant for the life of me remember at all what years Shakespeare was alive for..not even the century!)

But anyways, good work, and I cant wait to see some more from this..keep it up!