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[oatmeal]

something i am working on at the moment...

hopefully finish painting this soon..and figure out a color scheme

HOLY FUCKKKKKKK

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Got some more dailies done for my story:

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Birthday gift for a friend.

I could probably fudge with the blacks in PS to make them more consistent; but I don't want to affect the copic grey tones.

 

[zoukka]

Well the legs aren't too great. I mean Chun-Li has massive thighs, but those look straight ripped from a male bodybuilder. I can't excatly put my mind where the crucial difference is though. The upper body is too stretched from the pelvis and the face is ugly as hell.

Otherwise it's pretty good. I guess you've done a lot of american-styled comic characters and superhero poses?




Fuck I haven't done anything in ages I hate summer vacations...

 

[Mik2121]

Well the legs aren't too great. I mean Chun-Li has massive thighs, but those look straight ripped from a male bodybuilder. I can't excatly put my mind where the crucial difference is though. The upper body is too stretched from the pelvis and the face is ugly as hell.

Otherwise it's pretty good. I guess you've done a lot of american-styled comic characters and superhero poses?




Fuck I haven't done anything in ages I hate summer vacations...

We are not even in Summer yet.. lol

 

[zoukka]

We are not even in Summer yet.. lol

Yes we are by my countrys standards. Schools out = summer.

And it's hot.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Well the legs aren't too great. I mean Chun-Li has massive thighs, but those look straight ripped from a male bodybuilder. I can't excatly put my mind where the crucial difference is though. The upper body is too stretched from the pelvis and the face is ugly as hell.

Otherwise it's pretty good. I guess you've done a lot of american-styled comic characters and superhero poses?

Joke post? Seriously.

Chun Li has always been muscular. She's a martial artist, not some ghetto camel from a rap video. Classic Capcom art, not that Udung shit, always depicted her with nice toned legs. So I'm working from that tradition in my visual approach.

The pose is taken from a SF2 sprite that I had to rotate in my head. It took quite a bit of under drawing; but at the end of the day to match the pose sans any photo reference I just had to go with what I had.

On the face, I probably could have done a bit better; but I only had one evening after work to get this done from pencils to inks.

I'm hard pressed to take this critique seriously, unless palsied monkey drawing with a pencil that's insert in it's anus is a style you're shooting for. If you were Dough Mahnke or Oh! Great I'd give you a pass on the brutish critique style, but you've got a long way to go judging from what you've been putting forth here.

 

[radiantdreamer]

I did a couple of speed paintings of my recent work:

Enjoy!

Forelorn man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAM_4eLxM5E

Headphone Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApjO3rYiv4

sorry no pics yet... I'm having webhosting issues right now.

edit: Bleh, I'll just use my deviant art for now.

 

[zoukka]

Joke post? Seriously.

Chun Li has always been muscular. She's a martial artist, not some ghetto camel from a rap video. Classic Capcom art, not that Udung shit, always depicted her with nice toned legs. So I'm working from that tradition in my visual approach.

The pose is taken from a SF2 sprite that I had to rotate in my head. It took quite a bit of under drawing; but at the end of the day to match the pose sans any photo reference I just had to go with what I had.

On the face, I probably could have done a bit better; but I only had one evening after work to get this done from pencils to inks.

I'm hard pressed to take this critique seriously, unless palsied monkey drawing with a pencil that's insert in it's anus is a style you're shooting for. If you were Dough Mahnke or Oh! Great I'd give you a pass on the brutish critique style, but you've got a long way to go judging from what you've been putting forth here.

Oh man you just downplayed my opinion by my submissions in here? Nice job getting pissed off for nothing. But I definately saw it coming when you look at this thread and the "be nice" atmosphere going on. This is why people don't give decent feedback to each other in here. I wasn't being hostile or anything :/

(plus the works you linked were EXPRESSIVE in nature, as in not having anything to do with realism)

And I know how Chun Li looks and am pro monster legs on her. But like I said, those look just somehow too "manly"? Maybe they are too ripped? The size of the legs/muscles wasn't the problem I had with them. I'm pretty sure that's because of the reference material.



EDIT: Drew my crotch:

 

[soultron]

To put zoukka's original critique in a nicer way:

-> the lips on the face are the only thing really "wrong with it."
-> the perspective on the chest makes it look like the torso is maybe rotated 20* from the vertical, making the boobs look like they're flying/flopping upwards because of the strange shadows on them.
-> there is a major disconnect between the torso and pelvis if you look hard enough.

The legs look fine to me.

Solid work, otherwise. The border and SF4 "paint swoosh" are nice stylistic touches.

EDIT: I bow down to Ochrehand's AWESOME work. I wallpaper'd that shit instantly.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Yeah Im with zoukka here, his comments were good, no need to take them personally.

I personally think her thighs are ok but her right one bulges out too much for my taste. Also both her leg muscles are flexing the same way even though each leg is doing a separate movement, but that's me being nitpicky. As a last comment her left foot should be a bit bigger since its closer to us due to the foreshortening. Neat piece though

 

[soultron]

^word.

The detail on the boots is killer though. It sounds really dorky to like something so small, but the detail is appreciated.

 

[zoukka]

^word.

The detail on the boots is killer though. It sounds really dorky to like something so small, but the detail is appreciated.

Agree. And when some piece is thoroughly critisized it usually means it's good. Seldom do people do that on boring/average pieces.

I just noticed the camel toe (not sure if it's good or bad)

 

[Rorschach]

I still say that guy's leg is backwards.

 

[zoukka]

I still say that guy's leg is backwards.

I can always say it's not meant to be realistic :lol

But yeah majority of my friends think so too.

EDIT: It's only a few degrees though rom the original sprite:

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Joke post? Seriously.

Chun Li has always been muscular. She's a martial artist, not some ghetto camel from a rap video. Classic Capcom art, not that Udung shit, always depicted her with nice toned legs. So I'm working from that tradition in my visual approach.

The pose is taken from a SF2 sprite that I had to rotate in my head. It took quite a bit of under drawing; but at the end of the day to match the pose sans any photo reference I just had to go with what I had.

On the face, I probably could have done a bit better; but I only had one evening after work to get this done from pencils to inks.

I'm hard pressed to take this critique seriously, unless palsied monkey drawing with a pencil that's insert in it's anus is a style you're shooting for. If you were Dough Mahnke or Oh! Great I'd give you a pass on the brutish critique style, but you've got a long way to go judging from what you've been putting forth here.

there's a fine line between critque and criticism. Zoukka's comment was mostly critique except for the part where the face is ugly as hell. that's criticism.
as for my own critique. seems like you're trying to mimic an artstyle. not something you should be aiming for at this juncture. it does more damage than development especially when it comes to figure drawing. proportions and angles are a bit off in some spots

...then again, i haven't seen any of your work outside of this, so i don't have reference to critique against. btw, might want to stir clear of hard lines around lips.

edit: if your intention is to go for that style, i recommend picking up some of loomis' materials and study them.

 

[Rorschach]

I can always say it's not meant to be realistic :lol

But yeah majority of my friends think so too.

EDIT: It's only a few degrees though rom the original sprite:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1045/666066960_d43927b21d.jpg

Not a few... more like 20-30. Look at where your dude's knee and shin. Still, you're right, Sagat isn't exactly realistic either.

Now my taint hurts from looking at this too long...

 

[Zoso]

Alright I'll post some stuff from an intro drawing class I took last semester:

I also took a design class for the first time, but this was the only composition I made that I thought was somewhat decent:

Most recently I made this t-shirt with fabric paint in anticipation for the new Harry Potter movie midnight release. It was my first time making a t-shirt - I must say it was a rather enjoyable experience.

 

[zoukka]

I like the hand with the cloth image the most. Other drawings could use more contrast and they hover between accurate and wobbly linework, so choose one and ditch the other or something. And get yourself some inking equipment and ROCK THE FUCK OUT OF THOSE PAPERS!

 

[Zoso]

I like the hand with the cloth image the most. Other drawings could use more contrast and they hover between accurate and wobbly linework, so choose one and ditch the other or something. And get yourself some inking equipment and ROCK THE FUCK OUT OF THOSE PAPERS!

That's a constant problem whenever I use pencil. I think it looks alright until I stand back and realize that I'm not pushing the darks at all. I'll just keep practicing :lol

 

[zoukka]

That's a constant problem whenever I use pencil. I think it looks alright until I stand back and realize that I'm not pushing the darks at all. I'll just keep practicing :lol

Do that! And are you using an array of pencils? Softer ones give darker black. Also charcoal is something I think you would like.

And watercolours are awesome, cheap, quick and good for just shading something.

 

[SilentProtagonist]

more issues and better quality versions can be found at DA account:
http://silentprotag.deviantart.com/gallery/#World-At-Large

 

[Zoso]

Do that! And are you using an array of pencils? Softer ones give darker black. Also charcoal is something I think you would like.

And watercolours are awesome, cheap, quick and good for just shading something.

Yeah I've got a variety of pencils(from 4H to 6B), but I usually don't use them all. I've used charcoal a few times (hand with scarf is in charcoal pencil), but I dislike the messiness and the overall lack of control I feel when using the media. But really I just have to use it more to become more comfortable with it - I've only tried it a few times.

Never tried watercolors though. Something to think about next time I decide to art it up.

 

[Arcipello]

sketch i did today in photoshop.

 

[Herpes Reasons]

^^i recognize your style from somewhere else. who do you work for? or any published works?

 

[Arcipello]

^^i recognize your style from somewhere else. who do you work for? or any published works?

done stuff for Capcom and Activision although all that work is super polished.... theres a bunch of art on my DA www.arcipello.deviantart.com ....maybe your confusing me with someone else

 

[Herpes Reasons]

done stuff for Capcom and Activision although all that work is super polished.... theres a bunch of art on my DA www.arcipello.deviantart.com ....maybe your confusing me with someone else

yeah, i've seen your works before. can't say where though. maybe conceptarg.org or cgtalk.

 

[StormyTheRabbit]

I...wish...I...could draw.

 

[soultron]

I...wish...I...could draw.

I used to draw and this thread makes me legitimately sad, mostly since I ditched art to become an engineering student. I still have my tablet, but I'm so out of practise now and don't really know where to start. (Tips on where to start for someone who knows how-ish to draw, but wants to develop a solid hobbyist foundation? Program and book recommendations appreciated.)

This sounds so fucking terrible, but I was skipping through Howl's Moving Castle today and I actually choked up because I wanted to be an illustrator/animator for the longest fucking time.

Spoiler

In before "did u cry becuz Howls Moving Castel suked? cuz it did, u looser."

 

[Herpes Reasons]

I used to draw and this thread makes me legitimately sad, mostly since I ditched art to become an engineering student. I still have my tablet, but I'm so out of practise now and don't really know where to start. (Tips on where to start for someone who knows how-ish to draw, but wants to develop a solid hobbyist foundation? Program and book recommendations appreciated.)

depends on what direction you wanna head to. im assuming you'd like to be in professional level illustrator or animator?
for that you must have a strong observational skill. drawing exactly what you see. that means tons and tons of sketch books filled with life drawing. from objects, scenes and people.
from there you can start building your skillset by studying value, color theory, perspective. And in line towards animation, good understanding of the figure, motion, facial and body expressions, etc.
for foundation drawing check out books by loomis, vilppu, and barbara bradley.

 

[soultron]

depends on what direction you wanna head to. im assuming you'd like to be in professional level illustrator or animator?
for that you must have a strong observational skill. drawing exactly what you see. that means tons and tons of sketch books filled with life drawing. from objects, scenes and people.
from there you can start building your skillset by studying value, color theory, perspective. And in line towards animation, good understanding of the figure, motion, facial and body expressions, etc.
for foundation drawing check out books by loomis, vilppu, and barbara bradley.

Thanks for the awesome advice and recommendations.

I just dug past my old sketchbooks and pencils and found I have two books I've never actually opened.

Angela Gair's How To Draw Anything -- A Complete Guide (1997)
It covers landscapes, animals, people, and still life/interiors, wrapping up in ~160 pages. It's a nice book, but from looking through it, it seems pretty basic. I'll have to read it before bed tonight to decide if it's worth working through.

Barrington Barber's The Fundamentals of Drawing Still Life -- A Practical and Inspirational Course (2004)
Weighing in at around 200 pages, it deals with composition, texture, technique and arrangement. This looks like what I'm looking for since I'd like a meaty book to dive into, rather than a brief 20 pages.

I'll definitely have to write down and grab a few of those books next time I'm in Chapters though. Many thanks, once again. Looking forward to starting up again.

 

[TONX]

just coming in here to say i love this thread.

 

[Zoso]

Arcipello, that's freaking beautiful O_O

 

[my name is ed]

Just showing my support for Zoukka's critiquing. Although I always feel bad when someone points out the inconsistencies and mistakes in my work, it does me no good when I get praise. I rather get criticized so I can get better than patted on the back.

 

[skyfinch]

sketch i did today in photoshop.

Wow, amazing.

 

[zoukka]

That new sketch is pretty nice Arcipello! I would just ditch the bike-guys, because I get distracted by them and start thinking about what the guys are doing. also why would he ride a bike on that narrow bridge of death

The composition is really good as expected. The colour on the young characters coat is sopt on.


EDIT: Oh and Soultron. If you aim at animation, then don't put all your time in studying little details, shading and landscaping. Quick croquis are really important and you'll need to focus on the natural movement and placement of the limbs. Also expressing emotion through movement is important.

Drawing comics could help too.

 

[Arcipello]

That new sketch is pretty nice Arcipello! I would just ditch the bike-guys, because I get distracted by them and start thinking about what the guys are doing. also why would he ride a bike on that narrow bridge of death

The composition is really good as expected. The colour on the young characters coat is spot on.

yeah i think the image would gain more mistique with only the two figures.... the one in the yellow coat i added last.... so the guy with the bike was working fine at the time... hmm, something to think about

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Oh man you just downplayed my opinion by my submissions in here? Nice job getting pissed off for nothing. But I definately saw it coming when you look at this thread and the "be nice" atmosphere going on. This is why people don't give decent feedback to each other in here. I wasn't being hostile or anything :/

You're being boorish, not giving "decent feedback". Learn to articulate yourself in text without being boorish and you'll be less prone to butting heads with strangers.

Or be a paid professional who has companies come to him / her for jobs, then you can offer half assed critiques (oh wait, you're calling it "your opinion") like you're Alex Toth.

Really, I'm a rascal and joker elsewhere on nGAF; but when I come in here I very much adhere to the old adage - "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."

I'm pretty sure that's because of the reference material.

I only use reference for anatomical reference. I don't draw from it verbatim like say - Greg Land.

There's a lot imagination and internal visualization involved when I draw, because that's what makes exciting comic illustration.

To put zoukka's original critique in a nicer way:

-> the lips on the face are the only thing really "wrong with it."
-> the perspective on the chest makes it look like the torso is maybe rotated 20* from the vertical, making the boobs look like they're flying/flopping upwards because of the strange shadows on them.
-> there is a major disconnect between the torso and pelvis if you look hard enough.

I appreciate it, but zoukka needs to learn to express himself without appearing insulting, not have people filter it through a moron-to-polite-English filter for him.

The border and SF4 "paint swoosh" are nice stylistic touches.

WHAT?!

*bangs head into doorjamb....*

Really, nothing to do with SFEX4 and more to do with traditional cartooning focus lines. Not to mention it helps fill the empty space since I didn't have time to add in a background.

Yeah Im with zoukka here, his comments were good, no need to take them personally.

He expresses himself poorly. If I don't know you from Adam, then you should tread lightly.

I personally think her thighs are ok but her right one bulges out too much for my taste. Also both her leg muscles are flexing the same way even though each leg is doing a separate movement, but that's me being nitpicky. As a last comment her left foot should be a bit bigger since its closer to us due to the foreshortening.

I searched high and low for an IFBB figure competitor in a similar pose to get more accurate reference; but couldn't find anything in time (a couple hours of googling). Also Hogarth's anatomy reference doesn't really include a clean view of the inner thigh anatomy from these angles; so I had to do a lot of math on this in my head.

I've also been very paranoid about my legs for a while now since I fudged the legs on an earlier piece and caught hell for it. So I was on edge through the whole process.

as for my own critique. seems like you're trying to mimic an artstyle. not something you should be aiming for at this juncture. it does more damage than development especially when it comes to figure drawing. proportions and angles are a bit off in some spots

Mimic "a style"?

No.

This is how I draw. I'm actually kind of insulted by that implication. The day you can look at something I put down on a page and say, "Hey that looks like (Insert Artist)", is the day I need to catch a bullet.

If I were mimicking a style, I'd probably trace someone popular like Mike Mignola, Art Adams, or Jim Lee. Trust me, I've hung around enough cartooning sites to see the effects that has.

Read: Trace popular style = get free verbal fellatio / accolades.

Fuck, that's even the fastest way to get your foot in the door of the funnybook industry.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the Picasso quote; but that's just not my schtick.

btw, might want to stir clear of hard lines around lips.

Lips are tough. I generally insist women have lips when I draw them. Without them they look odd. Since this is a straight B&W piece my options for expressing lips are limited. I can't pull the popular comic stunt, laying down a lot of half assed line work, then have a colorist come in a add my lips.

The problem here is I was working with a Copic SP Brush pen and Sakura Multiliner .005 for the fine detail. Not the most flexible tools I have at my disposal. I would have used my W&N brush; but as I've stated earlier - I was doing this all in a nights work. I didn't have the luxury of time to spend with ultra fine detail, and babying India ink while it dries.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Done in a few hours. I get the best I can manage given the parameters I'm working with.

edit: if your intention is to go for that style, i recommend picking up some of loomis' materials and study them.

Let me know when they reprint unedited Loomis books I can put on my reference shelf and I'll buy them. In the meantime, Loomis is lost to the ages. Yes, I'm aware of saveloomis, etc. Unfortunately that's not a convenient solution.

They need to put his stuff back into print.

 

[wagon]

I don't post much but I just want to say: Take Out Bandit your ego is getting in the way of your improvement as an artist.

Your post there reads like a laundry list of excuses -- Hogarth doesnt have enough poses in his book, Loomis is out of print, successful artists trace, etc.

The time it took you to quote all those people and reply, you could have been drawing.

 

[Concept17]

I...wish...I...could draw.

You can. Anyone can. If its something you truly desire to do, you need only to practice, and practice a lot.


My latest character for my portfolio, not using references of any kind:

Almost done painting him.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

I don't post much but I just want to say: Take Out Bandit your ego is getting in the way of your improvement as an artist.

Your post there reads like a laundry list of excuses -- Hogarth doesnt have enough poses in his book, Loomis is out of print, successful artists trace, etc.

The time it took you to quote all those people and reply, you could have been drawing.

You know what gets in the way of me drawing?

My day job.

I do the best I can with what I have available to me.

I can take an honest critique from a pro. I've done it. I've had my balls busted and given no excuses.

The problem here is Zoukka comes across like the doctor in Idiocracy:

[Laughs] Right, kick ass. Well, don't want to sound like a dick or nothin', but, ah... it says on your chart that you're fucked up. Ah, you talk like a fag, and your shit's all retarded. What I'd do, is just like... like... you know, like, you know what I mean, like...

To be perfectly honest; I know that if I lost my day job tomorrow - I wouldn't be able to put food on my table with my drawing skills.

It's got nothing to do with ego.

 

[zoukka]

You're being boorish, not giving "decent feedback". Learn to articulate yourself in text without being boorish and you'll be less prone to butting heads with strangers.

Really, I'm a rascal and joker elsewhere on nGAF; but when I come in here I very much adhere to the old adage - "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."

Eh you call me boorish and then your first reply to my message was covered in saliva and indirectly laughing at my submissions with zero text to back it up.

Or be a paid professional who has companies come to him / her for jobs, then you can offer half assed critiques (oh wait, you're calling it "your opinion") like you're Alex Toth.

I'm so sorry my master. I'll work hard, rise to the lowest levels of your ivory tower and one day I will be worthy to comment on your work. Which is craved by companies!




EDIT: Concept17, your assassin looks pretty nice. If you want to take it to the next level, I'd say you need to think the outfit and weapons more "practically". I'd like to see it in colours naturally.

 

[Dali]

Eh you call me boorish and then your first reply to my message was covered in saliva and indirectly laughing at my submissions with zero text to back it up.





I'm so sorry my master. I'll work hard, rise to the lowest levels of your ivory tower and one day I will be worthy to comment on your work. Which is craved by companies!




EDIT: Concept17, your assassin looks pretty nice. If you want to take it to the next level, I'd say you need to think the outfit and weapons more "practically". I'd like to see it in colours naturally.

Practicality is boring. A sword the that's as tall as the person holding it and likely too heavy to be swung isn't very practical. Neither is a gun blade.

 

[zoukka]

Practicality is boring. A sword the that's as tall as the person holding it and likely too heavy to be swung isn't very practical. Neither is a gun blade.

It depends. That character gave me "Altair" vibes and his weaponry is "practical". But I know that I have no idea what the artist is after with this character.

 

[soultron]

TOB: Whenever I used to draw -- male or female -- I'd always use shadow to define my lips. I found it was much easier to actually give the lips unique "poses" just by controlling the amount of shadowing used. Just my amateur tip!

 

[Concept17]

EDIT: Concept17, your assassin looks pretty nice. If you want to take it to the next level, I'd say you need to think the outfit and weapons more "practically". I'd like to see it in colours naturally.

Thanks. I'm not sure I understand it needing to be more 'practical'. Can you elaborate?

And yeah, almost done painting him.

 

[wagon]

You know what gets in the way of me drawing?

My day job.

I do the best I can with what I have available to me.

I can take an honest critique from a pro. I've done it. I've had my balls busted and given no excuses.

sorry for trying to help, have fun with your day job.

 

[zoukka]

Thanks. I'm not sure I understand it needing to be more 'practical'. Can you elaborate?

And yeah, almost done painting him.

Well nitpicking like the hat that is just in the way and the wristblade that cannot be pulled in for stealth. And something just makes me want to see the second blade curved. I guess it would be easier to slip it through armor and clothing :b

 

[sammy]

There's a lot of storytelling and soul in this style, and general awesomeness. You should create an animatic, I'm really curious about the universe you have worked up here

 

[DM_Uselink]

I come back and some great work (as well as controversy) is being posted. I hope we can keep it civil since I don't want this thread locked. As long as people keep posting their work here, I'll be a happy camper.

Now to post some art.
This drawing was done by KidGalactus, he asked me to collaborate with him by doing the colors. Here is the result: