Ramen Art Attack (NSFW)

Ramenzilla

Hey dudes,

I've been lurking around this forum for a while now, and I figured I'd start my own thread...

Some background: I pretty much grew up drawing in a cartoony style, first it started with me drawing characters from the classic 2d animated movies (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid anyone?), then I discovered anime and it was all over. Over the past few years, I've gradually lost my connection to anime. Not to say that I don't appreciate it as an art form and the impact it's had on my style/art, but I've been working to sort of make my drawings more realistic. I think I'll always have a twinge of anime in my art, which I'm *for the lack of a better word* proud of (or happy with), but I don't want to be boxed as just an "anime artist". I've been increasingly more satisfied with the change in my style as of late, and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with it...but I still have some work to do.

Anyway, I think my biggest challenge has always been, and will most likely always be, coloring. I enjoy the prospect of finished colored piece, but actually doing it is another thing. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and that I lack the direction, skill, and vision to produce a finished piece of "art". (Harsh man, but true) It's all overwhelming!

I'm one of those people who, unfortunately, obsessively over renders pictures, I'm pretty on the OCD side so it's hard to for me to "let things be" (but I still feel like I don't have the technique down to just scribble down strokes of genius).

I guess the point of this thread is that I'm looking for honest feedback/critiques in general. I personally worry more about coloring so any direction I can get in that regard would be much appreciated, but I'm open to any/all feedback. I could use it all, mayne.

So here's some of my stuff:


My rendition of Snow White.




Queen of Diamonds (sort of)


Darkstalker's Morrigan

NSFW

A soldier dude concept. Guns? Obviously not my thing, lol. YIKES

and some (more blatant) animu:

Iruka

Your coloring really isn't bad, Its a little muddy in places, mostly on that first work. What constitutes "good" coloring is really, very subjective. You can get away with colors in places that make no sense with experimentation.

If you want to try and get extreme realism with color, probably the most accurate way is in real life and real paints and doing still lives/life drawing/master copies. Digital color calibration is sorta difficult (but not impossible) If you just want to have more control over your colors, I would say just play with them, try taking notes of palettes you like paintings you see, and not just the colors present but where the colors are. There are Online tools that can help you as well. In general I think you can approach colors with a very loose and experimental mindset, especially if you already have some understanding of light.

Anyways, I really like these! I think my biggest thing is that your girls have sort of dead eyes. Other than Morrigan and the girl with the wolf, they dont really have expressions, and they sort of seem like they aren't looking at anything.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

Images still load in spoiler tags.

I rather like most of these. I'd like my artwork to tow this same line between anime and more western illustration.

Ramenzilla

Thanks Iruka, that's all great advice, and that online tool looks really helpful too. I'll definitely have to keep everything you said about color theory, light, and expression in mind. The still life idea sounds like a solid exercise too. Now I just gotta do the work, right?

and thanks Dirty*Dirty*Vagrant!