Something offbeat

jwideman

NakedZergling

OK, lets give this a crack.
1) what are you looking for here? Thoughts on the idea? The composition? the art?
2) is this for fun? for a project?

I hesitate to call this art...maybe that sounds snobby, but i feel like anyone could do this. That being said, weak art can be forgiven in many case (sometimes be charming even) if the content/idea is good. Unfortunately i feel thats as week as the art. I get the idea that that the apple was eaten which is normal for us, but in a world of apples would be a gruesome sight...but that idea is so simple it would need some awesome art to sell it.
It's also someones birthday...does that reference someone you know...that maybe this picture if for like a card or something...or is the banner part of the apples world. Maybe some surprise party resulting in apple homicide while the lights are out?

if you're someone looking for serious input for becoming a better artist, lets see some basic sketches. I'm not trying to dash any dreams, but this doesn't really give us much to go on artwise, as it's really just using basics of a program, and there's no real application of art here.

If you're just trolling, then you can suck my silly goose.

jwideman

Why do you feel it's weak? Because it wasn't drawn by hand?

Grifter

I think there are a number of things that make this picture a bit unappealing. The background appears to be a pretty bad looking texture. The highlights and shadows aren't very well done. The composition of the piece isn't very interesting. If there is a joke here then it's probably going over my head and I suspect that I'm not alone.

Using those default textures rarely looks good. You're probably going to avoid things like the brick wall. Try not to use the default Photoshop grass brush too.
Try to make your shadows actually make sense. We have some tutorials and such regarding the subject in our questions, discussion, tutorials thread that is near the top of this forum. I think you'll find them helpful in displaying a better highlight on an apple. Then tend to be a bit shinier than what you've portrayed.

Just keep practising, mate.

Prospicience

Same things grifter mentioned, but also don't just use the outline effect your objects. Draw them by hand and work on varying line widths with different brushes and whatnot. It may also be a good idea to practice more with some traditional art to level your skills up a bit more.

jwideman

Hmmm... and how about this?

Grifter

Try using some source material.

jwideman

Mmmm... apple source.

Grifter

All source photos are not created equally.

Mayday

Some key differences between your version and the source which I think would make for a better piece if corrected:
-yours is much darker and shaded haphazardly, with no respect for the original form
-take note of the specular dots, which give it the appearance of being wet
-the texture in the upper part is once again quite inadequate

Also, tracing is strongly discouraged. Your wasting an opportunity to practice your eye.

jwideman

Interesting observations, folks. Thanks. Very enlightening.

NakedZergling

so did you actually draw the apple or just trace the pic? You're not really making art here bro..you're just using tricks and methods ANYONE can learn in 20 minutes.
And yes i think its weak because it's not drawn by hand.
Apple warm ups are really fun, and can turn out amazingly beautiful. What you did won't really teach you anything.