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Scumdogg's Art Thread: Could use some constructive criticism
Scumdogg
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So for a long time i've been an artist that doesn't really draw much, but i've found new motivation via this forum, the creature design thread, and a few other specific artist threads. So i thought i'd use this increase in motivation, throw down an art thread, and hope that having some input and suggestions (or at least just a place to put some stuff) keeps me from getting all slacky again.
Here's a piece i just finished up inking, and it's pretty much in coloring limbo while i decide whether i like markers or colored pencils for it.
And here's something i was gonna turn into a minicomic (read: in print, even), but i'm not really sure where i'd go with it. It's about the Hall of Presidents Abe Lincoln becoming sentient and rampaging through time and space. Because he can also time-travel. Yeah, like i said, i don't know where i was going with it. I'm still fond of the design though.
Here's a piece i just finished up inking, and it's pretty much in coloring limbo while i decide whether i like markers or colored pencils for it.
And here's something i was gonna turn into a minicomic (read: in print, even), but i'm not really sure where i'd go with it. It's about the Hall of Presidents Abe Lincoln becoming sentient and rampaging through time and space. Because he can also time-travel. Yeah, like i said, i don't know where i was going with it. I'm still fond of the design though.
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The troll's stance makes him look a little unbalanced. His feet are forward while his weight seems to be pressed back.
Be more careful with your cropping, though. Leave some breathing room.
That's probably the best President themed idea I've ever heard.
That's to counterbalance the gun. Thing's gotta weigh nearly as much as he does.
Self-portraits seem to be popular in this type of thread. Here's mine, done in Sharpie and then just darkened to make it look like i used something fancier.
Thanks.
More drawing action....this one was fun to color.
I suck at the Photoshop, for now i'm blaming that fact on my lack of a tablet. After i get a tablet, i'm going to blame it on being "Too old to learn this shit". I did preserve the clean lineart in anticipation of tackling it when i get said tablet though.
In the meantime, Shark Mouth:
Again, i'm open to suggestions here...don't tell me he can't get any furrier, because i know damn well he can.
I'm hoping to put a couple of said building designs up here for critique soon, but in the meantime, an epic battle:
Any particular reason? Anti-Lincoln, Anti-Robot, or just think the two should stay on their own sides of the room?
i have no idea, the drawing looks o.k. from a technical point though.
This needs to be a tshirt. GO!
Thanks, i thought the exact same thing.
If anyone has such information, please to be letting me know. I have tried the store-bought printer iron-on method, and they are terrible beyond belief.
Hey guys. You may remember me from the middle of the Creature Design Thread, and i guess very little else.
Anyway! I've been getting a pretty decent amount of commission work lately in the form of fanart, of all things. Mostly related to the M.U.S.C.L.E. and Battle Beast toylines of the mid-80's. Basically all the critiquing i get on them is from people in love with the toys and characters themselves. I've been lurking around here again in an attempt to get some of your collected awesome to rub off on me, but i thought it might be better to just throw some stuff up for some serious critiquing. I'm pretty happy with where my stuff is right now, but i also have a strong desire to continue to get better. So i'm just going to post a ton of drawings right here (apologies for the similar themes on many of them), and you guys can tell me what i need to be doing better.
For reference, the age of these drawings is more or less sequential, but reversed. Newest stuff at the top, older at the bottom. But it's all been done over the space of the last couple months.
Guess maybe i need to start posting more again rather than just lurking the hell out of this place.
You have a great artistic sense and its clear you know what youre doing ...
Only things thats bothersome is that the stances and postions of the characters are just like the toys in that they are stiff and uninteresting ...
If you could take these characters and put them into action stances anddisplay movement like they were real warriors caught in the middle of a battler or standing over a foe after a hard fought victory then there would be a more dramatic element to the drawings ...
Without using photoshop or some other color program your colors are pretty good although tossing in more severe shades would make the dimensions and contours of the faces and armor stand out more ...
Other then that I like what Im seeing ... if you drew a comic Id read it because i like your linework
Even when i'm trying to go actiony though, my poses have a tendency to stiffen up for some reason as they near completion. That one with the gator slashing the lion's eye out looked a lot more dynamic in the pencil stage, for some reason...i need to look into how to fix that.
When you suggest more severe shades, do you mean in the overall color palette, or use more noticeable shadow/highlight effects? I guess it's tough for me to want to be all risky when shading, since i work all by hand and markers are freaking expensive. I tend to just stick to the safe route that i know *won't* ruin a drawing and waste supplies. But i will work on that.
for more dramatic shading you use more tones to ease the transition because if you just use 3 its easy to see the transition from light to dark ...
that said it still creates a more dynamic picture ...
i also primarily use Berol Prisma Color Markers and color pencils ... i like photoshop but i prefer haveing "original" pieces of artwork and i just enjoy the physical labor more ... although you are right that it means taking chances on finished art and can be expensive
i dont know what markers you use but if they are prismacolor markers heres an idea of what i mean by shading ...
you can buy greys in shades like white 10% 20% 30% 40% etc to 90% and black
So if you shade with say 30% as your light area and use 50% for mid range you can use 70% for the dark shading ...
thats the basic idea
hope that helps
But I have been experimenting with overlaying colors with like a 20% gray, or another fairly unobtrusive color like brick beige or goldenrod to get some cool looking shadows. It's working out fairly well so far.
Also i kinda like to just shade with colored pencils over the marker sometime. I know that's like some sort of art school blasphemy, but it gets the job done, and the pencils last a hell of a lot longer than the markers.
Markers themselves are an art school blasphemy.
My only real complaint about all of these is that they're largely some dude standing in space. Even the poses in most are identical. Why not put them in some kind of context? Having them fighting each other or something gives you more opportunites to play with the composition and stretch yourself. It feels as if you're not challenging yourself.