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The new guy wants brutal criticism. (NSFdialup)
LesterDM
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hiya,
I've been lurking for years, even posted a painted drawing awhile ago. I have honed my skills and learned some new techniques with the software I use and have developed a style that I believe is relatively unique.
you be the judge. and be mean, as you usually are. Here are a few examples of my work:
I've been lurking for years, even posted a painted drawing awhile ago. I have honed my skills and learned some new techniques with the software I use and have developed a style that I believe is relatively unique.
you be the judge. and be mean, as you usually are. Here are a few examples of my work:
LesterDM on
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Posts
That said, there's some basic line quality issues in a few of these. The left arm on the first woman is all kinds of messed up. The hand doesn't read well at all and the simplification of the muscle on the inside of the elbow looks off.
There's some similar issues with the hands, most notably the fingers, on the third picture, and the detail on the shirt collar of the last one is pretty scribble-y.
Being able to trace vector lines is no substitute for learning how to draw proper lines. My advice is go get a brush and some ink and learn how to actually draw in the style that you are hoping Illustrator/Flash will do for you.
In this case it seems like you're going for a pop-art sort of thing, in which case check out the work of Lichtenstein and Warhol.
Keep at it and good luck.
I am familiar with the works of Lichtenstein and Warhol. Can anyone provide any references to others that do similar work?
All of my work is either 100% digital or a pencil drawing scanned and up, then painted. I use a Wacom tablet for the majority of the work and rarely ever use any filters.
Any suggestions on how to get my lines to look better using a tablet. I have many different styles of nibs for my pen, and have tried them all. I started this type of stuff late last November and have been practicing over and again with different brush settings and keeping a steady hand. I did a lot of drawing when I was in highschool 20 years ago, but only recently started drawing again about 2 years ago.
I have a ton of reference material, and have been copying other peoples work over and over which has allowed me to retain poses and shapes for creating original work.
Again, I appreciate the input, and find that while the attitude some of you have is somewhat condescending, there always seems to be some sort of encouragement as well. Thanks.
My graphic design instructor told me a few years ago, if it looks good, it is good... if it looks right, you did it right,
A "reference" photo is found, and this photo is literally traced and "filled" through the use of a vector program, like Illustrator. The end result looks like the above, in one way or another.
I don't really think any of us are being condescending - we're only answering your "question" honestly.
And if these aren't traced photographs, what we're telling you is that that is what they looked like, and that style (your end result) is not unique at all, but instead, rather common. Just letting you know that if you're looking for a unique style, you may want to try a few more things out, and experiment.
This guy does some very unique (at least to me) vector art.
http://limkis.deviantart.com/
I'd suggest looking up a bunch of vector artists, and checking out what they do. Be inspired rather than copying their style, and experiment on your own a bit...practice, develop...and you can have your own style that really is unique. Just takes time to develop, usually.
Draw draw draw.
actually no..you want to build up all aspects at the same time.
Haha, yeah - well she is rather flat chested, I just drew what I saw. All the responses are exactly what I asked for, not complaining about that. Just observing. I have to provide criticism to my employees in a constructive manner to get the results I need... so I appreciate the brutal honesty.
The link to the Vector artist.. thank you! Wow that stuff is amazingly detailed, gives me something to aspire to.
I think he the one that's bending over to reveal that her breasts are one large mass.
Do you mind posting the reference?
That's either:
A. a horrible approach for a teacher to take
or
B. Taken, or remembered, out of context
I think its more, "If it looks good, you're not looking at it hard enough. If it looks right, you probably don't know what 'right' is.
Also, upload or link to your reference photos.
Since you are working very flatly ( i.e. no shadows) your color choice, silhouette and line weights are most important. For the first image, line weight is actually quite good but the shapes you've chose are boring. Exaggerate and express yourself more, put some nicer curls and curves. Instead of doing a one to one copy of your reference, add some style and design the shapes to have more character and definition. In short, spend some more time with the shapes pushing and pulling. This flows into good silhouette design where mass and form are indicated in a flat illustration.
The key features that help you define 3D on the face are the brow and chin. Push those corners so that they read. Observation: observe the muscles and arms, and take note of the basic geometry. Ask yourself what defines the 3 dimensional aspect of this form.
Color: Color is very important. I suggest reading up on Color harmonies and playing around with colors more. Illustrator makes it really easy to mess with color. Right now everything is atrocious, with dull skin tones and garish neons for clothing.
design tips:
Tangents: The way two lines meet help define form. 3 lines meeting at a same point is flat because you can't tell which form is on top. Look at a "Y". It looks like the shapes are right next to each other. The worst element is the X. A flat cross that destroys any dimension in your image. The same can be said for ramming one shape right up next to another. Don't cut off your forms. Make one form on top of the other.
Decision making is important when designing. You gotta have guts and be willing to push things. Don't be afraid of integrating type and experimenting with background graphics.
edit: And how do you know what good or right is? It is only through the critique of your peers that you can grow beyond yourself. Therefore it depends on what looks good to who.
artistjeffc.tumblr.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/artistjeffc
I was gonna say something about this, but decided against it since it wasn't relevant to the post. But since you've brought it up I'll chime in as well. Graphic Design isn't created in a void, it's made for a specific purpose. How it looks is important, but also how it relates to the purpose it was created for. Grunge fonts look good, but maybe not the best type face for a delicate ballet poster, things have to work within a certain context.
The same goes for these vector drawings; one could argue that they look good... but good in relation to what context... An artist must be versitile, he should be able to work with any style and adapt to any situations. Which is why I think it's a horrible mistake for you to box yourself in to this "style". Learn basics first, then work from that.
I'll start with this photo as it's desaturated and the shading and highlighting in color will be more of a challenge.
any tips>
To reference a photo is to use it as a base in what ever you are creating, something solid to be inspired, or guided by, not something to directly take from. Personally, I find its even okay to use a photo to create a skeleton, but to each their own.
?
Thanks?
Okay..
Thanks for the input. Point is, vector tracing isn't art.. this I know from the many posts from others claiming to be artists.
Tracing implies to me that someone were to draw lines on top of a photo. That doesn't occur with my work. I do like the fact that some of you have added some ways to improve my 'art' I'll be back with a post in a month or two. I am not so happy to see that what I have done resembles 'non-art'
So, that being said... I will continue to draw what I enjoy and look for ways to improve my lines without the use of any software. Until then i will enjoy creating caricatures for my friends and family, and get what little praise I can from them. The problem there, they are untrained, inexperienced and cannot offer any kind of criticism (constructive or otherwise).
Enjoy your day, no matter who tries to ruin it for you!!
people here deliver crits, which is what you asked for and tend to not butter them up first
no one was attacking you personally, you wanted input, it was given... you take it for what it is
if you really want to improve i'd say the first step is to separate yourself from your work when putting it up for public scrutiny. people not liking your work or criticizing it has nothing to do with you as a person and shouldn't ruin your day, it should make you think about it from another perspective and think about what you can do to make it better.
I think people want you to succeed, but you did ask for it.
what were you honestly expecting?
asspats clearly. yes is the new no.
Who among you can say honestly, that when you produce a work of art that you are proud of, you do not want others to see it and say OOOOH! that's cool!! ? That's the praise I am talking about - a warm fuzzy in my tummy. No i don't do it for praise, I do it because i enjoy it, and I enjoy seeing the enjoyment the subject of my drawings get out of it.
I wasn't implying anyone was trying to ruin anyone's day... It is a common phrase I use at the close of informal email. I would be offended at the insinuation that I am thin skinned, but it's tough to offend me.
Again, I asked for the criticism, I appreciate the criticism... sarcastic, genuine, condescending or straightforward. It's all a learning experience. I have read the scathing remarks many of you have left on others posts, and would not have bothered if I weren't prepared and willing to accept a barrage of possibly passive aggressive yet educated insults.
Question: Is it considered cheating to draw (pencil and paper) a picture with a reference of someone elses work? I find that drawing/emulating/plagiarizing others work is good practice to lead up to more and more original art. I used to spend all day on the phone, and draw draw draw based on photos and artwork from others. I was wondering if that might be recieved in a similar light as my post previous.
artistjeffc.tumblr.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/artistjeffc
That last line totally contradicts itself. You'd be offended if somebody told you you weren't thick-skinned, when you consider yourself to be? I dunno, in my mind, if you're thick-skinned, that comment easily would NOT offend you.
And not trying to start an argument with you or anything.....but while hearing people say "wow/nice/awesome/cool/etc" may be nice, it doesn't help me learn. I am honestly more interested in getting better, than having people praise me. Praise doesn't get me anywhere.
The ONE and ONLY case where I'd enjoy praise is if somebody in the industry, or somebody whose work I admire says "wow" or "that's really good" or something....and even then, the reason I like the praise is NOT to feel "warm and fuzzy inside", but having them say that means I'm on the right track, and I'm doing good work that they can recognize as good work...and that's waaaaay more important to me than just impressing them for the sake of impressing them. The warm fuzzies are quite secondary to being told that I'm doing what I should be doing (to improve). If I've worked hard on something, and I'm very proud of it.....but there's a major issue in it that I'm not seeing, I would MUCH rather have somebody tell me "you need to fix this" than ignore it and say "wow, that's really good!".
Or use it in your portfolio, or try to sell it, yeah.
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oh.... wait
But anyhow let's see what you come up with next.
artistjeffc.tumblr.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/artistjeffc
it helped me develop my own style
everyone does it whether consciously or not
so don't feel bad about it or whatever, just like everyone else said, don't blatantly copy something, post it and claim it as your own. that's kinda bad, but yeah, draw whatever you want, emulate others, it's a good learning experience...i think it is anyways, other people will probably argue the point, but i personally learned that way so i can't knock it!
See, this is why italics are important.
I can see that now, but the way it was written originally probably wasn't the best way to put the thought into words.
In any case.
But seriously though, praise has been an important part of my developement. I used to go home everyday after school and show my father everything I did and he was always really motivating because he was proud of it. When he died I almost got completely off track and nearly stopped drawing entirely. I don't think there is anything wrong with finding motivation like that, we each have our own drive.
Also yeah, more tracing. I don't think you are a bad person for tracing, just misguided. And in time you may develope into a great artist, but you will have to stop tracing before that ever happens. Vector work can be cool, even through tracing, but don't be surprised when people around here are not impressed by it. Many of us, including myself, have done it in the past and it is not a difficult endeavor, and chances are you feel dirty doing it. I know I did.
Alright, no more derailin' for me.
Grids for drawing or grids for designing?