I are coloring!

MagicToaster

I've been trying to kick my illustrations skills up a bit because most jobs I've had always try to get me to draw something for them. Not that I mind sitting on my computer drawing all day, but this is not my strongest point... I have a looooong way to go.

Any suggestions as to how to improve these compositons? Basically they are for a campaign that show you how to deal with hypertention.









I'll be throwing down some color after my lunch break.

The Wretched

I think I love you.

...you know, in that hetero guy kinda way.

Malesherbez

Everything looks really great, but there are little things that seem to say that most of this work is built on style rather than understanding of form.
The main thing for me that gives it away is the hands, some hands look good (obese woman), while some hands look good but awkwardly fit their scene (all your identical pamphlet/paper holding hands - especially on the youngest girl), and some just don't look good (your hands holding bottles/burgers).
To me this says that you know how to copy a stylistic and good looking hand position but you don't know how to move the hand around yourself and render it.
That and small things like the drinking mans awkward grabbing arm and a weirdly positioned neck on the background yelling man detracts from otherwise good looking work. But I think it's those little details that seperates good from great work, know what I mean?
I think you're fine composition-wise, though the perspective sometimes seems weird.
uf I was a bit long winded but I hope that helps you

Vargas Prime

My crits are small issues with each one. Nothing terrible. Overall, I think they are pretty well executed.

1st drawing: I'd position the dude's hand closer to his mouth, maybe. That far away it looks more like he's talking to his burger than getting ready to take a monster bite out of it.

Also, the way the woman's left arm (HER left) overlaps the table makes her feel off-balance, I think.

2nd: The positioning of the woman in the back, and the fact that she's drawn a little smaller than the guy on the left, makes her look further back and really tall. She should probably be down and to the right a bit.

3rd: Not sure, but it looks like the woman on the left and the girl in the middle are sleeping, rather than reading. And the hands on the books look a little too close together for the size of the books they're holding. It might be easier to just shrink the books to fix that, though.

4th: His head is a bit large, and his forearms are really long. I'd work on that, and maybe lose the glass. The bottles make it seem like he's drinking beer (although the one in his hand seems larger, like a liquor bottle). If they are supposed to be liquor bottles, they should all be bigger, or you should just lose the other two, since one full bottle of hard liquor is probably enough. The composition as a whole is very right-leaning, so I might trail some of the smoke from his ciggy back behind his head to help even it out. Just my opinion.

Hope these help. Take 'em as you will. I'd like to see them move along, so post 'em up as you finish them.

PeterAndCompany

I love these, dude. :^: Don't ever stop drawing.

The third one looks like a young pre-battle Pennywise and her evil older uptight step-mansisters.

Ravenshadow

you might want to fix the perspective on the fat ladies table in the first one. It shouldn't be in complete profile like that.

Also in the second the co-workers faces are a little wierd looking. the guy in the backs features are aligned to far to our left. Nothing really big though, it's pretty good.

My main gripe with the second one is that there are too many scrunched up distracting lines around the nose. I know you're trying to scrunch his nose up, but I think it would fit with your style better if you just used a line or two instead.

the last two I like the best. the last one looks like Sonics battle character in his thirties.

benz0rs

The 1st one. There needs to be more distance from the woman and her table because it looks like that's a stick stable since she's in the front and yet she's able to morph around the whole table all the way to the front. And for generic looks, i think 2 shakers are good (salt and pepper).

The 2nd one, the stack of papers on the guy's table on the right side (our right) should probably be straight since it looks kinda awkward tilting like that on his desk. Or maybe just tilt it less?

The 3rdone, I think it'd be better if you drew the words rather than use a font cuz it seems out of place. and the composition on that one looks kinda off. Try putting the sign in the middle or adding another sign?

For the 4th one, the other 2 bottles get smaller via distance but then I think it's too much distance (as in they get too much smaller) because they're supposed to be the same size...

And yeah, 3 bottles of liquor is a lot.

p.s "hypertension"

MagicToaster

Wretched - I rabu you, too.

Malesherbez - Yes, I have problems drawing hands and perspective. They always get me! I'll work harder on those.

Vargas Prime - The lady at the table does seem wierd! Your other points are valid, too.

Peter - Hah! Mansisters! They do look rather manly.

Raven - Yeah, the nose was messed up. I took care of those lines. Also, the perspective on the table, how would you deal with it?

Benzor - Where ya been dude? I'm gonna defenetly fix those bottles. Wow, they are wierd. Also, there are 3 shakers because too many condiments cause high blood pressure, thanks for keeping an eye out on that though!

Ravenshadow

well the problem is you have two horizon lines.

If you folow the vanishing point for the fat guys table the horizon is apporiximately just above the fat ladies jaw line.

Since we're seeing the fat ladies table head on then we have to be looking at that table at or near the horizon line.

If I was gonna fix it, it looks to me like the fat people seem to be drawn from a lower horizon line. so the horizon line for the fat ladies table seems to be the best horizon line for the scene. Hence I'ld fix the fat guys table to conform to that horizon line.

make sense? or did I just confuse things....

TrippyDK

My only problem is with the first ones hand, and how hes actaully hold the burger. It looks like hes holding it almost basketball like. I think most people hold a burger with there fingers close together. However, this could just be me.

mully

Clean, sleek, stylish and they seem to tell stories. What's not to like?
I can't wait to see what these look like with colour.

MagicToaster

Raven, that helped me out alot. Thanks!

I wanted to address all the mistakes but, I'm running short on time. Here's the colors!

erisian pope

I like them! I sorta think the top one might look better if the wall color wasn't so similar to the man's shirt and skin. That's probably just a matter of personal preference tho.

(ohms)Crunchy

They don't really stand out with that colour scheme.

Kewop Decam

they don't look finished, but you said you were in a rush.

MagicToaster

Yeah, wow. I see what you mean. I really like muted colors but... nobody I've talked to likes them.

My coloring skills are weak.

(ohms)Crunchy

MagicToaster wrote:

Yeah, wow. I see what you mean. I really like muted colors but... nobody I've talked to likes them.

My coloring skills are weak.

Check this out. Grifter posted it before. It's a guide to colour comics, but it can also be used for anything black and white. It's awesome.

http://www.pensnpixels.com/instructional.html


EDIT: Not following the above rules, but this type of colour scheme would look good on your pictures:

Gachamecha Athlete

The background in that bar scene is too bright. The guy looks depressed, and bars are usually dreary. Yellow is just way to cheery.

:shock: OMG that rhymed...

Sir Peechizworth

i like the bar scene because the colors seem to fit together better, and because the background isn't white or ... what is that, pale pea green? But Athlete is right, yellow is probably too happy for how bummed out that guys looks.

edit:: it needs some dreary lighting, and a lamp hanging from the ceiling somewhere.

(ohms)Crunchy

MT, did you give up on teh colours?

MagicToaster

The deadline beat me, I had to hand it in. My bossed loved it, though!