I think it's interesting that this is touched upon during a class like this but I think it's a valuable thing to know in any workplace you want to thrive in. I'm just starting to get into the workplace (not art) and a lot of these points were also touched upon during orientation.
But how can you change yourself to readily to fit these ideals about your character and personality? Although I try and try to change myself, something gets in the way and seems to prevent me. Why is that? What is it? For the longest time I've been feeling this way. I know where my faults lie (and I'm iffy on my strengths) but it almost feels like, "Oh! Look! There's that cow sitting the road. Well can't do much about that, can I?" Talking with my therapist (yes, I have a therapist and I don't mind admitting it. It's awkward and I just started sessions, but I need help with dealing with certain things), he told me that I look at things in this world as black and white. I either can or I can't. I don't see grey anymore (if I ever did).
So here's me going through the different ethics of character, which will help me figure out what I'm doing and where I'm going with myself.
Integrity "Being true to your word"
I'd like to think I am, but I'm not. I'm constantly late, missing things, forgetting things...you name it. But what's strange is I don't think I lack too much trust. People tell me the strangest and most intimate things, and not provoked. If you tell me a secret, I won't tell a soul. I think that I've lost isn't trust then but believability. People can trust me with things, but not believe in me, which I feel is just as worst. I'm not sure how to change this. I've actually notice a decline in my integrity in the passed couple of years, and it just seems to be getting worse and worse. I'm not sure how I should go about changing it. Maybe taking on smaller tasks. I tend to go big or go home (aka black and white world), which does nothing but overwhelm me in the end and then my integrity dissipates. Perhaps halting in thinking that the world is so black and white might help. And completing smaller projects to help my confidence and trust in myself.
Humility "Let your actions speak"
I'm mixed about this one. I think I'm rather humble, but then again sometimes I'm not. Or rather, I might be mistaking humility with lack of self confidence. I'm less likely to speak up about my art and tell someone that it's awesome in fear of rejection. But I still hold my art rather high in my mind versus a lot of art that's out there. I just don't voice it that often. The one time I truly voice it (and it's a pet peeve of mine) is during critiques. If your skill is not at my level or higher, then I don't feel like you have the credentials for giving me any negative feedback. And truly what's "at level and above" is via my discretion, but I think I'm pretty fair with that. If you're commenting on how the hand looks distorted or the character's face is flat and your art has the SAME "need to work on" points, then it just angers me that you're pointing out something that you need to work on yourself. I give respect where respect is due.
Fidelity "Do your best when no one is there to watch"
Again, I feel like I'm half and half. I'll be honest. I often make statements or promises I can't keep. (Well, more like I say that I'll do something and I either forget or put it off, so I don't necessarily promise. I think I don't promise anymore since I know I can't keep them and some how giving my word seems different, although looking at it. They really aren't.) I'll do the work, but if I do my best, I'm not sure. Sometimes, I do, but other times I don't, but the work gets done.
Temperance "Think before"
I've been a victim of this too many times. I either think too much or too little. I always say what's on my mind. If it's something that sounds negative or rude, it's not meant to be. I'm not a malicious person, so even thinking that way too long actually gets me emotionally and physically ill. I just say what's on my mind factually, without emotionally attachment, but often times that can come out a bit rough. I'm working on trying to LISTEN more and talk less so I can think before I say anything, though it's been hard.
Courage "Push through Fears"
Often times I'm crippled by fear, but it's not entirely because of rejection, but by being ignored. I've been with groups, where I can easily get talked over and my opinions unheard. After a while, it doesn't really want to make you talk aloud anymore. If people don't listen to what I have to say, then why ever bother voicing it? I suppose this would be the second step down from having fear of rejection.
Justice "Be Fair"
I think I've grown up with a balanced judgement of fairness, probably because I have a younger brother. My parents tried their best to be fair to both of us, as humanly possible. I love things to be even, so I feel that I can be quite understanding in that regard.
Patience "To Have Patience"
Sometimes I'm patient, other times I'm not. I think, at least in terms of mentoring, if the person that is learning TRULY expresses the desire to learn from my and ask questions and be as active as possible in whatever it is we're doing, then yes. I have patience. It could simply be that my way of thinking is not as clear to you as your way, or visa verse. That I can understand and deal with. However, if the person doesn't pay attention, constantly makes the same mistakes regardless of how many times I repeat it, and just doesn't care about the work...than I lose my patience. If you don't care about this why should I care to teach you? And I know people have that issue with me too (at least if we aren't at a physical location). I don't do too well with self discipline. How do you even gain that?
Industry "Make the Effort. Get it done."
Sigh...the further I get down the list the more I find that I don't have any of these qualities...just another to add to this list. I can't really make the effort to do most things anymore. I'm not sure if I just don't care or if I poor and managing time or what. I think I care a little bit, because I'm able to stress about it enough to cause physical ailments, but stressing about it and not doing anything about it is something I have a problem with. Maybe my lack of all of the other characters are really just a lack in this one. I have no personal drive anymore, which takes away my pressure that I place on myself to make an effort.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Late Assignment 4.2 - Reaching Out
So for this assignment I had to post images up on a popular forum site and blog about the responses/critiques. So I decided to choose conceptart.org. The Link to Original Post
The images are as such...
First let me get this off my chest, because this is VERY irritating. I originally submitted the post several day prior to when my assignment was due. However, it wasn't accepted, when I went to look at the post (which wasn't there) the day the assignment was due. So I resubmitted almost the EXACT SAME post AGAIN on the day the assignment was due which was October 31st. And I waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing. FOR ALMOST A MONTH. Nothing. NO responses. Nothing. It came to the point where I was so distraught (with other stressors adding on top of this one) that my husband made an account and posted a reply to my post. This was on November 21st. After his post, two more people posted. And that was it. Perhaps I'm not much of a forum poster, but I think that's a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
And sadly the responses I don't think were overly helpful. I'm still working on the "taking criticism" part of being a stronger artist. Here...lemme show you the posts...
My Husband's Post (since I only have two posts from industry peers and I need three for the assignment)
I think the first piece is more high end video game then real. The face does not have any marks or texture to it. I wonder if its supposed to seemed Photoshopped? like today's models in a magazine.
I agree to the middle piece comments. I think its the forehead that throws me off. It seems over pronounced on the right side of the face (stage left). Perhaps if you could bring it back so it sticks out less.
I like the last piece. I am used to seeing art books with similar layouts but the characters have a flat face. I like that this one is a bit snarky. I like the detail in the arm guard and foot piece!
Post Critique #1
In the last picture, it looks like she has a diaper and not a big butt. Check for reference, her butt is really hanging down very unattractively.
If you want to achieve more realism - draw what is there and not what you expect to see. There's usually a shadow under the lower lip and the angles are not that defined. Try to draw with round lines instead of angled lines.
Post Critique #2 (in reference to image 1)
Cartoons are about shape and simplification. If you want a more realistic look pay attention to form and value. (Shape = 2D, Form = 3D) For example, I doubt this lady had lips that were the same value as her skin and there was no variation on the light falling on them. And I'm pretty sure they didn't come with thick black outlines around them unless she happens to be mime who wears lipliner. Those sorts of choices are going to make faces you draw less realistic and more cartoony.
If you can, work with figures that have a good mix of shadows and highlights on the face so you have less incentive to outline everything to define it. Another thing you maybe ought to get away from is leaving the entire face as white. If you have to colour the whole thing lightly it might force you to actually think about what value the face really is and how that value changes.
Post #1 My Response:
I agree partially to Post #1 in that she may look like she's wearing a diaper, since I didn't see it that way before to which I'll be editing. Although I'm a bit wounded by such a bold statement, I'll take that to heart and think about how my character looks and how I want her too. However, I'm not too keen on the second statement. First, I'm tired of people regurgitating the whole "draw what you see, not what you expect to see" crap. It's a lame go-to, honestly, in terms of critique. Also, the comment on angles, I can understand, however that's how I draw. Also, I'm guessing it's a reference to the first drawing, however it was an assignment drawing. The professor wanted me to draw the piece a certain way with defined LINES and little to NO shading. I'll work on line variation since I didn't focus it so much on here, but I focused on value variation in my lines because THAT'S ALL I COULD DO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. I tried to draw differently and got marked down because of it. I posted it because I thought it came out rather well despite restrictions on style.
Post #2 My Response:
This is mostly a repeat of what I said for Post #1's second comment. It was focused on defining form with little to no shading. Also I don't agree with the comment on color. Perhaps it's because I've been drilled in my mind to understand value first before color and an image should read as value scale as easily as it does colored (which can also provide distraction). So I disagree.
My Take from This:
Sadly nothing exciting. After waiting for about a month and getting my first initial post ignored by the admins, it feels lackluster and uninviting. I get more feedback from classroom peers than these "industry peers." Perhaps it's because students are required to think of SOMETHING during a critique session so they pull more and get creative with the feedback, when these industry people don't really care. Really, I'm just disappointed.
Also, maybe I'm just spoiled or just too sensitive for critiques, but I've always been taught for giving "constructive criticism" to apply positive feedback mixed with negative so that way the person knows what's working and what's not. Isn't that what constructive criticism means? Perhaps these people can draw but it doesn't make them experts on it, let alone teachers/instructors.
Perhaps it might be just the community. I'm not a fan of the conceptart.org community. I actually deem a lot of the users on there as pretentious. Also, as superficial as it seems, the layout of the forum is abhorrently unorganized and difficult to navigate, so while I'm on it I already get frustrated. Sigh...what I'm really in search for is a good community with professionals that I deem worthy to respect. ::rides off on high horse::
The images are as such...
First let me get this off my chest, because this is VERY irritating. I originally submitted the post several day prior to when my assignment was due. However, it wasn't accepted, when I went to look at the post (which wasn't there) the day the assignment was due. So I resubmitted almost the EXACT SAME post AGAIN on the day the assignment was due which was October 31st. And I waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing. FOR ALMOST A MONTH. Nothing. NO responses. Nothing. It came to the point where I was so distraught (with other stressors adding on top of this one) that my husband made an account and posted a reply to my post. This was on November 21st. After his post, two more people posted. And that was it. Perhaps I'm not much of a forum poster, but I think that's a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
And sadly the responses I don't think were overly helpful. I'm still working on the "taking criticism" part of being a stronger artist. Here...lemme show you the posts...
My Husband's Post (since I only have two posts from industry peers and I need three for the assignment)
I think the first piece is more high end video game then real. The face does not have any marks or texture to it. I wonder if its supposed to seemed Photoshopped? like today's models in a magazine.
I agree to the middle piece comments. I think its the forehead that throws me off. It seems over pronounced on the right side of the face (stage left). Perhaps if you could bring it back so it sticks out less.
I like the last piece. I am used to seeing art books with similar layouts but the characters have a flat face. I like that this one is a bit snarky. I like the detail in the arm guard and foot piece!
Post Critique #1
In the last picture, it looks like she has a diaper and not a big butt. Check for reference, her butt is really hanging down very unattractively.
If you want to achieve more realism - draw what is there and not what you expect to see. There's usually a shadow under the lower lip and the angles are not that defined. Try to draw with round lines instead of angled lines.
Post Critique #2 (in reference to image 1)
Cartoons are about shape and simplification. If you want a more realistic look pay attention to form and value. (Shape = 2D, Form = 3D) For example, I doubt this lady had lips that were the same value as her skin and there was no variation on the light falling on them. And I'm pretty sure they didn't come with thick black outlines around them unless she happens to be mime who wears lipliner. Those sorts of choices are going to make faces you draw less realistic and more cartoony.
If you can, work with figures that have a good mix of shadows and highlights on the face so you have less incentive to outline everything to define it. Another thing you maybe ought to get away from is leaving the entire face as white. If you have to colour the whole thing lightly it might force you to actually think about what value the face really is and how that value changes.
Post #1 My Response:
I agree partially to Post #1 in that she may look like she's wearing a diaper, since I didn't see it that way before to which I'll be editing. Although I'm a bit wounded by such a bold statement, I'll take that to heart and think about how my character looks and how I want her too. However, I'm not too keen on the second statement. First, I'm tired of people regurgitating the whole "draw what you see, not what you expect to see" crap. It's a lame go-to, honestly, in terms of critique. Also, the comment on angles, I can understand, however that's how I draw. Also, I'm guessing it's a reference to the first drawing, however it was an assignment drawing. The professor wanted me to draw the piece a certain way with defined LINES and little to NO shading. I'll work on line variation since I didn't focus it so much on here, but I focused on value variation in my lines because THAT'S ALL I COULD DO FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. I tried to draw differently and got marked down because of it. I posted it because I thought it came out rather well despite restrictions on style.
Post #2 My Response:
This is mostly a repeat of what I said for Post #1's second comment. It was focused on defining form with little to no shading. Also I don't agree with the comment on color. Perhaps it's because I've been drilled in my mind to understand value first before color and an image should read as value scale as easily as it does colored (which can also provide distraction). So I disagree.
My Take from This:
Sadly nothing exciting. After waiting for about a month and getting my first initial post ignored by the admins, it feels lackluster and uninviting. I get more feedback from classroom peers than these "industry peers." Perhaps it's because students are required to think of SOMETHING during a critique session so they pull more and get creative with the feedback, when these industry people don't really care. Really, I'm just disappointed.
Also, maybe I'm just spoiled or just too sensitive for critiques, but I've always been taught for giving "constructive criticism" to apply positive feedback mixed with negative so that way the person knows what's working and what's not. Isn't that what constructive criticism means? Perhaps these people can draw but it doesn't make them experts on it, let alone teachers/instructors.
Perhaps it might be just the community. I'm not a fan of the conceptart.org community. I actually deem a lot of the users on there as pretentious. Also, as superficial as it seems, the layout of the forum is abhorrently unorganized and difficult to navigate, so while I'm on it I already get frustrated. Sigh...what I'm really in search for is a good community with professionals that I deem worthy to respect. ::rides off on high horse::
Monday, October 10, 2011
Assignment 5.1 Proportion Critique Correct One
Okay for some reason I thought that I was suppose to pick images that ARE NOT apart of my portfolio. Why I thought that, I'm not sure. But here's the actual critique. Apologies.
Piece 1 - "Lucebelle"
I like the style and rendering of Lucebelle and rather proud of the coloring itself.
I don't feel that the body proportions are too off, particularly for the style that this piece follows (the art from Disney's Pixie Hollow series), however there are a few errors I think worth noting.
1) Her legs appear a bit too long. Although the longer legs denote a wispier character (like a fairy), the legs seem slightly off in length compared to the rest of her (torso and head especially). Her arms could be a bit longer to match the longer legs as well.
2) Her hands are entirely too small. I'll be honest, I sort of fuddled the hands in this. Because of that the hands appear much too small for the size of her face (which will be discussed in a minute). They should actually be larger enough to cover most of her facial features if she covered her face with hand, and they seem to be 2x too small for that.
3) Her head (although matching with the style) is a bit too large, particularly for wide her shoulders are, even if they are slight.
Piece 2 - "Judith"
Judith is one of my achievements, I think, for expressing emotion. I found it rather hard to make her look like she "snapped" but I think I was able to put that off pretty well.
As with most of my female characters, her head seems a bit on the larger side, but honestly not by too much. I wish I made her a little bit more thicker though, since she looks really wispy (although the actress that played her in the first movie was relatively thin). For limb proportion, I think it matches rather well, especially if I thicken her out a bit, although I made her torso a bit longer than it should be. Her feet a bit larger than they should've been as well, but I think her hand proportion fits her face. Just a bit thicker (to make her seem a bit realistic) I think would've helped a lot with this piece.
Piece 3 - "Mary"
As the same with Judith, I think that Mary should've been made a tad thicker (even though this actress was even thinner than the one that played Judith). She also has EXTREMELY long legs which, now looking back, look really off. I suppose I was trying to compensate since the actress was relatively short. Even though her head is a bit on the larger side, I feel like it actually fits, since the actress was short. I think if I just made the legs a bit shorter (as well as shorten her torso a bit), it would've turned out a bit more proportionally sound.
Piece 4 - "Portrait Adult Female"
This is a bit different than the other critiques, since this is just of the face, which will help me focus on my issues with facial proportions.
I'm really proud of this particular piece, since it was one of the best portraits I've done, but I still think it might need a bit of work. I think the most major elements that I need to address are the eyes and the nose. I always tend to make these a tad too large. I think that her eyes should also be just a little bit closer together. The model's face was actually really small, and she had a small head with large hair, so I feel that it fits the model. However, for proportional sake, her hair would be out as far and I think I'd make her jaw a bit broader.
Piece 5 - "Old Man Head 4-Up"
This is definitely a bit different than the others, since this is just a face as well as being 3D.
From the frontal view (view 2) it looks as if the model is relatively proportionate to how a face should be, except for the slightly wider mouth. From the side views (view 1 and 3), the face itself seems rather flat making the model more 2D than 3D. There should be more definition in the cheek bones and a more prominent brow. Even though the jowls/cheeks are out a bit far, I don't think that it is entirely disproportionate since the character is supposed to be an older character.
Piece 1 - "Lucebelle"
I like the style and rendering of Lucebelle and rather proud of the coloring itself.
I don't feel that the body proportions are too off, particularly for the style that this piece follows (the art from Disney's Pixie Hollow series), however there are a few errors I think worth noting.
1) Her legs appear a bit too long. Although the longer legs denote a wispier character (like a fairy), the legs seem slightly off in length compared to the rest of her (torso and head especially). Her arms could be a bit longer to match the longer legs as well.
2) Her hands are entirely too small. I'll be honest, I sort of fuddled the hands in this. Because of that the hands appear much too small for the size of her face (which will be discussed in a minute). They should actually be larger enough to cover most of her facial features if she covered her face with hand, and they seem to be 2x too small for that.
3) Her head (although matching with the style) is a bit too large, particularly for wide her shoulders are, even if they are slight.
Piece 2 - "Judith"
Judith is one of my achievements, I think, for expressing emotion. I found it rather hard to make her look like she "snapped" but I think I was able to put that off pretty well.As with most of my female characters, her head seems a bit on the larger side, but honestly not by too much. I wish I made her a little bit more thicker though, since she looks really wispy (although the actress that played her in the first movie was relatively thin). For limb proportion, I think it matches rather well, especially if I thicken her out a bit, although I made her torso a bit longer than it should be. Her feet a bit larger than they should've been as well, but I think her hand proportion fits her face. Just a bit thicker (to make her seem a bit realistic) I think would've helped a lot with this piece.
Piece 3 - "Mary"
As the same with Judith, I think that Mary should've been made a tad thicker (even though this actress was even thinner than the one that played Judith). She also has EXTREMELY long legs which, now looking back, look really off. I suppose I was trying to compensate since the actress was relatively short. Even though her head is a bit on the larger side, I feel like it actually fits, since the actress was short. I think if I just made the legs a bit shorter (as well as shorten her torso a bit), it would've turned out a bit more proportionally sound.Piece 4 - "Portrait Adult Female"
This is a bit different than the other critiques, since this is just of the face, which will help me focus on my issues with facial proportions.
I'm really proud of this particular piece, since it was one of the best portraits I've done, but I still think it might need a bit of work. I think the most major elements that I need to address are the eyes and the nose. I always tend to make these a tad too large. I think that her eyes should also be just a little bit closer together. The model's face was actually really small, and she had a small head with large hair, so I feel that it fits the model. However, for proportional sake, her hair would be out as far and I think I'd make her jaw a bit broader.
Piece 5 - "Old Man Head 4-Up"
This is definitely a bit different than the others, since this is just a face as well as being 3D.
From the frontal view (view 2) it looks as if the model is relatively proportionate to how a face should be, except for the slightly wider mouth. From the side views (view 1 and 3), the face itself seems rather flat making the model more 2D than 3D. There should be more definition in the cheek bones and a more prominent brow. Even though the jowls/cheeks are out a bit far, I don't think that it is entirely disproportionate since the character is supposed to be an older character.
Assignment 5.1 Proportion Critique
Piece 1 - "Bottled Self"
This piece was actually a self portrait I did during my digital arts class.
The concept I felt was strong, in that it conveys how people tend to categorize and separate different parts of themselves that make them up as a whole person. And even though the rendering of flesh is good in most places like the feet and hands, it's extremely disproportionate. The head seems a bit too large and the body (arms and torso) significantly too small. The legs that are detached, although relatively realistic in rendering as well as an intriguing part of the piece, is also a bit too large for the body.
The character in the space, although we can tell that the character is in some forgotten and grungy location, doesn't seem to fit the space in size and color. The background and foreground don't match in color temperature and lighting making the foreground pop out much more than it should.
I personally am not a fan of mixing photography and drawing so that also seems very off to me even though this is obviously a surreal image. I think the images of the artist in the bottles are intriguing, but the photo realistic bottles don't match the scene and tend to pull more attention than they should. Also the storage of bottles in the background should be a bit smaller considering the distance.
Back to the figure, now that I look at the face, the self portrait isn't very visible, mostly because I made the mouth and chin a bit too small (or the nose too big...what can I say, I love drawing noses!).
All in all, great concept (that's why I love this piece so much), but when I redo it, I think I'll execute a bit differently.
Piece 2 - "Snow Adventurer"
This is also one of my favorite images. I think it's because I normally don't add too many accessories with my character drawings and this one is just filled with accessories! I personally like the slight disproportion of the back pack (which seems a bit larger than it should be) but it's a good exaggeration on how much things an adventurer needs on an adventure.
The body itself is decent except for a few proportion issues. 1) The figure's head is a bit large. I more prone to drawing larger heads (AKA shorter people, AKA younger proportions than full adult). 2) The legs aren't proportionate to how they should be if they were foreshortened. Same for the arms as well but it isn't as obvious as it is in the legs. 3) I would probably also make her hips a bit wider, however not all women have the hourglass shape so that just might be a personal preference for this particular character.
I think my largest gripe is about the legs. The leg on the left seems less like it's forward in space and more like it's scrunched up. The other leg isn't really much better with the very short thigh and much longer calf.
Piece 3 - "Wendy Michaels AKA
Ahhh Wendy. This is a fanart of one of my characters from a role playing game. She was actually a super hero in the Marvel Universe, although she's older in this image than the original story. Well, enough reminiscing...on to the critique!
I love the rendering for this image. The color is nicely done with very crisp and obvious shading and highlights. It is one of my better marker colored pieces. And even though the proportions of the face are not to standard, her face is my particular cartoon/comic style, where there are slightly larger facial features (lips, eyes, and mouth). Her hair actually seems to fit on her scalp pretty well and doesn't appear too larger for her head, which can sometimes happen in a comic/manga style art. If I were to change any proportion on the face, I would probably make the head a bit smaller to accommodate the smaller neck (or make the neck a bit thicker).
Her body proportions however, are quite off. I think really the most distracting are her hands. They're definitely a bit too large (or rather her fingers are) than they need to be. I also feel that her chest seems a bit off, and should be a bit smaller/shorter where her torso should be longer (Asian proportion are generally shorter legs with a longer torso) and her hips should be a more gradual slope.
Her arms aren't too bad, considering that she's suppose to be the super strength mutant to where I think there should be a bit more muscle definition.
Piece 4 - "Insert_Witty_Username Fanart"
This wasn't necessarily fanart. I join a few avatar sites and enjoy drawing peoples' avatars for in-game cash. It's a fun hobby to practice and I enjoy the unique outfits that people create. =)
I particularly like this one, since, I believe this was the first time I used SketchBook Pro (awesome program for digital sketching btw) to do a full body illustration. I also like the coloring I did for the skin (I like the look of blushes on the joints).
As for proportions, I didn't base this off of a figure (most of my art isn't) to sketch from, so I tend to always make the head larger than it should be. However for the nature of this style of art manga/comic, it's a very common feature. I think it looks a bit unsettling though, compared to other pieces (like Wendy Michaels and Snow Adventurer), since the figure is VERY long-limbed. It almost looks ridiculous on how small the hands and size of the arms are as well. Also the REALLY long legs makes the character look really tall when the head size says otherwise. I think I would also make the waist a bit thicker, it looks a bit too uncanny for such a lean looking figure to have very wide hips that suggest hour-glass figure.
Piece 5 - "Voltaire Bust II"
During my undergrad, a lot of still-life/figure drawing was had on the busts in the art department. And none so popular than Voltaire. (I loved that Voltaire bust to death! He was so much fun to draw!)
This piece critique will be a bit different since the image is only of the head (it's actually a section close up of a larger image); it's also in medium I'm not very comfortable with...charcoal. Anyway, let's get straight to it then!
So I have this fascination I find with noses. I always tend to draw them a bit larger than they need to be, even though Voltaire's nose was pretty big. I think the rendering of the charcoal was relatively decent and you get a good idea of the volume and the depth of places like the eyes and cheek bone. However, he looks a bit cartoonified. I think it actually has to do with the proportions. All of the facial features are slightly too large for the face. The jaw line is one of the few things too small and is actually a bit more narrow than it should be. The forehead is a bit large and makes the head seem huge with a very narrow chin (like Mandark from Dexter's Laboratory).
This piece was actually a self portrait I did during my digital arts class.
The concept I felt was strong, in that it conveys how people tend to categorize and separate different parts of themselves that make them up as a whole person. And even though the rendering of flesh is good in most places like the feet and hands, it's extremely disproportionate. The head seems a bit too large and the body (arms and torso) significantly too small. The legs that are detached, although relatively realistic in rendering as well as an intriguing part of the piece, is also a bit too large for the body.
The character in the space, although we can tell that the character is in some forgotten and grungy location, doesn't seem to fit the space in size and color. The background and foreground don't match in color temperature and lighting making the foreground pop out much more than it should.
I personally am not a fan of mixing photography and drawing so that also seems very off to me even though this is obviously a surreal image. I think the images of the artist in the bottles are intriguing, but the photo realistic bottles don't match the scene and tend to pull more attention than they should. Also the storage of bottles in the background should be a bit smaller considering the distance.
Back to the figure, now that I look at the face, the self portrait isn't very visible, mostly because I made the mouth and chin a bit too small (or the nose too big...what can I say, I love drawing noses!).
All in all, great concept (that's why I love this piece so much), but when I redo it, I think I'll execute a bit differently.
Piece 2 - "Snow Adventurer"
This is also one of my favorite images. I think it's because I normally don't add too many accessories with my character drawings and this one is just filled with accessories! I personally like the slight disproportion of the back pack (which seems a bit larger than it should be) but it's a good exaggeration on how much things an adventurer needs on an adventure.
The body itself is decent except for a few proportion issues. 1) The figure's head is a bit large. I more prone to drawing larger heads (AKA shorter people, AKA younger proportions than full adult). 2) The legs aren't proportionate to how they should be if they were foreshortened. Same for the arms as well but it isn't as obvious as it is in the legs. 3) I would probably also make her hips a bit wider, however not all women have the hourglass shape so that just might be a personal preference for this particular character.
I think my largest gripe is about the legs. The leg on the left seems less like it's forward in space and more like it's scrunched up. The other leg isn't really much better with the very short thigh and much longer calf.
Piece 3 - "Wendy Michaels AKA
Ahhh Wendy. This is a fanart of one of my characters from a role playing game. She was actually a super hero in the Marvel Universe, although she's older in this image than the original story. Well, enough reminiscing...on to the critique!
I love the rendering for this image. The color is nicely done with very crisp and obvious shading and highlights. It is one of my better marker colored pieces. And even though the proportions of the face are not to standard, her face is my particular cartoon/comic style, where there are slightly larger facial features (lips, eyes, and mouth). Her hair actually seems to fit on her scalp pretty well and doesn't appear too larger for her head, which can sometimes happen in a comic/manga style art. If I were to change any proportion on the face, I would probably make the head a bit smaller to accommodate the smaller neck (or make the neck a bit thicker).
Her body proportions however, are quite off. I think really the most distracting are her hands. They're definitely a bit too large (or rather her fingers are) than they need to be. I also feel that her chest seems a bit off, and should be a bit smaller/shorter where her torso should be longer (Asian proportion are generally shorter legs with a longer torso) and her hips should be a more gradual slope.
Her arms aren't too bad, considering that she's suppose to be the super strength mutant to where I think there should be a bit more muscle definition.
Piece 4 - "Insert_Witty_Username Fanart"
This wasn't necessarily fanart. I join a few avatar sites and enjoy drawing peoples' avatars for in-game cash. It's a fun hobby to practice and I enjoy the unique outfits that people create. =)
I particularly like this one, since, I believe this was the first time I used SketchBook Pro (awesome program for digital sketching btw) to do a full body illustration. I also like the coloring I did for the skin (I like the look of blushes on the joints).
As for proportions, I didn't base this off of a figure (most of my art isn't) to sketch from, so I tend to always make the head larger than it should be. However for the nature of this style of art manga/comic, it's a very common feature. I think it looks a bit unsettling though, compared to other pieces (like Wendy Michaels and Snow Adventurer), since the figure is VERY long-limbed. It almost looks ridiculous on how small the hands and size of the arms are as well. Also the REALLY long legs makes the character look really tall when the head size says otherwise. I think I would also make the waist a bit thicker, it looks a bit too uncanny for such a lean looking figure to have very wide hips that suggest hour-glass figure.
Piece 5 - "Voltaire Bust II"
During my undergrad, a lot of still-life/figure drawing was had on the busts in the art department. And none so popular than Voltaire. (I loved that Voltaire bust to death! He was so much fun to draw!)
This piece critique will be a bit different since the image is only of the head (it's actually a section close up of a larger image); it's also in medium I'm not very comfortable with...charcoal. Anyway, let's get straight to it then!
So I have this fascination I find with noses. I always tend to draw them a bit larger than they need to be, even though Voltaire's nose was pretty big. I think the rendering of the charcoal was relatively decent and you get a good idea of the volume and the depth of places like the eyes and cheek bone. However, he looks a bit cartoonified. I think it actually has to do with the proportions. All of the facial features are slightly too large for the face. The jaw line is one of the few things too small and is actually a bit more narrow than it should be. The forehead is a bit large and makes the head seem huge with a very narrow chin (like Mandark from Dexter's Laboratory).
Monday, October 3, 2011
Review of CGHub.com
So I'm going to review CGHub.com. It's a lot like other forum places such as CGSociety.org but I personally like it because it acts like a one stop shop. The design is easy to get, for one, and they have challenges, job postings, forums, classes, and even tools (this is my favorite, since I love collecting brushes).
I think for someone like myself (AKA a student torn between 2D and 3D art), I think that this site really gives you a good chunk of both worlds with forums and challenges dedicated to both 2D and 3D digital art.
I also like that they have a place to search for jobs and that it's quite easy since you can upload a portfolio to the site and just click "submit portfolio" for a job.
The forum space provides industry news, education information (such as colleges and different classes you can take), jobs among other things.
However, the most appealing thing about this site is the challenges. I often find myself horribly uninspired just because I don't have a direction to draw towards..a goal, if you will. With the plethora of challenges available (and, for myself, a 2D Drawing Jam that is held roughly bi-weekly) there's always something that can be done or to do. If you don't want to draw, you can participate in the 3D jams or even something for environmental designers called "New Worlds." I think because of this, this provides ANY digital artist the foot-in to this awesome community. =)
Other sites to check out.
Characterdesign.blogspot.com - A blog that has tons of interviews from different character designers, illustrators, story artists, etc. in the industry ranging from movies to games. If you'd like to know how artists from places like Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks so their thing, and learn more about them...this site rocks! It also links to tons of professional galleries which helps provide a good model for students.
CharacterDesigns.Com - Although not the best site, I really like that it's a nice reference location available if you're feeling stumped for character creation. They have a selection of artists that you can browse through, plus (I'm a sucker for extras if you haven't noticed...) they have tutorials, textures and photo sets you can peruse to help you light up your fancy.
Imagine FX Magazines - I'll tell you right now...I'm an addict to this magazine. They're a bit pricey (especially state-side) but they are TOTALLY worth it. They give you updates on new and upcoming artists, as well as featured high-profile artists which is awesome! They have tutorials on a plethora of things (that isn't ALL digital, because we all need to start traditionally...at least that's what I think) and they have a great Q&A that covers things that you might find yourself asking on different projects (ex. "How do I make zombie skin look dead?" or "How do I place my character in background properly?") And of course, I LOVE...LOVE extras (and free stuff) so the fact that every magazine comes with a content disc that has all the tutorials and files, but also has either free stock images, textures, brushes, patterns, fonts, or video tutorials. Fun stuff.
I think for someone like myself (AKA a student torn between 2D and 3D art), I think that this site really gives you a good chunk of both worlds with forums and challenges dedicated to both 2D and 3D digital art.
I also like that they have a place to search for jobs and that it's quite easy since you can upload a portfolio to the site and just click "submit portfolio" for a job.
The forum space provides industry news, education information (such as colleges and different classes you can take), jobs among other things.
However, the most appealing thing about this site is the challenges. I often find myself horribly uninspired just because I don't have a direction to draw towards..a goal, if you will. With the plethora of challenges available (and, for myself, a 2D Drawing Jam that is held roughly bi-weekly) there's always something that can be done or to do. If you don't want to draw, you can participate in the 3D jams or even something for environmental designers called "New Worlds." I think because of this, this provides ANY digital artist the foot-in to this awesome community. =)
Other sites to check out.
Characterdesign.blogspot.com - A blog that has tons of interviews from different character designers, illustrators, story artists, etc. in the industry ranging from movies to games. If you'd like to know how artists from places like Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks so their thing, and learn more about them...this site rocks! It also links to tons of professional galleries which helps provide a good model for students.
CharacterDesigns.Com - Although not the best site, I really like that it's a nice reference location available if you're feeling stumped for character creation. They have a selection of artists that you can browse through, plus (I'm a sucker for extras if you haven't noticed...) they have tutorials, textures and photo sets you can peruse to help you light up your fancy.
Imagine FX Magazines - I'll tell you right now...I'm an addict to this magazine. They're a bit pricey (especially state-side) but they are TOTALLY worth it. They give you updates on new and upcoming artists, as well as featured high-profile artists which is awesome! They have tutorials on a plethora of things (that isn't ALL digital, because we all need to start traditionally...at least that's what I think) and they have a great Q&A that covers things that you might find yourself asking on different projects (ex. "How do I make zombie skin look dead?" or "How do I place my character in background properly?") And of course, I LOVE...LOVE extras (and free stuff) so the fact that every magazine comes with a content disc that has all the tutorials and files, but also has either free stock images, textures, brushes, patterns, fonts, or video tutorials. Fun stuff.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Critique - Lucebelle
About and Critique
This was created after a while looking at the Disney fairies style. I'm a big fan of the style of the characters as well as the very soft coloring that the watercolor for that particular style creates. I really like how this piece in particular turned out, because it really shows how far I've gone in terms of coloring, particularly with pencil medium. The details in her face are soft and alluring, even, showing her intense interest with flames. Her style of clothing emulates ruffles in flowers as well as softer silks.
The only thing would be the background the hands. I wish there was more detail in hands, rather than pudge-hands.
Critique - Figure Sketch
ABout and Critique
This was a piece I did for one of the finals in a figure drawing class. The purpose of the class wasn't only on figure drawing but on creating a figure piece that was focused on line emphasis rather than shading and texture. Even though the face seems a bit off in proportion, I think the rest of the figure turned out really well especially in capturing the stance of the figure.
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