[Klayhamn]

Hey... I'm new here... Seems like a very cool place.
I got here after checking some really cool art on the web which made me go back to drawing - and inspired me.

This is my recent attempt for a floating ROBOT...



The inspiration for this was

this awsome artwork by Feng Zhu (http://www.artbyfeng.com)...


What do you think people?
I know it's not that bad, i mean, i hope it isn't... but it's not what i wanted - i wanted to get to the level of this Feng...
Mine is so clumsy and crude compared to his robot... (lol)
I have all these images and ideas in my head but i seem to never be able to translate them well to paper.

Can anyone help me?
Any ideas of how to improve in realistic art and how to make my art more accurate, detailed, precise and in short - perfect?

I'm only 16, but i sense that i stopped improving, and i fear that it won't get any better when i grow up and i'll have to take another course in life...

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I can't draw!

Klayhamn

[hydrid]

Dude, calm down... it's pretty cool. I don't have much in the way of constructive criticism... rather, just a question. Do you sketch with a ruler? It looks awfully well defined.

[Lunatech]

I hate drawing robots, they're the hardest thing imho. You did a good job! That artist is great, his work inspires me as well.

[Andromeda]

You're on your way to becoming a great illustrator Klayhamn.
All of us when we first start out, we have our heroes, and we 'copy', we get inspired by this artist, that artist.

Youre going the right direction.

the only advice i can give is one that has been given time and time again.
Start with the basics, still life, life drawings and such.
Theres nothing wrong with taking someone's image and copying it to better yourself.copy for personal use only, for me, if i copied someone's work for reference i wont even show it to close friends. In time you will find your own style(which you already have but do not yet know).

Maybe you should by a small book, that you can carry around with . Kinda like a visual journal. And everyday just sketch something.
Maybe tell yourself that youre going to complete 1 drawing per week, and sketch everyday. dont have to be proper sketches, just doodles will do.
Just as long as the drawing hand dont go to sleep.

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IsCuXcAr
"On carpeted lace of emerald jags; Skin to skin, a tangle of blacks"

[hennifer]

hey, good job posting your reference along with your picture. that makes it a lot easier to critique things. if you're gonna keep doing more of these images, try for the following things:

1) when you're drawing machinery, try to make something that would actually work. in other words, when you're showing machinery in an elbow joint, try to imagine what you'd need to make it work, and draw accordingly. random little machine-shapes don't look as convincing. i just got an amazing book called Robosapiens, and i'm gonna scan some of the beautiful photos and post them on the forum for reference.

2) draw in 3d. sketch out all the main shapes of the robot in three dimensions first, and construct it from simple shapes. on the arms of your drawing, there are a lot of weird surfaces that don't look like they're in perspective at all. if you look at feng's drawing, it can be broken down to cylinders, cubes, and hexagons.

3) try to get more crisp lines. its pretty easy to go over the lines of a scanned drawing with the paintbrush at 100% opacity and fix them up a bit.



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jeffery_

[waylon]

FYI - Feng is on this board... goes under the name "Vortx".

[Shijima]

when i draw things like that i do it on graph paper makes it easier for me to draw more symetrical!

dont let things like that make you get mad at drawing its something that your supposed to do for fun

[Zoso]

Klayhamn -

Not bad. Feng is definitely an incredible artist, and is also one of my major influences.

When I do mechs or robots I follow some simple steps. They might help you, so here they are.

1. Think about what sort of mech you want, and what its function is. Does it repair things or is it a combat vehicle, for example.

2. Stick figure for pose, and proportions. This works best for humanoid robots, but is always a good place to start.

3. Think about how this thing will move. Like hennifer said, try to imagine the machinery or devices needed to make it move. Apply an underlying "skelatal" structure to your robot. Make sure your joints, motors and such make sense. You'll also need sensors - like eyes and such.

4. External armor, plating or devices. We can't have a naked robot now can we? Try to make sure that your exterior is jointed and broken up in a way that works with its movement. Include access panels and such for maintenance or access to the interior.

I hope this helps. Give me a holler on ICQ or email if you have any questions. I'm no expert but I can try to help.