[Osmodius]

Well ok, here it is...finally got this sucker done. crit is very welcome so feel free to stomp all over me...I don't mind. I'm just starting out so the more the merrier...oh and if anyone can tell me what Breath of Fire he's from...and what his name is that'd be great...I just got it out of one of my mags, which is now lost in the abyss known as my room...
BofF

[Falthorn]

That's Fou-Lu, good guy/bad guy from Breath of Fire 4. Unfortunately, however, Geocities has unfortunate image linking restrictions so, for the most part, you're better off linking to http://www.geocities.com/tyr10010/BofF.html

Otherwise, my only suggestion would be to have more faith in your linework. Keep drawing!

-Falth

[HawkOne]

Umm ... <semi-evil mode>

I guess I'll start the stompingfest ... You're an easy target ... and I'm gonna be blunt ...

Gallery/Finished artwork, I don't think so, if you're 10 years old, you may have an excuse, if you're older, you should know better ..

1. The linework is unrefined and jagged, looking more or less accidental in many places ... you should probably try to work at a higher resolution to avoid those jaggies, cause you DO know what those are, right ...?

2. Shading ... overall ... is totally off, again looking pretty random, making it look more like a flat drawing projected onto a plate of slimy pasta ...

3. Rendering of cloth ... or garments, how they fold and "hang", is notoriously difficult. It looks like you need to start with some MUCH simpler shapes like balls, cones and cubes to understand how to define FORM in an object on a flat piece of paper ... once you have started to comprehend a shadows role in defining form, moving on to pieces of cloth arranged over a table or something, is the next logical step. It is also the method used in many traditional art courses.

After mastering that, you should begin looking at the undressed body, nevermind what the Taliban say, study how incredibly complex it is to draw anatomy and dynamic poses accurately. This alone could well take years .. Then you start to "Dress Up"

Now I know that this may sound disheartening, but it is really not what I intended. EVERYONE who wants to learn how to draw, must realise that you can only benefit from learning how to crawl before you can walk. Of course it will seem much more fun to just to instantly start trying to make art that can be enjoyed by others, but it is usually impossible, especially here on this board, with so much exceptional talent around. Sure, you may be able to impress your average 7 year old Cartoon Network addict, but even that is probably not so easy anymore.

Allow me to show you the kind of thing I mean you should be focusing on :

This is an excerpt from a online course showing you the basics you should be focusing on improving ..."Drawing Basics - step by step"

"In this picture are shown four balls. The first figure is showing only the shape while the second and the third appear fine. But the Fig. no. 4 looks the most realistic. Shadow involves a play of light. The side from which light falls on the object is brighter than the opposite side. So here you learn about shading."


I would say that to post this image here should be unneccesary, as you should be very well able to use your own eyes to see in what departments you need to improve. All you would have to do, is to hold it up to another piece of your comic magazines, and look at the CRYSTAL CLEAR areas that needs a lot of attention. Until you can honestly say that there isn't much of a difference, you should probably hold back your posts, and just look around the board here, looking for inspiration, and tips.

Learning to draw from copying is certainly useful, and even neccesary, but learning how to see for yourself when something is worth showing, or not; should also be learned.

Hmm ... I fear you will not be the last ...

Take care ... and remember, The Force will be with you, always. You just need to draw 2-3 drawings a day for about a year, before you post again asking for comments.

(What a Fascist bastard I am huh ...)
</semi-evil mode>

[ December 15, 2001: Message edited by: HawkOne ]

[Dr. Bang]

Osmodius, you should really need to thank HawkOne for his reply.

[Osmodius]

well hey...I never really have taken an art class, and I stumbled my way through PS, haven't had help from anyone...not exactly easy gettin the first drawing right...I appreceate the crits...I gotta learn somehow.

[Solayna]

Don't let the blunt comment depress you too much. Hawkone is absolutely right but your drawing isn't really all that bad... I've seen worse. And those people were even selling their sketches *shudder* Learning and making progress can take a lot of time but if you really enjoy drawing, it's worth it

[Osmodius]

Well, I was really just looking for comments and things I could improve on from all the pros on this board...not trying to impress, just to get something out there to see what I need work on, that one peice isn't all I can do, the sketch I did a while ago and since it was out of a magazine I didn't put too much of my styple into it or anything. I was hoping there was a place for us less advanced people on this board, without being bashed too badly by the people here who have majored in art and who do this for a living, but I guess I'll hold of and not post anything for a while...maybe I'll be welcome in a year or two...