[Cos]

Awakening I did a while ago but it got screwed when I put it together from the scan, was kinda big so I had to scan it in 3 parts, so I did it again, and some other pencil ones.

Will be moving back to www.freespeech.org/darkpathimages probably
tomorrow, till Immi has put ZyFlys nuts in a vice and crushed until 3dp is back.

Any comments welcome.

[samdragon]

Hey Cos,
Nice style you have there. It reminds me of some woodcuts I've seen in the past.
My only suggestion is to add darker areas to your drawings. These all appear to gray, not much in contrast. If you have ever worked with B&W photography, you'll notice that one of the qualities that makes a good print is detail in the dark areas. I guess what I'm getting at it, you can still have very dark areas with detail in them.
A critique of each drawing
top image, you're loosing the figure into the background. The figure is starting to become flat. You've done a great job with the contour work, but some darker contour lines will add to the depth of the body.
Second image: This is debatable, but I've always been taught never to put anything as a central image. Always use the rule of 3rds. Other than that it looks fine, This would have been a very nice Intaglio print
Third image:the figure is not as flat as the top image. I would love to see this image reworked with some more darks. The characters right boot is loosing depth on the tip of the boot. Easily fixed by some shading.
You have a very distinct style, which is great to have. I would suggest working more with darks and lights in your drawings, don't be affraid to take something really dark.
After typing all of that I just thought of something....duh these maybe too light because of the scanner or my monitor, if so, ignore the parts about darks and lights


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VISIT SAMDRAGON'S HOME

[Cos]

yayy a reply! *hugs samdragon* hehe Thanks, I'm glad you like the style =), I'm not sure what u mean about the darkness thing tho, maybe its the monitor, it does kinda looks ok to me..

Top one : I didn't really use that much shading on it, more line style but it has areas of it. What I don't really like about it is like the claws kinda look like they're bending up ways, looks kinda dodgy. The backgrounds a bit bent as well, and I don't like the guys pose much..

Second one : whats the rule of 3rds?? I musta missed something Yeah I do think it's too straight on and kinda flat, hasn't got much depth to it, something I need to work on..

Third one : I tried to make the shading more subtle, so not as much solid black areas. Not sure if it works.. I think his traps stick out too much, makes him look a bit hunchback and maybe his legs are too long..

Any more comments and critisisms??
I wanna get better so hearing them helps out. Thanks!

[Joachim]

Hey Cos, I like your sketches. They have a lot of potential. Also, It's good to see paperwork as well as digital paintings, I think.
As for comments/critique on what I think you could try to improve the next time you do a sketch. I know it's much about taste, when shading pictures. But, when doing details, I think you could try to do it much more when there's a reason more than just for the details itself. Take the cape on the second picture as an example. I think it looks a bit like a rock, since there's is actually not much draperies but yet again is a lot of shadows. If you used more reference, both on pictures and on your own clothes, and tried to analyze how it would look on a cape, I think you could have gotten the shapes to look a lot more exciting, and also easier to shadow with more sense. And, if you think like this all over, I believe your sketches would have looked a bit less blocky with more life.
I think you have much talent, but I just missed a bit of that "analyzing" part on how the main shapes actually looks in your sketches, which I think you are more than capable of and would also improve your sketches dramaticly.

Keep up the good work, hope you don't mind some constructive critiscm as well



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Joachim
web: http://home.sol.no/~jbarrum/

[kos.mandis]

Hey punk!
You've been improving I see...

Now the images in order of prefference...

The second image is really great-check out the difference on pencil technique from the first one! Nicccee work man!!!

The third image is very good as well, (I like so much better the pencils from 2 and 3 than the old ones ) but the hand+gun on the left should be smaller--or the other one should be bigger...I would sudjest cheating a bit and doing a freetransform on the hand on the left, making it smaller :P

The first one is your good-old self, it looks good, great details and a bit flat--but I know from that biodeathborg that you add much depth with the coloring so it's not that visible at the end...

Alright! _

[Wildkat]

Cos, I love them all.....

awakening... He's a great character and love the detailing in the background, the intricate woodwork and the torches...

nekromancer.... I want to see more of this guy.... great intrigue.... I want to know what he has on his mind and see the story unfold.... I think the cape looks great with the added horns, very mystical

and the gunman... love the tight t-shirt.... but you know me

[Cos]

Joachim Thanks! It's excellent to hear that from a talented artist like yourself. Yeah I agree with you about starting to use reference, I really never ever use it which
is really a bad thing, well maybe once in '97 haha . I know I should 'cause a lot of the stuff I draw starts getting stale and all looking the same, just too lazy ;/ I have been trying to work on more variety and trying a bit of different styles lately, but I think I will try using some ref next time. Thanks for your advice, cool of you to help =)

Kos you turd! Cheers man ;D, Yeah I went more for the shaded style on the last two, which is probly pointless if you're gonna paint them digitally later but since I haven't been
able to lately I wasn't too worried bout it.

Kat Thanks! The awakening guy was kinda based on the guy in my keeper pic, (also influenced by the movie The Keep hence my great originality on the name maybe in a stage of his metamorphosis before his head stretches out in the shape of a errrrr..
anyways hehe ;D Not too sure if I'll do more work on the Nekromancer guy, although I definetely gonna do some more stuff with the fantasy/magic genre, and the tight T-shirt is
specially for you Kat ;p

ooh yeah the hand Kos, me forget.. yeah it does kina look big now u meantion it, I'd just leave it on the sketch tho, if I was gonna make it digital tho I'd probly change it a bit tho.

[This message has been edited by Cos (edited May 23, 2000).]

[Morganic]

I like the second one, the other ones
seem uhm..wrong somehow.

[synj]

eheh my brain keeps going "i want more contrast!" and i am like i can't help you with that and its like okay.

-synj www.synj.net

[Cos]

constructive criticism at it's finest! Glad u like the second one.

[Cos]

erhmm.....*smiles and nods politely*..