[Cleoric]

Anyone want to give some tips to a newbie like me? Working on this pic and need tips on adding details etc, especially to the tombstone. Also how to make the moon LOOK bright/luminescent?



Background was an afterthought to acctually make this into something... so yeah...

And heres some of my crappy sketches. Feel free to tell me what I should work on, etc.







Smudged some charcoal then turned it into a picutre... yeah.





I'd like to get some feedback please! Even if it's all going to be negative!!

Thanks.

[ May 17, 2002: Message edited by: Cleoric ]

[lady z]

okay, prepare yourself, this is going to be long:
1)referring to your first post, about the moon - is it suppose to be realistic or just an abstract object? if it's abstract you're aiming at - then it's fine as it is, but going for realistic, you got a lot of work before you. you have tp make it look 3d meaning mostly, you have to add more shadows (it's basically a form of a ball, try looking at balls in different lightning to help you find out where the shadows go) another thing is that a moon has some holes and mountains on it, that watching it from our distance makes his special feature. I'm not sure you got what I mean, just try looking at the moon someday
2)I hope you're planning to keep working on the background, it's way too abstract to fit the hand - give it some shadows (it will also help you make your moon more luminescent)
3)about the hand: a)it doesn't really look like a pose you can mannage with your hand (I actually tried it didn't work, it never looks like that) so just try it yourself and maybe you could fix it.
b)I don't like the fingernail - fingernails don't come at that color or in that shape.
c)is that a vain or a tendon on the arm there? I don't have it in my arm, don't know about yours
d)you have to try and fit the hand to the background, now it just looks like you cut and pasted it. First of all, get rid of the white line that separates it from the bg and then, if you're trying to make it look like some sort of a tree - eiter make the roots the same color as the hands or add some browns to the hand.
e) basically, it just looks like a corpse hand, if that's what you're going for then it's cool, if not, try changing the colors to more warm ones, less blue and grey.

about your other sketches, a few general comments: 1)what kind of pencil are you using? it looks like a HB, that's not a pencil for sketches.. it's too hard edged. Try using 4B or 6B
2) you have to work on your anatomy and perspective, best thing is to just keep drawing, but try using reference -learn how things really look, have their shape imprinted in your mind and then start drawing them without using a ref.

well, I'm sorry for this being so long, hope I didn't make you feel too bad about your posts, I didn't mean to, and you shouldn't - I watched your progress around here, and you're on your way just keep practicing!

[Cleoric]

okay, prepare yourself, this is going to be long:
1)referring to your first post, about the moon - is it suppose to be realistic or just an abstract object? if it's abstract you're aiming at - then it's fine as it is, but going for realistic, you got a lot of work before you. you have tp make it look 3d meaning mostly, you have to add more shadows (it's basically a form of a ball, try looking at balls in different lightning to help you find out where the shadows go) another thing is that a moon has some holes and mountains on it, that watching it from our distance makes his special feature. I'm not sure you got what I mean, just try looking at the moon someday

**Well, that was acctually just a place holder. I've mainly only worked on the hand. The other stuff was put there quickly. The tombstone is what I'd like to work on next, but trying to put detail on it, I'm at a loss as to how to do that, trying realistic, not cartoony, but it just looks cartoony now. I did have a bit more detailed moon n' stuff, but it all just ended up being cartoony looking *sigh* Maybe just more practice or what?!

2)I hope you're planning to keep working on the background, it's way too abstract to fit the hand - give it some shadows (it will also help you make your moon more luminescent)

**I just threw down 2 colours Very early WIP.

3)about the hand: a)it doesn't really look like a pose you can mannage with your hand (I actually tried it didn't work, it never looks like that) so just try it yourself and maybe you could fix it.

**Hrm, well, I guess because I'm double-jointed or something, but it's a sketch of my own hand like that

b)I don't like the fingernail - fingernails don't come at that color or in that shape.

**Haven't colored it yet

c)is that a vain or a tendon on the arm there? I don't have it in my arm, don't know about yours

**Yeah, I know, I just thought it looked cool when I first had it there so didn't remove it, I probably will though.

d)you have to try and fit the hand to the background, now it just looks like you cut and pasted it. First of all, get rid of the white line that separates it from the bg and then, if you're trying to make it look like some sort of a tree - eiter make the roots the same color as the hands or add some browns to the hand.

**I haven't blended it in at all yet. Maybe I should have put a bit more work into it before posting heh.

e) basically, it just looks like a corpse hand, if that's what you're going for then it's cool, if not, try changing the colors to more warm ones, less blue and grey.

**It's supposed to be a corpse hand coming out of the grave.

about your other sketches, a few general comments: 1)what kind of pencil are you using? it looks like a HB, that's not a pencil for sketches.. it's too hard edged. Try using 4B or 6B

**I was using 3b for most part. I like the clean lines :-/ But I guess I should try with the 6b at least I have...


2) you have to work on your anatomy and perspective, best thing is to just keep drawing, but try using reference -learn how things really look, have their shape imprinted in your mind and then start drawing them without using a ref.

**Well, I definately agree with all of this. I really only draw like once a year But Since I've been trolling these boards I've wanted to draw more, so this was really my first attempt in a while. You think the anatomy is off in my other 2 hands as well? Or the other stuff?

well, I'm sorry for this being so long, hope I didn't make you feel too bad about your posts, I didn't mean to, and you shouldn't - I watched your progress around here, and you're on your way just keep practicing!

**I'm very glad that you replied. Thanks a lot