[Socar MYLES]

This isn't quite my usual style, and DEFINITELY not my usual subject matter. I don't do too many portraits, except of rats. But for money, I'll draw anything....

Actually, I really enjoyed doing this. It was a fun departure from the norm, so I just let loose and had a good time with it.

[dr . bang]

Vary nice Socar! Vary!!! Anyway, her and kinda confused me a bit at first, i thought it was hers at the beginning, maybe the pinky nail confuse me. It should point the otherways great work, especially the hair!

[Jess]

Socar, it's pretty =]:

[Poprocksz]

Rosanna Arquette?

Very nice....where the nose meets lips is kinda off....
maybe it's just the shading....

[Vesuvius]

the hand seems kinda twisted in terms of the way the fingers appear, it might be a foreshortening issue. also, I am upset by the lack of rats. otherwise quite nice.

[Red Leader]

Hi Socar,

Well, I'm sick of everybody complaining that there are no good crits on here any more, so I'll try and do my part to help out...

Let me start of by saying all the things I like about this portrait. Over all I like it's moodiness...

• The color scheme is nice
  
• The vines are well rendered, I like the delicacy you've achieved
  
• The mist is good
  
• The hair is good.
  
• The stylized modelling of the face is great
  
• I love the webby goth-cloth.
  

Now the problem areas:

• The thumb of her left hand is not in shadow enough, same goes for her shoulder.
  
• Her wrist is not defined enough.
  
• Her pinky is too long, and the nail does not follow the axis of the bone.
  
• The stick she is holding forms a really bad congruency with her hair, and is not lit the same as the rest of the image.
• The hilight on her nose is too far to our left

If you'd like, I will do a simple overpaint to help you out in these areas.

Overall , I think it's a nice piece.



[ August 04, 2001: Message edited by: Red Leader ]

[Socar MYLES]

Thanks so much for the crits, Red Leader. Although this picture is done, approved, and paid for, so I can't really change it now, I will certainly bear them in mind for next time. I don't do too many portraits, so your advice is MUCH appreciated. I am probably going to be doing three more portraits for the same person I did this one for, so I'll apply your advice to the next ones.

[Red Leader]

Sure thing. I've unlocked my email address, so you can mail me an image and get advice before you finish next time if you like. Let me know.

[simuartist]

Sorry Rede Leader I dont how good of an artist you are but I disagree with a lot of your crits. They seem to be digging really deep...I can understand if she didnt have basic anatomy or perportion and her lighting was completly off but those things seem to be very picky #1 and #2 think you are incorrect on a few of them. Just my opnion

Socer...Beutiful picture and very well renderd. I like the mood of the picture and the pose of the girl.

{edit} socer I was watching Nightmare Before Christmas and it made me think how very Tim Burton your picture...very cool...lol

[ August 04, 2001: Message edited by: simuartist ]

[Red Leader]

Ah, well, Simuartist, before you shoot down my crits check my rating. "Digging really deep" into a crit is what's required to get better.

I've had enough of the post bashing on this board... If you don't like what I have to suggest, I recommend you keep quiet, or offer some constructive advice.

Also, after digging a bit to see who I was laying on their ear, I noticed you have NEVER posted an image to Sijun, except for a misguided repaint for Enayla. Maybe post something, so that others on the board guage the value of your judgement? Also, maybe try to spell check a little.

Sorry to have to lay in like this in your thread, Socar, I just think this sort of thing needs to be taken care of if this board is going to get healthy again. If simuartist cares to reply, I hope he will do so in a thread started in radom musings.



[ August 04, 2001: Some Surliness edited out by: Red Leader ]

[ August 04, 2001: Message edited by: Red Leader ]

[simuartist]

Very mature red leader I didnt bash you at all . I just said I thought you where incorrect. If you can't handle that then ignore my post little man.

[Cos]

Actually I agree with Red Leader. I think those were all good crits.
Some crits I noticed-

the little finger seems to be missing the joints and creases. Also its abnormally twisting, If we can see so much of the palm, I don't think we get so much of the finger nail side.

The thumb looks a little dislocated, I think it could rotate right some more.

The nostril looks like a hole on the side of her nose, I think it could use some shadow (hard, not soft) around/above the nostril to show a better construction of the nose. Also the nostril may be a little low/small,

Her right (our left) eye looks high.

Hope you don't mind me pointing this out Socar, just what I notice. I really like the image, gritty, realistic, great tones.

[ August 05, 2001: Message edited by: Cos ]

[Socar MYLES]

I don't mind at all, Cos; I'm grateful. I keep Notepad files of all the crits I get on all my pictures, and use them to help me out almost every time I draw. As I mentioned, it's too late for me to do anything more to this one, but I'll certainly keep your advice in mind next time.

I get enough praise via e-mail from my site, and on Elfwood, and that sort of thing, and even if I didn't, I've never been one to lack confidence. (In fact, I'm a big ol' honkin' egotist; I'm the first to admit it.) So critique away--my self-esteem won't suffer any. Everyone has areas which could use improvement, and I like to know about mine.

A note to simuartist--I appreciate your comment, and your defending my work, but please don't turn this into an argument. I want to hear everyone's critiques, 'right' or 'wrong'. If someone says there's something 'wrong' with a certain area of the picture, then there probably is. They may not hit the nail bang on the head with what exactly is wrong, but people generally have a good sense of what feels right and what doesn't. Hearing people's opinions helps me see things through their eyes, which I really need to do in order to improve. I'm a careless artist--I go for mood and first-sight effect, not for nitty-gritty perfection, and I often get sloppy, as I did in this picture. I used a different model for the face and arm and the hand, and it shows--the hand position doesn't really match with the arm. I also didn't render the hand as carefully as I could've done. And I need to know that viewers are noticing these things, no matter WHAT level of artists they are (or whether they're artists at all).

Red Leader - Don't worry about it--just please don't continue this any further. I value your opinion, and isn't that what matters here? [EDIT] - Hey, I just noticed you're in Vancouver, too! Cool deal...whereabouts are you? I'm right downtown. Heh...anyway.... *G* Always cool to notice a 'neighbour' online.

Poprocksz - Who's Rosanna Arquette? (Is this an ignorant question? The name sounds familiar, like it's someone I SHOULD have heard of, but I'm drawing a blank here.)

[ August 05, 2001: Message edited by: Socar MYLES ]

[Cos]

Socar glad to hear that, at the end of the day you can only learn from them hey. If I notice something, it seems a shame not to try and help. Although you never know how someone will react to crits, so I have been wary of giving them lately. I'll look out for you in future It's nice to see you doing something new from the rats by the way.