Just finished first ever piece

[_Rebecca_]

Both my first post and my first piece of finished art!


I would love to know what people think

[Giacomo]

Looks pretty good!

Maybe it's just me, but my immediate reaction is that it might be a good idea to draw in the "skirt" part of her dress. (Unless she's supposed to be wearing an ultra-miniskirt designed to, um, emphasize her identity as "Priestess of the Moon" when viewed from behind.)

[Nezumi Works]

Is she floating? I ask, because her feet are clearly not standing on anything, even on her tip-toes.

As to other issues, I note that her pose is 100% mirrored. This is great if you want to portray a figure that is static and frozen, but it's much more interesting and appealing to look at a character that's doing something. Without that, it's hard to see the idea behind your concept, and instead we basically see a costume and a pretty decent rendering job. Start to get more familiar with gesture and line of action, that'll help you figure out things like how the ribcage and pelvis tilt, and how to make the whole composition more interesting.

Here's a rule of thumb for you. Try not to make an image without at least one of the main body masses (head, chest, hips) in 3/4 view.

Oh, and don't hide your hands. Even if you're not good at them, it's a bad habit to get into.

[Ardescoere]

It looks somewhat like you drew half and then mirrored it, like the previous poster said. Which is a bad habit to get in to. It isn't easy to draw symmetrically, in fact, most people can't without assisstance. But people aren't exactlly perfect to begin with (in how they look I mean). What artists do is emphasize the individuality in the face, the slight assymetry and show its beauty. So don't be afraid to have things that are not mirrored.

Other points that you might want to consider - there is no background as a context for the character. While you don't necessarily have to have a detailed background, something is better than nothing in most circumstances. In this case the entire piece feels very static.

Think of her as a character - who is she, what would she be doing? Why is she wearing that outfit? What is it's significance? When you have those answers you'll be able to place her in a setting and really make her alive to the viewer.

I agree with previous poster as well... Feet and hands are difficult to get right, but don't hide them as only practice will make you better.

But you're off to a good start, keep at it!

[Joe824]

i agree with everyone above. mirroring the image is a really bad crutch to depend on. you're really doing a disservice to yourself by not drawing each side independently. if you draw left to right, top to bottom, you'll never develop drawing right to left, bottom to top, if that makes any sense :-)

another way to improve on the drawing and add realism is to incorporate folds in the fabric. giacomo made a great suggestion with showing the skirted part of the dress, that would be a great opportunity to add some depth to the illustration.

backgrounds are tough, especially when you're starting out (i know because i'm in the same boat). but putting something, anything, like a textured background, can often help spur some creativity and get ideas rolling around in your head. often times simply creating a thousand random strokes can produce a good starting point.

all in all this is pleasing to look at, i'm excited to see progress. on the plus side, the anatomy looks strong, and the lighting on her face is successful for the most part.

keep at it, you're headed in the right direction.