I am new...be gentle, but please be honest.

[Odd Berry Creations]

I am 2 semesters away from graduating with my second degree. In that time I have come to love drawing. My educational background is digital art but I just have this passion for traditional art. I've only been drawing daily for about 6-8 months now and I KNOW I have a long way to go. The problem is, most everyone I show my work to is family and friends. With the exception of one or two people, most everyone loves my stuff. Well, I am confident in my skills but I know I need work. So, I've come here because unless I'm told what I need to work on, I'll keep stumbling along. I have my work up on Flickr, my own website, as well as a few other places but I never really get substantial feedback on it...and that's what I NEED.

I want to eventually do illustration but I'm not sure where to go or what to do. When I start off drawing, I have this idea of creating a detailed piece but then I get frustrated because I feel like I should be further along than I am. I have come quite a long way since I first started but right now I feel lost and I'm hoping I can get some awesome suggestions and feedback on how far I've come.

[Lhune]

I strongly recommend these books. They don't teach you everything, but they show you what you need to work on.

http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Dra...essful+drawing
http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-A...uctive+anatomy
http://www.amazon.com/Bridgmans-Comp...ref=pd_vtp_b_7

[themegagod]

It cannot be stressed enough to draw from observation. look at something, and while looking at it draw the object. An instructor once told me look more at the subject you are drawing than your paper.
this practice is stressed, because although one day you will most likely be drawing from imagination and reference material, all the information conveyed through a visual piece is gained through observations of the world around us. in order to make a visual piece believable, even if it is imaginary, the basic principals of what we see around us needs to be conveyed.
I hope that made sense.

anyway- first main issue I see with your images, are proportions. The eyes of your characters are way too large. as well they eyes you have above, are no quite "eye shaped". this is where observational drawing comes in. look at an eye, be it your own or someone else's, and draw exactly what you see, not what you think an eye looks like, or what you think it should be, but draw the eye exactly as it appears on your subject, in what ever angle you happen to see the subject standing.
worry less about creating cartoons and more about capturing real physical people while you are learning. this is because of a very simple principal- if you learn how to create a realistic person it's easy to stretch and push proportions to make a cartoon character. If you can draw a particular brand of cartoon character very well, it is much harder to push those exaggerated proportions back into correct form to create a realistic character.

If you don't have one, get a sketchbook, take it everywhere and just draw constantly. also begin reading everything you can get your hands on. even the worst books tend to have an idea or two you can utilize (and if not they will teach you what you DONT want to do).

Art is one of those things that as long as you push yourself to get better, you will find that you will get better.
good luck and keep going.

BTW, you said you will be graduating and your "educational background is digital art" . what where you working with that you find traditional media so much more troubling? all of the basic principals should still be the same. value is value, chroma is chroma, line is line. If you can draw on a tablet, shouldn't you be able to draw with a pencil?

[arenhaus]

Yes, get the books by Loomis, and also "Cartoon Animation" by Preston Blair and "Perspective Made Easy" by Ernst Norling. See what drawing method they teach. And then practice it a lot.

[Odd Berry Creations]

ok, is there anything GOOD about my drawings?? Creative? Unique? Off to a good start??

[TinyBird]

ok, is there anything GOOD about my drawings?? Creative? Unique? Off to a good start??

So your first post says you want critique because everyone else just tells they love your art, now that you have gotten lots of advice and recommendations to books that'll give even more help on your practice, your first reaction isn't say "thank you for all the help" (or use the thanks button) but come asking people to compliment you more?
(Yes, telling what you did right can be a part of critique, but in this case I think it'll help you more if you rather just started following the advice given to you)
Also you posted mainly a bunch of fairly generic cartoon heads, it's harder to give an "unique" or creative take on those. Don't worry about being creative or unique, just keep working and it'll come to you. It'll come even easier when you have accumulated more skills.

[Star Eater]

ok, is there anything GOOD about my drawings?? Creative? Unique? Off to a good start??

To be honest, no. But its good that you posted them up here in the critique section. It's the first step towards improving.
I hope you have what it takes to see it through.

[Kiera]

Eh alright, i will go in that minefield:
Nope. Not much good about it. Generic beginners stuff.

Does it matter?
Eh, it takes some time, dedication and effort to get somewhere.
Here's an example of some guy who startet from beginner to good artist.
Look on the first pages of this thread and some of the last pages.
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...s-and-Sketches

[Odd Berry Creations]

TinyBird- I in no way meant it like that. I wanted exactly what I got. It is beginner because that is exactly what I am. I will get the books and I will practice and learn. It's the only thing I can do to be at the level I want to be at. I appreciate ALL the feedback because it is the truth. I wasn't looking for a pat on the back and I wasn't looking for anything less than what I received. I have spent a lot of time thinking in one direction and it's tough rewiring your brain to think in another sometimes but thanks to all the brutally honest feedback I have gotten, I know where I need to spend my time.

Kiera- Thank you so much for sharing that link. That is awesome to be able to go from drawing a 'floating cylinder' to being an art teacher. AMAZING!! That just proves it takes a lot of work and determination.

Joining this sites has proven and I hope will continue to prove to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. Now I need to figure out how to make a sketchbook and go from there. It is scary and intimidating opening up to the world and sharing your artwork but I have tough skin and I'm willing to learn which is half the battle I think. I have a Wacom tablet and I've really wanted to get into doing digital art. Now, after seeing that huge thread...I know I just need to jump in feet first.

[TinyBird]

I wanted exactly what I got.

Then you might want to learn to use that little "thanks" button. It's the easy way to acknowledge the feedback you got without needing to reply to everyone and you can also keep tabs of helpful comments you might want to get back to.

I've really wanted to get into doing digital art.

But didn't you say your educational background is in digital art? Also trust us, much like with avoiding too much stylization in the start, just using the pen and paper is sometimes much more beneficial when practicing than doing digital, so keep on also doing traditional studies from life.

[Odd Berry Creations]

Well see...learned something new already! :0)

Yes, my A.S is in Multimedia Telecommunication but my B.S is in Digital Design and Animation, although I seem to be towards more of the digital design and illustration part. I didn't get interested in traditional drawing until one semester in on my B.S and I picked up a pencil and paper to get an idea for a logo I needed to create...I became hooked. I draw to relax, I draw when I'm bored, I draw when I'm nervous, all the time I'm drawing. It might not look like it...but I do.

Is a sketchbook like a separate thread? I'm still new at all this.

[TinyBird]

Is a sketchbook like a separate thread? I'm still new at all this.

Start a new thread in here: http://conceptart.org/forums/forumdi...41-SKETCHBOOKS
Though since you're new, it might be advisable to get your post count up to 20 or so, that way the site filters don't think your account to be a spam account (we get those a lot, so new people's threads may sometimes get caught in the "needs mod approval" limbo).

[vineris]

ok, is there anything GOOD about my drawings?? Creative? Unique? Off to a good start??

Sure. You're off to a good start. Now rinse and repeat about 10,000 more times, with more variety.

[mdog]

If you're feeling a little insecure about receiving critique, keep this in mind. With the level you're at now, you can take the advice you've got here, try out some new techniques, and you'll start to see improvement relatively quickly. Not to say that you'll become amazingly skilled overnight, but you're at the stage where you have a lot to learn and try.

[Lightship69]

I agree with all the book recommendations and would like to say welcome aboard! youre off to a great start, while you are here mooching around check out the stickies!

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...ut-of-critique - this one is a must! its on how to deal with crits they are vital for your continued sanity!!.

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...f-creating-art - loads of good advice in this one too.

all the best and thanks for posting.

[tatiana]

Hey there, Odd Berry!
I bet in a few years, we'll see some great strides in your art skills, too.

Reminds me, I need to update my own sketchbook...or start a new one.

- t

[Odd Berry Creations]

Awww thanks Tatiana!!