You do not wanna miss that. Seriously. ( just updated - Apr 12)

[miycko]

dig the environments & self portrats very nice work

[extremeillustrator]

your work is really very good and the thing i like most is that u have got a lot of variations in your work. there is nothing more to say but certainly there is a long way to go.

MY SKETCHBOOK
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthr...68#post2476968

[madzialenka021]

To jest bardzo mało konstruktywny post, bo jest w nim tylko buziak i mój ryjek buziak wymiata hehehe

[Ariel9]

I love the quick enviroments and your last self-portrait (the best one, such interesting lighting!)
I do think those gardens are a bit too cold though, and there's too much bright green all over. The picture is peaceful, and I dig the composition, but color-wise it could use a bit more variation to avoid being TOO peaceful, and therefore a little boring - but that's just my opinion, I like bold colors even when they're not strictly necessary

[Rafal Dorsz]

miycko: Thanks
extremeillustrator: Thanks there always is a long way to go
madzialenka021: haha
Ariel9: Thank You, I like that third one too. And I agree about the colors.. too flat, more variations needed, I forgot about that.

Here are a few more environment studies from TerraGalleria.

[Rafal Dorsz]

Okay, so after seeing Bel696's portrait of Sylar I decided to paint it too. Of course mine turned out like crap compared to his. Oh well. And then I tried painting Nathan and failed even more.


I really need to work on my color palette..

[Kaileighblue]

I like the portraits. Especially the color on Sylar. It's hard to get likenesses. Without the ref to tell, it looks to me like their eyes might be a bit large.

[Rafal Dorsz]

Thanks, Kaileighblue. Their eyes may be a bit too big, I tend to do that when I draw/paint portraits.

Here's Peter:

[Jamie Romoser]

nice studys those landscape ones looked like they were alot of fun.
keep it up

[Taven]

When did I last post in this thing, anyways? It was awhile ago. I've been haunting Deviant Art, believe it or not, and actually giving constructive criticism over there. I feel like they need a break through in that area. Actually, my comments, excluding a single one, have been widely appreciated.

Way back in post 112, you posted your "lame CHOW attempt." It does seem to me to be uninspired. I think it would be a lot better if you had used more vibrant colors, it looks very washed out and faded. I also feel like the figure on the right is far more defined then the figure on the left. But, hey, you weren't pleased with it anyways, so moving on.

I like the second picture in the same post, the concept of an undergorund place. It looks interesting. Did you ever consider going back and doing a more final version of the work? That might be cool.

In the third one, the enviroment, I feel like the tree across the rived should be a little less curved. I love how you did the beams of light coming through the canopy, and for the most part the light on the river, except in the very front where it looks streaky.

I don't like Columbus. He'd not done badly, I just dislike the style he's in or how he's specificly portrayed, if that makes sense. On the topic of how to improve the actual art, I feel like you could blend the shades in the shadows better, because they look a little streaky. Excellent job on the hands, I'm really impressed with how those turned out. His lips look a little off to me in the way they were done, they look (to me) more like a slash in his face then lips. I know part of that is the difference between how male and female lips look, but I also think the angles on the surfaces of your lips are too severe, giving that impression.

I have to admit, I have no idea what a Nibru is. You're looks nifty; where did you get the concept?

I have to say, your faces are a ton better then mine. Of your three self portraits, I like the "green one" the best, because of the angles. It also looks the most dramatic of the three. I don't have any real suggestions for improvement, but I agree that the one in the middle is the least of the three.

Your garden looks very dream like, due to the pastel coloring of everything past the first few trees. Personally, I'd rather see it with more detail like the trees im the forefront, but this does get across and entirely different impression then that would.

In the same post with the garden, you have three enviroment studies. I like the middle one, the angles and coloring appeal to me. I was curious, in the last one, are the trees burning, or is it fall? I can't quiet tell with the thickness of the brush you used.

Which finally brings us to the post you made today! There's some rocking enviroments. I feel like if you actually spent some more time on them, they'd be Magic: The Gathering quality. I'm not sure if you've heard of that game, but it's a card game with land cards used to summon creatures (with the end goal of getting your opponents life down to 0, and thus winning.) Here's some land cards, for examples: [Link] [Link2] You'll want to scroll down a bit on that first link. Past saying that they're looking good, I don't have much specific to say on these studies. I do like the detail on the river in the one, and hoe from study to study you have a different "feel" to the work, and it looks like you utalized different brushes.

Good work, keep it up!

--Taven

[Rafal Dorsz]

Hah, Taven, You amaze me with those huge replies Thanks, man! Good luck on DeviantArt, hehe I don't know about the environment, I considered going further with it but I don't know when that's going to happen. Thanks for the input on Columbus, though it's not Columbus but Luther I dislike the style too, but the publisher requested to match the style of their previous artwork which they provided. I failed anyway. Also, I used reference for his face, his portrait from wikipedia, but still You may be right about those lips, but I don't really want to go back to this piece. I PM'd You about Nibru.
About those environments : it was supposed to be fall, but I know it looks like fire, I was too lazy to choose a better brush for that. I'm glad You like my environment studies hehe, they were all done using only one brush heh
Whew, Thanks again for the time You took. I hope my answers are somehow readable.

OmertA: Thanks

And, thanks to everyone who replies. I know I should take a look at Your sketchbooks too and I promise I will. I'm just too busy right now I barely even have time to paint.

Anyways here's a small update:
A fun portrait of my girlfriend, which again doesn't do her justice. Somehow I can't paint her right. Painting was fun, I tried using a bit more colors than I normally would.


And this is a little boring illustraton i did just for fun. The idea was born when I was walking after school today through a wet grassy field. I might develop it further some day. Or not.


Cheers! Thanks for looking everyone

[Jamie Romoser]

On your last painting its not boring at all I think its one of your strongest works. Cool concept Keep it up

[Rafal Dorsz]

OmertA: thanks!

Here's my first cityscape ever. Took about 1 hour. I obviously need to work on painting cities

[Rafal Dorsz]

Here's what I did today. One speed environment with brushes I don't normally use too much, and two still lifes from life.

[Rafal Dorsz]

Here's a skull I had lying around.

[madzialenka021]

ładnie

[Monika Gruszka]

great still lifes! and that skull looks amazing, you really have something like that in your home? I like your enviros too, i think they need some textures maybe?

[Rafal Dorsz]

Monika Gruszka: Yes, I found this skull in my backyard when I was a kid And yes, my environments (and everything else) need more textures... Thanks
madzialenka021: dzięki

Still lifes from today.

[JinzouTamashii]

These are lovely.

I wouldn't stay a slave to your reference. Make that vial shinier and the fruits more round. And lay down a shadow.

[Rafal Dorsz]

Thanks, JinzouTamashii. The point of those life paintings was to observe and paint accurately, which is probably why I "stayed a slave" to my reference. Good point about the shadow though, thanks.

I've been so busy with work lately, I didn't really have much time to post. Here's a bit of what I did. Trading card game art.


Here's one of the cards for some other game.



And here are two personal little quick illustrations for my girlfriend and dancing partner.

[madzialenka021]

paso doble w rytmie marsza, mu humoru nie pogarsza xD

[Rafal Dorsz]

I just did this study.. note to self: learn anatomy.

[Rafal Dorsz]

..and a portrait

[Ariel9]

This is awesome! It's incredible how much you've improved in such a short time. You definitely have more or a feel for contrast which makes your images much more powerful and interesting. The last portrait is kind of creepy but it WORKS.
Your still lives are amazing and so detailed (also, yay for Peter Petrelli! *hugs him*), but the rhino creature and the second dance painting are my favourite pieces. I actually have a soft spot for paintings of dancing in general, and you got exactly what I think matters in them: the emotion through body language.

[Rafal Dorsz]

Thank You, Ariel I believe those images look better contrast-wise, because I paint them in grayscale first and color them later. Makes it easier to get those values right. I mean those done for work.

Here are a few more I did for the trading cards game that the rhino a few posts above was for.


And this is an illustration I did for the University of Silesia here in Poland. It's for a poster promoting a new major there (or whatever it's called in english).

[Rafal Dorsz]

I finally had time for some personal painting.
So here's a still life I just did. I might go back to it later, who knows

[skidfrog]

Overall I can see you are getting better and better

I think one thing I can see however is that you have a desire to get quantity done as much as quality....your still life studies are best....even if it's just the egg yolk........in larger pieces and some figure work your compositions still need more observation and mental memory of what stuff looks like . scale and lighting especially.

It can be tough to try ambitious figure work in large settings.......I'd say keep reworking your roughs BEFORE you start colouring.....the mermaid on the beach looks OK but the setting doesn't match her scale ( no pun intended hehehe )....the rocks...waves...water....everything else doesn't match . It's as though you added a tail to a girl you had in a photograph and didn't quite know what to put behind her.

Don't get me wrong....I use...and even trace photographs to learn from...it's good practise to study that way....but you have to know how to twist reference material to use it even better.......a rock pool....maybe some shells etc....a reflection under her ...cast shadows......all would help that piece for example....even water ripples and waves have a certain size to their graphic elements......a wavelet is usually the same size in an ocean or a bathtub.

some of your life studies and portraits are getting very good too....progress is good !

[Ariel9]

Wow, that still life is sleek and precise and really looking good. You're improving like crazy, my friend

[Rafal Dorsz]

skidfrog: Thanks. I understand and agree with what You said about the mermaid piece. And about quantity/quality - yeah, I have a problem with spending more than a few hours on a piece. I know I need to do some quality stuff, but I can't seem to find the patience.. oh well.

Ariel9: Why, thank You for the kind words

Here's some of the stuff I've been working on between work



I need to do more studies. I'll try to squeeze some tomorrow.
Also, my sister started a sketchbook here, and she's improving like crazy So go ahead and check out her stuff

[Nele Klumpe]

Really cool studies! I especially like that green cup, the reflections look really good!
I also like the colours in the character portraits. I only see some issues with their faces. Try to study the planes of the head. Loomis is a good source for that. Keep it up!