Lookign for a possible mentor?

[jmaple]

Hello , Jessica here looking for a possible mentor. I apologise for my typing sometimes I dont see my typos like in my title.

Some of my works can be seen at

www.jadeanimation.net

and you can also learn a little bit about me there.


I have recently applied for a concept art postion at an up and coming company, but was rejected still being oh so fresh and new. However, I can assume the company thought I showed promise because I came in their top 10 out of 300. Being so close made me want to work even harder to develope my skills. I enjoy creature work and character desgins. I need training in everything still but I really need some help with mech and buildings,these subject matters being both sci fi and fantasy. Id really like to get my mind set trained for concept work.

Feel free to just critique my work as well I'd liek to know what other think my strengths and weaknesses are, although im not sure my little bit of work online might be enough.

http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/e.../avicopy-1.jpg

This is the msot recent thing im working on there are alot of problems with this I need to draw it over perhaps take a different route with it desgin but its still the most recent inprogress.

[skidfrog]

Hi Jessica

I had a quick look

one thing I always recommend to students is to USE REFERENCE !

Sorry....I wasn't shouting there...just wanted to underline the idea really strongly . The key word being "use". It's OK to even trace photographic reference to learn anatomy......even contemporary "greats" use reference tracing a lot to help save time and keep themselves from "faking" stuff .

Look at how Alex Ross works for example ; a lot of his comic art is posed / photographed and rotoscoped to start . That work doesn't serve as final art but it helps a LOT.

For example.......try pasting a photo/torso from a woman onto a zebra or horse photo ( minus the head and neck ) You'll quickly notice how your rear legs are not hinged properly or located accurately......you can always exaggerate later but make sure you can see how things connect by seeing or tracing "through" a photographic reference .

after a lot of practice your proportions will improve as you know exactly "what" you are drawing.

Good luck

[jmaple]

Well I used 4 reference images I used an Arabian horse for the horse of course, a nude figured for the torso and another for head and a zebra for color. I don't know what I missed in the translation. I'll try your method of placing my different reference right on top of my other reference. I skewed the line work on the legs . Drawing of the piece in general and getting the different pieces to work together was a bomb as you can already tell, so your method sounds like it would work better then trying to chunk pieces together. Thanks