New to CA, critique please

[Starduzt.Reverie]

Hi, I just joined ConceptArt.org. I would like to ask for tips and advice as well as critics for my artwork so that I know my mistakes.

I pretty much stink at coloring and shading.

[Star Eater]

Hi and welcome!



I'm going to tell you now what almost every artist here will say.

It's time to begin again, from scratch. You already have a headstart to a lot of people for two reasons.

1) You can draw.

2) You are a member of these forums.

Now, look up the Loomis art books, study anatomy, draw everything you see as much as you can when you can. Inbetween these doodle and draw for fun and draw what makes you happy, but you will find as you draw from real life it will be much easier to put to paper what you see in your head.

Open up a sketchbook thread so that we can see your progress. Forget about this image for now, it's going to get you nowhere. I'd much rather focus on your desire to become a serious artist.

If you would still like me to give you my opinion on what's wrong with this piece let me know. But there's a lot wrong with it that can be fixed by just reading the free Loomis art books and browsing through the sketchbooks of your peers on this site.

[Starduzt.Reverie]

Yeah, I would like to know your opinion about this artwork.

[Star Eater]

Fair enough!

Your piece has no true functional anatomy. The body is unbalanced, flat and unrealistically proportioned. I'm assuming it was an artistic choice that she (or he, it is manga after all) only has 3 fingers on her hand? Her arm is held out an a confusing angle. No true thrust with any power can be delivered with that spear at such an angle. The entire spear appears to be burning but has no effect or relation to the wielder.

The expression is unreadable due to the ill defined face, the coat is billowing out even though her hair is static?

Your linework is shaky and lacks confidence, your colouring is not defined by any light source and is being overwhelmed by the harsh white background.

The subject matter has no character or originality.

I'm not trying to be harsh, far from it. I'm assuming that you really do want to improve. These are the kinds of crits you can expect here, they are the kinds of crits I get and they have helped me immensely!

[Starduzt.Reverie]

Thanks for the critic! Now I really know what to fix up on my drawings.

Thanks a lot, I'll try to improve.

[Nezumi Works]

Well, if you really want an opinion on the artwork, I can provide that.

There's no construction to speak of, to start with, which means that the proportions end up way out of whack, and there's no sense of depth at all. Arms, legs and torsos are just tubes, with no particular anatomy knowledge on display, and the head is likewise undifferentiated into cranium and jaw. I do see some effort to apply perspective to the symbols you've drawn in place of eyes, so well done there, but it's applied nowhere else on the body.

So with that out of the way, if you're interested in getting better (and you will get better) is to start studying, practicing and thinking about what you draw. There are a lot of resources out there to help you, and if you look around this forum a bit you'll see a lot of good recommendations. Try taking a look at some of the advice at this link, and I'd also recommend following this blog and this one.

Above all, stop trying to work in a particular style. That's something that'll develop naturally in time based on your interests and your practice. It's not something you start out with, or should be concerning yourself with this early in the game. Before you've learned all the basics, it's just imitating a style rather than having your own, and I'm sure you don't want that.

[Star Eater]

Thanks for the critic! Now I really know what to fix up on my drawings.

Thanks a lot, I'll try to improve.

You handled that well! With that attitude you would fit in here. I hope you consider opening that sketchbook.

[Starduzt.Reverie]

Well, if you really want an opinion on the artwork, I can provide that.

There's no construction to speak of, to start with, which means that the proportions end up way out of whack, and there's no sense of depth at all. Arms, legs and torsos are just tubes, with no particular anatomy knowledge on display, and the head is likewise undifferentiated into cranium and jaw. I do see some effort to apply perspective to the symbols you've drawn in place of eyes, so well done there, but it's applied nowhere else on the body.

So with that out of the way, if you're interested in getting better (and you will get better) is to start studying, practicing and thinking about what you draw. There are a lot of resources out there to help you, and if you look around this forum a bit you'll see a lot of good recommendations. Try taking a look at some of the advice at this link, and I'd also recommend following this blog and this one.

Above all, stop trying to work in a particular style. That's something that'll develop naturally in time based on your interests and your practice. It's not something you start out with, or should be concerning yourself with this early in the game. Before you've learned all the basics, it's just imitating a style rather than having your own, and I'm sure you don't want that.

Thanks for the critic and the links, I'll try them out.

You handled that well! With that attitude you would fit in here. I hope you consider opening that sketchbook.

I will try it out, thanks.

[RufousPlumage]

As much as it sucks, the best way to have a great cartoon style is to learn how to draw realistically first. Then, you can start simplifying and creating a distinctive way of making art.

Before you go digital, I would suggest that you get really comfortable with traditional media - pencil is a good way to start. I find that it's just easier to learn drawing when you've got your hand on the page and there's no go-between with the computer.

Other than that, everybody else pretty much has you covered. Hope I was helpful.

[Starduzt.Reverie]

As much as it sucks, the best way to have a great cartoon style is to learn how to draw realistically first. Then, you can start simplifying and creating a distinctive way of making art.

Before you go digital, I would suggest that you get really comfortable with traditional media - pencil is a good way to start. I find that it's just easier to learn drawing when you've got your hand on the page and there's no go-between with the computer.

Other than that, everybody else pretty much has you covered. Hope I was helpful.

Thanks for the advice.