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At 4/10/12 04:46 PM, S0LK wrote: You guys've been playing Nexus, yeah? I absolutely love it. Closest thing to a Madness world RPG yet. Drew one of my main teammates, kept him since he was a wee level 20-something. Took some creative liberties, but you know. The resemblance is there.

My, I like it very very much.

Your concept art is great. I like the element of speed you put in your rendering. Relying on suggestion rather than representation for many details, that just works so well for you! Keep up the great work, and I'm hoping to see more!

At 4/10/12 07:49 PM, TroisNyxEtienne wrote: Drawn on MS Paint for Windows 7.
Lighting and background done on GIMP 2.6.
Paint filter added on PowerPoint 2010.

I find it's alright, considering Kirby is a rather simple character.This being said it's cute and you put some creativity in the background. You seem to have put a fair amount of time into it and that's nice.

However, a few things startled me from your post. You need to get yourself equipped with the right tools! MS paint and Powerpoint are unlikely to be appropriate creative tools to go further in the style of cg painting you've shown so far. Gimp 2.6 is most likely the best (free) candidate to do all your work in, as this could have been entirely done using the Gimp. Using 'creative' filters and such usually decreases the quality of the artwork and is not a good habit to pick up when painting, so try to avoid those! It's just too easy to filter rape an image, and it certainly stands out in a negative way to a trained eye.

Keep it up, hope you post some more works!

At 4/4/12 10:34 PM, rojenomu wrote: subj says it all

I think it's terrible.

At 3/31/12 09:57 PM, ngmastah wrote: No comments guys? : (

Hello there! Seeing as this thread was started in 2007, I might add welcome back!

Yeah, the art forum is pretty slow. You don't get many responses, and sometimes you don't get any. This being said, nice drawing! The shading is cool and some textures come out great. However, the pose is very static and some anatomical proportions need to be reworked (head/torso size ratio, position of feet, etc.) It's also quite assymetrical (one shoulder bigger than other, for instance) and you would gain a lot by flipping your image sideways, either on the computer or by holding your paper facing away from you towards a source of light. Doing this will make you notice many details that are slightly off that might have gone by unseen.

Finally, concerning the actual concept/design of the armor. It does not really imply a lot of mobility and looks very stiff at the joints, neck and torso. You could improve your design by thinking of how the relative mechanical mobility of the parts could function. The shape of the armor plates should account for the bending of the articulations. Either remove some "armor" on the inside of the joint, or consider a way a mobile plate could be used to cover the area while still allowing for mobility. The outside of a joint will become "longer" during a flexing movement, so consider a mobile knee/elbow guard. Also, adequate vision being crucial in combat, the neck should be both mobile but protected, hence neckguards.

The best way to improve it would be to keep practicing anatomy, but also look at some references in medieval, sci-fi or modern military armor to understand how to make a "real" looking design.

Keep at it!

At 3/28/12 12:06 AM, Template88 wrote: I was inspired....

Good ol' plastic wrap?

At 3/27/12 11:09 PM, Byoubyanese wrote: A portrait of a friend.

Why did you have to apply a photoshop filter to it?

At 3/27/12 04:41 PM, brokenrecord6299 wrote: Duck sculpture

Forgot to post a picture. Sorry. So, yeah. Here it is.

Since then I've tried to forget the terrors I beheld beneath the cold earth, and the twisted nightmares that have haunted my every waking moment....

Great stuff!!!

I like it all :)

At 3/25/12 01:08 AM, CypressDahlia wrote: TBH thats kind of an unfair criticism because anything short of realism could be considered an "excuse" to be inaccurate. The fact of the matter is, anything that's not realism is stylized, and stylized art is not always accurate. I don't know why this complaint is only leveled at manga all the time, and not other stylized art.

I see a big difference between stylised art and anime due to how generic the mange style is. I am under the impression anyone can pull it off, pretty much by following the well-known recipe. It lacks the warm, distinct and personnal feel that permeates one's own style that was developped after practice and experimentation.

I'm not saying anything that is not pure realism amounts to laziness. I just wish people would develop their own style instead of striving for such average and generic results.

At 3/25/12 12:57 AM, AyejayRootay wrote: Not sure if this is worthy of its own thread but I just wanted to post, I'm new here. I Just started drawing on my Tablet (using Photoshop) and I'd like to know what you guys think, if anything. Tips and any comments are welcome, I'll do my best to give my opinion on yours if you post em'

It's interesting stuff.

Not much to change for what it is, but I would modify the color of the background color to make the beige of the skin stand out more. I would have made the mouth evenlarger, and probably made the gaping, open part of the mouth go further than the boundary of his body to add emphasis to his expression...

Nevertheless, it's cool ^^

I have nothing against the manga style and people who have used it successfully. However, I am deeply unimpressed if the artist is unable to draw anything else. Most characters you'll see on the internet are drawn in the manga style as a cheap excuse to ignore correct proportions and anatomy. Some aspects of anime art seem to amount to plain laziness.

Ex: noses. Really? Looks to me like it's a pretty good way to pass off ignorance as minimalist line work.

At 1 hour ago, Hurumi wrote: This is a piece that for my profoilo to get into the art program this fall in my college. 10 of the pieces have to be observational this one of them. The other 10 can be my own work so please tell how I can color to make show how much I wanna get in the program. I have been using a round brush. Note I use paint tool sai. But I have elements and Color Pro.

I'm sorry to say this is simply not good enough to start with. I'm not sure what it is. Might as well keep trying, but I have serious reservations on the idea that you will have a college level portfolio by this fall.

At 3 hours ago, Razac wrote: had a bit of a play around with it

things I did to the right side:

- Increase shadow depth with dark colour brushes / feathered burn tool
- change skin colour tone to be more natural ( made skin pore textures, red blush textures, set to various different overlay styles)
- smoothed out hair, added rough hair strands
- spent time getting the eyes bright, deep and vibrant, adding a glossy layer brings life into the eyes. (wet eye apposed to plastic eye)

This man speaks the truth.

I could not resist kicking it up a notch and completely reworked the eyes and the lips. While everything Razac has said is crucial when it comes to rendering realistic skin, correct anatomy is a must! Eyes have distinct features that should not be overlooked in a portrait, so consider looking at references for those. The same goes for the lips, which have a certain texture and shape that requires a lot of practice.

Once you get comfortable with anatomy and technique, then the fun begins with depicting emotion!

At 3 hours ago, Double-Walker wrote: Thanks to everyone who offered any advice. I'm sorry I took so long to respond but life's been hectic and I just assumed no one was going to say anything after not hearing anything for like five minutes (patience of a SAINT, people). Still, I have read all of this and, when I have some time to sit down with my tablet, I'll try to test out all of this advice.

I'm surprised nobody mentionned this yet: textures.

When I want to create artwork with a certain feeling of grit, well, I add grit. By that I mean using photos and textures from the internet on a separate layer set to "overlay" mode (if you're using Photoshop). Overlay is a blending mode specifically designed for applying textures to layers beneath. Try superimposing photos of rust, concrete, or metal scratches to the overall picture and this should dramatically increase the dark mood of an image. With patience, you can also choose a specific texture for every shape, object and form in your painting, free transform it and warp it until it follows the perspective of the object, and then set it to overlay. A certain amount of noise or grain is absolutely necessary in a realistic painting if you want to get rid of the cartoonish/plastic feel obtained with the default Photoshop brushes.

I use this technique in nearly every single one of my paintings. Hope you have fun trying it out, if you do!

At 1 day ago, Artisean wrote: I Did an eye custom For Te hell Of Idd

Whadd Yuh Think Aboud Idd?

Oan If Yuh want customs just Messaqe Meh .

I think that it's not good enough.

Make a few thousands more (please keep them for yourself) and come back afterwards. Working on your english is also a possibility.

I'm really liking the dynamic lighting you've started to feature in your pictures. It's great stuff! Keep it up!

Have you tried overlaying textures to your work? I find you have a gritty style that would be greatly enhanced if you used sharp textures such as concrete, rust, and so on! If you apply it locally, you can also boost the realism of the rendition of a certain material!

At 1/17/12 10:55 PM, Legodude2000 wrote: I need an artist who can draw backgrounds and backup art for a game im making. I need an artist who can draw backgrounds like this one: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/30/589615 81_98e1b6aab2.jpg

NG Revenue/Credit will be given to the artist. Anyone interested can PM me or can respond below with a piece of your work.

.... that's a picture. Is that the level of realism you're looking for? =/

Hey! Thanks a lot for writing this!!

I was kind of excited when I saw the first trailers showing what the thing can do, but the more I think about it the more I realise that I'm a lot more comfortable doing the CG from scratch or from a scanned drawing. I am still not sure what I would gain from this tool, especially since it does not register varying line thickness.

I will pass on this tool, maybe save some money for the latest generation of wacom cintiq... one day.

SOON.

By the title I was expecting another half assed mediocre post begging for compliments. However, this is very, very good stuff. It's stylish, technical, and all your work feature interesting subjects and themes. I'd love to see more from you!!

At 12/25/11 02:40 PM, dude196 wrote: Cyborg Link

It's very, very messy.

You will have to spend more time cleaning up your coloring job than the actual time you spent coloring this one. Either fix up your colors so they don't bleed over other parts of the drawing, or be more careful when you do a shape the first time.

Keep practicing...

At 12/17/11 11:43 AM, TurkeyOnAStick wrote: Saving Vonschlippe's snowboard for later.

Awww thanks a lot! That was like my christmas gift from Newgrounds this morning!

At 12/20/11 09:20 PM, Skat0rzZzz wrote: It's kinda ready for ink and color, but not quite at the same time.
I think something is missing...

It's missing ink and color.

The sketch is acceptable if that's the look you want your Kratos to have. You don't even need to add lineart and you could manage a very cool rendition if you have good shading technique and the right color palette.

It's all up to you now.

At 12/19/11 08:43 AM, Morthagg wrote:
One drawing of my hipsterhair for Breaktroll, coming up.
(I'm actually planning on doing the other side too, this week)

I think I'm in love ^^ Great stuff as always!

Hello there!

Just a little note: make sure you include a picture with your first post, and you can provide a link to a higher resolution separately!

Now to the actual critique, I think it looks great. The looks of the wood, anvil and smoke and excellent, with good textures and great lighting! I think you can enhance it however by increasing the size of the text. If you're confident in flash, how bout you try the following: make the text larger, and have it look like burnt text, as if it had been branded into the wood by a red-hot iron. Then, when you mouse over the text, it glows in a similar way to the current look of the text.

That, my friend, would rock my socks off!

At 12/19/11 11:29 AM, Hulokko wrote: abc

I'm not sure what that previous drawing is, but I strongly suggest you stick with your pencil and paper drawings at first. The first pencil drawing you posted is already decent, and you could gain a lot by practicing more.

If you want to switch to digital painting, try scanning and coloring your pencil drawings. It's a great first step into CG art, and you'll learn a lot.

Besides, who needs art courses ^^

I really like your stuff! You have very powerful line art, and I like changing thickness of your lines which are strong in just the right places. Very good!

Your coloring job is already quite good, but you could improve it further by attempting to color things under different light conditions (sunset, night, artificial light, etc.) to get more dynamic colors and shadows. It's not obvious when it comes to color choices, but it does provide that extra kick to make a drawing stand out.

Hope to see more from you! Cheers!

A big part of your learning process should be to copy stuff as much as you can. See what works for you, and it's a faster way to improve your technique. Simply, as said by everyone above, make sure you don't cross the ethical line of claiming it as your own, or selling it.

Concerning your drawing above, I think that although the colors and shapes are moslty in place, the brush you are using is way too hard to blend together the smooth and subtle changes of value in skin color.

Try doing this: choose a very soft brush (with or without textured patterns, as long as it's not hard), set pen pressure to opacity (if you have a tablet), and blend every colored zone on your drawing on the next one. Keep a finger on the "alt" key to quickly switch to the color picker tool. You should be able to quickly switch to the appropriate color for a smooth blend, which should increase your skin rendering a lot.

Hope this helps, keep at it!

At 12/12/11 07:26 PM, bbbmf wrote: can someone give me some anatomy me tips because my art always looks distorted in a way can someone help please?

We'd love to know in what way it's distorted so we could actually help.

Until then, the only meaningful advice I can give is:
Copy shit. A lot.

Of course, don't pass it off as your own because someone will bust you for trying. Eventually you'll be able to do your own stuff.

This is very good stuff. I like your understanding of light reflection and textures.

Big thumbs up to you :)

Your swamp picture is very, very impressive. Excellent work.