Need opinions :)

[FateNGS]

Ok, so ive decided to make a real effort at flash animation, but obviously i can do it without anything to animate.. so im drawing stuff to practice on :)

Opinions would be awesome and criticism! - Im not any good a highlighting.. just so you know!

[Jacco]

Not too bad. Shadow's could be better though, and it looks a little bland. I dont know, maybe you should make more difference in tick and thin lines, that would improve it.

Do you have a tablet, or do you just use a mouse?

[ImpendingRiot]

Hey, welcome to the art forum. I can only give you limited advice right now because this piece is relatively "simple" in terms of subject and the way you drew it. I think it's a rocket, at first I was wondering if it was a missile because of the red tip, but the thrusters and the wings made me think otherwise. Anyways,

Your highlight on the red tip kind of buckles in the middle, which isn't how light would probably behave on a spherical object. Your highlight would likely run along that side uniformly.

Your shadows are also a little problematic in their current state. For one, you don't have much easing from one shade to the other. It goes from a very dark gray to a gray that is only slightly above the main rockets color. It strikes me you're going for a more stylized coloring with this, and not trying to make it photorealistic. When you're using limited colors, I count 6 in this, it's very important you make each color count. My main point here is, that your second darkest gray is basically useless in its current state because of how much it blends with the white one.

I think you should have added shadow to the thruster and wing on our left, to both be consistent with your lighting scheme, and to tone down the very prominent symmetry. It looks like you copied half the rocket, then flipped it. Which is fine for something mechanical, but still, you want to be consistent with how you're lighting things.

Anyways like I said, this particular piece is kind of basic in terms of "pose" and subject, if you post something else eventually I might be able to be more helpful.

Good luck and keep at it.

[FateNGS]

At 6/28/10 02:45 PM, JaccoNL wrote: Not too bad. Shadow's could be better though, and it looks a little bland. I dont know, maybe you should make more difference in tick and thin lines, that would improve it.

Do you have a tablet, or do you just use a mouse?

I use a mouse :) still need to invest in a tablet.. and as i said shadowing is not my forte!

[ImpendingRiot]

At 6/28/10 03:05 PM, FateNGS wrote:

At 6/28/10 02:45 PM, JaccoNL wrote: Not too bad. Shadow's could be better though, and it looks a little bland. I dont know, maybe you should make more difference in tick and thin lines, that would improve it.

Do you have a tablet, or do you just use a mouse?

and as i said shadowing is not my forte!

All the more reason to focus on it

[FateNGS]

At 6/28/10 02:50 PM, ImpendingRiot wrote: Hey, welcome to the art forum. I can only give you limited advice right now because this piece is relatively "simple" in terms of subject and the way you drew it.

Your highlight on the red tip kind of buckles in the middle, which isn't how light would probably behave on a spherical object. Your highlight would likely run along that side uniformly.

Your shadows are also a little problematic in their current state. For one, you don't have much easing from one shade to the other. It goes from a very dark gray to a gray that is only slightly above the main rockets color. It strikes me you're going for a more stylized coloring with this, and not trying to make it photorealistic. When you're using limited colors, I count 6 in this, it's very important you make each color count. My main point here is, that your second darkest gray is basically useless in its current state because of how much it blends with the white one.

Good luck and keep at it.

Thanks for the great critisism, ill try and make the shadowing more consistent in the future.. It isnt meant to be photo-realistic, its meant to be cartoony, try and imagine it kind of bloating up and getting shorter.. then thrusting rapidly into the air.. like some real old school stuff!

[Re2deemer]

At 6/28/10 03:05 PM, FateNGS wrote:

At 6/28/10 02:45 PM, JaccoNL wrote:
Do you have a tablet, or do you just use a mouse?

I use a mouse :) still need to invest in a tablet.. and as i said shadowing is not my forte!

This is a typical misconception. A tablet does not magically make you better. In fact, you might even feel worse during the adjustment period (unless you're buying a Cintiq or something).

Let's put it this way - you lack the basics. Better technology doesn't fix that, learning, practice, studies and a buttload of headache does. And for that I'd personally suggest a tool that is more robust than a tablet. Good ol' pencil & paper.