so what exactly did you do?
you obviously used a reference but did you draw this by eye or simply trace over an image?
Reviews for "Kris' Self Portrait"
itsKris responds:
I wrote this in News on my profile, there was absolutely NO tracing. I printed out the reference picture, took a pencil and drew the basic lines to my liking, then scanned the drawing in and went to work in photoshop with my tablet :)
looks traced
i'll go 8 since i'm a nice guy, but yeah this really looks traced
itsKris responds:
Don't judge without knowing. It's not traced.
Reference photo: http://tinypic.com/usermedia.php?uo=4AtXI6JI7G8kQAHJl68ODYh4l5k2TGxc
If you have a good eye, you can see the differences in shape and proportion.
To be honest, I would never try to ruin my reputation as an artist by cheating like that. I guess I should be quite flattered that you think it's traced though :P
Pretty good!
It's obviously not traced. The eyes are too big and the hair is pretty different from the picture. It's fairly solid, though, which is the important part. People aren't generally going to compare a photograph to your work.
One thing, though, if you do any self portraits in the future, use a mirror! Self portrait is a perfect way to do life drawing without a model. It's a waste of time to mechanically copy a photograph; you aren't going to learn anything! A photograph flattens everything into shapes, so instead of finding shapes from masses (which is the best way to learn to draw from memory) you're just tracing with your eyes. That's how you end up with stuff like the wonky chin PixelPanda mentioned.
If you do insist on using pictures, though, try flipping them upside down and drawing, then do a mirror image on your drawing and the photo and keep drawing, then flip it right side up, etc. This will make any incorrect shapes stand out like a sore thumb.
itsKris responds:
I guess you're right on the mechanical drawing, it didn't feel totally robotic, but there were times that it did. Drawing from real life is so much harder though, lol, I can't get the same accuracy when the object's moving.
I understand what you mean though by how I'm drawing with my eyes and such :P I've done some gesture drawing before and used the upside down technique, but i didn't think to try either with this work.
I'll definitely take your suggestions into consideration, though in doing so my next piece might not be up to standards (my own), but it'll be a step in the right direction. Thanks for the review :)
Pretty Darn Swell!
Fundamentally, it's pleasing to the eye; smartly done in such a way as to show serious talent, yet also stylistic enough not to just be a stab at photorealism.
I liked how, in contrast to the picture, you brought out the lights. Along with resizing the eyes and (minorly) remodeling the facial structure, you seemed to bring out the youth and boyishness, which was a really enjoyable theme.
However, the picture you were using for reference was already very bright, and I feel like how you lightened it ultimately made the image much less dynamic. The image felt much more flat because because of this (it may have also been a result of using a photo as reference- I too suggest a mirror), particularly with the hair.
The border served really nicely to add to the picture, and viewed from a distance particularly it has really nice appeal.
Overall, a really great job. Minor things (the left eye's tear duct is quite big, and once I noticed it I couldn't get my mind off of it) are there, but at a certain point, you have to let well enough be. The eyebrows could have used a little more work too.
My primary dislike is that it all feels pretty flat, but the color composition and whatnot speak loads to your talent. Keep up the great work.
itsKris responds:
Thanks for the review, I really enjoyed reading it.
I'm not sure if I can promise that my next work will be done with the use of a mirror, since the ideas I have involve poses that wouldn't allow for looking up or moving my arm, but then again, maybe i can get a friend to do the pose for me while i sketch it quickly, lol. I understand what you mean by the flatness of the image though so I'll put more focus on making the next drawing leap off the page. Thanks for the compliments, your review's been helpful. :)