I will appreciate anybody who would take time out of their day to tell me on how to better myself as an artist.
I don't really know about the form of threads on Newgrounds so I will just be uploading images I have made I want critiqued and will continue to update the thread as I make new art.
Thank you, and have a wonderful day.
The hair behind Tifa's right eye looks like it was shoved behind her eye socket. You could get away with this if Tifa were heavily stylized, almost to the point of abstraction, but since the rest of her anatomy is mostly grounded in reality, the hair behind the eye looks too unnatural.
An easy fix for this would be to make only the line work visible, so you can still see the whole eye but create the illusion of the hair being in front, making it look slightly transparent.
Another thing, just as a general tip (this applies to a lot of the other drawings as well), unless the entire iris is black, always give your character pupils. Without pupils the character looks lifeless or emotionless, no soul.
Also, her shoulders are a bit too broad... ok, I'll stop picking on Tifa now.
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The line work on the first one is weirdly pixelated. I don't know if that's a compression issue or the canvas is too small or the brush density is set too high, but the lines look very choppy. You've clearly got good brush strokes here so whatever's going on I don't think is your fault.
Check your brush presets and make sure they've got a slight feathered edge. It makes the lines look a bit more natural. Also check your canvas preset and make sure it's to at least 2400p (8.5 inch) x 3300p (11 inch) - portrait orientation. That's not to say anything lower is blasphemy, it's just a good resolution standard to work with.
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Last thing I wanted to say is your colors are fantastic. I can pick on the Tifa one for a while, but dang that glow is perfectly contrasted (I think more of it should be reflecting off of her body and hair, but I've picked on Tifa enough). My favorites out of all these are the first and fourth ones. Your coloring skills are clearly very refined and I love these because of it. You've got an incredible sense of scene temperature and color contrast.
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The only thing I'd say you should practice more is not your anatomy, but your proportions. In the six fanart section, Ramza's shoulders are HUGE, Cid's right arm and hand are slightly too small, Casca's right foot is too big (I know, it's supposed to be perspective, but it's too big in terms of where it's positioned in the scene), and Tifa's torso is too long.
You clearly know your anatomy, but knowing how to proportion that anatomy can make all the difference.
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Ok... I think I'm done now.
Make hard style choices and stick to them, if you want to go painterly, do it, but don't turn around and mix it with clashing aspects like hard outlines or some other clashing element, stick to a style.
I agree with all these except for the third. Always be experimenting with different styles. Never limit yourself to one set style, otherwise you'll be creatively depriving yourself. And having a painted background with a hard outlined character is a fantastic way to contrast your characters.
Many animated shows and movies intentionally have their characters have thicker outlines than the background to help the main cast stand out, sometimes even a totally different art style (e.g. The Amazing World of Gumball, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, Camp Camp, etc.).
Wow! You have a lot of creative ideas and your coloring, shading, and composition are really good. I think you could really improve if you studied anatomy and worked on your lineart.
You seem to have an issue with making torsos too long, arms a little too short, and hands and hips being too small. I highly recommend checking out this instagram account in order to learn anatomy:
https://www.instagram.com/taco1704/
They have all the anatomy references that you want.
Also, I noticed that you keep your lineart super thin. This usually only works well with drawings that are pretty much paintings or have really complex and realistic shading. But since your style is more cartoony, I think you should make your lineart thicker. If you make it too thin, it makes your drawing look flat and unnatural, but adding thicker lines can really bring out the character and enhance your shading, which seems to be one of your major strengths.
Hope my tips were useful!
At 4/23/20 03:58 PM, MrShmoods wrote: The line work on the first one is weirdly pixelated. I don't know if that's a compression issue or the canvas is too small or the brush density is set too high, but the lines look very choppy.
I think it might be how newgrounds compresses things in the forums, I usually start at 10000x10000 then go down (usually end at least 2000x2000), but it's good to figure out how my art looks wherever I post it. In the future I'll try to find a way to not have it get as crunched.
I appreciate the picking on Tifa, I tried to do a perspective shot on her without reference and it deserves the criticism.
I'll work on the proportioning in the future and thank you for the insight.
At 4/23/20 04:00 PM, DisheveledDork wrote:At 4/23/20 06:59 AM, MackTonight wrote:My advice is that you should do a series of things that will help you improve
1Study some anatomy, look at both art and medical anatomy references.
2Draw with references and use any materials necessary to help you understand what you're drawing.
You definitely have potential, I hope this helps!
I agree with using references the Caulifla picture I specifically went to using a reference and I personally feel it shows a lot more consistency for the body than the rest of the images.
In the coming days I'll be flipping through an atlas anatomy book I got and be trying some studies from it.
Thank you very much!
At 4/23/20 06:16 PM, Kecchi wrote:
You seem to have an issue with making torsos too long, arms a little too short, and hands and hips being too small. I highly recommend checking out this instagram account in order to learn anatomy:
https://www.instagram.com/taco1704/
They have all the anatomy references that you want.
Also, I noticed that you keep your lineart super thin. This usually only works well with drawings that are pretty much paintings or have really complex and realistic shading.
Hope my tips were useful!
Your tips are useful, and I thank you for the instagram material you sent me.
I'll try to mess around and use thicker lines on future art I make.
Appreciate it!
Tatsumaki is a cute little gremlin chick.
Tried some thicker lines on this one, and a blue/cooler feel to it.
Started with reference and tried to check myself on some proportioning.
If the hand seems a bit too big, I am still trying some perspective shots so blame my dumb eyes and poor judgement.
Have a good day!
Full/maybe less jaggy? version here: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/tatsumaki
I feel like there are two "big things" in your art you could try and make better
1- your anatomy: the anatomy seems wonky on the pieces especially on the six fanarts, i used to draw without reference,biggest mistake i made, always use references
2-indecision: it feels like you are still developing the base for your style which is ok but you have to pick, either the outlines and a more stylized approach to painting or no linework and a more painterly way of doing it, if you mix both they clash really hard and look kinda off
I'm back, and I guess I should do a bit of a blog type deal.
I have been spending the past two weeks or so training on anatomy. Doing multiple studies a day and trying to get down the problems listed here already. In doing so I have sort of grown a desire to do something that pushes everything that I've done so far.
Which in my eyes at the time of me starting it was breaking down, redesigning, and then drawing the redesigned character from one of my favorite cartoons. The choice was Marie from EEnE, and thus I started drawing.
After setting up the redesigns, and posting them around in private discords I am in, as well as Twitter I got the results of what I would be fleshing out even more.
So with 1, 5, and 6, being the runaway winners I decided to start with the Punk variant and tried to flesh it out as much as I could...
For higher quality image PLEASE go to this link: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/older-eene-marie-character-sheet
I hope that whoever reads this thread can go to this strawpoll https://www.strawpoll.me/20157231 and help in deciding which one of these might get a full drawing done of it someday... or maybe I'll go mad with power and do all of them who knows.
But, from here we continue on wards. Over the next couple of days I'll be fleshing out "5. Bartender", and will have another character sheet posted on here and a bunch of other places.
As always, Draw Until Die and have a good day.
So i'm back, spent the last couple months dealing with life and trying to do art when I can.
Hopefully I won't drop off from posting again, but who knows with how this year is going.
higher quality version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/tatsumaki-in-a-bikini
Got a bit overzealous with the BG on this one, but painting fantastical clouds is soothing.
higher quality version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/rukia-with-a-sunset
Messing around with some of the pencil tools as a final linework and I really enjoyed it on this one.
Wracked my head on what to do for the BG for a bit, ate a sandwich and then just decided on a really simple one in the hopes that Poppy really pops. I think it went ok.
I feel I might've overdone it by making the laser go infront of her, but not entirely sure.
Higher quality version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/beamdodge-poppy
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/caulifla-learning-kamehameha
So this is sort of another attempt at doing thicker outlines, but I tried to couple that with hard shadows integrated with the linework itself.
Sort of like some comic books or whatever... I am not really a fan of how this turned out.
The background I tried to make a really de-emphasised one, but in doing so I think I made the image not have as much contrast as it probably should given how heavy the shadows are.
Goku's left upper arm looks like there is a friggen hole in it, he has the face of a fish, and I don't think I made Caulifla's features resemble her actual character and or feminine enough.
Every image is a learning experience but this is a first one in a while I am looking at after being done and am having second thoughts on a lot of what I did. Doesn't help that I probably just wasn't in a good headspace for drawing today.
Enough with the downer shit though, it's good that I am seeing it this way because it shows to me just how much I need to work on these things. It really showcases my flaws and that'll help me succeed in the future!
Have a nice day anyone who sees this, and know that one day we are all going to make it!
Drew that bunny chick from My Hero.
I think I prefer thinner lines overall to thicker ones, but I feel I need to work on the usage of them.
On her shoulders I tried emulating somethings I see in physical linework where the line tapers off and implies form, so from here on out I am going to start experimenting with that more.
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/unfortunate-encounter
Bit different from the recent few images I drew. Friends in a chat wanted to draw goblins so I drew a few.
I touched this one up a bit enough to feel I could post it.
I know for certain I could've done better on the linework with this one, but I didn't plan on posting this out when I started making it.
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/poppy-s-hot-coffee
Tried a more scratchy shading to emulate the light fur on Poppy.
Also with the face I sort of tried to make it look like she just woke up, but I feel I just ended up making her face look off or really gremlin like.
Not really a fan of how it turned out after walking away from it for a few days, but the frog is cute so it's probably all ok.
Hope you have a nice day.
At 9/10/20 08:48 PM, MackTonight wrote:
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/poppy-s-hot-coffee
Tried a more scratchy shading to emulate the light fur on Poppy.
Also with the face I sort of tried to make it look like she just woke up, but I feel I just ended up making her face look off or really gremlin like.
Not really a fan of how it turned out after walking away from it for a few days, but the frog is cute so it's probably all ok.
Hope you have a nice day.
This is very nice the perspective needs a little work but the colours are great really makes the piece.
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/poppy-ala-eo
I tried to emulate the Etrian Odyssey art style, and I still wanted to draw a Poppy.
Line work isn't nearly as clean as I would've wanted, but I'm sort of on a kick of using soft brushes.
Didn't do a background on this because I didn't want one.
Have a nice day.
At 9/11/20 04:42 AM, Tapersteve wrote:At 9/10/20 08:48 PM, MackTonight wrote:This is very nice the perspective needs a little work but the colours are great really makes the piece.
Higher Quality Version: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/poppy-s-hot-coffee
Tried a more scratchy shading to emulate the light fur on Poppy.
Also with the face I sort of tried to make it look like she just woke up, but I feel I just ended up making her face look off or really gremlin like.
Not really a fan of how it turned out after walking away from it for a few days, but the frog is cute so it's probably all ok.
Hope you have a nice day.
Thank you for the kind words, and dynamic shots/more than 2 point perspective I still find to be difficult to pull off but I hope one day to get there.
Have a swell day!
Higher quality version here: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/fusion-dance-caulifla-and-kale
Was thinking about a fusion dance Caulifla and Kale.
Simple enough, but I decided to add Super Saiyan Red to it because I wanted to draw some fire effects.
Tried some cross hatching for the body definition and aspects of the shading.
Have a nice day everyone!
At 10/3/20 09:11 AM, MackTonight wrote:
Higher quality version here: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/fusion-dance-caulifla-and-kale
Was thinking about a fusion dance Caulifla and Kale.
Simple enough, but I decided to add Super Saiyan Red to it because I wanted to draw some fire effects.
Tried some cross hatching for the body definition and aspects of the shading.
Have a nice day everyone!
DANG you've improved so much within such a short time period, respect!!!!
At 10/3/20 04:27 PM, Oddlem wrote:At 10/3/20 09:11 AM, MackTonight wrote:DANG you've improved so much within such a short time period, respect!!!!
Higher quality version here: https://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/macktonight/fusion-dance-caulifla-and-kale
Was thinking about a fusion dance Caulifla and Kale.
Simple enough, but I decided to add Super Saiyan Red to it because I wanted to draw some fire effects.
Tried some cross hatching for the body definition and aspects of the shading.
Have a nice day everyone!
I appreciate it my man, here's to hope that I can keep the pace!
Best of luck to you on your journey as well.
You're advancing quite a bit. A suggestion I can give is to use less contrasting colors when defining the belly.
At 10/5/20 11:04 PM, valken666 wrote: You're advancing quite a bit. A suggestion I can give is to use less contrasting colors when defining the belly.
Thanks for the insight, whenever I do another drawing involving muscle definition I'll put it to use!
