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MagerBlutooth [2018-09-20 17:15:25 +0000 UTC]

I'm always interested to see the fanciful sorts of coloring techniques people use to make their characters stand out. This picture illustrates how color can be used with context to incorporate aesthetic and realism. Our sheep friend here has an overtly pink hue, but with the backdrop creating the impression of a sunset in the background, it is left ambiguous whether the sheep is actually pink or if it's reflecting a reddish light off its white fur. Either would work within the context of the piece, as the background is rather abstract and ethereal, making a pink sheep feel welcome within it. Beyond that, the use of multiple pink hues creates more visual intrigue than we would have if you simply used different shades of white and gray to color it. It's an excellent coloring decision that works contextually as well as aesthetically.

Though I can't speak with authority on the sheep's anatomy, I like how you streamlined the form. The face is essentially just the muzzle and the eye, with the ears peeking out at the top to add a little more contrast on the head. The composition cuts off most of the legs, which is something of a shame. It would be interesting to take in this magnificent creature in full view, hooves and all. Based on the way its front hoof is bending, it looks like it's in motion. Zooming out a little would give you the ability to better show how it's moving, in terms of speed and maybe even purpose. 

It looks like you spent quite a bit of time on the linework for the wool. The little bumps here and there along with the line width variance really add to the level of detail on display. The coloring is a little rough and goes out of the lines on occasion, but I'd like to offer a suggestion in regards to some of your linework. Take a look at the following sheep:




The above sheep attempts to simplify the shape of the wool by using large, bulbous curves, almost like the sheep is covered in eggs. Though the curves vary in size and width, there is an umistakable pattern that emerges when you view the whole image together. If the curves were perfectly uniform, it would rob the picture of its realism, but by creating this pattern, it creates a sense of coherence. The entire collection of wool looks like it's made of the same material. It operates as a single, coherent unit.

Now take a look at these sheep sketches:



These sketches take a more realistic shot at the sheep body while adding more humanlike expressions to them. The linework is rougher, but note how it has the same sense of coherence. The curves tend to move in a pattern, having similar shapes to their neighbors and creating a consistent sense of texture. If you attempt to follow the lines with your finger, you should be able to quickly get a sense of repetition in the linework despite the curves lacking uniformity. This kind of visual repetition can be observed in much of nature, and artists use it to create a sense of purpose in their lines. When you have an artist take advantage of it to its fullest potential, you can get expertly made drawings that can be described as controlled chaos, something that looks messy but strangely doesn't.

Note how the lines flow in your character compared to these. In both the shadows and the outline, lines flow every which way without much consideration. Sometimes it's a curve, sometimes it's a straight, sometimes it's a much rounder curve. Sometimes one curve is thicker than the one beside it without any noticeable difference in depth. There's no overarching sense of coherence in the lines to create that visual repetition. It creates the impression that the overall shape of the body was defined first, and then an arbitrary series of lines were drawn around that shape to give it the uneven texture one would expect from a wooly creature. And while it does work on a base level to capture that effect, you can make it much crisper by employing a little purpose into your lines.

I find this aspect so striking because it's one I struggle with myself. It delves into the heart of what makes great linework so difficult, and it takes a great deal of practice to master. I'd suggest searching for more artwork that you consider spectacular and seeing if you can spot this similar sense of visual repetition within it. Perhaps you can find some great art that breaks away from this idea, and you can determine what about it lets it still look good regardless. 

Keep searching and keep learning! You're off to a fine start with this. Next, take the issues you've been able to spot with this one and try to make a picture that avoids them completely. 

Make the most!
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HeardDdragon [2018-09-15 12:54:21 +0000 UTC]

very nice
nice anatomy
I really like your shading style 
the ears could be lower down
alined whit the eyes
but it is a cute simple picture. 

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Angel47093 [2018-09-13 12:42:46 +0000 UTC]

I've never heard of Sheeptember before, but it doesn't seem too 'sheepish'. This is un-baaaa-lievable. Hehehe!

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ProtoTEnterprise [2018-09-13 03:18:08 +0000 UTC]

Hi! I´m from

What could I say about this drawing? It is a sheep   

To tell you the truth, the design of the sheep is very adorable to me. Not only because he is a sheep naturally, but his dark head with that pure white eye looks great. It also helps the fact that his skin in the form of wool is not so saturated with details and shading, but has some parts drawn to give the feeling of wool only with those few strokes of pink pencil.

Of course, it has a focus of attention illuminated in the center and how it highlights what is around it, like the tail of the sheep that is full of details in folds of separation to give the sensation of wool; the ears are well drawn and there is no more to say that at the sheep level, the anatomy is well achieved and constructed with that natural pose that the animal has.

I like the background: It is full of soft brushstrokes that are increasing from the dark low to the bright light with the bright intermediate in blue, orange and yellow respectively. It is clear that it helps to highlight the sheep and that it stands out, an objective that has been achieved to perfection.

I do not know what the "Sheeptember" is, but without doubt I was amazed with this sheep drawing. Honestly, you just won a Watch!

Keep it up!   

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theJfluffy [2018-09-12 21:13:55 +0000 UTC]

That is a sweet sheep~

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Romacat [2018-09-12 12:10:47 +0000 UTC]

And what a cute, fluffy sheep it is!

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