3moBunni [2010-04-27 23:55:34 +0000 UTC]
Hi! As an editor, I am giving you my art review, so here we go............
First of all, great job, considering the time situation.... not many could pull this off.
Looking at your picture, I'd say you're good points include hands, proportions, clothing folds, depth/volume, and shading.
The hands are usually the HARDEST part of a picture to draw for most artists, but your hands are draw quite proffessionally! The position, size/shape, and hand muscles are all in place. My only suggestions for the hands is that you may want to eliminate the wrist line, for it looks somewhat unnatural (look at your own hand for reference, on my hand, i don't see that line, even if turned into the position shown above.) and also, that the ring finger's connecting "joint"(not the knuckle but the one closest to the finger tip) is large at the begining of the finger, then gets smaller as it goes into this "joint" and after the "joint", it gets about the same length as the bottom of the finger. Note that fingers are widest at the bottom, and smallest at the top; and the fact that the finger(s) get smaller as they go upwards towards the fingertip. Besides that, the hands look wonderful.
Next, The proportions are very good; in the picture shown you show a 1:4 (out of 1:6 <6heads>) proportion, and the silhouette (head/shoulders) ARE in proportion, though the shoulders are slightly longer (on the left side) than necessary in the figure. Keep in mind that the shoulders should be 1.5 to 2 heads in length (as a full), and look to references/mannequins/yourself if you are lost in this stage of proportioning. Everything else seems good, and flows naturally in this part of your illustration.
Then, the clothing folds are done with shadowing, giving the picture a realistic effect. This is very nice and appealing to the viewer. Also, your folds follow the anatomy correctly, and i have no comments on this part of your drawing.
Now, the depth and volume. The character's staff is shadowed which provides depth, and the staff also has the segment at the top part, which is drawn in a 3-D fashion, providing depth and volume. All the parts of the picture with shadows are very nicely done (depth/volume-wise) and give the illustration a 3-d and realistic look. Once again, this is appealing to the viewer.
Finally, shadows/shading. You included a LOT of shading in the picture above, and most is done quite nicely. Shading/shadowing on the hand, staff, black part of his vestments, face, and white under garments are very well done. The only places that draws somewhat negative attention to my eye would be the chest, left eye, hair, and part of the white upper garment. The light source is coming from the upper right hand corner, according to the other shadows in the picture, but in the white upper garment, this does not prove true. The shadow created on both sides of the neck area may be from part of the staff not shown in the picture, or from the hair. Either way, the shadow is done incorrectly: If for the hair, there would be no shadow on the right side (considering the position of the light source), and even if drawn there, it would be pointed (as the hair is) rather than rounded. If drawn for a shadow of the staff, it would be done on the left side of the shadow, rather then the right (once again, referring to the light source). Now, the shading on the hair looks unnatural to me for two reasons, 1: all the shadings are the same position and 2: there's more shading at the tip then at the base of each strand. On the point of all the shading being the same position: the shading on the hair nearest to the light source should have less shading, then on each strand, get gradually darker until you reach the farthest strand. On the point of there being more shading on the tip then the base: the tip should have less shading the base because the tip is a thinner point (in comparison to the base), and there is less room for shading; also the tip of a strand of hair is generally more prone to reflecting the sun's rays rather then deflecting them and creating shadow. Next, I'll explain the shading of the upper left eye: under the left eye is the shading of the eye patch itself, which is vERY unnatural. An eye does not pop out of the head so much as to create a shadow, let alone propel the shadow of an eye patch, which is very thin, onto the face itself. I also have a comment on the right eye; the eyelid does not create a shadow on the eye, because it is not thick enough, and the eyelid hugs the eye rather then sags over it. If you look at your own eye, you will not see a shadow on your eyeball. Finally, we will move onto the explanation of why the chest's shading looks a bit awkward. On a whole, the chest's shading is fine; but could use some improvement. This includes the areas where there is light, then shade, and then a circle of light shown again. This attracts the viewers attention, but not in a positive fashion. There is not source of the random shadowing (except perhaps the clothing, but that does not follow the shadow's pattern) so there is not use for the lower chests shadowing except on the appropriate areas ( where the clothing projects shadows, where muscles create slight shadows).
Now, onto your points in the picture that could use improvation:
-coloring:
coloring is done well, only it is colored anime style rather then realistically. It depends on what style you're going for, so if anime was the case, then you did well.
-background:
no background was included this focuses the viewer on the main part, the character, but make the picture less attractive as a whole. Even adding a simple background would do the picture well.
-neck:
the neck is visible after a second look, but is not clearly defined, because of the eyepatch. Also, there are 2 muscles in the neck you are missing for your anatomy.
-scar:
the scar is defined, but as no coloration. perhaps adding a reddish tinge would help define this facial feature more.
-hair piercings:
they are at the tips of the hair strands which is unrealistic (the hair would not be able to hold this much wait if placed at the tips), you may want to move them lower, shade them, and add more definition to the piercings by making them more 3-D to match the rest of the picture.
*whew* yes, I'm done ranting *blah blah blah* hahaha once again, congrats, and great job! I love the style you drew in and its very fitting for this character. ^^ hope you enjoyed my critique.
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