The Artist Army

[ātlas]

aa hello i'm new here,,
i was wondering if i could get some constructive criticism on my art and how i can improve at all ?? ;v ; thanks so much in advance !

[santinel]

@hysteria ♥ Hello there c:
Your art is adorable though! It looks so effortless and cute :3 There should be another hind leg on the second drawing, though. Even if it is behind the other leg, it should still be visible, if just a little. (unless the character is missing a leg, in which case it's fine)
If I were you I'd try exploring some more realistic styles, as you master the chibi style very well. Expanding your comfort zone seems like the best way to go!

[kivr & fireflii]

Long time no post / talk everyone!
Been busy for a while, decided to pop in little bit (during school haha;;)!

@hysteria ♥
Hey welcome ! :]

I would suggest experimenting with shading a bit more with your art. It seems like you are pretty good at putting down flat colors and the cute chibi style but I feel like you could do a bit more with trying a more realistic style like sentinel suggested. It won't be bad at all to try thin lines with the more realistic/fullbody style and study bit more with animal anatomies. It'll help you improve much more in all aspects of drawing!

[MacGyver]

@hysteria, Welcome! ^^ I can find absolutely no areas which need improvement in your chibi style. <3 I'm going to agree with what others have said, and recommend stretching your comfort zone into the more realistic realm now that you've mastered chibi. ^^

- - -

Okay, folks, I'm gonna need some help here! c:

I just started on a portrait which will be a gift for a friend of mine here on CS. Shhh, it's a surprise. c;
Anywho, this is my first time drawing a Dobie, so I'd love any critique I can get before I go any further and can't fix my mistakes. XD

[santinel]

@MacGyver; It looks amazing so far! I can't find much to pick on, as I'm not well-known with dobermans, but maybe the neck is like a tad too thin? Not by much, though. I might be wrong.

[4kcuo]

so i just finished this :'D
i was wondering if anybody had tips for painting *stylized* fur? owo
i'm not aiming for super realistic, but if i search for tutorials on dA that's all i get :c
so if anyone has any tips? also for lighting too, that would be lovely!

@ hysteria- your chibis are adorable, but maybe raise the shoulders a bit? unless it's stylized to be that way then no worries :'D
@ macgyver- i agree with santinel, the neck is a bit too thin, and maybe tilt the ears forwards? i'm not experienced with realistic at all, however, so i'd suggest looking at a lotttt of references xD

[santinel]

@arachnid; That drawing is really cute!<3
In my experience, painting any kind of fur is really hard to learn from tutorials. I've read tons, but I've learned so much more by trial and error (that goes for pretty much anything though, doesn't it?)
When I do it, I usually do the flat colors and basic shading, and then make another layer on top of that where I just paint? So like, the initial drawing is like an underpainting. Laying out the clumps of fur also helps. I'm not sure exactly how stylized you're thinking. When I draw I'm usually somewhere between stylized and semi-realism.
On the topic of lighting, I'd try experimenting with light-sources. Studying other people's art (I'd say photographs but lighting and shading isn't always that clear) even though you might learn some of their mistakes? But that's part of learning, I suppose, and there's really no difference between your own mistakes and someone else's. Hopefully their mistakes are less noticeable. This is all my own personal opinion, don't hate me if I'm wrong ahh. Lighting is a lot about going with your gut and to do so you need some experience c: Also know where your lighting is coming from. Once you've got the hang of it, you should delve into bounce-lighting and stuff, too. It can really make your art stand out!

[MacGyver]

@arachnid, I'm afraid I'm useless in the digital art area ;n; Santinel gave some awesome advice though - and I can attest to learning from trial and error too. Experimenting can be fun. c: Good luck on it!

Thanks, arachnid and santinel for your advice!
I thickened the neck a tad bit, still working on those ears too. c:
(By the way, the ref is the second from last photo in this post. viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1517597&hilit=skoll#p45616835)
Just started some shading. As always, would love any critique at all!

[Black Sabbath]

MacGyver- the nose strikes me as far too small, making the rest of the muzzle below it look a little bulbous. Also, it appears you've made the neck a little too thin- it looks like it may not be able to support the head, but that's already been mentioned. Otherwise your shading seems off to a pretty good start, can't wait to see it finished.

arachnid- I like that you're experimenting, I personally love doing so. c': However your light source appears nonexistant. It's pretty hard to tell if you have a northwest type thing going on, or just front-based lighting. Also your colors look too murky. Nothing really catches the eye- move around the color wheel as much as you can to find striking (but complimentary) colors that suit your needs. Good luck!

iamthephonebook- the back of the character you drew is too hunched over. And, is that is really how you intended the pose to be, you need to raise the elbows further into the body, like how cats tend to do when they're crouching on a countertop. I'd like to also suggest varying your fur length and direction- it adds much more detail and draws the eye along the body.

[MacGyver]

MacGyver- the nose strikes me as far too small, making the rest of the muzzle below it look a little bulbous. Also, it appears you've made the neck a little too thin- it looks like it may not be able to support the head, but that's already been mentioned. Otherwise your shading seems off to a pretty good start, can't wait to see it finished.

Wow! Thanks so much for your critique! That helped tons!
I took everyone's advice and finished up last night...what do you think?