by geinkotsu » Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:29 am
@TurtlezSoup
I'll see about helping you out as much as I can as I've been studying cervidae as much as I can lately.
The first thing I want to say, and this pretty much goes for everyone, is that if you are studying from someone else's craft you have to be very aware that you are also studying their mistakes. This goes for other drawings or sketches, toys or sculptures, diagrams. Anything. Usually none of these are perfect and will have mistakes that you will be learning if you aren't careful to determine what is acurate.
The best way for you to study in the most acurate form is to study from life. Photos are your most acurate aid- but they can also be lacking in the information you need. Use other illustrations, which are exaggerated in forms, to apply to your studies and it'll make it easier to determine the forms you want to learn.
With that being said, I'll move on.
You mainly wanted help with the scarf yes?
I was not sure which style you were wanted, I assume it was an over knot. But I've also sketched some other styles for you to help differentiate and kind of see the forms they create.
[scrubbed image/link]
Now, what you have so far is actually very good, it's just lacking that extra push of form to tell us where that fold is going. Right now, what you have looks kind of like a wrap, only because it lacks that last bit of scrunched detail to look like it's tucked. Also, depending on the weight of your scarf determines how much fold there is or how heavy it is (meaning how much straighter it is with gravity). A knitted scarf will be very stiff and thick with very thick folds. While a light weight scarf will bunch up a lot and will also be a lot more curvy and twisty.
For my scarves I have made them fairly thick both because it is easier to draw and it is easier for you to make out the shapes.
Now for a little bit of anatomy- don't try to over think this too much, I know it looks pretty intimadating. Just follow along with me bit by bit.
[scrubbed image/link]
Now what I did here to try and help you compare the anatomy is I created a proportional grid on a photo of a stag.
All of these lines are all beginings or ends to all the very basic forms. The scapula, or shoulder, the ankles, stomach, and pelvise. Each point is the highest, lowest, furthest, or center point where each line is based off of.
I personally always start with the pelvis and shoulder area and work my way to the stomach and then legs.
I did the same thing with your drawing and then put them side by side and overlaped them so you can see the two different proportions.
What I can see from both of these grids is that your front arm is quite wide, and your legs are quite short. This is, I assume, due to you studying off your toy figurine. Most animal toys are intentionally made stalky in proportion to seem cute. I do not recomend studying from toys unless they are very intentionally realistic figurines- even then, agian, you have to be very wary of mistakes made by creators.
However, your initial body sketch is well done and thusly I have based the rest of my redline off it because for me, and for reworking onto something already there, it's best to work within the dimensions already presented. So instead of enlarging everything, I proportionalized what was needed in correlation with the body already made.
[scrubbed image/link]
What I did here was make the slight adjustments to the proportions (as seen on the left) and I drew out the corrections of lengthening and thinning the legs. I, as well, sloped the pelvis and moved it's highest point forther towards the pelvis line.
A problem which has been pointed out previous is the weight on your back legs. This is due to your back leg being sloping too far for this standing stance. To put more weight on it, simply straighten it out a little (as seen on my sketch) and it'll easily give a better sense of weight.
Now for a quick proportional guide of the skull.
[scrubbed image/link]
I have, again, cut it in thirds and have crated the line in corelation to the nose, eye, and ear.
The base of your skull is alright, however the snout is too broad and the base of the ear too high. Deers have very triangular shaped heads with muscle structures similiar in horses.
Also, to generalize, your head is rather large compared to the body. Compared to the body their skulls are actually quite small.
All in all, here's the finished redline-
[scrubbed image/link]
My apologies if that was a lot to take in, I tried to make it as simple as possible.
The biggest problem is your study material. Study accurately, not conveniently. You have to do your best to wrap your mind around the proportions and the structures. I know it isn't easy, but it's well worth it once you figure it out.
For me, studying is mostly illustrations of bone, muscle, and posing and then putting that together with photos of that animal and it's bone structure. Illustrations drawn by other people whom have studied the animal helps me because the drawn forms are easier for me to see. However, like I have said many times now, I have to be careful about the potential mistakes in said illustrations. So you have to take it all with a grain of salt and do what's best for you to see the forms accurately.
@Crystal gryphon
You're doing really great for only a few months of experience with humanoids! Your face looks really good, though probably leave some more room for the chin by raising the mouth a little. The ear could come down a tad as well. But that's just nit picking.
Your shoulders and neck area are looking good though the neck could use a smoother transition into the shoulders. As it's been said, everything is pretty 'flat'. Only because it's lacking a few finessing curves such as around the mid section of the abdomen, the neck area, and forearms. With clothes added on this can be difficult as clothing makes everything pretty bulky and shapeless.
For some actual anatomy, your arms are a little wonky. Your elbow on the left (technical right arm) is rather low, and it makes your forearm rather low. Your wrist should reach the middle or so of your deltoid (thats your shoulder muscle!). As for the other arm. It looks short, but I can easily dismess that as perspective because it can look like that if you turn your arm back intoward your body. However if it were to be straight from your body, it would have a more pronounce bend.
@FeatherHeavy
I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with bird as I would like! At least other than the wings.
The wings themselves from my experience, however, looks really good for the pose! My main problem is the legs and the bottom area. I can't really say why, again I'm not as familiar with birds as I'd like. I'm afraid that's all I can offer you.
Last edited by
geinkotsu on Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
