Curse

~nymph~ · Aug 05, 2009, 02:57 AM // 02:57

Might as well join in

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...rmoon/test.jpg

My first serious attempt at digital coloring... It's not finished, no where near as there's a second character that's supposed to be in there. Just critique the coloring as it's not my drawing. The drawing was done by a friend of mine for an old contest here on guru and I have permission from her to use it for practicing my coloring. Painting over is fine.

Konig Des Todes · Aug 05, 2009, 03:01 AM // 03:01

Just want to make sure I get the point of this thread: To show one's art, and ask how to improve it, correct? Just wanting to make sure, since Blue's first post (and title) doesn't really make it clear. o_0

Qing Guang · Aug 05, 2009, 03:24 AM // 03:24

Tzu's right about bending over. Slumping when you shoot will make your arrow go all wonky... keeping the torso straight may be painful, but at least you're not collapsing. About half the draw is in the back, not the arms, so that's kinda important. Also, I stick to what I said about holding the left leg straight - unless she's supposed to be using a shortbow or horsebow, that knee WILL be in the way of the string (as is indicated by everyone's drawings curving the lower string line - the knee would cut straight through a straight line). Heck, it's bad enough having the boob in the way; no need to add another obstacle as well. (Though, ideally, you wouldn't be shooting in that position anyway, but hey - sometimes you have to.)

Thanks for the comments on mine. So... it seems (in the future; no way am I going back to that one) I need to better indicate that she's sitting at an angle in the chair? Aaand I need to indicate that her butt is displacing pillowage.

Nymph: Looking pretty good, though you might want to add a directional light source and the accompanying shading. Other than that, the only thing I have to say is that you should probably reduce/eliminate the shading in between the shoulderblades. It looks like she's got back cleavage.

BlueXIV · Aug 05, 2009, 03:42 AM // 03:42

@Espadon, there is definitely still something wonky about the pose, but you really can't lean forward while still exerting that much force on the string and bow.
In your pose, I feel like she is holding a sniper rifle :\

Edit: tried the pose myself, I did end up naturally leaning over, but at the same time, the bow string would have cut into my leg by doing so. I think what we can take away from this is clearly not to use a bow while kneeling like that

oh and for your painting, I think you just need better separation between foreground and midground. Some of the rocks in what I think is the midground have very dark shadows, which I get is because of the lantern light, but it pulls the scene forward a lot. Also, some rim lighting I think would make the painting a lot better by framing the points of interest as well

I did a quick paint over, http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4909/paintover.jpg
Not saying it's the best, or even a good way to do things, but yeah, might help a bit :\

Oh and I also connected the geyser pool with the top of the painting, which I feel would help unify the whole composition a bit more.

@Konig, this thread is just for Comments and Criticism, since in the artists' discovery thread, we thought one of these may help :P

Duranin · Aug 05, 2009, 03:58 AM // 03:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueXIV

Edit: tried the pose myself, I did end up naturally leaning over, but at the same time, the bow string would have cut into my leg by doing so. I think what we can take away from this is clearly not to use a bow while kneeling like that

lol, this is why I try not to draw characters in mid-bow-draw. It's so hard to get it to look pleasing from a side view (dramatic foreshortening has very good effects though!) and still remain anatomically correct.

@Nymph - since you only want critique on the colouring... well, from a distance it looks like flat-colour. Try adding higher contrast between the lightest/darkest shades that you use. I struggle with contrast somewhat as well, I still can't colour extremely intense-colour scenes well.

Espadon · Aug 05, 2009, 04:11 AM // 04:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueXIV

Oh and I also connected the geyser pool with the top of the painting, which I feel would help unify the whole composition a bit more.

GG I'll get way too many REMINDSMEOFHALO3 comments. Rather phail than endure. I'll think of something else though, unification is important.

And yeah I probs was thinking too much sniper rifle since I do way more scifi than medieval.

Invertation · Aug 05, 2009, 05:19 AM // 05:19

I know this archery banter is taking up the whole thread, but I thought I might comment--
I personally tried the pose, and the most comfortable/natural had me arching my back arched slightly backwards, not forwards. A bit of chaos for all of you.

Duranin · Aug 05, 2009, 06:00 AM // 06:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Invertation

I know this archery banter is taking up the whole thread, but I thought I might comment--
I personally tried the pose, and the most comfortable/natural had me arching my back arched slightly backwards, not forwards. A bit of chaos for all of you.

I love this conversation :'3

I don't really think about what my back is doing when I shoot, since I already struggle with a perpetual slouch and just standing straight already takes conscious effort. I just try to keep my entire body as parallel to the target as possible <<;

also slightly off topic, but I never hold my bow completely vertical because I fail too much to keep the arrow from slipping off. I suppose tilted bows are more difficult to draw, though.

BlueXIV · Aug 05, 2009, 06:21 AM // 06:21

...How many people here do archery <_<

seems way above normal.

Qing Guang · Aug 05, 2009, 06:27 AM // 06:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueXIV

...How many people here do archery <_<

seems way above normal.

Above normal for a gaming forum, but not for Guild Wars. Seriously, it's THE MMO of choice for archers, it seems; in my old team (of about 12 or so), we had maybe 4 or 5 gamers, not counting me. 3 of them played Guild Wars (and no one played WoW).

Also, Invertation is right. You basically HAVE to arch backward to get the necessary back tension, since the last part of the pull is entirely in tightening the back once you're at your anchor. (But of course you can't thrust the chest forward too much, at least if you're a girl,unless you want a whole new pile of problems.)

Verene · Aug 05, 2009, 06:29 AM // 06:29

Whenever I'm drawing a bow I'm trying to make sure that I have my left arm turned enough so that the string doesn't scrape it, because that hurts like hell. That generally keeps me occupied

Though I've noticed that since injuring my back in a car accident a few years back, I can't shoot as long as I used to be able to. And I learned archery in high school because it used to be offered in PE, and then ended up getting my own bow from someone in my family.

I do love all of the conversation that was sparked by my drawing, btw XD So amused. Also, for the record, I had been using this for reference on the pose.

Morag D · Aug 05, 2009, 07:17 AM // 07:17

lol, I just HAD to join this

epic!
btw, I don't do archery (well, not really..), but I do fencing xD swords totally pwn bows

BlueXIV · Aug 05, 2009, 07:21 AM // 07:21

WTB Center of balance XD

Morag D · Aug 05, 2009, 07:24 AM // 07:24

it's called body control xD

Qing Guang · Aug 05, 2009, 07:25 AM // 07:25

Yeah, she does look a bit like she's about to fall over with the next little gust of wind. The up angle might be a good idea, though.

And yeah, I hadn't really thought about it (being a spoiled recurver who gets to use a sight, etc) but I suppose that is why you'd have to draw to the cheek on a traditional bow, unless you were using an aiming point other than the arrowhead.

Nian · Aug 05, 2009, 10:17 AM // 10:17

You guys like "forms" way too much.*cough*

@Blue,
I really like the colors in your study aswell. Esp. the skin tone and the yellow tint make it more lively. My minor peeve would be that the whole image is very dark, the shirt is shaded very darkly and then suddenly the skin part lacks the dark shades completely. So mainly his left cheek could be shaded with much darker colors to give a more dramatic feel. Great study still.

@Verene,
About the archer picture. A lot of people already drew different anatomy solutions so I won't. I would just suggest when drawing something like archery it's good to fire up google and use reference. Archery is a world with it's own rules on how to hold the bow properly and how a bow should look to actually work. It's like me drawing a gun and always getting told off how I got everything wrong by gun enthusiasts or military people because I didn't bother to check.

The arms of someone streching a bow should be drawn on a straight horizontal line or at least to follow the direction the arrow is going. I notice you also avoided drawing fingeeeerss. One of my pet peeves is when people don't bother to draw them or try to hide the hands because they are difficult but oh so essential. Well at least you didn't hide them. ;D It's a nice dynamic picture though. Stuff like this is waay more interesting & ambitious than people just standing around.

@Qing Guang,
If you were trying to imitate makani then I would say it's a good job. The facial expression and the pose are very reminescent of the funny style makani has. The chair may need some work with the lines and the character could look like it was slumping down more on the seat. Here's what I was thinking:
Chair
Character
With skirt

Sorry for the crappyness. Crappy tablet+PS Elements ftl. Photoshop rulers are great for stuff like the chair(View->Rulers->Just drag them). Also while drawing a spot with the brush and then pressing shift and drawing another spot in another location will draw a straight line between the spots. Consider drawing one half of the chair and then mirroring the other. The chair could be more exaggerated than what I drew. (PS Elements seems to suck so much I can't even use rulers.

) For a cartoony style realistic proportions are not the best choise but it should still look like it could be real even when really exaggerated. At first glance the only thing that struck me as odd was the chair. The picture as a whole looks very nice imo.

@Tzu,
I can't find much to be fixed in your gender confused Tidus. To me the proportions and all look balanced as they are. Except the outfit. I'm sorry but I have to oppose it hahaha. Nipple straps!?

@Espadon,
I really like your paintings. This one has a great idea but the focus point might be a bit confusing. The first thing I noticed was the flashy white background which is taking too much attention from the more interesting stuff like the figure below and the mechanism with the red light above which seem to me like they are after the figure. Maybe the red lights on the figure and the machine could be stronger and they could be painted sharper to overpower the backgrounds flashy steam geysers. I'm not sure if the picture even needs the geysers even though it seems to be what started it. :P Still I really like this. It's eerie and gets my imagination running wild.

@nymph,
That's you first? That's pretty good for a first! And pretty ambitious to go with the lineless look too. I guess what it needs more than anything is much stronger shading. Figure out where the light is coming from and just add stronger shades in the opposite direction and don't be afraid to use strong colors for contrast. You could just add a new layer on top and do the shades on that one incase something goes wrong so it's easier to erase and redo.

@Morag D,
LOL @ the lady in high heels. :'D That looks painful. That reminds me lots of statues(like the greek goddesses) and old photos of women having them posing with a bow just looking pretty but not actually looking like they could shoot anything. I guess that works too huh?

Nian · Aug 05, 2009, 11:23 AM // 11:23

Heck I'll just post my WIPs from the other thread.

The warrior pic:

I'm thinking of redrawing it all so feel free to rip it apart. I want to change the pose slightly to be more natural and relaxed. She's supposed to look tired/resting after a battle next to a cozy fire.

Hailfall's necro:

I need to redraw the arms and maybe make her hold an item like a book, apple or a scale. She's supposed to look dreadful and not girly so any and all suggestions welcome.

Widowmaker · Aug 05, 2009, 12:30 PM // 12:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nian

I need to redraw the arms and maybe make her hold an item like a book, apple or a scale. She's supposed to look dreadful and not girly so any and all suggestions welcome.

Hmm, personally I'd suggest bending her arms upwards from the elbow and palms facing up, hands like claws, make her look like she's really dragging that out of the earth, force of will alone stuff. Harsh, vicious under-lighting from said power should help her to look more intimidating as well.

Bad guys love their under-lighting.

Toes facing together is kind of cute, rather than scary.

Morag D · Aug 05, 2009, 02:06 PM // 14:06

@ Nian:
love the warrior's fluffy cloak, I WANT ONE! I've always loved the way you draw fur, especially on clothes

I like the idea that she's still holding onto the sword, but perhaps it would look more natural if it didn't come in front of her leg - quite some bending required

I believe it would still be strong enough if one could only see the hilt and a bit of the blade - after all, it's kindof a peaceful image. Keep the cloak, and the way she holds it, that's awesome. As for pose - perhaps a bit more horizontal, leaning back against something, y'know? I quite like it as it is though. However, it's quite front on, and the fire is seen from above, so perhaps you'd have to change the perspective on the fire a little.

agree with Widowmaker's comment on Necro
can't wait for the finished versions!
*clap*

Verene · Aug 05, 2009, 03:13 PM // 15:13

Nian - I have to agree with Morag. It might look more natural if the sword wasn't in front of both of her legs - that'd be a bit of an awkward and unnatural pose to hold for too long. Perhaps have her leaning back a bit more (just more relaxed in general), and move the sword so that it's behind her leg?