Curse

GeminiJuSa · Dec 02, 2010, 10:06 PM // 22:06

@Thistle Xandra: this piece was drawn by hand, when I make my digital line art, it gets wobbly too X_X But it actually does have to do with practice and getting used to the pen and motions, digitally or traditionally. You dunn wanna know how may times I broke the tip of my mechanical pencil drawing that XD Sadly, the scanned version doesn't show all the effort I put down, original drawing looks better. Q_Q

@Koreena: If I won one of your plushies I'd PAY to get it delivered here to Scandinavia!

KiyaKoreena · Dec 02, 2010, 10:38 PM // 22:38

Derp, forgot about international shipping prices. I would be open to it being worldwide IF the winner can pay half of the shipping cost if outside US and Canada. (1st class USPS international, 2 lbs) I am poor and international is pricey. If they want to be super nice and pay full, that would be greatly appreciated.

Princess Blades · Dec 02, 2010, 11:58 PM // 23:58

Oh no, I hope everything is going well for you Minami. I've been working on my entry but have been having severe internet issues. I should hopefully be back up an running in a couple days

Nemesis-of-the-Gods · Dec 03, 2010, 12:33 AM // 00:33

I'm very stressed out from having a pretty rough day. I got seriously insulted about my art today and it really struck my confidence and my demeanor down, so if I skip something someone said or something, I'm sorry, it is not intentional. My mind is -->

and

at the moment.

@Frostkisses: I don't mind stalker-y, if my art is worth stalking, then it's a compliment

And you're very welcome. I know how much critique can help, and I like to help when I can.

@GeminiJuSa: I'm sure everything will work out for you in the end. Alrighty. Hmm yeah well it depends on whether you are going for a more designed and stylistic take on the picture or if you are shooting more towards realism. If you're going for realism, definitely lineless/shapeless lofty clouds would be the way to go, but if you're headed in the other direction, I think that the lines give it that more designed "feel."

As for ArenaNet's prizes, I am definitely feeling the "Meh" ...I really, really was hoping for a singed art book or even any, if even just one signed art piece. That would have made my day, if not X-Mas itself. I think that the prizes, while still cool in themselves (except if I do place, I am going to be selling that Everlasting Raindeer Tonic for ecto, because they don't give title points so I don't care about it, so if anyone wants to buy it and I win at least honorable mention; I'm letting you know now that it's up for sale.) I think that they really do just lack in that 'pizaaz' that ArenaNet usually has. I was so excited to enter and get art! and now that just kinda but a damper on my day even more, but I'm still excited about if I do place, getting my art on the site and getting a nice headset or mouse and or ecto from selling the tonic haha.
I am very glad that the prizes here on Guru have a lot of consideration and heart into them. That plushie is cute Koreena!

Anyways, I have an update!! I got to work on my entry before my feelings were stomped on today which made me in an un-artsy mood. So, here it is. Got a lot more done... --> http://nemesis-of-the-gods.deviantar...llery/27491109

Death By An Arrow · Dec 03, 2010, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis-of-the-Gods

snipsadsnip

man, why did they insult your art? Elaborate if its not too uncomfortable. It sounds like someone just flipped

and you ended up on the other end. Because if it was a pencil drawing there is nothing to be ashamed of. Chances are likely you're a better artist then they.

But that bark looks even better now that it's shaded! the snow on the tree looks so much better now; i guess all it needed was some shading :P

I dont currently have a reference picture of a melandru shrine, so I'll make this suggestion in sort of a if it applies way. Do the bowls in the shrine have a different shade of colour than the rest of the tree? I'm just imagining since they deal with so much water they'd be either wet or weathered and that could affect it by making it darker? As I said I don't know if it's in the official art but it could be something to look at.

Also, when you get around to detailing Melandru's face and torso I would suggest a little variation to the hair, or atleast make some strands more prominant. Not in the sense of like her hair is blowing in the wind, but that her hair isn't a smooth mound and would be intended. I think I can see it right now, so it might be the scanner quality and I'm assuming it will become more prominent when it's the focus of the work (like the snow)

So that looks like long post of changes but its two very minor things. More positives to make your day better

I like the variation in ornamants, it's nice that they aren't all the same shape. Did you consider adding tinsel or is that too late

I also really like how you emphasised the general snow mounds on the ground. It's not too prominent but you can most deffinatly identify theres a crisp layer there. As a light-handed artist i find I'm drawn to the lighter parts of the page so its nice that detail is being put everywhere :3

Hopefully your day wasnt too bad :3

frostkisses · Dec 03, 2010, 01:35 AM // 01:35

so i just wrote out this fairly long post... and then hit the back button on my mouse on accident... sigh...

@nemesis - im sorry someone had to take it upon themselves to be jerks... your art is very good <3
i wouldnt add tinsel to it though, since i think it would clutter the piece and take away from the snow. chin up and keep doin what youre doing. enjoy critique and ignore jackasses

Death By An Arrow · Dec 03, 2010, 01:49 AM // 01:49

frostkisses; i didnt mean like an explosion of tinsel, just like a featherboa of tinsel ;P
though any tinsel would mean erasing the great work already done and we wouldnt want that. so it probably wont work out in the end

frostkisses · Dec 03, 2010, 01:53 AM // 01:53

lol had a funny picture pop into my head with the "explosion of tinsel"
i know thats not what you meant, and i didnt mean my comment to come across rude, just my opinion

GeminiJuSa · Dec 03, 2010, 02:04 AM // 02:04

@Nemesis-of-the-Gods: I believe the issue with the clouds is that lineless would look nicer, but would break of the style, but the lines that are now... I could make them better, but I'm not happy... But as you say; it'll probably be nice once done.

If anyone is interested; feel free to drop by my stream:
http://www.livestream.com/thecopycat

Midget Minionmaster · Dec 03, 2010, 03:11 AM // 03:11

Name: Midget Minionmaster
Idea for entry: now named "Icy Stares"
Genre: A Mystery book
Progress Report: http://gwlit.deviantart.com/journal/0/ Woohoo

frostkisses · Dec 03, 2010, 03:30 AM // 03:30

Welcome Minion

small progress update...and finally the reveal of Dwayna's secret o.O

used my scanner this time...didnt turn out as bad as I thought it would but i still hate how grainy it looks. only just started on the lil fellers, hopefully I'll get some more shading and what not done tomorrow. I have an idea for another picture, so we'll see

Edit: Thanks for letting me sit in with you on your livestream Gemini

Good work so far

GeminiJuSa · Dec 03, 2010, 05:26 AM // 05:26

Thank you frostkisses for the nice company! ^^

And here's a WIP (complete with a DA watermark

) I'm about halfway done colour and detail wise. Then begins the video editing itself!

Nemesis-of-the-Gods · Dec 03, 2010, 06:23 AM // 06:23

@Death by an Arrow: Well, I'm not going to go into full detail, but basically it was my AP (advanced placement) Art Teacher...Don't think he had enough coffee today. I understand being critiqued and using other's opinions to make your art and your mistakes better; but when you tell someone that they're art is boring because it's mostly all pencil work on white paper and that no company will ever want to accept your work because they'll take one look at it and say "Oh that's nice, NEXT"...I believe that is rather rude.
Heh, well he only very rarely does art, and when he does it's this weird glob of abstract paint. So pencil work I guess is just something he doesn't fully feel attached to perhaps? For the lack of a better word.

Thank you, I'm glad! I was worried there for a bit about that ice/snow and the bark too. I worked on that for a good straight hour and a half alone today.
Aye, yeah I used a screen-shot as my reference. That is a very good point though. I will try and see what I can do to make the water cups look more worn. I like that idea. I just don't want them to be too totally different. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__...dru_Statue.JPG <--Melandru statue
Yeah her hair though I don't want to look totally like strands because it is her statue, not like her avatar or something so I think that it would be kind of odd to have a statue that has real hair? I don't know just seems odd to me haha XD
Thanks! I was actually wondering if it looked weird having so many different ornaments, so I am glad to hear that you like them! Uhm, well no, I was actually considering like a strand of lights but I am really second thinking that now. They are so teeny and the lighting would be difficult to capture... I've never really been around too many X-Mas trees so I don't have a lot ideas for decorating it further, but I am open to suggestions.
I do agree with Frostkisses though, that the tinsel would make the image too cluttery. I don't want to clutter the tree, just make it more holiday-esc. If you know what I mean. -Yeah I used to work very light until recently I began using heavy contrast of lights and darks to make things pop and stand out a bit more.

@Frostkisses: It's alright, it happens. It's nice that you all care though. And thank you =] Haha yeah, I try when I can. -I know how you feel about that scanner and the grainy look hah. Graphite does that too. What you posted here looks relatively smooth though, so don't worry too much.

@GeminiJuSa: I get what you are saying. Everything looks very nice colored right now, I say that you did very well shading the bone minions. Two things though, are you going to leave those clouds transparent or are you going to make them different later on? Because it looks rather odd seeing them as just black lines. Also, I think that more shades of green on that skull/smoke can be added to make it more smoke-like, right now it's a bit flat. I know that you will probably do more to the image, but I'm just suggesting some things that are standing out to me at the moment. I love the snow though! Very nice =]

~~Don't know how much I will be able to work on my entry over the weekend, so if I am silent for a few days it's because I am busy. I will try to update when I can though.

Sorry for my posts being so long everyone! I'm sure you're all sick of it haha >.<

Thistle Xandra · Dec 03, 2010, 06:40 AM // 06:40

yay, more lit entries

Frost, that looks great! Nice job doing whatever you did to your scanner to get it to capture the colors

Gemini, that looks soooo good! Is there anyway to record your streams so you could post on youtube or something? I'd love to see how you do what you do!

Nemesis, your pic is coming out really well! I really love all the details

Only critique I have right now is that the sign on the post (I was admiring how you captured the motion) implies there's strong wind but the water and ornaments don't. That's awful to hear that a teacher would say that, btw

He should be trying to encourage you in a positive way, not bring you down

Nemesis-of-the-Gods · Dec 03, 2010, 06:52 AM // 06:52

@Thistle Xandra: Well the water is supposed to be frozen so it wouldn't really move in the wind, but now I feel like a complete and utter dunce *face-palm* You are absolutely right, the ornaments should be at least slightly following the wind as well. Oh god wow, I can't believe I drew that without noticing that! And I drew it dark too

I can try and tweak it up a bit, but geez, I hope I don't ruin it now. Thank you so much for pointing that out, I completely overlooked that today while drawing. I will do what I can to edit that without leaving erase-shadow lines Grr! I'm mad at myself now! >.<
Yeah, I don't know what his deal was today. Hope things are better tomorrow. O.O

AryaBladedancer · Dec 03, 2010, 08:24 AM // 08:24

Thanks to everyone for the feedback about the blue vs. purple version. I had a tough time there but after listening to your comments and looking at it, I agree, I think blue will be an easier identifier for Dwayna.

Marshmallow: D: I really hope you get to finish your stuff, your work is always sooo cute and loveable! Hopefully you'll find the time to work on it.

Frostkisses: I'm really liking your image overall. I love the green glow under Grenth's mask and the overal feeling of the image. I think that you ould use a bit more contrast, but I know colored pencils can be daunting. I would keep working lightly but maybe add a bit of darker blue around her cheeks where the hair is overlapping to show some more depth and shadow, some darker streaks of blue through her hair for some added variation. I'm interested to see what's going on in the background cause you can only see little bits of it, has me intrigued!

GeminiJuSa: I really love those minions, haha. I think they could be a perfect image just by themselves, but I am loving this overall. It's very complex, and yet still a simple and fun concept and I'm loving the depth that we're getting from the trees. Excited to see where it goes!

Minami: :C I hope that everything is okay and that your family is well. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

InfestedHydralisk: I have monument armor on monk, and can probably dye it black if needed. It's white right now, but either way is fine, I can redye it later.

I don't get to go on much so let me know ahead of time and I can make sure to be on if you get enough people.

Flying Ninja Monk · Dec 03, 2010, 10:58 AM // 10:58

I hope it's not too late to submit but...
Name: Flying Ninja Monk
Idea for entry: Dwayna Claus...in her rainbow-phoenix drawn carriage
genre of art: Illustration, hopefully with a short story to back it up

Other than that, i personally believe I have no talent in art, but i'll still try :P And I will upload my first WIP as soon as i can find my scanner's charger >.<
Good luck with all your drawings everyone!

EDIT: My first attempt at the phoenix looked like an overgrown chicken on fire XD

Aeronwen · Dec 03, 2010, 11:59 AM // 11:59

Oh its disappointing that the anet competition prizes are not very motivating. I do hope the prizes and the appreciation you get in the workshop keep you going here.
@ Frost, ~ I suppose you have sent your letter to Father Christmas, mentioning your scanner? Haha the picture just gets better and better.

@Kiya ~ oh Awesome prizes
@Thistle ~ real life is more important always but oh I was looking forward to your story.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemesis-of-the-Gods

I'm very stressed out from having a pretty rough day. I got seriously insulted about my art today and it really struck my confidence and my demeanor down
http://nemesis-of-the-gods.deviantar...llery/27491109

With pictures like that you can afford to laugh at anyone who insults your art. Difficult when it’s your art teacher I guess, but even teachers can be totally wrong.
John Lennon’s teacher wrote on his report ‘certainly on the road to failure’
Eistein’s teacher wrote that he ‘would never amount to anything’
While Hitler’s teacher wrote "Moral conduct, very satisfactory; diligence, irregular; religious instruction, adequate... freehand drawing, good; gymnastics, excellent."
^^
I like the ornament and especially the candy canes.
Welcome Midget
Gemini awesome as ever, I find the pipe a little difficult to see and is she going commando?
Welcome Ninja

Shewmake · Dec 03, 2010, 12:28 PM // 12:28

I'm definitely feeling "meh" as well. I was hoping the prizes would be a little less impermanent (i.e., the reindeer tonic can't even be added to the HoM). But the headset does look nice!

Perynne · Dec 03, 2010, 02:17 PM // 14:17

Added the newcomers into the first post!

@Thistle: Aww... I was hoping to finish reading your story for the workshop. :/ I hope that you'll be able to complete it at some point anyway, if not for this.

@Kiya: Well, I'd be willing to pay for postage to get one of your plushies. :3 And I'm sure that if the winner doesn't want it, we can randomly give it to one of the other winners who is willing to pay for any shipping.
Let me know what you decide to do, if you're willing to donate a plushie as a prize or something. It would certainly liven up the prize pool.

@Nemesis: Aw, art teachers like that should be shot. Yes, I do understand that the artistic field is highly competitive, and yes, I do understand that you have to be a master at a bazillion different techniques, but that doesn't mean that hard work and creativity should be trodden on. He has no right to say that doing things one way is better than the other - art is ALWAYS about personal feelings and taste, and what one person absolutely loves, another person can hate.
So yeah, try to feel better. Your art teacher was probably just having a bad day, or someone mocked his work and he was taking it out on you.
Your Melandru drawing is looking awesome so far! I love, love LOVE the detail on the tree and the decorations.

Can't wait to see you start on detailing the gods in the background.

@frostkisses: Wow, I really like how brilliant the colours look! And lol at the surprise. XD Those two grentches in the background are a good addition - it's like Dwayna's personal gang out to get Grenth. I think you should still perhaps try to curl up the sides of her mouth a little, so that she looks like she's smiling a little more. Now it's closer to a mean sneer. Having a bit of a smile in there will make it more light-hearted I think.
And eh, scanners always tend to leave traditional works looking grainy. Nothing wrong with it, gives it nice texture.

@Gemini: Oooh, looks rather dark and creepy, suitable for a necro.

The minions are super cute. <3 Can't wait to see more detailing!

@Flying Ninja Monk: Welcome! It's not too late to enter.

Technically, you could even enter one day before the deadline, it would just exclude you from some of the prizes. Also, please put up a progress gallery when you start posting, you can just add it to your entry post so I can find it easier.