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[Parsely]

Added a new rule to the OP:

If possible, provide the reference you are working from.

I recommend that one always work from reference whenever possible. Learning how to creatively draw from multiple references is a skill all of its own. Artists who draw for fun or pay frequently draw other people's characters.

If one wants to challenge themselves by not working from reference that's fine too, but I'd never recommend it for beginners, especially when it comes to internalizing anatomy. It's an important part of learning fundamental drawing skills.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Sorry, I'll include my references from now on...

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Here is my potential portfolio! And to preface this, PLEASE tear it apart, I'm already fairly certain that this NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. I just want some specifics on where to go from here (even if that means ripping most of the content and starting from scratch or taking the next six months of my life to improve myself [I mean we should always be improving anyways, right?])

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Drawings:
2018

2018

2010

2010

Digital Art:
2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2018

2018

2018

Anyhoo... Giantdad is being worked on... <.< >.>... slowly.

Regardless, please give me ALL the feedback and don't hesitate to ask questions! Not sure what's appropriate to even include honestly, never really had to critically look at my portfolio before.

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

Ptw

[Arx]

* Arx slopes in

Spoiler: Cyberpunk Girl (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Ref (click to show/hide)

Originally sticking quite closely to the reference for practice, but I was also playing around with it a bit (and obviously the colours are crazy). The shoulders kept evading me, can't figure out quite how they fit together.

Spoiler: War Machine (click to show/hide)

No reference. This was entirely a composition and harsh values practice, so please don't comment on the janky anatomy.

[Parsely]

Sorry, I'll include my references from now on...

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Here is my potential portfolio! And to preface this, PLEASE tear it apart, I'm already fairly certain that this NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. I just want some specifics on where to go from here (even if that means ripping most of the content and starting from scratch or taking the next six months of my life to improve myself [I mean we should always be improving anyways, right?])

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Drawings:
2018

2018

2010

2010

Digital Art:
2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2013/14

2018

2018

2018

Anyhoo... Giantdad is being worked on... <.< >.>... slowly.

Regardless, please give me ALL the feedback and don't hesitate to ask questions! Not sure what's appropriate to even include honestly, never really had to critically look at my portfolio before.

That's a real challenge to ask someone to critique your whole portfolio so I'm gonna talk my way out of it: unless you have something specific that worries you I don't think it's worthwhile to have someone critique something you drew 4 or more years ago! It's obvious by your recent drawings that you've come a long way, you won't get much out of worrying about what your habits were nearly a decade ago. Regarding your recent things, I thought Cathar did a solid job criticizing those and I don't have much to add. Keep up the drawing!

Spoiler: War Machine (click to show/hide)

No reference. This was entirely a composition and harsh values practice, so please don't comment on the janky anatomy.

The composition looks good, my only criticism there is that the lightning is so big that it looks very close and it kind of steals some attention away from the soldier. My main issue is the lighting, you could have done a lot more with it if you were going to be practicing values. You could have some secondary lighting reflecting off the ground to show that the surface he's standing on exists without showing it. Half of the skirt is a solid white highlight and it makes it flat, the same with the ripples on the flag; the flag looks like it might be striped instead of lit. It's a good starting point for something more finished.

Your colors and brushing have been steadily improving over the years but your anatomy and lighting consistently feels neglected. I think most of these problems wouldn't be there if you always worked from reference and overall spent more time with your individual paintings. For most people I recommend moving on and trying to fix the last problem in a new painting but for you I almost want to lock you in a room with one painting for a week to force you to refine more!

That said, out of everyone you are one of the few who has something new to show almost every week. Keep up the hard work.

[Arx]

The composition looks good, my only criticism there is that the lightning is so big that it looks very close and it kind of steals some attention away from the soldier.

Mm, that was my thinking as well.

My main issue is the lighting, you could have done a lot more with it if you were going to be practicing values. You could have some secondary lighting reflecting off the ground to show that the surface he's standing on exists without showing it. Half of the skirt is a solid white highlight and it makes it flat, the same with the ripples on the flag; the flag looks like it might be striped instead of lit. It's a good starting point for something more finished.

The solid highlights are intentional - that's what I meant by practicing harsh values. Consider it a part of practicing lighting. I'll make a note, though.

Your colors and brushing have been steadily improving over the years but your anatomy and lighting consistently feels neglected.

Huh. I wouldn't have said so, but I guess it wouldn't be true if I would have, so...

I think most of these problems wouldn't be there if you always worked from reference and overall spent more time with your individual paintings. For most people I recommend moving on and trying to fix the last problem in a new painting but for you I almost want to lock you in a room with one painting for a week to force you to refine more!

Haha, I almost universally ref my pieces. It's true that I don't like to stay on one piece, though. If I spend more than about four hours on a painting I start to get bored.

That said, out of everyone you are one of the few who has something new to show almost every week. Keep up the hard work.

I certainly didn't disappear for nearly a month
<_<
>_>
>_<

But thank you.

[TD1]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So this was an attempt to draw a scene from Oathbringer. I understand some of what I did wrong - the head is too big, the arm mangled beyond recognition. I also suspect that I should not have put the flag behind his head like that.

But what makes the scene bland and amateurish escapes me. Any help? :/

[Cathar]

I know that ! The lack of perspective. As long as you don't draw in perspective, all your sceneries will look bland and flat. It is really not something hard to learn, and it really helps your brain to think in 3D on a 2D plane that is a sheet of paper.
The character is okay, he doesn't occupies a lot of space anyway. What is important is perspective. Try to redraw the same drawing exactly, but this time with the boat coming toward the camera


Use a line of horizon and a single vanish point to achieve that result. You'll be surprized how easy it is once you give it a try or two, and it will propell you to the next level

[TD1]

Sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't know where to start, though. How do you draw lines of perspective for something curved like a ship is?

[Cathar]

Think in cubes. Then modify the cubes

Ill develop later but rn my boss is getting impatient and I want to keep my job I'll be back in some hours

[Shook]

Man i should have known Cathar would ninja me here. (but listen to the man, for his words are wise)

Anyways, here's my take: There's little flow in the overall image. It's a direct side view, viewpoint and basically everything else is entirely horizontally aligned, and there's not really any overarching flow lines besides a vague wind from the right. Having a diagonal composition would make it a lot more dynamic, as that's the classic way of making the image "unstable", and also making use of perspective and one big-ass vanishing point would also help.
I tried making a really, REALLY quick and dirty sketch to show what i mean:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I hope it's possible to see what's going on, it got smeared a little because this paper sucks. Also i'm not good at dramatic scenes. :V

[TD1]

Huh, both posts are really helpful. Thanks a bunch!

[Cathar]

Man i should have known Cathar would ninja me here.

What can I say I'm an art ninja. I specialize in pretending, stealing intelligence and escaping by the rooftops

[karhell]

What can I say I'm an art ninja. I specialize in pretending, stealing intelligence and escaping by the rooftops

I know what I'm drawing next

[Cathar]

What can I say I'm an art ninja. I specialize in pretending, stealing intelligence and escaping by the rooftops

I know what I'm drawing next

lol I'm genuinly interested in seing the result

Huh, both posts are really helpful. Thanks a bunch!

For your first drawings in perspective, my advice more in dephts now that I am free from the burden of earning my daily bread :

• Draw a horizon line in your paper, at the level of your "camera". Imagine that this line is the line of the eyes of the viewer : everything above this line will be above the viewer, anything below will be, well, below. (note that the line of horizon does not need to be...horizontal, or even on your paper. It can be above or below the drawing space. But for simplicity sake, make it horizontal and on the sheet)
• Put a dot in that line, in the direction that the viewer is looking. It will basically be the point where the camera is pointed at. That's the vanishing point
• With very subtle lines you can erase easily, draw a flat grid over your sheet
• At each intersection of your grid, draw a subtle line that comes from the intersection to the vanishing point

When you have done that, you notice that a 3D grid has magically (or so) appeared

Now for the hard part :

• On another sheet, draw your boat in very simple square forms. Simplify as much as you can, the idea is to have a model that can be transposed in 3D as easily as possible. That will also train your eyes in seeing everything in simple forms.
• When this is done, use your newly drawn easyboat as a reference, and redraw it on your 3D grid, while respecting the grid as much as you can. Do not add details. Use only cubes. For this exercice your main character should just be a cube among cubes.
• When it is done, add details, distort cubes, etc.

It is long to explain, but once you get a hang of it, it becomes increasingly fast and easy