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[alfie275]

Remind me again what PS stands for?

[Balathustrius]

Photoshop.   

[LegoLord]

Sensei & Spreggo:  Thanks for the tips.  Just after reading them, I edited the ninja, and tried to add a wide-eyed expression (along with a katana pointing at its face).  Here it is along with something I did before reading the comments, earlier today, to practice facial expression (it's supposed to look a bit smug, like he's looking at a really simple puzzle in a game that will get him some sweet loot), unedited since reading the posts:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'm not too happy about the neck, and I haven't read the Loomis book yet, but I'll get around to the latter soon enough.  Once again, a Shortbeardian dwarf.

It's actually kind of funny that you mention that the ninja looked like a doctor, because I've been following Dr. McNinja for awhile now.  Heh.

[Spreggo]

I just found this.

[Spreggo]

Following the advice of Balathustrius:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I guess she's lady liberty or something.

Please critique into well minced pixels.

(I know the nostril is weird, I'll touch that up tomorrow)

[Enzo]

It's actually kind of funny that you mention that the ninja looked like a doctor, because I've been following Dr. McNinja for awhile now.  Heh.

Good man. Everyone should be following Dr. McNinja. It is awesome.

Just off the top of my head before I go to bed, spacing the eyes further apart would make the faces more realistic. There should be approximately enough room in between them to fit another eye, as a general rule, although the 3/4 angle would make them appear slightly closer together than that.

I just found this.

I...don't even know. That person really likes cats.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Following the advice of Balathustrius:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I guess she's lady liberty or something.

Please critique into well minced pixels.

(I know the nostril is weird, I'll touch that up tomorrow)

Looks like something you'd find on a Victorian stamp or penny. You're incredibly skilled with whatever program you use to do this, and aside from the aforementioned iffy nostril (which I didn't notice) there's nothing I can actually criticise.

Anyway, here's a picture of the gates of Olonkulet . Once again, in negative so it's easier to see.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also, a picture of Maggarg the Elder

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Critique please.

[Balathustrius]

Spreggo, that head is definitely improved.  I think the nostril is still a bit too black, and she seems to be missing an ear, but the values and facial structure are very well done.  Her neck might be a bit thin; the sternocleidomastoid muscle (the two big ropey ones in neck) actually attaches in the base of the skull behind the ear (and inserts into the collarbone at the pit of the neck); your figure seems to be missing hers (which may explain why she's staring straight ahead, heh, because it's the head-turning muscle.)

I have a recommendation for the resources section and the book section:  this book is probably the best one I've ever read on digital painting (and painting in general).  It's not nearly as wordy as the Loomis ones, but is full of amazing painting tips.

This page might be a good addition to the resources section.  Lots of general art knowledge, put together by the artist who's thread on conceptart.org introduced me to Dwarf Fortress in the first place.   

[Jackrabbit]

Hey Balathustrius, guess what my background is now. It's so beautiful and very calming.

[Balathustrius]

Hey Balathustrius, guess what my background is now. It's so beautiful and very calming.

Haha, please don't tell me it's that glowing pits picture.  It's so small and unfinished.      

Speaking of which, here's a more finished version:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Photobucket shrinks everything.  A bigger version is here, if anyone actually wants to use it for desktops or whatever:

http://jcpahl.deviantart.com/art/Glowing-Pits-138086411


Maggarg - good drawings.  Your portraits of dwarves are good; you ought to check out Loomis' book on Drawing the Head and Hands that Spreggo linked in the op; I think it would take your work to another level.

[Rashilul]

I get it, Snowy peak->Fortress(with lots of stairs)->Magma->HFS
(Did you draw any landscapes after the peak other than those?)

[Mephansteras]

Balathustrius, that's awesome looking! I love the engravings on the left hand side.

[Spreggo]

Okay, I fixed it up a bit.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The ear was problematic... not sure if it looks okay now.

Funny thing about the ear is that I was putting it off until I had a reference for it, and then somehow just forgot to put it in all together.

[Spreggo]

Maggarg - I'm enjoying the detail of your drawings. You should consider woodblock or linoleum printing, I think a lot of these concepts would look awesome printed with a few colors.

Also I think the pictures could benefit from laying them out with a triangle; that being said, you might be interested in drafting in general.

Balathustrius - The pit is amazing but the engravings are my favorite part. I think they add a lot of interest to the image.

Also I really like the rocks: they looks like they are warped by evil, rather than formed by some geologic process...

Something about the floor is making it look a little inclined, although I can't put my finger on what it is.


Edit: those links will be added.

[Balathustrius]

Rashilul:  Yeah, a few, but they were terrible so I never finished them. 

Mephansteras: Thanks a ton!  Everyone's commenting on those engravings; makes me wish I had spent more time on them.  Hm.

Spreggo:  Thanks, and you're right about the perspective; it's making it look a little tilted.  Some of that's the shape of the pit, I think, and some of it is how the wall meets the floor.  I kinda suck at perspective.

Your portrait looks great;  I especially like how you lit her shoulder.  Only thing I might suggest is lightening the hair a little, or maybe some lighter highlights to show its shape.  At least on my monitor, it's blending into the background and making the head and neck look chopped off towards the back.  I always do this, too; make the dark spots on a painting slightly too dark for web viewing. 

Here's another sketch I've been pecking at since yesterday.  It's not exactly DF related, at least not yet.  I'm hoping that someday, when we have world-spanning Underdark caves to play with, I can mod in a drow race.  I loves me some drow, I do.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And a detail of the head, for no particular reason.



Glory to the Spider Queen!