that girl got some facial problems... and it looks like green robot very likes to be drawn by you :s
over all, if you smooth the lines and angles a little bit, it may turn into something very cool :} nice stuff

have no idea how to become better and improve your technique tho... maybe like i tried at quake: look at pro's work and practise, practise, practise.

Oh god, how horrifying.

i dont want to be rude but this is fucking bad :(

Honest comments are always appreciated, however could you clarify what I could do to improve my technique?

well, its ugly? try adding more effects or something, im no expert but this isnt pretty :D

But what do you mean by ugly? What kind of special effects are you referring to? More glow, more shading, textured surfaces, etc.? I'm not trying to say you're wrong, and I definitely agree that there's room for improvement (lots actually) - I just want to reap as much benefit from the comments as possible.

i dont know, im not into this weird anime artwork, is it suppose to look like that? show some pictures of what you want to achieve with your work

the proportions of your characters don't fit. maybe a little less proud and get professional teaching of some sort (interwebs should be full of it)

You need to work on your shapes, perspective and depth. Maybe trying working on some basics like sketching cubes and orbs.

could you do better at yours 16yo or mb now? :>

doubt that, but on the other hand i wouldnt show something that i thought its shit to other people

Badly drawn anime characters, ugh.

I'd drop the anime aesthetics altogether. Yeah, they're easier to draw but unless you're really good, it'll always look crappy. And this looks pretty crappy, especially the girl's face and hair shading, the proportions on the green robot (toothpick sword, gigantic head). Also never, EVER use lens flares. Just don't.

That hydra thing is probably the best out of those three, can't point to any major flaws aside from the strange color theme.

You seem to have a nice grasp on matching colors, maybe do some landscapes?

I hope you don't take any of this the wrong way, i firmly believe in honesty before flattery.

Thanks for your honest, specific advice. Exactly what I am looking for. The dragon is my latest drawing, so it's good to know that I'm showing improvement in that one compared to the last two.

About dropping the anime style though, isn't the only way to get better at a particular style to practice it? At least from what I've seen and heard, many artists stick to one style to try and master it, and I've been told that whatever style you like best is the one you should pursue. Again, not saying you're wrong, I'm just curious.

Admittedly, that's my personal bias shining through, i have extremely low tolerance for sub-par anime artworks. If that's what you want to get into, sure, keep at it, it really does look like you improved a lot from the first two drawings to the latest one, the proportions are much better and it just seems more detailed overall. I wouldn't say it's good but it's not terrible, either.

One more observation i have is you should tone down the glow and gloss effects. The colours should flow into each other imo, i'm not big on over-saturation and flashy contrasts, it just makes it look, well, artificial (not exactly the word i want to use here but hopefully you get what i mean). Although in the context of huge space robots i suppose maybe that's not such a bad thing, haha.

Oh and i just wanted to say it's refreshing to see a person that is able to read harsh critique and recognize that there is no malice attached to it. I'm sure with that kind of attitude it won't be long before you'll be able to put out quality work, keep at it. 8>

:)

Also, do you guys prefer sharp shading, or shading that gradually blends from one area to the next? What I do is that I blend them a lot, which makes it look a lot smoother, although I'm not sure if that would make it lose crucial contrast.

I think both can look good - it just depends on what kind of style you want to achieve.

Aye. Say, how is your tablet btw from the competition? Do you find it very useful for sketching and practice, etc. without having to use up paper? I might look into purchasing one myself.

The pen pad is great, unfortunately I have not had much of a chance to use it intensively. From what I've experienced it is very different compared to drawing on paper and a bit awkward at first.
Though, as you can see, every artist out there uses one which means you can get really good at painting with a penpad. I'd say it just takes a lot of patience and practice and of course the right software.

when i saw that girl i was like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1wzQNzttSk

tbh, I actually lol'd. Made my day, thanks.

it's crap indeed.

hi mr. art person

do you use a graphic tablet like wacom bamboo?

First of all, you should master the very basics; simple shapes and objects, toning (which comes with the ability to correctly represent depth). Then comes the understanding of the 3 dimensional space - perspective.

After that, lots of still-life pictures, landscapes.

Then you can slowly advance to organic things, which are far harder to portray in a good and sensible way.
At this part, some anatomic knowledge kicks in. You should master that too - many-many hours of learning and drawing (portrays from different angles, nudes with real models, muscle-toning / shaping - lot of accurate sketches needed, bone-structures and so on); not just human anatomy, but different animal's basic anatomy too; it can be very helpful.

To successfully illustrate a living thing, it's NECESSARY to understand the biological structure lies under its skin.

Then, you should take time and analyze different anime-styled proportions, because there are many kinds of them depending on genre and they're not actually the same as the real human body proportions. I'm a closet otaku myself, so I just know it. : D
You can find many good *.pdf-books about this (for example, How to Draw Manga-series). Mark Crilley also has a bunch of simple, yet efficient video-tutorials.
If you have the basic understanding, tons of practice comes.

All of this is ofc on paper. Don't be naive; this will take a LOT of effort and time.

Coloring is another thing, and it's rather complex in itself too, but you can find many good tutorials internet-wide.

An efficient way if you have the skills is basically draw your quite accurate draft on paper, scan it into Photoshop / CorelDraw / PaintTool SAI / any good pixelgraphic program and work on the colors and such on computer.
A good Wacom-tablet (preferably an Intuos, but for starters, a Bamboo will suffice) and a calibrated monitor (preferably a ~21" pro CRT or at least IPS panel) are also a must.

you seem to know ur stuff, share your art with us!

I don't have a deviantart or something "deviantartish" : ) account, most of my old works are on paper.

But when my right hand (wrist and fingers) broke down (RSI and weak connective tissues in general) almost right after that I started to take it really seriously, I had to give up on it, because I can't hold a pencil for more than 10 minutes without being in pain - so it's not exactly satisfying to dwell on such things. : (

I hope my condition will improve with time, bacause I still didn't give up on being at least a hobby artist some day - and I also love the anime-theme, and I'm planning on making the most epic and HC loli H-doujinshi ever in the (quite far) future >: D.

relearn with other hand?

No chance.
Besides, my leftie is not in a great condition either.

I like the robot/kinght/lightsaber/cock thing.

I have bad news for you...

tbh, I knew someone would say something about the lightsaber. I think it comes to show how positioning is extremely important. While I was doing the drawing, I did begin to realize that it looked like he was engaging in "happy time" (Transformers reference) and I almost laughed out loud when I saw it. It was too late to change though, but hey, you can say that with a lightsaber like that, he can "pierce" the heavens! (Gurren Lagan reference)

I'm studying a masters degree in illustration at the moment (I already have a degree in graphic design). There are some in my group who are insanely talented, and then there are those that aren't; those who have the lesser talent can compensate for this though because they have a niche (of sorts).
I'm not going to give you advice on how to draw as it's useless (you can't teach someone how to 'draw' really) but if you're doing this as a hobby, keep it up- do what you enjoy :) If you're looking it at a potential career path (I have no idea how old you are so if you're 16 or under you can essentially ignore this bit) then think of ways in which you can monetise what you do. I'm working with a lot of professional illustrators and there's very little full time work going around.
There are thousands and thousands of people out there that are more artistically gifted than me or you; you just have to bring something new to the table :)

*EDIT* Just seen you are 16 so you can more or less ignore everything I wrote above as it shouldn't be of any concern to you! :D
Also stay away from anime/manga/that kinda tosh!

This is shit advice but I've already typed it out now

Typical Bruns. \o

"Also stay away from anime/manga/that kinda tosh!"

[sarcasm]And never forget about the proper lubricants.[/sarcasm] : D

Thanks for the advice everyone!

BTW, for those who might be able to give some suggestions in the drawing process (it typically takes a few days to a week to do one drawing, lots of effort), this is what I do:

1. Draw the initial sketch, first by making a spherical head, draw the jaw, then go downwards to the neck, to the chest, create a box-like object for the hips, create two more spheres within the hips to serve as a guide for the legs. (location of the buttocks) Both the arms and legs are drawn by using rods and small spheres, and I also use rings for perspective purposes. I also have a mannequin which is a good reference for foreshortening, etc.

2. Erase the lines in the sketch, but don't quite go into details yet. Draw the fingers, toes, etc. I use a mirror to help recreate these parts with as much accuracy as possible. It usually takes several tries before I get something satisfactory.

3. Start going into details, use references for clothing or other garb, unless it's my own character or other object of attention.

4. Scan the sketch, adjusting contrast so I can easily see the lines. Load the sketch in Paint Tool SAI, then trace the pencil sketch with the vector line tool for a clean lineart.

5. Base coloring, fill in areas, etc.

6. Basic shading, determine a good light source, then shade according to the light source. Loads of blurring, smoothing, etc. to keep transitions as seamless as possible.

7. More detailed shading, put in shiny spots or gloss, etc.

8. Lineart coloring and line thickness adjustment.

9. Put in layers for the background whenever necessary, behind the base drawing.

10. Extra effects like glow, etc.

11. ??????

12. Profit?

I also have a manga artbook which I have laying around on the floor in which I learned about drawing basic heads, etc. I also "indirectly" teach myself by looking at a lot of more experienced artist's work and trying to see what techniques they used, "zoom in" on trouble areas, etc. I might go ahead and look at some of those online .pdf's on manga drawing and study them as well.

Anyways, I'll keep on drawing and will continue to post stuff on my blog and DA account so people can track my progress. I'll still stick to doing people as I want to be able to improve at it without having to "backtrack" too much, but I'll definitely look into anatomy tutorials.

Here is my deviantart:

http://negative-chi.deviantart.com/

Mostly doodles from about the age of 12, up to more recently.

Drawing is just practice, I would not say that you should stay away from the anime stuff, but make sure it is not the only stuff you are doing.

Just make sure you draw every single day, every moment.

There was a time where I was considering going into art, but I just don't have the patience for it, i.e. if I don't finish something in like 20 minutes I'm bored with it.

incredible fishman ftw

http://www.fzdschool.com/free_tutorials.htm

I'm not an artist by any stretch of the animation, but it looks like in "Stellar Polaris," the gradients seem to be off and contradict each other if you know what I mean. The face of the robot seems to lack depth.

Overall good work, and take my advice with a grain of salt.

Thanks. So by "contradictory", do you mean that the gradients and highlights were used in such a way against the intended light source?

I think I'm going to spend a week or two trying to practice eyes, heads, anatomy, etc. but one thing I always hated is how unsteady my hand is trying to draw something on the left side with my right hand. It is very, very easy to screw up or end up with an awkward shape. How do most people deal with this, besides becoming dual-handed?

Practice drawing dynamic shapes with distinct movements.


"I think I'm going to spend a week or two trying to practice eyes, heads, anatomy, etc"

First, I think it would be better to understand at least basic shapes, toning and perspective.

Tablet or mouse?

Just mouse on SAI for now, might consider a tablet soon when I get the dough.

I like those space-things, they look cool, i used to draw a lot, although i haven't drawn anything lately (except intentionally bad looking MS.Paint sketches) few pointers:

* The heads look too big, you should balance the size of the head and the body.

* Azusa's head is too long, you should balance it to be 50/50 head and hair, while keeping the body in norm.

* When drawing a anime character the face is the most important and the hardest part, you have to have variation of eyes, hair styles, noses (if any, lol) and mouth(s)... well not so much. Always start by drawing the head and then according to the direction you decide it's posture, body and bodytype.

* Second hardest part (for me) are the right choice of hands and handsizes, hands shouldn't be borthering you when you look at a picture, but they shouldn't be your focal point either. Hands should be drawn according to arms.



Polaris or w/e looks a bit funny, he's a knight of some sort? the head should be 1/3 of it's current size, lower arm seems fat and the hand itself seems awkward, not to mention he's holding a toothpick. Torso looks completely flat, waist is non existant, legs are nice. Also the helmet shouldn't have any eyes shown (unless they glow light/it's a chibi character)

No offense meant, that's just the few things i paid attention on for the first minutes.

By no means i'm no professional artist, i (used to) do it as a hobby, the text is my thought process.

(Posting from another computer...)

Thanks for the comment and your very specific, down-to-earth advice. This is exactly what I need to improve, so it is highly appreciated. I can definitely agree with your points and identify them.

The Hydrapokemon looks nice, the manga girl looks nice except from the face.

Either, the green robots arm is very small or his left leg is small. The perspective is decieving, otherwise like your creativity.

Thank you. I suppose Polaris' left leg does look a bit thin, although I did draw it smaller due to perspective. One interesting thing I did learn about perspective though through pure examination, is that the size of an object may stay uniform even at very extreme angles if the object in question is short. For example, when I use my mannequin to judge perspective on the arms, the arm looks the same size all the way, but for longer objects the perspective effect is more noticeable. I need to be very careful about that.

Also, here's some footage of the original dragon upon which I based my drawing: (Yes, I know what everyone's gonna say, but keep in mind that 1. I'm a subbie, I don't watch dubs except to laugh at them and 2. There's a good amount of variety and inspiration in overall character and monster design for me to get a hefty amount of ideas to draw various creatures and fantasy artwork, and 3. You already found out from looking at the descriptions, why aren't you laughing at me yet? :p) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKutRjb0-2I

And here's Azusa-chan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObZvwJaqhBc

(EmeraldTiger here, posting from another PC)

lmao, just right after I posted the link to the vid, it gets taken down by Japan / Nihon Ad Systems. Not that I really care, (you can find the exact same scene with subs online) just a funny coincidence.

lol that k-on clip is funny

I hear it is pretty cute, haven't checked it out yet though.

You got to stop think about what all the trolls in here have to say... Not everyone in here's a cynical asshole.

I looked at your crap.
And it was hilarious crap.
You drawings should be on cereal boxes in Japan.

I tried logging in but I apparently can't get in. Did I get banned or something? I can't think of anything banworthy that I did, and I was nice to everyone in this thread. Can I please get a response from the admins? Thanks.

Well, okay, I was able to post this comment with my username, but I can't edit it or w/e, etc. does anyone know why?

P.S. I know I could've logged on earlier with the guest comments, but nowadays I prefer not to clog up other people's computers with additional cookies, log-in info, w/e... call it some weird moral thing or whatnot. :p

It's fixed, thank you admins.

I have been using this site lately for practicing techniques, I am finding it extremely helpful: http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/howtodraw/tutorials.html

Gave you a watch on DA. Looking forward to better drawings;)

Thank you for the watch. I hope the anatomy tutorials will pay off in the long run.

Just one quick question for those with Paint Tool SAI experience: Do you know how, or if it is even possible, to shade lines like you can areas? Like let's say I'm coloring a line where the lighting and shading gradually get darker, and I want the line to do the same while still being distinct. I know I can color a line with one solid color, but I want to know if I can shade it as well, which would prove extremely helpful. Thanks in advance.

Anyways I got My Little Dragonborn up, with Le Serpent Serinissime (Sanae Kochiya from Touhou - here's a quick DA search if you wonder who she is: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=kochiya) to be forthcoming.

New lineart up: http://emeraldproductions.weebly.com/

Her position looks sort of awkward, try to make it look more natural. The right shoulder especially stands out. Also practice drawings hands, cause on all of your drawings, they're looking flat and unnatural. That howtodrawmanga page you mentioned looks pretty good, just instead of doing a new piece of art, focus on one part at a time, like, draw a lot of hands in different positions, gestures, etc.

You're latest drawing is better than the rest, so you're going in a good direction.:)

Proportions are just not right. It looks stiff and flat. I think you need to practice anatomy and life drawing, like seriously study it. How is she remaining upright? Shes supposed to resting on her right arm, but its stretched out laterally and to the front. Shes just kind of floating there. Tits look really fucked up; gotta get the tits right bro. Left leg looks like someone ran over it in with their car.

Thanks again. I agree about the arm; now that I think about it the perspective it does look like the shoulder leans away from the viewer with the hand floating, even though I intended it to be straight. Would it look better if it was completely straight and the hand drawn closer to the top?

Also, about the "tits", you're referring to the nipples, correct? Because I plan on adding those in once I get to shading, they're just not drawn in the lineart as I felt it would look more natural if I shaded it.

Not the nipples, no. They are way too high up the chest and the perspective is off. I think you should practice doing lots of anatomy sketches, rather than these finished pictures. Take like 3-5 on each and concentrate on perspective and proportion. For example a quick GIS gives me this:

http://jagan3dcharacterartist.blogspot.com/20...en_17.html

I'm no expert, but thats what I would do if I was you. TBH nYmPhets post above pretty much nailed it.

lol this is SO bad on so many levels. overall terrible use of gradients / filters, and dead the lens flares u fuckking noob.

Thanks. By the way how would you suggest improving on the gradients? Like make them more abrupt instead of having them be so gradual, or whatever? I'd like specific insight on why something was bad, etc. so I can improve further.

i like your attitude :)

Yea, thank you, for I take medication of great temperance. And it is good.

Here's a test sketch I did: http://emeraldproductions.weebly.com/practice1.html

I'll be doing several of these over a period of time and you can let me know how I am doing and what to work on. I'm following most of the techniques off of these tutorials: http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/howtodraw/jdillon/fbodymain.html

I spent about 30 min. to an hour to sketch and refine, but I didn't go into any clothing or details afterwards. Ignore the lack of feet btw, I mainly want advice on general anatomy.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, be very very specific about it and please don't skimp on the details, but make it easy to understand as well. Thanks. In general, is the way I sketch effective or does it have problems such as too little or too much complexity? What do I need the most work in?

Also, on DA: 2 favs on Polaris, 1 fav on Azusa, 1 fav on Overlay.