Critique my artwork

Hey guys,

I am a sophomore at the University of Iowa and I started as a business major but after taking calc for business I quickly decided it wasn't for me. I have always enjoyed art but I have never really taken any classes for it. I just changed my major and I am double majoring in graphic design and communications and I am getting an entrepreneurship certificate (similar to a minor). I am trying to get back into drawing because it has been a while so here are 3 drawings I did and I was hoping you guys could critique them and give me some opinions on what I could to better. I did a ball python, a emerald tree boa, and a bunny (requested by my girlfriend).

P.s. I know the ETB sucks but I did it at like midnight so I am blaming the quality on that.

Thanks for the help,
Alex

[IMG]http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0115.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0133.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0138.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0137.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0114.jpg[/IMG]

btw the random lighter spots on the BP are supposed to be blushing.

I LOVE drawn pictures of ball pythons! that bunny looks so soft in your picture!

I may not be an talented artist, or an expert on art, but I like them :D

I would say you need a bit more attention to shading, and some to perspective. I would do some exercises involving shading and shadows, in which you ONLY draw the shadows of objects around you, so you can get used to looking at them, how they are shaped, and how they change the colors of objects they fall on.

The rabbit is great.:gj:
The ball is cool.........The shading does need more work. This is where the real life look or 3D comes from. next time try working from the shadows forward.;)

Thanks for the tips everyone. I have never been very good at shading but I will definitely try practicing it. I am taking some drawing classes next semester so hopefully those will help me improve upon my skill

If you're going for realism, it's rough.

You might find that pop art is more your thing. Like, I can see that ball python picture being really nice if it was all done in solid, flat, bold colours. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

If you're going for realism, it's rough.

You might find that pop art is more your thing. Like, I can see that ball python picture being really nice if it was all done in solid, flat, bold colours. :)

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Thats more what I was going for with the BP. Its just so hard to get fine detail with pastels. If I would have done this drawing just in pencil I would have added much more detail and realism. There is just no way to make things look precise with thick pastels (at least not for me)

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Originally Posted by abrunsen

Thats more what I was going for with the BP. Its just so hard to get fine detail with pastels. If I would have done this drawing just in pencil I would have added much more detail and realism. There is just no way to make things look precise with thick pastels (at least not for me)

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Do it in pencil then and post some more pics for us :)
Im more of a fan of realistic stuff myself but i like the pics you drew with the pastels too :)

Looks good! The only think I noticed is that you seem to be copying your artwork from BP images online. I'd draw your own ideas. It gives you more practice and lets you be more creative.

Newer artwork

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0201.jpg

http://i1241.photobucket.com/albums/...k/IMG_0204.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by apple2

Looks good! The only think I noticed is that you seem to be copying your artwork from BP images online. I'd draw your own ideas. It gives you more practice and lets you be more creative.

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I have to somewhat disagree with the bolded statement. I would recommend drawing directly from photographs if you want to get better, realistically wise. I've been drawing for years and have won many drawing awards, and I work predominantly in realistic work (with some biomech and fantasy/sci fi on the side). When drawing animals specifically, you really need to get the structure right (bones, muscles, how hair grows, etc) to make the drawing as realistic as possible. They just won't work right unless you get everything right and drawing from photos gives you the best feedback than going just by images in your head.

OP: I haven't worked with oil pastels in a long time as I focus on airbrushing, ink, and graphite flatwork but I would recommend trying to go in there with outlines on your animals. For example, if your Husky/Wolf's nose was a bit more outlined I think it would pop more and bring the whole piece together, you could also blend some more color flecks into the eyes to really make them stand out (I also like adding a white reflective dot/spot in the pupils to give the animals "life"). For the tiger I would go in and put in individual hairs, either with a fine tip pencil or even with a scratch stick to gently scratch away some of the oil to give the illusion of a lot of little hairs (the colors on the Tiger are fantastic though).

Here's some of my work to show some bold outlines and how little details can really make pieces stand out (I have a newer Anaconda piece I did but I don't have a pic at the moment):

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0218.jpg

^ bold outlines, ink

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0220.jpg

^ colored pencil, softer outlines

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0216.jpg

^ hair details

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0209.jpg

^ added dark and lighter tones to give depth

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I've been drawing for years and have won many drawing awards, and I work predominantly in realistic work (with some biomech and fantasy/sci fi on the side).

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Angelica, have you ever given any thought to picking up a tattoo gun? Your style would translate well to that medium...

First of all, they all look pretty nice. The one that I think needs the most work, though, is the ETB. I haven't seen an ETB (except momentarily at expos, I think...) but the head looks great. The problem is that the rest of the body/picture is very indistinguishable and flat. With the detail on the head I think a little more care should have been done on the body.

I love the ball python. It looks darker than the picture on your computer, but that could easily be because of the lighting. It also seems to go between 3D and 2D. The head is 3D, the neck next to rest of the body switches to 2D, and the rest is more 3D.

The bunny is cute, and I don't have much on it. It is a little farther from realism as the first two, which based on the three seems to be your stronger suit. The only thing I can really see on it in the right (by our view) side of its face looks a little long/awkward.

And like others have said, you could work a little on the shadows. Not the easiest thing to learn, but it will really make your artwork pop when you figure it out.

It might have simply been the pastels which held you back. Your pencil (pen?) drawings are amazing. At the same time, though, I would suggest doing more with pastels because it will look a lot better if you can work with multiple mediums.

P.S. that wolf and tiger are AMAZING!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I have to somewhat disagree with the bolded statement. I would recommend drawing directly from photographs if you want to get better, realistically wise. I've been drawing for years and have won many drawing awards, and I work predominantly in realistic work (with some biomech and fantasy/sci fi on the side). When drawing animals specifically, you really need to get the structure right (bones, muscles, how hair grows, etc) to make the drawing as realistic as possible. They just won't work right unless you get everything right and drawing from photos gives you the best feedback than going just by images in your head.

OP: I haven't worked with oil pastels in a long time as I focus on airbrushing, ink, and graphite flatwork but I would recommend trying to go in there with outlines on your animals. For example, if your Husky/Wolf's nose was a bit more outlined I think it would pop more and bring the whole piece together, you could also blend some more color flecks into the eyes to really make them stand out (I also like adding a white reflective dot/spot in the pupils to give the animals "life"). For the tiger I would go in and put in individual hairs, either with a fine tip pencil or even with a scratch stick to gently scratch away some of the oil to give the illusion of a lot of little hairs (the colors on the Tiger are fantastic though).

Here's some of my work to show some bold outlines and how little details can really make pieces stand out (I have a newer Anaconda piece I did but I don't have a pic at the moment):

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0218.jpg

^ bold outlines, ink

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0220.jpg

^ colored pencil, softer outlines

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0216.jpg

^ hair details

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...O/000_0209.jpg

^ added dark and lighter tones to give depth

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Wow! Your stuff is amazing! Thank you for the tips! I will practice more!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Himitsu

First of all, they all look pretty nice. The one that I think needs the most work, though, is the ETB. I haven't seen an ETB (except momentarily at expos, I think...) but the head looks great. The problem is that the rest of the body/picture is very indistinguishable and flat. With the detail on the head I think a little more care should have been done on the body.

I love the ball python. It looks darker than the picture on your computer, but that could easily be because of the lighting. It also seems to go between 3D and 2D. The head is 3D, the neck next to rest of the body switches to 2D, and the rest is more 3D.

The bunny is cute, and I don't have much on it. It is a little farther from realism as the first two, which based on the three seems to be your stronger suit. The only thing I can really see on it in the right (by our view) side of its face looks a little long/awkward.

And like others have said, you could work a little on the shadows. Not the easiest thing to learn, but it will really make your artwork pop when you figure it out.

It might have simply been the pastels which held you back. Your pencil (pen?) drawings are amazing. At the same time, though, I would suggest doing more with pastels because it will look a lot better if you can work with multiple mediums.

P.S. that wolf and tiger are AMAZING!

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Yeah I agree, the ETB is really crappy. I did that one fast and late at night. I also agree with the statement about the bunny. His cheek looks like he went to the dentist and had surgery done. Thank you for the advice and compliments, I appreciate it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abrunsen

Yeah I agree, the ETB is really crappy. I did that one fast and late at night. I also agree with the statement about the bunny. His cheek looks like he went to the dentist and had surgery done. Thank you for the advice and compliments, I appreciate it!

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Not a problem. I'm always happy to help. :)

Also realized that the horses were done by someone else, lol. Just quick scanned the posts on page two and didn't look at the names for the posts, stupid me. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slim

Angelica, have you ever given any thought to picking up a tattoo gun? Your style would translate well to that medium...

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That was my first thought when i saw that deer. I was like oh thatd make a sweet tattoo! I personally wouldnt like to get a horse or deer tat lol but theyre still good drawings.
Id like to see some of the scifi/ biomech stuff that you have done Angelica.
To the OP: your wolf and tiger are VERY cool looking. I sorta like the less defined, mosaic look that the pastels give it. But im not trying to disagree with the person who said to outline things, just my opinion.

There are tricks to shadows and shading with pastels, too...not everything done in pastels is doomed to look flat. It simply requires more practice with those techniques.

If you think pastels are limited, check this out:
http://www.vickijacksonart.com/original1-10.html

And this: http://www.vickijacksonart.com/original1-04.html

Pastels have huge potential. One think the OP is doing very well is capturing the basic shapes of these animals, so it's really just depth that needs to be added to create a huge improvement.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slim

Angelica, have you ever given any thought to picking up a tattoo gun? Your style would translate well to that medium...

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I have thought about it and would love to learn, but it will have to wait as I'm focusing on finishing up school. Perhaps one day!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abrunsen

Wow! Your stuff is amazing! Thank you for the tips! I will practice more!

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Thank you! If you need any tips, critique, or help just LMK. I'll be watching this thread for any new works you produce.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

That was my first thought when i saw that deer. I was like oh thatd make a sweet tattoo! I personally wouldnt like to get a horse or deer tat lol but theyre still good drawings.
Id like to see some of the scifi/ biomech stuff that you have done Angelica.

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I'll look into getting some pics together for a thread :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I have to somewhat disagree with the bolded statement. I would recommend drawing directly from photographs if you want to get better, realistically wise

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I totally agree! But abrunsen: You're off to an good start! I already se allot of improving through your pics in this thread.

Is it pastel you use? Personally I think pastels are hard to work with. They tend to give to intense colors, and its really hard to keep it naturalistic. This is my personal opinion..
then again I think Pastels are a good medium to start with, Youll learn alot.
Maybe after a while move over to watercolor. Its a big change, but for me it was a natural development. Maybe try it you too!

Sorry if I scary you with my English, Im Norwegian!