# Help on how to improve my art



## Evilymasterful (Nov 16, 2011)

I started drawing when I entered in college last year and was pretty awful at first.  Since then it's become my favorite thing to do and I always want to improve and get better.  The problem I have is the art I submit now gets about as much recognition and feedback as the old lesser quality stuff I posted.  I really like how they come out but I want to know if there something wrong anatomically or with the perspective that seems off to you?  

I know I'm not good but I'd like to get better so any critique is helpful as long as it's constructive in some way.

examples of my newest works
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6862887
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6853768
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6833478


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## Fay V (Nov 16, 2011)

the anatomy is off to be honest. There's just some issues with proportion or pose. I'm not sure exactly but it just looks off to me, like they don't really have any mass or form to them. You're getting there so just keep practicing. You especially need some practice on the hands. They don't really look like hands anymore but just like it's all one meld of flesh. Like someone is wearing hand patterned mittens. Again just practice more, draw from life. Look at your hand and just draw it in different positions. 

Try to work on different poses and less "sexy" stuff. There's nothing wrong with mature art but you're hurting yourself. A lot of art is expression with face and body language. With these "sexy" naked poses you're just making card board cutouts. You're not practicing emotion and body language, you just have characters that are...there. 
Go outside and draw people sitting, walking, running, whatever. Draw people dancing, reading, really happy, really sad.


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## Evilymasterful (Nov 16, 2011)

thx, I noticed my ability to draw hands is pretty rudimentary but they seem difficult for me at the moment.  I'll just keep practicing. thank you for your insight it's helpful to me


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 16, 2011)

The first one has a serious case of neckboob. There is a COLLARBONE on the body, before the breasts come up. They don't seem to sit along the ribcage either.

Your characters look very scrawny because there is kind of no muscle definition to them. That doesn't mean your characters need to be body builders. But if they're going to be that skinny, you should at least know the major forms and then you can stylize it. So basically it's the "Back to your foundations speech" here. You want to get better, practice more and look at real anatomy and study and practice from it before depending too much on symbolizations and stylizing. That doesn't mean give up your fun sexy stuff, but you may remember that foundations are going to help your fun stuff. So put priority into it if you mean to get better.


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## Grae Sparrowkin (Nov 16, 2011)

I would try some basic poses: Standing, sitting, arms up, arms out, etc. Before you try the complex ones like that. Remember proportion as well because it seems a little off in your artwork.


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## Kailombax (Dec 2, 2011)

You really have potential but I agree with everything the others said. I really emphasize that you try and study from real life fo anatomy because then once you get a good grasp on how things work, you'll be able to put your own spin on it. And also, try drawing nice standard poses so it can help even you out because if you just go for sexy poses and nothing else, you could end up weak in the other areas. All in all, it's a good start so far.


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## FireFeathers (Dec 3, 2011)

The anatomy and the shading are your biggest fights right now. Anatomy's been explained, but you're trying for a pillow-ish shading technique like I see a lot of people do, but you're not 100% on the form and shape of the body yet. So it hurts you in the long run. Same advice, do things from life and all that jazz.


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## drpickelle (Dec 7, 2011)

A lot of the others have mentioned anatomy and shading-- so I won't go into those.

The thing I'll mention-- which I noticed right off the bat, to be off-- was the weighting of the characters. They don't seem planted, they seem as if any moment they could float off into space. In the examples posted above, you have all the characters touching a plain of some sort-- in fact, many plains. In your examples the feet, hands, body-- whatever was holding the character up, they didn't match the same invisible plain that another piece of the body held up.

Your third example is the best one to use as an example to what I'm saying. There are just so many plains going on there. A good way to see these, is by drawing a straight line under each body part touching the 'ground'. Since this character was drawn straight on, the plains should ethier all line up, or be very close together.

A good thing to practice better weighting of a character, is to start with a line of action first. Then build the character from there. It's a lot easier to draw a figure, once you've found your plain. Life drawing classes/personal studies and practice are the best learning tools. 

Just keep drawing!


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## Chupaflor (Dec 21, 2011)

I think attention to proportion needs to be mentioned along with anatomy. Body studies help, mix in skeleton study at that.  I once read, you have to have a body before you can dress it, and before that a skeleton before you flesh it. Some people can just throw a drawing out of their brain beautiful from the word go. Im one of the artists who still draws a stick form, geometric blocking, shape it down, then define it. Sometimes ill grab a pic for body reference (there are thousands of sources of stock imagery all over) and sketch body forms onto of it for reference then recreate it on my page. But always make sure, if you directly use any stock, you give the stock artist credit.

Oh and don't use SL as a reference. I have ran into a couple people who did that and i don't think it works for anyone other than developers making other SL gear. Lol.


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## dinosaurdammit (Dec 21, 2011)

I wish this had been marked NSFW somewhere. Cuz the lady behind me at starbucks just looked at me like I was a pedo.


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## Zephyrionitis (Dec 22, 2011)

I have been waiting to use this here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7073979
Specifically #1, 4, 5, 6


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