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How and where can i improve.
8 years ago
What sorts of things do i specifically need to improve on?
I know my anatomy can be a bit wonky or stiff.
My backgrounds can be a little bear/empty.
My sketching is slow.
My colors can be almost overly saturated.
My compositions are sometimes boring.
My perspective is almost downright terrible though i try.
My use of lighting can be rather plain.
and if you have any suggestions to improve that would help.
I know my anatomy can be a bit wonky or stiff.
My backgrounds can be a little bear/empty.
My sketching is slow.
My colors can be almost overly saturated.
My compositions are sometimes boring.
My perspective is almost downright terrible though i try.
My use of lighting can be rather plain.
and if you have any suggestions to improve that would help.
Suggestion on how is doing expression sheets at least a few times a month if possible.
As for suggestions on how to improve...
Perspective: You can try making urban backgrounds, or rooms. And if you want people to occupy it, always use basic shapes; cylinders; spheres; boxes; then use vanishing points. Keep drawing basic stuff until it comes naturally to you.
Quicker Sketching: Draw more to sketch quicker, really. Otherwise try a different way of starting your drawings. Do you freehand, or do you start with stick figures, maybe even draw with shapes? Try another one of these methods.
Lighting: There's many different light sources. From the sun, to a lamp, to a surface reflection, to a bright object being near. And any combination of all of these. Light also always has a color.
Additionally, never pillow shade. If there's light falling on their front, and there's no light source behind them, then their back should be dark. Simple rules that people usually violate in accordance to their 'style'.
That's the main suggestions I have. Would love to talk to you in more detail about it, give you active pointers while working on any art. The only thing is that I'm blunt as fuck. Not a lot of people that can appreciate brute honesty. :V
YOUR ART IS PERFECT TO MY EYES
NO CHANGES NEEDED -OVER DRAMATIC BODY FLARING-
-hugs tightly while stroking face- ur perfect shh, change nothin!
Even I'm guilty of this from time to time but I try to fix it. In finished pieces there are too many "harsh lines" in the shading. Musculature becomes too defined to the point that if starts to look fake again. I know you know your anatomy but we are drawing anthro characters. After a while too much shading makes them look like odd colored people with animal heads. Having more of a messy shading style (less gradient) would go a long way for you in my opinion.
You manage to do this in pics where you use cell shading. But in soft shading pics, that's where it happens.
My suggestion?
Less is more in your case. Yes, we can show a character is fuzzy with line art but that only goes so far. Subtle highlights and shadows brush strokes in large muscle ranges would be a big help. Just a single round brush too and a few linear brush strokes. Hope that makes sense.
You already mentioned it in you journal about color saturation or lack thereof. A few Line Dodge/Overlay layers to act as filers can really go a long way with getting a picture to pop.
As an example. I drew this pic (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/22896590/ ) a few weeks ago, after flat colors and shading on a multiplied layer. The rest of the lighting is done with a blue overly, a tan linear dodge and a few highlight strokes. The overlay and dodge layers take the gradient from flat color to shade levels and changes saturation to give it a massive pop.
Good luck! :3
and by color saturation i feel like i go too far saturated like unnecessarily bright might just be me. i do like how you got the image to look though.
I just notice that people that artists (again myself included in this) stick with one color hue when they shade. Meaning if the character is brown, a darker brown of the same hue is shadows and a lighter brown of the same hue for highlights.
When I subtly add different colors at the same saturation level but differ hue. You get that dynamic range of color that helps a color pop but when the color is of the same saturation level, it doesn't bleed all over the picture or makes the picture feel "fake" with the bright colors.
Anyways, just my two cents.
I should learn too.