Ana's Art Returns!

[Lenh]

The only difference between me and ShinyPichu is that I'm giving you feedback in baby steps, one thing at a time. Shadows stood out as the most rewarding route to take for some improvement.

I agree with everything he's pointed out: anatomy, perspective, learning to use references, (and modeling) are all things you need to improve on, and the best way to do that would be to research and work on it specifically. Not just to improve the winter picture you just finished, but to improve your development as an artist.

The more you learn to mine critique for the constructive bits and take steps towards improvement, the more and faster you'll learn. Staying in your comfort zone will only reinforce what you already think you know (both the good and the bad), and cause your work to stagnate in the long run. Good luck and have fun, in any case~

[Anacybele]

YOU'RE offended? You were the one who said my art sucks. I never thought you gave me any real advice at all, not that you gave stupid advice. YOU offended ME.

EDIT: Lenh, also, I do use references.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Anacybele

[NobodiePichu]

i only ever said i was slightly offended. but i still am offended. as for the admittedly harsh words i am just being brutally honest in my opinion. if anything you blew this out of proportion when you first replied to my advice.

how ever your blatant disregard for opinions that don't sugar coat every word, and are not all about praising your supposed amazing abilities, make you almost impossible to work with or help. you seem convinced that you are infallible, which you are not. i am simply unhappy with the way that you have received my advice.

if you plan to ignore me when i have only been trying to help then i reason that you are beyond help and as such it is pointless to try. so go ahead and ignore my advice if you want. if you actually want help than go back and read my previous post's. if you at least say that you actually looked at them and seriously consider them, i might change my assessment of you. how ever if you keep going down the rocky road you're currently on, i will have no choice then to ignore you. i await you're response.

[Lenh]

The best reference you could have had for the picture was a reconstruction of the scene through live models (highly improbable, but would've made the perspective/anatomy/lighting much easier for you) or a miniature set (which would've taken some creative thought but still taken a lot of the thinking out of the way). Below that you have your libraries of images and to really need to think of how to transpose your source material into the arrangement you want in your piece (which I think is what most people do, and what you did, not sure).

I'm not sure how much you did your referencing but there's still room for improvement there.

I would be so happy if you acknowledged ShinyPichu's existence and critique, if only to keep in the back of your mind for another time (since his and my critical points for you are pretty much the same). ;w;

Edited December 30, 2013 by Lenh

[Samias]

Settle down folks! Seriously!

ShinyPichu, giving critique is good and you can be honest but you'd get your point across better by not being 100% negative. Ana has improved over the past few months and has been listening to polite critique of her work. It's a slow improvement process but being overly hostile is going to mean your critique is being wasted. You've done this multiple times so maybe you should just cut your losses and walk away if you can't say something without instigating a forum war. I realize giving extremely harsh critique is the prevailing method on the sprites board but it just isn't working here.

As for the picture, I agree with Lehn that you should practice your shading more. You don't have to revisit old art but there are good tutorials out there (which sadly I don't have on hand, oops) that teach you a lot about the fundamentals of light. Since this is an outdoor scene, presumably at mid day, the shadows come from the top and cast shadows downwards. You have light sources coming from at least three different directions, especially noticeable on the trees as one is shaded away from everyone but then one is casting shadows over them. The light is also coming strongly from a horizontal, but that only makes sense in the early morning or late evening. I think the actual structure and layout of this picture is a lot stronger than your previous efforts though, and the structure and look of Kelli's hair is pretty good too.

[Anacybele]

THANK YOU, Samias. I'm glad SOMEONE is agreeing with me for once. If this were a forum I used to go to, they'd be trying to force me to listen to these insults like a good girl and refuse to see that I AM listening once in a while.

Shading tutorials is a good idea though, thanks. I should probably find better references too.

[NobodiePichu]

i see no point in pointing out the good in the picture because the good in your art is always the bloody same. the actual art is clean and precise in the way the lines are put together, that is all i would say i like about your art. i pointed out what i thought is wrong so i could help you. if you dont want my advice i will take my efforts elsewhere.

[Prax]

^

Wow, some people are really passive-aggressive. Like.. come on. If you feel that she is a beginniner or amatuer, why do you think it's helpful to give "tough love" when it shows that is not something she responds well to? You think she's not the one learning? Maybe others need to take a lesson and learn that not all people grow and are nurtured by the same things (and also some people are lazy or slow or disinterested in becoming an apprentice). It's tiring to see her art thread cycle into these diatribes about learning to take a critique well when some people honestly need to learn to give critiques well instead (and accept that people won't necessarily hang onto their every word--gosh why does it feel like an ego war??).

Ana, I think it is best to just ignore people who you feel are insulting you, since who wants to "learn" from a teacher who they feel disrespects them in the first place even if they do have the answers? I think you can tell the difference between people who mean well but might be blunt and people who seem to have a need to cut others down, so I applaud you for calling people out on it even if they might become more aggressive.

Gargh. And sorry for dragging this topic on with this post, but the way people treat you makes me pretty angry. On the other hand, at least it gives yoru thread attention and traffic? I dunno if that is worth it to you though. lol

Anyway, on a more positive note, I think that mistletoe picture was pretty cute and I like how Kelly's expression turned out most of all. It's cute and kind of michievous. I think if you were to practice on something, it would be on making a more natural-looking side view, since the face comes off a little flat and Freddy looks like he needs a bit more chin. I like that you're using thinner lines sicne it makes your details clearer and more dainty, and soon you will be able to experiment with shading more and using a tablet, which is exciting. It'll take a while to get used to, but it'll soon become second nature~! (Or not.. I feel it took me like 5 years to get the hang of it in order to actually complete a full image with it lol)

Edited January 1, 2014 by Prax

[NobodiePichu]

burgh I'm sorry... i guess i can get a little too riled up sometimes. though to be honest in my first post i really didn't have any mean intentions it was just rather blunt in my opinion. still though in my opinion anacybele from what I've seen in a lot of your post's in the past you get some really good advice and you just seem to ignore it well saying that you'll change or try it, or you try to justify why you don't want to do it. in short i feel like you're running away from actually improving, and it just kinda made me mad. apologies and ginger beer on the house.

[Lenh]

Yeah, apologies here to those having to see blood drawn again. Even trying to keep a level head and knowing reactions were gonna get polarized, I still lost patience with the way it all went down.

I feel bad as it ended up as a bully situation, but in the same, the story is more complex than that.

Anywho, good luck in your endeavours Ana, wherever they take you.

[Anacybele]

^

Wow, some people are really passive-aggressive. Like.. come on. If you feel that she is a beginniner or amatuer, why do you think it's helpful to give "tough love" when it shows that is not something she responds well to? You think she's not the one learning? Maybe others need to take a lesson and learn that not all people grow and are nurtured by the same things (and also some people are lazy or slow or disinterested in becoming an apprentice). It's tiring to see her art thread cycle into these diatribes about learning to take a critique well when some people honestly need to learn to give critiques well instead (and accept that people won't necessarily hang onto their every word--gosh why does it feel like an ego war??).

Ana, I think it is best to just ignore people who you feel are insulting you, since who wants to "learn" from a teacher who they feel disrespects them in the first place even if they do have the answers? I think you can tell the difference between people who mean well but might be blunt and people who seem to have a need to cut others down, so I applaud you for calling people out on it even if they might become more aggressive.

Gargh. And sorry for dragging this topic on with this post, but the way people treat you makes me pretty angry. On the other hand, at least it gives yoru thread attention and traffic? I dunno if that is worth it to you though. lol

Anyway, on a more positive note, I think that mistletoe picture was pretty cute and I like how Kelly's expression turned out most of all. It's cute and kind of michievous. I think if you were to practice on something, it would be on making a more natural-looking side view, since the face comes off a little flat and Freddy looks like he needs a bit more chin. I like that you're using thinner lines sicne it makes your details clearer and more dainty, and soon you will be able to experiment with shading more and using a tablet, which is exciting. It'll take a while to get used to, but it'll soon become second nature~! (Or not.. I feel it took me like 5 years to get the hang of it in order to actually complete a full image with it lol)

Oh, yes! I'm glad I'm getting better at telling the difference. I used to have so much trouble with that. >_<

Yeah, the way some people treat me makes me angry too. And you're right, it gets my thread more attention, but it's not really the kind of attention I want it to get. Especially since it draws it away from the threads of other great artists like yourself who deserve just as much attention.

Ah, thanks for the critique! Yeah, I don't have much experience with drawing the profile view (the side view). I should get better at that. xP And yes, I can't wait to experiment with the tablet. I'll start off with simple stuff and work my way from there. I'll probably get the hang of it faster that way.

Thanks so much, Prax, it means a lot that people still help me despite the trouble that erupts in here on occasion.

Lenh, don't be silly, you didn't do anything wrong. You were perfectly fine. :)

ShinyPichu: Don't worry about it, we all make mistakes. I might have even misinterpreted you a bit myself. I do tend to do that, after all. xP

Edited January 1, 2014 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Okay, I need a bit of help here...

I'm trying to try out my new tablet, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it to work. This quick set up guide isn't much help. All it said was basically connect to the internet, connect the USB cable, close all applications and let the driver install, then slide the pen upward to position the cursor on the screen, and tap the tablet to click or something. It's those last two steps that don't seem to be working.

I tried turning off my mouse and removing its wireless adapter, but that does nothing. :/

[Lenh]

What type of tablet do you have?

All else fails, just restart the computer with the pen tablet plugged in, and see if it works once everything's started up again. If not unplug/plug the tablet back in while the computer's still on, see if it works after a few seconds.

[AstraLunaSol]

So, basically, it's not registering the tablet pen on the surface of the tablet

If nothing works, uninstall the driver and try the process again after restarting the computer.

Edited January 5, 2014 by AstraLunaSol

[Anacybele]

It's a Wacom Intuos. And the tablet is registering the pen just fine, it's the computer that isn't.

[Lenh]

Is that the first tablet you've ever put in on that computer? If you're upgrading you may need to remove the old drivers before the new tablet will work (afaik).

Also just straight up install the drivers from the Wacom site and dink around on the active area of the graphics tablet. I don't think you need to slide/calibrate it right away. There's also more support on that site if you can't get it working.

http://us.wacom.com/en/support/drivers

Edited January 5, 2014 by Lenh

[Anacybele]

Yes, it's the very first tablet I've ever had. And the driver is already installed.

[Anacybele]

Okay, so awhile back, I had figured out the problem with my tablet. I actually didn't have the software installed after all. lol Oops. xP

But I've tried it out and it's going to take some getting used to, so I've decided to start with only using it for going over my sketches in Photoshop. So to start off, I did this sketch since the subject is fairly simple and since I've been watching the Justice League. :3

It's Wally West, aka the Flash! I love this guy so much, he's totally my favorite DC hero now (sorry Robin, Hawkgirl, and Batman, you guys still rock too!). He's hilarious and he can do some wicked cool stuff with that super speed of his! He can make tornadoes, cause entire buildings to crumble in seconds by having his arms vibrate really fast against them, and he can freaking fake his death by speeding up his heartbeat until it appears that it stopped! This means he's actually immune to heart attacks! Lucky guy. All in all, I'd say he's one of the most powerful DC heroes because of what he can do with his speed, but I love him mostly for his character and cool costume. :D Though, this guy is so fast, I don't think even Sonic the Hedgehog would be able to keep up with him. o.o

Also, sorry for the smudge on his hand. It seems I still have a bit of trouble with those even in a cartoon style. xP And I know the lettering is kinda bad, I've never been great with that either. lol

Edited January 24, 2014 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

And colored! Comments at all? I did this mostly with my new pen tablet, though a few lines and bits of shading were still done with the mouse and pen tool (most specifically the emblem on Flash's chest). It took some getting used to, but I'm getting the hang of it. :D

Full description here. :)

[Anacybele]

Man, no comments in such a long time... Anyway, I've some new art again! If anyone remembers the fan starter Pokemon I created, I've finally drawn Kinder and Hippa's evolutions! It's more practice with my tablet too. :3

Full description here. :) Originally it was going to be Ignihorn and its evolution, Flaries, in this pic, but I didn't leave enough room on the paper... Heh. ^^;

But Flaries will be drawn next time, for sure!

Edited February 26, 2014 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Eh, figures no one would say anything about my Pokemon designs. No one ever really does, regardless where I post them. xP

Anyway, now I have a new sketch, one I'd been itching to do for awhile. :3

Can you guess who this lovely couple is? Or is it too obvious from my past works? lol Here's a clue anyway: This is part of a scene that will be in one of my current fics. :)

Also, it's supposed to be a night-time swim scene as well. I kinda decided to sort of reuse an old idea I've used a couple times in art pieces in the past. :P I also decided to add fingernails this time, but I'm not sure if I did them right. I was never good at them for some reason. xP

Oh, and the background is supposed to be rough. Really rough. lol cause I suck at sketching bgs.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Anacybele

[Anacybele]

Colored! :D

I looked at more references and such for shading, I think I'm getting better. ^^

Not sure about that water though. I don't have much experience with it, so I also did this piece for more practice on it. But damn, it's way better than the first time I tried water, so that's a start. Trust me, the water in that piece was total rubbish. :P

Anywho, full description here. :)

Edited March 3, 2014 by Anacybele

[Lapistier]

I like how you shaded both of them in your latest one. The shadows and highlights appear to be in all the right places, especially where the hair is concerned. The moon's reflection on the water looks nice as well. Normally, though, the figures would be a darker since the moon's light is shining from behind them, not in front. But for all I know there could be another light source on the other side, so it's not that big a deal.

As far as your lines go, I have a little bit of constructive criticism regarding the Avatar's arms. When someone is winding their arms around someone else's neck, you should be able to see their joints bend, i.e. their elbows and wrists. You can see examples of that here and here. In your picture, her arms go straight forward, and the one in front seems to disappear behind her hand. Otherwise, your lines are very neat, and the proportions look pretty good as well. I skimmed through some of your older drawings, and I see definite improvement.

[Anacybele]

Oh, thanks! I'm glad the water at least looks pretty decent! ^^

Yeah, I really had no idea what I was doing with her arm lol. I knew it was wrong, I just got lazy, I guess. But thanks for the references, I know how not to make that mistake next time! :)

And you guessed right that she's my Awakening Avatar, so good job! ;3

[ghast]

whooaaaa cool water