Suggestions Aethelity

[Arylett Charnoa]

Would you like to see my art?

I don't want to overwhelm you, so I'll only show three recent works. Also, the first two are downscaled from their original size. I usually work with really big resolutions and I didn't want anyone's screen to break on the off-chance their resolution was too small. Just thought I'd note that. You can click on them to see the original size though.

This first one is from my favorite series of all time with my favorite character of all time. Shion Uzuki of Xenosaga.

Spoiler: Aster Maiden

You may recognize this character from Super Smash Brothers. It is Shulk of Xenoblade. I just love the Xeno series.

Spoiler: God Slayer

Lastly, we have a Pokemon-related art that I just finished yesterday! It's my fiance's Pokesona from a roleplay I'm creating for another forum.

Spoiler: Lunaris Adamantine (Lucario) V2

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

Heya people! I do take suggestions, you know. Right now, I'm in a good mood, so if you suggest something, I'll probably do it! It'll be a quick sketch, but still.

All of these pictures are also shrunk from their original resolutions for smaller screens. This time though, you can click on them to see the original size.

This one's a bit outdated, but I'm still proud of it. It's Elly from Xenogears to the left, with my fursona to the right. (Whose design is outdated, still working on a new one) The fursona is a creature known as a Fox Valstaen.

Spoiler: Who I Am

A map for a fake region for a roleplay that we're reviving on another forum. It was a collaboration. My fiance Lunaris drew it, and I digitized and colored it.

Spoiler: Lasvion Map

A commission I did a while back. It was actually made into a print. My Little Pony stuff. NOT vectors, by the way. Hand-drawn.

Spoiler: Discord and Eris

 

[Equinoxe]

I remember your stuff from before and I can safely say you've improved a lot, especially in regards to colour use and linework. Keep up the good work! :3

But! I hope you don't mind some critique, because I've got some for you. Some of the character's poses are a little stiff and/or unnatural (something I personally also struggle with), maybe try "loosening" them up a bit?

Drawing poses from photo references or just making a whole bunch of simple stick figure/mannequin-like figures in different poses can help a lot with getting rid of the stiffness. Using a lot of smooth curves instead of just straight lines will make a big difference. I could probably dig up some useful tutorials on that subject if you're interested? :O

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

I remember your stuff from before and I can safely say you've improved a lot, especially in regards to colour use and linework. Keep up the good work! :3

But! I hope you don't mind some critique, because I've got some for you. Some of the character's poses are a little stiff and/or unnatural (something I personally also struggle with), maybe try "loosening" them up a bit?

Drawing poses from photo references or just making a whole bunch of simple stick figure/mannequin-like figures in different poses can help a lot with getting rid of the stiffness. Using a lot of smooth curves instead of just straight lines will make a big difference. I could probably dig up some useful tutorials on that subject if you're interested? :O

Thank you! The last time I posted work here was when I first got a tablet, and I was kind of shaky on it. So a few years with it kinda does that.

Yeah though, I do know that I'm pretty stiff when it comes to the poses. (Especially Shulk. Dear God, that picture was an ass to draw) It's something I'm trying to improve and am very conscientious of it. Actually, most of these drawings had poses that were referenced extensively. Which... actually results in stiffer poses for me for some reason. Probably because I try a bit too hard to imitate it and don't "loosen it up." So I think I will reference a bit less extensively and be less neurotic about copying that exact pose. And whilst I did draw stick figures for each of these pictures before drawing them, I'll probably try to make smaller miniature ones and do a bajillion of them with... curvier lines. The stick figures I do, now that I think of it, are the reason my lines end up a bit stiff even though I'm more inclined to draw curvy lines. So I'll loosen my hand when I do those and make them more... curvy. God, it's hard to explain this stuff without sounding ridiculous. @_@

I wouldn't mind some tutorials. I am constantly looking at new ones.

Thank you once again for your response! I really do appreciate it.

 

[Equinoxe]

Haha, art struggles in general are kinda hard to explain without sounding at least a little silly, so no worries. :P

I can undestand the "copying reference too closely" thing, because I do it a lot too. I guess when using reference, you should just kind of try and draw the general idea or 'spirit' of the pose to avoid accidental stiffness (though in practice, it's kind of hard sometimes). For the stick figures, maybe try using the kind of "mannequins" as shown in Andrew Loomis' drawing books (you should check out his stuff if you can)? They have some more natural "fluidity" to them than regular stick figures.

I happened to find this tutorial which has pretty good, simple examples of a stiff pose vs more dynamic ones (note the curviness of the limbs in the more dynamic ones). Hopefully it'll be helpful to you!



Really though, you've improved a whole lot, and with that attitude, you'll keep improving even further! Keep on drawing cool stuff :3

 

[Black Yoshi]

If I may, I'd like to share some things, as well.

First off, your color and value senses are pretty top-notch, I really admire those things about your drawings. Also the symmetry you do a lot of the time.

As far as the stiffness goes, there's no right way to go about it. But my old drawing professor always emphasized on straight lines for curves, though. Using curves initially, we inevitably make everything look too soft. It's... Odd for me to explain it fully without being able to show you. The other key, though, according to him, was speed. Even doing a hyper-realistic portrait, you should have everything laid out and in the proper place within two or three minutes, at most. You can spend as much time as you like cleaning it up later, of course.

That said, you're drawing for fun, so the discipline thing is eeeeeh not all super important. But when you're doing exercises and such, just go fastfastfast. Professor always said that the best artists aren't fast because they're good, but they're good because they're fast. It's all about gesture and suggestion. I mean, he also said if your arm doesn't hurt, you're doing it wrong, but.

So yeah that's my thing to drop on you. I'm quite happy to see your artwork again, though. It's quite loverly.

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

Haha, art struggles in general are kinda hard to explain without sounding at least a little silly, so no worries. :P

I can undestand the "copying reference too closely" thing, because I do it a lot too. I guess when using reference, you should just kind of try and draw the general idea or 'spirit' of the pose to avoid accidental stiffness (though in practice, it's kind of hard sometimes). For the stick figures, maybe try using the kind of "mannequins" as shown in Andrew Loomis' drawing books (you should check out his stuff if you can)? They have some more natural "fluidity" to them than regular stick figures.

I happened to find this tutorial which has pretty good, simple examples of a stiff pose vs more dynamic ones (note the curviness of the limbs in the more dynamic ones). Hopefully it'll be helpful to you!



Really though, you've improved a whole lot, and with that attitude, you'll keep improving even further! Keep on drawing cool stuff :3

Ah! I am glad you understand. I have looked up this Andrew Loomis and see that some of this stuff is free. So I'll download and have a look next time I work on my next project.

Thank you for those links. That mannequin one looks nice in particular. And the tutorial, my fiance apparently found already for me. But I didn't favorite it for some reason, so I will favorite it now!

I'm glad you think I've improved though! Really, I appreciate these kind words. :3

If I may, I'd like to share some things, as well.

First off, your color and value senses are pretty top-notch, I really admire those things about your drawings. Also the symmetry you do a lot of the time.

As far as the stiffness goes, there's no right way to go about it. But my old drawing professor always emphasized on straight lines for curves, though. Using curves initially, we inevitably make everything look too soft. It's... Odd for me to explain it fully without being able to show you. The other key, though, according to him, was speed. Even doing a hyper-realistic portrait, you should have everything laid out and in the proper place within two or three minutes, at most. You can spend as much time as you like cleaning it up later, of course.

That said, you're drawing for fun, so the discipline thing is eeeeeh not all super important. But when you're doing exercises and such, just go fastfastfast. Professor always said that the best artists aren't fast because they're good, but they're good because they're fast. It's all about gesture and suggestion. I mean, he also said if your arm doesn't hurt, you're doing it wrong, but.

So yeah that's my thing to drop on you. I'm quite happy to see your artwork again, though. It's quite loverly.

Thank you for commenting! I really do appreciate it. I didn't think I was particularly symmetrical though, heh. I tend to be less aware of the good parts of my art. The flaws are what I focus on. (A bit too excessively sometimes.)

Well, I'm pretty deliberate and slow with my art, but I am trying to get faster. It's another thing I'm making a very conscientious effort with. Of course, I do think that speed would probably be helpful in reducing some of the stiffness, yes. Having a quick foundation laid out would most likely aid with that, though I honestly think three minutes is a bit speedy for me. Just have to take it one step at a time!

Oh, but I am serious about my art. This isn't just for fun (though I do take pleasure in it) - I want to take it somewhere someday. I may not have an art class or a teacher (budgetary issues are the cause of that, plus I've never found art classes to be helpful to me in the past), but I will discipline and cultivate myself.