Ah, don't worry about that, wizel. You're doing fine. c: We can't give
too much work, after all -- we're busy people, too! I think 5x the work is a bit of an exaggeration. (At least, I'm hoping it is, for my own sake!)
Let's see, here...
ShadyGreens - Nice sketch you've got started, there! I like. I see some wobbly shapes, though -- especially in the neck area. I know it's hard to see the 3-dimensional forms for the lines that define them, it's something I have trouble with a lot. But it's important to think about your drawings as 3-dimensional things. Try to visualize what you're drawing as something with weight and form. What really helps me, is to define the basic 3-dimensional shapes within the figure -- a sphere makes up the better part of the skull, a cylinder for the neck, etc. That's something we'll definitely help you with, later on -- and there will be plenty of examples and practice available, if you'd like.
Wizel - I just wanted to say that the folds in the cloth are looking good. The shading definitely has room for improvement, but we will help you with that later on -- like vrt and I have both said before, this is really just a casual 'see-what-we-can-do-right-now' kind of thing, no pressure. C: But it's nice to see that you've got a general handle on the way cloth drapes and folds. Very nice proportions to your figure, as well!
Assymetry - Just... awesome.
That looks great! I like the way you put everything together as a walkthrough, too. Don't be shy to deviate from more traditional methods, if you'd like -- layer styles really seem to work well with you, so don't be afraid to utilize that in your art! What I'd really like to see with the example you posted, is bolder strokes. Don't be afraid to use a big brush with high opacity! Go with big chunks of value first, and work on refining and texture later on. As for depth, vrt had an excellent suggestion with overlapping. You also said yourself that a bit of atmospheric fog would go far for suggesting distance.
Kael - Very interesting! I'm seeing a lot of uncertainty in your lines -- clean lines can often be obtained via fewer, longer strokes, rather than many shorter strokes. It takes some confidence to make long strokes -- don't be shy about moving slowly and really
focusing on your lines as you create them. Sometimes when I'm doing linework, I suddenly realize that my nose is practically touching the screen/paper, because I'm so absorbed in focusing on drawing nice, long, clean lines.
Krava - I definitely agree with vrt in terms of composition... but for a first entry to the class, I think it's looking really great! Nice job, and keep up the hard work! I don't really have a lot to say, at this point -- other than to perhaps read over what I said to ShadyGreens about trying to see the basic 3-D shapes within your figures. (:
Bored_Ninja - Hey, great job adding in the perspective, there! C: This angle is way more interesting than flat-on, don't you agree? My only critique here is that the two 'feet' of the mirror are identical in size. This isn't easy to explain right now in so few words, but basically as things move off into the distance, they appear smaller and closer to the horizon line. If I were you, I'd just nudge that far 'foot' up a bit, and make it a tiny bit smaller, to enhance the perspective. Right now, the mirror is at a great angle, but the feet are still on the same plane.
Wardead - Very cool sketches. For some reason, the first image isn't loading for me at all, though. ): I think it's just my silly computer, no worries -- I'll take a look tomorrow again, see if it wants to cooperate. For now, I'll go off your other sketches, if that's alright? c:
I love the shapes and curves of that cutlass/sword... The only problem I really am seeing right now is wavy/uncertain lines. They say you don't need to be able to draw a straight line to be an artist -- and that's certainly true (thank god for me), but only to an extent! It's okay to use rulers and such, to help get things straight and even. I do it all the time, and so does vrt (though we typically use the digital straight-line feature of photoshop, it's the same principal). Something that really, really helps to spot unevenness in your drawings, is to hold it up to a mirror. Seeing it reversed like that really helps you see things with a fresh eye, and you can easily spot where things are off. (:
