Tynger's sketchbook

[tynger1234]

Hey all, I'm not all too certain about how often I'll be able to post new artwork but here is something to get started.

I hope you guys like Halo
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/052/1/e/master_cheif__pencil_by_malervik-d5vrbsg.jpg

[Roguestheory]

It looks good! Though there is room for improvement and I assume that because you posted it, that you would like some constructive criticism. :smallsmile:

The biggest issue is that you are trying to replicate an extremely well know IP (Intellectual Property). What I mean is that, yes I realize that that is supposed to be Master Chief, or at the very least another Spartan, but it suffers from three things.

First: The neck. I don't even really know what is going on there, but no Human neck gets smaller at the base. It almost looks like Mr. Fantastic and Master Chief had a baby and it can stretch it's neck inhumanly so.

Second: The lower torso looks to be thin and rubbery like this guy is sickly or maybe just needs a few cheese burgers.

Thirdly: Overall the body just isn't stocky enough. Master Chief is an engineered soldier and is incredibly tall compared to the average human, but tick and stocky none the less. Perhaps if you scanned it in to Photoshop or Gimp and simply stretched the image wider, it could fix issue 3, though it could create new problems. Otherwise, for the neck, let it fill that neck hole in the armor, that's why the hole is there.

As a whole though, not knowing your overall experience in drawing, I think it looks good. Shading is decent, the pose and perspective don't look unnatural. Pretty close to the mark. Keep it up! :smallsmile:

[tynger1234]

First: The neck. I don't even really know what is going on there, but no Human neck gets smaller at the base. It almost looks like Mr. Fantastic and Master Chief had a baby and it can stretch it's neck inhumanly so.


I do notice that now, If you look at it long enough it doesn't look like that he has any muscle mass at the sides and back of his neck.



Second: The lower torso looks to be thin and rubbery like this guy is sickly or maybe just needs a few cheese burgers.


Again, now that I think about it the entire torso could use some beefing up.



... Perhaps if you scanned it in to Photoshop or Gimp and simply stretched the image wider, it could fix issue 3, though it could create new problems. Otherwise, for the neck, let it fill that neck hole in the armor, that's why the hole is there.


I don't have any experience or access to any quality programs that could help improve this; hence why it's in pencil. You're also probably right about it creating more issues if It was horizontally stretched (proportion, oddly shaped limbs, etc..)

As to my experience, I'm 18 and this was used in the portfolio I sent off to hopefully be accepted into an animation course for college next year.

[Roguestheory]

I took the liberty to do a quick Photoshop fix on it, hope you don't mind. It still needs work, but I think it looks a little better proportions wise. :smallsmile:

I don't know about you, but I think I would bet on the touch up Master Chief to win in a fight...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OCIlPthUAvk/USeUzsC8-kI/AAAAAAAAATg/iDTWv83_qvg/s1600/MasterChief+touch+up.jpg

[tynger1234]

here's some more art to keep you occupied.

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/053/b/6/walking_dead_s_rick_grimes__pencil_by_malervik-d5vt7wu.jpg

[Roguestheory]

The two things I noticed first about "Rick" is that his eye brows are suggested, but don't have any detail. So it looks a little weird because of that. Also the difficulty with drawing men is that they have eye lashes, in many cases, longer eyelashes than women. The issue is drawing the eyelashes without making the man look feminine.

I was going to comment on the gun not following his line of sight, but I found an image that you may have used for reference and the gun is held at a funny angle there too, so no worries. I also found another artist's rendition of the same pose.

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/112/9/e/the_walking_dead__rick_by_taylerx-d4x85xp.jpg

I'm not posting this image to make you feel bad about your piece, yours is very good, given your experience. And hey, I knew who the picture was right away. I just wanted to point out some things so you can improve.

Firstly, notice that this artist has given the image really good contrast by having areas of very dark to very light. A lot of artists struggle with going that dark. A lot of my own personal work suffers from this too, but by getting those areas of dark will really make the rest of the image "pop!" Don't be afraid to put a little pressure on that pencil from time to time. I assure you that the pencil can handle it, and your work will be better for it.

Notice the attention to detail. All the small things that add realism and flavor for your eyes. The hair is great, but hair can be really hard to do so keep practicing, look at how other artists tackle it and try to replicate it. The eyebrows, eye lashes and beard stubble really pop too.

Look at this as inspiration. The hardest part of being artistic is taking your observations that you see and translating that to paper. But first train yourself to be observant. How light and shadow play across a surface, how hair and fabric flow, how sometimes a line isn't required, but the lack of a line and merely shading is.

I see potential in your work, in you. But remember that the last 10% of an artistic piece will make the image, or break it. Most of your time should be spent on that last little bit adding polish. The nice thing about art is that it is never really finished, only completed to your own level of satisfaction. But if you want your art to be admired, you have to go above and beyond and really add the polish.

Sorry to get a little wordy, just having flashbacks to when I was in art school and having instructors pound this stuff into us. :smallsmile:

Good job! Keep it up. Challenge yourself to take your work to a new level of detail.

[tynger1234]

Seeing that image also shows me a couple of limitations that I currently have:

I only have access to a scanner that can copy 8" by 12" limiting the size of images I can copy, somewhat limiting the detail I can show without sharpening my pencil after every two strokes and I don't have any photo/image editing software (as mentioned earlier).

But thanks for the encouragement, and the tip on "finishing" an artwork.

[Roguestheory]

Get Gimp

It's an open source (FREE) photo editing program with Photoshop like capabilities. It can be downloaded for free. I've never used it because I have Photoshop, but I've heard great things about it.

Otherwise Mypaint is a really cool open source program as well that can actually replicate many traditional types of artistic media. Ink, pen, paint, pencil, chalk... you name it.

The only thing you would really need to invest in is a Wacom tablet of some kind. You can find smaller, lower end Wacom tablets for under a $100, the really nice ones jump up to $200 - $300. I really want to get a Wacom Cintique, but it's over $1000, but it's basically a screen that you draw directly on and looks amazing!

For detail work, in fact for all my pencil sketches I actually just use a mechanical pencil 0.5 mm lead. For shading I cross hatch and then either use my finger or a blending stump to smooth out the cross hatching. Or sometimes I'll leave the cross hatching visible depending on what visual effect I'm looking for. Stippling produces a nice look too, but it really is a long, arduous, and sometime painful process of using different levels of density dots to do the shading. Takes forever, but looks cool.

Here is a decent example, not my work...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Eyzs-tpYqBs/TWYe2onkD4I/AAAAAAAAASU/fS2dRQ_acQ4/s1600/Tiger_Stippling_by_Stevep67.jpg

[tynger1234]

Thanks for the tip about Gimp; and about the tablet, If i get accepted into the aforementioned animation program i'll have to buy one as well as get a better laptop and photoshop.

[tynger1234]

nothin' posted in the last few days so here is something new.

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/053/3/b/lord_of_the_rings_argonath__pencil_by_malervik-d5vt873.jpg