Amature inkscape artist wanting some feedback.

[memyselfandi]

Err, hey. Just got inkscape, cause' I have been reading OOTS for ages (Decided I may aswell start posting here) Anyway, I just made an OOTS type picture on Inkscape, and would not mind some feed back, please feel free to!
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/DudeyDudeDude/oots.png

[Lyinginbedmon]

Well, to begin with, you need thicker lining for the mouth, and OotS characters typically have all-black eyes, no whites.
The head is always infront of the body itself, you'll notice your character rendition has no chin :smalltongue:
In this particular pose, the sword should probably be position infront of the hand, rather than behind it, and should be larger.
If he's not wearing shoes, his feet should a kind of "L" shape, facing opposite directions and angled down on the final curve.

Hope that helps.

[Ego Slayer]

Re: line thickness - 2px is standard, find whatever works for your eventual style.

Re: sword/hand issue Lying mentioned - Whenever I can't quite get the pose of something right, I act it out myself. Pretend, with your thumb and first two fingers, that you are holding something round (sword hilt); fingers are not stiff! ^_~ From your position, one finger (thumb) should be in front and the other two behind.

Re: head - I suggest making it round. In Inkscape you can hold down ctrl while using the circle tool, for a perfect one.

[memyselfandi]

Hey, man, thanks for all the help! Didn't expect such detailed feed-back! :biggrin: Anyway, I tried to use all of your ideas in my new piccy, an Avatar sized wizard.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/DudeyDudeDude/mywiz.png Darn, A bit too small >.> Anyway, thanks for the help.
EDIT: Hey, do you want me to make an avatar for you? Cause' your help really helped :P, you wouldn't have to USE the avatar, I just wouldn't mind making you one.
EDITEDIT: Oh, just incase you are wondering about the avatar thing, it was adressing both of you.

[Lyinginbedmon]

Should I critique the new artwork as well? :smallconfused:

The body is too triangular, it's a Robe. Try putting a rectangle slightly less wide than the head behind it, and then modifying the nodes so that the upper half of the robes at least partially map onto the rectangle. The hand-grasping problem is still there I see

[Ego Slayer]

Well, that one is better than your first! :smalltongue:

Try to keep all the main parts of your avatar the same line thickness, or close to it, so it's not unbalanced. Usually only details have smaller lines. Also, the shoulders should be wider, and the arms are too low; they should be coming from where the shoulders and head meet. And arms and fingers are not stiff. Curve them a bit, and the hands themselves should be a wide U shape with another finger in the middle.

[Pirate Phane]

I would also like to mention that OOTS eyes are full black.
Unless they're evil wizards.
...
Or casting a magic spell.
...
Just ignore me.
x.x

Me = Crapastic avatarist

[Ego Slayer]

^: Nah, want any advice while we're at it?! :smalltongue:

They can be filled with a color, too, which looks good. You just want them to be a solid color, no pupils and such.

[memyselfandi]

Should I critique the new artwork as well? :smallconfused:

The body is too triangular, it's a Robe. Try putting a rectangle slightly less wide than the head behind it, and then modifying the nodes so that the upper half of the robes at least partially map onto the rectangle. The hand-grasping problem is still there I see

Yeah....
I reckon I'm not too great at Inkscape, Because I didn't really understand that.
Anyway, Thank you guys again for the critque, and I am currently updating most of your problems on the dude.
EDIT: Ah crud. Inkscape crashed on me. I didn't save it. >.>

[Ego Slayer]

Yeah, crashes on me too occationally. Ctrl+s iz ur friend!!!

[memyselfandi]

Ok, I tried my hand at drawing :thog: :D
It sucks.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/DudeyDudeDude/thog2.jpg
Im in the process of fixing it currently (ie: Opening the mouth, and thickening the arrow thingy connecting the speech bubble to the mouth.)

[[Insert Neat Username Here]]

Some advice:


Arms and legs should ideally use 3 nodes each.
As the above posters said, the head should be a circle.
Eyes should be different sizes and farther apart.
2px is the ideal line thickness for a 117*117 avatar -- you'll want to make them wider for larger drawings.
All lines should have the same thickness.
Bodies should be perfect squares on men.
You probably didn't spend much time editing the nodes; ideally, you should only have to get a shape perfect once. If you need the same shape again, copy/paste it.


EDIT: The speech bubble probably should just point at the head rather than overlapping it, but that's just a matter of taste.

[memyselfandi]

;3630221']Some advice:


Arms and legs should ideally use 3 nodes each.
As the above posters said, the head should be a circle.
Eyes should be different sizes and farther apart.
2px is the ideal line thickness for a 117*117 avatar -- you'll want to make them wider for larger drawings.
All lines should have the same thickness.
Bodies should be perfect squares on men.
You probably didn't spend much time editing the nodes; ideally, you should only have to get a shape perfect once. If you need the same shape again, copy/paste it.


EDIT: The speech bubble probably should just point at the head rather than overlapping it, but that's just a matter of taste.
Ok, Thanks, now, my problem: What are nodes?

[[Insert Neat Username Here]]

Ok, Thanks, now, my problem: What are nodes?

Nodes are the reason Inkscape is better than Paint.

Click on any shape or line and hit f2. Several squares should appear on the line. These are the nodes, the points the line passes through. You can move them, delete them, or decide how the line passes through them (by moving the circles sticking out of them)

[memyselfandi]

Ahhh. You just made my life a whole lot easier.
Thanks.

[memyselfandi]

Err, an Update to this thread: I just started my webcomic, so my art will mostly be going there.
And I have one last problem...
One time when I was still REALLY new to Inkspace, I made an arc using the ellipse tool.
Now I can never get a circle again. PLEASE help! I can always get really close, but never a full circle!

[Ego Slayer]

There?
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5873/76000204dw6.png

[memyselfandi]

There?
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5873/76000204dw6.png

You sir. Are a life saver.
And god I am blind >.>

[Lyinginbedmon]

Don't be too hard on yourself, I didn't know that existed either :smalleek:

I just opened up another project and copied the nearest whole circle (Which was usually a sun)

[Trazoi]

Don't be too hard on yourself, I didn't know that existed either :smalleek:
True. I've been using Inkscape for over a year and I didn't see that either. I usually held down Control which causes the nodes to snap to the nearest N number of degrees and just dragged it shut.

Another thing I didn't know until just a few minutes ago as I was looking for something for this tutorial I'm making was the shortcut for selecting no fill and stroke. If you click the middle mouse button on the fill or stroke colours at the bottom left corner of the Inkscape screen you can toggle the fill and stroke on and off without having to go through the Fill and Stroke dialog window. I can't think of how much time that could have saved me in the last year :smallredface: .

[Nameless]

They're beggining to get better :smallsmile:

For the wizard one, if you're trying to do robes, don't make it triangulra, make it (see bedmons avatar) :smalltongue:

Okay we've already been through that... :smallbiggrin:

[memyselfandi]

Hey, thanks for all the positive feed back :)
Hey, Talking about my art, have anyof you checked out my comic yet?
(signature)

[Nameless]

Yes I have... post next one already :smallmad:

[memyselfandi]

Oh, sorry, I have been too busy eating chips and watching T.V :P
I am working on it now don't worry.
(Meanwhile, care to post in the official thread with some feedback? Give it a bump even? Wear the sig or even just a link?)

[Nameless]

Oh, sorry, I have been too busy eating chips and watching T.V :P
I am working on it now don't worry.
(Meanwhile, care to post in the official thread with some feedback? Give it a bump even? Wear the sig or even just a link?)


I'll put a link up, I've got too many abnners it wont lwt me use anymore :smalltongue:

[memyselfandi]

Hey, Thanks. Positive feedback is always good. I was just experimenting with the first strip really >.>
Had to sleep (because I am Australian). Making the next strip now.

[Ego Slayer]

Another thing I didn't know until just a few minutes ago as I was looking for something for this tutorial I'm making was the shortcut for selecting no fill and stroke. If you click the middle mouse button on the fill or stroke colours at the bottom left corner of the Inkscape screen you can toggle the fill and stroke on and off without having to go through the Fill and Stroke dialog window. I can't think of how much time that could have saved me in the last year :smallredface: .

Alternately, after the F/S disappears on it's own, you can simply scroll your mouse over the left tool bar to make it reappear. I find that easier.