Nei 'reincarnation' sketch

[Aumi]

My description from deviantART:
"This is a sketch of one of my Phantasy Star Universe characters named Nei. I call her a reincarnation of the original Nei of the game Phantasy Star II for the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis."

http://frostdmc.deviantart.com/art/Nei-reincarnation-Sketch-87303912

I hope you like it. Feel free to post your opinion, but please no flaming.

P.S.: Sorry that my scanner is pretty bad, it makes the picture too light and undetailed...

[Aumi]

http://frostdmc.deviantart.com/art/Nei-sketch-number-2-87366441

My Nei sketch number two. It's too light because of my scanner, but I'll probably update it later.

[Rust]

If i could give a critique, i'd say i have some problems with the proportions. The overall drawing techniques aren't bad in themselves, but i find the character way to slim on both drawings. Actually, doesn't look like she's skinny, but rather like she would have been stretched in some way. :wacko:

This is no flaming, just my feelings about it. Maybe that's just your drawing style, i didn't browse your DA to check that yet. In that case, i'd say the proportions and linework are good, i just don't adhere to that slim / stretched style myself.
Hope you'll get better positive feedback after that one, mine might seem a bit harsh, especially for a first comment.

[qoxolg]

I'de say the legs are to thin compared to the character. Curvey legs (and butt) are teh sex! :wacko:
other then that it's not bad. Just keep working on more detail/shape in your line work.

oh! and don't forget to colo stuff! it's sad to see alot of artist with a lot of talent that never practice their coloring skills.

[Aumi]

Thanks for the feedback. No, I don't think it was harsh at all, I'm fully ok with constructive criticism.^^ Thanks to you too, qoxolg. But for both, there are some things I'll surely change, but the skinniness... I guess it's just my drawing-style. I'm pretty inspired my styles like Noizi Ito's, the artist of the Suzumiya Haruhi light novel series.

But thanks for the feedback, both.^^

P.S.: These are the only works I have on deviantART as of now. I only registered yesterday.

[Aumi]

Oh, and about the coloring. I don't wanna do it with color pencils or something, but I haven't got any good programs like Photoshop or Paintshop...

[qoxolg]

I started with coloring pencils myself, nothing wrong with those :D

Just make sure you keep your drawing and coloring skills at the same level.. it's sad to see bad coloring ruin good linework.

I am actually the exact opposite: My coloring is far better then my linework :wacko: which results in boring drawings with nice colors.

So make sure to practice both!

[Aumi]

Which type of color do you use, just simple color pencils? I'm REALLY bad at using those...

[Aumi]

Oh, and just to mention it, I don't like the second one too well myself. It was only some fast drawn sketch I made today while sitting on our family's boat.

[qoxolg]

Which type of color do you use, just simple color pencils? I'm REALLY bad at using those...

I always used basic coloring pencils.

Right now I am a die-hard Photoshop user :wacko: You can view my stuff in my thread here or my DA. I also go a video tutorial that shows my basics for coloring.. it can be found somewhere in my thread.

ps. You can edit your posts with the edit button.

[chaoskila]

you shouldnt scan sketched works of art it looks way better if you just snap a picture =]

[Aumi]

Nah, the lighting never is right.

P.S.: I know how to edit a post :P

[Aumi]

New Sketches, 2 are yet without shadows or anything, but I'll add that sometime soon:

http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/160/8/c/Nei___Cheongsam_Version_by_FrostDMC.jpg
I made this one a little while ago.

http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs30/f/2008/160/1/8/Nei___reincarnation___Sketch_3_by_FrostDMC.jpg
This is my favorite!

http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs25/f/2008/160/e/9/Nei___reincarnation___Sketch_4_by_FrostDMC.jpg

Hope ya like it, feedback is very welcome, especially on the last one, since it's my first try on drawing the back.^^

[qoxolg]

Alright.. I like the 2nd sketch the most :D

now for feedback, I am gonna ignore "your style" so feel free to not agree with it :wacko:

• There is one overal problem I see with your drawings, thats is that you draw the legs to long. The legs should only be a little longer then the upperbody.
• You also draw the legs/hips/butt area incredibly thin. I know you already said it is "your style", but they just don't match up with the rest of th body. especially the lower part of the legs is to thin. Try to analyse a real human body, and try to use the same proportions.
• Your lines look a bit to shapeless to me. To me it looks like you don't draw body parts, but your simply drawing lines the way you are used to draw them. When you look at the shoulders, they are just simple lines that flow from the neck into her arms.
To improve this, you can use pictures of a human skeleton and the human mucles as reference.

if you want to get better at drawing humans, you need to understand what you are drawing. A lot of starting artists just blindly copy the anime/manga style, having absolutly no idea why they draw each line.
There is nothing wrong with using an anime/mange style, as long as you understand what you are doing.

I am sorry for sounding harsh :wacko:

*ninjapostvanishes*

[Aumi]

No problem at all. :D Well, I see what you mean, and I guess I'll look a bit at those things, but don't expect any big changes proportion-wise. But I'll certainly work on some things, thanks for the feedback. ^^

[imfanboy]

Mmm, a lot of manga artists exaggerate the legs to make the character more feminine. Not a big deal.

HOWEVER, in the picture with Nei's claws pointing forward, you need to learn how to use foreshortening; basically, objects that are closer to you appear larger. Like so:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/iamfanboy/steyrface.jpg

Both handguns are the same size, but the one in Steyr's left hand looks larger because it's closer!

It's tricky to get the hang of, but learning to use foreshortening makes a picture looks much better. I use it all the time these days, because it's an easy way to add depth and perspective to a picture.

[qoxolg]

No problem at all. Well, I see what you mean, and I guess I'll look a bit at those things, but don't expect any big changes proportion-wise. But I'll certainly work on some things, thanks for the feedback.

It's not something you will learn very easely. Learning to draw is by doing it alot and ask for a lot of feedback.

Just keep practicing :D

[Aumi]

@ imfanboy: Yeah, I certainly noticed it on that picture. It didn't really work out as I wanted it to, but I'll work on it.

@ qoxolg: I certainly will, thanks :D

[imfanboy]

the thing with manga is that you don't have to worry too much about things being PERFECTLY in proportion, as long as it looks 'all right'.

Let's take a look at a pic from back when I was first learning to use foreshortening.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/iamfanboy/not%2040k/rubensss2.jpg

Because her left side is closer to the viewer than the right side, I tried to make her hand a little bigger than it would be ordinarily; then again, it's hard to tell because it's a closed fist. Were I doing this pic again today, I'd make her fist about half the size of her face just to make it REALLY clear that "this object is very, very close to you"; it wouldn't be 'correct' in a pure perspective sense, but anime is an ABSTRACTION of the human form. Also, I drew her left leg larger and longer than the right leg - that part I would fix by making her leg shorter.

Hahaha. I hate talking about my pictures, because all I ever see is what's wrong with 'em and how I'd redo them if I wasn't so frickin' lazy.

But you see my point? In your picture of Nei, both her hands and the claws are the same size; the one closer to the viewer should be one and a half or twice as big. It's a very classical art fallacy that wasn't ever really 'fixed' as such until the mid-Renaissance.

The reason I'm harping on that one pic in particular is it has the most potential to be dynamic - and dynamism is important for good anime-style art.

Don't forget, too, that you've got an excellent resource on proportion right at your fingertips - Phantasy Star Universe itself. While it doesn't 'work' for all body types and you can't pose them as desired unless you're on PC (snapshots!), it's a not-too-shabby helper once in a while.

[Aumi]

Yeah, I know, I'll work on it for the next pic where I'll need it. :P

[Aumi]

So, worked on the legs a bit, although I still think something looks odd, I just don't know what...

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs29/f/2008/161/1/1/Nei___reincarnation___Sketch_3_by_FrostDMC.jpg

[Jared_T]

You've got the knees too high. The knees should be half way between the crotch and the ankles. It could also be possible that you have the shins too long. I didn't take a lot of time to measure out the proportions.

[Aumi]

Yeah, I see, I don't know exactly on the right leg, but I certainly have to work on the left one (the one in the front).

[qoxolg]

Hey Aumi! I've send you a Private Message with in it a completly redrawn version of your picture, and lots of feedback in it.

I don't wanna hijack your thread, thats why I PM'ed it. If you don't mind I can of course post it in this thread as well.

[Aumi]

Nah, it's fine :P

[qoxolg]

Well, I see what you mean, but this really isn't of my liking, sorry. it's more detailed and all that, and probably more realistic. But 1. you know my drawing style is in the category of manga and 2. ain't she a little... thick? Well, it just isn't my style, sorry

1) No matter what your drawing style looks like, you can't ignore the laws of nature, if you do, your drawings will never improve, since you keep telling yourself "it's your style". Also note that eventhough manga is not comepletly realistic, the humans in manga's are still almost 100% anatomicly correct.
Don't get me wrong, but your drawings remind me of my own when I started drawing, so I understand what you mean by it.

2) She is actuall pretty slim.. :wacko:

[Aumi]

Well, guess these are some differences in opinion. Also, I sorta can't see that drawing of your's as being slim, sorry. Sure, I have to work on the anatomical issues, but the slimness... I guess you won't see too many changes on that. I've seen many manga drawing styles. I actually haven't seen many which are much less slim. Also, the clothes of your drawing. I wouldn't draw it like that since it's tight-fitting after all.

[qoxolg]

Haha.. for real real human proportions she is slim, since she hardly has any bodyfat :wacko:

as for the clothes, it was my intepretation it was some kind of leather, and even tight leather gets folds, else it would be impossible to move.

If manga style is what you're going for, I won't be much of a help for you, am I? I think you should ask Xerogouki for advice, since he is pretty damned good with that style :D

[Aumi]

Well, I'm learning through seeing; and looking at styles that I like. My goal isn't becoming good at drawing humans; it is becoming good at drawing manga. :D

[qoxolg]

You should've said so from the beginning, I wouldn't have made the pic then :wacko:
I might even color it (if you don't mind, since it's a copy of one of your pics), since I actually put effort in drawing it.

But still: It's smart to nail down real human anatomy, and than apply your own manga style over it.

Also, if you plan to become a manga artist you have to practice alot with dynamic poses and action.

[Aumi]

Yeah, I'm working on it as I'm drawing :D And you're welcome to do what you want with the pic, but if you put it online, I would appreciate if you mention me (FrostDMC on deviantART) :wacko:

[qoxolg]

Sure, I will put a link to your Deviant Art when I post it on mine :D (not that many people will click on your profile, since my stuff hardly gets any views :wacko:)

[Aumi]

Thanks^^

[Akumamaru]

AKUMAMARU'S SISTER: o3o i love Nei she looks so cute! i did a doodle too!http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr42/Deadlypupp/nei.jpg

[DamonKatu]

(I wounder how Trin would be reincarnated T.T...) *wipes the tears away* Sorry, over reacted...

Kafie: (I see...He's still that little boy everyone loves...underneath his annoyance...) I love the concepts! After all, if I was reincarnated, the few heroes like Aki and other would probably would be too...I love the idea. She looks wonderful...