Insect battle

[manky83]

Still getting to grips with creating good backgrounds and obviously the shadows suck.. that presents the biggest limitation thus far...


these two were created first on paper then rendered on the computer...

:chug:

[Janshi]

Interesting. The bg is somewhat bland, but its not important that much. However, the detail on the wasp thing is not very good. Where are the wing lines? Did you actually even use refs? You dont have to stick detail to detail of a real insect, but keeping parts of them make it much better.

The scorpion is ok, but detail it in your painting some more. Mix the shadows and base colors better, they're distinct without good reason.

[manky83]

thanks for the tips.. I didnt use any visual refs for either.. just imagination and a blank page.. I have recently realised that scorpions look nothin at all like this. The heads are tiny and have like two eyes.. hell i was going for a cross between a horribly Mutated spider and a scorpion ok..

yeah the background is only just a temporary solution.. definatley not what i wanted but I had just spent ages doing the wasp so i was tired..

Ive asked around about good backgrounds, & im still thinking about options aswell.. maybe i could just paint it.. the problem arises trying to get them looking like they'll fit togeather.

I was having heaps of trouble getting the two insects to look like they were in the same pic.. lolz

[Red_Rook]

Oblio
MANKY83 - my advice is to leave this Finished Area for about one year and find yourself some friends in the Life Drawing Section.
We will be happy to assist you in your progress.
You want a good advice? If you want to do art - delete photoshop from your computer and check back on it after some more time, ok?

Listen to the man, seriously. Get rid of freekin photoshop, you so dont need it, infact right now its damaging you. Seriously Get a pencil and a piece of paper, and DRAW FROM LIFE. Then post them in the life drawing section. I hate to burst your bubble, but at this stage your not drawing. Jesus you could be, its not that hard, but your certainly not going to get there using photoshop filters. Infact I challenge you to pick up a pencil, go to the mall or a caffee and just draw people. Seriously, your first ones will look like shit, hell mine did. But you will get better. Now stay the fuck away from photoshop, get yerself a pencil and a sketchbook, and start to draw everything you see. This advice has been repeated so many times on ca.org its not even funny. But it WORKS.

Listen to Oblio he is what you might call, a WISE CA MONKEY, he knows what hes talking about.
Seriously I suggest starting a daily sketchbook, and acctually keeping it regular. And for gods sake no more photoshop for you, especially not int the daily sketchbook. Now go draw stuff, you dont need amazing materials to do it, just a burnt stick and bit of cardboard when it comes down to it. Draw what you see, not what you think you see, dont even worry about colours at the moment, focus on values and lighting. Read a bunch of tutorials, there are plenty good ones here on ca.

Now go draw with a pencil and paper.

[ken wong]

that's a great picture! here's some things to work on:

- anatomy
- color
- texture
- lighting
- composition
- linework
- gesture
- perspective
- character design
- environment design
- movement
- shading
- depth

uh... i might have forgotten something...

[Xavi]

If you wanna create a good background..then dont try to start in phoitoshop dude! You gotta draw these things out and then try to apply some basic colors to it if you wanna get some decent results (at least for a beginner)...cause Im probably mistaken about the exact name but it looks like you just used a "render clouds" filter in photoshop and bingo, you have "a background"
Work on shadows, motions, make the thing interesting to look at, give us something else other than a basic side shot, etc, etc

[Wetterschneider]

Yeah, I got to agree, and don't take this badly - there is nothing greater to see than an artist just strating out, who, through hard work and patience, becomes a skilled, experienced ninja. Turn off the computer, buy a block of the cheapest paper you can get your hands on and never stop drawing. Draw everything you see around you - you will never be wasting your time - piles of clothes, dishes on the table, people waiting in line, your friends and family, your feet, your left/right hand, your pets. There are other sections way more suitable for your posting than "finished" - use them, it'll help people relate to your work.

[I0N]

first I'd like to give you props on posting your art. some people are just too scared to show their stuff. its good to see that you came too the forums looking for the help you need. but the second step is to listen to the advice. I don't know about you but I'm going to listen to red rook and just draw from life for awhile, it can only help...besides I need to get out more

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

Scorpions have 8 eyes in three different places, not two.


Aidan

[Zwalharulzuki]

I don't want to sound mean, but this is laughably bad, man. Like the others have said, you need to sharpen your basics and draw from life. Photoshop is a tool that EXTENDS your abilities, not a crutch to lean on when your abilities are crippled.

So start over and rethink yourself, as a novice artist. It'll do you good.

[manky83]

thanks for all the feedback... It has been good to get some constructive critisim. Ive been redrawing the fight scene so that they are more engaged/detailed I will post this in the sketches forum when I have worked on it further..

Im well aware that Im at the bottom of a big ladder.. this is only my 4th attempt at rendering lineart... so be nice,

There's definitely more to be learnt... Also, the quality will improve once I can get hold of a tablet!!!

[Xavi]

tablet? no man, that would mean that you would learn yet anpother tool halfway bad before you ever got good with anything before it!
please please please, forget any computer application, those are only tools to make something that is already good, better. Never the other way around.
My advice, which may or may not be right, is to just stick to drawing on paper, do it over and over again for the next year until people start asking "cool, when are you gonna color it?"
forget about the tablet for now

[davpunk]

The members here are correct. If you study the incredible artists on this forum they all have something in common. Its their skills as a 2d artist. They do not rely on photoshop or a tablet. all their skill comes from foundation-meaning life drawing, painting, color theory, etc. One thing that you should ALWAYS use is reference-the pros do it too. If you want any image to look photo-real, you cant use your imagination, you have to base it off of reality. Study Life drawing. Start there.

[Red_Rook]

Originally posted by manky83
thanks for all the feedback... It has been good to get some constructive critisim. Ive been redrawing the fight scene so that they are more engaged/detailed I will post this in the sketches forum when I have worked on it further..

Im well aware that Im at the bottom of a big ladder.. this is only my 4th attempt at rendering lineart... so be nice,

There's definitely more to be learnt... Also, the quality will improve once I can get hold of a tablet!!!

KID DO YOU FREAKING SPEAK ENGLISH?

get the FUCK away from photoshop

NO TABLET FOR YOU, seriously you are damaging yourself with photoshop. STAY AWAY FROM IT. get a pencil and some newsprint, the cheapest crappiesnt stuff you can find, the backs of envelopes, napkins anything. GET AWAY FROM DIGITAL, render stuff with a pencil. PENCIL goddamit, PS is only hurting you. Why dont you listen. Some of the people that have replied to your threads are some o the biggest pros in the industry ok, they know what there talking about and obviously know alot more then you. Ask em and they will tell you to go with a pencil and paper. Dont buy a tablet, get a scanner then start drawing by hand. To be really honest you dont have the faintest clue what your doing, and these people are trying to help you, LISTEN TO THEM!!

Dont try and render line art in photoshop, when you cant even do the line art. Learn to do the lines first. The learn about Value and Light. ANATOMY IS A MUST. Then practice your pencil rendering. Then start teaching yourself stuff about colour, get some traditional paints and see what happens when you mix them, see how they react, look at the old masters, once you got that down along with everything else ken mentioned. THEN AND ONLY THEN START GOING DIGITAL.

[jetpack42]

Red Rook, I'm gonna shake your hand in Texas.

*Hilarity ensues*

[manky83]

Originally posted by Red_Rook


KID DO YOU FREAKING SPEAK ENGLISH?

get the FUCK away from photoshop

because i choose to colour and shade in Photoshop dont assume that i cant do it on paper...

its my chosen medium;
its my choice;

[|NTeRN]

Originally posted by manky83


because i choose to colour and shade in Photoshop dont assume that i cant do it on paper...

its my chosen medium;
its my choice;

do yourslef a BIG favor and listen to these people. You need to learn the basics before jumping into photoshop and using a tablet. Grab some actual paper and a pencil and draw. these people are trying to help you out but all you are doing is blowing them of and hurting yourself.

[Arwar]

manky, these people are seriously giving you very very important advice. Computer art does NOT do a good job at helping you improve your art. Working with traditional media like pencil (for starters) really helps you propel yourself with your sense of texture, mark making, anatomy, composition, etc.
Starting on the computer is not letting you "skip the stupid stuff", it's only delaying your artistic development because you ARE going to have to go back to paper and pencil sooner or later if you really want to reach that level of greatness in your artwork. It's like trying to run before learning how to walk.
Take these people's advice seriously and leave photoshop alone for a while.

I do admire your desire to improve, but you're going about it the wrong way.

[winjer]

MAnky keep it up! This pic was super awesome i wish i could do that. Dont listen to these guys theyre just jealous and want you to not be a good artist. I think you should use painter too, and maybe illustrator. Thats the skill program. Definitely buy a tablet too. I bet itll make your art super good since you wont have to translate from paper to digital awesomeness.

P.S. I think you could spice it up a little more by using some more of the filters well. Hope you dont mind this example:



See now you can tell that the scorpion has shiny eyes and claw and also the wasps stinger is shiny. Plus i added in a wormhole in the top left so now theres some backstory that the scorpion is from the future and that why its all mutated.

[strych9ine]

HELLLLLLLLLLLO! McFLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

I thought we covered this in this thread. You were even busted for copying artwork. Poorly.

because i choose to colour and shade in Photoshop dont assume that i cant do it on paper...

Ok, after you work on all of the traditional skills recommended in this thread, add "learn how to properly use Photoshop" to that list. Honestly, you aren't ready to "color and shade" in Photoshop.

Or, add a big fucking lens flare to the bee's stinger to make it look wicked.

[winjer]

[i]Originally posted by strych9ine

Or, add a big fucking lens flare to the bee's stinger to make it look wicked. [/B]

I Soo agree with you. How wicked is this. Its a wasp though.

[strych9ine]

Dude, that wormhole? Pure genius. I feel like I understand the mutated scorpion now.

[DNA]

o man this is funny ... :bash:

[Gr8t100]

This shit is fuckin pointless. Do us all a favor and chuck your computer over a cliff and never return back to it.

[brokk]

You know, I'm beggining to think this was all just a big, sick joke.

I was gonna say, that tossing aroung words like "line art", "render", "tablet", and such, DONT MAKE YOU AN ARTIST.

Manky, throwing around those words all over the place and then showing that crappy drawing wont make you sound cooler or better. It just makes you look stupid because you have no idea of what you're doing. Its not gonna improve your art either or how others percieve it. Just because you scream "LINE ART!" doesn't mean your "line art" is any good.

Then again, I'm beggining to think this was some sick joke by someone, and you could actually be a pro who's pulling our leg.

[troymcoy]

Was this your inspiration?

http://www.rathergood.com/vid/

make that crab dance with some lense flare and it'll be totally sweet.

[WildSpruceMoose]

Then again, I'm beggining to think this was some sick joke by someone, and you could actually be a pro who's pulling our leg.

That is what I am starting to think too. Manky if its a joke, your wasting bandwith, if not listen to these people please. If you can colour properly with traditional media, it shows when you work on the computer so please do not lie.

[Thanatos]

You really need to work on your design skills. there is really no sense of depth in this peice. you either need to play with scale or different values. work on it man.

[waronmars]

I don't think it's a joke, but it's still funny. You gotta check out that other thread, it's gold. Winjer rocks my socks.

[CENOBITE]

Best. Art. Ever.