Constructive Criticism on my drawing..

[Jen'ari]

Hey if any of you want, would you check out my drawings in my album.. Idk how to post them but I'd like some feedback.. Thanks.

Ohhh btw, I made my album open to everyone.. Didn't realize I had it that way.. Sorry to those that tried to find it...

[darkwoon]

I cannot seem to see your album... Are you sure it is open to everyone?

[Jen'ari]

Glad you said something.. Not really sure what I made open but it wasn't the album... :/.. But it is now.. I think.. I'm still trying to figure this out..

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Just upload on some image host, all images, and post it here :)

Like tinypic.com

[Jen'ari]

Kk I put it on flickr..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6977348238/

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It's nice, i like it.Keep on drawing :)

[Jen'ari]

Thanks!! :)

Lol I'm working on a wolf atm... Its a lot harder for some reason.. I can't seem to get the eyes right.. But I'm workIng on it.. Btw anyone know what that characters from?.. My fav character from the show.. Lol

[darkwoon]

Ulquiorra from Bleach.

(And your album works now, though flickr is IMHO a better place to post pictures).

Main criticism: it is a direct copy from an already existing anime/manga image. It is fairly faithful to the original, but there isn't much to suggest, as it doesn't really shows what your drawing skills are.

One advice, though: pay attention to the shaded areas. They should be smooth and not showing pencil lines or sudden blackness variation, unless on purpose. Pencil lines are quite visible in the "4" or in the shaded parts of the jacket - so I'd suggest you to train yourself to fill areas more smoothly. One way to do it is by applying less force on the pencil, and cross-hatch several times on a given area.

Also, consider grabbing a couple "softer" pencil grades - you probably have an HB, which is average, so consider also getting a 2B and/or a 4B - they'll help you to achieve darker, softer tones, and will give you a lot more freedom in the effects you can achieve.

Maybe post a couple original works, so we can have a clearer idea on what you can do, would be a good idea if you want to learn drawing better.

Hope this helps!

[Jen'ari]

Lol yea I actually used a number 2 pencil.. So yea I prolly shoulda gotten something different.. Also I'm not that good of an artist.. I can copy things fairly well but I have a hard time with original(which I'm working On right now but I'm having issues getting it from my mind the way I want.. Especially eyes on the wolf..) And the mouth doesn't look right.. Ugh.. Yea idk it's kind of a release for me to copy things.. But I think original might be beyond me.. :/

I am surprised you didn't mention the piece of hair that I did going down the forehead between the eyes.. I messed it up so I kinda fudged it..

[darkwoon]

Lol yea I actually used a number 2 pencil.. So yea I prolly shoulda gotten something different..
Not at all. Nr 2 - equivalent hardness grade HB - is a good general-purpose drawing and writing pencil. It is softer enough to create various shades of black, yet hard enough for finer details. With only that pencil, you can create great pictures; however, owning a softer pencil or two will greatly increase the range of values you can lay down on paper, and make your work easier.

Also I'm not that good of an artist.. I can copy things fairly well but I have a hard time with original(which I'm working On right now but I'm having issues getting it from my mind the way I want.. Especially eyes on the wolf..) And the mouth doesn't look right.. Ugh.. Yea idk it's kind of a release for me to copy things.. But I think original might be beyond me.. :/
Welcome to the club of not-so-good-artists :). Your current skills should never prevent you to keep drawing - practice makes perfect, they say. Even if the drawing doesn't meet your initial expectations, be sure that if you gave it effort, then you'll have learned something new in the process of making it.

Regarding the wolf, maybe post an in-progress view of it, so we can try to give you a hint or two? A simple trick that nearly always work is to flip the drawing upside-down - it often helps pin-pointing what is not wrong. Do not hesitate to use photographic or live references, too: they are a must if you're aiming at any degree of realism.

As for copying being a good break, of course it is - and moreover, there are figures, characters, poses we see and think we would like to reproduce. That's perfectly fine. However, a much more personal way to do it is not by trying to stay as close as possible as the original, but instead trying to rebuild it from scratch.

Example. The reference: http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5052/4f9860bcef6fbe86f86f661.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/3/4f9860bcef6fbe86f86f661.jpg/)

The personal drawing:
http://i48.tinypic.com/10dtjxw.jpg
There are huge differences between both, yet they are clearly similar. This is because an exact copy was not attempted; instead, the drawing was re-done from the ground up, starting with a skeleton and adding details (that's why you can see that circle on the face, for example). The idea was not to copy the original, but instead to "walk in the steps" of the first artist, and follow a similar - yet personal - approach. A bit as if both took a photo of the same guy, but with different cameras, angles, lenses, and apertures. Each will be showing the exact same subject, yet each will clearly carry the style of each artist.

See what I mean?

I am surprised you didn't mention the piece of hair that I did going down the forehead between the eyes.. I messed it up so I kinda fudged it..
Maybe because it didn't appear too fudged. Although it is different from the original, if it looks ok, then it is ok. Your aim should be to make a great picture, not a 1:1 copy. Don't be too disturbed by small details - if the overall impression is right, then the picture is good, even if it isn't technically perfect.

Hope this helps!

[Jen'ari]

Yea that helped a lot actually.. Idk how much I'll try cuz ive never been much good at drawing without copying.. I only started copying cuz it's kinda what I do to keep me sane.. But thanks for the advice.. I'll try it out on the wolf.