Jumping Back In - Need Help

I am going to try to jump back into drawin today and due to the awesome advice given on these boards I wanted to post the last serious thing I drew before I start to tackle some CoH stuff. This is a drawing of a character I used in some Star Wars table top RPG sessions:

Old SW Drawing

I know a couple of problems I have already.

1) Start strong, finish fast.
-This is something I need to work on. In this particular drawing I started at the top and worked down to the feet. I got so excited about the way it was going that I got in a rush and totally screwed up his legs. The are way too short and the pose is weak. Feet aren't too great either.

2) Utilizing Base Shapes
- something I need to utilize more.

3) Shading
- I just need all kinds of help here.

Also, I stop at pencil. Anything I've tried to ink and/or color ends up looking like crap.

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'll post anything else I get done for further critique.

Actually, I think your list is a good place to start. However, I would move the "starting with basic shapes" to the top of the list. If you start with that...you might end up with a rushed picture at the end, but the basic proportions will still be there.

Going in game to get some screenies and then I'm going to get crackin' (I almost typed kraken, thanks Pirates).

Any further critique of my old drawing would be hot.

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Actually, I think your list is a good place to start. However, I would move the "starting with basic shapes" to the top of the list. If you start with that...you might end up with a rushed picture at the end, but the basic proportions will still be there.

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QFT

I don't think "start in the upper left, finish in the lower right" is a good way to draw. It's much easier to lightly work on basic forms for a while, and then gradually increase the detail level as you go, adjusting the basic forms as needed. And go slower with that than you think you need to. A lot of artists (myself included at times) have a tendency to rush to the details, because it's "more interesting." We must fight that urge at all times!

The other thing to keep in mind when you're doing your basic shapes is to envision and draw them three dimensionally. A lot of people think that shading is what gives the drawing dimension, but that's only a small part of it. The 3 dimensional quality starts with the initial shape drawing. Like, in your drawing, the torso flattens out. Not because you don't have enough intricate shading on it, but because the belt has been drawn flat, with straight lines, instead of curving around the character's waist. I would actually recommend that you hold off on shading for a while and just work on getting some good line drawings down. Use the line weights to show that the forms exist in space (the thicker parts of lines will read as closer) and worry about the shading and details a little later, after you can do a convincing set of basic shapes in a good pose.

Here's a start. My first subject will be my hero Cosmic Sentinel. Here are a few screenies I will be working from.

Cosmic 1
Cosmic 2
Cosmic 3
Cosmic 4

And here is the prelimanary pose sketch:

Cosmic Pose Sketch

This is going to be an in-flight pose and I'm gunning for some perspective so that his head and upper torso seem to be coming off the page. I want the right leg (Cosmic's left) to go further back into the distance. I'm not pleased with the current rendition but am not sure which way to go.

Again thanks in advance for helping me with my not so mad skills.

[ QUOTE ]
Here's a start. My first subject will be my hero Cosmic Sentinel. Here are a few screenies I will be working from.

Cosmic 1
Cosmic 2
Cosmic 3
Cosmic 4

And here is the prelimanary pose sketch:

Cosmic Pose Sketch

This is going to be an in-flight pose and I'm gunning for some perspective so that his head and upper torso seem to be coming off the page. I want the right leg (Cosmic's left) to go further back into the distance. I'm not pleased with the current rendition but am not sure which way to go.

Again thanks in advance for helping me with my not so mad skills.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's a good start, but I think you wanna round that torso shape up a little bit. More like a kidney bean than a box. The belt line should be rounded out slightly rather than straight across.

Well here is my first stab. I'm not quite happy with the way it was going so I did a rough finish with little shading so I could start fresh tomorrow. I realize now how much I forgot about drawing musculature. Also I think I am going to try for a less dynamic pose. The perspective on this one is a little tricky.

Anyway, here is Cosmic: Attempt-1. Let me know what catches your eye. What's on the right track, what's way off course?

Cosmic Sentinel - 1

Cosmic Screenshot