hey that's not too bad, I'd have trouble putting a stick figure in the same position as your character.
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Well, the eyes are not quite right... they're not both looking at quite the same place. And the proportions of the face are slightly skewed, but I've had classes in Drawing and Art and this is better than _I_ could do.
Really, do draw More and share it with us! Looking forward to it.
Be Well!
Fireheart
WELCOME TO THE FART FORUM!!! Err... the Fan Art Forum 
This is a great job, Oya! I agree with what Fireheart said, but would also like to add that the hairline is a bit too static/sharp. Unless her hair is slicked *straight* back with superglue, there'd probably be some hair falling on her forehead, or at the least, the edge would be a bit less severe.
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Quote:
Again, I'm no expert, but I think you could address the hairline issue by letting your individual 'hair' filler-strokes wander back and forth over the line, just a little, at random. That should produce a more natural effect.|
Originally Posted by _BAS_
This is a great job, Oya! I agree with what Fireheart said, but would also like to add that the hairline is a bit too static/sharp. Unless her hair is slicked *straight* back with superglue, there'd probably be some hair falling on her forehead, or at the least, the edge would be a bit less severe.
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And yes, I should be more explicit and say, Welcome to what some people call the best part of the forums!
Be Well!
Fireheart
Thanks for the feedback all. I don't know what it is about the face that I find so hard. I think I am better with the torso.
No classes, just books I can find here and there but I hope to someday be able to draw my characters and have them look like actual characters. I will keep working on it.
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If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
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Welcome to the artsy section, and keep up the fine work - looking good!!
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Welcome Oya, nice efforts on those drawings!
One reason you feel you have more trouble with the face might be because as social animals, recognizing people by faces and reading facial expressions plays a vital role. Just a slightest change can turn a face into a different person, or change the expression to something you do not intend. It doesn't take a master artist to notice when something is not right with a face, even if we may not be able to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with it.
Other people have already mentioned some things about that head, but the ear is placed too far to the right of the picture as well, and it is hard to get a feel for the underlying skull.
One thing you can do to avoid these deformations is to construct your head (or anything else you draw) from basic shapes. We tend to get used to what we have drawn when we continue to look at it, so you should also check for distortions by holding it up against a mirror. Any major errors you didn't see before will pop out immediately. It is much easier to do that with digital since you can just flip images very quickly. Actually this is a very good practice many professionals will recommend you do with everything you draw/paint. Sometimes I feel like I drew a decent head, only to get absolutely horrified by what I see in the mirrored image.
If you are looking for more good books, Andrew Loomis books are my favorite. They've been out of print for a long time, but you still might be able to find PDFs online if you search. I believe Figure Drawing For All It's Worth and Drawing the Head and Hands are finally getting reprinted this year.
The Artist's Complete Guide To Facial Expression by Gary Faigin is also an awesome book on the subject.
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Thanks Lousy and all for the advice, I will check out some books to help me along. Lousy, I hope your day get's better.
Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious
Quote:
This is actually a proven fact, and the reason why MOST adults draw like children. Because for most adults who are not in the day to day artistic fields, the last time they drew was as kids. The brain like any muscle that isn't exercised, only remembers the last time you did it. Thus the child like lines... |
Originally Posted by Oya
Greetings,
I should preface this by stating that prior to about a month ago I hadn't put graphite to paper in over two decades and when I did it was on par with my elementary aged children. Oya |
That being said, 2 decades later and you have a better handle than most.
So it's only a matter of getting back into your groove.
Lousey is right, structure would help your composition... but remember passion is what keeps you going.
My suggestion would be 2 things, enter a search into Google on "drawing a face". And hit the video search tab... you will see a variety of styles, but most of them show "the basics"... it's nice to input that visual data on how others draw. It will add to any book technique you see, the idea is not to emulate, but to absorb and output...
Also, be aware of your paper's edges since you are doing things traditionally. Give yourself an invisible 1 inch margin all around and try NOT to go outside the margin with your composition, UNLESS you have to.
By keeping things inside the invisible margin, you prevent your composition from becoming lopsided. Which is the problem I see in your first drawing. It looks like you wanted to include the ear, but it was somehow waaay outside the margin for you and off the page.
With an invisible margin, all your elements or facial features stay inside and within proportion of one another, and the margin itself is used for things such as background, hair, clothing, other body parts, etc...
Also prioritize when you're composing your piece. Is this a drawing of the complete head, did the shoulder have to take up as much space as the mouth to nose area? In a face, the expression is of utmost important, then I would argue comes light, where it hits, what shadows it casts.
Block in lightly on your page with very faded lines, where your edges are, and your elements are gonna be. By edges in this case, I would have marked the hat, the shoulder, the left and right side of the face, the left and right side of the hair. If you are copying from a reference, this measuring distance of elements in relation to one another will help plan your overall composition, and prevent the face from become compressed.
I actually have the reverse problem that you do, I elongate naturally anything I draw. In a digital program, you can flip the face left to right to see if your proportions are lop sided. Traditionally, we have to do some place marking to make sure we don't go too wide or too long.
I hope some of that helps. Keep posting, this is definitely the place to get some feedback...
LJ
Welcome to the the art forum. Good work! I like the expression on the first one alot!
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Thanks for the warm welcome and thanks for all the assistance. I may not be very good at it and I might not get better but I am enjoying it. I will keep at it and let you all know how it goes.
Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious
Seems I'm always doing 10 things at once lately, sorry I missed this thread thusfar and welcome, welcome, to the artz section of the forums Oya! 
You've got some nice detail work throughout and once you get a better handle on some of your proportions things will come together nicely. 
Thanks Christopher, great feedback here. Say hi to that bear and baby pig for me.
Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious
Hi all, it's Mrs Wallace here (wife of Mr Wallace), it wouldn't let me set up my own log in. I am looking for an artist who would be able to draw one of Mrs Wallace's toons and draw a pic of Mr and Mrs Wallace together. I was hoping that I could arrange this for a birthday present for him.
Are there any keen artists there who could help?
My email address is:
samwallace85@hotmail.co.uk
or
krissam85@tiscali.co.uk
or I am on the facebook vets group for any of the vets out there.
Many thanks
Sam aka Mrs Wallace
Always best to make your very own thread when asking for work not related to the owner of the thread. Secondly and I am assuming you are not commissioning, but instead are asking for a kind hearted soul? In that case, a screenshot of the toons involved goes a long way to either inspire or deter the artist from taking you on.
A description helps as well, no one likes going in blind. If however you are comissioning we are not allowed to talk about prices openly. You are better off private messaging the artist you like, and giving them your budget, and seeing what they will do for that amount.
Good luck on your present/artist finding... also a deadline for said gift may make someone sympathetic as well...
LJ
Quote:
They're probably lost somewhere in the 100 wood. |
Originally Posted by Oya
Thanks Christopher, great feedback here. Say hi to that bear and baby pig for me.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by MrWallace
Hi all, it's Mrs Wallace here (wife of Mr Wallace), it wouldn't let me set up my own log in. I am looking for an artist who would be able to draw one of Mrs Wallace's toons and draw a pic of Mr and Mrs Wallace together. I was hoping that I could arrange this for a birthday present for him......................
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Also you get one login per account, married couples don't get separate names for the same joint account... and yeah you should start your own thread to ask for something like this and you should really read this first http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=118410
No relation, I'm of Irish origin. No worries on the post but it would get better exposure in its own thread.
Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious
Many thanks everyone, just got to read how to start a new thread now lol
Oya! Looking good thus far! You have some of our best artists giving you some really good info/suggestions. I hope you really do take to heart what they tell you because you will definitely improve much more quickly.
I am looking forward to watching you hone your talent too! So keep it up! 
~*~VexXxa~*~
The City Scoop Art Correspondent/Writer "ART IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"//"Don't hate because VexXxa is HOT and you're NOT." - JOHNNYKAT
Greetings,
I have to say that I am hesitant about posting this here because there are so many good artists here but if I don't then I wont get feedback on how to get better. I should preface this by stating that prior to about a month ago I hadn't put graphite to paper in over two decades and when I did it was on par with my elementary aged children. That said, I am interested in the thoughts of the community and hope to take away some insight and maybe improve my sketches.
Oya
Badging in a PvP zone?
If you are treasure hunting on a battlefield wearing an enemy uniform, there is a high probability that you will be attacked.
This is an enjoy-the-ride game. "50" is only a number, not the goal of the game. - Noxilicious