Work in progress of Taarna the defender from the movie Heavy Metal. Im working in greyscale to get the form right.
I was having a difficulty showing the area of the hip since the leg is raised. I would like to receive critique on the form and if there is anything i should do differently.
Painter IX
I worked on the face and established all the features. any suggestions will be appreciated
I don’t feel qualified to comment on the hip.
Maybe you should make some perspective lines to help line up the features of her face?
I didnt get to work on it as much as I wanted but I did work more on the face. :argh: I also started on the hair, and added the frame.
any comments are appreciated.
I had to compress the image file which is probably going to affect the quality
The original character did not use a shield but for whatever reason, the more i looked at this image the more I felt it would be better if I gave her a shield. The right hand gave me a hard time and probably needs more development. I also worked on the frame and defined the sword better. hopefully I can begin adding color.
any comments will be appreciated.
Can we see the reference used and the initial sketch you created to establish the shapes and proportions of the body, if the ref wasnt traced?
sure, here is the ref photo that I used, and the sketch, which was very simple, became the current greyscale pose. I’m working digitally using painter IX
Thanks for posting the ref.
You cant expect to learn much if you have to resort to tracing reference. If you cant establish the shapes, proportions, and proper anatomy by drawing from observing reference, not tracing it, you are not going to be able to light model, shade and color the work properly either. One of the reasons the face looks distorted, is because you distorted the ref and used it as a guide. You vertically reduced the ref photo, or your tracing, to 85% resulting in a squashed version of the original.
Youve got to learn how to draw first, and build your image from the ground up, on your own without the crutch of tracing.
The attached image shows a traced version (A) of the original ref, and (B) the squashed version of it that happens to fit your work like a glove.
no trace or squash. All I did was filled a rough sketch in grey, and then used the easer to erase back until it started to take shape. I then used white (or close to it) & blended to bring definition; i was going to light the scene from the bottom but i havent done that yet. my traditional drawings start as a stick figure/skeleton that gets filled in by drawing thru and then erasing. maybe im doing wrong doing it like that.I never have kept any digital sketch because it ends up being part of the drawing once i start to blend. maybe its something for me to consider changing in how I develop a drawing. in regards to the ref, it doesnt show a right hand nor those it show a left hand clutching/grasping & the hairline was a complete assumption base on where hair would be if she was not wearing a hat. the ref is not complex but imo, i didnt think the image Im drawing looks good at all. I actually think the face is horrid, i need to define the hip better and the right hand looks weird to me. :sad:
I find it one heck of a coincidence that the elements of your painting (eyes, nose lips, body contours, etc.) line up so well with the vertically squashed version of the reference photo. I can see not having underlying sketches of a work, as taking photos of the various stages of a traditional work can be a pain, unlike the ease and simplicity of creating a sketch layer or saving a progression copy, especially when you intend to present your work in a WIP forum for advise.
Usually when things look clearly traced and other areas are handled with poor observational judgmenttheyre traced. Im curious to see how you handle the modified left hand as it clearly doesnt represent the same level of observational judgment (anatomically, proportionally) that the copied areas have.
The red lines represent the lines I traced from the photo ref, then reduced it vertically by 85% and overlaid your work with it.
I never kept multi layers as I worked on one or 2 layers and then collapsed them as I go. the only thing i keep seperate is the colors. up until this discussion, i never considered the importance of, having available, the sketch and refinement layers. why? because its the first time that i was asked to show it. i use the sketch to establish and then erase and define just like Im use to doing when i draw with pencil (sketch, built, erase, refine,erase,etc) i can see my mistake now in that perhaps i should have posted at the sketch stage and came forward. I normally dont use ref, i just draw. the images in my portfolio where done with no ref. but i was advised to use ref for better results.my vision was of the character on a side or 3/4 view with the left arm slightly bend holding a sword. this ref was the closest thing to that. I used a a line with small circles to show shoulder join location and then drew a line for the upper and lower arm with a small circle to depict the elbow joint. I also established the right hand with shield that way too. the left arm is actually incomplete because i have not added the flex marks and the bone protruding slightly.
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.