Ahkihoun's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[1 hr drawin]

This is a nice piece, but I'm unsure why you put so much stuff on top of your original illustration. Is it supposed to be something to do with the magic? The red dots are also a bit sloppy, and takes away from the overall coloring and lighting; which is a shame because I really like the design of the main character. Keep up the good work, but don't forget about the importance of design. Instead of filtering over the subject, I would have spent the last of the hour developing an abstract or conceptual background.

Can't wait to see how you develop your art.

[mutants]

Now these guys are cool! Arms feel a bit short anatomically on the two on the elft, but awesome all the same! Can't say I've seen many characters with shark heads. :3

wash responds:

thanks, this are studies to be made into latex masks and props for a film proyect, although the only one that passed the director was the first, he said the others were too cartoony. So hopefully Ill soon have more designs like this and maybe a pic of the actual mask as it comes out

[Lighting The Way]

Your background is actually quite beautiful. I think you're too hard on yourself honestly, and thats whats holding you back.

ProbablySinged responds:

Thanks for the review! I might be too hard on myself, but if I settle for something I don't like I'll never get any better. I have to keep improving, so for now, I can never settle with something I don't truly like.

As long as I keep working at it, I think that anxiety will go away with time.

[Chara (2006)]

Quite the style! I like the body form on her. I would have loved to see longer facial anatomy on her, as he facial features feel a bit squishy. But its not a huge deal. Will you ink this later? Or color it? This picture needs more life!

allcreator responds:

This is an old drawing. I do have a more recent digital version but it was one of my earliest tablet drawings I did on paint bucket witch didn't have an adequate paint tool.

[sewr mutant stage 2]

Your lighting and coloring is pretty cool. It looks like you copied and pasted most of the heads on these sewer mutants though, and thats really a pity. Also with a blurry background, your creatures in the back should also be blurred, to bring focus to the front. The one guy to the right and smack in your face, is alright, but doesn't really feel needed.

If you're looking to improve I would focus your efforts on more geschult, relying less on technological tools, and understanding how non visual, visual paths are formed. Figure out where you want your viewer to look, and direct them there purposefully. I see some real promise from this style. Keep up the good work.

wash responds:

thanks for the comment and critique, some very insightfull recomendations I will definatly keep in mind. As for copying the heads, I know I should avoid that, but this was a quick exercise witha time limit, so I sort of had to rush the bg and extra charachters as the exersise was acttualy meant to be only a character study.

[LEGENDOFZELDA: Link]

This is a really nice piece! I like the colors you used, and I do like the lighting that you've displayed here. If the fairy is right in front of Link's face, there should be more highlight (and a hard highlight) on his cheek bones, and a harder shadow line on the left side of his face. (our left, his right.) Still though, this is nice. I can see a really nice style being developed. Keep up the great work!

[Identity]

I like this a lot, and how it leaves to the viewer's imagination. Great piece!

AbissLake responds:

I really think about doing something simple but kind abstract in this. Thanks for your kind comment!

[Menagerie]

cant tell you how much love I have for this piece!! Beautiful!

[Red Priest]

Despite the things you've mentioned, this is still a pretty bad ass piece. Of course you had an idea of how it was SUPPOSED to look in your head, but then if everything came out looking perfect, our jobs would be boring hmm?

Anyways, out of all your critique on yourself, the two I could really agree with, was the lack of depth (particularly with the fire though, because honestly the human looks great. ) and your contrast. Quite simply, I think both of these critques can be fixed if you nail out some of that white. I find a white background extremely flat, and so bright in comparison with your character, then my eye is easily drawn away. I would have made the background black, and messed with the colors in that way. Or at the very least put it on a transparent background.

Or mess with the negative space a bit more! You have the white tapering off on the bottom as if its smoke, make it more purposeful.

Still though, I see the predicament you were in and I empathize. A job well done; at the very least for being honest with yourself.

MarikBentusi responds:

There is actually a transparent version in the link (tho at least on my end it looks like tumblr f'd up the png-transparency on the fullview), but it didn't have effect of the guy fading into the background via smoke, which I perceived to be more interesting.

In retrospect probably not worth the trade tho. Since both comments I received pointed out the background, I think I'll just replace this version with the transparent one. That one's lower contrast, too.

Thanks a lot for your feedback, it's been very valuable!

[Griffin Bat]

Hey hey friend! Using photoshop for the first time can really be a challenge, but I'm glad you're getting the hang of it! As far as your technique in digital painting goes, you're not as bad as some new beginners I know of. Be careful of over smudging. And don't over use the dodge or burn tool .

This character is cute, and I like your choice of color. I think more atmospheric lighting could have really added some great depth to this piece. If your character is in a purplish/sunsetty background, then some of that light should be reflected onto him. I saw there is some of that highlight on the claws and feet, but don't be afraid to incorporate that into the rest of the character! Know your lighting; understand how it lays on 3d objects. I have a jar of play-doh, so when I don't know how something would look, I quickly make a rough shape and put it underneath a light, and recreate what my light source would be. Remember that you are drawing two dimensionally, but your goal as an illustrator is to create the illusion of depth.

Also don't be afraid to expand your canvas! Understand how the human eye makes its way across a picture. Having some open space on this, and allowing for more room for the background would give the viewer's eyes something to rest on.

Keep it up !