help me figure out what is wrong with my art

[tellars]

hi guys!

i need help from people who have never seen my art. for quite a while i have been feeling that there is something wrong with my art pieces and i can't pinpoint what is it. at first i thought it was a skill issue and started intensively learning anatomy, stylization, color theory, etc. i even finished a couple of online courses.

however, that feeling didn't go away. you see, i'm aiming to make art my job and either become popular and live off of commissions or work an industry job. and for all of those i need to have a certain skill level which i seem to lack..?

im going to post a couple of my recent pieces, please share if you find anything 'off' with them - be it some technical mistakes or maybe a poor choice of colours or shapes, etc. i feel like you don't have to be an professional or even an artist all together to see if something off in anyone's pieces, so that's why im asking for help here.

im sorry if this looks like im trying to farm for attention - it's not the intention i have. i tried asking friends about this and none of them said that there was anything wrong, but i feel like they might be biased... thank you so much to anyone who will comment on this thread, it's genuinely really important to me.

here are my works:

[larvapuppy]

Your art is really good, I don't see anything "wrong" with it per se. Your anatomy, shading, and use of colour are great and I envy your skill with those things as someone who is working on improving. But I have a couple of suggestions that you might want to play around with if you're looking for different results.

It's hard to tell from just a few pieces, but what I notice about your style is that you're going for a semi-realistic look, and you do painted shading. I think if you added some more detail and texture to your shading it would fit really well with your style and kick things up a notch. Also maybe adding some highlights would help add dimension and contrast, because for these pieces they seem to mostly have two tones (the local/base color/tone and the shadow, if I'm explaining that right?) and I don't see a lot of highlights. If you add sharper highlights on things like armour, characters' eyes, jewelry and zippers and things like that, it makes the material those objects are made of look more real and pop more.

Another thing (and I am also working on this) is that you can try pushing facial expressions/posing more to create a more emotional and dynamic effect. The ones you have here are good but maybe a little blank. Especially in the third picture I think you could make the character in armour look extra evil / striking if you made him bare his teeth a little and add some eyebrow action. But these are your characters and that might not be your intent, etc, so ignore me if I'm wrong!! 

Also, your characters are really cool, I'm sure we'd all love to hear more about them! 

[Corrupted Unicorn]

Alright, I'll give this a go. I'm going to be very direct to the point of risking being blunt, but this is because I want to make myself clear so it can help you.

From what I can tell, I find that, generally, there's not enough forehead on your characters. Depending of what guide you use, the forehead takes 1/3 of the face to actually half of the cranium (without the jaw). Try nudging a character's eyes a little down the face (even if it's just by taking an already-made picture and using a tool like Liquify), just to see if you like that better.

In a similar vein, I'd also try to push the lips from the first and last pictures a little more up the face, because I feel these characters don't have enough chin.

Next, on your second picture, there's this sensation of weightlessness. I don't feel the scarred character is quite laying on that bed, nor the second one is quite laying on them; they're both sort of floating. It's kinda like the second character has some sort of invisible pillow supporting their pelvis area, because I feel that part oughta sink a bit more. When it comes to giving characters weight, try to exaggerate poses - even a supposedely relaxed one like this one where they're resting and chilling together. Don't be afraid to sink them and to push those poses further down, against gravity.

Maybe I'm being extra nitpicky about this one, but I don't know how to feel about your cheeks in profile (attached image so you know what I'm talking about). The way you go about drawing this area makes me think most of the mass of the cheek is high up near the eye area, and there's quite a stretch from there to the mouth. I don't know how I'd go about it with precision, so I'd recommend you to try different ways to draw the cheeks from this angle.

With all that said, I must say that I can tell you've been studying anatomy and how to draw in general, and I'm quite impressed by your artwork's technical skill so far. Art's journey is never over, but I'm glad you came to this forum to ask, and I hope my advice helps.

[tellars]

I'm sure we'd all love to hear more about them! 

thank you so much for this comment!

about adding more detail to shading - could you maybe give some examples to how it can be executed? i think i slightly understand what you mean, but not completely

i totally get the point about facial expressions, but in the piece with the knight it wasn't my intent to make him look evil ;; i think i might try making more stuff where there are characters with more expressive faces since i think i mainly work in 'half-tones' in that regard, if i can say it like that

thank you so much again for the nice words i really appreciate that 

I hope my advice helps.

thank you so much for this detailed reply! it was genuinely very insightful

i had similar problems in the past where i couldn't figure out what was wrong with my anatomy bc for me it looked different (i. e. i tended to draw the eyes to close to each other, despite knowing that there should be enough room for another eye in between them) so it really helps that you pointed out some details that are off.

i completely agree about the piece where two characters lay together - i was definitely struggling with the pose and ended up using a 3d model, which slightly helped, but i needed to exaggerate the pose more for it to look natural

thank you so much again! i don't find this comment rude or blunt, it was very much needed ahah

[larvapuppy]

about adding more detail to shading - could you maybe give some examples to how it can be executed? i think i slightly understand what you mean, but not completely

I just mean that you can use shading to show the texture of the different materials more. Like the metal/armour example I mentioned- smooth shading with a lot of contrast, reflectiveness and sharp highlights. For things like clothing they usually are less shiny but they might have a rough texture, a fluffy texture, etc depending on what kind of fabric it is. For example, the jacket in the 4th image could be a hoodie or it could be a rain jacket, we can't tell because there isn't enough visual information about the texture. For hair you can try showing some of the individual strands and doing more layers / values of shading and highlights. The way you are doing shading now is fine but I'd consider it more similar to cel shading (even though you're using a soft brush) as there is minimal texture. I think things like these would go really well with your style.

(again this is something I know I have to work on too so don't take this as preaching, but as a suggestion    )

[tellars]

I just mean that you can use shading to show the texture of the different materials more. Like the metal/armour example I mentioned- smooth shading with a lot of contrast, reflectiveness and sharp highlights. For things like clothing they usually are less shiny but they might have a rough texture, a fluffy texture, etc depending on what kind of fabric it is. For example, the jacket in the 4th image could be a hoodie or it could be a rain jacket, we can't tell because there isn't enough visual information about the texture. For hair you can try showing some of the individual strands and doing more layers / values of shading and highlights. The way you are doing shading now is fine but I'd consider it more similar to cel shading (even though you're using a soft brush) as there is minimal texture. I think things like these would go really well with your style.

(again this is something I know I have to work on too so don't take this as preaching, but as a suggestion    )

ohh i get it yeah
yeah i generally tend to oversimplify my shading due to the fact that i usually am in a hurry to draw (thank you adult life and work...) but i totally agree giving more attention to detail is key

[MediocreMetastasis]

Are you using the same character in each image, because the facial features look pretty similar. I'm only bringing this up as each character has a slightly different hairstyle or scars. If they are different characters try more extreme face shapes and features, or at least give them more crazy hairstyles. Even in image 2 where's there's 2 distinct characters they both have the same shaggy hair with a little tuff poking out in the middle.

Some nick picky things are that:
Image 1 as some weird lighting. I feel like the sun or light source should be more left to light the front of the face more.

The armor on the guys right arm doesn't split where the elbow is while it looks like the left arm armor does.


Anyway you have some pretty good drawing skills. x100 better than what I can currently do.

[tellars]

Are you using the same character in each image, because the facial features look pretty similar. I'm only bringing this up as each character has a slightly different hairstyle or scars. If they are different characters try more extreme face shapes and features, or at least give them more crazy hairstyles. Even in image 2 where's there's 2 distinct characters they both have the same shaggy hair with a little tuff poking out in the middle.

Some nick picky things are that:
Image 1 as some weird lighting. I feel like the sun or light source should be more left to light the front of the face more.

The armor on the guys right arm doesn't split where the elbow is while it looks like the left arm armor does.


Anyway you have some pretty good drawing skills. x100 better than what I can currently do.

i've been thinking a lot to change up my stylization, but i don't really like drastic stylization like in cartoons for example. i guess i just like this face shape most so i continue drawing it but yeah i should try spice it up a little
hair though? i don't know to me it doesn't look the same but maybe you're onto something

on the first piece i made the light shine on the cheek more because i thought that the sun (the light source) is not directly behind him, but slightly to the left
i will try to pay more attention to this though, thank you!

thank you so much for this comment, i really appreciate it!

[Tuffy!]

All I see is your unique art style. And I do like it. When you want to make a living, it might be good to stick with your unique style. Art is about expressing yourself and that is, what you actually do 

[arcus]

The main thing is your values. Good resources for that are Android Art's art tutorial, The Dimension of Colour, Sinix's How to Learn Digital Painting (YouTube link), and Schaefer's blog post on light along with his video on the subject (YouTube link).

If you prefer books:

• Light for Visual artists - Richard Yot (my personal favourite, has plently of examples)
• Color and Light - James Gurney
• Alla Prima - Richard Schmid
• How to Render - Scott Robertson (a sequel to How to Draw, a more technical choice)

You do not need to read all of them. Start from the top and move onto the next one if you bounce off one of them.


In general:
There's a lack of specular reflections (highlights). Ambient light and hue shifting could be used more. Your lighting for the most part is semi-cell shaded when it will probably work better if you lean more strongly in either direction. If you want to go for a more realistic look, light should taper depending on how it wraps around the subject and the distance.

Line weight around the eyes is mostly basic. Variable weight around the lashes and eyes can give more detail. See how your favourite artists go about line weight around the eyes specifically.

Piece #1:
The only ambient light on the figure is on the face. It's weak and low contrast, and doesn't hue shift. For the lines are you using a brush that varies in transparency and size with pressure? You should disable one of them or both, and work on making lines thicker by going thin and building up upon them. A cool piece that could be more striking with a higher contrast and less colours.

Piece #3:
The lighting on the figure to the right's face is really nice. Good use of hue shifting to add to the mood. Rest of the picture adds colours that clash with the shading on the face, such as the red being so bright, and the lack of blue shading with the purple hood. The lighting on the armour doesn't give off the impression that it's metal. The shading on the armour is muddy and could do with a better stroke economy; less strokes and with a big brush instead.


Note with anatomy: The eye spacing rule isn't an exact measurement. Same with head ratios. They're rough estimates and based on personal preference. Do studies of real people and pay attention to how their ratios diverge from the rules.

Do value studies and post them here if you want more criticism.

Most importantly: Do wrist stretches and buy a wrist brace. If you're going to be drawing professionally you need to take good care of your wrists.


Your style is really cool, if you focus on the values and experiment with your line art I can see it coming along nicely.

[tellars]

All I see is your unique art style. And I do like it. When you want to make a living, it might be good to stick with your unique style. Art is about expressing yourself and that is, what you actually do 

thank you so much ;; your post made me tear up a little
i really hope i will be able to do art as a living bc it's truly something i love doing the most and I can't imagine not doing art

[tellars]

Your style is really cool, if you focus on the values and experiment with your line art I can see it coming along nicely.

thank you so much for such a detailed answer! especially for so many resources, will check them!

i usually use a brush that doesn't really vary in size, but does blend with other colors, so i guess that might've made colors muddy. I didn't mean the armor to look like metal, more like retro anime armor that for some reason looks like plastic of some sort, but i will take note of your criticism here

im slightly overwhelmed bc it seems like im lacking in every sphere however i will try my best to not feel discouraged ahaha

thank you again im extremely grateful that you took time to review my work < 3

[Tuffy!]

thank you so much ;; your post made me tear up a little
i really hope i will be able to do art as a living bc it's truly something i live doing the most and I can't imagine not doing art

Your post made me smile 

Stick to your dreams. No one else is here to fulfill them except you and you are very able to do so. You are the wizard  of your world.

[IndigoGolem]

Your art is not bad, i think. I'm not much of an artist. I don't go out of my way to look at much art (besides the comics i read) and i work in an unrelated field.

In the first piece: the glowing pupils look weird. Makes me wonder if there's supposed to be some story behind that, but in a standalone portrait there probably isn't. The mixed style with a more traditional portrait in the foreground and lineless art with lots of gradients in the background is also weird. Fine styles, but weird to put together in one piece.

I don't see anything weird or bad about the second piece, except maybe how big and bright the stars are. Maybe that's just me living in or near cities all my life, but they're never that easy for me to see. The landscape is pretty plain, but it's not the focus and there's little of it in-frame anyway.

Third piece. The bright blue is a very strong color, but i don't think it's too much. The neon orange does pop out a lot tho. In a non-digital medium i'd expect that to be glow-in-the-dark. The expressions are a little weird here. The figure in blue seems totally fine posing for this portrait, and doesn't seem to notice the figure in red covering their eye. Red looks tired and a little sad, which makes me wonder why they're covering Blue's eye. There's no obvious reason for it so maybe it's supposed to be playful, but Red doesn't look playful. Something about this piece reminds me of old sci-fi. No particular setting or media, it looks like it's not anything Dune or Foundation or Star Wars or Doctor Who, but i can't place what it does remind me of.

Piece four has glowing pupils and a background gradient again. Gradients aren't necessarily bad, they just give art a certain vibe because of how easy they are to do digitally, i think. Like how high-framerate film looks cheap because of consumer cameras, and 24 fps looks fancy and nice. Anyway, the sleeves seem to be clinging to their wrists a lot, i think if i had that pose in even my tightest jacket they'd still slide down from my hands a little. And the shadowy figures look alright in the background but weird in the foreground where i'd expect them to have some detail.

Overall, i don't see any very big issues. No anatomy stands out as uncanny or unrealistic.

And then after writing the above, reading other people's responses i can see a lot more. But nothing that hasn't already been covered.

[squidlifecrisis]

i'm aiming to make art my job and either become popular and live off of commissions or work an industry job.

you're off to a great start! but this collection of images... they are all basically the same subject matter. you're an advanced painter, and I don't think nitpicking the anatomy any further is going to help.

if you want your art to be popular? start churning out fanart. hit the popular fandoms or flood the niche you're passionate about. sell prints, make merch, table at cons.

if you want to live off commissions? practice different expressions and poses. try out entirely new styles--chibis or pixel art or simple animations. consider doing nsfw work. no shame in it; it sells better than anything.

if you want to work in the industry? I'm actually not sure what that means. pick a specific industry? I wanted to do medical illustration for a time, so I taught myself internal anatomy. if you want to do animation/storyboarding, practice varied character designs, scenery, and objects. these are great portraits, but they don't really tell stories about the characters. they're like promo images for established characters.

beyond a certain point, raw skill isn't going to get your art noticed. there also has to be an emotional context that only you can offer. THAT'S the most memorable thing you can put into your art.

but still, from where you are now and what you want to achieve? I think portraits of established fandom characters would be the quickest path to popularity/getting commissions. the question is... will that make you happy? o.O