Art Archive Emperion_Blade_Guard's Fan Art (New Pic 8/19)

Here are some things I've drawn/changed:

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/nitotisetichar.jpg
This is the picture of a Twi'lek from a story I am trying to write... Opinions or advise would be welcome...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/nitotiseticoloured3.jpg
And here she is coloured, I did the colouring job in The Gimp... Not sure how good it was, Opinions anyone?

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/nitotiseticoloured8.jpg
And here she is after my attempts to fix her arm and leg lengths...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/diebothandie.jpg
Not a really big change over the original... But I love that picture...
(I hate bothans, BTW)


http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/jainachar.jpg
A drawing of Jaina that I did... It's a little grainy because it's saved as JPG...


http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/yuuzhanvongwarrior.jpg
This is a Yuuzhan Vong warrior that I drew about a year ago... Maybe two... It looks a little 2D to me...
Any constructive (And I do mean constructive...) Critisism would be welcome...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/redonblack.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/redinarmorwcoatbw2.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/teycol.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/tinacol.jpg
Not really SW but I'm trying out anime and would like some tips on them.

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/aisther2.jpg
And here is some random humanoid creature that I drew...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/vp3.jpg
And this is a character from a webcomic I read. I drew it for a fanart contest.

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/eldar3.jpg
Just some Elven maiden that I drew....

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/saba_1.jpg
My colouring of one of Falcon Fan's best works ever!

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/mabii.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/dizconceptblk.jpg
More pictures from the comic that my friend and I have been (Slowly) working on.

I'm still working on others, I'll post them when I finish...

 

Great start here with the Twilek image, great little design there that looks cool...maybe extend it right down her leku and make it crazy intricate (excuse me there, I'm a detail freak). Maybe you should give some anatomy books a flick through, just to help you with proportions and poses.

Oh and a little harsh on the Bothans there! LOL Maybe revise it to die Borsk Die? Asyr Sei'lar from the X-wing books was a kinda cool character so Bothans can't be all bad.

 

Actually, The design actually has a meaning, It's the symbol of her home world (She's part of a Twi'lek colony.) So yeah, As much as I agree with you that it would look cooler to extend the disign, I don't think I'll do it.

Can you tell me which parts are out of proportion?

And about bothans... As far as I can tell they all seem to have that weird, distorted, politition's instinct in them, (I seem to remember even Asyr having issues with it...) So I basically just hate all of them...
Yeah, Yeah, It's prejudice, I know, But considering that my only racial prejudice is against a fictional race, I'd say I'm doing pretty good...

 

How do you go about showing that you've updated your art thread? I mean, I know the Mods want all of the art you do to stay on one thread, And in one post... But does that mean that upping is fine?

 

Go to your first post and edit the "subject" line.

 

Up?

 

Oh, blast! Another thread I thought I had replied to--and haven't! I apologize, E_B_G, for taking so long to leave a comment here!

You have a great gallery going (and it's great that you're working on both the drawing and the digital skills--both seem to be essential in artistic careers these days!).

The Twi'lek character is a lovely study--I like that she seems to be engaged in watching something down below her, as though she's on a balcony or rooftop. That sort of "activity" always adds a sense of life to a drawing. I think the "proportions" that Corellian_Rogue mentioned are probably the bodily proportions--the relationship between the lengths of arms, legs, torso, etc. Anatomy references are an invaluable resource for getting those right, and if you're interested, I can point you to some good ones online. To me, it seems that her torso and forearm are a bit long for her body, while her lower legs are a bit short--the shape of the feet/boots is also "off" a bit, with the transition from leg-to-ankle-to-foot being rather undefined (don't forget to define major muscles like calf muscles, and to show the shape of the heel, particularly when it's in a boot or shoe). Overall, these are minor points that would make what is already a good piece better--some studies of basic anatomy and figure "construction" can help with all these points.

The Jaina portrait is good overall: the placement of the features is good, although the nose appears to be in a slightly "face-tipped-down" perspective, while the lips and eyes are more "face level" perspective. Take a look at some photographs of faces in lots of different angles (catalogs and magazines are good for that), and study the shapes of the features like noses (and nostrils), and eyes and lips--all the facial features "change shape" with the different angles (face up, down, 3/4 view, straight-on, etc.). You can compare your drawing to some photos of faces in similar perspectives, and I think you'll see what I mean. I like the way you've shaded this one--it gives a good "space" to it (and I'm a big advocate of shading!). Another suggestion (one that really gives life to a portrait) is to add some "catch-lights" to the eyes: eyes are wet, and reflect the light source on the face (again--looking at photographs of faces can help show this effect).

The Yuuzhan Vong warrior (or shaper, or whatever caste he/she belongs to! lol!) is wonderful in the detailing! The tattoos, scars, "flattened nose" (as described in the books--good!) and expression are great (and are those dreadlocks...?)! The head and neck are well-shaped--but again, with the facial proportions--taking a look at some photographs of profiles (either photographs, or anatomy studies--or both!) will help in placement of the features. This fellow's eye looks a bit too far forward in the skull (which would place both of the eyes very close together in a full-forward face). A basic understanding of facial structure can really help in placing features on an "invented" face (of course, when drawing alien species like the Yuuzhan Vong, I suppose you're also at liberty to throw human anatomy rules out the window! ).

If you're interested in the references I mentioned, just sing out--they're some of my favorite "guides" for my own drawing, and I highly recommend them for honing skills like portraiture and figure drawing. I like that you have a good, strong sense of line in your work--it's something that will serve you well in your drawing, and is always a good element. You seem to be working at the shading, too, and that's another very good thing: there's nothing quite like some well-defined and darkened shadows to help give volume and dimension to a subject. Very nice work, and I encourage you to keep drawing and sharing your pieces here!

FF

 

To Falcon_Fan:

That's ok, You're busy.

Hmmm... I thought the torso and forearm looked fine... I'll see if I can figure out how to edit them in Gimp (No way am I going to hand fix the original, Especially since I did most of the shading in Gimp to begin with) I already adjusted the lower legs some, I think it looks better now, I'll make some more adjustments and post it again, ok? I know! I hate those feet! I couldn't draw feet if someone was threatening to make a Rancor sit on my face! I know you've said that you're no good at them either, But could you do a feet tutorial? (Or point me to one?)

Yeah... I thought the nose looked funny, And I know that "Catch lights" Would improve my drawings, But I don't know how to draw shiny stuff.

The Yuuzhan Vong is Kavas Lah, He is a warrior (Thus the combat swirls), And yeah, They are dreadlocks, I love dreadlocks, You should draw someone with dreadlocks, Since you're so good with hair and all.... I'll try to fix the eye, Any other problems?

Yes, I'd love some references, Thank you for offering!

 

Hey E_B_G--here are a few of my favorite figure and portrait/head drawing references. They're great "gouges" to help you judge the proportions of the faces/figures that you draw, particularly when you're "inventing" people. I've been told again and again that practice-practice-practice is the way to get better at anything, and using these guides can really help you out--both when you're planning a drawing, and again while you're in progress.

The first website home is here, and you can browse around all the available resources from there, if you feel like it (and there are an amazing number of fantastic resources here!).

For heads/faces, this and this are especially useful, providing proportions and proper feature placement.

For figures, here, here and here are some of my favorites.

Of course, the site has many, many more references available if you're willing to look for them. All are very useful!

Another site that provides some good tutorials (for anime/manga type illustration mostly--but for figures and appendages like hands and feet they're still extremely helpful!) is here--the tut for hands was particularly helpful for me!

You mentioned "not being able to draw 'shiny' stuff"--it's so simple you're going to laugh! To make something look "shiny," as in slick or wet, simply don't shade at all! Just like in my tutorial for hair, leaving the "shiny parts" unshaded, so it is with "catch-lights:" just leave a small dot of uncolored/unshaded area in each eye, to show the reflected light (while putting in all the iris and pupil around the "circle of light"). Take a close look at some photographs of magazine models/subjects, and study their eyes: look at the way the light shining on their faces is reflected in their eyes. These are "catch-lights," plain and simple--and they can really help to add some "life" to drawn eyes. Just draw some eyes (skipping the rest of the face for a bit) and practice with leaving in some uncolored/unshaded "catch-lights." It'll be a great exercise, I promise!

And lol about the feet!! Yeah--if you find a good tutorial on feet, please-oh-please let me know!

Hope these prove helpful to you--they certainly are to me!

FF

 

I've taken up anime, And these are my first tries at it, Imput anyone?
Especially on the black and white one, Because it's not done and I'm stuck.

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/teycol.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/redinarmorwcoatbw2.jpg

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/redonblack.jpg

 

Hey E_B_G!! I'm finally able to get a reply in here for you! Back from the holiday traveling (advice: NEVER travel on the holidays!) and have a bit of time for myself!

Anime, eh? I always admire people that try a lot of different styles--it's a great way to learn more things in drawing, and adds variety and depth to everything you do. I'm going to suggest a visit to this site for some tutorials/pointers on drawing in the anime/manga style--this is the same site that had the wonderful hands tutorial, and every one they have is more than worth looking at. It's also good to check out how other people approach the style: this thread and this one have some wonderful examples of anime-style work.

Now--keeping in mind that I'm not very experienced in anime--on to the critique!

"Tey:" I very much like the coloring here--good choices for all of it--and her eye is very arresting and intense. On the eye--remember that if we're looking at someone in profile, how the eye appears depends on where the subject is looking. If the subject is looking straight ahead, we're only going to see half the iris of the eye (the colored part and the black pupil) and half the cornea (white part), rather than the entire iris-in-the-round and cornea on both sides of the iris. If she's supposed to be looking at us (the "camera"), we would see the entire iris, but it would be tucked into the "outer corner" of her eye, with only the white on the "inside" visible... Remember that even in more stylized drawing, the "rules" for portraying the forms still apply: the eye is a round ball in the head, and in any given facial position, we're only going to be seeing parts of it. Study some profile photos of faces and take a good look at what you actually see of the eye (iris and cornea), and I think that will help. Is Tey human? Her nose and chin seem almost "catlike" to me (and remember, that's just me...). I know that anime uses very small noses, but there is usually still a definitive "cut" back in to the upper lip--again, always remember that the rules for forms still apply, even in different styles--you still need to define the forms of the body and face (for humans, that is--for aliens, I think all bets are off! ). I'm really liking her hair--it looks quite curly, which had to be difficult to do. Some more highlights there would help to define head shape and the curliness (if that's what you intended to show). I think you have a great start on doing this style of drawing--and bravo on having a go at it!

"B & W 'Red' :" This is actually quite good, in terms of general form and proportion. I also like the costuming here--unique and interesting. We're sort of looking "down" on her, from slightly above, and the pivot to her shoulders is readily apparent. The angle of her face is also good, sort of the "down, 3/4" view, with the entire part of her hair, on top of her head, visible--we know her face is turned and tucked down. I think her left arm (behind her) looks a bit awkward--this is where posing in front of a mirror with your own body can really help: if your own body won't do the pose, then it's going to look awkward in the drawing. Extending that arm straight out to her side, or adjusting it's position behind her to be more natural would help. As to depicting "movement," Corellian_Rogue has great advice for that: the swirling of fabric can really emphasize the sense of movement in a figure, and you could use the long coat she's wearing to help here: having the fabric swinging across her body would go a long way to showing the twisting motion I think I see here--and hair is another great way to show that. "Secondary movement" is Rogue's term for it, and it really really works! Interesting weapons she's wielding here--are they attached to her hands, or is she holding them? I

 

Ooookay... Yeah, That makes sense... (Talking about the advise on the eye)
Yes, She's human, I've seen anime artists (Ok, just one...) Draw profiles like that, And it looked good when he did it, Not like an animal at all, But yeah, I have noticed that mine end up looking more canine, Feline, Even equine... Maybe I should just go with the standard anime pointy noses...

Yeah... About the curly hair... How would one go about highlighting curly hair? I mean I think I've got the strait hair down, but I can figure out curly...

The left arms is one of the things I was having trouble with, I was trying to get the whole "Standing with sword outstreached behind ready to strike" Pose... Can you think of any way that I can show that she's got a blade behind her, And is tensed and ready to swing it foreward? Also, Although I don't need to show movement in this picture, I do need to know basic clothing wrinkle tips... Got any?

The blades are attached to gauntlets on her fore-arms, And are retractable, (I worked out the scematics for them, Retractable arm blades really would work...)

I seem to have problems drawing anything below the knee! *Sighs* I guess I'll retouch it...

Yeah, She's got a pretty good back story, I play her in the RPG my friend and I are creating.

You probably couldn't tell from the pictures, (I mean, minus the titles...) But the last two are suppose to be the same character...
You are really good at keeping your character faces consistant, So I thought you might have some advise...

Thanks for the help!

 

Keep at it, you'll come along and develop your style. Now, get back to work!

 

New pictures!

No clue what she is, Or what's with her hair... She kinda just happened...
F_F: I know her eyes aren't right, I drew her before you told me about the eyes needing to face forward... But she's not human so...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/aisther2.jpg

Tina goes with Tey and Red, Which, I guess, Is why I put her in the same group... Hmmm... I'll have to think on that one...

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/tinacol.jpg

 

I like the hair in the first one, E_B_G--very colorful, very unique. And since this isn't human, human facial proportions don't apply! I like that violet-colored eye, too--sort of mysterious, in a way!

Tina looks like Red's twin sis--are they related...? Similar haircut but different features--I suppose they could be from the same "warrior sect...?" Just curious: are these characters for a story you're writing, or some that you just thought up to draw? The "uniqueness" of each of them is intriguing!

FF

 

Also like them very much, esp Tina. I like how she looks down and out of the image with this thinking expression in her face. (at least I think she's thinking, isn't she? )
Would like to see more!

 

Thank you, I had fun with it.

No, Actually Tey is Red's sister believe it or not. Tina, However, Is.... I guess you could call it kindred spirit to Red, They are very good friends, And alike in a lot of ways. And yes, You could say that they are from the same "Warrior sect" Red is Emperion Blade Guard (I RP Red, Thus my SN...) And Tina is Earth Blade Guard (Who I think just signed up on the JCF...) And yes, They are part of a RPG story that I've been writing for close to three years now.

Any tips?

Chilla: (BTW... Is that pronounced "Chee-ya"?) Well.... Kinda... More like brooding though...

 

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/vp3.jpg

Everybody, We have a very special visitor from the webcomic "Vampire Phantasm". This is Orlock, Everybody be sure to say "Hi" to him, And to make him feel at home.

But seriously, This did not tyrn out the way I wanted it to. I totally butchered the hands when I was sketching this, Which I didn't think would matter since I was just going to cover them up with that swirly thingy when I coloured it. But Fate, It seems, Had other plans. You can still see the mistakes I made on the hands, And to top all that off I ruined his cool naturally silver hair when I tried to highlight it purple to reflect the purple glowyness... I messed up his cynical smirk colouring his skin,And all my attempts to underlight his face crashed and burned... In fact, Really the only part I was happy with at the end was the background.

I still have the uncoloured hard copy, So if anyone has any advise (Mostly on the colouring, But also on the hands, And underlighting tecniques...) I can go back and make changes.

Here's my hard copy for those that want to see it.

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/vp.jpg

 

Wow--sorry it's taken me so long to drop back in E_B_G! DRL has been kicking me around a bit lately, and I haven't been able to check out everyone's latest stuff...

On Orlock--scary-looking character! And as to your own comments about the "problems," remember that in the trying is how we learn to use our tools, be they traditional pencil-and-paper, or one of the multitudes of artistic software programs out there. The colored version is pretty eerie, just as it is--I think the red eyes are what grabbed me the most. Very spooky! His pale skin really stands out against the dark b/g, so you have a good effect going with that especially. My only suggestion would have been to drop his hands down just a bit--they seem a bit high against his "body" (which we don't see, of course)--when representing only parts of a figure, it's still important to keep them in a realistic relation to the actual body form. For me, I find using a photo reference or making a rough sketch that includes a full body (or at least the parts of it that you need) can be helpful in getting the positioning right. And as to "underlighting:" it's one of the hardest types of lighting to get right! Try sitting in front of a mirror with the lights out and shine a flashlight up from below your own face--really study how the chin, nose and cheekbones create shadows, and note the locations and shapes of those shadows. Then grab the pencil and paper and sketch and fill in the same sorts of shapes on the face you want to "underlight." Just a suggestion, but one that might help for the next piece.

You say this character is for a webcomic? I'll bet it's a hair-raiser, by the look of him!

FF

 

http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/eldar3.jpg
Weeping Elf by Starlight

I was helping my dad clean out the basement of the ceremics plant that he manages, and the wall looked really hideous... So I just got this inspiration and here's the result. (Don't worry, All I had on hand was Graphite and Calcium Carbonate... It'll wash off...)The medium here is very hard graphite on very rough concrete. Doesn't really lend itself to quality....
I can't shade with 9H industrial grade graphite, and the wall is covered in a really disgusting off-white paint that is not porous in the least, so the graphite wouldn't stick, much less the CaCO2 which I had to use to make the eyes and tears not disgusting off-white.

I hate the hair... I really needed to shade it...

 

So you're doing wall murals now? Very cool! It's a bit tough to tell from the photo how large this is, but I expect, on a wall, that it's quite large--and it's tough to work on such a scale, so again--good job! You mentioned you're not happy with the hair--as this is sort of a fantasy-type piece, remember that the hair doesn't necessarily have to look real. It is a little straight, though--I think if you'd swept in some waves, it would have had a little softer feel to it... The expression is very touching--with the gaze turned upward and the streaming tears, it's quite a heart-tug! And much better here with the eye--we can tell that the gaze is focused forward. I like it a lot, and admire that you undertook such a largescale rendering (even if it is temporary, as you said!).

FF

 

I have coloured one of Falcon Fan's works of art, (See below)
http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/saba1.jpg
This is the original Falcon Fan art.

And here is my colouring of it...
http://www.picturehosting.com/images/carnemegel/saba_1.jpg
Actually, I coloured it a long time ago... But finally got around to asking if I could post it only recently...

The elf picture is probably four feet long by 2 1/2 maybe 3 feet tall...

That's why I'm so frustrated with the hair, I couldn't get it to wave like I wanted it to, And I couldn't shade it! ARGH!

The tears are too white though... The Calcuim Carbonate didn't want to stick to the wall, so I had to grind the piece up and make a paste out of it... And then I couldn't get it to go on in a thin line... (I was using only crude materials... All I had for a brush was a 2" puck of foam....)

But I was fairly pleased with how the eye turned out...

 

Very nice coloring of FalconFan's artwork. I like how the dark colors make the alien even more dangerous looking (I can't remember the alien's name... is it Sabe?)

Great work!!

AG88

 

Oh yeah...I remember this one: I think you shared it in my thread, sometime close to when I posted the drawing, and I know everyone was raving about it then! So yes-yes--it's high-time you put this up in your own thread and took some well-deserved credit for a job superbly done!

I still love the dark background you used here--it really makes her stand out, and like AG88 said, it makes her "feel" more dangerous! Such a fantastic job! And in case anyone's not familiar with the character: it's the Barabel Jedi Master Saba Sebatyne, one of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Masters in the New Jedi Order. Thank you, E_B_G for making the drawing something really special!

FF

 

These pics rock and you did a wonderful job coloring the eyes! I love the glitter there. So much life. However, I have to agree and say that you might want to check the anatomy books unless the twi'lek was supposed to be old. Women generally have larger hips and sturdier legs.

Gotta love that Jaina pic.

As for the coloring, that is soo awesome! Did you Photoshop Falcon's art? How did you manage to retain the shading as you colored?