Random Self-Critique

[the_gneech]

Dear Gneech:

When you revamp your art style for the new version of SJ, you need to keep the following in mind:

• Cut back on those huge, horizontal muzzles. They get in the way of characters' eyes!


• Speaking of eyes, make them a tad bigger generally. Not anime-huge, but bigger than the little beads you tend to do now. (With the exception of Stretch Ferret, of course!)


• Use more photo reference. It always improves your art by 200%.


• Thumbnail first. Don't compose on the page.


• When possible, put at least a week between the draft and the final product.


• More shadows in the inks. Practice this muchly!


• Rulers are your friend. You know you can't draw a decent straight line without one. Don't be lazy!


• Ditto model sheets. Particularly since you're redoing all of the character designs anyway.


• Speaking of models, work out new marking/mask sheets and stick to 'em. Try to keep the markings on the hands/feet very simple, to avoid clutter around what are already difficult areas to draw.


• Study Sue, Vince, Herbie, iktis muchly, particularly the character designs. Look for underlying structures.


• Your perspective sucks, except when it's great. Tighten this up.


• Don't be afraid to get more expressionist. Make Dover skinnier, Katie chunkier, Tiffany curvier, etc. Not to the point of total distortion, but more than you do now.


• Try to be looking at good art when you're getting ready to draw. Think about what makes it good and incorporate that!


• Finally, don't get discouraged. Look how far you've come!

Your pal and second-harshest critic,
The Gneech

PS: Other critiques welcome. :) I'm mostly posting this here so I'll remember it.

Comments

[galadrion.livejournal.com]

So just out of curiosity, who's your first-harshest critic? *grin*

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

It was another Keenspot artist, actually, but I forget who now. Not somebody I've met in person. But they ranted in their blog for a good two or three paragraphs about how rotten my art was. It was a couple of years ago.

-TG