and what we can learn from them.Before we start - I'll let you know I'm not about to start laying into commissions I've done in the past for anyone else. There have been some I have not been happy with - especially in the early days. I did not have as much experience and I was trying my best - so I'm letting bygones be bygones. I learnt a lot from those about managing expectations, not rushing and that it would have been totally ok to start again! I don't think there is much kindness in making fun of past work when it's the best you could do at the time. You never know who is reading or watching and comparing. These 5 are all from my Inktober challenges - where you do a piece a day to a prompt. I didn't have the time to fix them or always properly plan which had some... interesting results! These are my 5 worst 'posts' on Instagram that I still to this day - cringe a little to look at. Ok - that is dramatic. I'll be offering positives, constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement. No. 1 - 'Thorly Out of Proportion' Here we have the mighty God of thunder - except he's a bit out of proportion and lacking the drama he deserves! The Positives - Nice use of colour - Concept is pretty cool! - I now have Thunderstruck by ACDC in my head and you do too. Constructive Criticism - Needs more depth with light and shadow - More attention to detail on body proportions Suggestions - Redraw with a larger torso and hands in proportion - Add more shadow and light to the clouds - Perhaps as an acrylic this would reach the level of drama needed of a Greek God! No.2 'Strange Things going on' It's 2019 - we're all deep into Stranger Things obsession. The Positives - Cool screenshot reference to use, I remember going digging through episodes - I like the texture detail on his hair - At first glance it's pretty cool Constructive Criticism - It's missing structure in Lucas's face making him a bit too 2D - That hand is wayyy too small on the left Suggestions - Draw it bigger to get that detail! I remember them all being in an A4 sketchbook - Fix those hands with size reference - Do some warm up practice on Lucas's facial structure No. 3 'She's furious you didn't try again!' Firstly, why does this feel exactly the same as the previous?! Let's see if the P, CC and S are the same. I also think I was on tour doing these and on an absolute schedule. So kudos for finishing! The Positives - Nice colour scheme - very Mad Max - I like the effort on the arm structure - Textures on the body are pretty cool Constructive Criticism - Even at this point I know I rushed that hand. - Unclear structure to Furiosa's outfit - Face needs more study Suggestions - I think this was A5 so - you guessed it - draw it bigger! - Sketch out a shape plan for the top and harness - Use a ruler for the gun to make it pop! No.4 'Not Dave Grohl'. No, this is not a skew-wiff Dave Ghrol. I have been asked. The Positives - Good shadows and lights - I like the hair on the edges - I like the eyes too - when I look at them as a section they look pretty well proportioned Constructive Criticism - I know for a fact that the reference photo I used that man had a different lower facial structure - Hands - alas Suggestions - Do some practice sketches to loosen up and explore his face shape beneath the hair - The hand needs more definition from the face with shadows - Draw out a map for the whole sketch first No.5 'Hulkin' Out'. A decent attempt was made but there's something going on here! The Positives - It's obviously the Hulk! - I like the texture on the trousers - Right hand is actually pretty good! Constructive Criticism - Not enough shadow and light - Face falls flat - Surface beneath needs to be straighter to give him a grounding Suggestions - Zoom in - pick a more dynamic pose - Use a ruler for the base - I think this is one for colour - taking away his green is weird! ConclusionPeople need time when we are drawing them! Inktober is super fun but a lot of pressure creating and posting drawings every day. I can see how much I have improved since this time in the way I can constructively criticize and offer suggestions for improvement. Constant practice is the best way forwards. The changes are incremental but over time they really make a difference! You can watch my older videos and a full review of 2019 and 2018 on my channel I have yet to decide if I'll try it again this October. |
Author My names Zoe, I'm an artist. I make art and hope to spread creative positivity wherever I go. Here's a deeper dive into what I'm up to. Check your Junk for confirmation email :)
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