Is he cute? I'm new at dating sim characters

[JustJessicaJ]

I am awful at drawing and I recently got a BAMBOO tablet because I thought it could help. All it seems to do is make the pixels way to big, but would he be acceptable for a dating sim? I don't know how to shade or do highlights in his hair or anything. Any suggestions? I really want to make a visual novel, but my art abilities are holding me back.

This would be Callidus. The "bad boy/killer" type.

EDIT; Okay I just got Photoshop and totally re-did him. Any improvement? I re-designed his outfit, and he kind of looks like a different person, but that's okay, I guess. He isn't as "Pixel"-y.

I also designed another character, Lucian.

Is he okay?

[Death_HUG]

I would suggest working on a large canvas and when your done with the picture, shrink it down so that way the picture will have smoother lines.
http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&secti ... p+tutorial
DeviantART has a lot of tutorials, I would suggest looking at some.
His shoulders are straight, but they should slope down a little.(Just look at your shoulders ^^;)
But he looks okay, improve somethings and I think he'll be okay for a VN.

[JustJessicaJ]

I didn't use photoshop. Do you have to purchase it?

[Death_HUG]

You don't? I have a bamboo tablet too and it came with photoshop, so I thought you had it. But if you don't have photoshop, you have to purchase it.

[JustJessicaJ]

paint.net. Mine came with photoshop too, but it just won't download

[sayuri]

Yes, Photoshop is pretty pricey. Personally, I don't think it's worth it unless you intend to use it professionally. There are free programs, like SAI and Opencanvas, that you should check out first. As for the drawing, take Death_Hug's advice. It's so much easier drawing the head large, then the body, ect. I don't know what program you are using, but those two I mentioned have tools like layers that will let you use shading and not having to worry so much when erasing, lol. My favorite program for lineart when starting out is Manga Studio Debut because it has a beginner's guide. It costs, like, $30 so its not a big investment.

Your drawing really isn't that bad. You certainly aren't horrible. With practice you will be just fine. All you need to do is practice everyday with your tablet. Here's a collection of tutorials and reference pictures I have on my deviantart: http://ladyalistar.deviantart.com/favou ... 8?offset=0

Also, just for fun, I'll show you my first tablet attempt and my most recent one since I've been practicing a bit more.





(And yes, I'm giving a horrible example with my floating heads, but I'm an amateur too XD)

[LVUER]

Then you could try GIMP or SAI Paint Tools. Both are great for drawing and lineart, and far cheaper compared to Photoshop.

[Death_HUG]

I decided to redline your picture, hope you don't mind ^^;
His eyes were off, you should have moved the left eye a little bit more to the left. Also the space between his eyes should be one(of his)eye length. Halfway between his eyes and chin, there should be the nose. Halfway between his nose and chin, there should be the mouth. Between his eyes and nose, is where the ears are located.
His body was off too. His lower and upper arm length should be the same. His elbows should be where the torso curves in. (Just look at the picture, I don't know how to phrase this correctly.) His wrist should be where the crotch is.
I suggest you draw guidelines so you can draw everything in place and then draw the clothes above his body.
Er, that's everything and I hope this was helpful. I'm still an amateur, so some things might be off.

[15385bic]

Does look quite pixelly - i use sai and photoshop
although sai is way easier on the lines. you need to have a program that can use pressure sensitivity otherwise u may as well use a mouse and it'll do the same job

plus if you got photoshop at school - you can probably get the whole program for free - thats what i did XD

[Taleweaver]

Is he cute? I'm new at dating sim characters

I somehow read this line wrong... what I understood was "I'm new at dating characters from a sim"... which I found a little peculiar...

Anyway, aside from the purely technical qualities of your character (other people are better at discussing that than I am), I find it difficult to call a character "cute" if he has classic "nekojin teeth", a supervillain cape and one missing sleeve. This guy looks like trouble and would make a good character for the role of a guy who constantly tease the female protagonist (because that's his way to express affection), and she would flatly deny that she has even the slightest interest in him, even though she likes his outgoing personality.

[modesty]

The 2nd version is definitely an improvement over the first design. Character design is a fun challenge I think and you're exhibiting some of the basics very well. Color choice, pose and expression tell a lot about a character and your characters both do this rather well.

Currently, the anatomy issues really throw things off. Neither tablet nor program can help improve these things. The characters proportions are wonky, so I would echo death_HUG in encouraging you to create a character with guidelines to help avoid common anatomy mistakes. It also makes posing easier and makes the character feel solid.
Callidus:(2nd image)

He has a bit of female anatomy on him.

Lucian:

(err...my drawing isn't much better. That's what happens when I rush.)

This isn't trying to discourage you at all. (That's not my intention!) It takes a LOT of practice to make characters look good. Take your time.
http://www.drowtales.com/ua/main.php?g2_itemId=19611 <--I started just like you. (Long necks and everything)

Otherwise These guys have the potential to be very cute.

[felisselita]

Hello, I'd like to give my comments.

Firstly, you said that you're using paint. I think it's not a good program to really draw, I mean sketching with it is okay but coloring with it is actually a no-no. I suggest you try GIMP, it looks like photoshop but it's freeware.

The first character, Callidus, I kind of agree to one of the comments above that he looks a bit too villain-ish. If you really want to make Callidus cute, I suggest you making his costume cuter, like loose jacket or T-shirt or something. Trust me, it will look cuter, even if it's still dark-colored. Oh, and I think you may want to redo the lines of his hair. I like the first one's hair. Did you use a big-sized brush on the second design? Because hair usually looks better with small-sized brush.

For Lucian... I don't know, I think he's a bit too girly. Cute, yes, if you'd redo his body (it doesn't look proportioned). And maybe his face is a bit too girly...

Well, hope that can be a help. Sorry If I seem too harsh, I didn't mean it that way, really m(_ _)m

[Watercolorheart]

The arms and hands need to be a bit more detailed... Seconding the suggestion to hit up DeviantArt for tutorials and also piping up with the Stock Resources has portraits of males and females that can be used for reference for any artist that is well and truly stuck.

There's also this (warning, some nudity, nonpornographic) http://fineart.sk/photo-references/huma ... artistscom

[tecm]

Speaking from the perspective of a non (visual) artist which may be either useful or rather useless, I think your first one looks perfectly good, though granted the second iteration does show improvement. I agree with taleweaver though, the teeth are a bit off putting. Lucian is adorable, as a final note.