About my artwork....

[demonangelz]

I'm still new on the whole shading thing using the computer>< erm...if i put this kind of artwork into my game, this would be like one of the cgs i might use, is it good? I know that artwork would matter since this is an otome game so would this b good artwork that ppl might play it...? Just the picture-wise, not story-wise =P Ignore the mistake with her hair being cut off at the end, that was an accident from photoshop XP

[TakeOverWorld]

Well, even if the artwork isn't jaw droppingly good, people will still play the game (bear in mind I'm not saying your artwork is bad.)
Anyways, some general critique on the picture you posted - Her head is a bit too large for her body, and the jaw line is up too high.
Just out of curiosity, how did you draw this? Like on pen on paper, or tablet, or something?

[demonangelz]

I was using the tablet for the first time xP I thought about scanning a picture but then found out it's hard to trace using the tablet><

[Fawn]

Did you draw that background too? if not you really should give credit (or not use it at all, especially if it's something from a commercial game/anime)

You should work on your anatomy, there is a large lack of structure in the girl's body. Basic proportions to remember are that eyes are 1/4th of an eye length away from the side of the head and 1 eye length apart; shoulders for a female are typically 2 heads width apart and the body is 6 to 7 heads long.

As for digital coloring, read tutorials and "dissect" some of your favorite art in photoshop. (such as using the eyedropper tool to find out what kinds of color palates your favorite artists use. Also learn about light sources and experiment- it will take you a long time to develop high-level skills, but you can do it faster by studying!!

If you can, you should try to find a book called "How to draw manga: Yaoi". It doesn't actually have any yaoi in it, but it teaches you proportions and how to draw pretty boys, which will definitely help you make an otome game! Hope that helps. @v@

[Blue Lemma]

Practice practice practice

I'm seeing some shaky lines (probably from your newness to tablets) and some body proportion issues with the head being too big and facial features being too low. The good news is that if you make a good game, you should be able to find someone to do art who specializes more in it, or if you keep it with your own art, many people will still enjoy the game since it serves its main purpose. Story matters most.

[SusanTheCat]

That is pretty awesome for beginner tablet.

The one thing that bugs me is her hair is blowing one way and her scarf is blowing another. [EDIT] I like the image as a whole. It has a very romantic windy day feel.

If that is your first work with tablet, you are on your way!

Susan

[wingzofdarkness]

It is a great start as your early digital artwork. Lots of props for you. Do you use a tablet?

My response:
I suggest focusing on where the light source is coming from and how strong it is before you start shading. And way before you start coloring, make sure to check your line art by flipping the image over to make sure that its mirrored self looks good. It is a very helpful technique. As well, know where the wind is blowing.
I see very little shading/contrast on the girl. Try making the shadows bigger and use more shades. For the standard cell-shading technique, you should have at least three tones in one color: highlight, midtone, and shadow. The more color you use, the more detailed the picture will be.

As stated earlier, the drawing style of the girl is different from the background you have used. I am guessing you either used a custom brush or it is a picture you just copied and pasted from the internet. If so, you should definitely credit the site you took it from. It is stealing if you don't.

[demonangelz]

the picture i took it somewhere off google so should i hav put the credit for it like at the corner of the drawing? i kinda added my own random blossoms blowing in the wind by drawing them in photoshop XP i'll start by checking tutorials for how to draw on the tablet since i noticed i didnt have as much control on it as i did on paper which could have been y the head turned out too big (then again i have issues sometimes with the head on paper too, i need to practice more using other pictures for references) ><
i'll try to find that book at amazon or one of the local book stores close by XP
i was never good at shadows but i'll try drawing pictures from different artists n look at the light/shadows, hopefully ill get it over time =P
ty so much for ur help and the suggestions everyone XD

[demonangelz]

n one more thing, srry for the double post XP is there a website that can show me step by step of how to draw the shadows and lighting on a picture ive been looking around with google but so far i can only find websites about shadow and light on the skin and hair ><

[Sapphi]

the picture i took it somewhere off google so should i hav put the credit for it like at the corner of the drawing?

If you took it "somewhere off google" it wouldn't really matter if you gave credit, because you shouldn't be using it at all. I think everyone who suggested giving credit probably thought that you were using a free resource and wanted to make sure you weren't claiming it as your own work. If you don't have permission to use the picture though, IE you just found it with a search engine... then that's not good.

[lucy]

I know that artwork would matter since this is an otome game so would this b good artwork that ppl might play it...?

Mmm... quite frankly No and Yes... slightly edging towards No

Yes = There will always be people that will give your game a try but these group of people belong to the minority group who reads Visual Novels because of the story... of course, a really superb story can offset the not so good art but for that your story had to be really good and immersive (is that a word?) and put in a way that can stimulate the imagination of the reader... it is possible but only a few people possesses this talent to write something like that...

No = Let's face it... most people will judge (or initially judge) a VN's quality via visuals. Humans are primarily Visual Monkeys and most of the time will make decisions based on what can be seen. A Visual Novel is a Novel with Visuals. Your VN writing might be Twilight (BARF... excuse me) or Harry Potter Level but placed side-by-side on equal terms with a properly drawn smut material using anime moe-moe style... chances are people will grab the smut one...

So you got two options... one is to master the art of writing... easier than said than done or you could try and improve your drawing via certain techniques...

Now about your drawing... it's not bad but could use some improvements... I really do suggest you practice the mirror technique.... you take your lineart in photochop then flip it horizontally. You'll be suprized at how easily you can spot the areas that needed correction. You reduce the opacity of the original lineart and ad a new layer on top and trace and correct the drawing... flip and repeat until satisfied... of course practice is still required but this technique speeds things up...

"POOF" (Runs away in case people starts throwing tomatoes at me)

[Auro-Cyanide]

the picture i took it somewhere off google so should i hav put the credit for it like at the corner of the drawing? i kinda added my own random blossoms blowing in the wind by drawing them in photoshop XP i'll start by checking tutorials for how to draw on the tablet since i noticed i didnt have as much control on it as i did on paper which could have been y the head turned out too big (then again i have issues sometimes with the head on paper too, i need to practice more using other pictures for references) ><
i'll try to find that book at amazon or one of the local book stores close by XP
i was never good at shadows but i'll try drawing pictures from different artists n look at the light/shadows, hopefully ill get it over time =P
ty so much for ur help and the suggestions everyone XD

There are no actual tutorials for how to draw with a tablet. Only practice is going to help with that. It took me, 4ish years or so to figure out the right way for me to get clean and fast lineart. It's fairly normal to feel a discrepancy between paper and tablet, but the main problems actual arise from the technique. Quite often you need to draw from the elbow with a tablet, not the wrist. It is similar to the correct technique to use when drawing on anything larger than A4.

Issues with contrast is also a common problem with beginners. They are usually scared to use strong contrasting colours, which is ridiculous fear with digital art. Just create a new layer. If it doesn't work out you can delete it and try again. There are quite a few good tutorials around, try looking on Deviantart.

As for you actual drawing. The best thing you can do is to study anatomy and practice. Over and over again. It is the only way to get better. Also get in the habit of using a skeleton sketch to start out and start applying the knowledge you learn from anatomy.

[Joey]

I don't know, I think for a first tablet piece it's pretty good. (I, for one, can't draw anything like that >_>) Sure there are anatomy issues, but I'm sure you'll get better if you keep practicing

Can't wait to see how your game works out!

[demonangelz]

@sapphi- i was putting the background to show how it would look cgish style, didnt no i had to b given permission for it, i'm gonna draw my own backgrounds for the game though, just having trouble with the shadows and shading XP
@lucy- wow that reallly awesome, i wish i could draw like that 0.o ty for taking ur time to make the improvements on my drawing, it rly helped me c where the shadows are n not to mention the correct anatomy XD
@auro ive been putting wrist on table so ill try elbow on table, i nvr used a skeleton model before but ill try that n c how it goes XP ty for the advice XD
@joey i hope my game will work out lol, im gonna practice drawing correct porportions in btwn writing the script XP
ty again everyone so much, u guys rly helped me out nvr wouldve been able to c the problems on my own (bad artist eyes ><)

[Crocosquirrel]

Demonangelz, I'm going to do something for you that I'm usually loathe to do:

I know a way to get you a digital 'skeleton' that you can pose yourself with minimal difficulty, as long as you promise not to stop drawing in favor of 3D rendering:

Sign up for an account here: http://www.daz3d.com
add http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d-models/-/daz- ... item=12194 to your cart, and 'buy' it. It's free at this point, so you're not out anything.

It comes with a humanoid model that you can make changed to, pose, and otherwise generally mangle at will, for male and female anatomy, etc. You have some talent, in my mind, so what you need is practice and examples. Use that. It will help.