Zeus [SwedishJazz] Draws - critique appreciated

[SwedishJazz]

EDIT: I'll be putting newer art at the top of this post every now and then, since the files in this post are pretty outdated and don't leave the best first impression. I really recommend checking out the latest page of this thread instead of this post!



Hello! I've been here only a day, but I'm excited to receive feedback on my artwork. I had a fairly long break from drawing due to health-related issues, and I can't wait to get back in the groove.

Right now, I'm trying to find a style that I'd be comfortable with for visual novels; and though I'll only be able to tell for sure once I've finished one or two, any critique re: my exploration will be appreciated!

When designing characters, I like to concentrate on expressions and unique facial features; I'm also trying to broaden my range to make drawing older + uglier characters easier. What I really dislike is the refining stage - I'm not confident in my linework (though the vector + pressure tools in SAI are making it easier for me), and would often prefer to leave it sketchy, but I'm worried that it would give the VN a sloppy look.

Right now, I'm working on a practice set of sprites for this character (lineart still in progress, though mostly finished);

I'd be happy if I got feedback on the following questions:
1. Is the character memorable? Does she seem unique enough that you would recognize her if you saw a picture of her a week form now?
2. What do you think of the lineart quality? Do you think it would take away form the character if it was sloppier? Do you think it could stand to be neater?
3. Are the rough poses clear in what emotion they represent? Do they give a good idea of what the character's pesonality is like?

I'll be grateful for constructive critique!

[King-sama]

Answering your qs~
-I don't think I will remember her a week later...give her something weird? or recognizable something that isn't too common (like weird earring or something like that (....lizard earing..? I imagine her to be wearing a colorful lizard earring with dark colored outfits (and maybe a bit of colorfulness in it?) or hot pink? with some makeup anddd with a caramel skin color~ she will be muah, perfect! o//w//o)b
-pretty near~~ don't need to change
-aaah, I am not sure....I feel that she's outgoing and sercastic?? ^^'
Hope your health will be back coz I am excited to see more of your art (finished) <3
Good luck!!

[SwedishJazz]

Answering your qs~
-I don't think I will remember her a week later...give her something weird? or recognizable something that isn't too common (like weird earring or something like that (....lizard earing..? I imagine her to be wearing a colorful lizard earring with dark colored outfits (and maybe a bit of colorfulness in it?) or hot pink? with some makeup anddd with a caramel skin color~ she will be muah, perfect! o//w//o)b
-pretty near~~ don't need to change
-aaah, I am not sure....I feel that she's outgoing and sercastic?? ^^'
Hope your health will be back coz I am excited to see more of your art (finished) <3
Good luck!!

Thank you for both the critique and the wishes!

I was kind of going for a sleek design wiht this character, hoping that a colorful brocade pattern on the epaulets vs. a plain dress will be memorable enough, but I'll try adding some accessory to make the lines themselves stand out a little more, because without colors, she does look a little plain.

[Drew]

I'd be happy if I got feedback on the following questions:

1. Is the character memorable? Does she seem unique enough that you would recognize her if you saw a picture of her a week form now?

Yes, probably, she's has an atypical design, and doesn't fall into the usual 'attractive' tropes.

2. What do you think of the lineart quality? Do you think it would take away form the character if it was sloppier? Do you think it could stand to be neater?

I'm not sure.

3. Are the rough poses clear in what emotion they represent? Do they give a good idea of what the character's pesonality is like?

I'm not sure it counts as an emotion: calm/controlled/calculating, like a politician/leader

Also I saw your tumblr post about using youtube for reference images for hands, that's a great idea!

[SwedishJazz]

I'd be happy if I got feedback on the following questions:

1. Is the character memorable? Does she seem unique enough that you would recognize her if you saw a picture of her a week form now?

Yes, probably, she's has an atypical design, and doesn't fall into the usual 'attractive' tropes.

2. What do you think of the lineart quality? Do you think it would take away form the character if it was sloppier? Do you think it could stand to be neater?

I'm not sure.

3. Are the rough poses clear in what emotion they represent? Do they give a good idea of what the character's pesonality is like?

I'm not sure it counts as an emotion: calm/controlled/calculating, like a politician/leader

Also I saw your tumblr post about using youtube for reference images for hands, that's a great idea!

Thank you very much for feedback! I'm glad you found the youtube trick useful; I'm always keen to find out new sources for references. (another tip: a good place to find sprite poses? Lookbook videos!)

[Drew]

No worries, thanks - that's another good tip.

Your art reminds me some concept art I saw a while ago. Not sure if it was you.

You say you're trying to find a style for visual novels what you have works well, it's a refreshing change - I guess from a purely business point of view the more anime styles are popular. But I've heard it said, and I'm inclined to agree, that anime-styles work wells for more typical games (Japanese settings etc) but for fantasy-games/European-settings non-anime styles actually give a better setting as they don't have the connotations that an anime style does.

[SwedishJazz]

No worries, thanks - that's another good tip.

Your art reminds me some concept art I saw a while ago. Not sure if it was you.

You say you're trying to find a style for visual novels what you have works well, it's a refreshing change - I guess from a purely business point of view the more anime styles are popular. But I've heard it said, and I'm inclined to agree, that anime-styles work wells for more typical games (Japanese settings etc) but for fantasy-games/European-settings non-anime styles actually give a better setting as they don't have the connotations that an anime style does.

Hard to tell! Was it this or this?

Oh, I definitely wouldn't switch to anime! I have nothing against it, but I'm comfortable with my style, and I do think that having something to make you stand out is not a disadvantage at all. But I'm trying to find what sorts of lineart/coloring have a good effort to effect ratio.

EDIT:
I've had a pretty busy week, so I haven't had the chance to finish the sprite above, but I did draw a Jenassa from Skyrim with a fancy hairdo, so.

[SwedishJazz]

Here's a commission I finished yesterday. Lineart is the most painful (literally, it hurts my wrist) part to me, so I'd appreciate feedback on whether this lineart style would be flattering for a visual novel sprite? Considering the sprite would most likely be smaller than this, would the choppiness even be noticeable? I think it strikes a nice balance between quality and sweat and tears needed to produce it.

[SwedishJazz]

A WIP of a practice/commission example full-body sprite!

[E-l337]

Commenting on that commission you did: If you want to use stuff like this for sprites, one thing you'll want to keep in mind is that you will want to clean up the lineart at least on the edges. It's okay if there's some sketchiness inside the sprite itself, but you want to get rid of any dangly bits outside of the sprite itself. Any stray lines or specks surrounding the character can really stand out, especially when placed against a variety of backgrounds.

Clean up the stray bits, maybe consider giving an edge outline to the character (or not, not sure how it would look stylistically) and I think they could work pretty well. But definitely clean up the edges.

Otherwise, I really like your sketches. Keep up the good work!

[SwedishJazz]

Commenting on that commission you did: If you want to use stuff like this for sprites, one thing you'll want to keep in mind is that you will want to clean up the lineart at least on the edges. It's okay if there's some sketchiness inside the sprite itself, but you want to get rid of any dangly bits outside of the sprite itself. Any stray lines or specks surrounding the character can really stand out, especially when placed against a variety of backgrounds.

Clean up the stray bits, maybe consider giving an edge outline to the character (or not, not sure how it would look stylistically) and I think they could work pretty well. But definitely clean up the edges.

Otherwise, I really like your sketches. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for your input! I will keep it in mind!

EDIT:
Lineart progress!

I try to do one quick environment + one material study a day, and I quite like today's:

[E-l337]

That's a super good habit to keep. The Onyx study is really amazing. Great attention to detail. I had to do a few doubletakes to realize that thumbnail wasn't a photo at first glance. Great job!

The environment is pretty nice as well. Feels like a speedpaint (which I am guessing it was), which isn't bad. I'm curious how long you worked on that particular piece.

Also, on your latest sketch, I just noticed something I can't believe didn't jump out at me before - her right foot seems awkwardly twisted. In fact, it looks kind of painful? Since you've already started inking, I'm not honestly sure what can be done to fix the anatomical perspective there. I feel like we should be seeing more of the sole of her boot though...

Action poses are always tricky things. Did you use any reference for it?

[SwedishJazz]

That's a super good habit to keep. The Onyx study is really amazing. Great attention to detail. I had to do a few doubletakes to realize that thumbnail wasn't a photo at first glance. Great job!

The environment is pretty nice as well. Feels like a speedpaint (which I am guessing it was), which isn't bad. I'm curious how long you worked on that particular piece.

Also, on your latest sketch, I just noticed something I can't believe didn't jump out at me before - her right foot seems awkwardly twisted. In fact, it looks kind of painful? Since you've already started inking, I'm not honestly sure what can be done to fix the anatomical perspective there. I feel like we should be seeing more of the sole of her boot though...

Action poses are always tricky things. Did you use any reference for it?

Thanks! Not sure about the environment - about an hour, probably? I wasn't keeping track. I'm only on day 5 of that exercise schedule, so they still take me a fair bit of time.

And no, I didn't use a reference for that pose; I used the vector tool line that particular part, so tweaking it won't be a problem. i'll fiddle with it tomorrow to see if I can get the angle to look more natural.

Thank you for your feedback!

[SwedishJazz]

An attempt at nailing a chibi/toon style.

And here's a commission I finished several days ago - a friend ordered a painting of her bunny for her boyfriend's birthday.

[SwedishJazz]

A bit of new stuff, a bit of old!