Sayadear's art! Would appreciate critique <3

[sayadear]

So, I haven't really done a ton digital art, which makes it pretty difficult for me. I started digital art a few years ago, but haven't had much time to practice since each digital piece currently takes 5-10 hours for me. It's rough.

I also have two main styles: a cartoony style with exaggerated proportions, and a slightly more realistic style. And when I say realistic, I most mean that proportions are a bit more realistic.

My major issues are with my coloring/shading, and with the way I draw clothes. I don't think it looks especially natural.

Here are two reference images! (the final drawing in the "realistic" collage isn't exactly...realistically proportioned. I just didn't see it as exaggerated enough for the other category.)





I would love some feedback on what to work on and how I can maybe go about improving my artwork! Digital lineart also takes me an incredibly long time. That's the bulk of the time I take doing digital stuff.

Thanks! <3

[Sophrigerator]

(By the way, LOVE the Kill la Kill and Fire Emblem fanart)

What program (or programs) is used for your digital art? Something, it just depends on what you're using, just the way coloring Crayolas differs from coloring with Prismacolors.

A tip I have on coloring and shading - always use multiply and color dodge! Multiply helps a lot with shading, and gives much more output with less input work. Color dodge is for epic-looking highlighting. It gives your piece some extra flair.

Try messing wit opacity too! This is a simple way to add shadows and lighting.

Clothing-wise, here's my personal tip: references, references, references! Even the best artists - Leonardo da Vinci for the Mona Lisa, Frida Kahlo for pretty much everything she made - use references. Study how an upward-sourcing light hits a grey blouse. How do skirts flow in the breeze? Google and stock images are always good sources for references. For practice, sometimes I draw the same outfit on different body types.

Your backgrounds look great, but they can match your main subject more. Like in the painting of Corrin, the grass is more saturated than Corrin herself, which takes away from the focus - our awesome dragon princess! To fix this, try adjusting the levels of the background, or using the Gaussian blur effect.

I really hope this helps. You're doing amazing. Keep at it!

[sayadear]

@Sophrigerator

Thank you so much!! And I used to use Sketchbook Pro, but lately I've been trying to focus on Paint Tool Sai with the occasional Photoshop. I much prefer Sai though.

But that's really helpful with both the shading and the clothing advice. I've barely used multiply or color dodge, so I should definitely check them out.

All of the feedback is great though! Lately, I've been really wanting to improve, but I haven't really been able to figure out how to start improving my problem areas. So the critique is very much appreciated!

[Sophrigerator]

Paint Tool Sai is a great program! I've dabbled in it myself, as well as Photoshop, but I'm more inclined to use my tablet for art XD

Here's a really great Tumblr account that focuses on the care and keeping of Sai. I've found it helpful and humorous all at the same time: http://saistuff.tumblr.com/

It's got a lot of good posts, and it may have advice for your lineart issues!

Stick with your art, you're talented and eager to learn! As always, hope this helps.