Young Artist Looking For Critique!

[PsygenF]

Hi, I'm Psygen! I'm 15 and I've been drawing since I was, like, 3. My strong suit is very simple stylized characters; the best way I can describe my style is somewhere between Western comics and Steven Universe. (Sounds cliche but that's the best comparison I could make)

But don't just take my word for it - take a look at my most recent digital drawing!
(I would add more pictures but I cleaned out my art folder a while ago and haven't added much to it since then...I'll eventually add more art to this thread though!)



My main question is: Would an art style similar to this image work well in a visual novel? I admit my confidence wavers a bit when everyone else's VNs have such polished and detailed artwork. (Everyone always tells me I'll get better with age, so I try not to let it get to me.) I've yet to see a VN with a style that closely resembles mine, but hey, maybe that's good!

If you have anything to say about it, tell me! I'm always willing to take a second opinion on my art to help myself improve

P.S: If I was supposed to attach a file instead of linking the image, let me know too. I'm still new to the forum after all!

[gekiganwing]

My main question is: Would an art style similar to this image work well in a visual novel?

I think that any type of art can work. In my opinion, an exaggerated / cartoonish art style is appropriate for a humorous story set in a world that's not realistic. I think it would seem out of place in a story that's downbeat, dour, or horrifying. (If you want to create a VN where the art contrasts with the story, that's possible, though it would be a challenge.)

...take a look at my most recent digital drawing!

I looked at the drawing for a few minutes, and had a few questions...
* The character has round "Hartman hips" and relatively thick legs. By comparison, her shoulders look a bit narrow, and her arms appear thin. I know this art is not meant to be realistic. However, I'm left wondering whether her upper body features should match her lower body.
* Could she wear the skirt without the risk of it falling down? Would it require a belt?
* Would it be a challenge for her to walk in high heels?

[robovelociraptor]

Would an art style similar to this image work well in a visual novel?

I agree with gekiganwing on this one, I think any art style can work in a VN, as long as it's high quality. In fact, I think a unique art style can serve to make a VN more memorable.

--

As for your style, I've got a few critiques for you:
- Her upper body is leaning too far to the left. I recommend flipping the image often when you're drawing to prevent this.
- I actually really like her exaggerated proportions, it gives her more character and makes her more unique, but I feel like her torso should be shorter.
- Some of your shading is too saturated (heels, shirt, and hair) and could become more interesting if you used different hues to color with, similar to what you did with the skin. (Which was done well! ^^) I think you should go into more detail with your shading as well (ie. wrinkles in clothes, more shading on hair) and add highlights. Obviously, nothing extreme since your style is simple, but just a little more. Lastly, this may just be a personal preference, but I think your shading would look better cell-shaded w/ gradients, rather than soft-shaded.
- The irises of her eyes are not the same size. It'll take a while, but keep redrawing the lines until you can get them the same or close to it.
- And, last but not least, I recommend working on drawing hands and dynamic poses. The latter is very important imo when it comes to more simple, more exaggerated styles.

I hope this advice could help you! I look forward to seeing more from you in the future! Good luck and never give up!