If you are serious about your drawing and if you feel that what you have created is on the very limits of your skills, and need honest opinions on where you seem to be lacking and how to further improve - this is the place for you.

If you are only drawing for fun and feel like you just have accomplished something "above" your skills, this is not the place for getting encouragement. You will most likely get feedback on those things that are lacking.
Instead, you will get the most out of this section when you are honestly not completely happy with what you have achieved, and strive to go one step further.

The people giving critique here are often very experienced themselves and could have professional careers in art, so please have in mind that these people will give you their honest opinions about the art. There is rarely any point for you in explaining that you are just a beginner in some area - the critique is given on the art, not you.

Don't look for 'it's beautiful' every time, because again, it's about the art, not you. Nothing needs to be taken personally.

If you just want to show off your latest drawings that you are quite happy with to all the friends at Drawspace and get their opinions, do so in the "General"-section.

Give us a hint as to what you are trying to achieve with your drawing? Is it surreal? Realistic? Cartoon? Without guidance, critiques will be given on the assumption that you are aiming for a realistic interpretation.

This new Critique thread was created as the previous one was getting a little long and cumbersome to search through.

It will still be available in the General Discussion forum for anyone who wants to search through it for ideas and tips.

Critique Thread # 2
Critique Thread # 1

Hi,

I'm a newcomer to the site.

I have been painting for approx 6 months now, I've done 3 dog paintings and 3 other subjects so far.

I think this was probably the most challenging painting so far; painting black fur was very frustrating.

The right side of the picture seems a bit faded due to the camera flash on the varnish.

I really struggle with backgrounds which is why all my paintings have been flat colour backgrounds so far.

Are there any tutorials on backgrounds?

I would really appreciate any constructive criticism.

Thanks in advance!

Andrea

I think your drawing is quite good Andrea but a little unfinished. Is it coloured pencil? You didn't say. And what paper are you using?

You have your values in place and yes black fur is challenging, but only until you understand what makes black fur - well black. You really only register black fur by the addition of highlighted sections and the reverse is true for white fur, it is created by adding shading.

My critique in your drawing would be the lack of colour in the dog. When I draw black animals, I don't use a lot of black. I add reds, purples and blues to the mix if its coloured pencil to bring depth to the drawing and that is what I'd like to see in your drawing too.

In coloured pencil, many many layers are used to acheive colour depth. I would use no less than 3 or 4 in some places and as many as 10-15 in others.

As for backgrounds, they can make or break a drawing and really need to be put into place before your focal point (the dog) as they do dictate the levels of values in other areas of the drawing. I don't have a particular tutorial on backgrounds as they can be so varied. You could use a simple colour that would accent the animal or go for something detailed such as a treed setting, etc.

Thanks Jeanette for your honest reply.
It's a painting using acrylic paint on canvas.
I must admit I didn't use many other colours other than different shades of black & paynes grey. I will definitely take that on board.
Because the dog is so dark I thought a light creamy yellow background would be good and I thought a plain background wouldn't detract from the dog.
I also struggled with getting depth character in the eyes; I tried building up the layers using glazes but I think they may have been too thick as they often obscured the last level!!
BTW When I painted the white/brown dog below I mainly only used grey & bluey grey shading; what would you have used?
Andrea

Sorry I didn't realize it was acrylic, it looks rather like pencil.

A pale background would contrast but I would also 'ground' the dog by adding some shading to one side darkest closest to the animal and fading out.

Eyes can be tricky to get just the right colours and glow. At least with acrylic you can paint over if you're not pleased!

The yellow lab is sweet too. I love his chocolatey nose! I would have used warmer tones in the fur as the greys and white make it look too pale and the yellow labs usually aren't that light. Reds yellows and oranges, some blues in the shadows would work. I would also go darker round the eyes, nose and mouth. That would really make the portrait stand out and tend to be the focal points of these dogs.

You're on the right track, just be a bit more adventurous in colour and your portraits will be truly stunning.

This is my most recent portrait. I'm happy with how my work has been progressing, but on the other hand, right now I'm not sure what to do next to improve. There's no problem with the likeness in this drawing, so I'm not including the reference photo. What I want to hear are suggestions on improving my technique in general.

[attachmentid=4077]

Have you been reading my mind Ernest?! I'm at that sort of point myself in my artistic attempts in general - probing about - waiting for that light bulb to turn on again.

But let's get back to you. Where you go from here I suppose depends on what you wish to achieve. For instance, are you interested in more realism? In that case I would suggest you practice a different shading technique.

Your portrait is fine as far as it goes... the light and shade are in the right place etc. I do see a lot of blending though - which, again depending on what you are after, may be just fine too. What I would suggest is that you develop a shading technique that does not require blending at all except for the first overall light wash. From then on forget you know how to draw a straight line. Just go patiently and lightly in circles. My own method is perhaps not strict circulism.. my circles are not pinhead small and they are really one continuous line - meaning I don't lift the pencil off the paper. If you do this gently, gradually building your values you'll find you won't need to blend at all. Have a look at the snout of the fish I drew last week if you want to see what I'm talking about.

Next - you should be focusing on the hair. The hair in your portrait is a little monochrome... in my opinion it would be greatly improved with a few highlights. Check out some tutorials on hair.

That's the sum of my observations. - just my two cents of course....but since you asked...

Thanks so much, Rose!

Hi Everione
Here is my wife portrait, and reference picture that I used, I post in portrait 101, but I think this is the right place, I want your honest opinion

Rafael

Ernest, this might just be my personal taste, but unless this person has very dark skin I'd like to see more pure white highlights.


I think you did a good job with the sketch. I just see two small things. One, the upper lip might be too big, and her right cheek bone might be just a little too wide. I measure to find out correct measurements like this.

This is a good portrait and with a few little tweaks it will be super.

Rafael, recheck the mouth, the upper lip is too large and the lower lip on the left needs to be aligned more. Have another look at the pupils in the eyes too, they left doesn't seem to be rounded.

You haven't got a lot of distinct shadow in the reference image so you have to make it up a bit in your drawing to give the face more form. The drawing lacks values to me and seems a little bland. You can try posterizing the image to let the computer show you where the shadows lie and help you.

Ernest, I see this drawing as a sketch, not a finished drawing. Now, dependng on how detailed your want your work or not, that's fine in its own right.

If you are looking for realism as someone already said, then you need to polish up the hatching, shading or blending and decide which technique you will use in a drawing and stick with that technique for that particular piece and not hop all over the place with it.

To render areas of hair growth such as eyebrows and head hair, you need to follow the direction of growth and vary the values to indicate highlights and shadow.

Finally, I'd say don't be afraid of the darks. You can add a lot of impact by increasing values in drawing and the impact of the contrast will add a lot to your drawing.

Hi

BRB and Islander Thank for your advice, I start my drawing again for make corrections, I reserved the general form and I can copy in clean paper.

Rafael

Something is wrong with this, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's me on a roller coaster about 3 years ago. Please help!

Edit: It's not the teeth. My teeth are messed up. lol.

Edit again: I added the drawing of my little sister, Sophia. I adore this but I know it probably needs work... not as much as that last one though lol.

I'm no expert, but one comment I'd make is that the head seems too big for the body or the other way round.
BTW I'm referring to the picture of you!

Hope that helps a little.

Andrea

Just to add to that a bit, you should be able to fit one head on each shoulder. Brenda has a great lesson on facial proportions (H01) I am not sure if she has one for the body. Here are two links for proportions Sanford Art Ed and Real colour wheel.
Your doing good, keep at it.
Paulette

Ok all you sharp eyes out there, I want you to nit pick here. I've resized the two picture and my drawing and joined the two pictures of my son Jonathan and my daughter Robbie.

I'm not looking for "It's very good." I'm asking for things that I may have missed. Some things are different because I thought they would improve the drawing but feel free to point out anything you see that is different or that bothers you.

In other words pretend you are paying a hundred dollars for these sketches and want your money's worth.

Hi BRB,

I'm no expert but I would like to see more shading on your son's chin, he looks more feminine in your picture, perhaps a little stubble shading would help! And perhaps a few more strands of hair escaping rank?
Both pictures are extremely lifelike. The one of your daughter; wow, I love the eyes! She needs a little shading where her cheekbones are, and perhaps more detail in the lower parts of her hair. I love the top of her hair.

As I said, this is only my opinion, for what it's worth!

You are a very accomplished artist

Andrea

Yes, I agree with the stubble. He has it in the photo. I guess I was afraid I would over do it. He also has long eye lashes and that would also add to the femine look.

About Robbie, I guess I sometimes I quit too soon.

Thanks Andrea, I think you have very good perception.

BRB,

"About Robbie, I guess I sometimes I quit too soon."

Just a wee bit...I would love to see this with a wider range of values throughout his face to help sculpt his features and add depth...especially the eye sockets. The same can be said for his hair...the light source appears to be from the left so pulling out some highlights there and adding some darks will make his hair more believable. Also not sure if this is one of your intentional changes, but his eyebrows are rather thicker in the reference then what you have in the drawing. This would add to the likeness and help with a more masculine look!!!

If you're trying for more realism then I would use an H pencil to lay down a base tone in his eyes and skin. The whitest white should be the highlights in his eyes and glasses. You have captured a wonderful likeness of your son.

Now for your daughter...again more of the same...
Because there isn't a wider range of values she looks a bit flat and she has a fuller look to her face in your drawing. With more care to the molding of her features her face will appear thinner than it does now. You have to keep in mind that the camera flash washes things out a wee bit.

A few small tweaks...her right eyebrow is a little wider than you have...measure and compare to the coner of her eye in the reference and you'll be able to see the difference. Also her lower lip is a wee bit wider on the left side then you have drawn.

I love the top of her hair...I know curly hair is a real pain but if you put a few more details....highlights...darks and midtones...the bottom would look wonderful.

Again you have captured a great likeness!!! And I really admire your work!!!

Laura

Thanks for the use of your sharp eyes Laura. ;-)

It's amazing how I can see things after someone else points them out. ;-) I guess I wimped out on the hair. This style can be overwhelming. I do a lot of measuring but the shadows can create illusions at times.

At this time all I have is regular pencils, 4b, 6b, and 4h. I've ordered some 2b and 2h lead for my mechanical pencils. I've noticed that the 4h is a little too hard for what I need, and the regular lead can sometimes be too soft.

BRB --

I hope you don't mind one more comment. Laura stole one of my two main reactions to your son's portrait: the eyebrows. I have bushy eyebrows myself and I think they can make a big difference in someone's appearance

But my other one is that in my mind, the unusual angle needs more of his body included to ground the picture. I know he's wearing a white shirt in the photo but I'd be tempted to give him a dark colored shirt instead to round out the composition.

BRB,

If you try using a view finder...check Brenda's lessons for how to make your own...you can isolate areas of her hair. Which will help cut down on that "what the heck are my eyes really seeing in this hairy mess" feeling you get when you look at curly hair. Well at least it works for me. Good luck!!!

Laura

P.S. Ernest, I didn't steal it...hehehehe...I swear!

I got the courage up to work on Jonathan's sketch. I decided to start over on Robbie's. ;-)

Someone can tell me if they think this is an improvement, or if I messed it up, if they wish.

I like the eyebrows better...

When I had a ponytail (years back) it was not nearly so well-kempt as a woman's hair of the same length would be. I notice that you've cleaned up Jonathan's hair, made the ends more even, gotten rid of the split ends and the perhaps more natural growth typical of a man's long hair. This is very obvious on the right side of the picture (Jonathan's left). I think that's appropriate for a woman's portrait; I wonder if for a portrait of a man, if that isn't just damaging the likeness.

But (and I must kick myself for saying this) that's just splitting hairs. This is a great likeness regardless.

BRB,

The first one was fantastic! This one is even better!!!! Much better modeling of his features and the eyebrows are much more manly!!!!

There are only 2 things that really pop out at me...one there is a dark shadow on the left side just under those stray hairs...could actually be his sideburn...that is missing in your drawing and you have left out the white highlights in the lenses of his eyeglasses.

Other than that just incredible!!!

Laura

What I had in mind is simplifying it in hopes that it wouldn't distract, but I guess that could be distracting too, if it makes him look more feminine, right? If I remember correctly he had just came out of the shower and his hair was still wet.



You might be right about the sideburns. I left out the flash of the camera on the glasses on purpose. It didn't look right to me and I didn't feel comfortable enough darking around it. I don't think you would miss it if you didn't see the photo. After I put these together and posted them I noticed the shadows on his left side didn't look right so I've worked on them some more and I might do a little more to the right side burns.

I might blur the flash on the glasses in PSP if I use this on a future website. I do want them to be as near identical as possible.

Laura, check out how I removed the glare on the glasses. I did it one pixel at a time.

"Laura, check out how I removed the glare on the glasses. I did it one pixel at a time. " BRB

Hahahahahahaa....that is the other not so obvious solution...hehehehe...
Great thinking outside of the box!!!!

Laura

Greetings to all specially to Laura, a long time ago not it see by the forum, your always excellent work, BRB. wanted to make a question that number of pencils you use?

Usually I begin with a mechanical pencil with 0.5 mm lead. The lead is hb or the same as in # 2 pencils. For the lighter tones I either stay with the mechanical pencil or go to 4H lead. For the darks I have 4b and 6b. I do the details and hair mostly with the 0.5 mechanical pencil.

I've ordered some 0.5 and 0.7 2h and 2b lead for the mechanical pencils. I'm thinking I need something in between the 4h and regular pencils.

thanks for your information, I prefer to use the traditional wood pencil or the mechanic of 2 milimetros

I didn't put these together so they will be a little larger than if I put them in the same file.

OK. I took everything that Rose, BRB, and especially Jeanette had to say about the last portrait I posted here and tried to apply it to this next one. It was a good learning experience. I'm not completely thrilled with the result but it's a step in the right direction, I think, and that's exactly what I needed.

[attachmentid=4151][attachmentid=4152]

The first thing that catches my eye is that her left eye seems like a diamond shape in stead of an oval shape. It might be the scanner washing out the lighter tones.

Also, I'm not sure but her left jaw line might need to be more curved. I hope this helps. I like your drawing.

Thanks, Bob. I made some small repairs and managed to get a much better scan, too.

[attachmentid=4159]

That's better. It tells the story clearly.

I drew this using the grid... I also tried to push the darks a little more than i usually do. So, please let me know ur comments for me to improvise on this...

Rupa

These are two well-drawn portraits, the only suggestions I have to make are similar to what others have said. I would like to see more tone in the actual faces, not overly dark but enough to suggest the form of the face better (eg shadows made by the cheeks and chin). The facial areas are very light in comparison to the darker areas. Also, with hair we do not need to see "lines" to suggest the form, shading and the placing of highlights can "tell" us what sort of hair it is (eg straight vs curly) and unfortunately getting it right needs a bit more time on it and can be tedious but the results are well worth it. Good luck, hope this is of
help?!>

PS Sorry I jumped in before I had read everything! Your second drawings are defintely much better, but I would still soften some of the lines in Robbie's hair.

BRB,

The bottom of her hair looks so much better!!! Congratulations!!! I love her smile!


Ernest,

Did you use a grid for this? I ask because I'm seeing what looks like indentations from grid lines in your first picture. This can happen when we use to much pressure laying down grid lines. My suggestion for grid users is to use an H pencil when laying down your grid...this will leave a light line and also use little or no pressure when laying down the grid...pretty much just the weight of the pencil in your hand...you can either erase the grid as you go or it will be covered by softer lead or blended away if you blend.

looking at your last updates and the reference one other thing really pops out at me and that is the area of her hair in the center of her adorable little head. Cameras lie to us...either they wash out with the flash or they create areas that look flat in shadow...it is up to us to translate what we see in areas like this....if it is solid black in the reference...we can add dimension with gradual tones and values to dark areas and also highlights. Hope this makes sense. She is just adorable and yes, you are heading in the right direction!!!!


Vijay,

Great job on Albert Einstien (sp?)...this could still go a wee bit darker and in order to show his hair better I would recommend a darker background. This would make his hair pop...also a wider tonal range in his hair!!!! Wonderful job on this!!!!

Laura

P.S. Thanks for the warm welcome back, Adolfo!!!! I have been very busy irl...have missed you all!!!! I'm trying to be around more. No guarauntees though still have a housefull of people!

Hi Laura,

Yes, I did use a grid, and yes, I did have problems with dents. I didn't see them until the portrait was quite far along. I used a 2H pencil to draw the grid on Bristol, and despite the care I took, I still ended up with dents. I have used HB to do grids in the past with much better luck; definitely not going to use a 2H again! In the final portrait I did what I could to fill them, so they're pretty hard to see.

As far as the very black hair: I had terrible trouble getting a decent scan of this portrait. I fiddled with the color levels, and just couldn't make an image that really looks like the actual drawing. Either the hair would look too black, or the features would be completely washed out. Finally, I took a photo and posted that in the gallery, because the photo looks much better than the scans. As you can see, the hair isn't totally black:

[attachmentid=4210]

I would add another word about using grids. When I use a grid, I never draw on the same paper that I created my initial drawing on. There will be erasing, changes, etc that happen and this degrades your paper. I ALWAYS transfer my drawing to a fresh sheet of paper and take it from there. The grid lines are left behind and just the line drawing is transferred.

Ernest,

Yes, the photo is much better!!!! I can see more of the tones that are missing in the other posts! She is just adorable!!! Great job on this!!!!
I hate my scanner so I understand exactly what your going through...now if I could just ffind a good camera!!!
Laura

I'm going to do this next time. Thanks for the nudge.

I always do that too... and now that I have a lightbox which is also a drawing board it's a breeze. And I keep the gridded first drawing beneath the good paper all the time so that if I need to check something all I do is turn on the light beneath and voila`!

Laura,

Thank you for those comments!! I will add the necessary changes and post... This time i added the dark values a little bit more than i usually do... hope it is gud... i guess i shd have added a dark bkgrnd to highlite the hair... anyways..i will dothat and post it again...

Rupa

Hi Everyone, I just got doing my eye lesson what do you think? Daisybug

[attachmentid=4234][attachmentid=4233]Its me again! I am just drawing fool today. I just add to more picture and one is what Rose did. I really like the picture and I wanted to try it, I was charcoal and it was my first time trying it. not sure about but you will let my know. the ear I use pencil... Daisybug

Wow, Daisy, great job! The ear is very nice, and the still life is great! Nice shading on everything. Only one problem with it, and it's the same thing I've mentioned before: outlines. Think about what that pitcher would look like without the outlines, especially on the left side...

Thanks Ernest, I'm learn! and I will work on that. Did you see my eye? it just above. Daisybug