Mary Santos
SP / Brazil
I want to improve and change my art style completely.
Diana Mata
added comment inAbout lines and illustrations...
8mo
Hi @Mary Santos. I donāt think you should worry about one type of technique being inherently superior to another. Working with line only is neither more nor less professional than using other techniques, even in the gaming industry. What matters is the quality of your work (cheesy, but true). Also, remember that it is easy to forget that professional illustrators work differently than those starting out. Just because we donāt see lines in the end result doesnāt mean these artists 1) donāt use lines in their process or 2) that they donāt apply the understanding of form and perspective that comes with knowing how to make good lines.
Whether your line art is meant to be the entire illustration, a part of it, or not show at all is mostly a matter of style. Youāll find plenty of professional artists that do any or all of these. There are some wonderful digital illustrations used for game art, but that doesnāt leave out line art entirely ā just take a look at Hollow Knight, the Tell Tale games, Borderlands, etc.
Iām not sure if this is part of your question, but here it goes: Your drawing is of a similar style to what a friend of mine used to do. In her case, whenever she made her drawings neater by erasing the sketch underneath, it became flatter and much less interesting, so she left the sketch in but was never happy because her drawings were never as neat as she wanted. It turned out that her final lines āthe ones that were not meant as sketchesā did not show what they were meant to show: shape, light, a change of material, movement, etc. The sketch lines carried most of the weight, so erasing them erased the drawingās most important information. Shape, light, etc. are things shown in the illustration examples you shared, but they are solved in a painterly-language, not in a line-language. Line art can show these things as well, but you have to solve them differently with line than you would with brushes and color.
If you are interested in improving your line art, I recommend taking a look at what fine artists or comic artists do. Their lines arenāt always meant to do the same things, but the crucial idea is that they know what they are doing with their lines and why. Itās great to have digital paintings as your end goal, but donāt underestimate line work!
Mary Santos
8mo
@Diana Mata this is something I noticed when I was doing animation exercises. A teacher of mine once said that the sketch is the most beautiful part of an animation, because that's where we look for the movement...
I particularly love sketches and everything that sounds very traditional, but I was always conflicted when seeing the big ones game artists make arts that are practically impossible for me to reproduce...
I loved the artist I was recommended, he has what I was looking for and what I like... I think I'm full of paradigms in my head, because I dream of the games industry, but I'm always afraid of not being called because my art doesn't sound "professional"
but thanks a lot! I knew I would get great advice around here!
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8mo
Okay, just because your favorite artist does it a certain way, doesnāt mean thatās why their art is good. There are plenty of amazing artist in the game industry that use line art. Do yourself a favor and look at an artist named John Grello, very few people can draw or paint like that guy.
if you do you really great, then your stuff will look professional, line or not.
8mo
Thank you so much! I didn't know he existed, he really is an amazing artist!
I hope to reach his level someday :')
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About lines and illustrations...8mo
Hello everybody! Happy New Year! It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, because I've been busy with the animation course...
Well... Today I come with a request for advice/help from you. I know this platform as the only place I can ask without getting bad judgment (as happens a lot on Twitter, Facebook, etc.).
And what I wanted to talk about was drawing. More precisely about lineart. Drawings made with lineart are professional or not?
I say this because I see many good artists in the games area who make incredible drawings without even using a lineart, examples are Yan Kyohara and Ray Lederer who are my inspirations, in addition to Proko himself.
I've been trying to get back to drawing lately, but I feel like I'll never reach the level these artists are at. I'm always using lines and, as much as I more or less know the techniques of light and shadow, it never seems to work. My sister always says that her drawings don't look professional if you don't remove the lineart, and I ended up getting that in my head... So I wanted your help. I wanted an honest opinion. I really want to work in the games area and I want to know how to illustrate how these guys...
Anyway... I hope I didn't leave the focus of the conversation too much and wrote a lot (ADHD interferes with my life too much).
I'll leave the drawing I've been doing lately and two drawings by the artists I mentioned :'D
2yr
Hi @Mariana Santos
well ... maybe ask just one question at a time? Concerning your silhouettes: I like time and do not see a problem. Just go on...
2yr
oh gosh, sorry! It's just that there are a lot of questions, you know? :')
Thank you for your answer ^^ it makes me more confident
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Some silhouettes2yr
Hello! How are u guys?
I spent a lot of time wondering how to work silhouettes. I researched a lot (very much...), watched more than 10 videos about silhouettes, shapes and etc and I still have some doubts, one of them is about shapes:
How do I use shapes in more realistic characters? Because I only find the use of geometric shapes in Disney/Pixar-style characters...
A second question would be: how to draw silhouettes, if I need to make them very clear right from the start, how should I make their composition... (That's a lot of question...)
And also the third question: I don't intend to work with animation for now, only illustrations and character design. How should I work?
I'll leave the silhouettes I made today below. The initials are pretty ugly because I was warming up, but I soon started making gestural silhouettes (I can't work anatomically with that, it's no use...), and also a concept I'm making of a harpy inspired by the Brazilian Harpy
I'm looking for you answers ;))
2yr
I really like that you are doing silhouette iterations of the character, but I think you are being a bit too held back with the iterations. Meaning you are not really exploring a lot of designs. I would highly recommend a video by Scott Flanders Titled 'This Exercise Will Change How You Sketch' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cacOlKgZNQ Take a blank sheet of paper of in this case Digital Canvas and go crazy with the designs. NEVER EVER rush through the concepting stage. It is the most important step in the process of character design. I have made this mistake in the past and I really regret it. Trust me you don't want to end up in a situation where you finalize a bad design and realize it after you are done with the project. Also, your left arm doesn't look like a mechanical arm. Consider using some bold shapes for the metal and gear parts. I am noticing that you are not using any references or if you are using then you are not utilizing them properly. I have attached some references for the Mech arm but if you don't like them then it's totally fine but consider finding them on your own. Anyway, I would love to see more of this character, I think his description is pretty cool, lol. Keep up the Great work and have a wonderful day.
2yr
Oh thank you so much for the references, but actually I was using something more like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, because I want something simpler. I took a lot of references and saved them to the computer, but I don't have them here now...
I'm still learning about concept art and character design, and I'm not sure what iteration is.. I think the instructor of the classes I'm taking didn't explain about it (or if he explained it was in another way that I didn't get it...)
I have a little (big big!) difficult with silhouettes, but I like to draw with it ^-^"
Again, thank you very much, I'll post more about when my back stops hurting :'))
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2yr
Hey Mariana,
These are cool, especially your silhouette sketches, they have a lot of personality. My only comment would be the left arm and hand. The arm is tucked behind the body, and the hand just peeks out at the hip. It would make for a more clear silhouette if you move that arm out so that everyone knows what it is. Hope that helps :)
2yr
Thank you so much ^^
But that's the problem... I don't know what position to take :'D
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Concept Art critique2yr
Hello people!
I recently remembered that I had purchased a character design & concept art class, so I started. Although he was more focused on the cartoonish character design, I continued taking the classes using my more realistic drawing.
He explained more about the silhouette (which I had some advice from you guys on) and also the costume design. I'm still in doubt if the drawings I've done so far are good. For you to have a better understanding, I'll explain the character quickly:
He is one of the main characters in my project. a 29-year-old man who lives in a remote village. He is a blacksmith and an ordinary villager who dreams of being someone important and seeing the world.
My choice of silhouette was for the pose.
I wanted a pose that emphasized sadness and shyness, but I had (I have, depending on your point of view) problems trying to draw the left arm (which is a mechanical arm), so I wanted suggestions for what to do in this case...
I immersed myself in medieval costumes and did some tests with the silhouettes. I want something simple to emphasize its origin.
As I already had some designs made by him, so I already had some idea of what I wanted..
Anyway, I accept all kinds of constructive criticism, tips and advice! I want to become a professional in this area.
2yr
Hey @Mariana Santos! Nice work- and happy to see you want to move forward with concept art :)
Developing your own technique is a lot of exploring what look you want and how to go about it. That's a lot of personal application so I focused more on practical things you can improve in your given designs. (As you continue to hone your craft your own style will develop anyway as long as you produce art that you enjoy making).
I did a paintover with some notes. For character artists I believe the most important skill to hone is silhouette and shape design (but then again I feel that for any concept artist). And of course, relating all this to a story!
*I notice your work uses more linework whereas my style is closer to painterly- but the feedback is applicable either way. I definitely recommend looking into Overwatch or League concept art for a nice mix of 2D graphic style and 3D render!
2yr
Woah!! @Josh Sunga The image was amazing (I wanted you to email me so I could read it better), I would like to learn more about this style of painting, as I am tired of working with linearts and "straight" paintings...
I'm little by little learning to work with silhouettes, but I'm still having some difficulties, mainly to draw them, because I don't know if I'm starting right or not.... But your explanations will be very useful :))
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2yr
What I recommend is to create a nice library where you can look for inspiration and elements you can use in your concepts.
If you want to make a profession out of it, you will be required to create characters and creatures of many different types, with particular cultural backgrounds, that tell something about themselves at a glance.
If you have the chance, visit costume or ethnographic museums, but also learn to observe how people dress in the street, what you can guess about a person by looking at how he/she dresses.
For things like this, Pinterest is very useful, where you can follow a lot of galleries dedicated to this theme (but also others about natural elements that you could put in a costume or a character, I don't know, a dress that reminds of a particular animal, or maybe an underground civilisation that learned to make fabrics from mushroom cultures - there is a kind of artificial skin made from mushrooms! The ideas are endless!)
You can also go to Art station and follow some professional cartoonists to see how they organise the presentation of their characters or how they develop their ideas.
In short, let yourself be inspired by everything that already exists, both in nature and in existing costumes, jewellery, various cultures, etc.).
Recently, for example, a client gave me a collection of files on ethnic jewellery that she had bought in the 1990s.
She was very nice, she found it when she was tidying up her bookcase and thought I might need it, so she sent it to me.
When I was a kid, I used to empty out the attics and cellars of people who wanted to get rid of old stuff, to collect picture books and encyclopaedias.
Fortunately, now with the Internet, everything is much easier and more convenient.
Also watch films and TV series with interesting costumes and make notes on what catches your eye and what you think would be a good solution to adopt.
I for example loved the costumes of the TV series The Musketeers: the TV series was not too much up my alley but the costumes (not historically accurate, very fantasy) were beautiful with some very interesting and original details.
Also get some video game art books with interesting designs (a very nice one is Orizon Zero Dawn, in my opinion).
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My attempts to concept art2yr
Hello people!
I love concept art and character reference sheets.
Since I was young I liked creating characters and now I want to work with that.
I've been seeing some concept art books from various games and also seeing many concept art artists and I realized that they all have a certain "technique" and way of working with concept art...
I had few concept art classes and myself I even tried to do some throughout my studies, so I wanted to know what I can improve and what I should learn.
I want to be a professional so all constructive criticism, tip and advice is welcome!
I'll leave some of my concept arts and so you can take a look ;)
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Art Block help!2yr
Hello people!
I'm going through a period where I just can't do anything at all. I haven't been drawing for weeks and I want to do something, but I came across an impasse: I don't know what style to do and how to do it!
I kept seeing the images of artist Loish, Ross (draws) and other artists, I wanted to do something traditional but in a digital way, but besides I don't know how, I don't know what to draw! What do I do?
I feel that my drawings are not the way I would like...
2yr
I think these are great. If you are looking to change your look though, maybe you need to study specific examples that you are looking to emulate.
2yr
@Ross Cline But how would I do that? to, I get a lot of inspiration from the League of Legends artwork..
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I agree with everything you said, that's why I hate social media, because people there always devalue the artist!
(In the last paragraph I felt a hint of indirection by my latest sketches -u-)~
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2yr
Hi Mariana, I assume you are trying to draw the Japanese anime style. I would suggest you try to learn the shape language of your art parent. The loomis head not always fit for thoes styles. Artist has different proportions etc. You can also start learning some pespective and anatomy.
2yr
In fact it's the opposite :3 , I want to do illustration like League of Legends.
I drew manga for many years and now I want to change
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Weekend Trainings (Need tips)2yr
I made these sketches this weekend and would like some tips on what I need to improve...
I tried using the Loomis method to make the sketches, but I feel it's not good the way I want it. I feel something is wrong :/
Well, I'm looking for your tips ^-^)/
2yr
Hey Mariana,
I'm glad you found the great Loomis head, it really is a very helpful tool especially when working from imagination. Your front view drawing is actually pretty good. I did a quick drawing to show you how it works, I hope it helps :)
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2yr
Hi @Mariana Santos ! Loomis method is a great tool to learn. It just takes time practicing it and then it will be automatic for you soon. Are you having questions on where to place the features after sketching in the thirds of the face? If there is no tilt then bottom of nose is on same horizontal line as the bottom of the ears and brow is at the same line horizontal line as the top of the ears for example. If head tilts up then the ears will move down in relationship to brow line. Is that what you are asking about?
2yr
Hi @Bradwynn Jones
My question was exactly how to fit the eyes, nose and mouth into the structure..
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Head practice (Loomis Method)2yr
Hey guys! How are you? :) (I'm bacc~)
I decided to dedicate myself more exclusively to the character creation area, so I started practicing head drawings.
I tried to use my method (which I was always taught in the manga) and found that I had a lot of difficulty making heads at any angle, so I decided to look through Proko's tutorials and discovered the Loomis method of drawing heads.
It changed my life :D , plus the advices I'm getting from amazing people here (thank you so much :')) )
But I'm having a lot of trouble making heads from the front... I couldn't understand Proko's second video on how to draw in front view, so I decided to mix what he said with a little bit of my previous knowledge...
If I were to put all the images that I used as a reference, I wouldn't give them all, so I just leave the sketches :')
I wait for your advice :3
2yr
Hi Marianna,
good practice studies, keep it up! Great to hear that you love doing this, since it proves to be the very foundation of drawing... well, everything.
One advice, following the suggestion from Steve Lenze.
Perspective grid exists independently of the frame you draw in, sort of speak.
General rule of thumb is: don't put 2 vanishing points on 1 piece of paper. There can be 1, or 0, but never two.
This is due to how human eye works. If you put 2 of them, there will appear places which are impossible for us to see (assuming the perspective grid being the representation of a 90-degree XY grid).
You can easily see that in real life if you take your checkered notebook and move it around, look at it from various angles. The maximum angle you will see will be the 90 degree from the top view.
In practice it looks like this:
- choose position of vanishing points in your imagination (since at least 1 of them will land on your table next to your sketchbook) and draw the grid originating from their position (ghostline their way to your paper)
This way not only you avoid the "impossible areas", but also you don't have to shrink your drawing :)
Image: I hope it speaks for itself, but go ahead if you have questions.
I drew the red frame first, to show you the position of vanishing points.
But later I added 2 blue frames, to show you that perspective depends only on your choice. The grid exists, and we choose our frame depending on what we want to show (human perspective, bird eye view etc.)
2yr
I see...
Is that I've always been taught to draw the vanishing points on paper... How would I do to position the elements (windows, doors, etc) well on the stage if I don't see the point?
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