[DEC 2016] Happy Holidays, URPG! (2016)

Happy Holidays, URPG! (2016)​

Target: Capture Bergmite
Rank: Medium
Monthly Theme: Ice types/Holidays

Did this with colored pencils on the back of old biochemistry notes lol. Anyway Happy Holidays everyone!

 

Claim! :3

 

Hi morru! Glad you want to spread some holiday cheer! Bergmite is often forgotten about, but it it and its evolution are the physically bulkiest ice pokemon in the game (Glaceon being the most specially bulky). Let's see if you catch this sentient ice chunk! I see that you are making a lot of subtle appeals in there as I am a Delibird of Doom...

Technique

I see that you decided to take a risk and have at more traditional media. While I personally prefer hand-drawn stuff, it can be a little tougher on those used to computer work, especially in dry media like colored pencil when the physical application of your medium can change so radically with things impossible with computers like pressure, hatching, amount of lead you have on the pencil, and how sharp your pencil is. Looking at your past work, I know you a capable of just a little more facility with your colored pencil than what you're demonstrating. While good, as I can tell that there is a light source on Bergmite and some semblance of shading on the bag of goodies behind Bergmite everything is much too light. You can get a lot of mileage from super-dark lines. If you're using like Crayola colored pencils, the soft lead can break easily, and quite frankly don't have the mileage as other nicer colored pencils.

Your color usage, while cartoonish, bright, and happy, trends towards the light a little too much. There aren't really any dark values anchoring this piece.

Shading: I really wish to see more of this. Everything is so light I can't really tell where there is shading other than on Bergmite. The tree in the background is flat.

5 Tips For Shading With Colored Pencils

Colored pencils can be a robust medium and can be easily worked to create a rich variety of values. I know you are capable of putting in some more robust values.

Composition

While I appreciate the spotlight on Bergmite, he winds up almost in the direct center of the piece. I generally frown upon that as a really bad compositional choice, however there are other things in your composition that are saving it, whether or not you were aware.



What you have going for you is that you placed your present in the corner so that there is a way to enter your composition, then my eye goes to the bag, then to Bergmite, then to the tree, and back to the present. Thos objects form a nice, balanced triangle that fits almost any composition. (Check out Guernica by Pablo Picasso if you want to see a truly b.a. use of that compositional style. http://lewebpedagogique.com/histoiredesartscamus/files/2014/10/guernica.jpg)

You could have benefitted more from one more little gift around the the red circle in the drawing as uneven amounts of objects are always more interesting to look at. Two groups, one being three small thing, balanced by another group of two larger things is always pleasing to the eye. This, of course, is picky.

Your floor and wall are rather simply drawn and I would like to see them a but more fleshed out.

Conclusion:

While I want to spread holiday cheer and give you a Bergmite, bergmite is medium and what you gave me rests between simple and medium, but almost medium. Your composition is the best part as it is interesting despite placing your focus in the middle. What doesn't save you is the technique, as it a bit too flat and light. Work on this a little more and please resubmit! (38/45)

EDIT: This CLEARLY satisfies the Holday Theme! Have your extra 5k (I think)!

 

There's nothing wrong with center focus in composition--it just has a different affect and moves the eyes differently.

Emma and I talked about this, and we decided that the score should indeed be 45/45, enough to pass. Some techniques are cool, but not all higher-level ones belong at all ranks and with all effects.

@Morru @juliorain

 

Thank you both. =) Claiming Bergmite and 5k.

 

I apologize for that Morru, I owe you a medium poke!