Imperial Art Gallery

While looking around in this section, it just occured to me that you can make one thread with all of your art goodness in it. :XD:

Well looks like I'm going to have to transfer my two drawings in here. Oh, and I'll have to delete both of them. :-|

 

The Worm Pokemon

Spoiler

Target: Wurmple
Rank: Easiest (25 points)

Click on image to enlarge


I made this with my Paint program. I put my signature in the corner to prove it as mine.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

 

Hand-drawn Bulbasaur

My best drawing of my most favorite grass starter.

Spoiler

Target: Bulbasaur
Rank: Hard (55 points)

Click on image to enlarge

This was taken by my web cam, not my scanner (I didn't want to dilute my colors)

Proof

Click on image to enlarge

This one was taken by my scanner.

 

Can I Borrow a Coat?

Spoiler

Target: Snorunt
Rank: Medium (45 points)

Click to enlarge

This one was taken by my scanner, and the bright light diluted the colors. It has my signature as proof.

Excuse the black line at the bottom left hand corner; still finding a way to photo crop it.

 

@EmpireCrusher203

For Wurmple

Spoiler

Form/Detail
Hard to see much detail in this image, as all the shapes are very simple and mainly linear. The balance seems very top heavy since the only counterpoints in the image are the words. It would be good to have less words and more imagery to describe the actions going on. Also, make sure your lines are clean, even for images of this rank.

Color, Texture, and Shading
Color contrast is decent, if only because the bright colors are shown on a pure black background. Consider adding a colorful environment in, perhaps greens to nicely complement the red and white of the pokemon. The lack of shading or any noticeable textures give the appearance of a flat, boring image. Shading and textures give the pokemon and its surroundings shape, form, and a good level of detail. All are needed in order to create a perfect image.

Pokemon Anatomy
Well, we can tell its a wurmple. YOu have the overall shape and colors correct. But there are a number of differences in anatomy. You have the number of legs, back spikes, and yellow horns seemingly wrong. As all pokemon aren’t entirely identical some of these can be explained, but in general you should try to stay somewhat more true to their original design.

Environment/Perspective
Instead of the white “plane of suck”, you’ve gone with the black plane of darkness. Environments are important for images as they offer a large part of the story and give wurmple a place to live and interact. Along with environment is the light source, which affects shading. Without either of these you’ve created a fairly bland environment for the pokemon to exist.

Perspective-wise you have a small start - you’ve captured Wurmple in some type of action pose, but its still a fairly flat shot showing wurmple and not what its attacking, its trainer, anything else to add some sort of tie in to the attack.

Creativity/Effort
AN action shot is more creative than a standard straight on resting pose, but the minimal environment and no shading do seem to denote a limited amount of effort put into this image.

Improvements
Every section above has some needed improvements, but mainly work on the environment and shading, to create a more unified image with more form and shape.

Score
25/100

I'm being lenient here because its a first time submission and its an easiest mon. You can have wurmple, but seriously consider what I've said and work on detail, environment and shading.

Also your third image doesn't work.

 

Yeah, I have trouble with background, overhead perspectives, and shadows. I'll redo my previous submissions after someone grades them.

 

@EmpireCrusher203

For Bulbasaur

Spoiler

Form/Detail
The first thing I notice is that the image is very simple and focused, yet seemingly unbalanced as the pokemon has more white space on the right side. White space should be equal, or filled up in order to minimize the unbalanced aspect that becomes more obvious in an image like this. There should also be some minor areas of interest in the image, with something like this the eye just sees the static bulbasaur and says “its a Bulbasaur, good for it.” The dynamic is very minimal, theres no interest or action to keep the reader looking at the image for more than a passing glance.

Color, Texture, and Shading
Unfortunately the scanner or camera washed out some of the colors in the image, so its hard to accurately tell if the skin is the normal blue green or the shiny green. Either way, the pokemon is noticeable and the correct color whichever coloration you were going for. Apart from that, theres not much else in colors. The contrast is limited due to the blank white background, which doesn’t really help to bring the pokemon out apart from giving a lack of other focuses.

Texture and shading are also noticeably lacking. Both these are critical to creating a more lifelike and believable image. Bulbasaur is a bit ambiguous on whether it is hairy/rubbery/plant like, so adding a texture and accurate shading to make Bulbasaur yours. Textures would add those small details like plant veins, rock faces, or hairs on velvet. Shading gives the pokemon its shapes, showing where the light would hit. Shiny surfaces and such are magnified through the highlights here too.

Pokemon Anatomy
The shape is definitely that of a bulbasaur. The only real complaint I could put here would be a lack of originality in terms of the pose, the smiling bulbasaur could have been changed to a more action-based pose, or have the environment explain why the default pose was so fitting.

Environment/Perspective
No environment, this image could be so cool with the right location! Since I already hit on this aspect so hard in the previous sections I’ll ignore talking about it again.

Perspective-wise the centered headshot isn’t overly dynamic or interesting, you should try different angles based on what's going on in your scene to add drama or intrigue.

Creativity/Effort
Apart from the potential shiny coloration, theres not much here besides the pokemon.

Improvements
Adding an environment and its associated light sources & textures it still a huge thing for images, especially after the easiest ranks. Thats what needs to be focused on.

Score
25/100

Bulbasaur is elusive today; try again.

 

You just gave me an idea: Bulbasaur reaching a top of a mountain. I'll submit it after a curator checks my Snorunt.

 

Got Honey?

Target: Combee
Rank: Medium (45 points)

Spoiler

It has my signature.

Please curate my Snorunt before you curate this one.

 

I'll claim Snorunt--Curation may take a couple days because I have some pressing Uni things to finish.

 

@EmpireCrusher203;

Can I Borrow a Coat? Curation

Form

For the most part, the Snorunt's anatomy looks okay. It is missing the lines on the bottom of the skirt, which would've helped make it look less flat, but that's a minor thing. It also may just be the lack of shadows, but something looks odd near the limbs as well. The arm closeness compared to the legs being so far apart is sort of weird, like they don't match up on the creature.

There's also an oddity in the wideness of the teeth, but considering the scene you set up, they kinda work. It's almost like they're chattering because it's cold out, but it's sort of hard to tell.

The post is pretty standard, which is not too interesting to look at, but I can also see the argument that Snorunt's form doesn't leave much to the imagination either. However, all pictures/art/whatever tell a story, so I think that maybe the standard pose, which is normally sort of frowned upon in Medium Rank+ images, could've been offset by the Snorunt doing an action instead of standing there. This could include perhaps working on that snowman in the background instead of it just being decoration, or perhaps a snowball fight or another activity.

Even something like jumping in the air/trying to dance could've been interesting here, which could've been done by creating some diagonal lines with the Pokemon's body. Diagonal/curved lines usually imply motion since they help guide the eye across an image. You do have the basic form pretty down here, but don't be afraid to expand and get creative (which is also required for higher ranks, since standard poses don't make it that far as you increase in difficulty).

Technique

I think the first biggest thing to focus on in this section is making sure to fill in your lines. Before any other techniques and things like shadows are added, be sure to make sure color evenly coats the shape you want. While sometimes a “scratchy” look can be a style, in this case, the white streaks and the abstract shapes formed when color is applied just makes it look unfinished. Colored pencil can be tricky to work with, but if gentle strokes are repeatedly gone over an area, it will eventually become smooth. It takes time, but it makes the finished product look much better. Remember, you want viewers to recognize that you put a lot of effort into all your pieces.

The second biggest thing to focus on are your shadows, which can only really be done once all your color is filled in. Since you put the sun in the corner, you already know where your light source is coming from, which is great! Shadows are important to make objects look less flat and to develop spatial relationships between things, like an object and the background. For example, Snorunt looks a little like a flat piece of pizza that is triangular instead of a cone shape.

In general, surfaces that face the light are brighter than surfaces that don't have any light contact. That means that, depending on how Snorunt is turned, the right side of the Pokemon would be brighter than the left side. Keep in mind that your shadows don't need to be super elaborate all the time, depending on medium, rank of Pokemon, and style. But even a simple cel shade (like they do in the anime) makes objects seem more real and three-dimensional.

Any time an object blocks out light, there will be a corresponding shadow. A good place for one would be underneath Snorunt in your piece. Since the Pokemon is preventing the sun from shining on the part of the snow it's standing on, the area underneath Snorunt should be shaded a little darker than the rest of the landscape. This will also help viewers determine where the Snorunt is in relation to the ground too—right now, other than that line under the goes, it looks like Snorunt is floating against a large white pane (that said, it also looks like it's tiptoeing. Remember, the ground doesn't just end where the Pokemon is standing, so a shadow would help you show that the ground is three-dimensional too).

Those are the big two things that hurt the unity of the image. There are a lot of other techniques that can be used, but I think filling in colors completely and working on shadows are the two that will help you the most in your other pieces of work, since those are things any Curator will comment on (and it's likely that Axion already has, but no updates were made yet).

Background

I think my favorite part of the background are the two snowflakes. Since they're unique and very detailed, it shows a lot of care put into them. I only wish there were more. They really add a nice touch to the image, and small details like that show viewers of your work that you pay attention to all facets of your image. At the end of the day, the entire piece should stand as a whole instead of having good individual portions, like just the Pokemon or the technique, or whatever element.

The tree and the snowman are also nice touches, but the same thing applies as the snowflakes. The same amount of time should be put into all parts of an artwork, not just the Pokemon. Was there a reason for the tree and snowman to be so far away? Bringing them a little closer could maybe help condense your image and use up some more of the empty space. The objects would also be something the Snorunt could be interacting with.

Along the same lines, it might also help you to crop your canvas a little. There was a lot of white space, and while that can sometimes be symbolic and part of an image's meaning, it's just blank here and not too interesting to look at. When you scan a photo in, even if you don't have any fancy programs, you can still do basic things like cropping an image in Paint. All you have to do is open it in that program and then re-save once it's cropped.

As far as trying to steer away from standard poses and the like, another thing to think about is your title tie-in. I think the title is really cool, but I see no connection in the image itself. It sort of is implied that it's cold out, thus needing a coat, but it's not very clear. The only possible hint we might have is the teeth. Seeing an actual coat, or maybe Snorunt trying to struggle into one, might've added some humor and title reference. That would aid in the storytelling of the image, since that's also an important piece.

Result

Spoiler

Overall, the scratchy color gave the image a sort of unfinished look, as well as lacking some shadows and other realistic elements. The background was also sort of empty and seemed a little rushed (like only having two snowflakes, aiding in the “not done” perception). Therefore, I am scoring this 25/45, which means Snorunt is not captured just yet. Feel free to think about what both Axion and I have told you and make changes. I'll be glad to re-curate when you're finished.

 

Claiming Combee. If I don't finish this in the next week or so then someone else feel free to go at it. x]

 

@EmpireCrusher203

(Hey, does anyone know if mentioning someone in an already-posted post works on Bulbagarden like it does on PXR? So like, if I edit a post and tag someone in that post, will it appear in their notifications?)

Okeydokey! Let's take a look at this.

I'll use a similar rubric style to Winter since it's the simplest. :> Also in advance I wanna apologize if some of my wording is kinda...wishy-washy? If there's anything here that sounds weird please let me know and I'll do my best to clear things up. ^^

[hr][/hr]

"Got Honey?"​

Form (And background, apparently)

As for accuracy of the actual...portrayal of the Combee, you got it down just fine. Hey, At least you did give it its 3D shape, still, by portraying thickness / perspective showing that Combee isn't flat. That's a good start! The sunflowers(?), however, have really thick stems. Don't be afraid to use a reference if you're ever unsure of yourself. In fact, I encourage using references as much as you can...it never hurts to have a refresher!

I like your attention to little details. Your mind is set in the right place! Do what you will with the background: add whatever details you think could be appropriate to the piece. That's good! As I said, you seem to have your mind set in the right place, but I feel that the execution could be a little better.

By the way, I love the hive with the Combee way back in the background. It's a cute little addition, but very hard to notice. With little details like that a viewer can see it. You may not always want it to be the first thing that stands out (after all, it looks like you want the viewer to focus on that one Combee in the foreground), but still you want to make it noticeable to anyone who looks at it for a good few seconds.

The main problem, though, is the composition. It's great that you zoomed out for the background and all--and look, I even see another little Combee in the background--but making the main Combee just SO small really takes the viewer's eyes from it; which I'm assuming is the opposite of what you're wanting to do, no? Make sure that somehow, the focal point of the picture is the Pokemon. Doesn't mean that it always has to be in the center (in fact, you can always feel free to experiment with this), but the fact that it's just drawn so small here really seems to take away the effect. However, I think if you were to maybe draw several more Combee around here and there in the foreground and background, it would cancel this out. Instead of focusing on one Combee for your composition (which typically a bit generic), you would have focused on Combee as an entire group! That's a pretty cool idea to use for Pokemon that are just generally as small as Combee (plus Combee is based on a bee, and when you think of bees you think of groups of them). So maybe you could keep that in mind!

Also I know I said this earlier but I just love what you've done with the environment. You've just made it really full of little details and just really went out of your way to kinda tell a story with it. Don't stop doing that! :>​

-----------------------------------

Technique

Going hand-in-hand with the thing I said about the composition a bit ago, don't be afraid to really make the Pokemon stand out...technique-wise. You used pretty light lines here, and they almost blend in with the rest of the background here. Maybe if you're going for a more cartoony approach like this, you could go for bolder, harder lines?

Speaking of lines, I think maybe you could really benefit from working on your coloring a little bit. Colored pencils are great, don't get me wrong there. However, when coloring with colored pencils (ESPECIALLY when you're just filling in a flat space such as the sky), you're mostly going to want to stick with just one kind of stroke. The pencil strokes in the sky here are going all sorts of directions, and it's very noticeable and takes away from the Combee at the center of the picture. Like what Winter said with her previous critique: don't be afraid to take more time to fill in each space with color to the point that it looks completely solid. I can assure you that it won't be a waste; especially not since you're using them for their intended purpose!

I would give you some pointers on shading, but it looks like for now you just are using flat colors. And even at that, you could probably work on it a bit more. But don't give up! It's a good start, just next time make sure that you keep all these tips in mind that the curators have been giving you. ^^
​

Sorry for the rather short length. I'm just warming up, here. x] Plus I think a lot of what Winter has already said really applies here. If you have any questions at all, just let me know! Anyway I think I'm going to have to go with a score of 25/45. Combee isn't quite yours yet, but keep at it! I think you may be best off starting out with a Pokemon from the lowest two tiers. ^^ We all have to start somewhere!

 

Ive added mentions after the fact and it worked. I think.