Toron's Charmelion

Charmeleon
Complex = 65 or higher

 

Thanks @Swiftgallade46!

 

no prob! =] (it's swiftgallade46 btw) dont forget to include the name of the Pokemon you're going for as well as what rank it is and how many points you need to get it! I think it looks really good :O

 

Oh my goodness I am not sure how this got skipped. I'll get on this right away! I'll edit this post with my critique and a mention really soon.

@Toron

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"Charmeleon"​

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Form and Composition

I really like this. It's very smooth and seamless. To be honest, I didn't notice that it had a cigarette until I actually clicked on the thumbnail. x]

The addition of the cigarette is suiting, and it breaks up the monotony a little. Other than that, Charmeleon here is pretty static. It's doing a pretty generic pose against a black background. No unique use of perspective or anything: it's just a plain, full-body shot of a Charmeleon. With a cigarette. I like that little detail you put there.

You could have done so much more with this piece, though. The idea is a good start; except I think it would have been really cool to exaggerate on that more. Play on the idea. Maybe you could have made Charmeleon a chain-smoker who visibly has an unhealthy addiction to cigs. Maybe look up what people look like after they've been smoking for too many years and used that as a reference to elaborate on this more. Maybe make Charmeleon's eyes sag; have its tail flame diminished significantly; have it hunched over and really skinny or something. Frequent smoking seems to accelerate the physical aspect of aging; it makes you look older quicker. More wrinkles in your face, you eyes sag in, and you just tend to look...so unhealthy after so many years. Bonus points if you were to really play on the chain smoker idea and have it trying to use its tail to light three cigs in its mouth in one light while its facial expression looks just so deprived of nicotine, maybe like a stinkeye or something, holding a pack of cigarettes.

The above is only an example, and you could go the opposite end with the smoking idea...like making it look like a mafia leader or a thug or something. Or some really dapper rich guy holding a cigar. Sometimes you just have to take an idea and turn it on its head. Have some fun with what you're doing that way it's less of a chore for you, and is much more interesting to look at. Sometimes drawing something really involving doesn't take much pre-planning. Sometimes you can take the first idea that comes to you and just play with that.

As for anatomy and the sort, I see no problems at all. You resembled all of Charmeleon's various angles on its body very well.

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Technique and Color

On the other hand, your technique is remarkable. It's very smooth, but crisp at the same time. You can really tell that you made sure to take time to do the coloring and shading and to make sure it was seamless.

This being said, however, you could have given it more shading and more contrast. While the coloring job is fantastic, the shading is barely there. Remember: contrast is your friend, here! There also is no shading on the belly.

I LOVE how you shaded the tail flame. Fire can be really difficult to portray (especially with a silky and refined medium like colored pencils) and you seem to have had no problems with that.

I like what you did with the black in the background and how you made it look very scratchy and colored pencil-esque. It's neat to look at up-close, but otherwise it's pretty plain.

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Conclusion and Result

I feel like you have a lot of potential. A LOT. Your execution is fantastic, but what you do with that technique is something you could improve on. Take into consideration the advice I gave you earlier; sometimes you just gotta be bold with a concept! Whether you want to portray it as humorous, serious, cute, or whatever, try to make it more interesting for people to look at. Don't be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone; if you're not sure how to draw something, try it out anyways. The worst that can happen is that you could fail and learn from your mistakes. It's a win-win situation! Also never be afraid to utilize as many references as you need, or even as many as you don't need.

This would have been perfect for a Pokemon in the Medium tier, and maybe would have been acceptable for something in the Hard tier as well. I don't feel, however, that it's passing for a Complex Pokemon. I think I'll go with a 50/65 on this one, meaning Charmeleon isn't yours yet. Keep at it! You're doing great.