Truly's Art Dump

Yeah, gonna go ahead and make this.

Because I've started working on stuff and I'm anxious to get it done and uploaded.

I'd like an Unofficial curation, please.

Spoiler

I'll break the ice with something that won't make the grade required to catch the 'mon featured in it.
Probably because it's so SMALL!


It's a picture of Girafarig (Hard, 55+) and a Trainer, on a bridge that leads through a waterfall-- or at least, that was the original concept. I've been feeling anxious about some other big pieces I'm doing, so decided to do this small one instead, just to have finished something.

Like I said, I'm expecting no-catch here. But I'd like a critique anyway if you've got the time, to point me in the right direction for some of my other WIPs.

 

Old laptop is gone, ruined, motherboard or hard drive or, well, something is shot, everything is gone.

So instead, have a Pidove in the elemental plane of suck!
It could use refining, but it's a Simple (35/100), so I think one night's work will do. But the curators will be the judge of that, har har!



Besides, hell, I'm without my proper tools, and reduced to using in-browser paint programs.

Proof:

Ugh, and a beaky Pidove, at that. No points for proportions, I fear.

 

New post for Wurmple.
Easiest (25 points or higher)
April Wurmple

There are some inconsistencies-- like the backspikes being red, and the eye not derping violently-- but all in all, Wurmple.

"Wurmple, the Worm Pokémon. Wurmple live primarily off of sap from trees. The suction cups on its feet keep it from slipping."

 

Alright I'm going to claim the Pidove. Expect a curation in the week

 

I had some free time tonight so I did it right away!

Pokemon

Hooray! Artwork! Hooray! Curations!

Okay, congrats on your first submission to the URPG art section! Overall, you did a decent job with your depiction of Pidove. It isn’t a super complicated Pokemon, but you got most of the characteristics of Pidove correct. I like your artistic liberty with the eye and adding a stressed look with those lines below the eye. You also did a decent enough job on the wing, though shading would’ve made it pop more (I’ll talk about this more). Also, I really like the clutching ribbon. That’s exactly the type of weird/other element thing we look for in these pieces. Wherever possible, what does your art bring to the table that every other picture of a Pidove out there doesn’t have? Great job!

There are some small errors here, like the beak and the top of the head. You already mentioned the beak so I won’t go more into that. However, if you look at the top of the head of a picture of Pidove, it’s head ruffles off into 3 triangle feathers. It’s not terrible that you transformed this effect into three single loose feathers, but it seems like a bit of a cop out. One more thing is that the body position of your Pokemon doesn’t quite line up. His head is a profile view, however on his body you’ve included a more than 50% view of the heart on its chest. This is hard to explain in words, but the effect is a weird, unnatural torsion of its body. If this isn’t clear let me know. Normally, I wouldn’t mention this on a Simple Pokemon, but I just want you to think about it in future pieces.

My biggest issue with your drawing of Pidove is that you did almost no shading. That’s a pretty big problem because it is one of the biggest things I look for as a curator. Adding shading adds depth to your drawing and it really makes the Pokemon pop and look more realistic. I see some semblance of shading on the wing, but it looks like you ditched the effect. Shading is really critical. If you need help with how to shade be sure to let me know, I can definitely give you some tips.


Style

I actually like the style, the dark thick lines combined with sketchy shading was a cool effect. Props for using varying line sizes for outlines, so often artists just have single black line outlines. I really like the way it looks in tandem with Pidove’s stressed face too. I think other curators may have problems with your “scribbled” in style of coloring, but I actually don’t mind it too bad. It kind of works in this piece, though be careful with this at high levels because it may not go over as well (since it does kind of look hastily done).

One thing that did bother me though is that the feet/legs of your Pidove are very uncharacteristic with the rest of the Pokemon. While you had been using thick dark lines in combination with the scribbled drawing style for the rest of the Pokemon, but then suddenly you used very thin lines for the feet. Changing up your art style throughout the piece isn’t a bad technique to use, but in this case it clashed with the rest of the Pokemon. It almost looks as though you just copied the legs from another drawing and plopped them onto Pidove. Usually changing your art style for an element of a drawing is best done for seperate elements (like the background, other items, etc.)


Background

This is where it got poo. Really need a background, helps put pokemon into picture, helps make your piece more exciting. Add more interesting elements and things that make your piece unique. For example, is Pidove in its nest? Is it flying around in the city? Where did that ribbon come from? Adding to the background shows off your creativity too which is another big thing curators look for.

P.S. Even a complimentary color background helps your image. Black white space almost always counts against you.


Result

I wrote more criticism than I normally would for a Simple piece, but your enthusiasm for art wanted me to make sure I put you on the right direction for your future pieces. Overall, my personal standard is that at the Simple level I need either a background or some type of shading. Unfortunately, because your image lacks both (and coupled with the other small issues I mentioned), I’m going to have to give this piece a 25/35, meaning it does not pass. However, don’t be discouraged! Continue arting and I’m sure you will create masterpieces!

P.P.S. I just want to clarify that I didn’t mean adding a colored background would pass this piece, but it’s something to consider for other pieces.
@Truly;

 

@Truly

April Wurmple

This piece is all kinds of cute. I’ll talk about the Pokémon first, and then there’s some stuff I’d like to say about the background.

The best part of this piece (in my opinion) is its expression. I love the position of his eyes because it gives him this totally spacey look. The one thing I’d criticize is the fact that the eyes seem like they’re attached to different parts of his body. The right eye appears to be attached to the white part of his mouth, while the left eye doesn’t seem to be attached to the white part at all.

The lines on your piece are perfect. I like the shade of brown that you used because it keep the cartoony feel of the Pokémon franchise but also gives the piece a softer tone, since it doesn’t have the hard black lines. I love the shapes you created with those lines. The zigzags down the middle of its body are totally irregular, and that’s a great thing. You really made this Pokémon your own. Other examples: its cheeks are totally different shapes, its legs are different shapes and sizes. All these irregular, assymetric shapes fit together into one unified, totally unique picture of what’s otherwise a pretty mundane Pokémon. The shading on its body is pretty minimal; just enough to give some depth to the picture, but minimal enough to maintain the big swathes of color that make your picture so awesome.

The branch that the Wurmple is sitting on has the same quality. If I let my eyes go out of focus just a little bit, it looks like the branch is one solid color. But when I look closely, it’s easy to tell that you put a lot of thought into the shading on that branch. Then on the side you’ve got that other tree. I like the design that you used for the leaves because it maintains that cartoony feel. It’s a different style of detail from the one you used on the branch, but it’s whimsical and fun. If I were going to give a critique I’d say it’d be nice to see some of the same kind of shading. BUT. You created something really amazing with the composition of this piece.

Even though it’s off to the side, I know that that tree on the right is the foremost object in the piece. I know it’s the furthest forward because it’s the clearest object. There’s no shading or blurring on that tree at all, and all I’ve got is a bunch of crisp, clear detail. Then we keep moving back and the branch and Wurmple are still crisp, but they’ve got shading that shows they’re further away from the light source, which seems to be in front of Wurmple. Then you’ve got the foliage in the back. On one hand, it’s a little lazy. That tree in the back in particular is just a bunch of scribbles over a branch, and the leaves are apparently transparent? On the other hand, the obscurity is a fairly well-known technique for creating the illusion of depth. So even though the scribbles are a little easy in places, they still fit into the composition of the piece really well.

Grade

This piece is at least a 40/100, but there's one small formality -- I need to see some proof it's yours!. Please PM me or tag me when you've added it in, and I'll be happy to give you your Pokemon!

Edit: Proof found! Enjoy your Wurmple!

 

My signature is in it. "Truly" is written on the far branch, on the leftmost clump of leaves on the bottom. I can circle it if you need.

 

Ah, found it! Enjoy your Wurmple!

 

@Truly: All done!

Girafarig

Hey Truly,

You hit the nail on the head here—that’s a pretty small picture! But there’s still plenty to talk about, so let’s get started.

I really like the way you portrayed Girafarig and the trainer here. You can see their wonder in their poses. The trainer’s got one foot forward and his head cocked to the side like he’s trying to see what’s on the other side, and Girafarig’s legs are splayed kinda like a deer in the headlights. Even though the picture’s small you managed to squeeze in some shading in important places like the trainer’s legs and Girafarig’s underbelly. I wanna stay on this point for a second because you really did get plenty of detail on their bodies, especially Girafarig. I like the layers of shading on his back and you even got the really tiny details like the eye on his tail in there. Even though there are no outlines, the mane and the rest of its body still look really good.

The background is pretty cool, too. I admit it’s a little hard to tell what’s going on., though. I think the reason for that is those green spots on the side. They make it look like the Girafarig and his trainer are walking on a dirt path through a forest, rather than on a bridge through a waterfall. I think you could have used that real estate for something to make it clearer what’s actually going on. For example, you could have had some rope on the sides holding the bridge up, with the waterfall continuing on below. Other than that, the background looks really nice. I like the layers of color, starting with that rich, dark blue and fading into a light shade for the foam and fog around where the waterfall meets the bridge. You’ve got kind of a watercolor feel going on in the picture, which I can’t imagine is very easy to create so well.

Again, I think the only part of the picture that doesn’t belong are those green areas on the sides. I’m still not sure what they’re supposed to be, but they’re just kind of smudgy and don’t really fit with the rest of the picture. The only other detail I feel you could’ve improved was the bridge, which as I mentioned before doesn’t look much like a bridge. I think it would’ve been clearer if you had used straight lines to separate the slats instead of the blue streaks that are in kind of irregular places. I think it’s cool you tried to show the waterfall through the slats, they just should’ve been a little more structured.

So the main takeaways here would be: Have an idea of what everything in the picture is supposed to be. Those green bits could have been turned into something nice that made it clearer what was going on in the picture. Also pay more attention to the structure of your objects. That bridge doesn’t look like much of a bridge!

Grade

I’d give this piece a 45/100. No, not quite enough for a Girafarig, but it’s still a very nice picture! I do think it was a bit small, but you already knew that. The stars of the picture were the Pokémon and its trainer. It could’ve used a little more detail and a little more clarity, since I wouldn’t have known what was going on without your description. Overall, though, I really liked it. Let me know if you edit it and resubmit!

 

I wanted to submit something while the theme was on. I think a monthly theme us actually a pretty great way to incentivise art submissions.
So here is a drawing of a Treecko that might be... Let's say, improved upon, later.

Spoiler

Just some simple (though Hard category) stuff.

[EDIT]
FORCASH FORCASH FORCASH
Even I know that there's no shot of hitting Hard with no background.

 

Claim!

 

Hi, Truly! I hadn't dug around on BMG's art too much since it's not my main forum, but I had no idea you did art! So many multi-talented URPG people! Woo! I'm glad you feel like the monthly theme helps give incentive to doing art. However, the thread on the theme notes that it only applies to capture attempts and not cash, so unfortunately it wouldn't apply here. However, I'd love to see more monthly-theme works from you in the future!

This is an adorable little sketch. We've got a Trainer and her hella-cute Treecko in a pretty classic anime style.

I'll start with Treecko's anatomy. You've captured its likeness pretty well. I had no issue telling what it was! Some small things, however. Usually, the divide of a Treecko's crest dips down far more, but this is a realitively small issue that doesn't detract too much, so that doesn't hurt you an awful lot there. One of the things I'm wondering about on this Treecko is the thing that's under his neck. At first, I thought it was a tongue (which totally made me think of Toothless), but on further inspection, I don't see any indication of a mouth being open, or that it might be lolling from closed lips. The way it matches the underside color made me think that perhaps Treecko had some wattle or similar dangling accessory that I'd never noticed on its species before, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I think clarifying what that is would help a lot. If it turned out to be a tongue, defining an open or parted mouth would be an adorable addition to this doodle!

The other things I see are its tail and its fingers. Its tail should be a little more firmly sectioned if we're viewing it more from above. If we're viewing it from the side, we should see more of the nearest curl than the other one, like this. The round little fingertips you've got on his raised hand are adorable and spot-on, but you seem to lose it a bit on the other one. I see that they're barely there on that other hand, but I think making them a bit more prominent would really add to its cute, clingy gecko feel that you're going for! These are just small details that I think with a little change would really help make this even more accurate!

Since she's a prominent figure, I also wanted to talk about your Trainer! I want to start from the head and go down, and mostly because I want to compliment you on the head proportions! A lot of the times, people forget that the forehead/top of the skull is actually deceptively tall. If you measure from your own chin to the top of your eyebrows, then from the top of your eyebrows to the height of the top of your skull, they're usually about the same distance! By this metric, her heads a little too tall but it doesn't immediately seem tall, and exaggerated features in anime are nothing new. Overall, she has a wonderful, cheerful expression and nice facial proportions that work well.

Moving down, you've done well with hinting at the backpack on her shoulder with the strap. I can also see the impression of a thumb going behind that strap--good! One thing that threw me a bit is our right (her left) shoulder. Her shoulder where the backpack rests would have to have a very sharp tilt downward to not be seen here, so I'd recommend at least showin a bit of it above the raised part of the arm. Also, unless we're sliding the backpack off, we usually have the shoulder with straps raised at least level to keep it from slipping. However, the gesture here still looks natural enough, and is only something I noticed on looking closer, so this wasn't too bad.

I think your fingers is where her anatomy is a bit shaky here. The angle you have her raised hand at is nice but the fingers are all the same length, which isn't anatomically correct, even by most anime standards. The other hand also has a very long and forward thumb, which looks fairly unnatural and was one of the first things I noticed. If you look at your own hand for reference, Thumbs sit back on a different plane than the rest of the fingers, usually the length of a knuckle-to-knuckle section of the finger or so back. Differing finger length is also an issue here, too.

The small detail of the backs of the sleeves is something that people forget about sometimes, and I'm glad you've included. It helps give the sleeve a more dimensional quality. I love the Pokeballs on the belt and the subtle way you paid attention to their curves. It really helps cement that they're spheres in space. You've indicated the belt, the seams, and the pockets nicely. I wish that you'd not faded the legs out into space, but it isn't terribly jarring for this particular sketch.

Your colors are lovely. The greens, yellows, reds, and blues all compliment each other wonderfully. Nothing is too jarring--they're mostly pastel, which definitely enhances the happy mood of the sketch. This is the kind of little scene I'd love to see some sort of vibrant background on! It just looks like something that'd happen on a sunny day in the park or in the woods.

Overall, this is a solid little sketch. Fixing anatomy issues and indicating scenery/similar aspects would bump it up to Simple, but for now, I'm happy to award this adorable doodle 3k at Easiest rank. I'd love to see more from you--this was precious! ​

 

...Crap. I lost out on 3k because I didn't realise the theme was only for captures. That really sucks...
But I'll move on.
It was a tongue, and I decided to leave the claw hand because I'd already imprinted it into the paper. (and because I had no real intention of hitting Hard rank.)


This month's theme was Yellow Pokémon, so I dug up the list for yellow pokedex Pokémon.

Spoiler

Capture Attempt. Target Pokémon Sewaddle. Target Rank Easiest.

((P.S., I know the hand looks like it's on backwards. I mistakenly drew the palm lines in the wrong direction, but realised too late to correct it.))

 

Weepinbell.

Spoiler

Really no telling what the whims of a curator will bring me if I submit for cash! Better to submit for Capture and plant the seed of a Simple Target Rank in their heads.

 

Sorry for the wait! Claim!

 

Hey, Truly! Sorry for the delay. Trust me, I've been eyeing this for ages because I really, really love this little work! I can't even express! I've been wanting to get for this for a while. But enough about me!

So I want to start by saying that I love this (again) and touch on the technique. The work is crisp, clean, and incredibly smooth. I assume it's colored pencil (like the rest of your works) but I almost doubted myself because of how well you've used it. This is the kind of thing I've been looking for in URPG when referencing the application of colored pencils and similar mediums--the patient, gradual layered application of color into smooth gradients. I'll definitely be using this as an example in the future, if that's alright.

You create a sense of form and depth in a very subtle way with the aforementioned technique.This is one of the better ways to do a softer and more ambiguous light source while still giving a relative sense of realism to the work. The way you’ve used very fine, careful (what I assume to be) pen to outline the forms and the accentuated and blended them with darker color at their edges is such a simple but effective technique. Those lines are incredibly clean, which add to how crisp the work feels--perfect for leaves and berries!

The anatomy of Sewaddle looks spot-on. Everything is the right shape and in the right place. Curling the leaves at their edges is such an adorable touch, especially the itty-bitty ones at the top. Those also serve as a testimony to your materials, your pen work, and your steady hand--you did them without pressing too hard to bleed the ink while also not losing that minuscule shape. While I think the most I could nitpick on was that I’m not sure how wide a Sewaddle’s body is, so I’m not sure if it could span an entire hand like that, but I think a case could be made for the thematic choice there, so it’s definitely not an issue in my book! I love how you’ve shown the feet curled around the hand. It really helps shape the hand and also offer depth. Tomato Berry also checks out berry-anatomy-wise! The spry and upright nature of the leaves makes this berry a good choice for the mood of the work as a whole.

This leads us to the hand. I know you acknowledged your mistake there, but I want to go over it anyway for anyone else reading. Stock photos weren’t doing it for me, so here’s an approximate photograph of my own hand as reference. Sorry in advance for quality--took it at work during break and had to use Paint (shudder) to compile.

​

You mentioned it was backwards because in this instance, the anatomy of the pinkie/leftward fingers were treated like the anatomy of a thumb. What’s missing is the part that I’ve circled in blue. However, I do really want to commend you that despite getting it backwards, you still had everything else right for what it would look like if the fingers were really in that position. The nails especially really help cement that perspective. Even though it’s small, I also like how you’ve included just the slightest of indication of the tops of the other fingers behind it.

Your colors are lovely. The predominant warmth of the berry, hand, and background help bring our focus immediately to the bright, cool colors of the Sewaddle. They cement the fuzzy, feel-good sensation of how adorable the moment is--well, as long as you’re not afraid of bugs. One thing I’d like to point out is how you graded the background in the light auburn. This is one of the simplest but effective ways to have a plain background. The choice to eliminate empty white with a nice color to help the mood was a wonderful decision.

On the subject of the monthly theme, while there is a lot of warm, you’ve also got the clear greens in the broad leaf that serves as a focal point, so it definitely passes there--and it’s definitely a green Pokemon!

This is one of the few instances where I would discourage a complex background. I want to mention this because I know that a lot of people tend to feel it’s necessary on our scale, but this, from a design-perspective, is a case where it isn’t necessary and actually helped you a lot. I don’t think that this particular work needs a background at all, and if there was one added for some reason, it would need to be super, super simple lines and shapes. To make my reasoning clear for both you and those reading, I think this because:

• Your use of precise pen lines, light color, and wide, sprawling shapes gives an aesthetic that is very crisp, clean, and simple. A complex background would take away from and contradict this style.
• You’ve filled the page completely with our subjects (the hand, berry, and Sewaddle!), eliminating both the space for a background and also eliminating the need for one. Works that need backgrounds are usually ones that are drastically zoomed out, with subjects a small portion of the page and that need something to make it more interesting and less empty. However, you fill the entire frame very nicely here and in a way that holds the viewer’s interest and also contributes to the style very well.
• A lack of a background is nice for thematic reasons. We have this precious, adorable moment that’s isolated from all of existence just for us! It reminds me of when small creature does something cute in an anime--they isolate it from the background in that moment where it reaches to do something jaw-droppingly adorable! It’s a great effect and there’s a reason why it’s used--because it works!

Overall, this is a wonderful piece and I can tell you worked hard on it. You used a consistent style throughout to create a work that’s powerfully simple and cohesive. Precise penwork and excellent colored pencil technique, as well as practically perfecting the Sewaddle’s anatomy, really boosts your score. Nothing about this seems rushed or just thrown in. Every bit seems purposeful. You have a wonderful attention to detail. I’m confident enough to give this a 45/25, Sewaddle definitely captured! (edited because I :clap: suck :clap It would hit higher still with the anatomy of the hand corrected. I really enjoyed this and hope to see more like it. This also passes for that Green theme of April, earning you an additional 3k!​

 

claims

 

Theme is yellow, not green-- I picked a pokemon from this list
List of Pokémon by color - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

As for size reference, here. I may have actually drawn it a bit small.
http://www.pokemopolis.com/pics/eps/bw/pinwheel07.jpg
https://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/pokemon/images/3/3a/BW018.png/revision/latest?cb=20141011222644

Lastly, (just to inform,) the lining is done with a mechanical pencil, and the background is shaded with the same purple as the nails-- my phone's camera didn't pick it up too well in the warm indoor lighting.

EDIT: Also target score was 25

 

Oh, you're right! Yellow, my bad. I'm not sure why my mind was stuck on the green there. Definitely still qualifies, though. Thanks for the catch! And wow, for mechanical, those lines are impressively dark. I see some spots now that might indicate that it was something along those lines, but I knew it definitely wasn't 2B pencil or something similar--the darkness just made me think it was pen! Thanks for letting me know! Enjoy the Sewaddle!

 

Yo, juliorain has given permission for other curators to claim this. So claiming it I am. Sorry for the wait; will have the grade up ASAP!