Critiques?

[AlleycatIrony]

hey y'all i'm new here and was interested in some art critiques since this is the first time i've rly drawn anthros?

some examples of my art:

some tips and tricks for proportions and stuff would be good :3c
(first pic is a friends oc, so credit for the character goes to him)​

 

[AlleycatIrony]

General art critiques are better off with non-furry art on non-furry sites.

Specific to furries, you need to do some studies on:

Paws. You've got sausage cartoons with placeholder claw nubs there. You can get some really nice shape detail and nuance in paw-hand-foot hybrids. Hell, there's actually a whole sub-fetish around it. People will notice if you put effort into them.

Faces that aren't humanoid flat. You've got really, really human faces (and noses) on half of them, and the dog's being least human is pretty simplified and rough. This is the weirdest transition since you've probably got a lot of practice with constructing human heads, then suddenly trying to do a wide variety of oblong shapes, and consistent features is difficult without simplifying the shapes. Not saying you can't do faces like you are, but the flexibility wouldn't hurt. Start on the other end of the spectrum with 100% animal head studies, then work into hybrids from there. The dog is really, really bugging me. The thing you do with the mouth, teeth, as well as the simplified skull shape, placeholder nose, eyes, etc, is low budget anime as hell.

Eyes. Less so, but there's quite a bit of variety in animals, so more flexibility is going to help.

Might try roughing the edges of fur spots with the flow of the fur as necessary, depending on the length they're usually not perfect freckles.

Noodle pudge arms? Noodle pudge arms. There's a lot of room to experiment with musculature in furries, but if you're consistently making these arms then they all start looking like fursuits.

Technically style, not necessarily critique, but I knew before I looked that your linked gallery would be on Tumblr and that you were a graduate from the Tumblr university of art and everything on there was exactly what I was anticipating.

Your construction, what's visible at least, is pretty simple. Expanding into doing things like contours and such can really help, and some more life drawing. I don't see any studies on your galleries, but granted I don't put mine up either.

i'd rather keep a cartoon-y style as i'm not interested in drawing realistically and well, the dog is a uh... pokemon so it's kinda similar to actual pokemon style (so the whole anime comment makes sense considering) BUT! i do appreciate ur input on it all :0

and yeah i'm more used to drawing humans and... non-anthro animals? (like regular ones on 4 legs) so this is a very new experience trying to mix the two haha

i'm not sure what to make of the tumblr comment bc i don't rly understand it but overall, thank u for ur help and i'll try looking into more references and such c:

 

[AlleycatIrony]

Heh. Heheh. HAHAHAH. OK. Very good job on that then. It does indeed look like a pokemon. I haven't played since first generation, so I wouldn't recognize it.


Tumblr has hit this singularity, where instead people all I see are just pieces of a large singular entity. Planet of hats. The big rash before that was (and sometimes still is) a generation that started with Learn to Draw Anime books as their first serious effort into art being inspired by imported anime. You could tell just looking at a couple samples to know exactly what the rest of their gallery looked like, but if you mixed their gallery with someone else you'd have a hell of a time telling the apart if they were at equal skill levels. As long as you're offering or advertising commissions in something specific though, you'll be less interchangeable than I'm implying. Specializing in Pokemon, apparently, probably isn't a bad idea in that regard, as I see.


Always do studies more realistic than you plan to commission. You'd think they don't help but they do.


Heads sure, but you've actually got more detail in the heads than in the paws. If it were human head/hands with this disparity, it wouldn't look so great. Paws also specifically really really does pay off to put more into them, it's one of those things that will make you stand out.


Eh. There's minor errors/inconsistencies in the actual lineart, but they're smaller than I have the skill to redline or really call out.

ah ok i see!! thanks for clarifying some things i was unsure abt! c:

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

i can't stand it when critics say stuff like, "Your stuff looks like a cartoon. it needs to be more realistic."
When an artist posts an obvious cartoon style, by mindful of that and refrain from trying to change the style. Yeesh!

On topic :
As much as i like the sketchy style of your examples (and sketchies in general) but i'd like to see more thick lined works like this. Some better defined lines would look great in your style. At the very least, try to clean up your drawings a bit by getting rid of some guide lines. i'd also like to see what you can do with some more vivid colors. Pastels are nice for soft characters and wistful, romantic and "girly" things. Some darker colors, higher contrast and better defined lines would go a long way to diversify your style. Also, if you wanted to print your works, you'd have better luck with higher contrasting colors. it's just that a lot of your works look...unfinished.
Again, i LOVE sketchy styles and yours is adorably drawn but your drawings are dying for some definition.

 

[AlleycatIrony]

i can't stand it when critics say stuff like, "Your stuff looks like a cartoon. it needs to be more realistic."
When an artist posts an obvious cartoon style, by mindful of that and refrain from trying to change the style. Yeesh!

On topic :
As much as i like the sketchy style of your examples (and sketchies in general) but i'd like to see more thick lined works like this. Some better defined lines would look great in your style. At the very least, try to clean up your drawings a bit by getting rid of some guide lines. i'd also like to see what you can do with some more vivid colors. Pastels are nice for soft characters and wistful, romantic and "girly" things. Some darker colors, higher contrast and better defined lines would go a long way to diversify your style. Also, if you wanted to print your works, you'd have better luck with higher contrasting colors. it's just that a lot of your works look...unfinished.
Again, i LOVE sketchy styles and yours is adorably drawn but your drawings are dying for some definition.

aa thank u for the feedback! i have a couple of different styles but lately i've been keeping w/ the sketchy pastel look bc the fact that i can get them done in one sitting does wonders for my short attention span ;u; (plus the guidelines are part of the style deliberately, but i do agree that sometimes they're a bit too obvious haha)

here's an example of smthn i did awhile ago (abt 6 months, so pls ignore the kinda shotty proportions and all that lmao) in another one of my styles (which is the bold colours ur probs looking for) [here's another one from abt 8 months ago]
i've been considering going back to that style (or smthn like it) when i'm motivated but i'm yet to figure out how to use it on anthro pics bc shading fur is a lot different to skin unfortunately ;w;

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

shading fur is a lot different to skin unfortunately ;w;

Not necessarily. i don't know who you watch on FA but the majority of artists i like shade fur the same as skin. Just the same as you would shade blushing cheeks, it isn't a problem to shade furry bodies the same; light glow on curves, subtle shadow, etc. Just sayin'. My characters' furs vary from one to another. For the most part, when nude or clothed, their arms, legs, curves, etc. are all shaded the same as my human characters (not on FA). i actually stopped trying to shade furry textures. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you. i like drawing in a sketchy style (mostly for quick/NSFW stuff) and even then i leave out fur details. i think if you tried to texture in fur, it might clash with your "cartoony" style.
As for your older stuff, you'll always be your own worst critic. i think they're great, "shoddy anatomy" included. i think if your incorporated some of the style to your furry stuff, it'd look awesome. You clearly have a grasp on two (at least) separate styles but i wonder what it'd look like if you combined the two. By which i mean fully cleaned, solid-lined and vividly colored furry art.
Also, given one's opinion of cartoons, the styles they like, how they define them, etc... -some might find highly detailed drawings to be too much. Maybe you could stand to LOSE some details. Think of it like the uncanny valley of cartoons; you can actually cram TOO MUCH detail into a cartoon and lose the cartoon "flavor". For instance, using thicker lines while trying to draw in facial features, shading muscley bits with heavy lines, drawing individual hair/fur tufts with lines too fine. Sometimes there just isn't room for all those details! Sometimes the best detail you can add is to leave some to the viewer's imagination. Pokemon designs do this a LOT; even if drawn in a more realistic style, a lot of the time they still maintain their cartooniness despite all the details. if you want to develop a new cartoony style, try challenging yourself to freehand a character with a marker on sticky-notes or draw with a thicker brush in Photoshop. Aim for detailing a character's silhouette instead of defining their muscles, facial features or finer details.
i mean...if you're aiming for "more cartoony".
Just a thought. A poorly typed, rambly, i-needs-me-a-nap thought.

 

[AlleycatIrony]

Not necessarily. i don't know who you watch on FA but the majority of artists i like shade fur the same as skin. Just the same as you would shade blushing cheeks, it isn't a problem to shade furry bodies the same; light glow on curves, subtle shadow, etc. Just sayin'. My characters' furs vary from one to another. For the most part, when nude or clothed, their arms, legs, curves, etc. are all shaded the same as my human characters (not on FA). i actually stopped trying to shade furry textures. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you. i like drawing in a sketchy style (mostly for quick/NSFW stuff) and even then i leave out fur details. i think if you tried to texture in fur, it might clash with your "cartoony" style.
As for your older stuff, you'll always be your own worst critic. i think they're great, "shoddy anatomy" included. i think if your incorporated some of the style to your furry stuff, it'd look awesome. You clearly have a grasp on two (at least) separate styles but i wonder what it'd look like if you combined the two. By which i mean fully cleaned, solid-lined and vividly colored furry art.
Also, given one's opinion of cartoons, the styles they like, how they define them, etc... -some might find highly detailed drawings to be too much. Maybe you could stand to LOSE some details. Think of it like the uncanny valley of cartoons; you can actually cram TOO MUCH detail into a cartoon and lose the cartoon "flavor". For instance, using thicker lines while trying to draw in facial features, shading muscley bits with heavy lines, drawing individual hair/fur tufts with lines too fine. Sometimes there just isn't room for all those details! Sometimes the best detail you can add is to leave some to the viewer's imagination. Pokemon designs do this a LOT; even if drawn in a more realistic style, a lot of the time they still maintain their cartooniness despite all the details. if you want to develop a new cartoony style, try challenging yourself to freehand a character with a marker on sticky-notes or draw with a thicker brush in Photoshop. Aim for detailing a character's silhouette instead of defining their muscles, facial features or finer details.
i mean...if you're aiming for "more cartoony".
Just a thought. A poorly typed, rambly, i-needs-me-a-nap thought.

this is rly detailed and helpful, thank u!! i'll keep a lot of that in mind and tbh i might try some of that in my next drawing to see how it goes :0

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

I'm pretty much just bothered by the detail disparity between heads and other focal body parts within the same piece, Eg neglecting of feet is probably the most common in artists. This is the same thing with the hands...

...also life studies never hurt anybody.

Oh, i agree. Don't get me wrong. i'm just as guilty for drawing low-detail hands and/or cropping out feet but that's because it's my preferred style, not my crutch. i can draw hands, individual fingers, feet and toes etc. but in my particular comic style, i aim for simplicity on purpose. -But that's just me. The same can't be said for others but that kind of critique ALWAYS pops up regardless of artist or style. The problem is (and i don't mean here or with anyone in particular) is that most of the time the artist asks, "What can i improve on this piece?", or, "How i can improve the style of this?". in the case of cartoon styles, "Work on your anatomy" may not even apply! Not every artist wants to draw realistically. Not every artist is aiming for photo or anatomical realism. if you (and i mean "you" in general) are going to critique a piece or a style, take note of what the artist's goals likely are. if you can't tell, ask them.

if an artist asks for critique on their squares, don't assume they were aiming for cubes.
9 times out of 10 what said artist needs is encouragement to form a circle. - And not a sphere.

But with that said, yes, fundamentals are important and life drawing should be freakin' mandatory for learning pen/brush control and translating thoughts and images to paper. Deconstructing and rebuilding an image, drawing "on model" and proper knowledge of how light works, etc. are all a given when it comes to art of any kind but the bottom line is: Don't assume the goals of the artist. if they aren't stated clearly, make an educated guess. Don't just tell them to shoot for realism. if realism was their goal, they'd say so. Same goes for "anatomy". Most of the time, "anatomy" gripes don't apply to cartoons unless there's an obvious problem with different sized arms or whatever.

Agreed. Anatomy DOES matter. Details DO matter. Fundamentals DO matter. Consistency DOES matter.
...when applied to applicable styles and mediums.

-And i'm not saying your critique was bad! LOL it was insightful and helpful and well thought out!
Hell, i wish i got critique that helpful! ...but if i had a dime for every "critique" i got on "anatomy"...

 

[AlleycatIrony]

@PlusThirtyOne i tried lining again (it's been months since i've done it and it was actually kinda fun, haha) and this was the result, was this kinda what u had in mind for the bold lines & bright colours?

​

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

i tried lining again and this was the result, was this kinda what u had in mind for the bold lines & bright colours?

​

Yes and no. -But you do whatever you want. i was thinking of going thicker, at least on the main outline. it all depends on what style you prefer. Me, i like the graphic design rules of thick lines and minimized detail. Tone down the fluffiness and concentrate on outlining a basic furry shape without so many jagged lines. Limit your shading to only 3 tones per color; lit, shaded and highlights. Skip the ruffly details on the collar, refrain from outlining facial details, show them with colors, not lines. Keep hair and fur texturing to a minimum.
-That is, if you're aiming for a "cartoonier" style. That's just what i would do but it's all up to you. As for the color pallet, this is a pallet that contains most of the colors you already have and some complimentary color shades. if you darkened the hair and made the collar a combination of green shades, they'd both stand out a little more. The eyes could stand to be darker, even green. And that paw; something looks off about it. i'm no expert on paws so i don't even know if dogs can even do that with their fingers. :V

 

[nerdbat]

i can't stand it when critics say stuff like, "Your stuff looks like a cartoon. it needs to be more realistic."
When an artist posts an obvious cartoon style, by mindful of that and refrain from trying to change the style. Yeesh!

On topic :
As much as i like the sketchy style of your examples (and sketchies in general) but i'd like to see more thick lined works like this. Some better defined lines would look great in your style. At the very least, try to clean up your drawings a bit by getting rid of some guide lines. i'd also like to see what you can do with some more vivid colors. Pastels are nice for soft characters and wistful, romantic and "girly" things. Some darker colors, higher contrast and better defined lines would go a long way to diversify your style. Also, if you wanted to print your works, you'd have better luck with higher contrasting colors. it's just that a lot of your works look...unfinished.
Again, i LOVE sketchy styles and yours is adorably drawn but your drawings are dying for some definition.

To be honest, I like the works you critique in this thread much more than the works you encourage the artist in question to do.

 

[PlusThirtyOne]

To be honest, I like the works you critique in this thread much more than the works you encourage the artist in question to do.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand i don't disagree with you. They're super duper awesome! However, the topic brought up was "cartoony" and the OP seems genuinely curious how to "toon" the illustrations (for lack of a better word). i encourage the artist to do whatever they want. By all means, stick with what you enjoy! -But if you're asking to experiment, "toon-up" your style or try something different i'm happy to explain how you might do that. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[AlleycatIrony]

Yes and no. -But you do whatever you want. i was thinking of going thicker, at least on the main outline. it all depends on what style you prefer. Me, i like the graphic design rules of thick lines and minimized detail. Tone down the fluffiness and concentrate on outlining a basic furry shape without so many jagged lines. Limit your shading to only 3 tones per color; lit, shaded and highlights. Skip the ruffly details on the collar, refrain from outlining facial details, show them with colors, not lines. Keep hair and fur texturing to a minimum.
-That is, if you're aiming for a "cartoonier" style. That's just what i would do but it's all up to you. As for the color pallet, this is a pallet that contains most of the colors you already have and some complimentary color shades. if you darkened the hair and made the collar a combination of green shades, they'd both stand out a little more. The eyes could stand to be darker, even green. And that paw; something looks off about it. i'm no expert on paws so i don't even know if dogs can even do that with their fingers. :V

aaa unfortunately i'd rather not thicken the lines anymore or my art'd look v similar to my friend's art style because we shade and line somewhat the same :c
and the ruffly details are part of the collar bc that's what it actually looks like lmao
and another thing is that i'd rather not change what my character looked like in terms of how fluffy he is and his palette, but thankyou anyway! ;u;

 

[AlleycatIrony]

another more-recent thing to put on here bc some of the first stuff was old art haha (plus one non... furry human-ish thing - my boy kiyung!)

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