[Art] Jaxi likes to draw

[JaxiD]

All right let's do this.



Explaining the picture. He's an Officer of the Special Police, a while back I started a fancomic but I ended up having to stop uploading it for various reasons, here's the old version of the same uniform.



As you can see I've developed the uniform a bit, originally it was supposed to be a skin tight suit with patches of armor connected to it but I ditched that idea and instead layered a more modern two part Kaftan over the top of the under suit. The only armor now visible are the Pauldrons, the Vambraces and the lower section of his boots. The stars on his Pauldrons indicate that he's a Captain, there is a helmet that goes with the uniform but Officers don't have to wear them, also they're allowed to grow their hair out which explains the bandanna that matches the uniform, its military issue.

If you can see he's got a gun in his holster underneath his left arm because he's from the future of the current DMFA timeline. The webcomic was originally intended to be set after the current time of Amber's DMFA and before that of Project Future.

As for influences, I noted how DMFA has a medieval theme running in its design despite being set in a moderately modern day setting so I used that in the design of the uniform. The armor he's wearing is actually a modern twist on an Ottoman warrior's armor rather than an English warrior though, which is because the fancomic was intended to be set in a region of Furrae of my own creation which was inspired by middle eastern culture.

And that's about it.

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

I must say I like the improvement to the armor, it looks much better. Your art has improved too, good job!

Also, I think it'd be nice to see the helmet; since you now mentioned it I am curious to see what it looks like and what the overall look looks like. Looking at some different pictures of Ottoman warrior outfits,  I can appreciate the modern twist you've done. Also, with seeing some pictures of the helmets too; I'm very intrigued to see what modern twist you have done to them.

[Inumo]

Very cool lookin' shtuff. I like the history throwback, having just finished my AP World History class. In terms of the drawing itself, not sure if it's purposeful but the officer looks kinda old. If it's accidental, then I'm seeing it in the lines under the eyes and something about the mouth and facial expression. If it's purposeful, good job! On another note, he has a rather feminine face, it seems. I think it's coming from the narrow chin, possibly the eye shape (though it may just be me). The stance might also play a minor role; I usually think of that one-foot-slightly-overlapping as a feminine way to walk, and that might transfer subconsciously up to the face. Hope this helps!

[JaxiD]

I must say I like the improvement to the armor, it looks much better. Your art has improved too, good job!

Also, I think it'd be nice to see the helmet; since you now mentioned it I am curious to see what it looks like and what the overall look looks like. Looking at some different pictures of Ottoman warrior outfits,  I can appreciate the modern twist you've done. Also, with seeing some pictures of the helmets too; I'm very intrigued to see what modern twist you have done to them.

All right. I'm going to draw the helmet onto this picture for you to save time. The only images of the helmet I have are in sketch form and I'm a messy sketcher. Helmet was a poor choice of words though, it's more like a war mask, you'll see it when I upload it anyways.

Very cool lookin' shtuff. I like the history throwback, having just finished my AP World History class. In terms of the drawing itself, not sure if it's purposeful but the officer looks kinda old. If it's accidental, then I'm seeing it in the lines under the eyes and something about the mouth and facial expression. If it's purposeful, good job! On another note, he has a rather feminine face, it seems. I think it's coming from the narrow chin, possibly the eye shape (though it may just be me). The stance might also play a minor role; I usually think of that one-foot-slightly-overlapping as a feminine way to walk, and that might transfer subconsciously up to the face. Hope this helps!

That's actually brilliant, he's supposed to be in his early thirties so he's just starting to show his age and yeah the slightly feminine facial structure and pose was intentional too. As for the eyes, he's from that region I created where everyone has that sort of eyes. The fact that you picked up on all that without me telling you though is rad.

[JaxiD]

Theres.

[Inumo]

The helmet reminds me vaguely of Japanese culture. The helmet doesn't just protect, but also adds a face meant to intimidate opponents.

[JaxiD]

awesome that's what i wanted, not so much the Japanese connection

I also made a version of just the helmet but... I don't know if you've ever seen an Ottoman helmet before it's not very intimidating.

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

It reminds me of the fox face mask from Shadow Hearts, not that that's a bad thing. I actually like it and actually makes for a more intimidating look, because you would not know what their facial expression would be.

They could be making a silly face at you and you'd never know.....

[JaxiD]

I played that game long long ago but never completed it because it was really hard, I remember it being good though.

Also you're right, the guy is in exactly the same pose with the same appearance behind the mask but suddenly he looks a lot more threatening because all people can see is the mask he's wearing.

Next image!



Practicing drawing an image as quickly as possible. This guy's called Kier (Keye-ear), he was supposed to be a secondary character in the fancomic but I switched him to the main character after rewriting it because I thought his back story was more interesting.

I like telling stories about the underdog, Kier is a Being, his species is a Rabbit, so he's got to work hard to keep up in a world where Creatures are technically genetically superior.

You can't tell from the image but he's five foot nine which is fairly tall for people in the region.

That's about it.

Also I'd like to add that any comments anyone has on any of my designs really helps a lot because it means I can make small adjustments or keep things the same based on the feedback, like any thoughts or feelings you know. So thank you Mrs_A_ZeTavia and Inumo.

[WhiteFox]

I like the expression on him, it's a subtle emotion. The mouth in particular says a lot. The unkempt collar gives him a nice touch of slacker/rebel attitude, too.

The ears and nose look more like a cat's  than a rabbit's. I think of rabbit's ears as cylinders at the base that spread open, kind of like a horses. Rabbits don't have a full triangle, just a Y-shaped slit, like a deer or goat. Don't quote me, though, I could be mistaken.

This might seem like a blatantly obvious blatant observation, but the art style is a pretty generic Anime look. Have you considered/tried shaking things up?

[JaxiD]

Yeah I should probably work on the ears a bit, I were done pretty lazily. As for the nose I know what you mean and you are right I just didn't like how it looked so I didn't use it.

As for the art style, I'm actually trying to imitate Amber's art style because I thought when people think of DMFA they think of an anime inspired style of drawing. I can draw in other styles but for the comic I had intended using anime.

[Inumo]

As WhiteFox mentioned, the ears don't look too rabbit-like. The way they're curved makes it seem like they'll come to a point maybe an inch or two above where the image cuts off. In terms of expression, it seems like he's sad, possibly lonely. I'm getting this impression from the collar (a little bit disheveled), the mouth (looks like he's holding back a cry), and the eyes (very flat, dull colors, like there isn't life behind them, and they're not looking at you, but a little off to the side). Little nitpick, the earring looks not-quite-circular, but that may just be me. The snout in this picture seems like it has depth at first glance, but when you look at it for a while it seems kinda flat. I think I'm getting this because you've got the top of the snout defined, but the bottom seems to go straight into the neck without anything to define it except the viewer's overlay of how it should be (like how you might miss a typo at first glance because you know how it should be spelled and read it that way, but then look back and notice it).

As for the art style, I'm actually trying to imitate Amber's art style because I thought when people think of DMFA they think of an anime inspired style of drawing. I can draw in other styles but for the comic I had intended using anime.

Might I advise simply defining your own style, and not trying to imitate another's? It loses some of that self when you try and use a style that isn't your own, though anime is so widespread a style that it seems like people may have started to figure out the flares people put inside of it to make it their own. If you can draw in many styles, why not try making one that uses all of that knowledge to develop your own style?

[JaxiD]

Love it, you picked up exactly what kind of emotion I was trying to convey without me even explaining it.

Little nitpick, the earring looks not-quite-circular, but that may just be me.

Ha! Yeah I see what you mean. I'm going to blame it on trying to finish the picture as quickly as possible.

The snout in this picture seems like it has depth at first glance, but when you look at it for a while it seems kinda flat. I think I'm getting this because you've got the top of the snout defined, but the bottom seems to go straight into the neck without anything to define it except the viewer's overlay of how it should be.

That is a very good point... I should probably fix that and never do that again...

Might I advise simply defining your own style

I don't have my own style yet. XD

I really need to keep practicing the basic drawing techniques and study other people's styles until I'm good enough to perfectly imitate a wide range of different styles. Once I'm at that level I'll begin developing my own style and that's probably years away from now.

[VAE]

As for the art style, I'm actually trying to imitate Amber's art style because I thought when people think of DMFA they think of an anime inspired style of drawing. I can draw in other styles but for the comic I had intended using anime.

Might I advise simply defining your own style, and not trying to imitate another's? It loses some of that self when you try and use a style that isn't your own, though anime is so widespread a style that it seems like people may have started to figure out the flares people put inside of it to make it their own. If you can draw in many styles, why not try making one that uses all of that knowledge to develop your own style?

I don't think so too much.
I mean, i suck and as such have little say, but it's always good to see how others do stuff and try by it... i mean, when you are , say , learning to drive, you as well imitate the instructor and not worry about style.

As Scott Adams put it in one of the Dilbert books - Originality = Imitation + lack of ability ... that is, you imitate someone, but you don't do it quite right and it's influenced by yourself ,in more ways than is obvious to you.
I mean,the best thing is possibly finding someone who seems to do stuff in a way you like, and who seems to do it in a way that comes to you reasonably, and work from that.

[JaxiD]

I also use to love reading Dilbert... What is it with this thread and bringing up things from the past?

All right I've made the edits to the design in a rough sketch, and yeah I do think the design looks better although it needs a little bit more work, and to not be drawn in like five minutes with barely any planning.



And yes I realize I've forgotten the earing, I am an idiot.

[WhiteFox]

Might I advise simply defining your own style

I don't have my own style yet. XD

That would be the best reason to develop one, I'd say.

As Scott Adams put it in one of the Dilbert books - Originality = Imitation + lack of ability ... that is, you imitate someone, but you don't do it quite right and it's influenced by yourself ,in more ways than is obvious to you.
I mean,the best thing is possibly finding someone who seems to do stuff in a way you like, and who seems to do it in a way that comes to you reasonably, and work from that.

That... scarily, actually makes sense to me. Its good to be inspired, after all, but best not to be afraid to go your own path.

As for the art style, I'm actually trying to imitate Amber's art style because I thought when people think of DMFA they think of an anime inspired style of drawing.

People? What people? I want names.

I didn't worry about art style when I was drawing my DMFA fancomic. For that matter, Amber seems to be making an effort to develop her style, leaning away from Generic Anime.

Besides... "generic" is pretty much another word for "boring."

All right I've made the edits to the design in a rough sketch, and yeah I do think the design looks better although it needs a little bit more work, and to not be drawn in like five minutes with barely any planning.

The face looks reeeely wide, and the neck looks off center. Style aside, it makes him look sort of alien. I take it that's likely due to the mentioned lack of planning.

The contours of the ears look better... they still seem kind of broad and round to me, tho.

And yes I realize I've forgotten the earing

Well, just because he has a piercing, doesn't mean he always has something in it, right?

I mean, i suck...

...I am an idiot.

Meh... fuggetaboutit.

[JaxiD]

Might I advise simply defining your own style

I don't have my own style yet. XD

That would be the best reason to develop one, I'd say.

I think we have different ideas on what a person style is. The way I see it, I can draw anime, of course whilst I'm drawing in that style I'll naturally draw things differently to other people because I'm the one who drew the picture, but the style will still be anime at the end of the day.

Eventually what I hope will happen is I'll begin to fully understand all the concepts of drawing and begin to develop a style of drawing which is entirely unique, that however is years down the line especially since I'm such a ridiculously slow learner.

I don't think developing a style is something which can be forced or learn on its own, it will be created naturally from years of practice and commitment. All I've been trying to do in these pictures is draw in an anime based style which was formed from studying Amber's work, which took me this long to achieve and I don't honestly think I'm entirely there yet. Which leads to your other point.

People? What people? I want names.

I didn't worry about art style when I was drawing my DMFA fancomic. For that matter, Amber seems to be making an effort to develop her style, leaning away from Generic Anime.

Besides... "generic" is pretty much another word for "boring."

I said I thought when people think of DMFA they think of an anime inspired art style.  It's just the opinion I seem to get, entirely based upon my assumption.

One of the biggest themes running around the comic was that it's set in the same world just a different region, if the art style being used was completely different to DMFA then I thought it might cause people to identify the region I created in the comic as entirely separate which would start to spoil the narrative.


I am really not sure I used the right words to explain myself it took me an hour to write this post as it is, I don't mean any offense but we are going way off track as I really just made this thread to show some of the designs I created.

[Mao]

JaxiD:

I will add only one thing, just so it's clear:  If you just want a place to show off some of your designs, this isn't that place.  This particular forum is for comment and critique.  It always has been.

With that out of the way, it's a two way street.  As an artist here, you have every right to defend and explain your points.  Don't worry about doing that, it's expected and (hopefully) helps the commenter just as much.  If you have any questions about the nature of this place or the rules, we have several posts about it and you can *always* ask a mod for clarification.  We're usually pretty happy to help.

[VAE]

If i  may  insert... well, the last several posts weren't so much critiquing stuff he has actually drawn as much as going on about style... which is what i think he was referring to.

[Mao]

I understand that, but that's why I said "just so it's clear" because his wording was not.

[JaxiD]

JaxiD:

I will add only one thing, just so it's clear:  If you just want a place to show off some of your designs, this isn't that place.  This particular forum is for comment and critique.  It always has been.

With that out of the way, it's a two way street.  As an artist here, you have every right to defend and explain your points.  Don't worry about doing that, it's expected and (hopefully) helps the commenter just as much.  If you have any questions about the nature of this place or the rules, we have several posts about it and you can *always* ask a mod for clarification.  We're usually pretty happy to help.

I am editing my post because I don't want to insult anyone, but bare in mind that I am incredibly insulted in how patronizing that post was.

Of course I don't just want a place to show off my drawings and yes I love comments and critique, I've said that repeatedly in this very thread. Did you read this thread at all?

Also I'd like to add that any comments anyone has on any of my designs really helps a lot because it means I can make small adjustments or keep things the same based on the feedback, like any thoughts or feelings you know. So thank you Mrs_A_ZeTavia and Inumo.

There, moving on.

VAE seems to understand. I however cannot find the words to explain what I mean so easily so I'll try the best I can...


Look I can't just "develop my own style" by simply tapping my shoes together or something, it takes a lot of hard work and I'm trying the best I can, I've been trying for five years now even. I've been trying to be polite so not to accidentally insult anyone but honestly, Whitefox, you've been insulting me by constantly insinuating that developing my own style would be so easy. Could you please just keep to the pictures from now on?

[WhiteFox]

i ought to be clear as well.

Jaxi, I appologize. I never meant to be overbearing or condescending, nor was I trying to imply anything. I was very exact when I said "have you considered," because I did not know if you were going with an anime-style look because that was the style you wanted, or if you were unable to go farther. Whatever the case was, I'd take it into account when writing comments. There are somethings I've refrained from commenting on, because I didn't know if you were not able, or not inclined to alter your style. Your comments about a style being difficult to develop deliberately kinda just... deepened the mystery.

In retrospect, I probably could have asked this directly, instead of skirting around the issue.

When you mentioned that you wanted to go with a style that matched Ambers... I made two mistakes. First, I got a little jokey with the "I want names!" comment. The internet does not carry tone of voice, so joking like that is bound to come across wrong. Second, I wanted to say that Amber's style evolves over time, so trying to match it may not be entirely feasible (of course, "the style people think of" is very different from "the style Amber is currently using," so I was somewhat off the mark there. Also, I don't know Amber personally, so I'm trying not to make assumptions about her current direction artwise. That kinda limits me).

By the way, Mao, I don't feel that Jaxi has said anything more than say "thank you, but no thank you" in regards to my comments. Which I have no problem with.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

By the way, Mao, I don't feel that Jaxi has said anything more than say "thank you, but no thank you" in regards to my comments. Which I have no problem with.

Neither do we. My take on this is merely that Mao was clarifying something that wasn't completely clear from JaxiD's posts (as in, it wasn't clear what JaxiD expected from here, nor what the mods tolerate in return. Or vice versa, for that matter); no condemnation was intended for any party involved.

Of course I don't just want a place to show off my drawings and yes I love comments and critique, I've said that repeatedly in this very thread. Did you read this thread at all?

Yup. However, we've had a lot of people show up, claim similarly to desire comments and critique, and then object to, drown out volubly, argue with the proponents, or simply ignore any critique or suggestions then given. Admittedly we've also had people show up, request critique, and respond by improving. So... we get all sorts. And in the interests of fairness, we try to make sure that everyone plays by the same rules - that way people can't complain about being picked on, or not knowing, when they break the rules.

This, of course, applies just as much to the other people reading this, as it does to the artists. Which is why we let people know we're watching. Mao is just the jack-booted variant of mod, and tends to be slightly blunter. Smile sweetly and nod, and he'll go on his merry way and leave footprints on someone else. ;-]

... Mind you, the same could be said of most of the rest of the mods. *grin* Mao just gets more attention than the rest of us, for some reason...

[Mao]

You make it sound like ignoring me or placating me with a smile and a nod makes me go away.

Only the later works.  If I find out you ignored me I get all cranky.

[Arroyo Milori]

Next image!



Practicing drawing an image as quickly as possible. This guy's called Kier (Keye-ear), he was supposed to be a secondary character in the fancomic but I switched him to the main character after rewriting it because I thought his back story was more interesting.

I like telling stories about the underdog, Kier is a Being, his species is a Rabbit, so he's got to work hard to keep up in a world where Creatures are technically genetically superior.

You can't tell from the image but he's five foot nine which is fairly tall for people in the region.

That's about it.

Also I'd like to add that any comments anyone has on any of my designs really helps a lot because it means I can make small adjustments or keep things the same based on the feedback, like any thoughts or feelings you know. So thank you Mrs_A_ZeTavia and Inumo.

The neck looks a bit too long.  Something about the hair bugs me, it feels rather...generic. Not in design but just how it's drawn. The hair behind the bangs feel like its being ponytailed, but it isn't. Wouldn't hurt to put some hair in front of the ears too.

I would play around with his hair and maybe come up with alternate haircuts that are a bit closer to the original haircut just to see if something better can come to mind. I won't go too far judging this character until i hear some background story.

I also use to love reading Dilbert... What is it with this thread and bringing up things from the past?

All right I've made the edits to the design in a rough sketch, and yeah I do think the design looks better although it needs a little bit more work, and to not be drawn in like five minutes with barely any planning.



And yes I realize I've forgotten the earing, I am an idiot.

The face is too wide, and the head feels a bit small to me.

I would suggest some anatomy study here and there. Style is the product of how you see something, but it does not mesh well if there is no understanding of anatomy.

[JaxiD]

You probably should have phrased that "Do you study anatomy".

I attend a life drawing class once a week so yes I already do study anatomy, thank you for your suggestion anyways.

[Turnsky]

Yup. However, we've had a lot of people show up, claim similarly to desire comments and critique, and then object to, drown out volubly, argue with the proponents, or simply ignore any critique or suggestions then given. Admittedly we've also had people show up, request critique, and respond by improving. So... we get all sorts. And in the interests of fairness, we try to make sure that everyone plays by the same rules - that way people can't complain about being picked on, or not knowing, when they break the rules.

or it gets me involved which just makes EVERYONE cranky.  

edit: i've also held proverbial symposiums on 'style' arguements before, i can't be arsed doing it again, suffice to say "style" is a cultivated thing, yet you must have more than one and never be willing to let it fester into something horrible, it must progress and stay relatively fresh.

[WhiteFox]

You make it sound like ignoring me or placating me with a smile and a nod makes me go away.

Only the later works.  If I find out you ignored me I get all cranky.

Huh. And here I was using you as an expositional device to show that I hadn't taken umbrage at anything that had been said.

or it gets me involved which just makes EVERYONE cranky.  

Some of us like getting cranky.

How come you never call me anymore? *Pout*

I attend a life drawing class once a week so yes I already do study anatomy...

It shows, actually.



It occurs to me that I never made any of the comments I had on hold.

kier2.jpg:
The neckline is what sticks out to me the most. The trapezius goes straight into the middle of the neck, instead of sloping up to the base of the skull.

I'm guessing that he has has no line for the chin because his head is tilted back. If that's the case, here's a quick redline with a suggestion for the underside of his jaw: