Do I have shit taste?

[Illesdan]

I actually went into this thread expecting to see some no-talent work drawn on lined filler sheets (don't laugh; go look for art on the internet, and someone, somewhere has drawn a shitty [or even great] piece of work on filler paper). I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Speaking as an artist, I might be able to help you out abit. I've noticed people either want 'supra' realism out of art, or they go down the other slider of they want goofy, anime, quickly and cheaply drawn crap because we've convinced ourselves it is art. Basically, if you want praise or direction in the cheap/crude stuff, you need to find your audience for that work. Don't waste talent on these people; they don't know art and will be happy with a stick-figure in a skirt with anime eyes.

I guess after looking at all these pictures, my question has to be, what exactly is your style? I see a tilt of the hat to Andy Warhol and many of the '70s beat style artists in 3; then I look back at 1, which looks like something a graffiti artist would stencil up on a boxcar, then look at 2 (which I personally love) and go 'the same person did all of these?'

I could go on, but I won't. In short, the biggest problem with your art is that it doesn't flow together. It doesn't feel like this work is from the same artist, and that could be why you are getting such mixed feedback. People want to become familiar with what you do naturally and follow your progression as an artist; not with what you are just spitballing out there and hoping all the masses will enjoy, because, believe me, that never happens.

Here's an example; I draw comic-book style realistic, because I'm a self-taught artist who drew from a variety of sources to find the style I not only enjoy seeing, but enjoy drawing. My friend, however, loves anime, and draws (rather competently) in anime-style. I don't expect him to like my body of work; as I'm not particularly impressed with his, but I understand that that is his style is good, and he half-complements me on mine, and I think that's good enough.

A few tips on drawing women: Shorter, more slender necks and narrower shoulders. The torso is too long, giving her a more masculine look. Males tend to have longer spines than women, but the trade-off is women have longer-looking legs than men (in height-to-height averages). Don't be afraid to give a female a thicker mid-section and wider hips; you aren't drawing Barbie. Females, in general, also have shorter arms than men. I saw nothing wrong with your arms; just thought I'd put that out there for future reference.

Now time to go draw....

 

[josemlopes]

Well, thanks guys, you made some good points about the perspective of the artist and its audience and how its normal to have basic stuff to become more popular then complex stuff. It may look dumb but it really was something that was messing with me.

And yeah, everyone has different tastes and that is also present here with some liking certain pictures while others like different ones, I just have to get used to not try to please everyone and do what I want. (I kind of already do what I want, I just did the wrong thing of expecting that what I did would please everyone)

Actually, the fourth picture totally looks like something I would have as a desktop background if the resolution was higher.

If you go to the spoiler where it has the bigger images and select to open that one in a new tab (or something like that with the right mouse click) it will open the image in its original size (it may look worse since you get to see up close and some detail may be lacking lol)

 

[Someone Depressing]

I really like your styles.

Whenever I do draw, I tend not to get much feedback at all, so I don't really know what it's like to get negative criticism that much.

Just keep doing what you're doing. I like it.

 

[gagagaga]

2 and 4 are the best looking ones, in my opinion.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

You've got quite a variety in there.

Your strengths are clearly in lighting and perspective and you have a distinct flair for Graphic Design. While the work you have shown shows a tendency to over saturate with light, it none the less shows a keen sense of effective placement and a good grasp on how light would interact with a scene. You have a solid grasp on foreshortening (which is great for dynamic and energetic imagery) and how to apply it to abstract imagery without affecting style.

While aesthetically tame (but still interesting), the Face constructed of yellow triangles shows a fantastic ability to deconstruct a complex image (something I struggled with for a long time). You might not view it as a work of art, but that is something I would plop into a portfolio in a heartbeat. Seriously, do not underestimate the value of exploratory work. That sort of stuff gave my Visual Design Lecturer ocular orgasms.

Where you are weakest is Anatomy (specifically related to the torso and lower abdomen, you have a decent grasp of how the arms and shoulders interact), but really that something that comes with practice. Even when you are exaggerating proportions and dimensions, a strong understanding of how our anatomy works is hugely beneficial to an image. Do you use posing dolls/mannequins? They can be extremely helpful when it comes to visualising a pose.

Also, it might be best to draw some nudes (for both male and female) from visual sources and not just from imagination. Try to avoid the lure of "sexiness" when it comes to women at first and study muscular and skeletal anatomy. There are some significant differences between Men and Women beyond genitals, glands and shoulder to hip ratios. Since clothing can be very misleading when you are trying to wrap your mind around how our bodies bend and stretch when in action, and how our limbs and joints interact, learning to draw clothes first can easily result in anatomical errors.

As someone who studied to animate, I found watching athletes in super slow motion great for comprehending our bodies potential flexibility. Understanding this really helps when you want to depict motion and it helps when you want to exaggerate. That said, the knowledge I built up was always with the mindset of how something would look in motion. If you are focusing on still images such depth isn't crucial. However if you are drawing characters, even bizarre aliens and fantasy creatures, a knowledge of anatomy is very valuable.

Overall, you show great potential especially since you cover so many bases. You are strong with some things and not so strong with others, but that is how it is for practically all artists (if not absolutely every artist). Many artists cover their weaknesses by going to town with their strengths and making it the highlight of their work. But working on your weakness is just as valid, especially if you want to continue working off such a wide pallette of styles. Just don't let the parts that don't work for you overshadow the parts that do. That is crippling for creativity, which I say from experience.

Finally, I don't know what it is with grungy girls (or prostitutes) but when I was exploring female anatomy myself, I ended up doing a few too. Weird.

EDIT: I hope I didn't come across as patronising. My points are based purely off the work you have displayed here and it's ultimately just my opinion (i'm experienced but am by no means an authority on this). Do not take this any other way... there is no illusion as to whether this work is good or not. It is good. But what's more you show potential beyond what you have displayed for us here. You have the makings of a fantastic illustrator, graphic designer or animator. Don't think otherwise.

 

[sc1arr1]

Honestly I think your stuff is badass!

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Of the lot, #3 "Smooth" stood out to me the most. Here's why: it seems to capture a moment in a way that is suggesting a variety of things about the character, the piece of media it would be associated with, etc. and is an interesting art style. Your alien, guy with gun on rope, landscape, etc. all seem more like they belong in a larger collection, that they're a smaller piece of a story. While the "Smooth" image certainly could also be part of a comic book or something, it is a quintessential piece of cover art, in my mind, in that it is dynamic, visually appealing, and evocative. I'm not disparaging anything you've got here, as it is all quite cool in various ways, and I certainly understand the difficulties of drawing a woman if you're a man used to drawing dudes. It's a challenge to make her feminine. The image itself feels like it belongs as a splash page of a comic or something though, meaning it seems to lack context compared to the "Smooth" image.