WIP Hooded graffiti

[Eskiboy]

Hi there, Im chris and im a relatively new artist compaired to some of the artists here So i figured if i want to get better i must get proper Crits rather then just looking at tutorials
Ok so heres my WIP:

Im trying to shade it correctly(the hood, yeah i no... looks horrid =/), Pallets pretty simple colour ramping >_< but i will try making it more interesting after lol

[Gil]

Most often, new artists obscure the face out of fear of drawing the face, more than anything else. I'm not sure if that's the case here, but I'd introduce at least parts of the face, since that small of a hoodie wouldn't really obscure the whole face, would it?

I know the whole eyes in the dark thing is cool, but I've seen so many pieces using it that it quickly becomes a bore.

Besides, drawing a face will give you a better understanding of pixel art, as the subject matter of a face is full of interplays between light and dark, volumes, anatomy, etc. Drawing the human face is always a good art lesson. If you're not comfortable drawing a face from scratch, try getting a reference, a mirror or a photo camera to help you out.

[Eskiboy]

Heh ok so i tryed to keep the face in the dark style but define shape on the face like you said and heres what i have:

[Gil]

Okay, some pointers.

- The light seems to come from a different direction on every object
- The spray can has almost no contrast at all
- The body needs a lot more volume
- The facial structure needs to be beter represented

The face has a gradient like structure now. Try looking at a face, there's cheek bones that cast shadow, the mouth area and everything around the eyes and nose. All of those things throw shadows. Try to represent them.

The spray can needs to be a lot darker on the dark sides. The top seems to be metal. Metal needs a lot of contrast and shine. Bright next to dark colors for anything shiny too.

I'd stop shading the face until you draw the eyes.

The "folds" on the hoody don't seem to follow anything, try draping different clothes over a chair, look at them when you wear them. How do folds interact?

[Eskiboy]

I really appreciate this help This is very much trial and error on my part lol, I tryed doing what you said to the can(aswell as changing the colour all together) and Tryed fixing up the face:

[Gil]

I'm glad I can be of assistance

The spray can's dither makes it look like a rough surface, spray cans tend to be smooth, so maybe no dither would work better.

Can you explain which materials your spray can is supposed to be made of? If it's plastic it needs to look smoother, if it's metal it needs to look shinier, etc.

Also, can you point out where the light is coming from? There is shadown on both shoulders right now, which doesn't make sense yet

[Eskiboy]

Well i tryed making the light source come from upper right as for the can i actually made it without thinking of the texture >_< But id say it was a metal like reflective material(if that makes sense lol)

Also just shading a can since its round didnt blend to well, so i added a colour 1 pixel into the next shade on the can, is that bad?

[Gil]

It's starting to shape up now. I like the new spray can.

I'd work on the volume of the torso a little more now

[TomF]

Hey there Eskiboy, I took some time some do an edit for you, I hope it helps. I think if you're going to include a face in there then you should take the time to render it properly. I probably set a bad example in my graffiti guy piece.



It may be too realistic for your tastes, but you can alter it to suit your needs if you wish. I suggest lots of drawing faces to understand the structure, and from here you can distort reality and put your style in. I would also add more detail like a zip, a label on the can, and maybe a logo on his chest. It's always good to break up areas of large colour with little details like that. Also the hands are a bit stiff, hold an object up against a mirror and see how your hand grips it. Keep going, if you study everything properly this piece will be a good learning process for you. :]

[Eskiboy]

Awesome TomF! Hmm yeah now your making me feel like i went alittle chibi with this Lol Yeah these crtis are helping alot