I could really use some criticizing

[GabeLin]

Alright... well here's a group of images I have decided to include in my portfolio application to Ringling College of Art and Design for Computer Animation. For some reason some won't appear right side up. I've tried everything but they still turn up sideways... so sorry.

I've had about 1 semester of art class now and I'm not feeling like I'm getting anywhere. Besides this semester I've really had no experience besides doodling so please don't use fancy talk because I might not be able to understand.

I'm not even going to bother with CalArts because I know I've got no chance of getting in. If I get rejected from Ringling then I'll try for both again next year.

I'll only be including my life drawings and observational drawings since that's what they apparently are the most interested in. All these drawings might look like they're the same model because... they are... lol.


My teacher was the one and only teacher who did not want our class to do life drawing. So it took me a lot of asking around to find another class where I could come in and draw on my own. So all the human models were drawn in about 3 classes worth. Not much considering people probably are submitting at least a year's worth of life drawing... but still worth a try I guess.

anyways... here they are. they're not up to the level you guys are on but still leave feedback please

1) 30 second gestures


2) 3 minute gesture


3) 5 minute life drawing


4) 20 minute life drawing w/1 color added


5) 25 minute life drawing


6) 30 minute life drawing


7) 15 minute observational drawing... yes. did this at the zoo.


15 minute observation drawing at zoo


9) 30 minute observational drawing


10) 10 minute life drawing practice while on the train



well.... I actually have a bunch of other drawings but I'm having trouble uploading them. So for now.. just look at these and tell me what needs to be fixed.

[kaii]

Be more confident and have fluidity in your lines.

[GabeLin]

ok... I tried talking to the teachers who were teaching the life drawing classes I was allowed to walk in for. Most of them really didn't comment too much besides things like "Ok" or "Observe a little more before you draw".


I know I have quite a few lines in my life drawing and I'm trying to cut down on the amount. I've got a couple of those which I will upload in a little while.

but besides that... what should I be trying to fix/add/change in my drawings to make them better?

also, I apologize for the lack of color. The classes I were in really only focused on single colors for the majority of the time so most of my work is in black and white and shades of grey

[kaii]

Try deeper greys, if using pencil/charcoal, maybe get a set that ranges from 2H to 8B. It'll let you get more of a variety to your greys. Always have a WIDE value when you're coloring in anything, whether in color or greys. This adds depth.

A hint when using pencil/charcoal is to squint your eyes while looking at the picture. You can see the different gradients pop up and see how darker you need to go. If you can't see anything when squinting, then you have to go darker.

You're focusing primarily right now on the outlines. Try focusing on mass, value and positive/negative space. Sometimes people focus too much on what something is (a human) supposed to be and they draw disconnectedly and without really looking.

A good trick to understand the figure is to focus on one thing at a time, for me, the easiest is mass/value. Your drawings are just lines now and they don't have much of a weight/depth to them. So next time you figure draw, try focusing just on the mass, just on the light parts of the body and the dark parts. Also try drawing without thinking, "this is a leg" "this is an arm" "this is a finger" just try to draw the shading of whatever shape you're drawing and go with it. Just shade in the mass and the figure will be there at the end of the drawing. Sometimes, you almost don't need lines even.

You might want to google mass drawings for examples.

Btw, was that monkey a spider monkey by any chance? If so, I have an unusual talent for identifying monkeys.

[GabeLin]

alright, thanks a bunch for your input. I've tried posting my work in other forums and most of them generally say the same thing

- smooth your lines and make it less rough
- use less lines especially on the edges
- use wider range for shading


I'm going to see if I can tweak a couple of these images and I'll re-post them.

anything else?

oh... and yes, that was some kind of spider monkey I believe... lol, how did you know?

[GabeLin]

hmmm.... photobucket seems to be acting like a great big prick about some of my photos...

but anyways, I tried shading in some of the pictures with a little more contrast. Please compare them to the previous version and tell me which one is better.

ALSO: If possible please answer this question as soon as possible.

I'm applying to Ringling. I'm using their slideroom program online to upload my work. When I upload them, they always look kind of grainy and some of the lines look disconnected. There is no zoom in feature for their program so I can't double check.

Does anyone know whether or not the quality changes when you upload it to the slideroom thing? Because my pictures are not as grainy and pixelated as they look in slideroom and I want to make sure I'm not screwing myself over before they even get a look at it.

6.


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[daipham]

It is so cool, thanks for showing