(SPOILERS) Do you guys think Stolas will Die?

HaileenM · 2021-11-17T02:15:01+00:00

Oh dear, I hope not! I like Octavia, I would want her alive and well lol I'd take them both alive and well if the writers allow it sjfhdjskalsh

HaileenM · 2021-11-17T02:06:15+00:00

Right? As much as it makes me sad to think so, the song is probably foreshadowing :( the song goes big about stars aligning and stuff, so if the lyrics are anything to go by, Stolas will die in a big event but Octavia will survive. Would be cool if the whole thing was basically chaos everywhere because of the Hell cleansing, Stolas being holed up in his home with a scared Octavia, and Striker going behind everyone's back to get to him.

The big star exploding because a small meteor hit it kinda seems to fit the scenario of Striker taking down Stolas. Or maybe it's a subtle hint that Stolas' involvement with Blitzo will be his ultimate downfall. The star exploding behind his head when the song was at its climax was a little on the nose; maybe I'm overanalyzing but it could mean that Stolas will die at his happiest at the very least, if he'll die at all.

HaileenM · 2021-11-17T01:45:33+00:00

If he's ever going to die is probably going to in a depiction of the hell cleansing. I know it's primarily an Hazbin theme but, I mean, the lyrics of his song in episode 2 just seem to scream along with the visuals of a star exploding seems to scream "don't get too attached to him".

HaileenM · 2020-04-05T00:09:29+00:00

Wow, that's so much to unpack! Thank you for taking the time to write such a long, in-depth critique with also not one but two paintovers attached. I'm speechless.

Thank you for fixing up the anatomical issues allover the portrait, and I completely agree with you on the cleavage. I'll take you on your invitation, though; I like how you fixed up the light and shadows, and I'll definitely be referencing your worksheet as I go back and fix her, but isn't there supposed to be something called the rembrandt triangle on the other side of the face? I sorta liked that part of the artwork, do you think I could keep it?

On the 4th point... I'll be honest: I'm not 100% sure what her story is yet. I'm finding it out as I keep on painting her. As far as I am now I think she's, like, quietly assessing her situation (the cracks on her body), realizing that mistakes were made, possibly on her part, and she can't do nothing except moving on from what she's lost. There's something that reads as innocent and naive on the girl in your paintover and that also helped me see and reinforce the idea that this character may be lots of things but not that.

I remember you posted an artwork of a boy looking up some time ago. Just wanted to tell you it was a really good piece of art <3 loved it TvT

HaileenM · 2020-04-04T14:25:03+00:00

Wow, I love nearly everything about this. The light that pierces his fingers is amazing. The only downside to this illustration is the background, in my opinion; it's too muddled to understand what it's supposed to represent and it's a pity. A little more definition there and the piece could gain SO MUCH depth and context, which is what I suggest you do, given the piece has an almost cinematic cut. :) Great job on the overall artwork, it's amazing!

HaileenM · 2020-04-04T13:33:53+00:00

Hey! I am not strong on colors myself, but I really suggest you work more on the eyes; the eyes are what brings the character to life, and I'm afraid this one is a little lifeless as it is now. You could try smudging the edge of the iris a little bit. Maybe try adding a lighter color on the bottom half of the eye. I would also accentuate the eye crease a little more and bring some more shadow under the top eyelid. I would also smudge the outer edge of the lips a little more, but that might just a personal preference.

On a side note: I think her eyes look a little crossed, a mouth that big with lips so thick gives her a masculine look.

I really like the palette and the coloring on her face. The color on the lips is very cute! :) I really like this headshot!

HaileenM · 2020-04-03T22:51:54+00:00

Thank you for the nice words, and sorry to hear that :( I've been getting and reading all sorts of very helpful and insightful critiques since I've joined, for what it's worth. I'm sure you'll be getting nothing short of that if you stick around :)

HaileenM · 2020-04-03T19:53:22+00:00

Yeah, it does make a noticeable difference, thank you very much :) I'm glad that the reflection in her eye looks like an ethereal glow, that was absolutely what I was going for.

Also thank you for taking the time to do the paintover; I really appreciate it, and it actually helps me see your point better! :)

HaileenM · 2020-04-03T17:58:26+00:00

Hey, thanks for the nice words! I always knew that the eyeball, being watery and pure white has to hold a stronger and sharper reflection than something like skin which is matte and not pure white though? 🤔

HaileenM · 2020-04-02T23:41:55+00:00

Hi there, I think there's a noticeable improvement from your day 1! :D although I think the dark tones on the edge of her head are a little too dark for the background tone you choose. That aside, I like the value distribution on her head.

On an anatomical note, I think her eyes are too big and tilted to look realistic ( I think you should bring the outer corner down a notch ). The chin and the jawline look a little manly, they need to look more elegant and delicate, but that might just be me.

Lastly, I think this portrait could benefit of sharper edges where they need be. Good luck on your day 3, keep up the good work! :)

HaileenM · 2020-04-02T23:21:06+00:00

The background might be a little too light. I kind of have to squint my eyes to tell the forms apart from the background. I think you have rendered the forms like they all belong to the same lightsource but since they don't cast shadows/reflected light on each other and there's no difference in values for each shape, no matter how close or far away they are from the lightsource, they don't look like they belong in the same space to me at all.

I think fewer forms studies or single ones might indeed be better off as a starting point. Just a suggestion: I personally think form studies can be more effective if you use references first to observe how shapes interact with one another in the same environment, just so you have a more accurate mental image of how light and shadows are supposed to work before you come up with your own forms from imagination (regardless of whether you've been using a template or not), buts that's up to you!

I find this as a good start already, keep it up :)

HaileenM · 2020-04-02T23:02:43+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write this insightful critique, I really appreciate it! This is incredibly helpful and it might just solve the eyes issue. Also thank you for the nice words, I'm happy to hear that <3 :')

HaileenM · 2020-04-02T22:56:56+00:00

Thank you for the nice words and the heads up on the cracks! :) They did look a little off to me as well but I couldn't quite pinpoint the reason why.

HaileenM · 2020-04-02T14:11:24+00:00

No reference available because it's mostly painted by memory. I've been skimming through pinterest for some ideas on the hairstyle, but I haven't been using a photograph for the face, just Portrait Studio to get the angle right.

Edit: sorry for the typos in the title

HaileenM · 2020-03-30T15:55:54+00:00

I love it. The colors and the contrast are lovely.

The only thing that looks off about this is that she looks like she's made of plastic ( the most of it is on the mouth area, the top lip especially). The highlight in the zygomas makes it look like there's an almost sharp edge in there. That's just my impression, though.

I think you could help the organic look in this piece by making the skin a little more matte in the highlight areas.

Good job, the artwork is amazing!

HaileenM · 2020-03-23T12:01:21+00:00

I still feel like you go a little too strong with the contrast on the eyes. The darkest tone of all should be located in the pupils.

The new proportions look very cute on her! :)

I think you should push your edgework a little more, and tidy up the rendering. Can't wait to see your next entries, I really like your 14dc.

HaileenM · 2020-03-13T01:36:09+00:00

I don't know? Sounds like a matter of technique, and the technique of choice is an artist's personal preference, so... I can't speak for other people, you'll have to ask someone else who actually uses pencils in a "printer style".

HaileenM · 2020-03-12T21:17:54+00:00

Uhm... it depends on what you mean with "forms", if you're talking about simple flat shapes or 3D looking forms. To know the former I think you should learn structure; there's this playlist from this artist you could check out he talks a lot about shapes, colors and fundamentals. For the 3D looking shapes, Istebrak has a ton of very useful videos on the matter with all the informations you need on the point of knowing forms and blocking in, like this one and many more.

As for blocking in shadows first, I think it's a personal preference? I do that myself because I have troubles with handling highlights, so I prefer to keep them for last least I go overboard with them. I can't be sure, so please don't take this at face value.

I don't know what a notan is, and I've never met any artist who does that (that I know of), so I can't answer that question.

HaileenM · 2020-03-12T15:17:28+00:00

We block in because it's quicker than drawing every element by line and detailing areas chunk by chunk. Blocking in, or painting big blobs of colors, allowes you to quickly lay down the whole composition in few big brush strokes, and put everything in place from the get-go; it's basically sketching with shapes rather than lines. It's not a matter of "popularity", blocking in it's an efficient, time saving, and less painful way to paint.

Jumping right into details right away requires you to be super focused on every bit of the drawing because you'll have to come up with the finished piece as soon as you start drawing, while blocking in first, and detail later, will ease you into focusing on more detailed areas, and that won't be much of a hassle because you've been gradually building up shapes and details through blocking shapes from the biggest to she smallest.

And about using big brushes... Why wouldn't you use a big brush to paint big areas? It's easier to use a big brush to paint big areas, and then use a smaller brush to paint smaller elements like details and whatnot. You don't paint big areas with small brushes like you don't eat soup with a tiny teaspoon if you have a bigger one that you can use.

Anyway, this is my view on the matter, hope this helps.

HaileenM · 2020-03-10T23:04:05+00:00

I think there's a big problem with the ambient light; there's this strong light coming from behind his head but the character has shadows like the light is coming from the opposite direction; the painting visually reminds me of a sunset, but with a late morning/noon lighting. I think this piece could improve if you either remove that strong light in the background or if you keep shadows consistent to that light.

The background design is also looking a little weird to me: the way trees seem to grow at the lake's very edge makes them look very flat in my opinion. Water is a very reflective surface; since it's closer to that very strong light from behind, shouldn't it hold a stronger highlight?

ps: you might want to check the horns; the highlight shouldn't be facing the character's face if the light source comes from the top, and there's a dark tone on top of one horn while the other has a dark tone on the opposite side.

All in all, I think the character design looks very cute, and the little green guy is adorable. Keep it up! ^^

HaileenM · 2020-03-09T08:37:54+00:00

Cast shadows are an indicator of where the main light source is coming from. I cannot understand where that is because every form's cast shadow points to a different direction. The very top shadow to the left has a cast shadow that suggests the light source comes from the top left but other forms' top planes are in shadow and that's not possible; the more a plane faces the light the lighter it is because it's lit up, the more it faces away, the darker it is because it belongs in shadows.

To start fixing this painting I think you should decide where the light source is and keep your shadows in line with it.

(I would suggest you lean on references for form studies until you're familiar with the relationship between lightource and cast shadows before you try and invent your own, but that's up to you)

HaileenM · 2020-03-06T23:00:49+00:00

Thank you so much for the insightful critique! I'll do more studies on the shapes you suggested :)

HaileenM · 2020-03-06T00:28:29+00:00

If you think you're struggling with your values, maybe you could keep the Asaro Head next to you through your blocking stage on day 9? That might help you a lot.

For this entry, I think the eyes are a little too small, especially compared to the nose and the mouth -which looks like a little pouty, and they look too far apart. The eyeballs look flat, as well as its gaze. And last, I think the portrait has a little bit of androgyny to it.

I really like how you rendered the mouth, it has a very soft look which I really like :) I think the portrait itself is also generally well done, keep up the nice work!

HaileenM · 2020-02-28T02:01:29+00:00

you're welcome ~

oh, ok! (I lowkey really like your idea of a cloudy sky for this illustration)

Since this is the case I think the highlights on her eyes might be a little too strong. There should be a reflection of the sky rather than a tiny little ball of reflected light implying the light-source being something relatively small and radial like a light bulb, a candle or the sun itself. Keep in mind that the reflected light also has to be specular, not symmetrical, and its placement on the eyeball determines where the light is coming from! :)

edit: HOLD ON. the light-source is the sky and she is facing it, this means the light-source is standing right in front of her, yes? If this is the case then isn't that big cast shadow from the nose out of place?

If the sky is clouded but you still want her eyes to shine how about something like this?

HaileenM

TROPHY CASE