First Attempt at Drawing Since Grade School...

[Ziel]

As the title suggests, I haven't really drawn anything since my art classes in elementary school.
But I really want to be able to draw my fursona (once I've got it finally figured out...).

Anyhow, I checked out some online tutorials, and spend a little time this afternoon trying to imitate one of the images in the tutorial.  I made an initial sketch, inked it, and then scanned it.  Sent it into paint, and got rid of some smudging and other lines here and there.  Here's my results:



Then, I printed 9 of those on a single sheet of paper to practice adding some detail.  I decided to experiment with shading, result here:



I've got six more copies of the first picture on a sheet of paper, and plan to keep working on shading, adding detail, and (hopefully) adding color.

I would appreciate some thoughts/suggestions/tips as to where to go from here.  Like I said, this is pretty much copied from a tutorial sequence, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I try to draw something without having an actual picture in front of me.

EDIT: Was also curious as to why the critiquing guidelines are posted in the artwork announcements, but people seem to usually post critique requests in this section?

[Zenith]

Well,

You can try whatever you feel comfortable with.  You can add more details if you feel like it, color it, or just leave it as is.  Personally, I prefer just to draw rough sketches (like my profile picture).  I'm not that well with inking and coloring.  Just as long as you're feel good with what you're doing, it'll come out fine 
Even so, you have six copies to practice on.  I suggest that you try whatever you feel comfortable with on these copies.  If you don't like what you see, start over on a new one.  I can't really tell you what to do because everyone has their own opinions on what makes good art.  Form your own opinion on what good art looks like.  Then you'll know what to draw next    As for drawing without a reference, I started off drawing my favorite characters by looking at pictures off of the internet.  Once I became confident in my skills, I started drawing whatever popped into my head.  I look forward to seeing your fursona drawing 

Nice pic btw

P.S my avatar pic was one of my first pictures that I drew without any reference. 

[Ziel]

Thanks ^_^

I was pretty pleased with how it came out, being my first drawing and all.  It'll be interesting to see if I can create a different pic without having something to copy off of. 

I know there's a couple things i don't quite like with it, but I still want more input so I won't say what they are specifically.  Biggest problem with my trying to draw is that I'm a perfectionist.  Really had to push that aside and be patient when I drew this guy.  Letting it slowly develop into what I'm picturing is hard for me.  Then again, it works better than just trying to straight up draw what's in my mind.  I just wasn't sure quite where to go with it next, like not really sure what else to add. 

I'll keep working on them for a while, as well as possibly a new drawing.  I'll add anything significant late this weekend, as I won't be around for a few days (going on vacation). 

[WhiteLion]

I like it i think its a great sketch
Could you post any of those tutorials?

[Ziel]

The page I was looking at can be found here:  http://www.drawfurry.com/?p=5

Just the first search result I got from searching 'drawing furry'
There's some other pages for doing bodies, paws, and faces, etc.  It'll probably be a while before I put a head onto a body. Have to build my patience first 

[Ziel]

Okaaayyy... It's been a couple weeks now, and I've maybe made a little progress, though I kinda cheated.

I've been trying to edit and add onto those other pics, and just couldn't make anything work. It was then that I realized that I have a problem with scale.  Like, the original sketch of that first drawing was little more than an inch high... There's no room for detail in that.

So, I forced myself to draw larger (which really hurts my brain).  First several attempts just weren't right.  Wasn't liking the style I was getting, really.  Decided to change it up, and just try for a head-on drawing.  Result is my avatar, larger version available here:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2033556460103580271ObAtmD

This is the first attempt of actually drawing my fursona that I've followed through with. Was also my first time ever using Photoshop. Let's just say that I had strong guidance from a youtube tutorial for that part.  But it really isn't so difficult, at least with the amount of detail I don't have.

Oh yeah, the cheating I mentioned?  I'm way too picky right now, and couldn't get the left and right sides to match up well... So I only drew the left side, mirrored it, and put the images together. Only thing it seemed to do was make it a tad cross-eyed, but not too much to be a major problem.  I just have a thing for symmetry...

Please let me know what you think. Compliments and constructive criticism are both welcome!

Edit: I modified the pic to try to fix the cross-eyedness.  Next drawing will also try to add more detail to the whole thing.  This was basically just to get an idea of what I was doing, as well as to test out photoshop.

[Zenith]

Nice,

It's good to see you've been progressing in your drawings.   Using photoshop for mirroring is fine (I'm not savvy with photoshop either  ).  Don't get to dependent on photoshop though; you won't get much practice or experience drawing half of your picture. 

Try drawing horizontal lines where the mouth, eyes, etc. should be on the face and outline, very lightly, what the eyes, mouth, etc. is going to look like on those lines.  There are more in-depth tutorials on the internet too if you need more help. 

This is quite good if this really is your first time drawing since grade school.  Keep practicing man 

[Ziel]

Thanks for the encouragement. It really has been since art classes in 7th grade or so since I've drawn.  Never had anything I really wanted to draw enough to bother trying, until now.  The closest I've been lately to drawing is using AutoCAD, making 3D models of a floor plan, or designing a patio for our house.  I've actually considered trying to draw this kind of stuff using AutoCAD, but the detail could be difficult. Could have interesting results...

I'm also going back to the 3/4 view for my next little project.  The head-on was easier, but symmetry won't be as glaring of an issue for me with a 3/4 view.  The mirroring process was kind of a pain. Actually did the mirroring in paint, then used photoshop to try to undo some of the effects of the mirroring.  But I'm using this current picture to practice various photoshop techniques on, such as shading or adding textures.

I also found my fine-tipped sharpie most of the way through inking that pic. Wish I had found it sooner, so the lines wouldn't be quite so bold.

But I'm pleased with my results so far. Gonna keep at it, little by little.  There's lots of down time at school that I can use for practicing.

[Arbutus]

I just wanted to say, I really like the stylized look of your avatar.

[Wolf Axle]

i used the same site but made a few changes to the design check it out.  http://xion-zion.deviantart.com/art/furry-wolf-axle-129898333

[Ziel]

Arbutus: Thanks. It'll be interesting to see if I can translate that look into something more 3d with a bit more detail. But still keep the overall feel, I guess.  Who knows.

Wolf Axle: Like that version of it. At least you were able to give it something of your own. I just needed a confidence booster to say "I can actually produce something that looks decent".  Wish I had the ability to make it more my own. But that'll come with time.