Author Topic: Dax's Art. First attempt.  (Read 7707 times)

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Offline Daxenobis

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Dax's Art. First attempt.
« on: January 16, 2013, 03:51:37 am »
So this is my first attempt at drawing my character, and it's a work in progress. Overall I would like critiques please, and below I have listed a few issues I am having with it. Thank you so much for any help!

So I'm not 100% sure he looks like a mouse, trying to make him look mouse like. Any tips on how I might make it look a bit more mouse like? Though it might be too early and not enough drawn to determine. If so that is fine. I think the ears look pretty mouse like, though you may disagree, if you do please tell me so and how I might be able to fix it.

I am having issues with trying to get the top of the snout area to not be as flat not sure how to convey that it is roundish. Why right now there are just lines going from the tip of the nose to the base of the eyes.

The cheeks I think I need to make a bit more... chunky I guess. I'm not exactly sure. The cheeks and snout or maybe just the snout are just too skinny I think, so I might make them a bit wider.

I'm not sure on how to do the hair, and the fur.

I will continue to post progress on here, and on my FA page, for anyone interested.

« Last Edit: January 16, 2013, 04:05:00 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2013, 10:53:03 am »
Your front view sketch is well done for a mouse character.  Depth and
roundness is best shown with highlights and shading. Here is a video
for help on drawing fur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MhIzzekM14

I would google for furry mouse drawings and images. References
are always helpful.

It takes lots of practice, but I am sure
you will do well.

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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2013, 02:19:24 am »
Thanks for the video and for moving it, sorry for putting it in the wrong forum section.

That does help, and I will have to get a mechanical pencil (need one anyways) with some red graphite.

Edit- So here are some changes I made. I did implied fur rather than realistic like in the video. Eventually I will try that out though.

So I also made his cheeks a bit wider, which I think made him look more mouse like. I can't decide on the teeth. I could do just the canine teeth, or a full set. Can't decide.

« Last Edit: January 17, 2013, 04:18:40 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Drake Fireborne

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2013, 11:13:45 am »
Hey, that looks really great! Nice work :D
Don't mess in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and go well with chocolate. - source unknown

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2013, 11:21:09 am »
Teeth can add to the character of your subject. Big teeth gives an agressive look.
The smaller buck teeth generally is more of a cute look.

Glad to help. This section of the forum is better for helps.

Keep up the good work. :orbunny:
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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2013, 01:10:18 am »
Thanks Drake.

Old Rabbit, I agree teeth do add something to the character. So I decided on a partial set, which matches the more cartoony style.

 I know they aren't mouse like, but he isn't full mouse. I think he is ready to ink, (except the teeth I will wait on those because I might change it.) Then I shall proceed to color him in.

Though I might scan it and switch to a digital medium so that the drawing itself can be cleaner, and I can fiddle around with the coloring without having to worry about changing the color if I choose to change it. For the hard copy once I figure out the color scheme, I don't know what medium to use. I am considering pastel, though I don't know if those are too dark. I am thinking of a grey and white color scheme. I also want to fill in the background with some color.

« Last Edit: January 18, 2013, 01:24:43 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2013, 07:38:03 pm »
The furry adds and teeth look fine ..

Should make a nice drawing when done. :orbunny:
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Offline Saiyu

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2013, 01:20:13 am »
Lol, I love how each time you draw him, he gets furrier and furrier :D! But as for what I'm seeing with the teeth xD well, I know he's not full mouse and that's a way to show it. I can get use to that, just gotta see if you keep them so. But, I can't wait to see the final product you have with him :3! Cute heh.

Would you like to stalk my DeviantArt
Or YouTube xD?

Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2013, 04:04:52 am »
Thank you for the compliments :)

Okay so I started to color him in. My PC wasn't responding well with the tablet and gimp just doesn't seem to work too well. So the outline lines are not as smooth as they could be. I have never done color before, so this is new to me haha.

I am going to add more grey around the muzzle, I might even change it to black. I wanted the color around the eye to sort of resemble ancient Egyptian eye makeup, as my character is part Egyptian. I also want to make his eye different colors, that will change later.

My only concern with changing the grey to black is that the eyes pupil will get lost along with the inside black of the mouth.



Edit- Mods if you guys need to delete any images or stop posting images until I finish the artwork due to site bandwidth and whatnot I can remove them if need be.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2013, 04:23:06 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2013, 11:43:49 am »
Your doing well. It takes time to get used to computer drawing
and coloring.  There are other free art programs. Here is one
that you can check  out. www.inkscape.org

I haven't used it, but looks like it has a good variety of tools.

Keep up the good work. :orbunny:
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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2013, 01:59:32 am »
I got a bit carried away in drawing and just fiddling around with color, and learning this new program. This drawing has now sort of turned into a painting. I found a copy of Corel Painter and started using that. I will have to check out the program Old Rabbit, free programs are sometimes better than the ones you can buy (especially since they are free :D)

So now I am getting more into creating depth. I haven't touched the tongue, nose, or teeth yet. So they still look just like they did in my previous post.

Anyone have any tips on highlights and whatnot? Such as, should I make the brightest parts just white and the darker parts near black? Or should I use more of just a lighter version of the color? I am thinking of keeping the outline, as it helps keep that cartoony look. Though I might post it once it is finished without the outlines (well without necessary ones).

« Last Edit: January 23, 2013, 02:50:19 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2013, 12:32:48 pm »
Usually I dab a bit of white on, and then use a tool that smudges
the color enough to mix it in to lighten the area I want.

Shading can be done the same way if you like. Add a dab of dark
color and smudge it out

I am not sure about Gimp or other programs. But Photoshop has
smudge, burn, and other tools that work well for highlights and
shading. Might check helps to see if they have anything special
for that.

Since you colored it I did notice the lower jaw on the
right curves out a bit. Probably would look better if it was
straighter

The markings are a nice touch though. :orbunny:

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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2013, 02:22:29 am »
Okay thanks, I tried to smudge it in. I think I am pretty much done with it. Please rip it apart haha, that way I can improve.

I decided to invert the colors so I could get white fur with black markings instead to see what it would look like. So this one isn't quite as polished as the original. I also have another one without the outline just for fun. Which do you think looks like a better fur color scheme black base with white or white base with black?


Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2013, 11:50:55 am »
It's really depends on what kind of personality you want the
character to have.  Kind of like the white hat black hat good
guy bad guy thing.

Otherwise it's just what you the artist likes. Both views have their
good points.

Now you need to work on a 3/4 view. Front/side views are
a good place to start, but off center views have a more natural
look to them. Foreshortening and perspectives are always good
to work on.

Keep up the good work.

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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2013, 06:58:47 pm »
Okay gotcha, I will keep that in mind.

I was going to go for a 3/4 view of just the head for my next attempt. Then followed by working on the body and clothes of the character, along with accessories. Each on their own, then combining everything into one piece. Slow pace, as to not get frustrated and give up haha

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2013, 12:10:48 pm »
That's good. Don't worry about making little mistakes. It's part
of the learning process..  I used to worry about them, but I
found after while mistakes often can be worked into the
drawing just like it was planned. Which takes the worry
out of it.

That's when the fun of drawing really begins. Soon you will
look at the world with the eye of an artist.

If your having problems with perspective and shading. Good
practice for that is drawing still life.  Apples, oranges, bananas,
stuff like that. Another thing, practice things that are hard
for you. Not all the time of course. But putting off things like
that will come back to bite you later.

Keep up the good work, and draw every day. :orbunny:



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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #16 on: January 27, 2013, 02:45:13 am »
Thanks, I will keep that in mind incorporating mistakes. That's a good idea.

Things that are hard I can probably do, my biggest things is just trying to figure out what to draw, but I should (as far as practicing still life) just not worry about it, as it is just practice haha.

Draw everyday, I could do that. I am guessing you mean smaller things everyday, that are more quick and don't focus a lot on details? Such as if I was at a coffee shop or something, I would draw a cup, draw the basic shape for perspective and then shade it in? Just to get some everyday practice in.

You have been very helpful. I really appreciate it :)
« Last Edit: January 27, 2013, 02:49:05 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #17 on: January 28, 2013, 11:56:12 am »
Drawing every day is just good practice. Improves your eye/hand control
for drawing..   Things to draw can be just doodling, or working
on a larger piece..

The key to making a nice drawing is the details. It's the little things
that make a drawing look good or make someone do a double take.
Example. Drawing a pirate one needs to do a good job with the
clothing, and weapons.

Of course you need to draw the figure well too. Wither it be a
furry, or cartoon character.

It gives it more of a natural look the human eye expects.

Ideas for drawings can be any idea from stories to daily experiences. Sometimes
one can offer to do small drawings for others.

I am always happy to help where I can.
Keep up the good work. :orbunny:
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Offline icefox302

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2013, 05:14:09 pm »
dude this looks amazeing keep it up this is really good and remember that the front veiw is the hardest one to do yet you did it perfect ^_^
=^.^= rave?

Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2013, 03:36:57 am »
Thanks icefox302 :)

I am having issues with the 3/4 view.

The snout is really bugging me. And the hair I can't seem to get too look how I want. He doesn't have his markings yet which I will add it later once I get the rest down.. I tried making the snout a bit more narrow and moving the right eye closer because of that and it still just doesn't look mouse like. Can't seem to figure it out. Maybe make the end of it a bit more narrow?

Definitely a different style then my last one. I'm trying to make it a bit more realistic. I'm going to re-do the fur and follow that video you linked Old Rabbit, but first need to get that shape down haha.

« Last Edit: March 05, 2013, 05:48:13 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #20 on: March 05, 2013, 01:37:56 pm »
The 3/4 view drawing is looking pretty well.. The only things I
see is the ears are shifted a bit to far to the characters
right, and the right ear is little too far forward.
You could just leave the left ear alone and move
the right ear back and to the left a bit.

The hair should look better after the ears are shifted
to the left a bit.  Otherwise the hair design looks good.

Unless your going for more of a toon design the muzzle
is really too small for a mouse . A mouse head is a lot
like a rabbit, just more pointed.

Another thing study the things that make a mouse
look like a mouse. In toon designs it's always helpful
to exaggerate things a character is known for just a bit. 

The head by it's self might be part of why it's not looking
quite like a mouse. Sometimes you need the whole character
to get the look your wanting. skinny tail and all.
 
If I may. I suggest looking online for a picture of Stuart Little. 
This is a cute design of a humanoid mouse.  You might not want
it to use this character style, but the design has a good mouse face.
The following link has several pictures and cartoon renditions of
the character which can be very helpful in designing your
own character.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0oG7ljMNDZRiz8ADbdXNyoA?p=stuart+little&fr=moz35&fr2=piv-web

Over all your doing good with the 3/4 view 
Getting everything lined up takes practice, but
your getting there.

Keep up the good work.

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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2013, 04:14:50 am »
Hello again. I haven't posted in a while.

Old Rabbit, I have scrapped the image I posted and started fresh. This is going for a more cartoony look. I am trying to get it done before a con, so I can have a badge haha. Critiques would be helpful :) I appreciate any feedback as usual. I just started shading it in, but I can easily go back and fix the outline and placement of parts if need be.

I moved the (in this case his left ear) more towards the back of his head, since from what I could tell from Stuart Little that is how his ears are. I also made his snout a bit more mouse like. Lower jaw being further back than upper. I think it looks better. I also tried making the tip of his upper jaw a bit slimmer, and sleeker. Since that is how the actual animal's is.

« Last Edit: May 20, 2013, 05:37:22 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #22 on: May 20, 2013, 11:32:19 am »
It's a nice toon design Dax. The ear positions look good too.
I presume his head is tilted to the right since the left ear, and
eye is higher. The fur, and hair look nice.

The neck is a bit too long I think.  A little more detail work on
the eyes would make it look better too..  Perhaps even make
them a bit larger since it's a toon design.

Eyes are the window to the soul, and emotion.  
so it's always best to do them well.

Keep up the good work. :orbunny:

Don't forget to shade the left ear. It
looks unfinished or uncolored as is.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2013, 11:40:20 am by Old Rabbit »
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Offline Daxenobis

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #23 on: May 21, 2013, 05:41:59 am »
Okay I made the neck shorter. The eyes I took from my previous attempt and they freak me out a bit XD. I originally drew them to be realistic. I am probably going to change them to make them more toony, but I put them there so I have reference on detail. I made the eyes larger, and I added shading to the left ear.

I think the eyes need to be a bit more...vibrant in color. They seem kind of dull to me.

« Last Edit: May 21, 2013, 05:44:17 am by Daxenobis »

Offline Old Rabbit

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Re: Dax's Art. First attempt.
« Reply #24 on: May 21, 2013, 01:00:16 pm »
It looks a lot better.. The left eye looks a bit shorter in height.  The
ear looks real good, the shading makes it look much better..

With toons you may have noticed most pupils are just black, and
usually fairly large. Not a lot of the white of the eye or iris showing
depending on its emotion. You can play with a iris and color it, but
it's best to keep the iris thin, and the pupil large.

Fear usually is shown as a tiny black pupil.  Cute or sad with large
pupils and two reflections. You can look at how others show emotions
if you wanting to show it.

One thing that makes the eye look nice is the light source reflection.
It helps give it depth, and shine.  After all the eye is wet. Just like a
shiny nose.  It's nice if the reflection can help show a bit of the curvature
of the eye as well.

I noticed you are using a pink nose that mice have. Most toon
mice/animals have black noses. That's up to you of course.  It
looks alright as is.

Keep up the good work  :orbunny:
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