Orca Comfort

Posted Apr 15, 2012, 10:15:07 PM UTC

I was feeling rather down yesterday, lots of grouchy people to deal with. Just not pleasant. So I drew a picture, I spent almost all my free time yesterday and today working on it, therefore allowing me to get it done in two days instead of the typical three or more days.

 

Orca's are my favorite animal, and I find great comfort in them, and the seas in which they live. So it seemed only natural to draw something designed to comfort me after a rough negative day, with the theme of Orca's. :)

 

Let me know what you think

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Constructive Critique requested.

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Comments

  • Apr 18, 2012, 10:29:11 PM UTC
    I know you're going for anime/manga style, but your anatomy is all messed up. First, learn the basics of human anatomy, then stylize them. I'd recommend reading up on Andrew Loomis' books on anatomy to get a good grasp. http://alexhays.com/loomis/
    To be more precise, both shoulders come out way too far out, the left lower arm is way too long for her figure, while her right upper arm is longer than the left one.
    The torso is way too short, and her hips/waits are too high up on her body.
    The legs are all out of proportion, as well, but that could be fixed with the aforementioned waist/hips problem.
    The head looks very flat, and her eyes are too far apart. Mouth too low on her face.
    I couldn't give you any constructive criticism on the orcas, but they look wonky.
    I like the monochrome color theme with the splash of blue on her eyes to contrast, but I would add a bit more to the background to give the feeling of being underwater.
    • Apr 19, 2012, 3:24:48 PM UTC
      Only very little of this was actually constructive criticism. Most of the time you simply told me anything and everything that was perceived as "wrong" by you in this picture. You know the best thing about the Anime/Manga style? Things don't have to be proportionate. Ever read Kuruizaki no Hana? The characters are so massively disproportionate to a normal human body, but it works for that style and it works well. So no. It doesn't have to be proportionate to look good. Also I have learned about the human anatomy, many times, once in an actual classroom setting. It has not helped me much.

      I will admit, this in terms of quality is not my best work, however everyone has their down days were somethings just don't turn out right.

      Things are supposed to look slightly skewed, for one they're actually underwater, and for two her shoulders and hips are actually tilted slightly.

      I'm well aware that her arms are to long for this particular picture, after the roughly 5th time re-drawing them I just said "screw it" and left them as they are.

      One of the many styles of anime/manga out there are short torsos and long legs. Why? Because humans have that as well. I'm a very short person, but it's mainly because I have a very short torso. If my torso was properly proportionate to my legs I'd be much taller, and clothes would fit me properly as well.

      Just because an anatomy class or an anatomy book says it should look one way, does not make that one way the only right way.

      Next time you want to comment, please make sure it is actually constructive criticism and not merely telling me everything your eyes perceive as "wrong"

      It is art. There is nothing "wrong" about it, and I do not take kindly to being told so.

      The orca's look the way they do, because I drew them from memory for the first time in years, and I drew them from several different points of view. I'm well aware that the middle one doesn't look quite right, and that's because orcas do not gently taper off into their tales, but are a mass of muscle leading to the fluke. However having it look like it does gives an almost whimsical effect to it, making it appear as though the Orca is trying to wrap around her, which was my intent.

      I'm glad you like that I added the blue for her eyes, I'd hoped that would add a little extra color into it.

      The background is perfect as it is. The way it is now, is FULLY how I intended it to look, no "a screw it" there. I wanted it to appear the way it is currently, so therefore it looks the way it appears. End of story.

      Oh yes, and as for her shoulders being to wide comment, her shoulders are actually about average. Standard Occult characters have shoulders much wider than she does, and standard shojou characters have thinner shoulders.

      So you see though the picture may be mostly in black and white, Anime/Manga is not. So you cannot simply tell me that this is wrong that is wrong and that I need to fix it simply by your standards.

      Please next time you comment, instead of saying that "she has funky looking hips" say something more like "her hips look strange, is it at an angle?" and then say more than one possible ways to fix it if it were actually a problem, like her arms are in this particular picture.

      Thank you for the comment, though it was not helpful in any way, I still appreciate it, and actually expect it, since I do set myself up for it by selecting "roast me" however helpful is better for improving one's self.

      Comments like this are appreciated though because they keep my ego from getting to far ahead of my level of talent. So thank you Smile