Rayen
Constructively Discussional!
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Wow! You've been busy! I'd love to comment on every piece, but I fear it'd take up a whole page, so I'll restrain myself  / 
Anyway, comments!
...what's wrong with tomboys (and why are they even called that? O.o)? I honestly really like and appreciate that your female characters tend to be modestly dressed or at least strong-looking. We need more of that IRL and in games. DF also does a good job of keeping their females respectable and are improving those who weren't as modest in the past (eg. the new pirate armour that Tomix is working on and Book 3 Valencia). So yeah...it's good to see that you're keeping them real 
Something that you could try, though, is drawing dresses. I can't draw for the life of me, but I do enjoy drawing dresses occasionally. The benefit of that is that you don't have to bother drawing legs Edit: I just saw that in your picture of Woman, she's wearing a dress...so nice work I got ahead of myself. Now SHE seems like one coooool chick. I feel sorry for whoever she's looking at like that!
Now...I'll try to comment on a few things, starting with #Update 10. I found it really funny that you gave Marie a sort of similarity to another hunter - cats. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but I can't get over the fact that Marie could introduce herself, "Hi, I'm Marie. I have 9 knives and 9 lives. Come at me!" ...I d'know, I just found that hilarious :P I do like that you labelled her design and I agree that it's a good idea where the character design is the focus. Her new outfit certainly does look more suited to combat. What sorts of things would she hunt, out of curiosity? Oh, and is she Zu's sister???? Is that why you were trying to make them look more similar? Or is it really just "Because"?
I do sort of agree with flashbang that #Update 9 use, at least just around Liz, some more solid background. I like that you make the focus of your artworks very obvious, either leaving out background, making it blurred, or keeping it simple. But I think that, with Liz using her hand to support herself as she leans, the hand could use some support too. If the character is interacting with the surroundings, maybe just adding whatever they're interacting with could help? Like how Marie when she's on a date with Liz and she's sitting on a rock, you can see the rock. It's not a big deal, but I that adding in just one more detail would change the whole perspective of the image (ie. if she was sitting on a bench, or a tree branch or a grassy slope. Then the viewer can add their own story to the image...although leaving the 'seat' blank did make me consider everything she could be sitting on and why, so perhaps that was your intention? I do really like Liz's pose and facial expressions in that picture though. And something I've been curious about...what's with her fancy hat and where can I get one? Is she a court jester or is it just an unique fashion accessory that she likes?
As for the different style you tried out for Zu and Unnamed...I have to admit that I didn't like it much initially. It's grown on me a bit, but I still much prefer your usual style. That said, it could be interesting to see some form of integration of your styles. Eg. You could have the main characters of a picture in your usual style, but everything in the background (trees, random people, background-y stuff) could be in the new style, since it's not quite as bold. It's great that you're trying out new styles though, and perhaps you'll change my mind in the future, but for now I prefer your more commonly used style.
Wow, I'm writing way too much. Sorry. I'll try to be more succinct
Zu - love him. Cool design, cool expression and cool wind-tunnel effect. Plus your idea for his powers is great! I agree with flashbang that it's interesting to have a character who obviously possesses a great gift and power, but who would be hesitant to use it as a weapon without good reason. It makes me feel bad about how the DF hero has been bashing up innocent forest creatures for years. Maybe if they had an old arm-wound that hurt when they fought, they'd be more careful with their power.
Ok, last comment (I think). Skadi! I love her hair and jacket, and it's great that you did a back-view to show more of those off. It's also literally 'cool' that she can control snow, but not ice. I recently went to the snow for the first time and the difference between snow and ice is really a lot bigger than I had thought, so it makes a lot of sense that she can manipulate one but not the other. One thing: why is she just wearing a band across her chest under that jacket? If she's around cold things often, surely she'd get cold Unless that's her casual wear and she's trying to keep colder when she's not around snow...that'd make sense. Anyway...I'm pretty sure you asked if you should do front and back views on a character design. While I think labelling is a good idea, the double view sorta made it feel less like I was meeting a person for the first time and more like I was studying a picture of them. Though I did like seeing Skadi's jacket and hair. So I'd make the suggestion to avoid doing the double view unless showing the back (or front, depending on which is more important) shows an important or interesting feature of the character (like if Zu had a tail, for example).
Just as a potential anatomical note/criticism, you did mention that many of your female drawings look tomboy'ish, and while this isn't in any way a bad thing, it could help a bit if you draw the female figure a bit...curvier? Typically over the age of ~15/16, girls develop more curvy physiques. I'm not sure what age Liz and Marie are supposed to be, but I daresay that could probably do with a few more curves, or at least a bit more flesh around the thighs (only olympic athletes look THAT fit, and even then they have thicker legs due to muscle). This is more apparent in your picture of Skadi since we have both a front and back view to go from. Overly busty women are overrated imo (not that there's anything wrong with it if it's natural, but so often these days it's not. Plus athletic women tend not to have much of a bust due to the burning off of fat and increase in hormones), but hips are one of the big distinguishing factors between male and female physiques. Eg. Giving Skadi slightly wider hips and slightly more curved thighs (both on the inside and outside of the leg) would help increase her femininity. I'm certainly no expert though, so don't blame me if it doesn't work :P (please?...actually no, you're more than welcome to. I don't mind being wrong. I can't even draw, haha). And one other thing, Woman's outfit is great, but it seems as though her bust is overly shiny. Again, I can't art so I don't know how shading works, but I'd probably leave off the brighter patches at the top of her bust and try to make it less pronounced. UNLESS she's wearing a shiny breastplate and it really IS shiny. Then I take it back :P
In summary...you're (still) doing great! Thanks for drawing so much. I might not comment often, but I check up on your (and everyone else's) artworks regularly and enjoy seeing what creative new things you've come up with and get jealous of your talent. Keep experimenting with new techniques and trying new things, as that's the best way to find out what you prefer. And if you enjoy what you do, I'm sure everyone else will appreciate it too.
And to finish off: a challenge. I love seeing your characters and certainly hope to see more of them in the future, but my challenge is for you to draw a dragon. You don't have to post it, because...well I tried to draw one once and it turned out looking like a truck, which is cool because I can't draw trucks...but anyway...I found it really challenging and it could be something to try if you want to try something new. Something I WOULD like to see, however, is something Dragonfable'ish. Not in the same style, but...just your take on your character or an NPC. It'd be really cool to see a character, place, object or creature I actually know done in your unique style. That's my actual challenge. You don't have to accept it, but it's there if you want to try something a bit different/perhaps out of your comfort zone.
Again, sorry for writing so much. I do get carried away sometimes, and especially by things I admire. Thanks for reading (if you don't give up half way through :P) and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us next!
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For more information, please read the =AE= Comprehensive Forum Rules > Posting Behavior. ~Gingkage
< Message edited by Gingkage -- 6/21/2015 10:12:20 >
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