Now what?

[Bob C.]

The drawings below are a major departure for me. I have been inspired (OK inspired and intimidated) by some of the amazing work posted here. So I’m asking for comments and crits please.

Mr. Rock jaw green guy was first drawn in Corel PhotoPaint then imported into Xara and traced, colored etc. and is all vector now. This image seems “alive� to me and the better of the two.

Mr. Hairy front view was drawn completely in Xara using an image I found on the web as a guide for shading etc. only. This image seem dead or static to me.

Comments and/or crits?

Bob C.

[Bob C.]

The drawings below are a major departure for me. I have been inspired (OK inspired and intimidated) by some of the amazing work posted here. So I’m asking for comments and crits please.

Mr. Rock jaw green guy was first drawn in Corel PhotoPaint then imported into Xara and traced, colored etc. and is all vector now. This image seems “alive� to me and the better of the two.

Mr. Hairy front view was drawn completely in Xara using an image I found on the web as a guide for shading etc. only. This image seem dead or static to me.

Comments and/or crits?

Bob C.

[masque]

Speaking as someone who can't cope with faces they look pretty good to me. The only criticism of the green chap is that the head looks a little flat, lacking volume like a slightly deflated balloon, just needs a little light and shade to flesh it out a bit.
derek

[gwpriester]

faces are the most difficult subject metter to draw. (Maybe that is why you never see me attempt to draw a face :-)

Great start, Bob. Keep at it and they will just keep getting better and better.

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://www.gwpriester.com">
www.gwpriester.com </a>


XaraXone

[pinkbat]

Hi Bob,

Mr Hairy doesn't look "dead or static" to me at all; he looks very warm and alive. Nice, mildly pensive expression in his eyes.
I like both heads. Mr Green's accentuated jaw line is great.

Regards,
Britta

[Crow Haven]

I haven't yet tried a portrait Xara-style, but I think you shouldn't give up on either Mr. Hairy or Mr. Green...I like Mr. Hairy's eyes also, he's up to something! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]
---As The Crow Flies!---
Maya

[Soquili]

Hi Bob,

You've done some great work there. I like both faces, each has character.

I hope you don't mind, I thought I'd share how I'd interpret Mr. Hairy.

Soquili

P.S. If you would like, I can post the .xar file.

[Bob C.]

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

derek:
Perhaps the bonny material meant for his scull has migrated to his jaw? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Gary:
Interesting comment about hands, I have about 7 unfinished drawings of hands...such pain, hands are difficult. Great insight!

Britta and Maya
Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. It’s interesting you would both mention Mr. Hairy’s eyes. I worked the hardest on them and they were the last things I tinkered with before I stopped. I remember reading a quote by some artist saying his..... “art is never finished, only abandoned�. I donno about the “art� part but this piece certainly feels unfinished and abandoned......and moody?

Soquili:
Wow not bad for a guy that uses “a magnifying lens quite a lot � [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Very nice! I’m really impressed with the lips you have made and the skin tone blending you have done. I’m guessing you traced the image in Xara and added the blends, transparencies etc.? The only comment I have is the hair/skin interface seems very sharp, as in toupee especially with the more “conventional� tones you used.

Seeing, then rendering shadows and facial colors etc. is a real challenge for me. That’s why I picked a very different pic to follow that had what I considered “strange� colors and tones. They all seem very counter intuitive to me but I think that helped me follow more closely what I was looking at and not allow let my mind reinterpret the shading. ( Not drawing what I see but drawing what I THINK I see)

You have been one of the people here that has kept me “at it� because this vector stuff is a real paradigm shift. I think I have owned Xara just a few months less than you and have taken a great deal of pleasure seeing your posts and tuts. The faces, (esp. Yancy Butler) flowers and your last Jello reflections image keeps encouraging me! So there is hope I too can improve and see what blends and transparencies work and how to better apply them.

Bob C.

[Soquili]

Hi Bob,

Glad you didn't mind my tinkering around with Mr. Hairy. Thanks to the Zoom feature in Xara I don't need the magnifying glass when drawing [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
I used the Pen Tool to trace the general shapes of the face and then switched to the Shape Editor to add or delete nodes as need. I use a lot of trial and error when drawing (especially faces). A lot of duplicate objects are used to experiment with different feathering and transparencies. When I find one that matches the effect I'm going for then I copy and then paste the attributes to the main drawing.

Soquili