Looking for some critique

[CreakySilver]

Hey, I'm working on something, but I want a little critique on it.

Pretty much only looking for critique on the mayor since the villagers are only sketches. I think that it could be a bit more precise and some of the shapes are weird, but I'm not exactly sure where it is. (Please don't paint over it, though. It works for some artists, but it's not really that helpful to me.)​

 

[Beardo]

Nice work! Here are a few things that I think need some fixing

More detail on the eye. Everything else is so beautifully detailed and shaded, and the eye is just plain brown.
Make the hair shading a bit more smooth. It seems a little rough and uneven in patches
Maybe make the differences in eyelash length on the closed eye a bit less prominent.

That's all I have to say. Great work so far!

 

[riummi]

I think you could work on her legs a bit more. Not the coloring, cuz that look great, but more of the position? Overall the clothing and her legs. Her stance seems a bit awkward because of it. Other than that, everything looks wonderful!

 

[kimsera]

I think using a lighter brown on the lineart for the facial features such as nose, lips would make her appear softer... I'm not sure how to explain it haha;; Shading parts of the lace (the one closest to the foreground) would add more dimension to the umbrella. Also don't forget about shadows on the lace details on the dress. ^^

 

[Mega_Cabbage]

The top part of the dress needs a bit more shading I think. To me it just looks like plain brown with a sliver of blue(?) on the left.

 

[CreakySilver]

Nice work! Here are a few things that I think need some fixing

More detail on the eye. Everything else is so beautifully detailed and shaded, and the eye is just plain brown.
Make the hair shading a bit more smooth. It seems a little rough and uneven in patches
Maybe make the differences in eyelash length on the closed eye a bit less prominent.

That's all I have to say. Great work so far!

This is very helpful. The eye's lack of shading was intentional because I wanted to keep the simplicity of the original design... Maybe I'll just change the color to make it stand out without the need of making it more complicated.

And the hair critique is something I share. I actually had to do the whole picture with a mouse, which for the most part went better than I expected, but once I got to the hair I just struggled because (at least, lineless) hair has to be done with speed to look good. I could erase the shading and try again with a softer brush, but I think I'd rather wait until my tablet pen is fixed so I can make it more detailed.

And I don't really understand the eyelash length one. I see that the longest one could be shortened and sharpened, if that's what you meant.

I think you could work on her legs a bit more. Not the coloring, cuz that look great, but more of the position? Overall the clothing and her legs. Her stance seems a bit awkward because of it. Other than that, everything looks wonderful!

Yeah, I see what you mean. Halfway through painting it I got confused and redlined the legs to make sure I didn't get something wrong and it turned out okay, but it does still look off. Maybe I'll just move her legs upwards to be hidden by the dress so they don't look as stiff and close together. (I'm pretty sure I can get away with that since her body is already stylized.)

I think using a lighter brown on the lineart for the facial features such as nose, lips would make her appear softer... I'm not sure how to explain it haha;; Shading parts of the lace (the one closest to the foreground) would add more dimension to the umbrella. Also don't forget about shadows on the lace details on the dress. ^^

Yea, I understand what you mean. I could try softening them, but I'm not sure how it would turn out... I'll try it and if it works I'll go with it.

And I'm not sure about shading the lace. I can see where you're coming from, but I kind of like how it looks like icing or something. I think it contrasts well with the soft shading of everything else. (Most everything else.)

The top part of the dress needs a bit more shading I think. To me it just looks like plain brown with a sliver of blue(?) on the left.

I could try that too, haha. (And yes, it is blue. It's just diluted because the dress is a very contrasting color.)

Wow, it's interesting to me how many of these crossed my mind while I was painting but I never got to fixing them. ^^; (Maybe in the future I should write those thoughts down for when I'm not sure what to do next.) I'll add the changes and see how it turns out~

 

[Beardo]

This is very helpful. The eye's lack of shading was intentional because I wanted to keep the simplicity of the original design... Maybe I'll just change the color to make it stand out without the need of making it more complicated.

And the hair critique is something I share. I actually had to do the whole picture with a mouse, which for the most part went better than I expected, but once I got to the hair I just struggled because (at least, lineless) hair has to be done with speed to look good. I could erase the shading and try again with a softer brush, but I think I'd rather wait until my tablet pen is fixed so I can make it more detailed.

And I don't really understand the eyelash length one. I see that the longest one could be shortened and sharpened, if that's what you meant.

The closed eye, the eyelash length is a little bit too different. I can see that it was intentional but it looks a bit wonky. Keep up the awesome work, though. I can't wait to see the final product! And thanks for taking criticism so well. I know a lot of people who ask for it, but can't handle it in the end.

 

[ssvv227]

i like how your mayor has a "feel" to her but your lines overall can do with some more finesse; there are several places where the lines are a bit wonky and feel a little forced, namely the top of the umbrella and the frills, the eyes, the hair, the hands that are in contact with the handle of the umbrella; you can also add some more variation to the folds of the skirt so it looks a bit more flowy and natural; drawing curves in one quick stroke instead of being too careful with them should also help with making the lines look more organic

 

[CreakySilver]

Did some edits~

Implemented some suggestions and then some. I like this version a lot better! Thank you for everyone who offered advice.

i like how your mayor has a "feel" to her but your lines overall can do with some more finesse; there are several places where the lines are a bit wonky and feel a little forced, namely the top of the umbrella and the frills, the eyes, the hair, the hands that are in contact with the handle of the umbrella; you can also add some more variation to the folds of the skirt so it looks a bit more flowy and natural; drawing curves in one quick stroke instead of being too careful with them should also help with making the lines look more organic

its you oh my god i seen your gallery and its beautiful I know what you mean - the strange, uneven forms around those areas. I'm going to be honest, I ditched trying to fix them because it's just too difficult. No matter what I do, it still looks off. Once I edit it next I may just 'cheat' and add some faint lines around those areas to cover up the uneven form. As for the umbrella handle, I think that's just because the pitch black handle against the light-colored hands makes the pixelation quite obvious. (I'll probably just add some faint lines around there too.. heh heh.)

And yes, I can see the skirt thing too. I'll keep that in mind for when I finish it, but knowing me, I'll probably just not do it because it would take a lot of editing...

The closed eye, the eyelash length is a little bit too different. I can see that it was intentional but it looks a bit wonky. Keep up the awesome work, though. I can't wait to see the final product! And thanks for taking criticism so well. I know a lot of people who ask for it, but can't handle it in the end.

Thank you! ^^ And yeah, you really need to either be tough enough to be able to take criticism, or self-aware enough to know that you shouldn't ask for it. Criticism is very helpful, but the feeling of having the work you poured your heart and soul into criticized is a feeling that many people can't bare.​

 

[Beardo]

It looks so much better! Even subtle changes can help a lot. Will you keep updating this thread? Cause I'd love to see the villagers

 

[TheAbleSistersShow]

If I may, I believe you may have misunderstood where the awkwardness in the legs was coming from. I think you should change the length of the legs back, because it was actually more accurate in the first image. (Legs typically are about the same length as the other half of the body from the waist to the top of the head.)

What seems to be the issue is that the legs are facing a different direction from the torso. Look at her shoulders. They are nearly parallel to the frame, while the feet are angled almost completely to the side. I think you just need to turn the legs to face us more and that will make it look ten times better.

 

[okaimii]

I think if you turn the legs more towards us, it would align the shoulders and feet better like the user above me said.

Other than that, I think you did an amazing job! I'd love if you'd give critique on my own work sometime!