# Drawing Critique



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

ok. so i've only been drawing for a year and a half. i'm gonna post my oldest stuff up to my most recent (done last week stuff) any critique is definitely welcome!

this is my oldest artwork they are furry anime people. and ignore my boob envy.. lol


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

then my older horse drawings


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

my most recent drawings, i am still working on my portions.. they are a bit rough.


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

Do you use references, by any chance? When I 'freelance' a drawing, I usually have 2 or more references to work from. 

Otherwise, I'm going to critique the stallion. 

Proportions are going to be your best friend and worst enemy in drawing. I've found that, using a photo reference, aligning it to a grid (using 1"x1" grid squares) helps get the proportions to the most accuracy. 

Otherwise, the stallion really makes me feel like he's full of pride, almost peacocking to nearby mares, or just showing off in general. His elongated cannon bones on the front make me think he's a Thoroughbred stally? I've found this tutorial to be helpful when I started drawing horses avidly about a year ago. I also found this, as well as this, to be beneficial to the learning process. 

I always had a problem with the hair. BOY did I. I would draw it and it almost always came out looking listless. A good way to give your manes/tails some life is to freely draw them; instead of drawing them as a whole, allow some imperfections. By "blocking" the hair, it makes it almost look like it belongs to another animal, such as a canine. A great inspiration to me when it comes to drawing tails/manes is deviantART's _GreatAlmightyQueen._ The hair on her horses carries such life. A lot of artists don't realize that the mane and tail can make -- or break -- the vitality of your drawing. 

If you would like, you can message me with anything you'd like help with. Otherwise, I can red-line for you (whenever you need it) or point you in the direction for tutorials and references. 

Do you use a "base"? I found that lightly drawing the "skeleton" can help greatly. See this video of me drawing (in Photoshop with my tablet; I also use this for my pencil drawings) a galloping horse. The reference picture is also my own. You can see how I "block in" the anatomy, which helps me get the proper anatomy and proportions before continuing to line art/coloring.

If you need me to elaborate or clarify anything, feel free to ask. I'm sure other artists will also provide better feedback.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

thank you creampuff! this was a huge help! i don't have the time at the moment to check the links but i will later on tonight. i do use reference pictures just to help me get a feel for the horses' anatomy as i'm just starting out but i can't wait until i can free hand the whole picture. that would be great

i have noticed that about the hair, i like my stally's mane, however his tail is really pretty much dull, but i am just happy to be getting somewhere since i've really only been drawing horses for about 6 months in a whole.

and Hooves are my biggest problem. HOW are they suposed to look, holy cow each hoof on my horses feet look different from the rest lol


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

I had such a problem with hooves, too. Every now and then I still do. I simply draw them at different angles -- side, front, back, etc. -- all around them, with the leg in different poses. I literally sat outside of the pasture for hours and just drew what the horse's feet looked like. Studies like that will be your best friend.

OH. And if you'd ever like some references, I have thousands of photographs from the barn... Liberty, under saddle work/training, county fair "rodeo," have some from a 'real' rodeo, World Famous Lipizzaners, etc. Just let me know what you need and if I don't have it, I can even try getting it for you.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

may be a good thing to try, though it's hard with shortened daylight and work and everything,

i need photos with near perfect lighting. so i can see where i should place the lines for some odd reason i can NOT shade anything realistically to save my life.. >_<


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## fire walker TWH (Jan 10, 2010)

Wow I see great improvement!cream puff is spot on with her advice. Are you drawing most everything from pictures? I would suggest practice with three dimensionals if you dont have a horse you can study at home. Possibly a breyer model or any trinket you have around. Viewing and drawing something three dimensional can do wonders for your understanding of angles which goes hand in hand with proportion


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

yeah i definitely want to work on my shading a bit. i just have the hardest time with it, which is why i usually stick to my safety net of line art instead of branching out. i hate having an ugly finished project so i usually scrap it and dont try shading which is really bad. lol


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

Don't scrap anything.  I used to cheat and flat-color my drawings. I finally got brave and, reference in hand, started to shade. It took a couple times, but below is the result of patience and persistence. Below is one of the most recent WIPs I have (it's been collecting dust for a while). 








​ 
I have faith in you. Just stare down that form, and you'll get it. Work slowly & in sections (I usually go left to right; I'm right handed, so going left to right helps prevent smudging). They weren't lying when they said practice makes perfect. Throw in a little repetition and you'll be good to go!


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

ok this was drawn from creampuff. sorry one leg is shorter then the other. the tail is a bit off. his chest is a bit smalland his booty is a bit big. haha. but it's the first time i've ever drawn from a REAL photo so i don't think it's TOO bad. hopefully i got the citation right. if not let me know and i can erase and re-scan. sorry he's a bit rough i was having a really bad night, so please excuse how wonky he looks, i may redo it lol >_<


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

It's fine, he's a wonky horse anyway.  

You did a really great job; you got the form down and the anatomy (for him) isn't far off. You're also critiquing yourself, which is an even better start for improving your work.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

thanks creampuff. and he is definitely better looking then you give him credit for!

now that i've actually tried out drawing from an actual photo, i may try this more often. and i am definitely gonna work on shading.


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

I'm proud of you.  I'm always just a message away if you ever need anything. I have books layered upon books, tutorials, and tricks of my own I could send your way. Also, don't be shy about asking for critique here, on deviantART, or other art forums. A network is great to have.

I had _no_ instruction, outside of tutorials and books. Up until around my Junior year of high school I thought I was some sort of boss when it comes to drawing. I had a drawing of a canine (was supposed to be a wolf, looked like a chow) that I was _tremendously_ proud of. My favorite artist, a friend, told me how horrible that was and that it was the worst thing she's _ever_ seen in my gallery. 

I moped for a day or two, and then realized that she was right. I studied anatomy, composition, etc. and improved in leaps and bounds. I draw in sections... Sketch, line, and then for coloring/shading I break it down. I usually start with the head, and work my way back/down. It helps me focus and keep from messing myself up by looking at the "big picture," because I'm detail-oriented.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

i am like that to. i love to start with the head. and on the left side. which is why i always turn my pictures around to make the head on the left, however since this was a real picture. reflecting it across would it make it unreal because his blaze is on his right side. turning him around would put his blaze on the left. so it was the first time i drew a horse from the butt first lol, i think thats why most of my mishaps occur lol i tend to stick to a comfort zone and not branch out.

at the moment i am using just a regular ole sketching pencils. any pencil ideas or techniques for shading? at the moment i believe my pencil is not soft lead, i could not find a soft leaded pencil at walmart and there are no art stores in my area :/


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

I use a pencil set from Wal-Mart, too. 

I start with the darkest darks first, and work up to the lighter areas. A lot of times I'm guilty of using only 1 pencil -- .5mm mechanical HB. Artist Cheryl A. Harris does the same and makes her living off of art. Lee Hammond does it this way, as well. That book cost me about $15 at Barnes & Noble... Best $15 ever spent! 

Otherwise, I have a bunch of tutorials saved here -- you can browse through them and see some other techniques, too. Most of the tutorials are for digital art, but you can apply the same method (with a little tweaking) to pencils.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

definitely giving those a looksey! i want to dive into digital art as well. its always been something that astounds me!

as for pencils do you know of any good shading exercises to get the hang of it? or should i just dive right in?


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## Creampuff (Dec 1, 2010)

All I really did was "play" with them... Spheres, eggs, then textured things before messing around and drawing some hair (nothing attached obviously, getting flow/texture down with all the different pencils). 

My biggest tip would be the "5 tones." Being dark, through medium, to a sort of off-white (I never use stark white; just a VERY light shade of gray, which I get by light pencil pressure). Using all of these helps create a sort of lifelike depth. You can use more than five, but I always keep the five as my minimum. 

When you feel adventurous, I do have a horse skull... I can take shots of it, or parts of it, for you to play with.


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## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

wow what a brilliant improvement!!


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

here are all my most recents. i have been branching out from horses a bit.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

and some more


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I like the pumas the best. They would be lovely in color, too.


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

i am really wanting to branch out to water colors. but i am a bit shy or going out of my comfort zone. lol


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## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

bumipng this back up for more critique.


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