A little critique, please?

[roselalonde]

Hey everyone, so I was planning to do commissions this summer to make a little extra cash, and I'm not offering anything right now but I would like to get some critique on my art work, see if it's worth selling.

Here's an OC of mine, the fairest pony of them all:

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And a poor unfinished pony bride with a Mulan complex:

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Edit: I guess I should mention that when I actually begin any commissions I promise I will not take bad quality iPhone pics. These were more of just a really quickly done sampling. 

[gemini_pony]

Just wanted to say I love your style!! So very pretty!

[roselalonde]

Just wanted to say I love your style!! So very pretty!

Thank you very much!

[ZennaBug]

Gorgeous, gorgeous!  I love the cheekbones on your pony, she's quite beautiful.  And the poor bride pony looks so sad, I just wanna snuggle her!

[elvenwine26]

You might want to move the pony's ears a little higher on the head for future profile pics and try to avoid having the pony's legs shape and bend like people legs.  That's the only critique I have.
I like the feel of your art.  It's very sweet and whimsical.  I can definitely see your work selling.

[mul-ta]

Want critique? Here comes some… While I may sound like I have a lot of things to correct, I hope you'll find at least some of them helpful.

Your drawings have plenty of personality, but some of the basics need a little more work. MLPs are different from real-life horses, but if you want to draw them in a convincing manner, you might want to study some horse anatomy anyway. This is how stylization works: once you know how to draw the real thing, you'll understand which features to keep and emphasize.

While the fairest pony's face is beautifully stylized and I find her expression truly beautiful, her head has something doglike to it, which I believe is mainly due to the line of the lover jaw. Also her shoulders look disproportionately massive and placed too far front, and the chest isn't quite right. I'd perhaps have gone for a longer neck and a less beefy look. One thing I like a lot is the way you picture the flow of her hair.

Judging by the lines of her body, you want the bride to be half turned towards the viewer, right? Then you should turn her legs too and foreshorten her raised leg. Right now it's pictured from the side, which is not in sync with her body, making the pose look a little distorted. Her head and expression are beautiful, but another thing that bothers me is her rump that looks just like a human butt and thighs.

As for the technique, the photos you posted are not of superb quality but you could probably be a bit bolder with colored pencils. Also, even if you aim for a dainty pastel impression, you need more than one colour to give your illustrations some depth.

All in all, I'm afraid I wouldn't pay for your art as it is, but there are lots of good things and potential for improvement. Keep going!

[Eviecorn]

Your soft coloring style is gorgeous in that first drawing, and the face is lovely.  On the second one, the anatomy is throwing me off. I think it's mainly the neck position.  It's always hard for me to put it into words and easier for me to redline ... but I think with some practice it'll come.  Good work so far - definitely want to see more from you!

[roselalonde]

Thank you all very much for the critique! Animal anatomy is admittedly not my strongest point, but I appreciate everyone's honesty! 

Post Merge: May 20, 2013, 06:27:40 PM

Want critique? Here comes some… While I may sound like I have a lot of things to correct, I hope you'll find at least some of them helpful.

No no, thank you! It seems to me that I cannot get any actual critique anywhere else on the internet. I'll definitely take everything you said into consideration.

[mul-ta]

It seems to me that I cannot get any actual critique anywhere else on the internet.

As a serious amateur artist, I know that feeling... While it's fun to receive "wow nice" type of comments, they aren't exactly helping me to improve. Hats off to you for being able to ask for and receive constructive critique!

[Diamond]

I think you show a lot of promise but need to work a bit more from "life" as it where.  Working from some form of reference makes a big difference when going for different angels.

As to making money, due your art for the love it, and find a nice part time job if you can.  It takes a very high level to get paid and many of the wonderful artist out there do make anything from it. 

Love your color pallet and hair flow, keep up the great work.

[roselalonde]

I think you show a lot of promise but need to work a bit more from "life" as it where.  Working from some form of reference makes a big difference when going for different angels.

As to making money, due your art for the love it, and find a nice part time job if you can.  It takes a very high level to get paid and many of the wonderful artist out there do make anything from it. 

Love your color pallet and hair flow, keep up the great work.

Thank you! These two were done without any references to actual horses, so I agree that they're a bit off.

I know, the commissions are basically just for a little extra cash, and to hold myself off until I can find a summer job. I'm 17 and living with my parents still, so it's not like I'm going to have to live of these commissions. 

[Diamond]

I think you show a lot of promise but need to work a bit more from "life" as it where.  Working from some form of reference makes a big difference when going for different angels.

As to making money, due your art for the love it, and find a nice part time job if you can.  It takes a very high level to get paid and many of the wonderful artist out there do make anything from it. 

Love your color pallet and hair flow, keep up the great work.

Thank you! These two were done without any references to actual horses, so I agree that they're a bit off.

I know, the commissions are basically just for a little extra cash, and to hold myself off until I can find a summer job. I'm 17 and living with my parents still, so it's not like I'm going to have to live of these commissions. 

True but drawing for money takes a certain mind frame.  You need to be able to draw what others want even if it is not something you are fond of or not in the mood to do that day.  One of the reasons I did not like working in the advertising art field so much. 

I think with some practice though you shall be able to make a little pocket money to help out with getting things you want.

[Marlin]

First off - I really like the expression on your first drawing, and the way the hair on the left hand side flows from her face    Like a couple of others have mentioned already though, I would look at a few real life pics of horses etc to help guide you with anatomy and muscle structures    You don't need to rigidly conform - your stylistic touches are lovely and will be the stamp of who you are as an artist. The references would be merely to guide you and to help aid in preventing a little of the awkwardness you have (in just parts) of the samples shown above.

It truly takes time and practise! And the more you draw, the more you learn, and the more you gain in confidence - both with your own personal style and with forms.

Good luck with commissions!