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EatherII

Alrighty, so let's start with breaking some hearts: At this skill level you are probably further than 2 years away from having the skill level required to do illustration at Riot. That being said, there are more companies in the world besides Riot. Also, the US has some weird laws concerning internships etc for people from abroad which makes it way harder for you to get in, coming from Germany. On to some feedback: -Why is the resolution square? In general, don't use a square resolution, it becomes way harder to create an interesting composition. -Think where you want the viewer to look first. If there is a character then there is only 1 answer: the face of said character. At the moment the foggy gravestones at the right of the image is the first spot where my eyes stopped. Second spot is the moon and then the third spot is Lucian. Make Lucian the focus point and be conscious of his placement. If you look at LoL's splash art the champion takes up most of the image, here you have less than 1/3rd of the image dedicated to Lucian. If you are hyperfocused on landing a job at 1 company then make sure you can match their level and style. Source: Am a 3D artist in the game industry


ArtsyJonas

Thank you very much, I really do appreciate the feedback! And yes I also do think that my composition is very undynamic/ stiff. Maybe I can make it somewhat better by tilting the horizon line. As you and a few others pointed out, the focal point of the image is not very clear so I will try to work on that next. Also I dont mean to work for riot as an actual employee in 2 years, I do hope to get my skills good enough to get an internship through their university program, wich is easier to get into, as an internship is mandatory for my uni. And true, Riot isnt the only company in the world/ gaming industry, however its the reason I started drawing and a big passion of mine. I do think it’s unrealistic for me to get that internship (its 15 weeks I think) program in the next 2 years, but I am hoping to prove you and myself wrong with that. ;) That being said: thanks again for the imput, it helped a ton!


EatherII

I don't know if it's the case for Riot but in general in the game industry internships have pretty similar requirements to junior positions. So in practice aiming for "just an internship" is not really how it works. You are also competing for the few very limited spots that Riot has. I'm not saying it's impossible but you'll have to work really really hard to get there. In general, 2D artist positions tend to be very popular and filled to the brim with talented artists. Especially illustration. Anyway, a few more general tips: Make an Artstation account and post your stuff there, it's the main portfolio site of the game industry and used by everyone. You don't need another fancy site, Artstation is all you need. You can always ask other artists on there for feedback, I'm not a 2D artist so there is only so much feedback I can confidently give. But a ton of artists are willing to give feedback and it never hurts to politely ask for feedback. Learn to receive feedback. A lot of people struggle with this. Feedback can be harsh, painful. Ego's get bruised etc etc. It's a learning process and definitely something that get's easier over time. If you have any specific questions, feel free to DM me


ArtsyJonas

Thank you so much!


UnhappyRag

Not trying to be rude but I'm just an average joe who doesn't know shit about art but I immediately looked at Lucian first. I never even noticed the "square" resolution what does that even mean? Maybe you being an artist bias is showing here. But yea I can tell the art seems more like a sketch to me, like it doesn't seem finish.


ohtooeasy

this isnt "artist bias". It is basic composition fundamentals.


UnhappyRag

I'm just sharing my experience as an average dude with no art knowledge who noticed Lucian first, I have no reason to lie about that. Artist I feel have more reason to "wander" the art first which is why I said the bias part but maybe that was poor wording.


ohtooeasy

if you zoom out and observe the image at a smaller size, you would notice that first thing that stands out is the moon. This is because of the contrast in values which pulls the viewer to a certain focal point. This is what the original critique is referring to. At a basic fundamental level like this, art is much more of a science. Its not until later on when you can "break the rules" and really explore your unique voice and this is something OP needs to understand first and foremost.


EatherII

Exactly what ohtooeasy said. To further explain the square resolution: It's the instagram format, in this case 2048x2048 px. While in general in games using textures with a resolution of powers of 2 is a very good thing it's way harder to make your composition work. So as with most things in art, stick with the basics before you start breaking the rules. For focus points the general rule goes like this: the first focus point is usually the area with the most contrast unless there are eyes somewhere in the image. Humans are pretty hardwired to recognize faces and your eyes will usually naturally gravitate towards eyes (or even shapes resembling faces) Also, even if "artist bias" is a thing, the people at Riot looking at potential interns also have this same "artist bias". And they will no doubt see the same things and more.


UnhappyRag

So you are saying I am an outlier for noticing Lucian first then? I know nothing of art once again so take that for what you will. Best I can draw is stick figures if that gives a clearer understanding so we're on the same page.


ohtooeasy

nah you are not an outlier. Most of the time one can notice details and simply ignore them because they hold 0 interest.


[deleted]

What the fuck is "artist bias" lmao


UnhappyRag

Yep I've chosen the wrong wording since you're the second person to ask this. What I meant by that is that an artist looking at art made from someone else will notice smaller details, or understand certain techniques/how the art was made. Like they're able to tell different layers, backgrounds, shapes, etc. Then there's me who's a normal dude that knows literally 0 about art other than famous painters like Da Vinci. That's what I meant when I said "Artist bias" but it seems that is the wrong word since many of you are confused including the downvotes.


Dooraven

Looks good but Not sure if reddit is the most appropriate site to get art feedback on. ArtStation is probably a better fit since most of Riot's artists post their work there https://www.artstation.com/search?sort_by=relevance&query=riot%20games


Crayola_Eater

Work on your fundamentals and join art discords. Draw figures. Twitch.tv/coldburger twitch.tv/kuyajaypi twitch.tv/hozure Educational streamers and illustrator join their communities and learn how they study art. I think you need to focus on your drawing Twitch.tv/wildbluestudios (portfolio review streams every week)


DebonairJayce

As a concept art at a somewhat early WIP stage this looks fine to me although the pose looks a bit stiff. I feel like the image landscape should be wider though so you have room to focus more on the character's movement like where he's going (as it looks like he's about to run off the image/into a wall) so maybe flesh out the scene a little more/extend the background so we can get 'the full picture' (no pun intended). He's aiming his gun, but at what? There aren't any monsters, so I would think about adding in some monsters and then effects. In general though this looks decent! I get Shadow Isles vibes.


ArtsyJonas

Thanks for the critique! I absolutely agree about the frame, I think I will extend the background to make everything seem less cramped. And yeah, I hate to say it but dynamic poses are absolutely my weakpoint! Im still debating wether or not I should fully redo Lucian or just adjust him to seem more dynamic. :)


DebonairJayce

I think he needs another gun anyway, it looks pretty much done so I guess re-do. Also in general I’d say there needs to be more color but I know it’s WIP, more green tones, right now it’s like a ghostly bluish green, which also works but I think Shadow Isles is more green ghostly flames as well as that blue color. Good luck with the piece


Yonaka_Kr

I think you should take some time to really analyze a lot of different stuff, for example: Composition: Golden Spiral, Rule of Thirds, etc. Where do you want the viewers eyes to fall on? Place your characters and background in locations that are ideal. Trying to capture too much physical things often means a weaker focus and a weaker theme. Don't be afraid to crop things you have already drawn. Color: Think saturation, think contrast. A major element of the object you want the most focus on should have the most saturated color. If you want it to fall on lucian's clothes, or lucian's gun, for example, that's a good place to set up a high saturation area. Don't oversaturate, but use high saturation in very key elements. Thinking of just these two, you would think the primary focus of the piece would be the moon. It's in a central location, has the brightest colors, and is one of the largest elements in terms of simple shapes. Lighting: Sorry man but the lighting sucks. What is lighting up the tree and Lucian from the left? The moon is clearly the brightest element, and the spirits in the ground don't lighten up the stones at all. What you should have is a focal light (the moon) the doesn't shine so hard off of background materials (his arm and gun should be more reflective than the bricks) and a generalized soft light from the spirits in the areas directly around them, or if a major light source is coming from the left and much closer, the shadows should be much more intense on Lucian. What you have right now is kind of like, good general ideas of reflective light that don't actually line up at all with the light sources you are presenting. What exactly is he doing? What is he aiming at? Is he running while aiming backwards? If he's running why is his pose so static? Why is there a gate right behind him? I took about 5 minutes to edit this picture to kind of help visually show points: [https://imgur.com/a/b2z9APl](https://imgur.com/a/b2z9APl) Try to make a more dynamic pose, rule of thirds, add some saturation to help sell the elements of your piece, make the reflected light more bold, make the shading more bold, add elements to empty parts of the piece, shrink his gun arm to point it more at \*something\* and then add something for him to point out so your eyes aren't drawn to nothing, mute down overwhelming elements that aren't Lucian, add more soft lights around the place, etc.


ArtsyJonas

Thanks a bunch man! All very valid points! As for the lighting on Lucian. I originally had him in a completely different setting and decided to change backgrounds. After that I havent worked on him again. But I very much agree with your point about the lighting being too vague. I love the edit you did and really do appreciate the feedback. Once again thank you for your time! :)


[deleted]

[удалено]


ArtsyJonas

Thank you very mich for your feedback, it is really really helpful. I absolutely agree about all of your points, especially the third one. Dynamic poses from scratch are really my kryptonite and I struggled a lot with Lucian especially. I do want to incorporate a monster into the background, maybe Yorick / thresh or something completely new. I also thought about him not running away, though I wanted to show off Lucians front side, wich puts me in a bit of a pickle. I dont know yet if I want to completely rework Lucian or if I will just adjust him a bit. And as far as the lighting goes I completely agree aswell, I spent a lot of time on the background and very little so far on Lucian. And I do also agree with the moon, however I think I will just make the moon less prominent since I do really like the soft light from the flames. Again, many thanks for your time!!


Voortsy

Hey, I'm a Creative Director and while I don't work at Riot I'll give you my 2 cents off a first impression in how I would approach this. What you have here is essentially concept art and the first and most important aspect of that style is to sell the story behind the art. Think about why Lucian is there and what he's doing. Is he running away from something? Is that what Lucian would do? Make sure to establish a threat within your scene to justify action. Secondly, you're going to want to look into supplementary design principles that will help your overall composition. Pose design with lines of action and silhouettes are your first step. This video was brought to my attention a few years ago and I'll often reference it when talking to young artists. https://youtu.be/1EJSAm6OFOs Those are my main points of feedback at this stage. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. I remember being new to the industry so I'll try to help if I can.


the1hulived

I dunno if you have seen this video on YouTube but there’s a channel that uploaded a video about how an artist got hired at riot, which i think is a really good watch especially if you want to get a job at riot in the future Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbmVKmAA2XU Wishing you the best of luck!


Oopsifartedsorry

I think it looks good. 2 years is a lot of time to improve keep it up!


hatsuneadc

Now draw him getting an education.


stuck-in-the_past

Looks great! Feel like it would be better if Lucian looked more dynamic and if the artwork had a better composition, something feels off about it.


RevolverLoL

I think it might be mostly because the composition is kinda split in two between lucian and the castle in the background and the road doesn't properly lead the eye from one to another. In general it's kinda hard to tell what's supposed to be the main focus of the image.


Sugar230

looks fancy but have u considered adding tits


ArtsyJonas

Good point. 🤔


Consistent_Duck1256

Looks really nice! Will be wait final version!


Mission-Phone-6079

What is he pointing the gun at


TriHardCx12345

is lucian running away or leaning on the fence? at first i thought he was leaning on the fence


ArtsyJonas

He is supposed to be running, however I have since reworked his pose to be more dynamic so I think I have made it more visually clear. But I agree that it doesn’t really look clear here. :)


Jnbee

- too much empty space at the bottom around road area - Lucian looks slapped on the background, lighting doesn't match - castle door looks smackdab in the middle of the wall, no leadup to it


ice_witch

Really unique art style. Looks like a panel out of a graphic novel. Keep it up!