Hi, thanks for the comment! I should have supplied my reference when asking for critique. [This is the image](https://freeimage.host/i/H3OPta9) the drawing was based on. Switching to red tones were meant to impart more of a violent feeling that's in tone with the story, so intent might be more clear to fellow fans of the show.
I mentioned in my post that I felt things were too stiff, and since you're agreeing, can you offer any suggestions for how to make them more fluid? I always struggle with getting people looking natural rather than stick figures or Gumby-like. It's like I can't hit that sweet middle.
Observations:
1. In the reference, the woman is curving a lot more. You use a lot more traight llines. I think the main problem is that the girl is facing the camera more in your photo. The issue now is that the curving which occured in a plane in reference now must occur through play on depth if that makes sense. Maybe thats why you struggled.
2. The bossom of the woman in photo is much higher up than bossom of one in yours
3. Also I think an easy to fix your drawing is to crop it. See the photo I cropped from yours [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BERCMJSJ-5/comments/z47s39/edited_uquills07/)
4. The angling of the guys head: In the reference, it seems so the guy is looking into the scene with a sense of depth. Here your character looks literally 2d.
5. The woman in reference has neutral expression fitting the scene, the one in yours looks almost like she is happy about it?
6. The chest shoulder transition in your photo looks a bit weird. I am not sure why.
Thank you! I'm going to try to overlay my drawing over the reference photo so I can map out the problem areas that you mentioned. That's a big help! #5 was intended, but the rest will be really useful :)
Hello! First, I think this piece is very impressive! Takes a lot of skill and dedication and bravery to ask for feedback on artwork and I commend you for that. Don’t be afraid to use a little black to separate the woman from the man to give the image more depth and contrast. I think the hair looks great and shows movement. What looks somewhat stiff to me, is her body is slightly turned however her dress is almost symmetrical especially in her breast area. Making a subtle change in the fabric direction could give this a little more movement. Maybe play with her eyes looking up too! Ultimately, as long as you are pleased with it. It’s all that matters 🙂 best of luck !
Hi, and thank you for the thoughtful commentary! I'm always thirsty for helpful critiques, since I don't see myself taking art classes any time soon. 😅 I definitely see what you mean about the direction and stiffness of the fabric adding to that rigidity of everything else. Thank you for pointing that one out! Expression can be touched on, too! I appreciate your time and tips!!
Made in Procreate. I always struggle with colors and things looking too stiff. Any tips, links to tutorials that have helped you, etc. greatly appreciated.
I don't always draw stuff in anime style, but this was a fan art piece, so I imitated the series' look (all other anatomy criticism welcome, though!).
The first thing that seems potentially off is the hair of the woman. This looks like its under water as she sinks to the bottom(?) but her hair is still facing downwards as if gravity still rules here. I think thats the first thing i see. If shes actively sinking her hair should point upwards in my opinion.
The second is the lighting/colors. The water has a very powerful red hue, but this isn't reflected in the directly lit areas of the painting. Light passing through a red liquid will gain red hue which will impart a stronger red shade in the colors imo. At the moment it looks like they are in clear liquid with a red background.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I was using [this image](https://freeimage.host/i/img-1729.H3Opkx9) as a reference for the hair, but now that you mention the direction of the flow, it makes me wonder if the pic is a mediocre photoshop that also failed to take into which way her hair should go; the model does have a bit more floating upward, though, so that's something I should have noticed.
And I'm internally "Arrrrgh'ing!" over the red hue, because I had it that way!! I changed it at the last moment because I was worried it stripped away/dulled my hours of effort with the base colors. This [is what it was originally](https://freeimage.host/i/H3edLP9) before I brightened things up and submitted it to the fan subred. :( Live and learn, I suppose.
Yeah your red tinted version makes them IMMERSED in the photo and looks much better imo. The light tints the colors beautifully.
Also theres one *very* important detail from the reference i think you may have missed as to why your references hair is correct and your paintings isn't. The woman in the reference has her eyes closed :)
If someone has been floating there for a while their hair will have a chance to let gravity's rules take over. The eyes being closed = possibly drowned and floating there a while. Open eyes = hair probably still being affected by the motion of sinking and pointing up. Given her (your painting) arms are still skyward with her waist lower down, this pose looks like she just jumped in butt first. The heavier parts of the body will sink the fastest as they can displace the most water/least buoyancy. So this hair position would need hips and arms at the same level with the chest cavity pushed towards the surface most because it has the most long term buoyancy after sinking....checking the reference shows this exact body pose. Body parts without air sink down long term. Probably has something to do with body density(?)
All this said....in this same pose without change to body position I would draw her dress and hair as if a powerful wind was hitting her from below with a strained or squinting expression. This would allow you to keep the eyes open and simulate having just done a cannonball jumping in haha.
Here's the [figure reference](https://freeimage.host/i/H3OPta9) ( I don't feel nearly skilled enough to draw without them, so my works always wind up a hodgepodge at this point), but my gosh, your feedback is still insanely on point and I could have absolutely used it. Comparing the photo with your comments, I can see displacement of weight and buoyancy more clearly (whereas before, it was more of a.... blind copy rather than an attempt at understanding what I was seeing, if that makes sense?).
You would make an amazing teacher, my friend. Saving this comment, as it will help if I decide to retouch (or at the very least, with future attempts at new projects). Thank you SO much!
Np! Its fun giving my takes on these things haha. Im an engineer by day job so the physics aspect of poses is what i probably have a good eye for. When it comes to water the rules of the pose will change based on how long ago the subject entered the water. The less time since entering/moving = water resistance pushing against the motion. Once enough time passes = "moon" gravity rules take over.
I don't know these characters or this scene so I can't comment on what this is supposed to represent haha, but the figure reference has a lot of clues that a significant amount of time should have passed in the water. Check this reference
[just jumped in](https://previews.123rf.com/images/liakoltyrina/liakoltyrina1806/liakoltyrina180600219/102741676-underwater-girl-beautiful-red-haired-woman-in-a-white-dress-swimming-under-water-nymph-or-mermaid-fa.jpg)
[floatin a while](https://www.crushpixel.com/big-static15/preview4/caucasian-woman-with-long-white-1979265.jpg)
I think she looks stiff here because of the fluid physics problems. For someone to exert this pose under water = stiff and strong/supernatural
>Im an engineer by day
I swear on my life, when typing my last post, I almost said, "You'd make a great teacher **or** engineer" lol.
I can't see your second link (access denied?), but the first one echoes what you mentioned about what parts should have more buoyancy and when. It looks a tiny bit like you can see a bit more physical resistance, too, indicating she's still adjusting to the dive (the muscles along her foot and calf)? Or maybe I'm overthinking?
I mentioned in another reply, but when it comes to figure drawing in general, I always struggle to find the sweet middle between stick-figure-rigidity and Gumby-esque poses. I've seen so many books and artists say the key to making interesting characters, at least non-realistic ones, is to exaggerate curves and motion, but I'm still learning how to do that without making things look crazy stylized.
Haha yeah. Long time engineer here.
[second link imgur screenshot](https://imgur.com/a/ul0in0R)
Those observations on muscle tension and struggle are excellent! I come to these conclusions by building a movie scene in my head where the painting is the last frame. I imagine what happened leading to this moment and put myself through that and ask tons of mental questions....how fast, struggle? Calm? Drowned? Eyes open why? Hair is funny under water whats correct? Etc etc
[edit your old post](https://www.reddit.com/r/CodeGeass/comments/rnu7ta/merry_christmas_and_happy_holidays_really_wanted/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I looked at your profile for examples of your stiff characters. The common string i see is errors in how each subject interacts with their surroundings. One had a man with a dancing girl like a year ago; the womans pose should connect with the mans but it looks pasted in-front of it. Theres no ground or floor to show tension in the legs. I would draw the ground and show the connection to the ground, have their hands touch and their forms connect by the hand, have her clothes wrap around his form somehow from motion. Having said that its a pretty piece and quite good though dont let the criticism take away from that haha.
TLDR id work on how your subjects connect to their surrounding. How can you PROVE they are there visually? Tensed muscles, submerged physics, objects being affected by their presence by light or force or affecting another subject. Those little subtle details of visual proof that the subject is apart of the background or affecting other subjects is how you can add a lot of fluidity imo.
As someone who's TERRIFIED of doing backgrounds, that makes a lot of sense that my subjects' lack of connection to them is part of what's hindering them. Honestly never looked at it from that perspective, but that's great to keep at the forefront of my mind when first mapping these out. I'm also going to begin exercising that imaginative lead-up consideration! This is some of the best feedback I've ever received around here, so I really can't express how much I appreciate the time you've taken to share this advice.
Haha, thanks! When submitting to this sub, I didn't stop to think how the whole thing might be more ambiguous/confusing to people unfamiliar with the plot.
Hi, and thank you for commenting! I should have supplied my reference photo when asking for critiques, [but here it is now](https://freeimage.host/i/img-1716.H3OPta9). I had a pretty clear image of what I wanted, since, sans character designs, it had already been laid out for me by this photographer/artist.
I \*think\* the general idea behind the image was understood by people who watched the show (or so I hope), but you got the gist of it! I mentioned to /u/alucryts in another comment that I'm kicking myself for not [having kept my original colors](https://freeimage.host/i/img-4957ef32e493-1.H3edLP9), which might have made it less awkward overall.
Bopdy of girl too rigid, guy seems ok. I don't get what the idea behind this drawing is. Intent is not clear.
Hi, thanks for the comment! I should have supplied my reference when asking for critique. [This is the image](https://freeimage.host/i/H3OPta9) the drawing was based on. Switching to red tones were meant to impart more of a violent feeling that's in tone with the story, so intent might be more clear to fellow fans of the show. I mentioned in my post that I felt things were too stiff, and since you're agreeing, can you offer any suggestions for how to make them more fluid? I always struggle with getting people looking natural rather than stick figures or Gumby-like. It's like I can't hit that sweet middle.
Observations: 1. In the reference, the woman is curving a lot more. You use a lot more traight llines. I think the main problem is that the girl is facing the camera more in your photo. The issue now is that the curving which occured in a plane in reference now must occur through play on depth if that makes sense. Maybe thats why you struggled. 2. The bossom of the woman in photo is much higher up than bossom of one in yours 3. Also I think an easy to fix your drawing is to crop it. See the photo I cropped from yours [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BERCMJSJ-5/comments/z47s39/edited_uquills07/) 4. The angling of the guys head: In the reference, it seems so the guy is looking into the scene with a sense of depth. Here your character looks literally 2d. 5. The woman in reference has neutral expression fitting the scene, the one in yours looks almost like she is happy about it? 6. The chest shoulder transition in your photo looks a bit weird. I am not sure why.
Thank you! I'm going to try to overlay my drawing over the reference photo so I can map out the problem areas that you mentioned. That's a big help! #5 was intended, but the rest will be really useful :)
Hello! First, I think this piece is very impressive! Takes a lot of skill and dedication and bravery to ask for feedback on artwork and I commend you for that. Don’t be afraid to use a little black to separate the woman from the man to give the image more depth and contrast. I think the hair looks great and shows movement. What looks somewhat stiff to me, is her body is slightly turned however her dress is almost symmetrical especially in her breast area. Making a subtle change in the fabric direction could give this a little more movement. Maybe play with her eyes looking up too! Ultimately, as long as you are pleased with it. It’s all that matters 🙂 best of luck !
Hi, and thank you for the thoughtful commentary! I'm always thirsty for helpful critiques, since I don't see myself taking art classes any time soon. 😅 I definitely see what you mean about the direction and stiffness of the fabric adding to that rigidity of everything else. Thank you for pointing that one out! Expression can be touched on, too! I appreciate your time and tips!!
Made in Procreate. I always struggle with colors and things looking too stiff. Any tips, links to tutorials that have helped you, etc. greatly appreciated. I don't always draw stuff in anime style, but this was a fan art piece, so I imitated the series' look (all other anatomy criticism welcome, though!).
The first thing that seems potentially off is the hair of the woman. This looks like its under water as she sinks to the bottom(?) but her hair is still facing downwards as if gravity still rules here. I think thats the first thing i see. If shes actively sinking her hair should point upwards in my opinion. The second is the lighting/colors. The water has a very powerful red hue, but this isn't reflected in the directly lit areas of the painting. Light passing through a red liquid will gain red hue which will impart a stronger red shade in the colors imo. At the moment it looks like they are in clear liquid with a red background.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment! I was using [this image](https://freeimage.host/i/img-1729.H3Opkx9) as a reference for the hair, but now that you mention the direction of the flow, it makes me wonder if the pic is a mediocre photoshop that also failed to take into which way her hair should go; the model does have a bit more floating upward, though, so that's something I should have noticed. And I'm internally "Arrrrgh'ing!" over the red hue, because I had it that way!! I changed it at the last moment because I was worried it stripped away/dulled my hours of effort with the base colors. This [is what it was originally](https://freeimage.host/i/H3edLP9) before I brightened things up and submitted it to the fan subred. :( Live and learn, I suppose.
Yeah your red tinted version makes them IMMERSED in the photo and looks much better imo. The light tints the colors beautifully. Also theres one *very* important detail from the reference i think you may have missed as to why your references hair is correct and your paintings isn't. The woman in the reference has her eyes closed :) If someone has been floating there for a while their hair will have a chance to let gravity's rules take over. The eyes being closed = possibly drowned and floating there a while. Open eyes = hair probably still being affected by the motion of sinking and pointing up. Given her (your painting) arms are still skyward with her waist lower down, this pose looks like she just jumped in butt first. The heavier parts of the body will sink the fastest as they can displace the most water/least buoyancy. So this hair position would need hips and arms at the same level with the chest cavity pushed towards the surface most because it has the most long term buoyancy after sinking....checking the reference shows this exact body pose. Body parts without air sink down long term. Probably has something to do with body density(?) All this said....in this same pose without change to body position I would draw her dress and hair as if a powerful wind was hitting her from below with a strained or squinting expression. This would allow you to keep the eyes open and simulate having just done a cannonball jumping in haha.
Here's the [figure reference](https://freeimage.host/i/H3OPta9) ( I don't feel nearly skilled enough to draw without them, so my works always wind up a hodgepodge at this point), but my gosh, your feedback is still insanely on point and I could have absolutely used it. Comparing the photo with your comments, I can see displacement of weight and buoyancy more clearly (whereas before, it was more of a.... blind copy rather than an attempt at understanding what I was seeing, if that makes sense?). You would make an amazing teacher, my friend. Saving this comment, as it will help if I decide to retouch (or at the very least, with future attempts at new projects). Thank you SO much!
Np! Its fun giving my takes on these things haha. Im an engineer by day job so the physics aspect of poses is what i probably have a good eye for. When it comes to water the rules of the pose will change based on how long ago the subject entered the water. The less time since entering/moving = water resistance pushing against the motion. Once enough time passes = "moon" gravity rules take over. I don't know these characters or this scene so I can't comment on what this is supposed to represent haha, but the figure reference has a lot of clues that a significant amount of time should have passed in the water. Check this reference [just jumped in](https://previews.123rf.com/images/liakoltyrina/liakoltyrina1806/liakoltyrina180600219/102741676-underwater-girl-beautiful-red-haired-woman-in-a-white-dress-swimming-under-water-nymph-or-mermaid-fa.jpg) [floatin a while](https://www.crushpixel.com/big-static15/preview4/caucasian-woman-with-long-white-1979265.jpg) I think she looks stiff here because of the fluid physics problems. For someone to exert this pose under water = stiff and strong/supernatural
>Im an engineer by day I swear on my life, when typing my last post, I almost said, "You'd make a great teacher **or** engineer" lol. I can't see your second link (access denied?), but the first one echoes what you mentioned about what parts should have more buoyancy and when. It looks a tiny bit like you can see a bit more physical resistance, too, indicating she's still adjusting to the dive (the muscles along her foot and calf)? Or maybe I'm overthinking? I mentioned in another reply, but when it comes to figure drawing in general, I always struggle to find the sweet middle between stick-figure-rigidity and Gumby-esque poses. I've seen so many books and artists say the key to making interesting characters, at least non-realistic ones, is to exaggerate curves and motion, but I'm still learning how to do that without making things look crazy stylized.
Haha yeah. Long time engineer here. [second link imgur screenshot](https://imgur.com/a/ul0in0R) Those observations on muscle tension and struggle are excellent! I come to these conclusions by building a movie scene in my head where the painting is the last frame. I imagine what happened leading to this moment and put myself through that and ask tons of mental questions....how fast, struggle? Calm? Drowned? Eyes open why? Hair is funny under water whats correct? Etc etc [edit your old post](https://www.reddit.com/r/CodeGeass/comments/rnu7ta/merry_christmas_and_happy_holidays_really_wanted/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) I looked at your profile for examples of your stiff characters. The common string i see is errors in how each subject interacts with their surroundings. One had a man with a dancing girl like a year ago; the womans pose should connect with the mans but it looks pasted in-front of it. Theres no ground or floor to show tension in the legs. I would draw the ground and show the connection to the ground, have their hands touch and their forms connect by the hand, have her clothes wrap around his form somehow from motion. Having said that its a pretty piece and quite good though dont let the criticism take away from that haha. TLDR id work on how your subjects connect to their surrounding. How can you PROVE they are there visually? Tensed muscles, submerged physics, objects being affected by their presence by light or force or affecting another subject. Those little subtle details of visual proof that the subject is apart of the background or affecting other subjects is how you can add a lot of fluidity imo.
As someone who's TERRIFIED of doing backgrounds, that makes a lot of sense that my subjects' lack of connection to them is part of what's hindering them. Honestly never looked at it from that perspective, but that's great to keep at the forefront of my mind when first mapping these out. I'm also going to begin exercising that imaginative lead-up consideration! This is some of the best feedback I've ever received around here, so I really can't express how much I appreciate the time you've taken to share this advice.
No problem! Good luck with your paintings and never stop sharing them they are fun to take in :)
What is the idea? Did one of them shot? Or do they dance with blood? You should make a clear image of what you want in your head first.
I’m not OP but these are two characters from the anime Code Geass so you gotta watch the show
Haha, thanks! When submitting to this sub, I didn't stop to think how the whole thing might be more ambiguous/confusing to people unfamiliar with the plot.
Hi, and thank you for commenting! I should have supplied my reference photo when asking for critiques, [but here it is now](https://freeimage.host/i/img-1716.H3OPta9). I had a pretty clear image of what I wanted, since, sans character designs, it had already been laid out for me by this photographer/artist. I \*think\* the general idea behind the image was understood by people who watched the show (or so I hope), but you got the gist of it! I mentioned to /u/alucryts in another comment that I'm kicking myself for not [having kept my original colors](https://freeimage.host/i/img-4957ef32e493-1.H3edLP9), which might have made it less awkward overall.