Watch Me Suck at Art and Get Better [Don Nguyen]

[donnguyenart]

Here are some studies:

[donnguyenart]

Here is something I did for the Bloodsports challenge that I never finished. The knight was supposed to transform into a chimera. I was going to paint a snake on the front piece of cloth. Unfortunately I didn't have the skill to take it to finish, couldn't get the folds right.

[Tygerson]

I really like the shine you achieved on the metal. You even got the faint reflection of the fur on there.

One thing that stands out as a bit off is the white part of the cloth. The value is very bright, particularly relative to the shine on the metal. You probably know this and would have darkened it given more time, but it seemed like something to keep in mind for next time.

Sometimes I squint at my drawings to check the values. Things that are a little off seem to jump out more for some reason.

Keep up the great work!

Here is something I did for the Bloodsports challenge that I never finished. The knight was supposed to transform into a chimera. I was going to paint a snake on the front piece of cloth. Unfortunately I didn't have the skill to take it to finish, couldn't get the folds right.

[florentK]

looks great.
but i kind of dislike people who say they suck at art because we are all (most of us) in the same "box" to not saying another word ... you know.
I was getting the habit to say everyday " i suck , i suck , this is all terrible", all what i get is a solid depression who prevents me to improve because i convinced myself i sucked for real..
now everytime i see people who have negative (kind of) attitude for themselves i have to say something it could kill your potential.

all the studies are great, i think you can add more darker / brighter values . Especially your portrait and skull one.
for the knight , looks pretty cool , it s very courageous to do a design than you already know you don't have skills yet to do. may be you didn't know :p..
It looks like you used a white color (more or less )on the red cloth . it bumps a litlle bit too much of the overall picture. Add more tone an variation on it to break it. or make a level control ont the picture to see that's part is really different from the rest.

Your light is not very consistent. Your highlights should be orientated to the same point, unless you have several spots outside the scene. Think about a movie stage with a camera and lighting set up or a 3D scene it may helps you to see what i m telling.( sorry my english are so bad when i want to express something..)
When you are doing a character , an illustrative one , it's cooler to have a focal point . Most of the time it s one the face , particularly here.

If you want to finish it , i would remove the red garmet . Crop the picture half top , keeping the mountains in the background and adding something in the sky to help you a focal interest where you want.

good job and keep postin !:).

[donnguyenart]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Very helpful information I'll try to take your critiques and improve.

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Here is some stuff from about 1-2 months ago, I just wanted to put it on here because I'm cleaning up my desktop.

[donnguyenart]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, been working with just pencil and paper for awhile.