Critique on my space elf art

[thibaut.astri]

Hey everyone,
Here's a drawing I did some months ago and I'd like a critique on it. I sketched it on paper initially and even shaded it, but then proceeded to colour/texture it on PS.
The prior shading I did was useless as the colouring options on PS rendered very toned down and shallow so I started anew from just the sketch state of it.

To me the texturing is a bit lackluster (as I'm still kinda not good enough at it) but I'd love some feedback!

Here was the original I drew on paper:

Thanks,
Thibaut

[Watercolour]

Hello Thibaut
I am by no means an expert, so consider this a sort of “peer review”, here is what i think you can improve:

1) I used to also try to do a drawing on paper with a pencil first, as I was most comfortable with that medium, but that never really worked for me. I can see a lot of the detail and definition you added on paper is lost in the colored version, and it would work better if your lineart was on top of that, or if you and more definition; learning to draw lines digitally is difficult, i am still struggling as well, but i think it is a very worthwhile investment. Difficulty also depends on the tablet you use, and how natural it feels to you

2) The other thing i think you can improve is foreground vs background separation and treatment - in your current artwork you have treated both your character and the background in a similar way, so when looking at it is a little difficult to identify your focal point. I would assume the focus is the character, so that should be where most of your detail and effort goes, and the background should be more muted, and less detailed - you can check some character portraits online to see how your favourite artists do this.
Hope this helps!

[thibaut.astri]

I tried to tone down the background as a way to separate it from the main focus but yeah, maybe that and my trees are too dominant.

You think the lineart on top would be better? Wouldn't it give a cartoonish look?

Also thank you for your feedback

[Watercolour]

Hey, my pleasure, that is what we are here for
I personally like the lines in top look, so i do think it would look nice, but if you’re not into that, you can go the more realistic route; that would mean you need to put in more effort towards rendering and defining - for example, if you look at the hair, i can tell much more easily what is going on there on your pencil drawing rather than the photoshop painting. The lines on top is really a cheat to add definition without rendering so much i guess
Hope that clarifies what i meant!

[lilhorn92]

I'm on the course myself, and I'm no expert but can critique the painting about what little I know so I hope it help! (Even if it's and old post, but please don't take any offense it's just my opinion and we're both learning, so I know how it feels xD!)

I can make out the volumes well in the Aeldari, but I feel there's a little too much weight/mass in the heavy shading (it makes it a little difficult to differentiate from the camo pattern you're going for on the wrists and arms, and I feel you could do a little more to define the points that separate the wraithbone and fabric a little more with a sharper contrast).

I feel like some sharper values to bring out the lighter tones would be good as well, and the use of negative space is established well in setting the Aeldari Banshee apart. It gives me enough resting space for viewing (although I feel the noise in the background with the established shapes just a tiny bit disrupts that, however I love them as I'm fond of battleground artwork myself so I'm pretty sure thats what you were going for).

Under the Aeldari's arm though, the rocks feel too dominant; my eyes feel drawn there, the arch of the arm itself creating an implied line. I feel like you could push the trees back a little, pay a little less attention to the rocks as well, and that might improve the focus.

Some parts of the armor lose a bit of its volume (which brings me back to the mass represented by the values of the colors), but otherwise going back on that, it's pretty sound. I like it

So to break it down,

—The spacing looks fine! (Like always with us beginners, or well, me being a beginner, there's always room for improvement. I'd try to push the boundaries of the trees out a little bit so it's not as 'compact' (just a tiny bit), and make the background a little less cluttered unless - again - that was your intent, being Warhammer 40k and all :D)
—The grass and rock under the arm feel a little too 'heavy' (as mentioned, they keep drawing attention when the Aeldari is the focus)
—Try using a lighter tone for the shade, as it makes the armor seem flat and lose volume in certain areas; however, it's pretty good otherwise
—Adding to the above point, try adding some sharper tones - light or darker - to help distinguish points on the armor a little more.

It seemed like I was nitpicking to be honest but, I hope it helps, it's a pretty good piece for what you were trying to do. Heaven knows, you're still ahead of me lol