Fanart Ahri Project Critique

[Sylessae]

Hi there guys! I'm working on a fan art project for my patreon. I've just started it, but my largest goal is to be able to create projects that are my absolute best and stimulate my own artistic growth. Something I've never done before - quite frankly because it wasn't available to me due to my lack of artist friends - was get critique on my work along the way from other artists. Or, anyone really.

I won't complain if I make artist friends either. xP

Anyway, I want to try this in addition to my regular routine of course; studying daily and practicing as frequently as I'm able between working.

I suppose I should get right into it then, and give you a glimpse of my piece. Its so rough at the moment, mostly a silhouette.

My intention here was to draw her just after her "transformation" from fox to human. So, there will be a bit of awe in her expression, as she realizes the power she's discovered. Her hand bit there is mean to be glowing, a demonstration of her new found power, and I tried to portray that with the brief hints of very vague lighting I've dabbed on her face. The whiteness around her is her tail, meant to sort of frame the entire piece. Certainly, everything will eventually be sharpened up, but this is a draft and if there were issues or things I could improve, I'd rather scratch them now than later.

Thanks for your feedback!

[Sylessae]

Made some adjustments to her pose and gave her a face!

[oneinthecorner]

If you were planning on keeping the awe in her face, you may have lost it in the second image. Perhaps open her mouth a little bit? I really liked her expression before. Good gesture and drawing otherwise

[andrewnimble]

Nice start for sure! I agree with @oneinthecorner with the expression thing. Definitely try bringing more from the first sketch into your lineart. Other than that I really love the pose and gesture, but maybe would adjust the composition a little bit. You have a nice flow going on with her tail(s), I would show more of it. Give the character a little bit more space.
Hope this could be helpful for you and looking forward to next update! ^^ (btw Ahri was my favourite character in LOL back then when I still played games)

[Sylessae]

Thanks for the feedback, @andrewnimble and @oneinthecorner!

I'll futz around with her face and see what I can come up with, and open up the canvas a bit to show more of her tails. ^^

[Sylessae]

I had actually worked on the piece last night before I saw any of your feedback. I still need to extend the canvas, but I added a bit more of that awe to her face (or tried to anyway). What do you think?

[andrewnimble]

Nice! The expression in her face now matches your idea better for sure.

[Sylessae]

Thank you for the help again! I don't actually play League, but of the champions I know, I definitely like Ahri a lot. ^^ I was eager to portray her in a more innocent light with my art, and try and spark some of that animal curiosity still alive in her in this piece.

Big ol eyes looking into her glowy magic like "ooooo" x3 Hehe.

[Sylessae]

Worked on Ahri quite a bit today. Pausing here, looking for some references, wondering if I'm heading in the right direction with lighting.

I still have yet to add some seriously dramatic brights and rimlights, but I didn't want to go too deep into that if the lighting was looking awkward.

[andrewnimble]

are you now focusing on only the light source coming out of her magical sphere?

[Sylessae]

At the current time, yes as I hadn't painted much more, and like to focus on single light sources at a time.

However, I have been continuing my work on the project, as I've got a deadline and have added more light sources. She's quite a bit further along now than she was in this last one. On any other occasion, I would have waited and considered feedback.

[adayics]

I hope you dont mind that I drew on this! but its easier to get my point across.
So currently your lighting suggests that you have more than 1 lighting source. if you do want the only light source to be Ahri's ball then you need to portray that lighting and shows as such. (Idk if you were gonna add shadows after or not but this is what I'd try to do.
(Just very roughly used overlay and multiply layers.)

So
1) Just darken up her back because the place that you have the ball the light would not hit it like that.
2. You had rim light on the other side of her body but the place you have the ball in the image is right infront of her face so the light wouldnt give a rim light there. and as well you place a blue rim light behind her ears instead in front of them where the ball is.
3. Last think i think i can tell you is for your highlights everywhere. do not use just white. You wanna use the colour of your light. for highlights on the eyes later on you can use white or a reallllly pale blue but you dont wanna use just pure white for highlights especially on the body unless shes covered in oil or sweating haha
I hope that helped a bit c: But looking good so far I love it.
Im an Ahri main so i approve

[Sylessae]

Oh my, thank you for the paint over! This is very helpful.

I knew a few of these things, but I think you represented them better than I would have, so I'm going to try and add a bit more shadows and adjust those lights. The previous bit I uploaded still wasn't finished, and I have since added more, but will definitely take into account the things you've said. You're totally right, those lights need color - not white.

With the rimlight on the backside of her, I was suggesting that the light was being reflected back by something behind her. Not sure if I represented this correctly, or if that's how it would work at all - it has me wondering now.

I didn't intend for the piece to have just a single lightsource either, I was just previously mentioning the single lightsource up there as that was all I was working on at the time. I'm not sure, however, if it would be a stretch for a lightsource to be coming from the viewer, though to have such a dark background with no substance showing either. ^^

I'll add a few of the things you suggested, and get back with the final piece. Anything that I am unable to implement into this piece, I will certainly take into account for the next. Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. ^^

[Sylessae]

I went ahead @adayics and applied the advice you said. Honestly I was concerned about losing a bit of the vibrancy of the piece but honestly, over all, I think now she's got better values that help draw the viewer into the face. I'll show what I changed, and what I had previously deemed as "done."

Thanks again for your help.

[adayics]

haha She looks great! Good job.
and yeah i saw after i posted that you said you were adding more light sources i picked up on that a little late haha but well done. c: