Swan project. ( Need feed back on a rough sketch with bull point pen)

Wildrose's picture
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Some feed back would be lovely, Doing a little project with pens atm
phantomhelsing's picture

is there anything specific

is there anything specific you'd like feedback on? Like composition or textures or anything?

Right now with what you've got it's looking fine so far, that's pretty nifty swan anatomy, so that part's all good haha
Wildrose's picture

Will upload the coloured swan

Will upload the coloured swan 1/2 need help on this, with texture not sure if it suits the drawing
Wildrose's picture

I think I killed it ?

I think I killed it ?
phantomhelsing's picture

that is slightly chaotic BUT

that is slightly chaotic BUT IT'S FINE it's easily fixable haha

So with texture and detail, you need to keep a balance of variation and areas of detail, or another way to put it, areas of detail and areas of rest. If you have the same texture over the whole piece your eyes get a a little stuck and is usually not as visually pleasing, they need bits without large amounts of detail to rest.
Usually, if you're rendering a subject more realistically, texture will only how up in your midtone values, areas in deep shadow or bright highlights won't show texture. Since you're using ink and you don't have the same amount of pressure control you do with other tools, you find the balance of detail and rest and get your values by how tightly you draw your lines. So a lighter space will have little to no ink (your areas of rest).

This artist does a better job explaining the concept (because I have trouble talking to get my point across, I usually have to demo something in front of someone haha):

https://youtu.be/y2DhBxtEnUY

it's mostly the first part of the video that discusses what I mentioned about areas of detail and rest.

Keep at it! =D
Vessan's picture

Depends what you want for

Depends what you want for this image particularly. Really depends on what you want as an end result.

1) My guess is you wanted to make the swan extra fluffly. The fluffy effect...with a ball point pen no less turned out suprisingly fluffy. So kudos to that.

However the thick outline is in strong conflict with the fluffyness and takes away from it. IF you squint your eyes you mostly see the contour and a gray colour due over how overpowering it is.


2) To add up on phantom in case you want to add volume to the image and:
Like on real swans, the face is a nice draw point. You can darken the black parts on the beak and your eyes will be drawn to it more.

I think I found these visual examples on swans particularly.
http://www.tehcute.com/pics/201201/mama-and-baby-swan-big.jpg
http://www.cgattic.ca/image-files/how-to-draw-a-swan-4.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Swan_2_%28PSF%29.png/1172px-Swan_2_%28PSF%29.png

How the strokes and contours are more noticeable on the shadowy-light transitions.
It also helps shape volume.

With ballpoint pens you have the advantage of adding really good, nonsmudging textures just by layering and making the lines thicker. Adding an extra layer or thickening the feathers under the face and behind the neck can really do a nice effect.


Otherwise it looks really nice!