Okay. I'm a graphic designer, which means I know when things look bad. I can do pretty much whatever I want to in photoshop or in whatever 3D program I choose to use... Maya, 3D Studio, etc... Same with Flash etc etc...

But I can't draw. At least I can't draw in the traditional manner.

So I'm stuck in the unenviable position of knowing that my attempt to draw Aerith has thus far been a disaster, but I do not know how to do it any better. In any case, my unfinished rather pathetic attempt is located below. It lacks the details (like say the details of her vest) simply because I decided it sucked too badly to continue further.

I'm looking for some help, pointers, suggestions.. whatever advice anyone who knows how to draw can give. It would be much appreciated. Note that my background art, based on Spacedock, one of about a zillion weird backdrops I've created, is just fine.

Without further ado, I present my lousy attempt :). Oh and whatever advice or criticism you can give.. please do not hold back. Tear it apart... I need the help heh.



A version with different background

First off, I'm moving this to the fanart thread since it's definitely more appropriate for that section.

Good work on your attempt at drawing, TheMachine! I think it's great, but here are a few pointers you might want to consider. I'm not saying I'm an expert (far from it!) but since you're looking for some tips..

For most beginners, try using guidelines to draw. This will help you keep everything in proportion as well as making it easier to figure out the proper placement of...well, stuff, for lack of better word. For example, draw a rough circle for the head and a cross inside it, with one line going vertically through the middle of the circle and the other going horizontally. The horizontal line could give you a location for the eyes as a rough guide in accordance to the ears where the line hits the edge of the circle, and the vertical line serves as the middle axis of the face, where you can then determine the placement of the nose. It's a good way to start out drawing faces, and you build up the chin from the bottom of the circle while the top serves as the scalp.

It's also a good idea to not make the chin too pointy....we don't want Aerith's chin to take someone's eye out! :lol:

Also, try adding some curved lines to the chest area to give the definition of breasts. You could also colour in a bit more shadow or shading to give it some volume.

Attention to detail can also be helpful, for example try to get her clothes right (such as adding a collar to her jacket) or her hairstyle. Sometimes it takes a little research, but it's worth it in the end. :)

When drawing, try to avoid lines that are too straight or jagged. It's best to use smooth, confident strokes. Lines are the very basic and a change in the way you draw lines can really make a huge difference to a picture.

Hope that helps and I'm looking forward to seeing more from you! :)

Thank you for the tips and not being too harsh on my rather poor attempt. I figure if I keep trying to do this, maybe eventually I'll do one that doesn't suck :).

1. You definitely have a "point" about the chin (lol, sorry bad pun). Next attempt I will try rounding it off more as per your instruction.

2. I'll try using more guides next time. I'm sure a lot of stuff is totally off in terms of size, placement, etc...

3. I actually was going to add details, like the jacket pockets, ribbon, collar, etc... But when I got this far and decided the drawing stunk like yesterday's meat, I kind of gave up on it. Believe me when I say, I've got her details memorized, and plenty of art to look anything up that I might forget :). You can never have too much Aerith art.

4. You're probably right about the breasts. More definition is needed.

5. I should probably try drawing this with pencil and paper instead of the mouse in Freehand. Maybe that would help fix the lines, which I totally agree... are very messed up looking.

I'll keep trying at this. The funny thing is, I'd have a much easier time if I just built her as a 3D model.. that I could do pretty realistically... but I really would like to learn to draw her, somehow that's a lot more expressive. Anyhow, thanks again!

Incidently I hesitated to post this in the Fanart forum because I do not believe it to be high quality work, like say Chibica's (who does amazing stuff, btw). I don't want to pollute the fanart forum, lol.

:lol: I'm an aspiring art school student going in for drawing! So here's a few ideas...

- Hair should show fluidity and movement
- A mouth should be a little more slim and delicate
- The chest should come out more but I generally find cleavage unnecessary
- More shading! Shades add realism, depth, emotion, and beauty.

By the way, your backgrounds are simply stunning. I find it an art in itself when you can really make something glorious! Bravo!

Here's a few I've done just to prove I'm not just mouthing off. XD

1 2 3 4 5

(Alas, 5 is kinda old. ^_^ )

Thanks for the tips and examples, they will definitely help. As far as the hair fluidity goes... how do I show more fluidity? Maybe having errant strands or something?

Thanks for the compliment on the background. I love doing those... but alas, they are not Aerith.

Those examples are really good... I'd be happy if I could get half that quality, lol.

TheMachine:

.... :blink:

Wowowowow~~ I'm hyper happy to see you mentioning me in your thread! :blush: :blush: :blush: Actually I'm still learning making fanarts myself.... :P But thank you and I'm glad you like my paintings!! X )

Ehemm! *back to the topic* I'm sort of beginners too but there're some suggestions I can afford. If you've learned what I'm gonna say then pliz just ignore this post... >///////<

1. Maybe you can try to narrow the outline of her shape. The vivid black line sometimes will make the figure looks sharp, I think thinner line could have the ppl you depict more natural.

2. If you can reveal Aerith's ears, I think it'll help balance the size of her head. I too always ignore that part and even her braids beneath her ears...0_o" The resault is to have a big-head Aerith...i__i. My suggestion is, you can try lessen the amount of her hair besides her pretty face and make her ears appear.

3. Make her smile~! ^^ My first impression of ur fanart was "Woww! such a cool hardcore Aerith!" XDD May because I've used to Aerith with a warming smile..ahaha~~*blushes* I'd love to see her smile a little, well, just a little bit would be fine.<33


I think that's all... :blush: And you're not kidding you use MAYA???0_o""" my sis is learning Maya recently and she told me it's d*mn difficult! @_@;; You're really skillful!*big thumb*
Hope you can share more of your fanarts in the future! :huggle:

Lol, you are not a beginner, your work is pure excellence. If I could draw one tenth as good, I would be very pleased indeed.

1. I think you're right about narrowing the face and the lines. I drew this with the mouse... and I think that really messed it up. I need to use pencil and paper so I can get thinner, more natural lines like you mention.

2. I have no clue how to draw ears. But you are right... they should be there. And I should do the smaller braids, rather than just let her hair fall straight. After all, that is how Aerith wears her hair, I just got lazy and didn't want to do so many braids. (It must take Aerith half a day to do up her hair).

3. Yes, she should be smiling. She was smiling even in the moment just before her death... I'm not so good at drawing smiles... but I need to learn.

Yes, I use Maya, 3D Studio Max and a number of other programs to create a lot of my artwork. You can see some of this stuff at my Deviantart page. I could probably create a pretty believable Aerith in 3DSMax if I spent enough time at it... but I find that most of my CG work lacks a certain expressive element... and that's what I'm trying to find by drawing her instead of rendering her. It's funny, I spend all this time learning every advanced graphics program known to man... I never took the time to learn how to draw. And seeing all the wonderful fanart here, especially yours, makes me want to learn really bad :)