2D Beginner looking for feedback

[SlLePER]

I"m learning to draw and wanted to solicit some feedback, criticism and/or comments if someone is willing. It is always extremely hard to be objective about your own work, no matter the work.

This is simply a quick sketch:

Spoiler: First semi-complete look

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Spoiler: For now final version

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[BitBangingBro]

Keep practicing, I'd watch some YouTube tutorials on how to draw people. It will help you progress faster then tracing

 

[SlLePER]

Thanks. I kind of expected something like this but it is still a bit discouraging that it is as readily apparent. There is absolutely progress though of course learning proper techniques is the sane way to learn, drawing in this case

 

[BitBangingBro]

There are books you can take out of the library, or you may be able to find pdf's online. Youtube tutorials can be quite good. It's been over 10 years since I really gave them a look though. Seem to be a lot of Koreans doing tutorials now.

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I recognize this guy, anyhow He's an artist for DC comics.

 

[ParkG]

It is always extremely hard to be objective about your own work, no matter the work.

That's a good mindset!

I like your first drawing more, because it shows you have a good understanding of basic anatomy. Obviously, it's not perfect. But it's always good to focus on the basics first.

I'm far from perfect, but I started from a relatively similar spot as yours (I posted my 2D artwork about 2-3 years ago to get feedback). What I learn is this: get the anatomy relatively right. I say 'relatively' because not everyone aims for hyper-realism, unless that's what you want.

For me, having a grasp on basic anatomy is good enough, so that I can draw something that's not jarringly inaccurate. I'm not looking to be a 2D artist, I only want enough skills to create relatively good art for my VNs. Your goals may vary. And once you understand the basics a little more, only then you can stylizing your work a little bit.

As for her accessories, those are going to need a lot of work. For example, the "hip belt" looks more like a tattoo, while the "butterfly tattoo" looks more like a solid accessory than a tattoo that's inked on her skin.

This is why it's important to have a grasp on basic anatomy, and really nail it down before anything else, so that you understand a little bit on how clothes and items "wrap" around the body.

 

[LRBKISM]

Like Park said, I think you have a great attitude and mindset about approaching art with wanting to learn and accept criticism! This is a great start and the willingness to learn and improve will really help you grow.

There are many aspects to drawing, and aside from anatomy basics as others have suggested, my advice for you would be to develop your confidence in your line work. Confident lines are usually just one line and are pretty clean and clearly define a shape, while non-confident lines are shaky and may look more like multiple threads intertwining together like what you see in a rough sketch. Smoothing out your lines will help you define and learn shapes more clearly in my opinion, and will teach your hand to be more "confident" when drawing lines. Drawing is sort of like playing an instrument in that way. You have to train your hands to have the confidence of knowing what they're doing when you make specific motions with them, sort of like a muscle memory thing.

There is also something called "line weight", which basically means some lines being darker and thicker and others being thinner and lighter. For example, in your drawing, the lines of her collarbones and throat are lighter and thinner than, say, the outer lines of her arms. Or, the crease between her thighs and her groin is also a much lighter line. I actually think it looks quite good and would recommend that you continue to use it a little here and there while you're learning anatomy, maybe using similarly light, thin lines to define simple details like outlines of musculature, skin creases and folds, etc.

 

[SlLePER]

You both make good points and the tips are helpful, thank you.

I think I actually tried to do a little bit too much too quickly here for my skill level, both with the accessories and with not focusing more on the basic details. Though I did sketch the face by itself first which is why it is not worse. I'll probably try to separate it a bit - hair, face, hands, feet, basic shape and anatomy.

Though partly I also simply wanted a reference that yes, I started here and yes, this new sketch is just a little bit better since this is probably going to take a while to get even a basic proficiency.