I'm really proud of this one!

[Vulpes bicaudata]

Isn't it adorable? Everyone loves marshmallows, even Charmander!

Spoiler:

deviantArt page: http://browse.deviantart.com/fanart/traditional/drawings/games/#/d2sevr9

 

[Benjamin510]

This is really good. Wow, Nice joke.

 

[mr. ck]

I want it >:)
It's adorable.

 

[Eurydice]

omgosh i love it, it is so very cute.

 

[Lunyka]

There are a few things wrong with it.

The fact that it is sitting on it's tail like that makes it look really uncomfortable. Most animals do not put their tail between their legs unless they are ashamed, I figured fake animals would be no different. It would make more sense to have his tail to come off the side.

When you draw you should make your lines more solid.

Also his arms seem off, they are either too short or too skinny or maybe even both.

I hope this helps for next time~

 

[Vulpes bicaudata]

The fact that it is sitting on it's tail like that makes it look really uncomfortable. Most animals do not put their tail between their legs unless they are ashamed, I figured fake animals would be no different. It would make more sense to have his tail to come off the side.

I wouldn't be too sure of that. Charmander's tail seems very muscular, and I think that the cushioning action of the muscles would make the pose comfortable enough. His tail is also flexible, as evidenced by its use in attacks. I don't think he would be too uncomfortable.

When you draw you should make your lines more solid.

Well, that's a matter of taste...

Also his arms seem off, they are either too short or too skinny or maybe even both.

I honestly can't see this...

I hope this helps for next time~

Thanks, I know you were trying to help...

As for everyone else, thanks for the compliments!

 

[Lunyka]

Think of it like this, A tail is mainly a continuation of the tailbone right under your spine. Even if it was a plush tail it would be uncomfortable to sit on because of the pull at the lower back. (If you learn animal Anatomy you tend to learn this too.)

Also by making some of the lines more solid is not a matter of taste. Most of the lines you drew look pretty solid, a few bits it looks sketchy and that makes it look messy (like the back of his neck or all of his tail for example needs to be made more solid)

The arms I could be wrong on but they really do look too short to me.

 

[Tyrantrum]

Aww, it's so cute. <3 I wonder if he likes his marshmallows burnt. XD

This is better than what I'll ever be able to do. Awesome job! (b' ')b

 

[Le Creep!]

I could just walk up to that Charmander and eat it's marshmallow.

It's really awesome, adorable and well-drawn :)

 

[Vulpes bicaudata]

If you tried that, your family wouldn't need to pay for cremation...

Thanks.

 

[StarryLatiasGirl]

The idea itself is very cute, and it looks really nice. However, I do think you could do better with your outlines and coloring. It does look a bit messy, which isn't a bad thing, but if you cleaned up your drawings, they would look a lot better.

I recommend using an outlining pen of sorts to do your outlines. Here's what I do- sketch proportions with pencil, draw a rough outline with pencil, go over the outline with the outlining pen, then (after the ink dries, I usually wait a minute or so) erase the pencil. If you don't have access to any high-quality outlining pens (I use Staedtler), super-fine tip Sharpies will do nicely.

Also, another tip- experiment with shading. If you really put time and effort into shading, it will come out much better. Look at other artists' drawings to see how they do their shading, and how the light affects the shadows. I learned a lot this way, and I know it can help you too, if you practice!

As for your proportions with the Charmander itself, it's looking really good. The only things I see really wrong with it is that its wrists are a bit too thin, and the pose looks uncomfortable with it sitting on its tail. If you were to redraw this (I'm not saying you have to), I'd recommend putting the tail to the side of its body and having it curl around so the tip is in front. Sure, it'd be different, but less unnatural (at least in my opinion).

I hope these tips helped, and happy drawing! =D

 

[Vulpes bicaudata]

Using pen scares me... I prefer to only work in pencil.

 

[shookie]

Using pen scares me... I prefer to only work in pencil.

Sketching in pen is one thing, but using one for outlines is fairly common practice when it comes to traditional work. If you do work that's completely in pencil (black and white or color) you don't always need such a strong, bold outline, and you work with the free shapes instead. Overall pen isn't very intimidating, it's pretty much the exact same as using colored pencil in the sense that it can't be erased.

Adding on to what Starry said (which is all very good advice), one really important thing is to treat things like a border or an outline as one long, fluid, individual line. There are certain parts (especially the tail and head) where the line sort of breaks apart and looks splintered which also makes it look kinda messy. You want to do certain parts in one fluid motion rather than stuttering through them.

 

[StarryLatiasGirl]

Using pen scares me... I prefer to only work in pencil.

If you only use one medium, you can never truly grow as an artist. Sure, you might learn a lot about pencil drawing, but you will never move beyond that. I started out with pencil, then I moved onto ink outlining, and now I have a wide range of mediums that I can use (pencil, colored pencil, ink, marker, acrylics, digital painting, spriting).

If you really want to learn something about art, then move out of your comfort zone and actually attempt to learn it. That's what I did with Photoshop, and I'm getting better at it every day.

I'm just trying to help, and all of the things I've said to you have helped me so much in the past. I highly recommend that you try different styles and mediums so you can get better at your art.

 

[Vulpes bicaudata]

Oh, your advice is good, definitely. I just fear screwing up my original drawing.
In fact (and I hope this isn't frowned upon), I generally don't color my originals. I usually make a photocopy and color that, keeping the original pristine.

 

[shookie]

Oh, your advice is good, definitely. I just fear screwing up my original drawing.
In fact (and I hope this isn't frowned upon), I generally don't color my originals. I usually make a photocopy and color that, keeping the original pristine.

The more you practice, you'll slowly get over something like that. Not to say it isn't good to keep the original sketch, but most of the time it just gives you extra copies that you don't really need and will never use again.

For a while, I used to do the original sketch on regular copy paper or in my sketchbook, then I would use a light box to trace the original onto sturdier paper. A few of my teachers still reiterate this process, as it gives you a much cleaner slate to work with instead of something that's messed up by sketch lines and eraser marks.

Nowadays I do thumbnails in my sketchbook to get the basic idea/composition down, then do the entire sketch on a single sheet of cardstock (blue pencil -> regular pencil -> ink -> erase). The only bad thing is some of the sketch lines don't entirely erase, but most of the time it's only noticeable when you're an inch away from the paper, or it all gets covered up by marker/whatever anyway. It's much easier for me to do it that way since I don't have to lug around my light tracer (pictured above) to conventions or school and stuff. It also eliminates an entire step from my process.

If you can't afford one there are cheaper ways to MacGyver a tracing box at home. Of course what you do is fine too, you need to build up more confidence with your work and find what you're comfortable with too (which takes a long time, believe me).