Workshop: Vector Critique #21
tuts workshop

Workshop: Vector Critique #21

on Sep 14th 2012 with 7 comments

Vectortuts+ is all about helping people turbo charge their skills, and today we have another special community post that will help our readers take their images to the next level. The best thing is, you can be part of it too! Find out more at the jump.

How to Participate:

  • This workshop contributor has offered a piece of work that they would like help with, please keep this in mind when you share your thoughts. The images are not perfect, but they can be with the right advice and some friendly encouragement. (Vectortuts+ reserves the right to delete any rude comments)
  • If you’re better with pictures (let’s face it, most of us are) feel free to take a screenshot of the image using Little Snapper, Skitch or a similar program and paste a link to the annotated image in the comments section with an explanation of the tweaks.

If you want to take part in the next Vectortuts+ Workshop:

Add your work to our facebook photo gallery or submit it via the Tuts+ Workshop form, with a description about the piece and the help/advice you’re looking for. We will chose one to be published on our site as part of the next Vectortuts+ Workshop, if you’re not chosen straight away – don’t worry – your work will be chosen for a future session.

Designer: Nate Guerra

Details:

"My name is Nate Guerra, I’m a student originally from Denver, CO but going to school in Columbus,OH. Hoping to turn this childhood dream into a profession, fingers crossed of course.

The piece above I titled blue, mostly because it was a reflection of my mood and feeling at the time. I created it based on frustration from being laid off from my job. I know many people have felt the blow of lay off and it takes it’s toll on you, both financially and emotional.

"Blue" is way different from a lot of my other work, I usually do a lot of cute characters and bright colors. This piece in particular I feel is a step out of my comfort zone and hopefully executed to the best of my ability. Feel free to critique whatever you like or not like about it. Thanks for checking it out!"

Feedback

What are your thoughts on the work above? Critiquing work helps the artist see new possibilities, and it also helps you learn to evaluate art, which will help you take that same analysis and apply it to your own work. Participate in the comments below with your opinions on how to improve the work above.

 
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By

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

Kate McInnes specializes in Communication Design and Digital Illustration. Based in Melbourne Australia, she is the Associate Editor of Vectortuts+ and one half of the creative duo McKelly. Find her on Twitter as @bittenbypixels and Blood Sweat Vector.  

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  • http://www.silencekillsdesign.com Silence Kills Design

    Nice work. Has a cool Japanese Style to it almost. The dog looks fierce as hell. The only two things that I notice are 1- that the nose looks a little pointy, almost snoutish, and 2- that the tag on the collar doesn’t have much of a natural hang to it. All in all great work. Good luck to you in your pursuit of a design career.

  • flyingfox

    First 10 second look critique (what jumps right at me):

    1. The background circle collides with the shape of the open mouth in the back, creating an area of uncertainty where the lines belong to.

    2. The scar across the eye forms a clearly visible triangle, constantly catching the focus of my eyes, distracting from the overall composition.

    3. The blood on the teeth shouldn’t have equal volume across the whole area.

    4. The line of the nose doesn’t run towards the middle of the face but rather towards the left (back) eye, this makes the whole face unsymetrical.

    5. The shading is inconsistent, a simplified illustration like this should have a distinct main light source. Here, the light seems to come from everywhere.

    6. The tip of the nose is drawn almost in front view, this doesn’t correspond with the 45 degree angle of the head.

    Hope i didn’t make you feel blue again ;)

  • http://doctor-morbius.deviantart.com/ Christianne Benedict

    I think I would ditch the circle in the background. It looks like it’s supposed to be a collar, but it clashes with the angles of the dog’s head and creates an awkward overlap. I would also echo the criticisms that the nose looks like it’s in the wrong plane and that the scars create a distracting triangle. Additionally, the ball on the earring looks like a mistake (perhaps a stray point), which could be solved either by giving the circle a stroke or putting a highlight on it. The two lines around the stud at the top of the ear probably ought to have the same kind of calligraphic stroke as you’ve used throughout rather than a line with a rounded endcap. As a matter of personal taste, I don’t think the colors harmonize very well. The yellow you’ve used for the nose and tongue seem disharmonious with the blues you’ve used everywhere else. The blue in the highlight on the tongue is flat out wrong, even accounting for the design-y nature of this. Light simply doesn’t bounce or reflect like that and it leaps off the graphic and calls attention to itself. It should probably be white rather than any other color, but you might play with it if you change any of the other colors.

    Good luck.

  • http://www.ddgraphix.net Robinjn

    My comments come from a canine structure viewpoint (been showing and training/working dogs for an embarrassingly long time).

    I mostly agree with the comments above; I find the triangle particularly distracting and wonder why it’s there.

    I don’t mind the little bit of off-perspective to the nose; but the pointyness and pinched nostrils bug me a bit; a dog who is snarling and hard-faced will flare nostrils, not pinch together.

    I think the blood along the bottom jaw works great, but the teeth are wrong. Again I know this isn’t supposed to be necessarily anatomically correct, but your far (right) canine is too small compared to the left canine on the bottom jaw.

    The teeth on top are also problematic in that this dog would actually not be able to close his mouth. In dogs and wolves, the lower large canine actually goes in FRONT of the upper large canine when the jaw is shut. There are incisors on top, and the last incisor is about half the length of the canine. That last incisor goes in front of the lower canine, then the actual upper canine rests behind the lower canine:

    http://www.pet-health-care-gazette.com/2010/04/19/should-canine-aggression-be-treated-by-extracting-your-dogs-teeth/

    I think if you get that anatomy right, even if you want to exaggerate tooth size, that will make your dog look even more ferocious.

    Also, I like some of the details but because they are black I think they’re getting lost; like his earring.

    All that said, I think this is a great overall feel, it feels loose and organic, it conveys emotion, and I do like it.

  • Jesus Bejarano

    I don’y know why that nose remind me to Michael Jackson.

  • Gabrielle

    I actually really like this design. I do think you should have kept the triangle off of his face and the earrings were a bit much but I love the overall design. I think it reminds me of a high school football logo but I don’t know what the company you made it for was about. I would say to keep up the good work but you should wait a couple days and try to come back to it with fresh eyes, that will sometimes help you figure out the little things that you can put in or take out that will make it fit better.

  • madi

    The lines need to be a bolder, thicker black. The overall idea is great but change the colours to be brighter. The brown/green of the tongue isn’t that appealing. Try to stick to one solid colour with a bit of a cell-shading/ vector style. Perhaps also make the triangle brand part of the dog more – the stud of the earring even.