Metroid - Samus Aran

[AdamSakuru]

I haven't drawn in a while due to being busy....But now that I've graduated, time to get started

I drew this today, could you guys let me know what you think?

Metroid - Samus Aran <---- Link

And could you give me any critique/advice/tips etc. you may have for me? just keep in mind:

-Samus's color scheme is slightly different than that of the original (I colored her this way when I was a kid, and so I stick with it).

-The style is supposed to be simple, meaning a lot of the details don't need to be there (like the many markings on her power suit for instance).

 

[Zephron]

The coloring is actually really different from Samus after comparing.

It doesn't really scream Samus to me, more like an orange spaceman.

The legs are a little too large, maybe you could tweak the shape to make it somewhat more feminine.
I know Samus is much more masculine in her suit but there are a lot of parts that have women-like shapes, such as her legs.

I like simplistic styles, and yours looks good. But I want to suggest adding those cel-shaded lighting and shading effects (you know, those curved lines of white) and the like.

It keeps the simplistic look while making it look better.

Just some suggestions, take them or leave them.

 

[global-wolf]

I think Samus needs more of an womanly shape. Is the simple style supposed to be very cartoonish, or more realistic? If you're going for a more realistic look, her proportions are kinda off. As it is right now, it's pretty cute.

Just a suggestion, I think it'd look better without such thick lines.

 

[Geist]

For me, simplistic styles are difficult to approach confidently, mostly because you have to rely heavily on form rather than detail, which means small mistakes inherently become larger ones.
I think your picture could look much better simply if you had smoother lines, and had more symmetry, as well as worked more with your background than simply appearing to be pasted over it.

Being picky, I'll also mention that her visor shape is a bit boxy, and breaks the consistancy of the rest of the piece.
Keep drawing though.

And props for the super metroid BG.

 

[AdamSakuru]

The coloring is actually really different from Samus after comparing.

It doesn't really scream Samus to me, more like an orange spaceman.

The legs are a little too large, maybe you could tweak the shape to make it somewhat more feminine.
I know Samus is much more masculine in her suit but there are a lot of parts that have women-like shapes, such as her legs.

I like simplistic styles, and yours looks good. But I want to suggest adding those cel-shaded lighting and shading effects (you know, those curved lines of white) and the like.

It keeps the simplistic look while making it look better.

Just some suggestions, take them or leave them.

I don't understand what you mean by cel-shaded lighting D: Could you explain further what it is, perhaps through a visual way if possible?

Do you think the whole leg should be tweaked? or just a half of it? (For instance, the top half could be made more feminine while the latter remain bulky for a possibly cool look?)
And I really appreciate the critique! I may be up for taking your suggestions when I tweak around with this more, but I'm still unaware as to what you mean by the cel-shaded lighting!

I think Samus needs more of an womanly shape. Is the simple style supposed to be very cartoonish, or more realistic? If you're going for a more realistic look, her proportions are kinda off. As it is right now, it's pretty cute.

Just a suggestion, I think it'd look better without such thick lines.

No thick lines? So, they should be thinner? Or would a line variety look better? (Both thin/thick etc.)
And yes, it's supposed to be cartoonish!

For me, simplistic styles are difficult to approach confidently, mostly because you have to rely heavily on form rather than detail, which means small mistakes inherently become larger ones.
I think your picture could look much better simply if you had smoother lines, and had more symmetry, as well as worked more with your background than simply appearing to be pasted over it.

Being picky, I'll also mention that her visor shape is a bit boxy, and breaks the consistancy of the rest of the piece.
Keep drawing though.

And props for the super metroid BG.

Smoother lines? I do my lineart in MS paint. Are you suggesting I do it in another program which would result in a less pixelated edge? or should i use a smudge tool in a program to smoothen it out?

And it would look better if I rounded out the edges of Samus's visor? Any suggestions as to how I could get it to work more with the background? I added shading to the floor...which is definitely not much, but I thought if would perhaps add a bit of depth and make the drawing blend in with the sprite background?



And to all of you guys thanks again for the constructive critique, I seriously appreciate it

 

[Zephron]

I don't understand what you mean by cel-shaded lighting D: Could you explain further what it is, perhaps through a visual way if possible?

Do you think the whole leg should be tweaked? or just a half of it? (For instance, the top half could be made more feminine while the latter remain bulky for a possibly cool look?)
And I really appreciate the critique! I may be up for taking your suggestions when I tweak around with this more, but I'm still unaware as to what you mean by the cel-shaded lighting!


And to all of you guys thanks again for the constructive critique, I seriously appreciate it

Well, I made something recently that I think can get the point across:
(It's a robot character I made up)



(Troll: Nice the nub used his own art.)

I did a mixture of it all but pay attention to the eyes. See the white curvy part that adds depth and makes it look shiny? I'm talking about that stuff.

As for the shading, look at the robe / coat and see how I simply darkened it with 1 color.

Does it make a little more sense now?

 

[global-wolf]

Zephron, it's already cel-shaded. O_o Cel-shading is just the base color with a darker color over it, with sharp edges and no blending. For example, http://fijiguide.deviantart.com/art/wheeeeeeeee-63432177 and http://doubleleaf.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Ryan-165415229 are cel-shaded.

No thick lines? So, they should be thinner? Or would a line variety look better? (Both thin/thick etc.)
And yes, it's supposed to be cartoonish!

Smoother lines? I do my lineart in MS paint. Are you suggesting I do it in another program which would result in a less pixelated edge? or should i use a smudge tool in a program to smoothen it out?

The line thickness is fine, but they're pretty jagged and harsh looking. MS paint is a pretty hard program to ink in, because of the brushes and the small image sizes. Try downloading a program called GIMP, it's free and the brushes have antialiasing (softer edges.) It also has layers and other good stuff. It doesn't have a curvy tool like MS paint though, so you can't really draw with a mouse.

 

[Zephron]

Zephron, it's already cel-shaded. O_o Cel-shading is just the base color with a darker color over it, with sharp edges and no blending.

I know that...

I was talking about the whites and darker colors used to add depth to the cel shading, which he didn't do much with but could help his design.