C & C on a hand-made drawing (not by me)

[ShiverMeSideways]

My girlfriend made this drawing, and she was wondering if you guys can provide some constructive criticism.

Click here for the drawing (pretty big).

She hasn't read any tutorials or taken any classes, so she's only relied on her talent, so the more C&C, the better. She also copied by hand this drawing from another.

We thank you in advance .

[miguel]

Hi, your girlfriend sure has talent, no doubt about that!
But (there's always a but) I think she would get better if she followed a more academic aproach,
draw an oval shape,
divide it by four acording to the perspective you want,
follow anatomic laws ( ears, eyes, mouth, nose ) and adjust the face proportional
If the figure is looking straight at you, then it should be almost simetric, and that doesn't happen from the nose up.
Again, it's a beautifull drawing, keep it up!

[MashPotato]

A general tip for drawing symmetrically is to flip over the paper once in a while and look at the drawing backwards.  It will really help point out the inconsistencies that your eye misses because it's so used to seeing the picture a certain way

[auriond]

I second the suggestion about drawing the oval and sections. It has helped me very much in aligning the eyes correctly, making sure the top of the head is not too flat, and so on. I have trouble with symmetry too

[InCreator]

Not bad... drawing skills might not be the best, but she sure has style, an eye of a designer.

The thing I'd work on, would be shape of the head. It's a bit too non-human. Jaw is way too sharp for even a kind of abstract style, if that's she's after. If she aims for realism, it's downright bad. Drawing a human head must start by planning head shape out.
Also, stronger contrasts and more shading (for example, straightening out neck and shading its edges to make it look more cylindrical) would help alot.

For improvements and less stressful look, I suggest giving hairstyle a bit more of volume and height. And curves! Right now, it looks like her hair is made of thick wires, and even a tornado wouldn't make her hair move in wind.
But in center of the forehead, hair looks quite natural.

[Babar]

If she aims for realism, it's downright bad.

Considering it has one catty eye, and one normal eye, I'd wager that it's not meant to look real, probably some sort of cat-human.

But yeah, the whole circles and ovals thing would help to make it look not flat (which it is a bit, currently).

[Andail]

Unreal stuff can still look realistic. A cat-person can look like a real cat-person, even if cat-people don't exist.
As for the drawing...try to decide whether you want to pursue either of the following (and stick to it):
1. An inked, stylished cartoon, with clean lines and raster shading.
2. A pencil-drawn portrait with soft gradients.

...because right now, it seems a bit in the middle.

And go for either cat eyes or human eyes, for some reason the hybrid doesn't work very well, especially since the whole face is rather assymetrical.

[auriond]

Was the reference an anime drawing, by any chance? Those tend to have sharper faces for girls. But even then, they do start with the basic oval - they just make it more heart-shaped along the way.

[InCreator]

Yes. I didn't mean cat eye as issue with realism: What I did mean was that both cat, cat-human (er, khajiit?) and woman faces are have no sharp jaw like this, no neck like this and proportions overall aren't so off the target.

Lack of symmetry is probably what sticks to the eye most. Nose and many more shapes are very angled. But since those are very simple lines, it could be fixed with few minutes only.

[ShiverMeSideways]

Yes, my girlfriend actually used an anime drawing for a reference, that's why the features are so pointy.

She also thanks you for all your input so far .

[FSi++]

Ok, now I've seen the picture.
Judging by it your only option is to kill her and eat her heart, then you'll reincarnate as a hedgehog while your girlfriend will be an apricot tree. As hedgehogs' average lifespan is way shorter than that of an apricot, you'll have to wait a couple of reincarnations before meeting her again, but your carmas would be clear by then.

Edit: Nice picture.

[JuuJuu]

Many people who like anime start drawing it, (and or copying it) and never really develope their own style.

I think she should try finding her own style, drawing the way she sees things, instead of how some anime artists do.

If that makes any sense.

[Afflict]

A general tip for drawing symmetrically is to flip over the paper once in a while and look at the drawing backwards.  It will really help point out the inconsistencies that your eye misses because it's so used to seeing the picture a certain way

I learned this the hard way lol awesome advice Mash!