Zutara Crystal Cave -- Fan Comic

[ttrulytt]

Fan comic for the Zutaranian fans, Page 1! Comments on here OR DA would be greatly appreciated.

(links lead to images on deviantArt)

*New*

[Rinali]

cool comic

[Anonymous]

LOL. but sokka is still cool

[Tsukasa Hiiragi]

I totally love it!!! GREAT JOB!

[ttrulytt]

New art!

[SelfPossessed]

I really like the Aang one. His expression felt so Aang-like. The proportions look good. The background scenery is really nice. However, I do see a few things to nitpick on.
1) The shapes of the forearms need to be defined a bit more. If this is stylistic, ignore this comment.
2) The shape of the calves need to be defined a bit more. If this is stylistic, ignore this comment.
3) The staff seems too short.
4) The wall needs some depth; right now it's too one dimensional and doesn't fit with the rest of the picture.

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I didn't like this one as much as the Aang one. That might be because I'm not much of a Zuko fan.
1) Zuko is inconsistent. In some shots, Zuko's hair doesn't hang over his scar. In others, it does.
2) Although your faces are fine, the upper bodies are really really distracting as something seems off about them. I think it's how you drew the chest muscles; it just doesn't fit.

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Very very good job! You have some pretty clean art. Keep drawing and good luck!

[ttrulytt]

^ Probably the best constructive criticism comment I have gotten. Thank you for pointing everything out.

About the comic, I tend to lack skills when I draw them. Oh, I have so much trouble with drawing the bodies. They often look very ... odd when I draw them. I'm currently practicing and taking online lessons on the anatomy of the human and the cartoon body until I take art -classes- in the near future.

Again, thank you for the constructive criticism and the comment. I really appreciate it.

[SelfPossessed]

Which tutorials do you follow? Most tutorials will give you a mannequin to use first, which will help with the overall structure. There are so many different types so I'm curious. If you are currently following a tutorial that does NOT use a mannequin, I would suggest switching to another. Mannequins are so helpful!

As for the muscles and bones themselves, that requires a lot of time, effort, practice, and research. I know that art majors actually study every bone/muscle in the body such that they understand their positions and shape.

For an amateur like me though, I just use mannequins to get the general shape and try to guess where the bones and muscles ought to be defined by checking various styles of anime reference shots.

In the end, I wish you luck on your art endeavors. Keep drawing!

[ttrulytt]

I specifically look for tutorials that start off with mannequins. I find it to be the simplest way to begin learning how to draw until you take courses on the structure and features of the body. But I've just started reading through these tutorials just these past few days, so I'm very much a beginner. I've never been "taught" how to draw. I just go with my instincts. Which explains why I'm no anywhere near great at drawing.

Do you perhaps have a few tutorials you would like to point in my direction? I've come across a very few myself but the more the merrier.

[SelfPossessed]

I lost all the online links that I used myself. Currently, I use a physical how-to-draw-comics book for reference as I can carry it around.

As for the type of mannequin, I would personally recommend one of two.
1) The first is the one I use, which uses figures like circles and modified cylinders so as to properly get an idea for the different shapes of the body. This is best is you want to try foreshortening as well, although I am pretty bad in it myself. It's actually pretty common from what I've seen, so you have probably come across it while searching.
2) The second I myself don't use as I'm just not used to it, but I definitely see its benefits. This particular mannequin draws the skeleton of the body, which helps more with the internal body parts and proportions of the figure than the first. However, the skeletal frame is poor for foreshortening body parts.

Unfortunately, without my old links, I can't help you much. I had once managed to find an entire drawing book scanned online; it was such a great resource and it used the skeletal mannequin. Nonetheless, I would suggest you find several mannequins and just try them all to find which ones you like the most. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. I personally went through 3 or 4 mannequins before deciding on the one I use now. In addition. I tried to combine the benefits of both mannequins by drawing an approximate skeleton over my fleshed out mannequin if I feel the need to.

I'll quickly go over the way I usually draw. Each situation is unique and I will sometimes do things differently, but this is usually what I personally do when drawing a full out figure. Do with it what you will.
1) I first draw some reference shapes, mainly a modified oval for the head, two circles for the shoulders, a line connecting the two circles for the curvature of the upper back, a line for the curvature of the spine, and a modified circular triangle for the pelvis in the pose that I want it in. Note that I approximate the size of the body parts in relation to each other. The torso will be slightly larger than the head. The head will be larger than the waist box. And so on.
2) I then add in lines for the arms and legs, moving them around to achieve the effect I want and using modified ellipses for the hands/feet. Again, I approximate their sizes in relation to other body parts. The upper and lower legs are typically the same length as the torso box. If standing straight up and arms at the sides, the hands should touch the thighs. At this point, it looks like a stick figure.
3) I then flesh out my stick figure with an all out mannequin using actual 3d-ish shapes. Modified cylinders for the arms/legs and the appropriate shapes for the torso box and waist box. At this stage, I will also draw the rib cage so as to aid in drawing the shape of the torso box. I also add in breasts if it is a female with a defined chest. I also correct any proportion problems that the fleshed out mannequin shows.
4) I then trace the outline of the mannequin onto a new piece of paper (so it will be nice and clean). I will define muscles and the skeletal structure and will draw the figure in the nude, neglecting genitals of course.
5) I then add in hair and facial features.
6) Next comes the clothing. Folds are difficult, but I try.
7) Finally comes the hands and feet, which I typically leave last as I want to make sure the rest of the pose is satisfactory before working on something so difficult.
8) After that it's scanning and inking.

In the end, pick something that will work for you. Note that a proper tutorial will tell you to start with the line of action as well as to draw more important parts of the body for reference. You need to get a feel for the pose you are attempting to draw after all. Make sure the mannequin you choose will work for multiple situations (aka different perspectives) as well as provide a good guideline for you to follow. Most importantly, make sure you are comfortable with that mannequin.

Good luck!

[ttrulytt]

Wow, that alone is pretty much a tutorial for me. All it needs is images and it's complete. I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of that down. It will be great use the next time I draw something. Thanks again!

New art. Zutara fan comic. ^^

[zutarian4eva]

HA HA HA! Man that Zuko one was way too funny...

[waterbendergrl06]

OMG! I can so see the third comic happening. "Let him help himself... Showoff."

[Pakku]

xD Xd XDD tons of xDs i love that1!!!1