Illustrating random dnd characters to practice. Critiques welcome!

braden H

I'm really tryin' to work on basic design (basic shapes put together) and inking techniques. I'm not happy with it yet, but what do you guys think?

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TessaW

Looks pretty great to me. Nice clean line work with appealing line variation. Only thing is a possible tangent between the edge of the bass and his claws, and the sword hilt and the shell. I also think portraying some vibrations to the strings would give it some nice energy. Maybe breaking up the dark shadow of the hat brim just a bit? Keep the over all darkness, but add in just a tiny bits of white. Will you be shading or coloring it?

braden H

@tessaw

Thanks for taking a look!

I hadn't noticed the tangent between the sword and the hilt, and I think the claw at the bass was one of the things that was bugging me. I'll take your suggestions and break up the blacks on the hat a bit.

Vibrations on the strings is a great idea!

And yes, I think I'll colour this one.

juliepeelart

This is a really cool character. I love the contrast between the idea of an battle-hardened and experienced warrior and traveler, and the whimsy of a musical instrument. The line weights especially the detail on the shoulder are so neat. There is a lot of storytelling with what he is carrying!
I only had one thought after looking at it. He is such a firm and solid character, my question was with how will he be able to reach the strings to play? Right now he looks like he is grabbing for the side of the instrument because he seems to already be at the full extension of his left arm. With his rigid shell I am not sure how he will make it. Here are some thoughts on things you could try:

On a string instrument there is a bridge that holds up the strings (look for reference) he should be plucking or playing right above it. The bridge and the f holes will be around the skinniest part of the instrument, so those holes (I love that they are serpents!) should be higher on the instrument. Bringing up the f holes will help him be able to reach. Maybe look up some reference on cellos and violins to see if redrawing the proportions of the instrument helps.

2.If he is playing it by plucking the strings, bring it closer to his body (overlapping and maybe tilted toward him), drop the left shoulder, kick out the front foot, change the angle of the instrument so he can reach, put his hand in a plucking motion (tuck in some of the fingers).

If he is playing with a bow, change the angle of the left arm and give him a bow to play with, then he can reach.
Maybe tap a foot to add movement
Maybe is isn't playing it right now. He is using it as a walking stick and has just paused on his journey and is looking at the reader. In that case, drop the left arm and add a bow to his pack.
I loved the class on posing characters. If you haven't already tried it, that is a great reference!

braden H

@juliepeelart

Thank you for the feedback

You're right in that he's not quite physically capable of playing that instrument XD. Adding a bow would make the whole thing make a lot more sense from a story-telling point of view

When I redraw the character I'll be sure to incorporate your suggestions (particularly the movement) and I'll take a look at the character posing class.

Thanks!