Thread: Bananasaurus

First drawing done in GIMP and took me hours upon hours of work @.@ I'm super proud of it though. Sketches and WIP shots first, followed by the entry.

Sketches:

Entry-"Monster in the Mist"


Second drawing also done in GIMP. However, this one wasn't nearly as extensive. I took awhile determining pose and doing the lineart, but as for coloring and background, I spent about an hour and a half doing it.

Sketches:

Entry-"Bananadon at Sunset:


Pokemon I'm going for: Tropius
Level of Difficulty: Hard
No. of Drawings: 2
Level: 60

Monster in the Mist

DETAIL, CREATIVITY, AND STRUCTURE

It is clear that you have spent a great amount of time working on this piece—that much is evident on the amount of detail present in this painting. Taking a closer look at this piece of PokéArt, I have noticed the small bits of detail which, collectively, combine into the final product. I really appreciate the effort put into the background. The thin, rapid strokes you have done make the grass more realistic, making them look as they do when they grow in a jungle or forest. The fern on the foreground, the trees and the flowering plant on the midground, and the rest of the foliage in the background are well-positioned—not too structured (as this is a jungle scene) but not too erratic that it looks messy, either. Also love the depth in this; the trees you did in the far back add extra dimension and thus make the image look more convincing. I give you two thumbs-up for detail.

On the subject of creativity, I feel that this piece lands somewhere above the middle of the creative spectrum. Here Tropius is depicted in a tropical jungle, and as its palmate leaves and fruit-growths suggest, this is just the kind of place one would expect to find this Pokémon. I like the “monster hidden in the mist” concept as well—looking at this piece brings to mind imagery of a Lost World vibe, a la Dinotopia or Jurassic Park, if you will. If I recall correctly, Tropius have been depicted as being highly territorial creatures in the anime, and the primal mood this painting evokes captures just that.

Moving on, I can say that I only have a few problems with this piece structure-wise, but most of them, admittedly, are just over the verge of nitpicking. For example, the thickness of the left tree becomes a bit awkward towards the top. Also, I assume that the flowering plant is a hibiscus and that it is growing on the rock, which is unusual for hibiscus (hibisci?) since they usually grow as shrubs. That patch of grass that sticks out near the top of the waterfall also seems out of place; perhaps it could have been blended more neatly with the use of the Blur tool. Also have to say that the leaves of the trees look to blurry, but I guess this adds to the ‘misty’ feel you are trying to achieve. Again, these are just really minor flaws, nothing too significant to warrant point deduction, and to be honest, they are not really flaws at all, more like really small inconsistencies.

SHADING AND COLOR CHOICE

I really like the shading on this piece. The brush you used to simulate the shadows cast by the canopy leaves are great, if a bit overdone in some areas. The shading on the Tropius’s wings/leaves is neat and adds a level of depth to your focus. Anywhere else the shadows have been done all right, too.

Your colors are really nice; everything looks lush and tropical as it should be. I like the variety of greens used here. Mixing greens of different tones makes the foliage more true to life—nature is not homogeneous when it comes to color, so good job! Using darker greens can also double as shadows. The only thing that looks really ‘off’ in this piece is that rock/mound the hibiscus is growing on. It has a yellow portion on the top, and the rest (not considering the shadows) is a light brown… Other than that though, the colors are really good overall.

POKEMON ANATOMY

You have portrayed Tropius here in accordance with official art, so I do not have a problem with this area. The proportions are all right, though I feel Tropius’s hind legs are too stubby, though you have hidden it well with some grass. I love the expression on its face, too—really forceful. It is generally a safe to say that you have done a great work of art if it makes viewers feel something, and I feel like running away from this monster if I ever wander into its territory.

EFFORT AND EXECUTION

Like I said in the first section, it is obvious that you have put a good deal of effort into this piece. When used right, GIMP’s tools can be really powerful, and this shows in your art. Just look out for inconsistencies that may be in your art, polish everything even more and you will find yourself producing even more astonishing pieces.

THE VERDICT

Detail is amazing, colors and shading are spot-on, Tropius is well-drawn and I see no reason to fail you, so Monster in the Mist gets a solid score of 70 from me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bananadon at Sunset

DETAIL, CREATIVITY, AND STRUCTURE

Relative to the first piece this one is less detailed, but that does not mean it isn’t any less good. I see you were going for a more cartoonish feel here, with the basic palm silhouettes and the bright evening sky. I love the mood here, everything is so warm, and I can just imagine Tropius walking by the shore after a day in the jungle. The creativity here can be seen in your color choices and in Tropius’s pose (I’ll leave this to the following sections). I love how you did the stars too—they add a sense of wonder to your image. Structure here is fine; there are only a few elements in this piece so I can only say much, but I feel like the ground could use more depth. Proper shading would take care of that, but perhaps making everything too detailed would detract from your goal of making the piece look cartoony. Still though, I reckon you could have added shadows cast by Tropius’s neck and wings/leaves without ruining that cartoony vibe.

SHADING AND COLOR CHOICE

Like I said, your creativity shows in the color choices you have made in this piece—one thing worthy to call attention to would be the gradient with which you painted the sky. I find myself favoring colorful pieces than to those that appear monochromatic (though there are some exceptions), so I would have to say that I like this piece better. The purple blends well with the orange/yellow with the help of pink/magenta. Shading within Tropius’s body is okay, though I will have to repeat myself when I say that adding some shadows on the ground would have improved your piece, if done correctly.

POKEMON ANATOMY

This is a very nice, serpentine pose for Tropius, which is a nice break from the general saurid look this Pokémon has been depicted with in most fan art. The problem with how you’ve drawn Tropius here is the hind legs; if we assume that the ground on which Tropius is standing on is flat, then its hind legs would not be seen as much. You probably meant the ground to be raised though, and if that’s the case, adding shadows on the ground would have cleared that up. Also, the way Tropius’s second pair of wings are right now suggests that it is positioned to face to an extreme left (or Tropius’s right), creating an odd angle if we were to view Tropius from the back.

EFFORT AND EXECUTION

Small anatomical flaws aside, this is a nice, fun piece of art. The only thing that hurts your score is the lack of depth on the ground—Cartoony is okay, but removing depth entirely could ruin a good image (not saying this one’s ruined or anything). I get a warm feeling when I look at this piece, that deep-breaths-and-think-about-stuff-at-the-end-of-the-day (what a mouthful!) kind of vibe, and that is probably what this piece needed to make up for the mentioned lack of dimension.

THE VERDICT

This deserves a passing score of 60, I think—which means you get your Bananadon. Next time, however, I expect depth to be present in your pieces when it’s needed, and fixing weird pose angles would help a lot. If you have any questions with this art grade, feel free to VM/PM/IM me.

P.S. Hope I didn’t sound too harsh on this grade xD It’s just the way I grade I guess, so yeah. Have fun with Tropius!

Thank you so much, Morru! Claimed :P