By Andrea Melione
This article originally appeared in ArtTrader Magazine, Summer 2009 Issue 7
Welcome again to Critique Corner, the column where you the readers can submit work for review! Our goal is to encourage and support artists through positive constructive suggestions and an analysis of strong points.
Amy Sargent submitted an ATC for critique. She writes, “I’m someone new to colored pencils and to drawing people… I’m not sure how to shade a night sky to make it look dark, yet not all one color.”
Art by Amy Sargent
Well, first of all, it has a great design! I love how the hair has become a graphic element in the artwork. I really only see a few areas that could be made more effective. I’ll start with the sky: if you look at a real sky, you will notice that it becomes lighter as it gets closer to the horizon. This is because the particles in the atmosphere block the color making it appear lighter. You could try using this technique for the background of your card. Since there is no horizon line, you could either add one, or simply use two colors instead of one. Use indigo blue at the top of the card, and then gradually shade into a pure dark purple at the bottom. I would even add a few more stars to the lower half of the card. Use an electric eraser to erase away dots of color and this will create little “stars” that are small (objects also become smaller as they get farther away).
The second aspect of the cards that stands out is her dress. The design is lovely and has a very ethereal quality, except for the color, which relies heavily on grey. Many people new to colored pencils will use gray to color a white object, but white objects actually reflect the colors around them. Thus, in this instance, you could use blues and purples to shade her dress, and use these colors lightly, to maintain the ethereal look.
One more tip: To make this figure appear to be glowing, take an electric (or mars plastic) eraser and gently blend away the color surrounding the figure. This will help soften the white border around the figure and help to create a glowing celestial mood.
Thanks for your submission Amy! This column exists because of our readers. Keep submitting your artwork! You can email your images to andrea@arttradermag.com
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