A Butterfly Catcher - My First Original Artwork (Help Needed, Timelapse Included)

[ryohai]

Hello there! I need some help on this artwork. This is the timelapse of this artwork. Could you please give some suggestions to make this better?

Timelapse - Butterfly catcher

This is the main reference of this artwork, and I’d like to draw something like this(in the feeling). Credit to the author.

This is the paper version thumbnail sized draft. The first one is used:

There’s a demand table of this artwork in Chinese, with English translation below:

• The theme of this drawing? - A little happy adventurer that is catching a butterfly
• The personality of the charactor? - Curious and sanguine
• The figure? - Normal figure for a boy
• The clothes? - A adventure styled clothes
• The scene? - Stretching out his’s hand to catch the butterfly with pure color background
• The impression of color? - Bright yellow and weak brown
• The size? - A4 sized in 4K(8k actually)
• The impression of charactor? - Outgoing and cute.

Here’s the story of this artwork.

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I’ve posted some artworks on this forum, you may notice that everything I draw strongly rely on one reference each, aka facsimiling. Actually after I get involved in digital drawing, I’ve never create something myself. But this time, although it’s not perfect and well looking, I could proudly say that this is my original artwork.

Inspired by saitonaoki2, I just realized that I’ll never make a progress if I just keep copying over and over again. Maybe my observation skill will develop, but finally I need to create something on my own. If I have to draw something to start, why can’t I draw something now? This is everything I can do in this moment, making use to all tools and knowledge, thus making any excuse invalid such as this is not finished, or this is just a draft and it will better if I draw more carefully next time - Nope, this is my best right now. So sad to admit.

It’s not easy. In fact it tooks me about 20 days to finish this drawing. This is my first time to:

• Draw a full charactor
• Design pose
• Draw a set of clouthes
• Draw a decoration(the map and the butterfly)
• Draw shadow

This drawing is more like a zero-comparison of my art progress. I’d like to say that everything is wrong compared to other finished artworks in this channel, but that will not make a progress for me. After I finished this, I have find something abnormal and weird:

1. The mirrored version of this image is weired, not as like as a human. Maybe the perspective and structure of human is wrong.
2. The shadow is weired. I got a comment during livestreaming that the boy is much like SpongeBob. I do agree, so I blur the shadow on the side of the head, but something is still wrong.

And I forget to find a reference to a butterfly , so that part is drawn fully by imagination(do you find that?), using my personal symbols in my childhood. That’s a huge mistake and doesn’t fit into this image actually.

I’d like to share the most impressed discovery learned from this drawing this artwork. Maybe next time I don’t need to draw a full human body, but only the human part that I’ve learned. The main reference image had implanted so deep in my mind, and I just got out of it, haha.

All in all, I will do some practice now. I would like to get some suggestions on this artwork (or practing materials), so feel free to edit or correct this drawing . Thanks a lot lol .

[Elixiah]

You did a great job on the line work and coloring! My only suggestion would be to practice getting the anatomy more like the character. Imo, this is the most difficult part of drawing characters… getting the natural positions and movement of their respective anatomies. Keep going, you’re already a step ahead in the process.

[Michelist]

All this together, for the first time, is a great achievement! You’re on the right track, and very importantly, you seem to have the ability of self-awareness, you’re not chasing after other people’s goals, you’re setting your own! Although it’s not a problem to copy others, but at some point it doesn’t get you anywhere.
I really like your attitude. Keep up the good work!

Michelist

[Zabbio]

Great mindset and it’s obvious that you have picked up a thing or two from your previous practices. You raise valid points and you will be able to improve a lot just by continuing as you do: practice and reflect on the process and result.

I would practice gesture drawing from photos or live models, and look up various methods to sketch out the first anatomy-ish sketch. Boxes are great when struggling with perspective, but I find it more useful to learn a very basic ribcage and hip area (forgot the English name) and turn that. It allows for better movement in the spine, shoulder and hips.
If you have drawn a lot of stylized work, practice some realistic. So you know what you’re stylizing and why.

But, like is said above: great work already and absolutely great mindset. Keep it up!

[ryohai]

Thanks Michelist.

Yes, I think I have a vague goal for what I want to draw. I learn drawing (and many other things) to express myself, and I have made up a story to achieve that. A good story needs some illustrations to show what’s Ryohai Virtul World Engine, what does my two OCs(one of which will represent myself) lookes like, and their daily life and adventures.

Imagination floods into my mind and even right now I have more than 4 scenes that I would like to draw, express and share with all of you. But it’s not now to draw them, because these scenes is too complex(compared to this one) to achieve.

Thanks for your appreciation and I will try to bring them to you in the future.

[ryohai]

I read your comment with a dictionary on my side, but thanks for your advices to learn anatomy.

(Oh god, so many new words to learn)

[Zabbio]

Sorry, I’m not sure how to express myself easier…

Now just to clarify, with anatomy I mean very basic gesture anatomy. No need to go and learn every little muscle and bone in the body. just a simplified skeleton with a ribcage-shaped torso etc because boxes in my opinion tends to get stiff. I use them when I struggle with perspective only. And you already have a lot of the stuff right, so I’d say that gesture could be your next step.
Sharing how I usually start the very first sketch, before any detail or bulking up etc. There’s lots of different ways and explanations on youtube etc. Maybe my way is not the best, maybe not right for you. But this is basically my initial sketch for trying out poses and proportion. The picture because it refused to load here

Ok so I’ll step down now. Again, you’re already doing well.

[ryohai]

Oh, I just realize that the “boxes” refers to the method that I use shown in the drawing timelapse .

In fact I didn’t learn anatomy at all , these boxes are created purely out of imaginaton and your approach(which I have seen in some youtube videos, too) seems to build a more realistic and convincing in the draft stage.

Thanks for you generious guide and wish you a good day.

[Zabbio]

Ah, yes I’m talking about the construction used. Boxes vs more accurate but still basic shapes.

I like to both just draw poses from the imagination with these “skeletons” and also to use them and try to copy gestures (“line of action” is a good online tool to practice. They show photos of models in a set time so you get random poses/gestures). I copy the gestures just with the skeleton-figures I showed. I think that’s a good next step for you.

Boxes are a common construction method and great if perspective gets hard. Very common to start with, I think you’re ready to advance though, is what I’m saying

btw, kudos for using construction at all, I see a lot of beginners skipping that step and directly try to draw the finished image, which eventually trip them up. So good work.

[MangooSalade]

You have a great plan, and are going really well. Creating your own characters and scenes is much more challenging than copying. Keep it up. I am looking forward to seeing where your next step takes you.