13 replies to this topic

[AMAC]

A couple of days ago I started trying to draw Yoshi, and after several failed attempts, I managed to draw something that I was happy with. I drew the images by hand, and added colour on Paint. I know they're not great, but hopefully my Yoshi art will continue to get better.




EDIT: I forgot the white bits on Yoshi the first time, so I've edited the pictures.

[Feld0]

First attempt at drawing Yoshi? It looks strikingly similar to mine, actually.

I'm not going to slam you with critique, as this is your first drawing and you're probably aware of its flaws. However, I will point out that Yoshi has only 3 spikes (or 4, if you're drawing him in the classic SMW/YI style).

While you're starting out, I'd strongly suggest drawing off of a reference picture. Your end result won't be anything original, but it'll help you get a good understanding of Yoshi's anatomy, proportion, and details. Also, I strongly recommend using something a bit more solid than MSPaint. GIMP or Inkscape would both be great choices, though they'll take quite a while to learn. Probably best to develop your hand-drawing skills to a comfortable point first before jumping into complex computer software.

Anyhow, remember that practice always makes perfect! As long as you stay committed, you'll continue to get better over time.

[HaHa-No]

Cool! I use gimp, I have been since I was about I dunno 8 and I still haven't fully grasped what the heck some tools are meant to do. For example, I installed Paint.net because I didn't think Gimp had a large area select tool, where you click and an area gets filled. My friend told me at school the next day I had wasted an installation >.< . Anyways, I likey.

[AMAC]

Thanks for the feedback. I've started another drawing of Yoshi today, which I'll hopefully finish off tomorrow. I've made some changes, such as only drawing three spikes, I'm also going to add colour by hand this time, instead of using Paint. I have a couple of questions about GIMP and inkscape. Firstly, are they both free, and secondly, if you've used them before, what one do you prefer?

[Feld0]

I can give you a proper Feldian (aka ruthlessly brutal) critique next time if you want, but I don't give those out unless people specifically ask for criticism, as I know most people don't, um, take as well to it as I do.

GIMP and Inkscape are both free; that's why I suggested them to you. Their commercial equivalents are Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, but they have almost as many features as they do.

I've never really worked with either of them, as I happen to be lucky enough to legally own Adobe's Master Collection, but it's difficult to compare them, as GIMP is a raster-based program while Inkscape runs on vectors (ergo, one uses pixels and the other uses shapes). Vectors are generally nicer to work with, from my experience, as it's super-easy to change a line or add gradients (not to mention that the image never gets pixelated, no matter how close you zoom it in), whereas pixels allow you to play with fancier effects like filters and blurs.

It's mostly a matter of personal preference; myself, I prefer vectors (though I use Flash for that purpose, rather thank Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator).

By the way, here are links to Inkscape's and GIMP's homepages.

[HaHa-No]

If your going to use something like the above two things, and you want it pretty damn simple Paint.net is for you.
if your looking for fancy complicated effects you might want gimp.
I've never used inkscape but I know very well vectors are a joy to work with (Anime Studio my animation program uses them).
Oh and Feld0 your ruthless review about Faery War hasn't showed up yet...

[Feld0]

Oh and Feld0 your ruthless review about Faery War hasn't showed up yet...

Crap...I'm so sorry I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me; it's on its way. :roll:

[AMAC]

Here's my latest Yoshi drawing. I'm happy to have my work criticised, as long as it's constructive criticism. I know that cyan Yoshis normally have purple boots, but I couldn't find a purple pencil anywhere and the blue was the closest I could find.

[Wertville]

Pretty good drawing
Allow me to criticize now, on condition that you have to go criticize me (Oh, and I would LOVE a feldian criticize, Feld0)

Now, I'm not a yoshi master... But, well, there are yoshis all over the site, so it's not hard to tell what they look like

First, the nose needs to be a bit more rounded. According to the yoshis at the top of the page the nose should come from the lower part of the eyes and then go up from there.

Second, he needs more of a stomach. He's also leaning forward a bit, though that might just be part of your pose.

Lastly, his legs need to be moved a bit further toward the mouth. It looks a bit weird with his legs behind the shell/saddle/red thing.

Anyway, take my criticism with a grain of salt as, like I said, I'm no yoshi master

[Feld0]

Okay, well, since you asked for it, here it comes. Promise not to take any offense if you keep reading past this point; I'll be ruthless. Note that Wertville already may have mentioned some of what I'm about to say, but I'll keep it in my post for the sake of completeness.

The positioning of Yoshi's legs is the first flaw that pops out at me. Normally, they'd be positioned right in the middle of his body, in line with his shell. Look at your picture and think, can Yoshi actually stand up like that? Not only are they placed too far back, but they're a little scrawny, too. Look at any official artwork of Yoshi, and you'll see that he's actually fairly chubby all around. That actually goes for the rest of your drawing, too; he turned out a little too skinny all around.

The body shape all around is flawed. You didn't only place the legs too far back, but the neck extends too far forward as well, in addition to the posture being, well...let's just say Yoshi's gonna have some serious back problems. He stands up much straighter than that, even in his "classic" style. The thickness of the body also needs more variation to it. The neck is almost exactly as thick as the middle section of the body, and it gets abruptly thinner towards the tail. If you look at official pictures of Yoshi, you'll see that he has a thin neck leading into a body section that could legitimately pass for "fat," from which there is a smooth gradiation to the tailtip taking up approximately half of the rest of the body.

Next, the arms. Uh...I don't know how else to say it, but they're way, way too small, even for the "classic" Yoshi. Take a look at your own avatar. Yoshi's hands and arms are almost exactly like a human's, except that they lack fingernails and a fifth finger.

Now, the head. The chin and cheek in your picture are definitely too big, and the nose isn't shaped quite right. The white skin marking Yoshi's cheeks doesn't reach all the way to the eyes; there's an area of "coloured" skin between them. Really, the best way to see what I mean is to look at a reference picture. On that note, the cheeks themselves need to be much rounder.

Well, that pretty much covers all the major points. The best way to get better at drawing Yoshis is to have a solid set of reference material. It looks to me like you were trying to imitate this piece of Super Mario World art:

I would strongly advise against using any Yoshi artwork from games prior to Yoshi's Story for reference, as they depict Yoshi in his old, reptilian design that Nintendo no longer uses. In Yoshi's Story, Yoshi was redesigned to be more humanoid in appearance, with larger limbs, rounder spikes, and altered head-to-body proportions. I suggest using art of the "new" Yoshi for reference, as it's the design that everyone will be used to seeing (personally, I like it better, too, as it makes Yoshi look less like an animal and more like an intelligent being). Here are several good images of the modern Yoshi you could use as a starting point:

Spoiler

[attachment=0]Yoshi's Universal Gravitation Wallpaper.jpg[/attachment]

Anyway, I hope that wasn't too harsh. Although I'm a terrible artist myself, I like to think that I'm a good, honest critic that doesn't sugarcoat his thoughts. You're welcome.

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 

[AMAC]

Thanks for taking the time to comment and criticise my work. I can see where you're coming from with all your points. Next time I'll try using one of the new Yoshi pictures as my reference. Once again thanks for taking the time to give my work a Feldian criticism.

[Ephesus]

My advice: try sketching - instead of drawing whole lines, use brief pencil strokes to draw short portions. This way, you have better control of the direction your lines will go in.

Lastly, his legs need to be moved a bit further toward the mouth.

I'm trying to imagine a yoshi with his legs sprouting from his neck... 0_o

[Wertville]

~Ephesus
Not THAT far!
...Though it would be amusing

[AMAC]

Here's my most recent Yoshi drawing that I've just completed. I've followed your advice Feld0 and used one of the modern Yoshi images you suggested.