What's the issue with this drawing?

frgmnt 2021-01-27 14:45:15 UTC #1

I'm trying to recover from an artblock and even though it was short, it already killed my ability to draw. Everything I draw is bad. This particular drawing is just horrible imo, and it's a good representation of the issues i usually have, so I used it for this thread. (fyi it took me almost half an hour to just sketch it out... )

I have the same exact issues with every drawing, and have no slightest idea what causes them or how to solve them. The issues already start at the draft phase - it's so difficult to draw a simple head that doesn't look weird! I'm just stuck repeating the same mistakes over and over. This slows down my improvement to a crawl.
I wish I could do quick loose sketches full of energy - but instead I'm stuck in this strict and yet malfunctioning structure I feel like I have to follow, because without it I'm clueless.

So I'm asking, please tell me what are the problems with this particular drawing. Don't be afraid to nitpick. I'll be grateful for any guidance. ;-; (Keep in mind though, I'm not a beginner, I've been drawing for several years, so advice like "keep practicing" is not going to help me anymore.)

If you need more examples, I can provide them. I feel like in the above drawing, the face is particularly bad, somehow. The mouth is probably the worst part - I rarely draw open mouths with teeth, for the reason that I just don't know how to make them look convincing, and can never get them right unless I directly copy other artists, which ofc I don't want to do.

frgmnt 2021-01-27 14:48:14 UTC #2

Okay, one more example of my recent mysteriously bad drawing

Wanted to redraw an old comic page to see if i improved, it turned out very difficult

darthmongoose 2021-01-27 14:48:36 UTC #3

The top lip isn't curving around with the curvature of the face, so rather than a smile, it becomes a sort of slack-jawed, open mouthed look, particularly because the lower eyelid isn't pushed up at all by the cheeks. The eyes aren't smiling to match how wide open the mouth is smiling, so the smile looks insincere. I think that's the root of the issue as I see it.

Kelheor 2021-01-27 14:54:33 UTC #4

While she is looking down, her mouth and teeth are looking upwards. Her brows are also very... strict? As @darthmongoose wrote, she has a tense fixed smile and her facial features do not smile.

cookieroach 2021-01-27 15:07:47 UTC #5

First I just want to say that I don't think your drawings are bad or horrible! But I can really relate to that feeling. I always feel like the faces I draw look super weird as well ^^;

I think the advice from the posters above are good, and I can only offer some general advice that seems to work for me when I want to get out of a rut of making the same "mistake" over and over.

Practise basic shapes. Like a box, sphere, etc. This is very good for warming up before you start drawing!
Practise drawing faces from real references (photos)
Study how to draw faces from anatomy books or tutorials.

That's the thing that seems to help for me. And I honestly think that your drawings doesn't suck at all, but of course we always want to improve! But I feel like if you want to change how your currently drawing, you need to practise drawing something else, not in your usual style, to break those old habits.

darthmongoose 2021-01-27 15:11:53 UTC #6

Yeah @Kelheor nailed it!

Overall, I think you've hit a little ceiling because you've got your guidelines down very tightly and you're at a level of skill where they're starting to restrict you. I'd recommend reading an excellent book called "Drawn to Life volume 1" by legendary Disney animator Walt Stanchfield. It's all about expressing yourself through drawings and putting weight and energy into them. It's a really good one to read when you hit your sort of level and feel stuck because the usual tutorials are a bit too simple and you need higher level guidance.

frgmnt 2021-01-27 15:17:22 UTC #7

@darthmongoose @Kelheor So I'm failing "expression drawing 101" again huh...
I tried applying this advice in the example drawing, I think I somehow made it look even more creepy though

I don't know if I can save this particular drawing, but these are definitely things I tend to forget to keep track of orz... So thanks for advice!

Drawing faces from real reference is difficult for me, because trying to draw in a realistic style, I end up just mindlessly copying what I see (it's too complex for me to understand, even when I try to break it down into shapes), but also have difficulty translating the subtler things I see (eg. expressions and how the face works with them) to a stylized style...

domisotto 2021-01-27 15:22:05 UTC #8

I am not an artist, but if I block off her mouth, she looks cute and sweet to me, it’s just her mouth that is a bit odd. That’s said, if you didn’t draw attention to it, I would have called your drawing awesome!

frgmnt 2021-01-27 15:24:37 UTC #9

will I ever understand how to draw mouths (I swear this keeps happening, all goes well until I get to the mouth) thanks though

I think mouths are the hardest thing for me to understand when trying to draw from reference, actually. I just have no clue how to draw them stylized, even when I omit the teeth and tongue, the shape alone looks off...

Kelheor 2021-01-27 15:26:37 UTC #10

Your art is good, try not to beat yourself too much I think she definitely looks better! Try to dedicate a bit of time for a few emotions sketches a day. I recommend finding a few tutorials that explain how face works when making an emotion, like brows go up, mouth tips go down, etc. Maybe try something exaggerated, I think drawing exaggerated emotions really helped me, maybe it will do the trick for you too =)

examples

Azifri 2021-01-27 15:32:50 UTC #11

To be honest I didn't see anything wrong with the first images. Drawing the smiles the way you did first looks like a stylistic choice to me, one thay I've seen before. I'd have to see your previous drawings to compare and find the differences.

thecrystalrook 2021-01-27 16:11:22 UTC #12

Honestly doesn't look bad to me at all. Just looks like it's anime stylistically. Not every facial detail has to be exact in this style. I think your art is good, keep it up!

DokiDokiTsuna 2021-01-27 16:15:42 UTC #13

...Somehow I knew it would be a good drawing. ^^;

I think your problem is just that you curved the top of the mouth, that's all. Try straightening the upper lip, but leaving the teeth curved, and that'll probably do it.

I can't really think of anything else worth nitpicking...the eyebrows should be more even I guess, and the collar looks a little flat, but apart from that it's just good lineart.

amortelito 2021-01-27 16:31:11 UTC #14

I think you art is really good! But you want to improve the expressivity.

In the "corrected" drawing you posted: Cartoon eyebrows look simple to draw but they are a little trickier. In this drawing they are rised but only from the inner side and they are slightly drawn together. That's more consistent with the expression "worried" than "joyful". It's very subtle! But the angles do make a big difference. In Kelheor's sketch you can see how eyebrows arch and get separated in an expression of joy and openness. You drew the smile sharper and more angular. Rounder lines like in the original sketch are a better choice for a kind smile instead of sharp. I don't think she looks creepy, as you said, she just has an expression you were not intending.

I think it's great that your drawings have a proper construction!! I don't think the way you do the sketches is wonky or incorrect. But if you feel like this method is limiting your "plasticity" you could try sketching just faces or poses without worrying too much. Some artists need to work on their sketch structure, true, but also it could be good to try a free style during practice.

This might sound stupid but, have you tried smiling and frowning while you draw, or doing the poses yourself? Sometimes feeling your own body helps you to understand the right expression. I have corrected some unnatural poses by doing it myself.

rajillustration 2021-01-27 16:53:17 UTC #15

So I honestly am not sure what you are trying to say is bad--and I think that makes it really hard to judge since it is a cartoon so it won't be exactly perfect, and if it does betray 3d curves that is often a stylistic choice and not a big deal. As for showing more expression in your art, maybe squish and squash a little bit more (and I mean a lot more), like animations do. When I'm doing illustration I have to try and exaggerate about 150% more than I think it should be in order to sell a specific emotion, not just in the face, but the whole body--the hair, the gesture through the body, all of it. Thing is, that's a stylistic choice and may not be the answer for what you need.

Black_Conscious 2021-01-27 17:20:36 UTC #16

To be honest I think your drawing is pretty good, you've created a style that you are used to.
So just looking at the pictures you have provided I think it fits the character since I am going off of the looks not the personality, if there was also the personality of the characters than I would say somethin different, it depends.

You shouldn't put yourself onto a low level as what you are doing, it creates things to your mind that are negative toward your artistic skills and such , I have experience somethin like that before that I just wanted to give up on drawing just because it doesn't look as what I was going for.

I don't know, I think there should be a balance of that you know on where you have both a positive and a negative but that is just me ....

I really don't know what to say about this one, I guess all I could say is look at the peoples recommendations they have provided here on this thread, because they are all good .

I really think if you feel like you have to follow this strict and malfunctioning structure you should break away from that but then again you've said you are clueless without it so that's where it gets hard, I could say that maybe you should seek out different types of artist who have gone thru something similar or how certain artist begin their work, but idk.

Sorry that I wasn't much help with your problem that you are having

frgmnt 2021-01-27 17:57:33 UTC #17

@Azifri & @thecrystalrook , well, if it was a conscious choice, and I wasn't finding an issue, I wouldn't make this thread But it's not what I want, and it ends up looking in a way that does not appeal to me.

...well my problem is being unable to do that, lol. Trying to be "looser" while sketching ends with everything looking completely off and misplaced... Really it's either strictly adhering to a structure, or nothing. (it's a mystery to me how some artists can just casually draw a full body sketch with little to no planning or structuring)
I do use myself as reference for drawing occasionally, sometimes it's helpful, sometimes not really.

Advice about exaggerating emotions in some other posts also sounds good and I know it's something I need to do more, but I'm not sure how lol... All my attempts at pushing emotion further in my drawings ended up with no difference from how I draw it normally.

@Black_Conscious it's fine! also I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself but it keeps happening

Grhe 2021-01-27 18:56:45 UTC #18

I got the exact same problem. though I don't see anything wrong with your drawings. looks good to me.

migxmeg 2021-01-27 19:34:00 UTC #19

Sounds like it could be helpful (and maybe fun?) to give yourself some permission to be clueless and do things that "look bad" in the interest of trying something you wish you could do. It's clear that you're not a beginner from your drawing . But it might freshen things up for you if you let yourself be a beginner at trying a different method?

Adding a bit more: it might also breathe some new life into your structured method that you use now. And it's always great to get that reminder that you don't "have" to do anything - you can draw whatever you want however you want!

anon34283405 2021-01-27 20:34:14 UTC #20

BRUH the frick you talkin bout there is NOTHING bad about ur art, or at least the drawings I've seen that before.

And I'm not sayin that as like a empty words emotional support thing, like I am legit confused as to what you think is bad about ur art. Like don't get me wrong every else on this forum giving you advice is super cool but like...the sketch you have presented today is legit very cute and I love it.

https://tapas.io/episode/2015432

If you take a look at my drawings via the link above you'll see that they're are no where near as detailed and advanced as yours but that didn't stop me from having fun making my comic.

My advice is to just chill out and try to judge your own work less. I know that sounds impossible but you are capable of controlling your own thoughts, everyone is.

Anyways, in conclusion I think you're delusional for thinking that this sketch you posted is bad in any way shape or form.