Batman feet and shading

[Stu]

Now then everyone

Being that a few people have been picking up on how crap my feet are, I was hoping that you all could help me out again as you have done in the past. So I would like your opinion on this fella here and his feet. I would also be appreciative if any of you could comment on this shading as some of the shade lines where inked and some weren't, I was wondering looked better.

Here's the pic (http://groups.msn.com/picsidrewanduploaded/pictures.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=96)

Comments?

[James]

I think on the feet, a little bit of observation drawing wouldn't hurt. A mix maybe of sketching real life feet in the poses you want, and perhaps some from comics, to see the comic approach which you hope to slightly emulate. The feet are a little too small and could be better defined.

As for the shading. Getting better, just be careful of mixing the lightsourcing up. Keep it simple. Picture the light from one angle and stick to it. His legs are dark on the outer edge, but nothing on the inner leg. It all depends where the light is meant to be. I'm afraid I'm not sure so something is a little amiss.

Still nice drawing and as I've said, a definitive style progressing there!

[Casity]

Hey! I can't draw feet either, so don't think you are the only one. My feet are HUGE, and I have to tell you, that you are doing better, cause you are trying to correct the problem. Thumbs up for that.

They are a little small though. Hmm, of course, you are talking to someone who makes the feet as big as the person's chest. Heh. Try looking at pictures of feet, and if you keep at it, you could be a whole lot better in a few weeks.

So, hope you post a follow up. (Love the colored pencil!)

-Casity

[Casity]

Forgot to add... when using colored pencils I discovered a little help with shading! :) Or it helped me at least. Take a pencil eraser (like from a number two pencil, a nasty one that leaves gray when you erase) and blend your colors with that. It works wonders for me.

Just thought I might throw it at you.

-Casity

[Ikwig]

Yeah, I always find feet really difficult too, but I agree with SJJ and Casity's suggestions: practice drawing your own or other people's feet (you can draw from photos, or look at yourself in a mirror) in different positions and with/without shoes and/or socks.

As far as the shading goes, I would suggest that you not outline your shading in ink, as that makes it look like that's just a different fabric for the costume (rather than a shadow cast by your character's arm or something like that). The shading w/o the ink line looks much better! :)

Your style is really coming along, tho' - each new pic you post looks better than the last! :)

[Spidey2099]

I wouldn't let the feet thing bother you too much Amazing Spidey. I find feet incredibly hard to draw, and you've picked the most difficult position to draw them in: the direct front view (Lucky you :D ). If you'll notice in some of my recent pictures, like the Peter Parker Model Sheet (http://groups.msn.com/TheCartoonist/spidey2099salbum.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=156) and my newest one with the Spider-Men (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?threadid=79323), you'll notice that I never use the direct approach of the feet.

If I'm forced to draw them from the front view, like Peter's first angle (the first image), I tend to have one foot angled downward slightly so that the viewer sees the top of the foot, while the other is pointed slightly away from the picture plane.

In the picture with the Spider-Men, I've kept the toes pointed downward (I also feel that doing so emphasizes them jumping much better than when artists draw the soles of the feet aimed at the "camera"). I got this idea from how Bruce Timm draws his characters when they're jumping: the legs are folded with the toes pointed to the back.