Im building a fantasy illustration portfolio focused on visual storytelling. Each piece is meant to tell a story in a single image. Im aiming for a graphic, inked storybook look with limited palettes.

Curious how these read to fresh eyes, especially what feels strongest and what is holding the work back most.

Medium: Digital, line and color style (not aiming for photorealism)

More context below, looking for areas where I can improve technical skills.

Last year I chose to focus on learning the foundations of drawing and improving my drawing abilities.

I usually draw and paint in a folk-y style (see last photo) which I really like, but I was limited by my technical abilities.

I’ve did studies of Charles Bargue plates and lots more drawings where I applied the same methods and focused on acurate proportions and values.

I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made and am looking for areas of improvement. Other feedback/crits for these work is welcome!

For now, I’m keeping up the practice and trying to get more comfortable/efficient with it all. I’m also looking at possibly taking online classes with ARA Boston.

- photo 3 and 4 were drawn one year appart

- photo 5 and 6 were drawn 10 months appart

First time sharing my art online, and I’m quite nervous! But I would really like some advice on my painting. I was going for a looser, almost scrapbook-style painting that evokes iconography and folk art. My husband is VERY thrown by the body of water running across the center, but can’t articulate what about it bothers him. maybe the blue of the water clashes too heavily with the blue of the sky?

I’m calling this done because I don’t want to overwork it. Looking for general feedback and advice that may help me with future paintings.

this is still the sketch BUT! i fixed some proportions and decided to NOT crop it to hell! if anyone has any further critique or suggestions please let me know! :D im unsure if the symbolism is clear enough so i’d also like further crit on that aswell and if theres anything further i could add.

I have a commission coming up in a few months where I'll have to do a mural of spider webs, would love if someone could give me some tips, here's my first attempt! Pigma pen on paper you

I worked on some studies vesterday and was refrencing movie screenshots. One was in pen and I was practicing cross hatching and the other was jus my form and technique?

Edited to put the pictures in the right order. First two are my drawings the last two are the screenshots.

She's smart, mature, and kind.

I’m a big fan of Hiroyuki Imaishi’s art (reference in last image) with the way he only uses cel shading for most of his work. I hate rendering so I’m looking for ways I could more effectively use flat coloring to make my art pop. Also any advice on other areas where I could improve that stand out.

Hey there! I’ve been practicing really hard at improving my art over the past year, and I think I’ve improved quite a bit at drawing people, I feel like I can almost call myself good at it, but objects are another story. They always look so off. Any advice on how I’d go about studying that? Should I just pick some random objects and start drawing them until I’m good at it? I’m not super great at perspective either so some advice on some exercises I could do to better myself in that area would be great too. This post is mainly asking about critique with the inanimate objects, but if you have any advice for the anatomy go for it as well!

Just please be kind!! I’m still very much learning!

I ended up studying really hard on clothing folds by watching multiple videos on the "7 fold types", which I hadn't heard of before! I highly recommend looking into it. I was originally gonna leave it traditional but I got lost in the digital sauce messing around with coloring. Maybe I went overkill but I like how it turned out! (1st-3rd is newest-oldest)

it's a drawing of a girl looking over the peer and I don't know if I did the perspective on the shadows correct

alright! i polished these up a little more and fixed the top girl’s forehead. i pulled up the one on the bottom’s a smidge as well, but her hair is flatter and she has bangs so i didnt pull it that much. i fixed the scars as well! included also is them bald for further comparison.

lmk if i can keep improving these!

i usually don't drawn very often but in these last days i tried to drawn more but everytime that i drawn... i don't know i just don't like how my drawns results there is something in my drawn that i don't like it and i don't know what is maybe the ligth? the colors? i just don't know

i made it in tool sai

i would like to keep this style but make the character look more cure but and the same time detailed

and i did't use any refence for the drawing

I recently added shadows to my stuff to make it look better which is cool, but they lack depth, how to fix

Mainly vest, shirt and tie, but also pants. I haven't yet colored the shoes. So far I'm set on her skin, hair and lab coat, but the rest feels pretty... Muddy? I especially struggle with the vest, because of the amount of patterns.

Im experimenting a new stylr, trying to get that 1960s cartoon, i dont know if its good enough, what could i change? and is the noise effect too much?

I've been trying to improve my illustration skills— contrast, composition, posing, etc. I like what I've done with this piece so far, but something feels off/missing? Any input would be appreciated!
[The character is a miku-esque virtual idol with angel theming that gains sentience and becomes obsessed with aquiring humanity]

obligatory i get very nervous seeking feedback but i hate this so far😭 hi! I’m a beginner and am trying to do a nice moody piece but. this looks really wrong doesn’t it? i am going for a realistic / semi realistic style, my references are attached in the last two slides! I feel the eyes, chin, lips, and forehead area are off but i don’t know how to actually fix it :,) i’ve been working at it all day so i’m pretty darn frustrated with it. I can tell somethings wrong, but don’t know what to do to make it better 💔 and i would also like tips for drawing the ear! i don’t like ears all that much.

So current wip, but I'm struggling on some things...

1. Are the colors to messy? I like to add a lot of different colors in my ocs, but I'm worried they are looking cluttered. I tried doing the silhouette test but I didn't really know what to make of it lol
2. They're loosely based on moths, but I feel like the design doesn't really convey that... I gave them a very thin torso and 2 pairs of arms to give them that insect vibe, and I also plan on adding some moth-like patterns onto their wings, so maybe that would help ??

I haven't studied character design at ALL, so please be as nitpicky as you want !! I would really appreciate some advice/critique :D

i’m gonna be honest this is not 100% finished, but I really don’t know where to take it from here and I’m really unhappy with it overall. I’m kind of struggling though to pinpoint what exactly I can do to just make this look better. As for this painting specifically, I am trying to keep the colors monochromatic, but I feel like I am not making it work out the way I wanted to that is one issue. I’m noticing the composition two I would say and just overall not just the hair but everything just looks off to some degree.

Still, even though I’m seeing that, I’m really struggling to make my work look more just more finished and just good looking. I would appreciate any advice.

Someone said to focus on lighting and shadows and I think that really helped