Hi, so here's my newest illustration. Didn't sleep all night making this, couldn't sleep.



Deviantart Info

Tools used: Adobe Illustrator
Font: Brutality Extra
Model: Me

you need to stop with the radial gradients, they are really really really really lazy


also, i think you need to ease up on the massive amounts of angst
what are you, 25? and you're still posting "i'm so deep :^(" pieces to your deviantart

try something new and original, then come back
also i recommend tumblr instead of deviantart, because there's a whole lot less pornographic sonic fanart on tumblr and the community is generally not terrible


now granted, what you've done here is pretty well-done for what it is
for the model, did you trace the shapes or use it as a reference?

Really nice job.

Only thing I kinda dislike is how perfect the chain and heart are. The text is all jaggety and imperfect while all the chain links are exactly the same and the heart is like perfectly symmetrical and stuff.

Nice work.

I don't entirely agree on the radial gradients.
If used properly they can be very handy.

Fenris just uses colours that are too far apart.
If he'd pick white as the centered colour and a very light grey as the outer colour it would've added to the piece instead of subtracting from it, like it is doing now.
I wouldn't suggest using gradients on the illustration itself as that will make it look very tacky very fast. Instead, use small streaks of a lighter colour to highlight what you want to highlight.

Here's an example I made a while back for a children's app:



I used gradients as well as the little highlights.
I hope this helps you out a bit.

bo: I don't think they're lazy at all... Also, I think they fit in pretty well on the few Illustration I have made so far. Would look rather...Boring, without it.

What does it matter? I am 18, 19 in a month. I'm not having problems with anxiety, I am having problems in general. There's been a lot of shit going on, but also a lot of good things. and I like to express it via art, either you like it or not.

Thanks! I basically traced a picture taken of myself, I'm not very good with character design, nor sketching.
~

Wesm: AGREE!! Probably will make the heart somewhat rock-like, and change the chain, make it more... damaged.

~

Alpha: The purpose of the gradient was to create high contrast between the background and the objects,
I wanted it to look somewhat hard because I wanted that dramatic feel.

Ps. I'm finding it hard to understand what you mean :/

What do you not understand?
The small streaks of a lighter colour as highlights?

I've got another (rather old!) example for that:



Just by using one extra colour per colour to highlight it you can create depth quite easily.
The gradients take away the crispness of a picture quite fast if you don't use it properly, making it look dirty.
Try experimenting without gradients for a while, I'm pretty sure you'll find it reinvigorating!

Also, I don't want to highjack your thread, I simply want to show you examples of different styles of shading to get you experimenting with them.

Not at all, you're word is more than welcome. Haha

I understand, you mean like this right?



Hmmm, I see what you're talking about.
I'm just not too sure if that kind of shading would fit in this illustration in particular... I think gradients look better, in this one that is.

Baby, you don't gotta drag my heart, it will just follow you anywhere ;)

So rawr, I like it quite a bit, I don't agree with boStaff so much, if you use radial gradients wisely and right, you will be able to make an amazing product. So maybe pick colors that aren't so far apart it might look a little better.

I also think that your heart shoulda looked more like this:

overall though..

It seems everything I wanted to say has been said, and very well said at that.

Since theres not much else to say apart from the fact that I love the idea and it looks good so far, is: