Hey forums its ya boy. What u artists think

here is my honest opinion:

I think you have a lot of character in your art. Its very fun to look at. Reminds me of a sort of abstract version of edward gorey's [EDIT: I said edward gorey, but I looked into it and its more like monet's sketches, or something IDK but they remind me of some dude...] artwork.

Heres what I suggest you try to do going forward:

try to escape lines that look like something the hand would tend to like to draw:

such as perfectly curved bold lines or really stark cartoon lines

go full into character... make it seem NATURAL. like you didnt draw it... like it just happened naturally..

I probably sound like im on meth right now, but thats what I find with abstract art:

it looks best if it looks like it wasnt drawn, it looks best if it looks created

You and I focus on the same art style, so I think I can offer some good advice.

In the focus of your pieces, I noticed that there was no depth besides the odd scratch from your graphite. Try using a 4B pencil to give the pictures more depth. It's all the same, shade and contrast and you will have beauty.

hope this helps!

@Veoo: Thank you, my main purpose is to make it interesting. Salvador Dali maybe? Idk that many traditional artists but he inspires me a bit. I'm not really sure which parts you mean exactly because i posted 4 pieces. Im really satisfied with the flow of #1 and #2. I can see what you mean if youre talking about the back spikes of #2 and the flames on #4. I kinda rushed those parts because I mainly just draw for myself. I like this kind of abstract art because there isn't a real life example to compare the proportions to, but i strive to make them feel like theyre complete.

@Baphomet: Idk if changing the pencil would make that big of a difference. It might change the shade of the overall piece, but the rendering would be the same. I only actually used pencil (which I blended) in #2. It is a little bland as far as range of colors go, i could probably all a highlight here or there. All the others are in pen, which is part of the feel of the pieces. Idk if thats what you mean by "odd scratch" but the only way to shade with pen is thru lines and dots. Also, i dont really see the "no depth" part, maybe elaborate?

can you not jam your camera into the paper when you take pictures? it would be nice if I could see a bit of a further back view thanks.

press "ctrl -" a couple times

Changing pencils would make a massive difference.
But my opinion differs in that I think you should actually get a harder pencil, start your sketches with a 2H and working towards 2B as the concept gets more refined.

Not seeing much of salvador dali in your work, he was a surrealist, hyper realism, turning realistic scenarios/subjects on their heads.
If I had to make a correlation, you have more Joe Fenton in you, check him out.

I think you need to move away from these classroom doodle type sketches though, changing pencils as you work would give your lines alot more "intent" as it were, keeping them rough and sketchy, but looking like you actually meant to draw them the way you did.

Sketch in 2H and refine with a 2B and only use a 4B for the extreme dark bits.
And try to stay away from hard outlines.
Also, lines and dots arent the only way to shade with pencil, holding the pencil on its side and using the side of the lead, gives you a broader stroke more akin to painting or charcoal, although Im not much of a fan of that. But adjusting your angle does give you more options.
When working with 2B and 4B, you can also use your finger or a putty eraser to smooth and smudge the shading.

Good stuff, it reminds me a f ed roth's art, he's the creator of rat fink which is a very iconic character for old muscle cars. Id try to define your lines a little more, but not too much because it takes away from the sketchy art style which looks good in this style of art. I would definitely look into coloring some of these though, because it gives it that extra pop and looks very well with this style. Use darker colors like dark green and brown and red and such if you decide to color them.

ive been looking at your work and I think you need 2 more things:

detailing with darker lines

and try some art that has a interesting subject

look at

ronald searle sketches -- he is terrific, Id try to emulate some of his style in ur art tbh

@BenDover: Ok ill check out different pencils. Only been using 2b and pen.

Yeah, like i said i don't know very many artists names, that was just the closest one i was aware of. I really like the Joe Fentons guys art though, its really like a wayy refined version of mine and i like how he ties everything together into 1 symmetrical shape.

Im aware of how blending works, but like i said i used pen in a majority of these. I'll definitely have to take a trip to the art store though, thanks for the input bendy.

@Kozmonaut: Yeah he's kinda that same grotesque vibe i was going for in 3. he looks really cool. I havent really considered color but i will experiment with it moving on.

@Veoo: noted thx